Andrew

On 4/8/2021 at 11:27 AM, terryh said:

Andrew, 

thanks for details.

As a FYI re. identifying the Unertl, I had one off this guy on your side of the pond, his page and info links might have your scope:  http://unertl.alexweb.net/

Brgds Terry

Thanks Terry.  Very informative.

~Andrew

Another vote for the 22 Hornet. My son and I both shoot CZ 527's and love them. It's almost embarassing to admit that these are two of the most accurate CF rifles in the house, but when fed the ammo they like, they are. Prairiedog, rabbit, coyote: works well.~Andrew

I shoot brakes on all my long range rifles, from 6.5CM to 300WM. My shooting buddies use suppressors. I am considered "Uncivilized" so out of courtesy, I wait until they have shot and then I shoot. It is a private range situated on many thousands of vacant acres so my noise is less of a concern. I have noticed when shooting on one of our other ranges with a firing line situated in timber, the reverberation from my 308 would give me a headache, even with good quality muffs in place. We no longer shoot that location and this has ceased to be an issue. I like brakes for LR target shooting. I use well engineered brakes that are a direct mount. Even with my Win Mag, the lightest of my rifles, there is no appreciable recoil and I don't loose sight of the target. For me, this the trade off for the noise.~Andrew

On 4/15/2021 at 1:33 PM, ds1 said:

Let’s just call it “fugly”

That describes it.~Andrew

I'm sorry, but that break is ugly;  Looks like it belongs on a piece of field artillery. I'm not suggesting that it doesnt function well but to my eyes it looked decidely too "low-tech" for a rifle that is probably hi tech. ~Andrew

Model 52B in a Freeland stock. I don't know the model of the scope: Just a 3/4" tube that protrudes an inch past the muzzle. Parallax is at the front, topping out at 200 yards. I used the exact same scope many decades back for 100M metallic silhouette comps, mounted on a 52B. I called Unertl back then and got a reduction eye piece that brought the magnification from 14X to 6X for off hand shooting.~Andrew

I recently purchased a 2nd hand 22LR monstrosity from an Estate sale. It is a short, heavy custom barreled Winchester Model 52 in a target stock, topped with a Unertl 14X. My old eyes are struggling to get the Unertly set but so far, at 50M, The grouping has been superb. R-50 is probably the best but SK Biathlon will best it 50% of the time. The last groups I fired with the SK had 10 shots in about a 3/8" hole. Eye relief and head position is very critical with this old scope so i was very happy with that. Even when I screwed up, the bullet hole ended up behind where the reticle came to rest. It is funny how a good rifle and quality ammo will spoil you. I was bemoaning a group i fired that had a round half a bullet's with out of a group that as essentialy a single hole. This round cut an elipse on the hole that comprised the other four and was, In reality, under a quarter inch CTC at 50 yards. Not exactly a "bad" group.~Andrew

You guys get all the cool stuff.~Andrew

Just now, Scrumbag said:

A mixture of old gun and failled communism my friend! Yummy!

As a young man I could pick up on that smell the minute I walked into a gun shop.~Andrew

And it smells so nice!~Andrew

As was mentioned: bacon. Hard to beat.~Andrew

For many years I wanted a S&W 681 (?) six inch. These are the 686 with fixed sights. Thought it would be a great back packing gun. The one or two I shot were exceedingly accurate and shot to the point of aim with 158's at 25 yards. In truth, the handgun I have carried the most, and shot the most, is a 4 5/8" Ruger Blackhawk .357. It was a gift from my new bride in 1980. I gave away the accessory 9mm cylinder and ran 200 rounds a week through it. I have kiled deer with it, small game, and won plenty of "betcha can't hit that" wagers. 40 years later I still have it in the same worn Bianchi holster. It's fvorite load is a Lyman 358-156 bullet.  This one has 2 grimping grooves .100" apart. This facilitates seating the bullet out to the bottom groove in 38 Special cases while using mid range .357 loads. Twelve and a half grains of Alliant 2400 in a 38 case with the bullet seated to the bottom groove is the most accurate .357 load I've used in any revolver.

