Dusty44

My LR-308 came with the factory trigger. It measured 6 pounds break with that long first stage. My (specific) trigger was not too bad, no problem in dry fire. At the range the long pull was unnerving. The break needed more pressure than the slip-slide take-up but it felt to me like a long long pull of a brick over a smooth floor and then the last bump would result in the gun going 'bang.' I never knew quite when it had reached that last bump or how far along it was in the process. I researched triggers for a week or two and ended at my usual gunshop. A better price for the trigger than any I had seen and with a deal on the gunsmith installing it, it was an offer I could not refuse. Range time on the RRA trigger finally on July 19, 2010. In live fire I could feel the swing of the trigger pull back to a 'stop.' Then with more pressure (4.5 pounds ?) the gun would just go 'boom.' The RRA trigger feels to me like a good handgun trigger with a little take-up and a fantastic smooth clean break. I found that I could pull/swing the trigger back to the stop and easily hold it there until I wanted to begin increasing the pressure for the shot. If I decided not to shoot, then just release the pressure and all was well. For me it does not get any better.

If you have read my posts you have an in-depth look at my experience with my own scopes. All my scopes were purchased from MidwayUSA on sale. My gunsmith has stopped asking the rhetorical "When have you ever heard of anyone having trouble with a scope?" I am apparently the "one." One documented case where the manufacturer sent a new scope and another scope (different manufacturer) that seems to have crossed the line. The Nikon scope on my LR-308 is a 6-18x40, $300. The rings are Chinese tip-off intended for use with the Picatinney Rail. Tip-off rings allow putting the rifle back into the factory carry case. Clearance of the bell above the handguard tube is 3/8" to 1/2." For me, height of the eye piece is 'just right' above the stock. I have a Chinese flip-up front iron sight. The sight is invisible in the scope when down; when it is up there is a ghost image of it in the sight picture of the scope that I find disconcerting. There is not room under the scope with the existing mounts for the (Chinese) flip-up rear iron sight. I have not yet tried to shoot with the iron sights. That is on my agenda for whenever I am comfortable with the scope. The front flip-up sight is torqued in place. The rear iron sight looks like it should work almost as well for quick removal & re-installation on the rail as the tip-off scope rings. My eyes think that with a scope there should be one clean hole in the exact center of the target without regard for the distance to the target or number of shots fired. With Iron Sights they are ecstatic if there are the same number of holes anywhere on the paper as shots fired.

. Shooting the new revolver: I took it to the range today. First I fired the 44 Special grade loads I had loaded. That was very nice. Then I fired some factory 180 grain I had from the day I bought my Marlin (see post under "Optics," "Cheap Scope") and some factory 240 gr JSP. The recoil gets serious. Next time I will shoot some of my carbine 300 gr loads for the experience and to see what happens? The word I came across says that when using a revolver to hunt that is loaded with the very heavy bullets and ultra-slow burning powder you get one-stop-shopping. That is, a clean kill and instant BBQ?? OK, time to experiment. Did the black powder loads: dipped the noses in Bore Butter for whatever good that might be, slipped them into the cylinder and . . . sure was a lot of smoke. Classic movies stuff. Recoil was about midway between the 44 Special equivalent rounds and the factory ammo. For casual readers: While a black powder load worked for me, it is too potent for anything but a strong late-model recent-production 44 Rem Magnum pistol. Even then, it may generate more pressure than you gun can handle. Some of these powders are very touchy and will not tolerate being squeezed too tightly or let be too loose. Consider that while my experiment worked, maybe I was just very lucky? I do not intend to make any more of these loads. Finally, cleaning a gun that has fired black powder or one of the subs is a nightmare in and of itself. Or, enjoy reading about it but do not try it at home!! This revolver came with very nice micrometer adjustable sights. The front blade has a white square shaped dot in it and the rear sight notch is outlined in white. For me, at the range, the white outline vanishes in real shooting. All I can see is the silhouette against the daylight glare beyond the shadow of the cover above the firing line. The white square on the front sight blends with the glare and at first I found myself leveling the top of the black silhouetted blade with the tops of the rear sight notch. Once I realized there was a white dot out there above the visible black part I was able to pick out the slightly different glow of the front dot and try to put that where I wanted it on the target. The question is, where do I want to put it? I am familiar and comfortable with the M1911 (I have two with significantly different sights and do well with either) and have never had a problem with the sights on the S&W 'L' frame but this gun does not seem to follow the same rules. Windage was easy; elevation is not going well. Maybe a bright color dot on the front blade? (if that can be done?) I can tell I am going to have to read the instructions. (GASP!!!!!!)

