Maritza's Birthday 1911

Maritza’s Birthday 1911 

Mari enjoyed shooting one of my .45 ACP 1911 pistols and wanted one of her own.  I decided to get her one for her birthday.  Unfortunately, we are coming out of a firearms shortage caused by fear mongering, profiteering, and hoarding.  Pistols of the 1911 design from most of the major manufacturers were difficult to find and generally overpriced. 

The Philippine manufactured 1911s were both inexpensive and widely available.  In the past, I have been less than impressed with the firearms coming from the Philippines; quality control and metallurgy tended to be poor.  Before I bought one, I did considerable research and handled a number of the currently available pistols.  The Philippine manufacturers have modernized their manufacturing methods and tightened their quality control considerably.  As a matter of fact, they are turning out pistols and parts for a number of other well-known brand names.  The examples I handled showed quite good fit and finish.  The reviews I found online indicated a few minor problems (primarily with spring longevity) but nothing I couldn’t repair or replace myself. 

I decided to take a chance and ordered a Citadel 1911A1 imported by Legacy Sports.  I ordered through Davidson’s Guns as they offer a lifetime warranty on firearms purchased from them. 

Per Mari’s stated preference, I ordered a full-sized pistol with a 5” barrel and checkered wooden stocks.  The finish is a black phosphate similar to Parkerizing.  The pistol came with a lockable hard case and two eight-round magazines. 

Mari’s Citadel is quite similar to the Loaded model offered by Springfield Armory with a number of modifications added to the original 1911A1 platform.  It has a beavertail grip safety with a memory bump (which I like), a skeletonized hammer and medium length trigger, chamfered magazine well, flat plastic checkered mainspring housing (which I don’t like), front slide serrations, and an ambidextrous safety (which I also don’t like).  I’m perfectly willing and able to change out any parts that Mari doesn’t like for something that suits her better. 

The sights are a nice copy of the Novak low profile fixed sights.  They offer an excellent sight picture but they are black on black.  I personally prefer a three dot system.  Whatever Mari decides to go with is easily accomplished with a bit of paint.  The sights aren’t true Novaks and the dovetails will require some modification to fit another set of sights, if necessary. 

I detail stripped the pistol and cleaned off all the preservative shipping oil.  That oil is designed for rust prevention and not lubrication and often acts more like glue.  I think much of the talk of “breaking in” these Philippine 1911s is simply the new owners failing to lubricate them properly.   

I inspected all the parts and everything seemed to be in spec and well made.  I understand there is some concern over the metal injection molded (MIM) parts, but if they’re well executed, they should serve.  I can easily replace any small parts or springs that don’t seem to be holding up.  I lubricated everything with Ballistol and hit the high-wear points with some moly grease.  I then reassembled the pistol and worked the action to smooth out some of the finish.  I function checked it but did not test fire it as I felt that Maritza should be the first one to fire her new pistol. 

Maritza was quite pleased with her birthday gift but we didn’t get a chance to go out and shoot it for several days.  We went out early Sunday morning to try and beat the worsening winds.  My regular target holders are buried in storage so I used a large cardboard box.  A chunk of wood in the bottom served to keep our impromptu target holder from heading for the New Mexico border. 

I had Mari load one magazine with a single round and her second magazine with three rounds.  With a new semi-auto it assures that, if the disconnector is not working correctly, you won’t empty a magazine on uncontrolled full-auto.  The first round was on the paper at about 15 yards.  The pistol cycled flawlessly with the 230 grain FMJ round nose we were able to find.  Empties were being ejected very consistently about five feet out and in the same area. 

Maritza had me fire a few rounds and I was able to keep all the shots within a couple of inches at 15 yards; which isn’t bad for offhand in high winds.  It’s hitting a little low for Mari but the sights are spot on for me.  Overall we’re both well pleased with the pistol. 

Maritza’s gunhandling and accuracy is improving with each training session.  Her loading and unloading of the pistol is getting smoother and smoother and her recoil control is excellent for someone who hasn’t fired more than three full boxes of ammo through a .45 yet.  Much of the gunhandling and accuracy skills can be developed without firing the pistol so Mari will be able to improve her skills even if we can’t get to the range frequently. 

Unfortunately Mari found out that shooting, while fun to the point of addiction, can be expensive.  The one box of factory ammo she bought didn’t last long.  Reloading and airsoft will allow more shooting with less expense. 

I wrote the following as part of a birthday letter I included with her present: 

“Now comes the fun part.  Guns are a lot like children- they end up costing you a lot of money.  You’ll want to buy ammunition, cleaning supplies, safety equipment, different parts, holster and magazine pouch, spare magazines, targets. . . the list is endless.  I haven’t given you a pistol.  I’ve given you a money pit.  But still, I hope you enjoy it.” 

Mari's Handloads

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAi5NfX-oFQ 

I took Mari out shooting my Ruger Bisley .44 magnum.  She really enjoyed it and wants a .44 of her own.  The Bisley grip is a bit large for her hands so she is looking at the Super Blackhawk with the 5 ½ inch barrel.  The 4 5/8 inch and 5 ½ inch Super Blackhawks have smaller grips than the Bisley or the longer barreled Super Blackhawks.  In fact, the grips on the 4 5/8 inch and 5 ½ inch barreled revolvers are the same size as the standard Blackhawks.  While the smaller grips make trigger reach easier, they do increase felt recoil and muzzle rise over the Bisley.  Since I own a 4 5/8 inch Super Blackhawk, we took that out shooting so Mari could get an idea of what the recoil will be like with the smaller grip. 

We burned up all my odd .44 magnum reloads the last time we went out shooting.  Mari was interested in reloading so I let her load up 50 rounds for our next range session.  I talked her through it but Mari did all the work. 

She started with some Winchester Western brass I had.  She took it from the tumbler and resized and decapped it with a Lee carbide die in a Lyman single stage press.  Next, she checked the overall length.  This brass has been reloaded a few times and may need trimming the next time but was still just below the maximum overall length.  Upon inspection we found no neck cracks and the primer pockets are still tight.  She continued with the brass prep by scraping out the primer pockets with an old Herter’s primer pocket cleaner I picked up many years ago. 

