Somewhere during the latter part of the twentieth century, my shooting moved to a new chapter, and I found myself fireforming cases for a new chamber in a Ruger No. 1.
Gone was the .22 Hornet, in was the K-Hornet. It was a simple and enjoyable journey that gave justification for many trips to the range.
With the passage of time, a new century arrived, but along with that came a step backward in time. Slug guns, bullet casting, paper patching; you all recognize the symptoms I’m sure. It never occurred to me that the ways and means of times past would revisit to save my bacon, this in a variation of hammer die technology.
Just a few years ago, a treasured relic of yesteryear came into my life. A Model 54 Winchester in remarkably good condition with a chamber enhanced by none other than Lysle Kilbourn.
The bore and function are flawless. A slugging of the bore indicates a nominal groove dimension of .2225 inch, so in consideration of the scarcity of components in those days, I picked up a Lyman 225438 mould with the intention of preserving my supply of properly dimensioned jacketed bullets by fire forming with cast lead. The first excursion was disheartening to say the least. The necks split in three out of three cases, so I set the Remington brass aside and moved to the Winchester stock. One out of three split, and I consigned myself to the process of annealing brass. It is a process I don’t particularly enjoy, but neither do I embrace the thought of destroying a barrel with such pedigree.
Round three of the fire forming led to improvement but not a solution. Roughly 30 percent of the Remington brass failed and about 5 percent of the Winchester brass did so as well. I was perplexed and frustrated. I revisited the annealing process and found with a second round of treatment, the failure rate dropped to about 15 percent with the Remington brass and less than 3 percent for the Winchester; better, but not good enough. I hope you appreciate that the sample sizes were small, 6 and 12 rounds per brand, respectively, and the loads were mild. Caution is indeed the better part of valor.
Denne historien er fra Spring 2017-utgaven av The Black Powder Cartridge News.
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Denne historien er fra Spring 2017-utgaven av The Black Powder Cartridge News.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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ON HUNTING AND SNIPING
Long-range target shooting here in the U.S. has become increasingly popular, at least since the first International Match with the Irish team in 1874.
Death in the Desert
This Colt .45 “Peacemaker” was found out in the desert in historically one of the most dangerous places on Earth.
A COVID-19 Project
As far as the COVID-19 pandemic is concerned, I can’t find much good to say about it. One thing I can say, though; I had a lot of idle time on my hands. After perusing YouTube videos during this time of lockdown, I came across a company that makes rifle kits – Kibler’s Long Rifles.
Smithmoor .22 Offhand Target Championship NSmithmoor Rangen Carpenter, Wyoming – February 20-21, 2021
The Smithmoor .22 Offhand Target Championship held February 20-21, was a great success! It was a two-day match with 50 record shots per day on the 100-yard German Ring Target from SPG Sales (blackpowderspg.com). Wyoming Schuetzen Union rules were used.
A .40 Caliber Long-Range Rifle
During a recent stay in New Zealand, we found ourselves in Rotorua, which is the stomping grounds of expert Kiwi rifleman, Laurie Kerr. Laurie has been a friend since we first met at Raton, New Mexico, a number of years ago and we have managed to stay in relatively good communication ever since.
BE MORE THAN A Wannabe PART II
Since my first article was published in Issue No. 113 of The Black Powder Cartridge News, I have received several emails and groups from readers.
The Hide Hunting Exploits of HARRY “SAM” YOUNG
It’s difficult now to remember exactly where I first read or heard about Hard Knocks by Harry “Sam” Young. The book is an extremely entertaining read and in the Publisher’s Note, it specifically states, “The great lesson of this book is that “truth is stranger than fiction.”
Match Results
World’s Largest Black Powder Target Rifle Match Phoenix, Arizona – March 1-10, 2021 BEN AVERY SHOOTING FACILITY
The Wyoming Schuetzen Union's “Center Shot”
John Bodine, “Old Reliable”
Who Was Albert F. Mitchell?
When somebody hears the words “Sharps rifle,” the first things that probably come to mind are the great buffalo hunts, the “Wild and Wooly West” and tales of long-range shots, Indian attacks, and hunters freezing in blizzards.