OK guys: The gremlins are doing a number on me again. I spent most of the day at the range today. As far as I can tell all the scopes performed admirably. This time. Targets were at 100 yards except for the 44 carbine. It was seriously hot today. I forgot my own bottles of tea and got by on machine soda. Too much caffeine and too much corn sweetener. The Nikon scope on the LR-308 adjusted on the last occasion and then tumbled its gyros. This time I started out with the same pattern in the same place as it was at the end of shooting last time except a smaller group, pulled it down a total of 48 clicks and right 24 clicks in two stages and put it in the center of the target again. The first 5 rounds were the Russian Bear ammo up in the corner measuring 1 1/8 inch and then I fired 6 rounds of Hornady BT spitzer red plastic point to the center that measure 1 inch horizontally and 1/2 inch vertically; all inside the 10 ring and 3 completely inside the white center. The Nikon on the Savage gave a 2 3/4 inch group to 13 rounds of mixed Brown Bear (10) and Hornady (the other 3). Drop the outer flier and it is an easy 2 1/2 inch pattern scattered across the 9 and 10 rings with two inside the white center and two more solidly touching the white center. The Remington with its Simmons Aetec (the first scope I ever bought) held a pattern with the Russian Bear 1 1/4" wide and 2" tall sitting on the horizontal centerline of the target, centered a 1/4" to the right of the vertical centerline. The Hornady rounds hit with an extreme 2 inch spread, 5 rounds. Excuse my flier and it was a tight 3/4 Inch, 3 of them almost touching in a vertical torn strip. The tight group was 1/2 inch left and 1 1/2 inch high. The 44 carbine is driving me past the edge of . . . whatever. To get on paper took a field scope alignment; pull the bolt, balance the rifle on the sandbags, eyeball the bore picture as compared to the scope picture? Rotate the elevation control more than a full revolution 'down.' Last time I was getting decent groups. Last time I was shooting handloaded 300 grain LBT bullets (Cast Performance) too. Those loads do much better in the Marlin than any factory ammo. The group from last time with 12 LBT bullets is all inside the 9 ring with a spread of 3 inches center to center; drop the one fartherest out and the group drops to 2 1/2 inches. Next time I will be shooting my own loadings and will probably have to go through all this again to get enough elevation 'up.' Final group today with Remington factory 240 grain JSP is a scattered mess that measures 3 1/4 inch wide and 5 inches tall at only 50 yards. From a solid sandbag rest. I have a report on the new S&W 4 inch 44 Mag revolver under "Ruger Redhawk" in "Handguns." This post is intended to be about optics and is offered as a report on my experience with scope performance in casual real-world use.

I am looking for a good reliable scope. I have had Simmons, Leopold, Nikon fall apart for me. All of these cost $200-$300. All of them carry lifetime warranties; Simmons sent me back a better scope because the model I originally bought (it was my second Simmons) has apparently been discontinued. I intend to send one of my Leupold's back and see if I can get a discount on something more to my liking and built better. I put the Simmons replacement scope on the lever gun to see if it was the scope or the rifle and the groups closed in by half. More, no more fliers off the paper or way out on the edges. The rifles shoot where they are pointed and where they are pointed depends on the scopes. I need to go to the range and recheck the Nikons? I have no doubt that the report elsewhere here about Brown Bear ammo not doing well in the LR-308 was in fact the Nikon disintegrating. The scope is solid and straight in its rings. The reticule is tilted which was not the case when it was mounted. A couple of shots with ammo known to have performed with that rifle and scope will tell. Last time I had too much going on and was too tired. The other Nikon is on the Savage bolt gun. Two trips ago the holes in the target from my hand loads were in a less than 2 inch circle with the last couple of Hornady rounds dotting the center. Last time they were on a straight horizontal line across the paper. I was blaming it on the way I was shooting but I was doing the same thing with the Remington (with the first Simmons I bought) and those holes in the target were almost close enough to hide behind a half-dollar. Would have been if I had been shooting off a better rest.