For powder I had some Hodgdon Universal Clays I wanted to use up.  I picked up a pound to use in a 2 inch barrel .38 special revolver.  It wasn’t compatible with the Ranier plated bullets I wanted to use as they wouldn’t take a heavy crimp and Universal needs a lot of bullet pull to get a good burn.  In the .38 I couldn’t get any velocity to speak of and the powder wasn’t burning clean.  I decided to try it with moderate loads in the .44 with some different bullets just to get rid of it. 

For bullets I had some 250 grain Keith style cast bullets.  They were cast with an LBT mold out of straight wheelweight alloy.  I hadn’t heat treated this batch of bullets as they were for moderate loads.  The large crimp groove on the Keith bullets would allow a heavy crimp and I was hoping the Universal would work with them.  Mari lubed the bullets with Javelina 50/50 beeswax Alox and sized them to .430 with a Lee push through sizer.  .430 inches provides a tight slip fit in the chamber throats on this revolver and has given good accuracy with other loads in it.  I’ve always gotten good accuracy with the Keith bullets in all my revolvers with light, moderate or heavy loads. 

Since I’ve not used Universal in the .44 before, I chose a starting load from the data to get a base velocity and see how the powder would perform in this pistol with these components.  Hodgdon’s data gives a velocity of 850 feet per second out of an 8 1/8” barrel.  Out of a 4 5/8” barrel, I expected to get about 100 FPS less.  I like to use an old Lee Safety powder measure for my moderate handgun loads as it’s easy to set up and can’t get out of adjustment.  One of the cavities threw a charge just .2 grains above the suggested starting load but still well below the maximum so I set the measure with that cavity. 

Mari primed the cases with CCI 300 standard large pistol primers.  I had a bunch of the CCI primers on hand.  I don’t care for magnum primers unless I’m shooting a powder that’s hard to ignite like H110.  Magnum primers raise pressures and I’d rather get my pressure from the powder as I think I get slightly more consistent velocities.  She used a Lee hand primer to prime the cases.  I like the Lee as it gives me a better feel than a press mounted primer. 

Mari flared the case mouths until they’d just clear the bullet bases.  I try not to work the brass any more than necessary to get longer case life.  This batch of Winchester cases has been reloaded several times and I still see no signs of case mouth cracks. 

After checking the powder charge on a scale, Mari charged all the cases with powder.  She checked the powder levels visually to catch any double charges.  We also pulled several cases and weighed the powder to make sure the loads were consistent.  The Lee Safety measure can’t get out of adjustment but powder can settle and start throwing heavier charges.  We kept the measure more than half full and tapped it down so the charge weights were consistent from start to finish.  The Universal works well in this measure. 

Next, Mari seated the bullets.  The cartridge overall length is determined by the crimp groove location with the Keith bullets.  The deep crimp groove allowed for a fairly heavy crimp so I was confident we’d get a good burn with the Universal. 

We got out to the range early to beat the heat, wind and crowds.  Mari was the first one to shoot her reloads.  The revolver is sighted in for my eyes so it was hitting a bit high for Mari but she was getting decent groups.  At about 20 yards we got a three shot group right at an inch and about two inches above the aiming point from the offhand position. 

I fired a couple of rounds over the chronograph before the battery died.  The velocity was averaging 750 FPS which is about where I was expecting.  Recoil and muzzle blast were quite comfortable with this load. 

We backed off to 50 yards and Mari was keeping most of her shots on the paper but was still hitting high.  I think we were getting some glare off the front sight and should probably throw a little sight black on it.  We couldn’t do any real long range shooting as there were cattle in the area but did get to shoot at a stump about 100 yards away.  We burned up the rest of the ammo plinking at various objects left by previous shooters. 

The day was a success.  Mari got a feel for the smaller grip on the Ruger and got in some practice with her handloads.  The load was accurate and we obviously have some room to bump up the load if we decide to.  Now, all I have to do is cast up some more of those Keith bullets. 

Some Safety Concerns About the .40 S&W

Some Safety Concerns About the .40 S&W

The .40 Smith and Wesson is an excellent defensive pistol round offering improved performance over the 9X19 mm in a similar sized package. Being a fairly short cartridge, the price of this performance is relatively high operating pressures. These high pressures are not a safety concern in themselves but they do present some potential problems that must be considered. Here are some SAAMI pressure standards for common rounds to give you an idea where the .40 stands in the scheme of things. The pressures are given in PSI.

.45 ACP 21,000
.45 ACP +P 23,000
9X19 mm 33,000
.357 Smith and Wesson Magnum 35,000
.40 Smith and Wesson 35,000
10 mm 37,500
.44 Remington Magnum 40,000
.30-30 42,000
.308 Winchester 52,000

The high operating pressure of the .40 combined with the short cartridge case means there is very little room for error when dealing with this round. The .40 is a true magnum round and is actually rubbing shoulders with some rifle rounds in the pressure department.

Gun powder develops a given pressure for a given amount of powder in a given volume. If you change the case volume without changing the amount of powder, the pressure will change. Increase the volume and the pressure decreases. Decrease the volume and the pressure will increase. The relationship between case volume and pressure is not a linear one; that is to say cutting the volume in half does not double the pressure. A very small decrease in the volume can cause a massive increase in pressure and not always a predictable one.

One variable that determines your working case volume is the depth to which the bullet is seated. Seating a bullet deeper in the case will cause pressures to go up. The .40 has such a small case volume in relation to its caliber that a very small change in bullet seating depth represents a significant percentage change in the volume available to the powder. Because the .40 has such a high operating pressure it doesn’t take much of a pressure increase to exceed the ability of the case to contain the burning propellant. A ruptured case can create all sorts of havoc and can be dangerous. A bit more pressure can cause structural failure in the firearm which is very likely to cause injury.

One action that may cause the bullet to be seated more deeply is the simple act of cycling the cartridge from the magazine into the chamber. Ideally the round will only make that trip once, however administrative loading and unloading may cause you to chamber the same round several times. Initially the setback may be insignificant but as the cartridge shortens the feed geometry will change and each feeding will shorten the cartridge by a greater amount.

