CASE SHORTENING:
I would like to comment on the article "The Long And Short Of Case Length" that appeared in TCB-119. My reloading experiences over the last thirty years have led me to the same conclusions Mr. Fortier reached, although I am more inclined to believe that case shortening is the result of good case fit rather than a fat chamber. This "good fit" is, in my opinion, definitely caused by use of a well made neck die and moderate loads; the key being moderate loads. As near as I can determine by my own research, this maximum is around 48,000 C.U.P.; from this point on the brass degrades steadily to the point of failure. I doubt that the chamber pressure of most accurate cast bullet loads exceeds 40,000 C.U.P., and are probably closer to 30,000.
I would like to comment on the article "The Long And Short Of Case Length" that appeared in TCB-119. My reloading experiences over the last thirty years have led me to the same conclusions Mr. Fortier reached, although I am more inclined to believe that case shortening is the result of good case fit rather than a fat chamber. This "good fit" is, in my opinion, definitely caused by use of a well made neck die and moderate loads; the key being moderate loads. As near as I can determine by my own research, this maximum is around 48,000 C.U.P.; from this point on the brass degrades steadily to the point of failure. I doubt that the chamber pressure of most accurate cast bullet loads exceeds 40,000 C.U.P., and are probably closer to 30,000.
At the start of the propulsion epic, case brass begins to move towards the elastic limit as determined by that particular lot's composition and anneal. We are talking about the normal expansion of the case to seal the chamber and allow the neck to expand for bullet release. This is not to be confused with the flow of brass that occurs when its elastic limit is exceeded, beginning around 54,000 C.U.P. If we have head space under control and a solid action the only way the case can move is radially or, as Mr. Fortier stated, "at right angles away from the longitudinal axis of the case.- It is apparent that under these conditions cases will grow shorter when fired and lengthen upon full length resizing.
A case in point is my 7BR XP-100 which has very tight headspace. I use factory 7BR brass that is match prepped, including neck turned. I estimate my load at 38,000 C.U.P; bolt closure is always firm. After neck sizing a case eight to ten times the bolt begins to bind and the bolt face starts to brass-up. Why? As the cases grow shorter and fill the chamber radially they become harder to chamber. Careful measurement of the neck wall shows very little increase in thickness, indicating no brass flow, just case shortening radial expansion. A pass through the full length resizer, set to just leave a bright ring at the datum line on a smoked case, cures the problem. Now, upon firing, the case can move rearward just enough to allow normal springback and ease bolt opening.
If you can lay your hands on a Hornady Handbook published in the early 1960's you will find a page devoted to this subject, with the results of Hornady's test. This quote from the manual sums up the matter nicely: "All cartridges with minimum head space grew shorter when they were fired and all with maximum head space grew longer. Cases which fit the chamber very well have only one way to expand when powder gases push on their walls, outward. The increase in diameter of the case neck and body is at the expense of overall case length." It may date me a bit, but I bought this manual new and my experience to date has proven it correct. John Morehart
COMIC RELIEF (Ed: this is GOLD!)
In 1981 1 was hunting on an excellent lease on the Mexican border. One morning I developed a craving for roast turkey and broke out my spare rifle, a 94 Winchester in .30-30. My load was developed especially for turkeys, and consists of a very soft 156 gr. 311466 bullet, Remington 91/2 primer, and 10 gr. of Unique; the load clocks around 1600 fps.
On foot, about a mile from camp, I suddenly came face to face with a nice buck. Slipping into a hasty sling, I snapped off a quick shot at the deer's throat and cut his left jugular vein. The buck immediately departed for distant parts, and after a few profane remarks of self-castigation, I started trailing him.
Now, my eye doctor has calibrated my bifocals at seventeen inches which required me to hunker down pretty close to the deer's track to see them. Unbeknownst to me a fellow hunter was watching me from a high bluff several hundred yards away.
My search for the buck took about two hours and when I finally dragged into camp with the deer, about dark, everyone was looking real quizzical at me. Later I found out the reason for the strange looks; it seems my friend had returned earlier and told everyone that I was tracking a deer by scent —bending down and smelling the tracks. The guys I hunt with have been kind of leery ever since.
Duane Whitehead
HUNTER SAFETY AND YOUTH SHOOTING PROGRAMS
I am a long-time employee of the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department and a Hunter Education Instnictor. I live an a very small community which, I am sorry to say is somewhat anti-gun, but I am doing what I can to advance shooting sports. I am active with the small local 4-H Club and, with some recent organizational improvements, I have positive feelings. I also am trying to interest the State of Texas, in allowing me to set up a Long Range Silhouette facility on one of the Wildlife Management Areas where I work. I consider this to be a super public access (non-consumptive) activity, but the bureaucracy grinds slowly. Anyway, as you may know, anyone who endeavors to work with the public, and certainly with youths, in shooting sports, will do so with very little official or monetary support.
Some time ago I wrote to Thompson Center explaining my abnormally high use of their Bore Butter and mentioned how and why (we use cast bullets handloads in the local 4-H program) I was using it. I received an extremely nice letter apologizing for the fact that I had not been made aware of their Instructor Pricing Program. For another related program I determined that the .44 Magnum rifle was the only thing which meets my requirements for introducing junior high and high school students to big bore silhouette shooting. When I contacted H&R 1871 Inc. (New England Firearms) to see if they might make their .44 Rem. Mag. Handi-Rifles available for Youth Shooting Sports purposes, at below-retail prices, they replied very positively.