Long pipe cleaners are available at Wal-Mart in the section for craft supplies. Could not find pipe cleaners anywhere because smoking and pipes are such a social no-no now? A clerk at Wal-Mart led me to the "similar item" in stock. Pipe cleaners 3 feet long? A few years ago I needed oil for gate hardware on the fence. Black (painted?) iron that rusts out in less than a year and usually must be replaced every two or three years. I oiled the metal all over with "Mobil One 10W-30 full synthetic." Five years later I heard a squeak and touched up the oil. Almost ten years now and all that hardware still looks and works like new. While marveling at the gate hardware for a few years I got a wild hare idea and washed the mechanisms (all the metal parts) of my guns with "Mobil One 10W-30 Full Synthetic." I use paper towel (what else?) to put a thick juicy coating on each gun, inside and out. Let it sit for a couple of days or a couple of weeks. By then the synthetic oils contained in the stuff in the bottle will have penetrated into the pores of the metal and everything else. A lot of the carrier oils will have evaporated and the gun will not be nearly as oily as when it was set to soak. Wipe the gun with paper towel to remove more of the excess oils. Tolerate oil seeping from holes and crannies and keep some paper towel (Bounty is my personal choice) to dry drips and seeps. If you do not repeat the oiling much, the gun will eventually be 'dry.' After shooting, the guns clean up with little effort. Nothing can stick too tight. Before shooting at the range I wipe the bore with a strip of dry paper towel wrapped around an undersize bronze brush. The first one or two shots will be a bit wild or low because of residual excess oil, but after that everything is fine. The basic synthetic oils are still there, however, and lead and brass comes out with minimal effort. I like "Outers" solvent because it is clear and the color of the fowling shows clearly. A few swipes with the towel saturated with solvent is usually enough. One day there was a clear blue sky at the range with a few tiny puff-ball thunderstorms drifting by. One of them gave us a 5 minute rainstorm and I watched the raindrops blow in under the cover onto my rifles, hit the metal, bead up and run off. Some of the rifles that day had not been oiled in many months. All of them looked and felt completely dry. The rationale and explanation for this is that the synthetic motor oils are formulated by mixing discreet, pure gasses that then form big long-chain polymers. The end product is very precise and highly engineered (and very very expensive) oils that attach themselves to the metal of an internal combustion engine and work and survive in a high-temperature, high-pressure, corrosive environment. Not to mention the mixture of other highly reactive chemicals and solvents that are floating around in that environment. When these oils are used casually for other lubrication and protective purposes, like my gate hardware, they perform admirably. On a gun they work like the cosmoline of times long past. Start with a rifle fresh from the production line and newly blued in, maybe, 1867 or 1919. The Army says to put it in storage until the next brush fire. So the rifle is carefully coated with cosmoline and packed away in a storage bunker or warehouse for 20 or 60 years. Then it is sold to a civilian agent who sells you that great model old rifle that just has this fantastic bluing job that never rusts or even gets dirty! The real thing is that the blue is no different than the bluing process used to manufacture the gun that came off the production line this afternoon. The old rifle had 20 or 60 or however many years for the oils in the cosmoline to work their way very slowly down into the pores and between the molecules of the surface of the gun. Way too deep and entrenched to be removed by the cleaning process when the rifle was being prepared for resale. Now we have a way to accomplish the same kind of deep oiling and to do it in a couple of days, maybe a week or two. More recently I bought a small oil can (Harbor Freight) and for the last two or so years have been mixing my synthetic motor oil with Kroil for my guns. I have already noted that I am a purist <laughs> with these things. I try for 25% Kroil in the mix with the synthetic motor oil; at least some, not more than half? 1/4 to 1/3 optimum? Bolts and triggers work very smoothly, cleanup is, as already noted, easy. It does not seem to affect trigger break on my guns except make it break a little more cleanly, but then all my guns are of good quality and highly reputable manufacture. If there was a problem, then all those old cosmoline-packed guns would have the same problem and we would all be aware? Do not get any of these oils on scopes or electronic or electrical devices on the guns. The oils can attack some polymers, optical lenses, get under printed circuits on circuit boards. (coat the battery terminals in your car with a few drops, work it into the cable connector and the end of the electrical cables and stop corrosion). Do not use synthetic motor oil on an old engine. The high solvent and penetrating carrier oils will clean out the old gunk from standard motor oil and your engine will leak oil like a sieve. These qualities are good for a gun to help keep it clean.