As an example of what can happen, I was shooting a handload in my .45 ACP that chronographed right at 870 fps with Hornady 230 grain truncated cone FMJ bullets. With an 18 pound recoil spring the cases were ejecting six or eight feet. I had chambered one of the cartridges several times in a pistol that was giving me some feeding problems with that bullet profile. The bullet had set back visibly in the case. When I fired the compressed round over the chronograph I got a reading of 925 fps. The empty casing ejected over 20 feet. Examination of the case showed drag marks on the primer although the unsupported portion of the case had not bulged. A moderate load had been pushed right up to the redline. Fortunately, the .45 ACP is a very low pressure round so there was some room to maneuver. Had I tried the same stunt with a .40 the results would not have been quite so benign.

Some bullet profiles will be worse than others in this regard. The truncated cone is particularly bad as are some of the hollowpoints. Round nose bullets are the least objectionable as they feed with the least resistance.

The solution is to limit the number of times you chamber a single cartridge. Most of the ammunition manufacturers recommend that their semi-auto rounds only be chambered a maximum of twice before being fired or discarded. I would suggest that you either rotate the rounds in the magazine so the same cartridge isn’t fed more than twice. Or set aside the ejected unfired round and replace it with a fresh round. Save the unfired round for a practice session when you know you’re going to burn it up.

As not all pistol and ammunition combinations will cause bullet setback, another alternative is to measure the unfired round before you put it back in the magazine. This can be done with a dial caliper or by comparing it with fresh cartridges. Set the round between the two new ones on a level surface. A straight edge set across the two fresh rounds will show if the fed round has shortened. If the bullet has been set back I would recommend you discard the round.

I think it’s a good idea to watch for bullet setback with any autoloader but the .40 is particularly unforgiving.

Maintain your pistol. Replace your recoil spring every 1,000 to 5,000 rounds. Do not swap the factory rate spring for a lighter one unless you’re exclusively shooting light loads. A weak or weakened spring can allow the action to open while the chamber pressures are still high. With the .40, you will probably end up with a blown case.

Keep your pistol clean and properly (lightly) lubricated. A sticky disconnector can allow your piece to fire out of battery. Out of battery fire is not a good thing. Glocks in particular, due to their straight line striker, are susceptible to out of battery fire when not properly maintained. Pay particular attention to the bore and chamber. Fouling- especially leading- in the bore can raise pressures. Material in the chamber may keep the action from closing fully and allow the pistol to fire out of battery. Don’t get lubrication in the chamber or on your cartridges. Lube in the chamber can cause breach pressures to increase tremendously.

When it comes to reloading the .40 my suggestion is don’t. No major firearms manufacturers condone the use of reloads in their pistols. New manufactured generic practice loads are readily available for the .40 and aren’t that expensive. If you absolutely insist on reloading the .40, pay close attention to the warnings- both for the .40 in particular and reloading in general- that you’ll find in all the good loading manuals.

Find out if your barrel fully supports the case. For example, factory Glock barrels do not fully support the case. The unsupported portion of the case will be the first to go when pressures get a bit high. Accurate Arms, Hodgdon and other component manufacturers have gone so far as to recommend that their reloading data not be used in unsupported barrels. If the unsupported portion of the case bulges, the bulge may be ironed out during the resizing process. Unfortunately, that part of the case will now be weakened and subsequent firings with otherwise safe loads may cause a blowout. That’s one reason why I suggest not using brass found at the range. I also suggest not using commercial reloads for the same reason. As careful as the commercial reloaders are, they may not be able to maintain quality control on the incoming fired brass.

Consider using a moderate target load. Paper targets are simply not that hard to stop. By using a lighter target load you can avoid the problems inherent with a high-pressure round. You may need to change to a lighter recoil spring for your practice sessions but I think it’s a worthwhile tradeoff. Just don’t forget to switch back to the heavy spring before firing any full loads.

The .40 Smith and Wesson is an excellent defensive cartridge. I think a .40 caliber Glock is one of the finest defensive pistols you can buy. The .40 is a high performance cartridge and, like any piece of high performance equipment, requires a bit of care and attention in use. 

Hunting Rifles for Ken

(A friend asked my opinion on hunting rifles.  He was interested in a .30-06 for deer hunting.  I told him it was an excellent choice and, if you couldn’t get it done with an ’06, you probably couldn’t get it done.) 

Here are my primary hunting rifles.  I also have .22s for small game, a .416 for really big game, and shotguns for birds and whatnot. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRhUtXF09Ls

If I were to reduce to only one of my rifles, I’d go with the .300 mag.  It has iron sights in case my scope goes tango uniform in the middle of a hunt.  It also has better long range capacity than either of the carbines.  And, it can throw heavier bullets than the .308.  I like the repeater because it allows for quicker follow up shots than the single shot.    

The .308 is my primary because it’s light and handy.  The action on a .308 is an inch shorter and a pound lighter than a .30-06.  Out of the 20 inch barrel, the .308 throws the lighter bullets almost as fast as a .30.06 would out of a similar carbine.  However, the ’06 will throw much heavier bullets out of a longer barrel much faster than a .308 would. 

I don’t have iron sights on my .308 but it’s not a handicap as I have backup rifles in case the scope goes out.  Likewise, if I need to do some longer range shooting or go after heavier game (although the .308 will kill anything on the planet), I can go to one of my other rifles. 

As far as calibers go for medium to large game, I like a minimum of 6.5 millimeter and 140 grains.  As caliber goes up, I tend toward the heavier bullets so I get good ballistic coefficient and sectional density.  In a .30 caliber, I like 165 to 200 grain bullets.  For longer range shooting I like 2700 to 3000 feet per second muzzle velocity.  That speed combined with a  good ballistic coefficient will get you a terminal velocity in excess of 1800 FPS past 300 yards.  That terminal velocity insures good bullet expansion. 

If I were to start over with a single rifle, I’d get a bolt action repeater with a 24 to 26 inch barrel and iron sights.  I’d probably go with a .270 and use a good premium bullet like the Barnes X.  The .270 shoots as flat as my .300 but doesn’t kick as badly.  A 150 grain X bullet out of a .270 will shoot through both shoulders of an elk.  I’d mount a really good 2-8X or 3-9X variable scope on it for both close and long range capability. 

Years ago there were some Ruger 77 Express models in .270 on closeout.  I still kick myself for not picking one up but I didn’t need another rifle at the time.      

