What gun stuff did you do today?

[Daezee]

A bit cold, but I dressed warm and went to the range. Had a space heater sitting on the bench.

First up my 45/70 reloads with 11.5gr Swedish wooden bullet blank powder (my best loading for the blank powder so far for my 45/70). Didn't put them on paper (too windy to hold paper targets still), but on freshly painted steel, aiming for the same point every shot. Prior to shooting, I did put the loaded rounds in front of my space heater to better simulate warmer Florida temps to get them up to room temperature. They shot fine, and I'll be loading more of that load. Yes, that powder leaves unburnt grains in the bore (in about the first 12" in front of the chamber), in brass and some falls into the receiver when ejecting the fired cases, but it didn't seem to cause problems. Success...another use for that pulled powder. Doesn't stink like 7383, but does seem to have its own smell.

Next was trying 7.62x39 flat nose reloads via AR 7.62x39 mags in the RARR, loading 5 rounds in each mag. About 25-30% failure to feed into the chamber unless the front of the mag was slightly tilted up. As the round count went down in the mag, the feeding improved. Next was seeing how pointed 7.62x39 bullets feed...100% success feeding. I guess in fairness 7.62x39 ammo is typically pointed and the plated flat nose bullets do result in a shorter oal than pointy bullets. No idea of how round nose 7.62x39 ammo would feed.

 

[Rebel_Rider1969]

A bit cold, but I dressed warm and went to the range. Had a space heater sitting on the bench.

First up my 45/70 reloads with 11.5gr Swedish wooden bullet blank powder (my best loading for the blank powder so far). Didn't put them on paper (too windy to hold paper targets still), but on freshly painted steel, aiming for the same point every shot. Prior to shooting, I did put the loaded rounds in front of my space heater to better simulate warmer Florida temps to get them up to room temperature. They shot fine, and I'll be loading more of that load. Yes, that powder leaves unburnt grains in the bore (in about the first 12" in front of the chamber), in brass and some falls into the receiver when ejecting the fired cases, but it didn't seem to cause problems. Success...another use for that pulled powder. Doesn't stink like 7383, but does seem to have its own smell.

Next was trying 7.62x39 flat nose reloads via AR 7.62x39 mags in the RARR, loading 5 rounds in each mag. About 25-30% failure to feed into the chamber unless the front of the mag was slightly tilted up. As the round count went down in the mag, the feeding improved. Next was seeing how pointed 7.62x39 bullets feed...100% success feeding. I guess in fairness 7.62x39 ammo is typically pointed and the plated flat nose bullets do result in a shorter oal than pointy bullets. No idea of how round nose 7.62x39 ammo would feed.

Keep the good info coming. Even with pointed bullets there is issues...10rd ruger factory mag... gotta sling the bolt, no creeping.

 

[Rebel_Rider1969]

Took my niece hunting, she's also a wrong side shooter, lol. Only saw one small doe. Next time!

 

[Daezee]

Got to chronograph my 45/70 395gr reloads with pulled Swedish wooden blank powder. Power was supposed to burn about like Unique. Well, it seems slower than Unique (at least from the lot of ammo I bought). I had started low and was using powder charges that would appropriate for Unique in a trapdoor action so as to be safe.

12gr Unique, Lee hollow base cast bullet weighing 395gr = 1138fps average
11.5gr Swedish powder, same bullet, same primer, same oal = 848fps average (hits 3 1/4" lower than above Unique load at the same distance, and when you fire the different loads right after one another, the recoil difference is noticeable). Both give me the accuracy I want. 1/2 grain should not have made that much difference if it was burning like Unique, maybe 50fps, but not 290fps less.

On the one hand, the load is accurate. On the other hand, I'll be slowly increasing the powder charge until I get around 1100fps and fire for accuracy and point of impact. I suspect the low pressure I was shooting at increased the amount of unburnt powder I was getting.

I did see one (and only one) "report" that the last lot of Swedish blanks made used a slower burning lot of the powder. Seller claimed it was closer to 2400 powder in burn rate. It might've been hype as the guy was trying to sell a case of the wooden blank ammo for twice as much as people usually ask for the blanks. In any case, his blank ammo was made the same year as mine, but I don't remember the last digit of his lot number; the rest of the lot numbers were the same.

 

[Crowbar]

Installed a metal follower and a Volquartsen extractor in a new 870 express. Shopped around for a 10mm.

 

[Rebel_Rider1969]

Installed a metal follower and a Volquartsen extractor in a new 870 express. Shopped around for a 10mm.

There's a nice glock g20 sf gen 3 in the classifieds!

 

[Fanner50]

Installed a metal follower and a Volquartsen extractor in a new 870 express. Shopped around for a 10mm.

