Well, the wheels turn slowly, but it looks to me like this is starting to come together, albeit with a couple of twists and turns unexpected.

I mentioned previously that the priming compound mix for a variety of US manufactured ammo appeared to be very consistent. It presents as a greenish yellow mix that is not terribly uniform in application. Sort of swabbed in is the way it looks. This was common to three brands and 6 different styles of ammo. The stuff from Yurp was different. The Wolf is remarkably consistent in form and though it presents as an injected mass it's appearance is almost that of a card wad. The D-N ammo appears to have a card wad overlying the primer. If you look closely at the WW case on the right you will see a very small touch of bare brass, slightly off center. What is not obvious is the smearing around the case bottom and there was actually some primer mix in the case just below the bullet.

[Linked Image]

Also mentioned previously that US manufactured ammo was consistent in O.D. for bullet and case at .224", and case wall thickness. I took it upon myself to dissect several rounds of Wolf MT and had a couple of surprises as a result. In comparison, the US manufactured ammo used a thicker case wall (.008") than the Wolf (.007") and the former was of a noticeably more brittle alloy. Corresponding bullet heel dimensions were different as well with a nominal heel diameter of .211" (Wolf) vs. .208" (all US brands). This represents a difference of neck tension on one part, and is perhaps why all US ammo had slightly deformed heel bases. The most telling thing I notice in the comparison, is the bullets and charge. The geometry of the Wolf bullets is virtually flawless. The measurements are monotonously consistent, as is the bullet weight and powder charge of 40.0 and 1.0 grains, +/- ZERO. Such was not the case with US manufactured ammo, with charge variation of up to .1 grain and bullet weight variance of up to .4 grains in my sampling.

A question was posed previously about the difference of primer power between RF and CF ammo and based on my observations it is entirely possible the WOLF ammo has more priming compound in the case that will be found in a small pistol primer. A puzzle awaiting an answer in the field I'd think.

Short version, the Wolf answered a few questions for me and defined the path I'll take with this project.

Stay tuned...


I am..........disturbed.

Concerning the difference between man and the jackass: some observers hold that there isn't any. But this wrongs the jackass. -Twain