Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters THE BIG BOOK OF GUN GACK

John, your book was on my Christmas list and Santa obliged. I opened to the first page and a question came to mind immediately.

The page shows a damaged rifle with a notation: "Be careful or this could happen to you".

Was this Shrapnel's rifle?

Wayne

That's one of the few rifles blown up in Montana that wasn't in Shrapnel's hands, or the hands of one of his shooting companions. Amazing, ain't it?

John,

Just finished it...very good read over all. Thanks. I'm especially excited with the info on the 308 win, as I just traded for my first and I'm excited to get it put together to shoot. Any input on AR-Comp in regards its temp stability? I'm having a hard time finding everyone's favorite pixy dust #AR2208 (AKA Varget) and often see AR-Comp around here. Maybe a PM with more info would be best.
Thanks, and happy new years!

NTG,

Glad you liked the book!

Have mostly tried AR-Comp in the .223/5.56, where it works pretty well, though I haven't gotten as much velocity as sometimes reported in my rifles. In the .308 I haven't found it outstanding.

If you can't find Varget, I would definitely try Reloder 15. I realize it also isn't very available right now, but as far as I can tell (after using it in several cartridges) is the same powder. Or at least it does exactly the same things in several cartridges, and is very available right now, due to Western Powders becoming the U.S. distributor for Norma powders a little over a year ago.

Thank you, John. I'll be giving it a go. I talked to a long time 308 long distance shooter, and he liked it, but prefers TAC as it gives less velocity variance shot to shot. One more to try!

Yeah, TAC is also excellent in the .308, but often requires a magnum primer to reduce velocity variations.

Finally found the right time and place (our camp this weekend) to site back and relax and read through it for the first time. As usual, another collection of solid technical research told in a way that makes it very digestible.

Alas, now I'm wondering if I should anneal my .300 H&H cases and if neck tension is why that rifle seems stuck at 1 1/2" groups with several loads.

It might just be a 1-1/2" rifle, but it doesn't take much to anneal a few cases with the candle method and find out.

Sorry to burst your bubbles, but if you are looking for information on 222 Mag, there is nothing for you...

I noticed that right off. I think he did that for you, and you alone.

I think you're right, I got the first book and thought it might be added in a later edition...

It's a sickness to try and get it under an inch knowing fully well that that is adequate for anything (other than paper!) that I am going to shoot with it.

Not wanting to get too technical, but you said hold the case until you can't. Did you by chance hit it with a laser thermometer to determine what that temp is?

No, but the method was developed by Fred Barker, who used heat-temp paint to test it. (I've also tested it the same way.) Hold the case in the middle of the body with your fingertips, and when it's too hot to hold the case is annealed.

This is exactly the same method Charlie Sisk used in the example cited in the book, which shrunk groups from over 2" to 1/2". Of course, that was in one of the accurate rifles Charlie builds, shot on an indoor range.

On the anti-loony side, I've found any rifle capable of averaging 1-1/2" for 3-shot groups at 100 yards is accurate enough for hitting big game in the heart-lung vitals to at least 400 yards.

John, the anti-loony statement is something that we all need to remember.

On the candle-annealing topic, it seems to me to be kind of like driving progressively heavier trucks across a bridge until it collapses to find out its weight limit. When I try to hold the case until it is too hot to hold, I burn my fingers with the first one and after that I can no longer tell anything. It must be remembered that I am completely maladroit.

I'll have to mention that possibility in Gack II!

Even Bigger Print ?

There are no anti-loonies on this site. there is no need to be pushing your 'common-sense' agenda here.....

Oh, yes there are, but they tend to be grumpy old men--unlike you, who's generally a non-grumpy old men, even though you grumble now and then.

I have heard grumpy old men sometimes get put on "ignore" on the Campfire, but I don't put anybody on ignore. Consequently I can read their grumpy old posts, thus keeping my finger on the pulse of a wide cross-section of shooters. This is strictly due to my attempt to maintain some semblance of objectivity in what passes for journalism in the rifle-loony world.

You're just asking to be put on ignore.

That makes sense, because for there to be balance on the Campfire, anybody who posts even semi-rational stuff should be put on ignore equally as often as Savage99.