Mari's Crosman Benjamin 397

A friend of mine wanted to learn to shoot.  One of the best tools for learning marksmanship is the air rifle.  Air rifles are inexpensive to buy and shoot and require minimum space to use.  They are quiet and have little to no recoil so won’t mask any shooting errors.  Mari tried my Daisy multi-pump and liked it.  I don’t care for the quality of the current Daisy rifles plus I wanted to cut the stock to fit her and that’s difficult with a hollow plastic stock.  I also prefer a brass barrel on a multi-pump; the current Daisys use steel.    

I decided on a Crosman Benjamin 397 .177 caliber.  Besides being virtually recoilless and easier on scopes, the 397 is less expensive than the better break-barrel spring guns.  The multi-pump 397 also offers a choice of velocities.  Most of the current break-barrel rifles are high-velocity.  The 397 has been getting good reviews online and has a wood stock and brass barrel.   

Mari liked the aperture sight on my .22 rifle so I ordered a Williams 5D-SH receiver sight.  I also ordered a hard rifle case, some pellets, and some airgun oil.    

When the rifle arrived we took it out to check the zero and test fire.  If there were any problems, I wanted to be able to return it under warranty before I did any customizing.  The rifle functioned well and the factory rear leaf sight was pretty much dead on. 

The 397 is already drilled and tapped for the Williams sight.  On some older models the front sight is too short for the Williams and doesn’t allow sufficient elevation adjustment.  A taller front sight or modification to the rear sight may be required. 

I degreased the mounting holes.  Since the receiver is brass, and I didn’t want to over-tighten the mounting screws, I made sure to use a bit of Loctite.  I looked through the aperture and it aligned fairly well with the previously zeroed leaf sight so I was reasonably certain I could get a good zero without any modification to front blade or rear aperture. 

Once I was sure the Williams sight was going to be fairly close to zero without any machine work or modifications, I removed the leaf rear sight.  I removed the two windage adjustment screws.  I then put a punch through the windage adjustment screw hole at the front of the sight.  I put the muzzle of the rifle on a protected solid surface.  By pressing forward on one side of the punch and tapping toward the muzzle on the other with a light brass hammer, I was able to drift the sight clear of the two triangular base grips.  With the sight removed, the base grips fell right out. 

The trigger was reasonably consistent out of the box.  Pull weight wasn’t bad so I left that alone for the moment.  I opened up the trigger mechanism and didn’t see anything too grotesque.  I made sure there weren’t any machining chips or chunks or overly rough surfaces.  I hit all the contact points with some moly grease and left it at that.  If, after some break in, the trigger needs some refinement, I can go back in and polish or re-contour contact points or lighten springs. 

The factory stock was a bit long so I cut it off and fitted the original buttplate. 

A good way to get an approximate length of pull is to bend your shooting arm 90 degrees at the elbow.  Now, take a yardstick and put it in the crook of the elbow.  Grasp the yardstick with the shooting hand as if it were the wrist of a rifle stock.  Bend the trigger finger as if pressing a trigger and measure the distance from the inside of the trigger finger to the inside of the crook of the elbow.  This measurement should be pretty close to the maximum comfortable length of pull (LOP) for you.  It may be desirable to cut the stock even shorter to allow for heavy clothing or just to make the rifle feel a bit handier. 

I measured the current LOP on the rifle and Mari’s LOP and calculated the difference.  Despite the fact that you don’t want to exceed the maximum LOP for the shooter, it’s generally a good idea to initially cut the stock just a tiny bit longer as you can always remove material.  Plus, if you get a rough cut, you can sand back to the final dimensions. 

I removed the plastic buttplate.  Some manufacturers glue the buttplate in place and it may be difficult, if not impossible, to salvage it.  It’s a good idea, with a glued on buttplate, to have a spare in hand in case the original is damaged while removing it.  Fortunately, Crosman did not glue on this buttplate. 

I wrapped the buttstock with masking tape around the point where I was going to make the cut.  The tape does several things.  I can mark my cut line on the tape without marking the stock.  The tape helps prevent tear-out and chipping when I make my cut.  With the tape in place, I can grind the buttpad to near final dimensions when it’s installed with minimum risk for damaging the stock.  Note that much of this is irrelevant with an unfinished stock as you can grind buttpad and stock together and then finish the stock. 

I carefully measured and marked several points around the tape from the butt to the intended cut point.  I then took a flexible straight edge and connected the dots so I had a continuous cut line around the stock. 

With my old shop, I had a jig for my table saw that would allow me to mount the buttstock.  I would set the stock against the fence, set the cut angle on the butt (usually the same as the current angle), and then set the fence for the depth of cut.  Starting at the toe of the stock, as that’s the most likely to tear out or chip, I’d make one pass and hope for a clean cut.  As I no longer have a table saw, I used a Japanese pull saw with fine teeth to make the cut.  I worked very slowly and carefully to maintain my angle and make a straight cut.  You can start your cut with a needle file to prevent any false starts or skips with the saw.    

I got a good clean cut and it only took a bit of sanding to get the butt flat.  I used a straight edge at several points and angles across the butt to make sure it was flat.  Again, this was much easier to do with a bench sander but careful work with a sanding block, while slower, will do the trick.  If you use a bench sander, again, sand from the toe of the stock to the heel as the toe is the most likely to break away.  By sanding back to the final length, you can remove many of the small chips you may get while sawing. 

When you cut a stock, the original buttpad often ends up too small for the butt.  You can fit the butt to the pad or get a new, oversized pad.  If the butt is finished and you don’t want to refinish the whole stock, a new pad is the way to go. 

Again, in my old shop I had a buttpad fitting jig.  I would mount the pad to the stock and scribe around the stock.  Then, I’d mount the pad to the jig and set the angle against the stock.  Finally, I’d grind the pad back to the scribe line on the bench sander.  It was quick and easy with no chance of damaging the finish on the stock.  Since I’m no longer in my old shop, I have to fit the pad while it’s mounted on the stock.  Slow and careful are the watchwords of the day. 

I put the pad against the cut stock.  The original pad was big enough to use.  I picked a drill bit that was about the same size as the shaft on the buttpad screws.  I didn’t cut off enough of the stock to eliminate the existing screw holes.  The existing holes were close enough to the correct position for the pad so I just deepened them a bit rather than drill new holes.  If I had needed to remove a lot of material, I would have scribed the pad and done the majority of the fitting off the stock.  As it is, I only had to remove a little material in a few places. 