Some may wonder why .44 Magnum HandiRifles? Name one other big-bore single shot rifle for which factory ammo with lead bullets is available (for this particular program we must use factory ammo —probably legal reasons). The .45-70 can be used, but recoil will discourage most youngsters . When fitted with vernier tang and globe front sights, the HandiRifle, with its 22" barrel, is surprisingly accurate up to 300 meters. I had an older H&R Topper rifle that was great up to 200 meters, but the new ones have better rifling and stronger actions, which adds an extra 100 meters of range. The new rifles are also furnished with an effective recoil absorbing butt-pad, which is very well received by kids who may never have fired anything larger than a .22 rimfire.
If you can somehow find the space to include a mention that Thompson Contender and H&R 1871 Inc. very generously support programs for Youth Shooting and Hunter Education, please do so; I am sure that other manufacturers probably do so as well.
Mustafa Curtess
OVERSIZED BULLETS.
There has been some discussion lately about the pressure effects of shooting oversized bullets. Some years ago, we were at a private range playing with a variety of rifles. I suggested to a neophyte that he try a few shots with my .220 Swift, which was already set up on the sandbags.
At the first shot, there was a funny report and quite a cloud of smoke. He had picked up the wrong ammo box and had fired an 8.15x46R cartridge loaded with a 170 gr. bullet. When we extracted the cartridge case, it was found to have obturated nicely and showed no signs of high pressure. We would have liked to have seen the bullet after it came out of the .22 caliber bore, but it was nowhere to be found and we didn't want to try shooting another round.
The charge in the 8.15x46R cartridge was 11 gr. of #2400, and would give very mild pressures in the schuetzen rifle. The cases were formed from .30-30 brass. The case that came out of the .220 Swift was smoothly, but not sharply, expanded ahead of the web, so the pressure was probably well under 40,001) C.U.P. Consequently, I am dubious that a few thousandths difference in bullet diameter will make much difference in chamber pressure.
R.G. "Chris" Christensen
CASTING SAFETY
Recently I put some scrap, pure lead round balls into a can to be melted down for schuetzen bullets. Later while casting, I added them to the molten alloy, rolling the balls across my fingers into the pot. After the balls were in 1 found a live percussion cap lodged between my fingers.
I was fortunate, the live cap probably would have blown molten alloy all over the place. Be careful, when you use scrap lead from your reloading area, always add it to a cold pot.
Joe Wiest
I am a long-time employee of the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department and a Hunter Education Instnictor. I live an a very small community which, I am sorry to say is somewhat anti-gun, but I am doing what I can to advance shooting sports. I am active with the small local 4-H Club and, with some recent organizational improvements, I have positive feelings. I also am trying to interest the State of Texas, in allowing me to set up a Long Range Silhouette facility on one of the Wildlife Management Areas where I work. I consider this to be a super public access (non-consumptive) activity, but the bureaucracy grinds slowly. Anyway, as you may know, anyone who endeavors to work with the public, and certainly with youths, in shooting sports, will do so with very little official or monetary support.
Some time ago I wrote to Thompson Center explaining my abnormally high use of their Bore Butter and mentioned how and why (we use cast bullets handloads in the local 4-H program) I was using it. I received an extremely nice letter apologizing for the fact that I had not been made aware of their Instructor Pricing Program. For another related program I determined that the .44 Magnum rifle was the only thing which meets my requirements for introducing junior high and high school students to big bore silhouette shooting. When I contacted H&R 1871 Inc. (New England Firearms) to see if they might make their .44 Rem. Mag. Handi-Rifles available for Youth Shooting Sports purposes, at below-retail prices, they replied very positively.
Some may wonder why .44 Magnum HandiRifles? Name one other big-bore single shot rifle for which factory ammo with lead bullets is available (for this particular program we must use factory ammo —probably legal reasons). The .45-70 can be used, but recoil will discourage most youngsters . When fitted with vernier tang and globe front sights, the HandiRifle, with its 22" barrel, is surprisingly accurate up to 300 meters. I had an older H&R Topper rifle that was great up to 200 meters, but the new ones have better rifling and stronger actions, which adds an extra 100 meters of range. The new rifles are also furnished with an effective recoil absorbing butt-pad, which is very well received by kids who may never have fired anything larger than a .22 rimfire.
If you can somehow find the space to include a mention that Thompson Contender and H&R 1871 Inc. very generously support programs for Youth Shooting and Hunter Education, please do so; I am sure that other manufacturers probably do so as well.
Mustafa Curtess
OVERSIZED BULLETS.
There has been some discussion lately about the pressure effects of shooting oversized bullets. Some years ago, we were at a private range playing with a variety of rifles. I suggested to a neophyte that he try a few shots with my .220 Swift, which was already set up on the sandbags.
At the first shot, there was a funny report and quite a cloud of smoke. He had picked up the wrong ammo box and had fired an 8.15x46R cartridge loaded with a 170 gr. bullet. When we extracted the cartridge case, it was found to have obturated nicely and showed no signs of high pressure. We would have liked to have seen the bullet after it came out of the .22 caliber bore, but it was nowhere to be found and we didn't want to try shooting another round.
The charge in the 8.15x46R cartridge was 11 gr. of #2400, and would give very mild pressures in the schuetzen rifle. The cases were formed from .30-30 brass. The case that came out of the .220 Swift was smoothly, but not sharply, expanded ahead of the web, so the pressure was probably well under 40,001) C.U.P. Consequently, I am dubious that a few thousandths difference in bullet diameter will make much difference in chamber pressure.
R.G. "Chris" Christensen
CASTING SAFETY
Recently I put some scrap, pure lead round balls into a can to be melted down for schuetzen bullets. Later while casting, I added them to the molten alloy, rolling the balls across my fingers into the pot. After the balls were in 1 found a live percussion cap lodged between my fingers.
I was fortunate, the live cap probably would have blown molten alloy all over the place. Be careful, when you use scrap lead from your reloading area, always add it to a cold pot.
Joe Wiest