For PantherPlayer: Can the broken off threads of your stainless cleaning rod be extracted from the handle and then the rod be re-threaded? I personally would try some Kroil (MidwayUSA, some gunshops) to loosen the parts and then a cheap easy-out (set?) from the hardware store or other place, and some time with a threading die. Sometimes it is not worth the effort, sometimes it is?

I use whatever cleaning rods I can find in a package on the display at Wal-Mart or wherever. Most of them work well, a few have broken at the threaded joins but that is because they are supposed to be pushed or pulled STRAIGHT and I screwed up. I have a thin small steel one that fits in the bottom of the 'Necessary' bag for the BP rifles against emergency need; an aluminum and a brass one in my range box that are usually the ones that do the work. Sometimes I have used a long screwdriver to push a patch (wad of paper towel saturated with solvent or oil?) through the barrels of my handguns or to get into crannies of mechanism; and a needle nose pliers with a long thin very needle nose to pull the patch back out. Before anyone jumps down my throat: I am well aware of the hazard of steel against steel. I am careful and take precaution. I have professional experience in other places caring for delicate and sensitive devices. (Professional operator: Do not try this at home?? <lmao>) I have been successfully doing this for nearly 50 years. 50 is not my age, it is approximately how long I have been shooting and cleaning guns. :P The professional and the serious competition shooters say to only use a one-piece rod and it must be made of brass or, more recently, carbon fiber. Reminiscent of back when brass cleaning rods were new and the purists were arguing about which kind of wood made the best ram rods and cleaning rods and bad-mouthing brass used for that. My thinking is to use whatever makes you happy. Mainly, clean those guns! They really do a lot better clean, in every way. I wince when I hear or read someones statement about his guns not doing well until they accumulate the crud of 50 or 100 or however many rounds. I read this back to myself and apologize for the hostilities. I still think it is valid and worth saying. My mood just needs a good 'fix' of a day at the shooting range that has been delayed too long. ::)

My thinking is that if the slide action is even reasonably good, the rest of the parts can be readily replaced. If you are not comfortable inspecting the gun, take it to a qualified gunsmith and pay for a definitive opinion. New barrel and bushing from Brownell's, springs, good sights (probably has the military issue type sights) and for a modest price create a fine shooting gun. (Keep the original parts safe in a zip-lock, never know what the future may bring.) A M1911 built to mil-spec's will accept appropriate parts interchangeably and shoot 45 ACP, 38 Super, 9 MM Luger just by field stripping and putting back the proper pieces. The magazines will all fit but you need one for each caliber you shoot adjusted or modified appropriately. The WW-2 feed ramp will not like a lot of ammo: ask your gunsmith about fixing that? Just thinking about it is making me drool. :-)

Mostly for SWshooter: A second opinion came by yesterday that strongly agrees with your shoulder holster for the N frame. That is what I will do when I have a little money again. This third party also said someone he knows has modified the shoulder holster rig to also carry a hunting knife. Same benefits as having the pistol tucked there.

My own understanding is that the AR-15 class rifles in .223/5.56 are all (?) built to the mil-spec standards and (almost) all parts and assemblies are interchangeable. The AR-10 class is not subject to mil-spec requirements because it was never bought as such by the government. Therefore, any 7.62x51/.308 Win AR-style rifle or subassembly will only be compatible within the brand/manufacturer's offerings and even then proper checking and homework is necessary. That said, a lot of parts will be generally compatible. Use a lot of caution before ordering parts.