With the masking tape still in place, I used a Dremel with a sanding drum to match the stock contour and remove the unwanted material.  By carefully working back to the tape, I was able to get quite close without damaging the finish on the stock.  I then removed the tape and remounted the pad. 

The toe on the pad requires a little more fitting which isn’t a problem.  The heel on the stock needs a tiny bit of fitting and that is a problem.  I can either order and fit another buttpad or grind a tiny bit off the stock.  If I grind the stock, I’ll have to try to match the original finish.  Either way, the rifle is currently functional as it stands. 

I removed the aperture insert on the rear sight to give a ghostring effect.  Mari used a similar sight on my .22 to good effect.  I was able to get a three round cloverleaf at about 10 meters with the ghostring.  Mari was getting good groups and hitting targets out to about 20 meters with three pumps from the offhand position.  Later, she had me put the aperture insert back in.  We had to bring the rear sight up a couple of lines for a new zero.  Mari hasn’t needed any windage adjustment. 

So far, the rifle has proven accurate, easy to use, and fun.  It’s serving its purpose as a training piece admirably.    

Keith's Rifles for Large Game

Elmer Keith is one of my favorite shooting writers.  He had extensive hunting and match shooting experience.  His observations were accurate and he communicated those observations accurately.  

“Keith’s Rifles for Large Game” was probably his best book on rifles and rifle shooting and is definitely one of the best books on the subject.  I have been re-reading “Keith’s Rifles for Large Game” and once again find very little to fault.  The only real problem is that some of the technical information is dated.  Many of the calibers and rifles mentioned haven’t been available except as collector’s items for decades.   

I really enjoyed the entire chapter on where to place a rifle scabbard on a horse.  Keith obviously had a lot of experience with horses and pointed out potential problems with many of the common scabbard positions.  

There have been some technical advances since Keith’s time, but not nearly as many nor as great as some would claim.  Optics have been improved but functionally differ little in the field.  Also, there have been some improvements in bullet design such as the Barnes X bullet that allow lighter bullets and higher velocities without giving up terminal effect.  

Still, Keith’s observations and conclusions will remain valid until chemically powered firearms are obsolete.  

I get amused at many of Keith’s critics who have never actually read Keith.  I had one customer proclaim that Keith had no match experience and wasn’t around when the 7mm Remington magnum was invented.  I pointed out that Keith placed quite well at the National matches a number of times and was alive to see the 7mm magnum.  Keith remarked that the 7mm magnum (invented in the late fifties) was a good cartridge.  In fact, it was nearly identical to the 7mm magnum wildcats he designed and used clear back in the nineteen twenties thus required little testing on his part as he already had extensive experience with it.  

Part of the problem was that Keith had done virtually all the experimenting he required prior to the nineteen sixties.  Thus, most of his later writings were somewhat repetitive and he often failed to explain his conclusions.  

Most of Keith’s books are available as reprints but the collectors have run the prices of even the reprints quite high.  I highly recommend “Hell, I was There!”, “Sixguns”, “Gun Notes” volumes one and two, and “Keith’s Rifles for Large Game”.  His book “Shotguns” was educational but it is severely dated and there are probably better books on shotguns available.  Keith did not consider himself a shotgunner. 

Ruger Bisley .44

(I wrote this a few years ago right after I picked up my new Bisley.  I have since fitted an oversized Belt Mountain cylinder base pin and added a set of ivory Micarta stocks.) 

I picked up my new Ruger Bisley revolver today.  It has a 7 ½ inch barrel and is a .44 magnum. 

 

I bought my first .44 magnum many years ago.  It was the Ruger Redhawk with a 7 ½ inch barrel.  When I bought the Redhawk I was very concerned over the tales I had heard about the horrible recoil of the .44 magnum.  I chose a big heavy pistol to lessen the recoil and decided that, if I couldn’t handle the .44 magnum, I would just use the less powerful .44 specials.  The Redhawk turned out to be a perfectly comfortable pistol to fire with the magnum loads. 

 

I had one box of Remington ammo I was using in the Redhawk that went bad on me.  The powder wasn’t igniting properly.  When I fired the pistol, the bullet would take a remarkably long time to exit the muzzle the whole while powder was burning and whistling out the cylinder gap.  The bullet would finally exit the barrel with a mild pop and bounce it’s way toward the target on the ground.  I would open the cylinder, blow the unburned powder out of the pistol, and make sure the bore was clear before I fired the next shot.  The whole incident was pretty funny. 

 

The Redhawk was a nice pistol but it was too long and heavy to carry comfortably in a belt holster.  So, I sold the Redhawk and bought a Smith & Wesson model 629 .44 with a 4 inch barrel.  I still have the 629.  The 629 is a joy to carry and not too uncomfortable with the recoil.  I wore that pistol out, rebuilt it, and retired it. 

 

For use with heavy hunting loads and to save wear and tear on the 629, I bought a Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 with a 4 5/8 inch barrel.  At the same time I bought a matching Single Six .22 so I’d have a neat pair of hunting handguns.  I still have both of those.  When I got it, the short barreled Super Blackhawk was a limited edition; it has since been added to regular production.

 

To replace my retired 629 I bought a Smith and Wesson Mountain Gun in .44 a couple of years ago.  It’s virtually the same as the 629 but even lighter and handier. 

 

My arthritis is getting bad enough that any of the light pistols are getting painful to shoot so I thought I’d get something a bit bigger for target shooting and hunting. 

 

I looked at Taurus, Smith & Wesson, Freedom Arms, and Ruger and decided to get another Ruger.  The Ruger Bisley is well known for being exceptionally comfortable to shoot and is modified to make the huge custom .475 and .500 magnums for just that reason.  I considered the Bisley in .45 Colt as the .45 has slightly less recoil than the .44.  Had I purchased a .45 Colt, I would have had to buy reloading dies and bullet moulds for the .45; I already have those for the .44.  Also, the Ruger .45s frequently have undersized chamber throats that require honing to bring within specs.  To minimize the chance of having to do any machine work, I opted for the .44 Bisley with the long barrel and adjustable sights. 