Thanks for letting me ramble OT...~Andrew

I agree. I would have guessed  1-12 or 1-14 by default although I do have a Winchester that has a 1-10" twist. I never found out why they did that. ~Andrew

Sweet! I gave my son a Model 14 Target with an eight and three-eighths inch barrel. If you're follow through is good enough it will put them all in the same spot. Sadly, the US has moved away from revolvers for competition. I quit Bullseye comps when home demands superceded practice time and expense -and that was years ago. I don't even know if they still do it. I still enjoy shooting in the classic one-handed stance with about any pistol or revolver. I can still hear my old coach: "Sight alignment! Trigger control! If you try to (grip with) that thumb I swear I'll have it cut off!!"  Good times.~Andew

You can check it yourself if you have a ball bearing swivel handle cleaning rod. Mark a stright line the length of the rod. Put a pencil mark on the muzzle. Put a tight patch on a jag and run it into the bore until the line on the rod aligns with the mark at the muzzle. Mark that spot on the rod line at rhe muzzle. Advance the rod until the line again aligns with the mark on the muzzle. Mark that spot on the line rod, again, at the muzzle. Remove the rod assembly. Measure between the marks you made at the muzzle. That's your twist.~Andrew

2 hours ago, gazzarM1 said:

Slightly off topic but my first handgun was a model 28 Highway Patrolman followed not long after by a Colt Python

 

I had Python for a while as well as a 4" Diamond back .38 Special. I enjoyed both but came to find I preferred Smith and Wesson (and later, Ruger) for rugged use. ~Andrew

6 hours ago, Shuggy said:

That brings back some fond memories. The model 28 was the first fullbore pistol that I learnt to shoot. At the the time they were considered to be a bit plain and heavy, but I absolutely loved it.

I have to disagree on swaged. They will work really well if used in the right way. I must have made many thousands of hollow based wadcutters, swaged from pure lead wire on an old Wamadet press and then lubed in a polythene bag. Load was 2.7 grains of Viht. N310 if I recall correctly. And they would shoot into tight clusters at 25 yards, with very little leading.

But back to the OP, swaged bullets would be completely wrong for a gallery rifle. Viht. N320 is a good way to go for a 158 grain cast bullet.

"Used in the right way" is the key.

I have used HPWCs for bullseye shooting over light charges of Bullseye. I have also seen cracked forcing cones in revolvers from some nimrod over loading the round and leaving the skirt at the forcing cone for the next round to hit. Hornady's graphite coated SWC were popular for a while but they can make a mess of a gun when used incorrectly.

The Model 28 is a wonderful revolver. St Nicholas left a minty 6" for my (then) 18 year old son one Christmas and he learned handgun marksmanship with it -and later became a very successful small game hunter using it. The four inch are scarce as hens teeth and pretty snorty with full loads and the original grips! ~Andrew

10 hours ago, gazzarM1 said:

Cast Andrew

Good. Swaged lead is hardly worth the effort.

I decade back, on Christmas eve, I bought a 4" S&W Model 28 Highway Patrolman  .357 dating from thej 1950's. A beautiful, all original gun. The owner of the pawn shop sold it to me at a ridiculiously low price because the barrel was 'ruined'. Someone had shot some heavy handloads with swaged pure pead bullets and leaded it until the rifling was almost absent. I spent a few nights with a Lewis Lead remover removing 95% of the built up, then popped a cylinder-full of jacketed bullets through it to clean out the rest. I still have that gun.~Muir

11 hours ago, 1066 said:

I use unique with the same 158gn bullet in my .357 muzzle loader too - This is 20yds, off a sandbag with open sights: (and 70+ old eyes.  )

Nice. I like the rig.
~Andrew

14 minutes ago, 1066 said:

I'm using 4.5 Unique with a 158gn (unsized) soft cast flat top round nosed bullet in .357 cases for my Winchester 94AE. A nice soft load at around 1,030 and good accuracy for 25 yd gallery.

Unique is my go to for 38 Special. I just got back a 6" Colt Police Positive I'd lent a friend 20 years ago. Five grains under a Lyman 358-156GC bullet was its favored load. X-ring accurate at 25 yards.~Andrew

On 3/14/2021 at 11:21 AM, gazzarM1 said:

Thanks for the info gents

 

Are the bullets cast or swaged?~Andrew

Do without?

I have been loading for nearly half a century, owned quickload briefly when I was wild catting, but abandoned it. It is a lot of bother, especially when you are loading for a standardized cartridge for which load data is available. JHMO ~Andrew

1 hour ago, Scrumbag said:

Did you like it as much as you thought. And is it congratualtions on MT getting constitutional carry?

Scrummy

Very much! I love it. The rifle was extremely accurate  before I put it in the KRG, and remains so , but the ability to shoot a long course of fire at long distance has been improved. (We shoot out to  300M) Very comfortable for prone or even off a bench. In short: it make me shoot better.

Thanks on the Constitutional Carry kudos. It takes effect June 1. There is another bill before the House that would allow the State to ignore Federal mandates for gun control shpould ehty choose. That hit a procedural hiccup but I believe the Govenor will pass it eventually.~Andrew

A group of us here locally have a 2050 yard range over varying terrain. The 1000 yard target is 10 inch plate. That is fine for Creedmoor. My TAC A1 is about a half MOA gun. The winds and the shooter are more of an issue at 1000 than the cartridge.~Andrew

Google it. 40 S&W, 38 Special, 9mm.... I wouldn't use it in a rifle.~Andrew