Saturday, May 21, 2022

The Trial of the Calipers

 Per my measurements last night, I can stuff up to a .308 bullet in my converted Nagant brass for a .32-20 reload and still make spec for external neck diameter.

Which tells me .32-20 brass is probably thinner than your average brass at the neck.

Well, we'll find out, after spending an obscene amount for 200 pieces of once-fired .32-20 brass on gun broker.

Something about hand-turning necks for 50 pieces of revolver ammo seems just beyond reasonable to me.


Friday, May 20, 2022

I haven't mangled brass like this in decades...........

 Bought a S&W in .32-20. Wanted one for roughly thirty years now, but never really ran across any at the shows I frequented. Until lately. Now I have a well-used nickeled example.

I'm well aware that the days of plentiful ammo, which also equates to less common ammo at least being obtainable via the internet, are gone for the foreseeable future. But as far as I can tell, newly manufactured .32-20 doesn't exist. Although I could buy a nice vintage box for somewhere between 3 to 6 bucks a round. That's a no-go.

So, maybe I'll just convert some brass. If I can make .42 Berdan (Russian) out of .348 Winchester, how hard can it be to make .32-20? 7.62x38R Nagant brass is actually available; cutting down the case, no problem; I've got .32-20 dies from reloading for my ex's dad back in the early '90s (I throw *nothing* out). Turned out some nice little cases, slipped right in the cylinder, extracted just fine.

Until I seated a bullet. Looked like the early stages of a snake swallowing an egg. Well, maybe those old Lee dies in the green plastic case are a bit tight. Let's see what happens when loading.............and, no. Stops short. Well, that was a .314 cast and sized bullet. That's a perfect size for exiting the cylinder, but not so much for loading. How about a .311? Same problem. Ok, that should be happening.......What the hell, let's throw a .308 90 grain jacketed bullet on there, that should be fine and......*still* looks like the bullet is way oversize in the case, and still won't chamber. 

Did I buy a gun that somebody messed with a put a different cylinder in? Nope, matching serials numbers on cylinder and frame. And I'd be pretty impressed if some basement 'smith actually managed to shrink chambers. I find it pretty unlikely that S&W accidently bored out the cylinders wrong, and this gun has been fired plenty. 

At this point, I have to wonder if the PPU Nagant brass, being cut back around around a quarter inch, has enough wall thickness and the chambers are tight enough to create this problem. Now it's on to the measuring calipers and reference books to look up specs beyond just cartridge OAL. And if that doesn't do it, I guess I'll be digging out the cerrosafe from its crypt.

Friday, March 16, 2018

That was.......gay

Man, hanging out and saw an MTV offering that was all Headbangers Ball videos from the '80s.

I was in high school and college then. Who knew metal was the leading edge of transgenderism mental illness/style?

Sunday, November 23, 2014

K31: Back to the Drawing Board

Took the K31 out with the correct cartridges recently. 24.0 grains of IMR 4198 with a 130-grain cast plain-base bullet. First three shots at 50 yds within 1.5 inches; then six, eight and ten-inch groups, if I could dignify them with that term at 50 yards.

Plus, the additional new knowledge that the load apparently isn't high pressure enough to prevent blow-back through the bolt. Had a nice black soot streak down my cheek by the time I was done.

So, is it the barrel or is it the load? A quick way to find out is switch back to milspec loads, or close to them if the originals are unavailable (or too damn expensive). So a load consisting of 37.8 grains of H4895 topped with a Winchester 147 grain FMJBT was whipped up yesterday and taken to the range.

This time, groups averaged 3-4 inches, usual due to one flyer adding an inch to the groups. At this point I'm sure it's me, due to my bifocals: first that I'm old enough to need them, with all that entails about my vision and secondly, this is the worst pair of glasses I can recall having as far as useful percentage of lens. Won't be going back to the vendor for the next pair.

Regardless, I can see the barrel is fine as military surplus goes; the most recent load is mild to shoot (at least wearing a sweatshirt and Carhart jacket) and easy to make. Think I'll load up another batch of these and do some 100 yard shooting in a weekend or two.

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Oops

Not only can one chamber 7.5 French in a 7.5 Swiss chamber, but it will shoot reasonable well. Other than a blown-out shoulder on the cartridge. Next time, double check the cartridge box.


Saturday, March 29, 2014

How A Good Day Of Shooting Starts.......

Be the only person on the rifle range;
Have someone discard 70 once-fired 2012 Lake City 7.62 x 51 cases;
have two old Mausers throw some good groups.