The standard grip seems small even to my small hands. Take a look at Brownell's 100-004-712/3/4/5/6/7 by Command Arms Accessories (CAA). This is a universal grip for all AR Pattern rifles and fit my LR-308 perfectly, very tight secure fit, no problem with those springs except convincing the second one to go back into the hole in the lower receiver straight. This grip has three inserts for the front and three more for the back so that the grip can be made to fit your hand as comfortably as possible. Three colors, with or without a cleaning kit that fits inside the grip. I took the rifle to my gunshop for a RRA trigger (I am not a purist; the trigger was less expensive than most, have not made it to the range yet but very little movement and then it stops: a trace of additional pressure and it breaks like that glass rod; 2 minute professional installation at a cost I could not refuse.) During the trigger job the gunsmith was surprised and delighted that it was the first AR grip he had handled that had (with the front grip I had inserted) "a place for every finger." The feel in my hands with the front and rear inserts of my choice is much better than the OEM original. The long story is here in other posts; this was purchased as a complete useable DPMS rifle.

I picked up a 200 bullet box of "lead SWC 240 gr" bullets from MidwayUSA. They turned out to be Hornady. These are smooth cylinders with the SWC tapered nose. The body looks like they were stippled and there is a crust of a clear something that the Hornady website says is lube. I loaded 25 rounds of 8 gr Unique (antique? My scratched note on the container is 11/10/85) with a CCI LP primer. The COL is a nominal 1.610 (1.602 to 1.618. Die adjustment seemed flaky and I just had to keep fiddling with it a little.). This is intended as an equivalent to a 44 Special load for first experience with this gun. Here is "The Devil Made Me Do It!!" I was reading in other forums about Black Powder. I have had unreasonable ignition problems with the BP substitutes in my Hawken percussion. The #209 primer in the in-line is another world. I am trying to find what other folk are doing about BP ignition when using #11 caps and if my problem seems to be just me? Anyway, I came across mention of using Triple Seven in the 44 Magnum. The rule is: ANY black Powder (or BP equivalent powder) load MUST NOT have ANY air space between the powder and the projectile. (Emphasis for benefit of casual readers not familiar with BP.) Special rule for Triple Seven attributed to Hodgdon by the individual making the post that Triple Seven does better if not compressed; therefore the projectile should 'just touch' the powder. I will not tell what my load is, but I think it is 'hot.' I think it will feel just like a hot magnum smokeless max load based on the commentary in that BP forum. When I got done the COL measures at 1.600 plus or minus 0.003. I loaded 12 rounds for the experiment and experience. I think I will coat the front of the bullets with a lump of Bore Butter (much like the Crisco and the Dragoon) when I get ready to shoot, too. Smokeless lube apparently does not do well with black powder? A flap holster will probably be best for me. I am digesting your post (SWshooter); I have given some thought to the "Sportsmans Guide" bandoleer holster to keep the revolver safe, clean, out of the way and maybe easier carry? I am still thinking about a carry permit but have no intention of actually doing CCW unless the whole world turns into chaos. I want this 44 mag only for backup pig hunting. My primary weapon will be one of my 308 Win bolt guns and if I can shoot from a blind maybe the LR-308. I understand your thought about S&W addiction. It was too easy to get pushed off the fence and buy this N frame because of the pretty S&W L frame 357 6" that is almost my first love! It has been raining here everyday for more than a week and forecast for more than a week ahead. I am not up to shooting in the heat with scuba gear so I can breathe and with a bag of ice on each shoulder to keep from melting. Time enough when the humidity drops a little. I can handle 102 degrees if the humidity is below 50 percent.

There was a news item yesterday about a shooting between cars in the drive-through line at a McDonald's-- in Finland. First, all the commentaries were blaming the US 2ND Amendment attitude about the "Right to bear arms" for this incident; Second, the guy with the gun was a released felon and in the US he would not be able to legally buy or carry a gun which was forgotten or ignored. Mention was barely made and ignored by the other contributors that Finland has the most relaxed gun laws in the world.

I have been aware that the neck resizing of the 308 Win rounds I am loading is really not all that tight. It does very well when single loading my bolts but the LR-308 loading sequence and recoil is stiff. The scope is rotating inside the rings on the LR-308 from recoil. Other than obtaining new and better rings, there are a lot of forces there. I am waiting for the mailman to deliver a 308 Win Lee Factory Crimp die, $10 + shipping from MidwayUSA.

