Wednesday, August 27, 2014
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
Monday, August 18, 2014
.22 CCM Progress
I fooled around with the 22 CCM a little this weekend. Previously, I had made some really crappy ammo because the powder compressed and expanded the cases. A bunch of them just let go of their bullets. When they didn't, they shot well but the bullets just fell out of about half of them.
I was using Winchester 296 and a 40 grain Sierra bullet in new brass. I decided to use a quicker powder so the cases wouldn't be so full and two powders that I have on my shelf looked promising.
Alliant 2400 is one of the original "Magnum Handgun" powders and its a tad quicker than 296. Alliant Steel is a tad quicker than 2400 but slower than Blue Dot so there was some sense in giving it a try too. Besides, I have four pounds of the stuff.
I decided to switch to a 35 grain Hornady V Max bullet instead of the 40 grain Sierra. The Sierra is a little longer so that would help with the case volume and power compression issue and I had been reading a lot about bullets fired from the 22CCM not expanding so I wanted something that wasn't just a soft point design.
I found no data for Alliant 2400 in the 22 CCM so I used Accurate Arm's data for the 22CCM with a 40 grain bullet and their AA#9 powder. Its another, similar "Magnum Handgun" powder. Both 2400 and #9 are often used in the same applications so if #9 would work, 2400 should too. Comparing load data that included both powders for a given load in various cartridges other than the 22CCM, they looked reasonably similar. I started low and worked up to 6.5 grains of 2400 with the 35 grain bullet. The ammo went together fine and showed no unusual pressure signs when fired into my gas bottle and glass pack muffler gizmo during the work up process. Primers were CCI Small Pistol (not magnum).
For the Alliant Steel experiment, there was even less data. Steel doesn't meter well so there's no data for pistol ammo. I couldn't find anything on it other than for non-toxic shotshell loads. With it being on the burn rate chart between 2400 and Blue Dot, I decided to try something based loosely on Blue Dot. You might say it was more inspired by Blue Dot data than based on it.
Bearing in mind that there's no data on Blue Dot in the 22 CCM either, I looked in several books that had loads for magnum pistol cartridges that included both #9 and Blue Dot with a given bullet. Blue Dot loads tended to use pretty close to just about almost around something like 3/4 of the charge weights specified for #9. That's speaking in very round numbers. It was never an exact 75% but I used that as a conversion factor to get in the right ballpark.
The idea was that if a safe Blue Dot load in a .357 Magnum (that operates at lower pressure than the 22 CCM) was around 75% of what the same source called for with #9, AND if Steel was a tick slower than Blue Dot, it ought to be safe to start with a charge of Steel that was 75% of the charge of #9 called for in the 22 CCM data in the Accurate manual.
It did work but pressures were so low that it left soot all over the brass. It looked like I had a long way to go 1/10 of a grain at a time to get to a place where the Steel would do the best it was going to do and I was so pleased with my 2400 loads that I curtailed the Steel loading.
I took the little rifle out to the river this morning and chronographed a few of each load. The Steel loads were a good 300 fps slower than the 2400 loads but that was to be expected since I didn't work them up to anything that looked like a maximum. The 2400 loads clocked about 2,260 fps 12' from the muzzle. That's between 10 and 60 fps faster than the current gee-whiz-gotta-write-home-about-this hyper velocity 30 grain varmint loads for the 22 WMR from Winchester, Federal or CCI and my bullet is 17% heavier than their's. Accuracy was good, the ammo didn't fall apart and, unlike the 22 WMR, I will be reloading the empties. This will make a dandy turkey gun.
While there, I also sighted in the red dot thingy on the M1 Carbine.
I had a LER scope on it that was a little hard to use because of the rifle's short stock. The dot will work as well or better at any range this will be used. I also got to test out my completely innocuous, non-threatening and harmless 5 round magazine along with my new normal capacity/high capacity bullet clip magazine thingy. Both worked flawlessly. I didn't bring any 30 rounders but just to make sure that Gaia cries herself to sleep tonight, I'd like to point out that the stock on that little rifle is mahogany.
Last on the list was the .50 Beowulf with the "tough as a Stalin Tank" Russian scope with the illuminated recticle. The scope was destroyed by the 6th shot. It won't focus anymore. I couldn't even see the target through it by the 6th shot. So much for Stalin Tanks. I've named the gun "Rudel."
Support Your LGS
Local Gun Shop - That is.