 

I priced around and finally had Dave at Octagon Guns here in Show Low order a Bisley for me.  Apparently they’re being discontinued so I guess my timing was good. 

 

I got my pistol home and did a function check before I detail stripped it and cleaned it.  Ruger has started putting an internal lock on their pistols but my Bisley didn’t have one saving me the trouble of removing it.  The chambers are a little rough but the throats were right in spec and won’t require honing.  Dave was trying to be helpful and used his favorite lube, Snake Oil, on the pistol before I picked it up.  Snake Oil smells really awful so I cleaned it and the lube that the Ruger factory used and replaced them with a light Teflon oil, and a moly grease on the high wear points. 

 

The cylinder base pin is typically undersized on the new Rugers and mine is no exception.  For 25 bucks I’ll order a Belt Mountain oversized replacement and that should tighten things up considerably.  Otherwise, the cylinder gap is good and there’s virtually no end-shake. 

 

I’m glad I cleaned the pistol before firing it as there were several chips of metal left over from machining in the action (not atypical for new pistols).  When I reassembled the pistol, I was pleasantly surprised to find the trigger pull is quite good.  Many of the Rugers come from the factory with very heavy triggers.  Although I’m quite capable of doing a trigger job, I’m glad I don’t have to mess with it. 

 

Now, all I have to do is load up some ammo and hit the target range.  I’m looking forward to seeing how the Bisley will do at long range.

Beaver Guns

The highway department in Wisconsin was having more and more trouble with the pesky beavers plugging up the drainage ditches and culverts and flooding the highways.  One of the road crews came into my shop and told me they’d been given permission to shoot the beavers.  They were also given funding to buy pistols to shoot the beavers so they were out shopping for beaver guns. 

 

At first I showed them some .22 pistols but they wanted something bigger.  I can only imagine they were concerned about being charged by angry beavers or, perhaps they had heard about the giant 10-foot beavers that roamed the land before the last ice age.  I showed them some .38 revolvers but they thought a high-capacity 9mm would be better.  Again, I imagine it was in case they were charged by mobs of angry beavers. 

 

We looked at the Sigs and Berettas but they retailed for over $600 at the time.  This was somewhat amusing as Beretta won the low bid for the U. S. military by selling their pistols to the army for $215 each; I sure wasn’t getting the extra $385 in profit.  At the time Ruger was selling their 9mm for under $300 and the Ruger is a good, solid pistol.  The guys decided a Ruger would do for them so a Ruger they got. 

 

Over the next few weeks a number of other road crews came in to purchase their “Beaver Guns”.  It seems the Ruger 9mm had become the official Beaver Gun for the Wisconsin Highway Department and John’s Bow, Barrel, and Bait had become the official source for official Wisconsin Highway Department Beaver Guns. 

Types of Fire

Types of Fire

 

When we shoot, we need to understand what it is we’re trying to accomplish by shooting.  The U.S. Military has developed a number of terms to describe the different basic “missions” we may be trying to accomplish with small arms fire.  Some of these terms are described in the current machinegun manuals.  The MG manuals also cover several other types of fire that don’t particularly apply with anything other than a sustained fire capable weapon.  I hope by discussing some of these fire missions it will help you decide what it is you are trying to do when you fire your weapon.

 

Effective Fire - This is the most basic form of fire.  You are trying to hit your target and get all the terminal effect your weapon is capable of. 

 

Suppressive Fire - This is when you are shooting at your opponent(s) to interfere with his ability to function or to “suppress” him.  Suppression fire has also been called “protective” fire.  Suppression fire is not spray-n-pray.  Spray-n-pray, when you spray rounds in the general direction of your opponent and pray that one of them strikes home, is an attempt at effective fire.  Suppression fire is not an attempt to hit your target although, if it does hit him, it becomes effective fire and your opponent becomes very suppressed. 

The thing to remember about suppression fire is that it is primarily psychological in effect.  Your opponent has to decide that the risk of sticking his head up is greater than the risk of staying where he is.  It is very difficult- if not impossible as an individual- to lay down a sufficient volume of fire that your opponent will be unable to move without being hit.  If your target is willing to risk the rounds headed his way, he may not be suppressed.  Herbert McBride wrote that, after awhile, one discovered that there was a lot of space between those machinegun bullets and it became easier (psychologically) to advance in their face.  In general though, well directed suppression fire works.  

A problem with suppression fire is the volume of fire it requires. You have to put enough lead down range that the other fellow decides he’d rather not risk it.  That’s one thing if you have an M249 with a 250 round belt and an assistant gunner to reload you, and it’s another thing if what you have is a 5 shot revolver with five more rounds in a speed strip. 

Another thing to remember is that suppressive fire is defensive in nature.  You win wars with the sword not the shield.  You’ve got some ne’er-do-well pinned down behind a large, totally bullet resistant rock.  You have your tricked out AK and a snazzy bug out bag full of magazines.  You begin laying down some suppression fire.  Every time you let up, your opponent waves his hand or fires a shot to let you know he’s still there so you fire some more.  As the sun sets, you run out of ammo.  Your opponent stands up, dusts himself off, saunters over and prepares to shoot you with his rusty six-shooter.  You draw your Glock and peg him between the eyes.  But, the point is, suppressive fire is not an end of itself but is just a way to buy you, or your partners, time to do something else.  If you’re suppressing this same fellow to give the rest of your fire team time to flank his sorry butt, you save wear and tear on your Glock.  Likewise, you may want to lay down a little suppression fire while you move to better cover or even just to buy enough time to figure out what it is you want to do.  Just keep in mind why it is you are using suppressive fire. 

Effective fire can have the same psychological effect as suppressive fire.  Carlos Hathcock and his spotter kept an entire company pinned down for several days with one-shot-one-kill effective fire.  A two man machinegun team in the same position probably would not have had the same effect because the Vietnamese wouldn’t have been as intimidated by something as familiar as machinegun fire. 

 

Directing fire - This is the quick and dirty method used to bring a target to the attention of the other team members.  You identify a target, get the attention of the other team members, perhaps give coarse directions to the target, and fire one or more rounds of tracer into the target.  Examples would include a sniper trying to bring some direct fire from heavier ordnance onto a strong point or a squad leader trying to direct some suppression fire from the rest of the squad or the MG team. 