The 10mm on the for sale forum looks nice. It's about three pages in now. I'm really liking my G20. The 10mm puts out some power, almost twice the energy of 9mm.

 

[Rebel_Rider1969]

The 10mm on the for sale forum looks nice. It's about three pages in now. I'm really liking my G20. The 10mm puts out some power, almost twice the energy of 9mm.

9 is fine, but 10 is for men....

 

[Daezee]

Worked with my trapdoor using Swedish wooden blank powder (SWBP), increasing the charge until I got the velocity I was happier with and then tested loads for accuracy and point of impact. 395 gr Lee hollow base cast bullet, 1/20 tin to lead, 50/50 lube, shot unsized, as cast .462". Obviously the lot of SWBP I have is slower than Unique, at least in the 45/70.

11.5 gr SWBP gives 848 fps average and shoots accurate enough for me
13.0 gr SWBP gave 942 fps (only chronographed 1 shot)
15.0 gr SWBP gave 1012 fps (only chronographed 1 shot)
16.0 gr SWBP gave 1122 fps (only chronographed 1 shot) (close enough to my regular 12.0 gr Unique that gives 1138 fps average)

Loaded up 15.0, 15.5, and 16.0 gr of SWBP and off to the neighbor's range. Target 35 yd away, considering my vision and the iron sights.

15.0 gr = yuck
15.5 gr = much better
16.0 gr = fantastic, as good as I can see and hold using tiny military iron sights. About 1/4th the unburnt powder as the 11.5 gr load gives in the bore and no unburnt powder in the brass or action of the trapdoor. Hit's just a quarter inch higher than the 12.0 gr Unique load. Happy Happy

 

[Daezee]

Neighbor couldn't make it to his range and bring his Labradar chronograph this morning. That chronograph gives down range velocities so I can take the data and figure out any bullet's ballistic coefficient for calculating down range bullet points of impact (still need to verify by shooting, but most of the time the bullet hits very close if not right on per the calculation). So I decided to use his range and figure out the sight settings for my M1888 Trapdoor the "old fashion way" by simply shooting at 50, 75, 100, 125, 150, 175 and 200yd, the length of his range. Since I'm shooting a lighter load than the regulation 500 gr military load, the sight settings would be different from that marked on the rear sight. Got lots of exercise by shooting, walking to target, measuring, repainting the steel torso target I was using and walking back to the shooting spots. 35 rounds later, I've got my sight settings for up to 200yd.

Warmed ammo to room temp before going and kept rounds in my pockets to keep them at a more normal Florida temperature. Shooting Swedish wooden bullet blank powder, the smell reminds me of the smell of factory 20ga hunting ammo fired on a cool morning when hunting small game.

 

[Rebel_Rider1969]

Got a long eye relief scope on my .22 mag space gun. Vortex scout scope 2x7. Perfect! Looking forward to seeing how accurate this thing is. Big thanks to Raven!!

 

[Raven]

Got a long eye relief scope on my space gun. Vortex scout scope 2x7. Perfect! Looking forward to seeing how accurate this thing is. Big thanks to Raven!!

Looks like it has a good height, too! I was worried maybe it would be too high above the cheekweld

 

[Rebel_Rider1969]

Looks like it has a good height, too! I was worried maybe it would be too high above the cheekweld

No, with the low mounts it naturally comes right up. Full field of view with no fisheye or odd angles.

 

[Raven]

No, with the low mounts it naturally comes right up. Full field of view with no fisheye or odd angles.

That's awesome!

 

[Rebel_Rider1969]

Bought the bride a high end rifle for valentine's day. She's ecstatic. Sighting it in tomm. Howa 308 varmiteer with knoxx and nikko sterling night eater scope, mag fed. ( factory kit)

 

[Raven]

Bought the bride a high end rifle for valentine's day. She's ecstatic. Sighting it in tomm. Howa 308 varmiteer with knoxx and nikko sterling night eater scope, mag fed. ( factory kit)

 

[ls1_guru]

My "closer" range turkey,coyote,hog gun.
BENELLI M1 SUPER 90 with 7 shot tube. Also have a 5 shot.
This gun + Pattern Master choke tubes are a match made in heaven.
Bought this gun in 1993'ish. ---- SAWMAN View attachment 145926

Tactical version of that model, one of the best Shotguns I've fired.

 

[Rebel_Rider1969]

Got a long eye relief scope on my .22 mag space gun. Vortex scout scope 2x7. Perfect! Looking forward to seeing how accurate this thing is. Big thanks to Raven!!

Works great!!!! Love it! 100 yard shots now!!! Critter ready!

 

[Raven]

Bag and tag some yotes!

 

[Rebel_Rider1969]

Bag and tag some yotes!

Hope so. The .22 mag is a general purpose camp gun. Small game and medium size at closer range. Use the 223 for the yotes!!