The Lovely Bride and I had a sort of informal Sunday Morning ritual where we'd stop by the local Goose Burg after church just to browse and see what might be on clearance. I liked the opportunity to see what was new in handguns and maybe pick up a pair of scope rings or wool socks now and then.
Not being into Tupperware, I hadn't seen a Gen 4 Glock and noticed a Gen 4 Glock 21 in the case. Talking to the salesman about it, I actually liked the idea of the repositioned trigger. I dry-fired it and didn't see my trigger finger pushing it off the target as had happened with my Glock 22 back when I had one about 20 years ago. I also liked the ability to change the grip inserts. The Mad Ogre or somebody had written about the 21 being a really good choice for a bug out gun and that had me sort of thinking positively about plastic so it wasn't something completely out of the blue. A seed was planted but they sold out of them and didn't get any more in for weeks so it kind of just sat there ungerminated for a while.
After about three weeks of watching their Glock stock dwindle, I asked the head guy when he might get one in. He didn't know and, when he checked the manifest for the shipment due to arrive the next day, it didn't have even one Glock on it.
I wandered to the other end of the counter and saw a Glock 41 in the used gun case.
Its a long slide version of the 21. The price on it was $759. I thought that was high but Goose Burg is known to be high on guns and they certainly have a right to charge whatever they want so I had no beef with it. Besides it didn't necessarily matter what the price was if I could work a trade to everyone's satisfaction so I went home to get a gun to trade. That's when the disappointment started.
The gun I brought was exactly like a new one they had on the rack for $1,300 except that mine wasn't scratched up by being handled. Mine was used by virtue of having been fired seven times but it was in better shape than their $1,300 new one. Still, its used so I expected to get considerably less than $1,300. In fact, a couple of months before all this, I saw a used one like mine, but not in quite as good a condition, on their rack for $900. Based on that, I thought they might offer me somewhere between $600 and $700 for mine.
The counter guy went in the back for about five minutes and came back to tell me that they couldn't offer me more than $480 for my gun.
OK again. The have the right to price a used Glock at the MSRP for a new one and they have the right to offer me whatever they want for mine. I have no beef with any of that. What the guy said next is what really soured me on the whole place.
I thanked him for his time and started packing my gun back up in its box and he said he would sell a gun like mine for $700. I know for a fact that they don't negotiate on price so I know that they sold the one they had like mine for $900. He didn't have to go and tell me they would sell one like mine for $700. He didn't have to say anything but he chose to tell me a lie. He just didn't know that I had been looking at the prices for new and used guns like mine because I had an idea that I might trade it in on something some day.
Seriously. Price your stuff however you want and offer whatever you want for trades. Its your stuff. I understand you have to make money. Just don't lie to me. Dang. Makes me not want to go there anymore. In fact, we haven't been the last three weekends.
Last week, I had a few minutes to kill and was in the right part of town so I stopped in one of my two favorite local gun shops. I asked them how much they would charge for a Glock 41. The owner looked it up at his distributor and said he would get me one for $631.00 cash or check and 3% more for credit card. So I can get a new one at my LGS for $128 less than I'd pay Goose Burg for a used one and I've never been lied to by the local guy.
Guns America just did a review of the Glock 41. They liked it a lot. I reckon I know where I'll be gettin' mine and where I won't.
Wow
The Lovely Bride and I had a sort of informal Sunday Morning ritual where we'd stop by the local Goose Burg after church just to browse and see what might be on clearance. I liked the opportunity to see what was new in handguns and maybe pick up a pair of scope rings or wool socks now and then.
Not being into Tupperware, I hadn't seen a Gen 4 Glock and noticed a Gen 4 Glock 21 in the case. Talking to the salesman about it, I actually liked the idea of the repositioned trigger. I dry-fired it and didn't see my trigger finger pushing it off the target as had happened with my Glock 22 back when I had one about 20 years ago. I also liked the ability to change the grip inserts. The Mad Ogre or somebody had written about the 21 being a really good choice for a bug out gun and that had me sort of thinking positively about plastic so it wasn't something completely out of the blue. A seed was planted but they sold out of them and didn't get any more in for weeks so it kind of just sat there ungerminated for a while.
After about three weeks of watching their Glock stock dwindle, I asked the head guy when he might get one in. He didn't know and, when he checked the manifest for the shipment due to arrive the next day, it didn't have even one Glock on it.
I wandered to the other end of the counter and saw a Glock 41 in the used gun case.