 

Reconnaissance by fire - This is sometimes incorrectly called searching fire.  Searching fire is an indirect fire technique for machineguns.  Reconnaissance by fire means firing a round or rounds into an area just in case there’s an opponent there.  Reconnaissance by fire may inflict damage on the enemy or it may cause him to react when he believes you’re shooting at him rather than just guessing.  Obviously this has little civilian application.  An example would be, rather than approaching a closet where someone might be hiding, you fire a burst through the door at about knee height before opening the door.  Another example was a sniper attached to an Army Ranger unit in Viet Nam.  When the unit began receiving relatively close range fire from the brush, but was unable to pinpoint the source, this sniper would assume a stable position and shooting sling with his M21.  He would then proceed to fire a series of closely spaced shots through the concealment across the area of incoming fire.

 

Enfilade fire - When you stack (the old term was “flank”) multiple opponents and begin firing, you are taking them under enfilade fire.  By arranging your opponents in enfilade, the fellow up front acts as cover for you and any overpenetration or misses are likely to hit the fellows in the back.  This is most effective for machineguns as the beaten zone is usually oblong in shape and by maneuvering your opponents in a line along the long axis of the beaten zone, you get the most efficient use of ammunition. 

As an aside, I find it mind-boggling that two of the most elementary principles of tactics - movement, and flanking - have become a lost art and are having to be reintroduced to today’s fighters, but there it is. 

 

As you can see, several of these techniques will be of limited or no use outside the military context or with certain small arms.

Fakes and Frauds (Rant)

(Here's a rant I wrote a long time back.  Be aware that there are some obscenities in it.  I have since learned to ignore most of the Internet Idiots.) 

Fakes and Frauds

 

There are a lot of people on the Internet who are too lazy or cowardly to accomplish anything for themselves.  Fortunately for them, it’s easy to claim experience or qualifications that they don’t have.  Recently, I had quite a run-in with a fraud claiming to run a shooting school in Minnesota.  He claimed he was an ex-cop with “many years of experience” and an ex-Chief of Police.  When I tried to pin down where he supposedly served, he became evasive and abusive.  He’s a cagey SOB and he’s very careful about giving actual specifics about his claims.  What investigations I was able to complete with a few phone calls convinced me that he was a fraud and I wasn’t willing to spend any more time on that loser.

 

This jerk and others like him are able to gather a following of believers on forums and Newsgroups.  The response by them and their followers to anyone who questions their qualifications or takes exception to the information they’re handing out is to flame ‘em till they go away.  Often they will demand that others “prove” that they are lying.  You can’t prove a negative.  Given enough time and some specific claims you can usually weed out the lies but these guys are pretty clever.  They will usually try to avoid getting specific and when backed into a corner will respond by getting hostile rather than proving what they say.

 

What makes these people dangerous (and annoying) is the fact that they don’t usually know what they are talking about.  If they were content with quoting reliable sources, that wouldn’t be a serious problem, but they don’t even know what sources are reliable.  In addition, there is a tendency for these people to increase their apparent importance by giving information or advice that goes against conventional wisdom.  What they don’t care about is the fact that often conventional wisdom is established through experience; experience that they lack.  In some areas that doesn’t really mean anything.  When it comes to combat, self-defense, firearms and the like, bad advice and information can get you killed!  The audience they are misleading is usually made up of people that don’t have any way to know they are being misled.  Most people looking to the Internet for information are, frankly, beginners.  Everyone started out with no knowledge and built from there.  Some build on experience and some on bullshit.

 

If someone on the shooting range starts to blow hot-air, you can challenge them to demonstrate their skills on the spot.  That’s why blowhards don’t do their talking on the range.  The frauds know full well that they will probably never be called upon to demonstrate their imaginary skills.  In fact, because you can’t see faces, that 40 year old CIA guy you’re talking to could very well be a 15 year old loser who wets his pants at the very thought of Army basic training.

 

I ran into one fellow in the Air Force.  He was very impressed with his extensive knowledge of firearms and went to great pains to let everyone around him know how impressive he was.  The guy was full of manure to the eyeballs and should have been a little more careful where he spread his fertilizer.  I was advising another fellow about what type of defensive pistol to buy.  I recommend the 1911A1 .45 ACP for a whole bunch of reasons and I was explaining them.  Mr. Blowhard interrupted me with the statement that, “The U.S. got rid of the .45 ‘cause the recoil will break your wrist!”  My response was rather sharp and ended with an invitation to accompany me down to the firing range where they both could fire my personal .45 and see for themselves that it won’t break anybody’s wrist.  His response was typical of the type.  He called me a liar, refused to go to the range, and ran away (presumably to cry like the child that he was).  Had I run into this guy on a News group he and his buddies would have undoubtedly flamed me until I got fed up and went away.  I have abandoned several forums and Newsgroups for just that reason.  I don’t have the time to spend messing with that stuff.  I’d rather be at the range or the reloading bench.  There’s another clue that the guy’s a fraud, if he’s always on the ‘net he can’t have time to be doing anything for real.

 

People who were or are SEALs, CIA operatives, or almost any other government employees can prove it!  Any military personnel will have complete records of virtually all their initial training including Special Forces, Ranger, UDT, and SEAL selection courses.  More importantly, the government will have records of their training and service.  A very few training courses and a fair number of specific military operations will be classified but a SEAL can always document his entry into the SEAL teams.

 

There will always be public records that a military decoration was awarded.  The specifics of the action that led to the award may be classified but no one has ever been awarded the Medal of Honor in a “secret” ceremony.  The Medal of Honor is quite literally awarded by an act of Congress (thus the “Congressional” Medal of Honor) in a public ceremony.  There is no way it can be awarded secretly.  It is vaguely possible that the paperwork for some lesser medals may have gotten misplaced during wartime.  It was also common for a cowardly REMF (Rear Echelon Mother Fucker) to simply grab a medal headed for a true soldier on the lines and claim it for himself.  Don’t be embarrassed or afraid to ask for proof.  Folks that performed really classified or deniable ops knew going in that there would be no medals for them.  Some of the bravest and most skilled warriors on the planet received no recognition for their deeds.

