Home Forums Reloading Bullet Casting Shooting Today

Was out Friday with Barbara, she shooting the S&W M-17 again. I fired a couple magazines through my carry gun but really went to shoot my H&R Handi Rifle with the Lyman 311008 bullet, sized .310 & loaded with 5 grains of Promo. The first 2 rounds would not fire with 2 strikes to each.

After her range session I took Barbara home & visited my gunsmith. He headspaced the rifle, the no gauge went but the field gauge didn�t. He also measured the firing pin protrusion a declared it fine. He suggested I check my loads as he thought one of the loads I provided him had a primer not completely seated.

These loads use the CCI #34 primer which has a hard cup. I purchased a ton of them way back, on sale for �bout 12/1000. I do know they seat hard in my �06 using R/P cases & they seated hard in my 30-30 brass also R/P.

Now because of this & the fact my loading room benches are now on the back porch & I�m loading off a desk I purchased a system on which I can seat primers on the down stroke. I�ll load some of these using that system making sure the primers are bottomed.

So today I went back out with a M-94 Winchester in which to try those same loads. Well the gunsmith was correct as usual. I had 5 or 6 rounds which failed to fire on the first strike.

I took a S&W 67-1 along for the trip too. I�m learning to love that little sixgun. Fired a load using the Saeco 928 bullet & 3.5 grains of Promo & a HMF primer. No misfires there. Took a few pictures, hope you enjoy them.

The Winchester


The loads


The 67 Smith


The target


The top 6 shots to the left are from the 38 at 25 yards offhand. They measure 2 1/4� so if it�s said I�m a bullseye shooter don�t believe it. The other holes are from the 30-30. BTW the stainless red ramp doesn�t hold elevation well for me.

Enjoyed the post & pictures, Creeker. That's a good looking S&W.

I don't care for trains either.

Told someone I waited a long time for the train to come by but finally gave up & shot the box.

Patience man, patience!

I've an old but very fine condition Stevens 44 chambered in .25-20 Single Shot that at one time had a palm rest, ostensibly for schuetzen style target work. I've been loading it with BP and lead, it shoots well but might profit from a little clean up on the crown as there is a very small nick at the junction of bore and crown.

Anyhoo, first time I loaded it I used small pistol primers on advice from a fella well versed in such voodoo. Problem was that I have two primer ram styles for both large and small primers. One of each is cupped, the others flat on the face. I never, ever, used the flat ones after my first experience with them about 40 years back. They flatten the primers almost perfectly. They shot in the gun I was loading OK, but somehow the idea of crushing primers seemed a little silly.

So...I used one to load the Stevens. Click. Click. Boom. Click. Click. Click. Dammit all....

Dismantle, fix things the way they ought to be and Boom, Boom, Boom. Taco Viva!

Funny how such little things get in the way now and again.

D

Went back to try again. I installed a cheap Tasco scope on the Handi Rifle to help check the loads. I used the same Lyman 311008 bullet sized .310 with Carnauba Red lube & the same powder charge, 5 grains of Promo but did change primers to Wolf LR. I seated these to the bottom with the RCBS system which seats the primers on top the press. It was very easy to feel them bottom.

Once on the paper at 15 yards I moved the target to 50 yards. The very bright sun was to my right & the wind was howling from the right. Did I mention it was 23? I took nothing fancy to shoot from as I mainly wanted to test the rifle for function as my gunsmith said the problem was with my loads & not the rifle. So I simply shot leaning against the truck & shooting over the hood resting best I could on the rifle case. The scope was set on 6X & the bull was 1 ��.


I moved the scope a few times & finally shot the first group, 2 1/16�.


I turned the target over, sprayed another 1 �� bullet & fired 5 rounds of which 4 were in 3� but one was high off the paper.


Appears the load is not as good as the RCBS 30-180-FN & 22 grains of IMR 3031 but I�m nowhere near finished with the Lyman bullet & Promo as I have plenty of both so I�ll increase the powder charge a little at a time as I�m looking for 1 �� at 50 yards for 5 shots.

While there I tried the Lyman bullet in the 94 Winchester using the same rest. I only fired 3 shots which went into 1 7/16�. The front & rear sight was in the shade so the sight picture could have been better but as Barbara says: It is what it is.


Also fired 81 rounds from the S&W 67-1. I�m using the Saeco 928 bullet, a round nose designed for the 38 Super but it cast large enough to size .358�. I loaded these with 3.5 grains of Promo & a HMF primer. This first target was fired with my bifocals [transition lenses] as dark as they get with the sixgun & my head in the shade on the truck hood. I rested my hands on the rifle case & let 6 go. I�ve not opened the rear blade on this sight so I was mostly shooting in the blind. The results are the 4 shots on the left with 2 off target.

Next I moved to the other side of the truck & fired 6 more off hand in the bright sunlight which was to my right. The results are the 6 shots to the right.


The next target was fired with the same sixgun & load, off hand at 20 yards with the sun over my right shoulder. Much better.


Not a bad day & sure beats sitting at home. I loaded everything in the truck & drove by the old Mark Twain High School sight. Not much there now. Took a picture of the sign & the steps which is all that�s left of the school.
[img]http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h244/Creekerpics/Places/Tams/20150127_162304.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h244/Creekerpics/Places/Tams/20150127_162353.jpg[/img]

Back in the truck I poured a cup of hot coffee & eased home enjoying the drive. At home Barbara had a fresh pot of potato soup ready to eat. Love that woman.