 The Israeli Mauser k98 in 7.62 x 51:

 
Date: Distance Group Size or Score (in.) Shots Fired Powder Grains Bullet Diameter Primer Case Conditions OAL Notes
3/29/2014 50 yds 1.356 5 Win 748 24.3 Lee 90309 0.310 Fed LR FC 308 Win Overcast 2.640 187.5 grns w gas check. Loaded 12/07/13
3/29/2014 50 yds 1.796 5 Win 748 24.3 Lee 90309 0.310 Fed LR FC 308 Win Overcast 2.640 187.5 grns w gas check. Loaded 12/07/13
3/29/2014 50 yds 1.886 5 Win 748 24.3 Lee 90309 0.310 Fed LR FC 308 Win Overcast 2.640 187.5 grns w gas check. Loaded 12/07/13
3/29/2014 50 yds 2.300 5 Win 748 24.3 Lee 90309 0.310 Fed LR FC 308 Win Overcast 2.640 187.5 grns w gas check. Loaded 12/07/13
3/29/2014 50 yds 3.553 5 Win 748 24.3 Lee 90309 0.310 Fed LR FC 308 Win Overcast 2.640 187.5 grns w gas check. Loaded 12/07/13
3/29/2014 2.178 Group size Average for Session
3/29/2014 4.356 MOA Average for session







and for the Chilean Mauser M1895 in 7.62 x 51:
Date: Distance Group Size or Score (in.) Shots Fired Powder Grains Bullet Diameter Primer Case Conditions OAL Notes
3/29/2014 50 yds 0.946 5 Win 748 24.6 Lee 90309 0.310 Fed LR R-P Win. 308 Overcast 2.640 187.5 grns w gas check. Loaded 12/14/13
3/29/2014 50 yds 1.419 5 Win 748 24.6 Lee 90309 0.310 Fed LR R-P Win. 308 Overcast 2.640 187.5 grns w gas check. Loaded 12/14/13
3/29/2014 50 yds 1.593 5 Win 748 24.6 Lee 90309 0.310 Fed LR R-P Win. 308 Overcast 2.640 187.5 grns w gas check. Loaded 12/14/13
3/29/2014 50 yds 2.185 5 Win 748 24.6 Lee 90309 0.310 Fed LR R-P Win. 308 Overcast 2.640 187.5 grns w gas check. Loaded 12/14/13
3/29/2014 50 yds 3.353 5 Win 748 24.6 Lee 90309 0.310 Fed LR R-P Win. 308 Overcast 2.640 187.5 grns w gas check. Loaded 12/14/13
3/29/2014 1.899 Group size Average for Session
3/29/2014 3.798 MOA Average for session
Date: Distance Group Size or Score (in.) Shots Fired Powder Grains Bullet Diameter Primer Case Conditions OAL Notes
3/29/2014 50 yds 0.946 5 Win 748 24.6 Lee 90309 0.310 Fed LR R-P Win. 308 Overcast 2.640 187.5 grns w gas check. Loaded 12/14/13
3/29/2014 50 yds 1.419 5 Win 748 24.6 Lee 90309 0.310 Fed LR R-P Win. 308 Overcast 2.640 187.5 grns w gas check. Loaded 12/14/13
3/29/2014 50 yds 1.593 5 Win 748 24.6 Lee 90309 0.310 Fed LR R-P Win. 308 Overcast 2.640 187.5 grns w gas check. Loaded 12/14/13
3/29/2014 50 yds 2.185 5 Win 748 24.6 Lee 90309 0.310 Fed LR R-P Win. 308 Overcast 2.640 187.5 grns w gas check. Loaded 12/14/13
3/29/2014 50 yds 3.353 5 Win 748 24.6 Lee 90309 0.310 Fed LR R-P Win. 308 Overcast 2.640 187.5 grns w gas check. Loaded 12/14/13
3/29/2014 1.899 Group size Average for Session
3/29/2014 3.798 MOA Average for session














Thursday, March 6, 2014

Did I Order That?

Got around to shooting some handloads through the MAS 49/56 that I loaded five years ago. 7.5 x 54 French made from 6.5 Swedish with 147-grain FMJ bullets. Nothing phenomenal for a group, but just fine for recreational shooting. The 49/56 was very pleasant to shoot, but having only twenty rounds was unsatisfying. Fortunately, Graf & Sons happened to have 7.5 x 54 brass, so a hundred rounds was ordered that night. Along with a pack of 150-grain FMJ bullets. I thought. What I have is a hundred rounds of correct brass, and one hundred 168-grain HPBTs. Too heavy for a round originally set up with a 139-grain bullet. I'd be irritated but......even if I didn't pay close attention when ordering, I also shot twenty five rounds of 7.5 x 55 Swiss through the K38 that day, topped with 180-grain cast bullets. Which are a little tougher to close the bolt on with a straight pull compared to most of my other bolt guns. I generally prefer to shoot cast through my bolt guns, because it's cheap and light recoiling, but I think I'll except the K38 from that. I have some 147-grains I can through on the French brass, and the Swiss normally runs a 174-grain....... I can work with what showed up.