 

As for the intelligence wannabes– if a mission or operation is so classified that no records were kept then maybe the would-be James Bond shouldn’t be talking about it!  People involved in truly classified operations will have one of two types of records.  If the operation is only mildly classified, then the records will exist but they will simply be marked with their security classification and unavailable to the public.  Eventually, they will become unclassified and available through the Freedom of Information Act.  There is almost nothing from the Viet Nam War era or earlier that has not been unclassified.  The second type of records are those kept for people involved in truly “black” operations.  If someone is involved in an operation that must be deniable they will be provided with a cover story, complete with documentation.  With military special operations this often means the individual will be “assigned” to a training unit that will keep complete and ongoing records even thought the individual is never there.  Sometimes the operative will be separated from the service while the operation is underway.  Either way, there will be some sort of paper trail on any of these people.  If there isn’t– they’re supposed to keep their damned mouths shut!

 

Don’t be afraid to ask these people for specifics on their qualifications.  If they respond with hostility instead of immediate straight answers, run away.  Do not send any money to anyone on the Internet until you have verified their claims.  Don’t just take their word for it, make a couple of phone calls.  Get some references and check them out.  The elite people move in some pretty small circles and their peers will know about them.  There are too many legitimate folks on the ‘net.  You don’t have to settle for a vastly inferior imitation.

 

If you want to do something then do it!  Don’t sit around talking about it.  You want to join the military?  Join!  Volunteer for that selection course and tough it out.  I have infinitely more respect for someone who washes out of Airborne training and admits it, than some yutz who didn’t have the guts to enlist in the first place.  There are good civilian schools out there, as well.  Completion of a defensive pistol course under one of the top instructors is something to be proud of.  Just don’t try to parlay a week at the Chapman Academy into a tour in Viet Nam.  Earn that black belt, don’t dream about it. Practice with your pistol until you can do something with it.  Nothing comes for free but once you’ve paid your dues you have something to be proud of.

 

As for the fakes and frauds, they know what kind of scum they are.  They will live out their lives in fear that they will be discovered and exposed.  If they’re really lucky, they’ll get a chance to demonstrate those imaginary skills in the real world.  That’ll shut ‘em up for good.

Describing the Condition of a Firearm

When describing a used gun in an ad, over the phone, by email, etc. be accurate.  There are several standard grading systems by which to accurately relay the condition of your firearm.  S.P. Fjestad uses the “Photo Percentage” grading system in his Blue Book of Gun Values and I consider that method the best.  Essentially you are describing the exact percentage of original finish left on the firearm.

The other, perhaps more popular, method is the National Rifle Association grading system.  The NRA system uses two sets of standards.  One set is for modern firearms.  The second set is for antique firearms.  Below are descriptions of the NRA condition standards.

Modern Conditions -

New - in same condition as current factory production, must include box, packing materials and warranty card.

Perfect - in new condition in every respect.

Excellent - new condition, used but little, no noticeable marring of wood or metal, bluing perfect (except at muzzle or sharp edges)

Very Good - in perfect working condition, no appreciable wear on working surfaces, no corrosion or pitting, only minor surface dents or scratches.

Good - in safe working condition, minor wear on working surfaces, no broken parts, no corrosion or pitting that will interfere with proper function.

Fair - in safe working condition, but well worn, perhaps requiring replacement of minor parts or adjustments which should be indicated in advertisement, no rust, but may have corrosion pits which do not render article unsafe or inoperable.

Antique Conditions -

Factory New - all original parts; 100% original finish; in perfect condition in every respect, inside and out.

Excellent - all original parts; over 80% original finish; sharp lettering, numerals and design on metal and wood; unmarred wood; fine bore.

Fine - all original parts; over 30% original finish; sharp lettering, numerals and design on metal and wood; minor marks in wood; good bore

Very Good - all original parts; none to 30% original finish; original metal surfaces smooth with all edges sharp; clear lettering, numerals and design on metal; wood slightly scratched or bruised; bore disregarded for collectors firearms.

Good - some minor replacement parts; metal smoothly rusted or lightly pitted in places; cleaned or reblued; principal lettering, numerals and design on metal legible; wood refinished, scratched, bruised or minor cracks repaired; in good working order.

Fair - some major parts replaced; minor replacement parts may be required; metal rusted, may be lightly pitted all over, vigorously cleaned or reblued; rounded edges of metal and wood; principal lettering, numerals and design on metal partly obliterated; wood scratched, bruised, cracked or repaired where broken; in fair working order or can be easily repaired and placed in working order.

Poor - major and minor parts replaced; major replacement parts required and extensive restoration needed; metal deeply pitted; principal lettering, numerals and design obliterated, wood badly scratched, bruised, cracked or broken; mechanically inoperative, generally undesirable as a collectors firearm.

The Photo Percentage grading system is best judged by comparing the firearm to a series of (surprise, surprise) photographs found in The Blue Book of Gun Values.  Below is the approximate equivalent conditions under the NRA system.

Perfect - 100% with or without box.  Not mint - new.  100% on currently manufactured firearms assumes NIB condition.

Excellent - 95%-99% (typically)

Very good - 80 - 95% - all original

Good - 60 - 80% - all original

Fair - 20 - 60% -May not be original (shootable, not very collectible)

Poor - Under 20%

Misrepresenting a firearm (lying) does no one any favors and just makes for bad feelings all around.  As soon as the prospective buyer sees the firearm in person, he’s going to see if you were telling the truth.  It’s better to underestimate the condition than overestimate it.

When buying firearms take the descriptions with a grain of salt.  When purchasing used or surplus firearms from Shotgun News or Gunlist, even from established dealers, I always downgraded the condition by one notch.  I read “excellent” as “very good”, and “very good” as “good”.  I was seldom disappointed.  I was also seldom wrong.

“Mint” is meaningless as a term.  In all my years buying and selling guns, only twice was a gun described to me as “mint” really in mint condition.  “Mint” means absolutely perfect.  It does not mean “pretty good for its age.”  Many, if not most, of the guns described to me as “mint” were, in fact, in good to poor condition.  I will not honor a sight-unseen price estimate if the gun has not been accurately described.  No one will.  If you lie about the condition of a firearm, ship it to the buyer, and then refuse to refund his money– you have just committed fraud.