Its a long slide version of the 21. The price on it was $759. I thought that was high but Goose Burg is known to be high on guns and they certainly have a right to charge whatever they want so I had no beef with it. Besides it didn't necessarily matter what the price was if I could work a trade to everyone's satisfaction so I went home to get a gun to trade. That's when the disappointment started.
The gun I brought was exactly like a new one they had on the rack for $1,300 except that mine wasn't scratched up by being handled. Mine was used by virtue of having been fired seven times but it was in better shape than their $1,300 new one. Still, its used so I expected to get considerably less than $1,300. In fact, a couple of months before all this, I saw a used one like mine, but not in quite as good a condition, on their rack for $900. Based on that, I thought they might offer me somewhere between $600 and $700 for mine.
The counter guy went in the back for about five minutes and came back to tell me that they couldn't offer me more than $480 for my gun.
OK again. The have the right to price a used Glock at the MSRP for a new one and they have the right to offer me whatever they want for mine. I have no beef with any of that. What the guy said next is what really soured me on the whole place.
I thanked him for his time and started packing my gun back up in its box and he said he would sell a gun like mine for $700. I know for a fact that they don't negotiate on price so I know that they sold the one they had like mine for $900. He didn't have to go and tell me they would sell one like mine for $700. He didn't have to say anything but he chose to tell me a lie. He just didn't know that I had been looking at the prices for new and used guns like mine because I had an idea that I might trade it in on something some day.
Seriously. Price your stuff however you want and offer whatever you want for trades. Its your stuff. I understand you have to make money. Just don't lie to me. Dang. Makes me not want to go there anymore. In fact, we haven't been the last three weekends.
Last week, I had a few minutes to kill and was in the right part of town so I stopped in one of my two favorite local gun shops. I asked them how much they would charge for a Glock 41. The owner looked it up at his distributor and said he would get me one for $631.00 cash or check and 3% more for credit card. So I can get a new one at my LGS for $128 less than I'd pay Goose Burg for a used one and I've never been lied to by the local guy.
Guns America just did a review of the Glock 41. They liked it a lot. I reckon I know where I'll be gettin' mine and where I won't.
Wow
Sunday, August 17, 2014
Saturday, August 16, 2014
Deer Intelligence and the 4 Way Stop
A co-worker got a talking-to from the local gendarme because he J-Walked on the Town Square at 7:00 last Sunday Morning. There ain't no cars on three sides of our Town Square on Sunday Mornings but he got stopped and told to use the crosswalk anyway.
I wonder if these deer got the same warning:
Deer Intelligence and the 4 Way Stop
I wonder if these deer got the same warning:
Deer Intelligence and the 4 Way Stop
Thursday, August 14, 2014
What the Hell Has Happened to Florida?
Duo Busted For X-Rated Romp In Parking Lot
Woman, 42, and partner, 20, nabbed outside Beef 'O' Brady's
The whole article at The Smoking Gun
Seriously. Beef O'Brady's?
If I was going to claim my 15 minutes of fame by banging some trailer trash whore in a parking lot in front of God and everybody that walked by it would be at a better place than Beef O'Brady's. That boy will never live this down.
I mean, crap, my sister goes to Beef O'Brady's all the time even though she's a gluten free vegan with celiac trouble.
Oh Damn. Epiphany in 3 - 2 - 1 - 0.
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Pretty Much My Take on it Too
COMMENTARY: Tragedy Highlights Media At Its Worst
The tragic
accident that claimed the life of Sprint Car driver Kevin Ward, Jr. at New York’s
Canandaigua Motorsports Park Saturday night showcased the absolute worst
that human nature and an out-of-control media have to offer.
Monday, August 11, 2014
Saturday, August 9, 2014
Friday, August 8, 2014
The Good Old Days
When a dollar was worth something.
A friend gave me some old reloading manuals and this price list was in the back of the Hodgdon's Reloading Data Manual #20:
Couldn't find a date on that book but the other two that came with it appeared to be about the same vintage and they are dated 1967.
A friend gave me some old reloading manuals and this price list was in the back of the Hodgdon's Reloading Data Manual #20:
Couldn't find a date on that book but the other two that came with it appeared to be about the same vintage and they are dated 1967.
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
Shhhhhhhhhhhhh! - Part 2
I tested my fancy sound reduction device with a .410. The only sound was the pressure released as it popped the barrel back out of the shooting hole. It was like popping a chuck off of an air hose but not as loud. It's only good for working up loads for pressure. There's no way to use it when shooting for velocity or accuracy because the bullet goes directly into the ground but it definitely works for its intended purpose. It should help cut down on the amount of loading that I have to do at the range.