Friday night. SWshooter, you are a bad influence :). See what you kicked me off the fence to do! Here in the Republic Of Tejas the normal waiting period when buying a gun is however long it takes the FBI (or whoever that is on the other end of the phone) to answer and add the length of time required for the cash register to clear. This time it was two or three days, depending on how you count. I bought my new S&W 4 inch 44 Mag on Wednesday and the mailman delivered it to the gunshop about noon; I picked it up this evening just before the shop closed. Now I need a holster. I bought one, "Hunter" brand leather, for my 6 inch S&W 'L' frame 357 a few weeks ago and last night I modified it with a gusset to fit properly around the trigger guard so the barrel would fit properly to the bottom instead of the gun hanging halfway out. I expect to buy another similar holster (for a 4" barrel of course!) for this new revolver. These holsters will not get a lot of use so a low-price product will serve fine. Maybe the holster will fit a new production gun, maybe it will need work? I have given some thought to finding an "Indiana Jones" British Webley military holster? Mainly I am thinking maybe the cover flap would be good for dust, dirt, water protection? What do you think?

As this is written, I just came across a website called "Colt Anaconda Explosion." I have ongoing problems with my computer programs and am unable to insert a URL, sorry. There were lots of pictures of the 44 Mag revolver and a very good story. It was dated in 2005. The guy was using Titegroup and 240 gr JSP bullets. Lots of space in the case. He thinks his progressive press double-charged the case. Several of the other cartridges ignited and exploded also. The cylinder split in half and more, the frame is bent and broken, there were a handful of brass fragments of many sizes from the cartridge cases. Another possibility that occurs to me about using a powder that takes up only a very small volume is detonation. A discussion about detonation in ammo cartridges is way beyond this little missive's scope. There is a lot of information available. If you do not know, it would be good to do some reading on appropriate web sites. Personally, I load all powder from a beam scale into cases in loading blocks, drop a gauge into the cases (a short piece of thin wood like a toothpick or bamboo food skewer marked for this loading) when all are loaded to be sure all charges are about the same, then place and seat the bullets. Then use the caliper to verify each and every COL or visually recheck that the crimp is in the (correct?) crimp groove or on the cannelure. Double loading is much too easy. Everything takes time and is usually tedious. I use powders that so far just barely leave space for the bullets. It is real easy to tell when I have double charged because the case overflows. The wood gauge mostly shows the cases I missed. One of the reasons I am buying a bigger beam scale than the Lee that I have is so I can weigh all completed cartridges just to see if one might be overfilled some or empty (?) in spite of the checks already being done. I think being very paranoid when loading ammo is a good thing.

Redding Trickler. It is very heavy, cannot imagine chasing a very light trickler around and trying to be precise. Almost every powder I use gets static cling or otherwise jams when flowing into the cases. I watch the powder and assure that all the powder has flowed into the cases. ALL my loads are individually measured on a beam scale. I have been using a Lee scale but it is suffering from poor storage conditions (not enough space, too much gear). If you buy a Lee scale make a case. Glue, cardboard, varnish will suffice. Glue the case parts together you designed and made, heavily varnish it (any polyurethane leftover varnish laying around?) then paint it with silver/aluminum spray paint. If you do not want aluminum, spray it the color of choice after the aluminum dries enough. Cardboard saturated with varnish is strong and durable. If you make a wood case, the aluminum paint will still help. It is a standard trick a lot of places. The aluminum is tiny plates of metal in the clear paint fluid. It will cover over anything quickly with a thin coat. When the aluminum paint is dry to the touch (or wait a week?) spray on the final color. Otherwise the undersurface color and texture will bleed through interminably. I am about to buy a bigger and much more expensive beam scale. I will probably buy another Lee scale too. And make a case for it this time.

Thank both of you for your thoughts. I will keep all of this in mind as this project progresses. Before I can try to see how ammo does in the revolver, I have to find one!

It has become time to buy a Ruger Redhawk in 44 Remington Mag and I cannot find one. What is this? My primary gunshop drew a blank looking for one with a 4" barrel, then CTD, and I have not heard back from Cabella's. A year ago the display cases were full of these. Now, nothing?? The purpose for this revolver is for backup in hunting. It would be too easy to talk about angry or wounded prairie dogs or squirrels so I will not do that. The game in question is Feral Pigs by any of the many common names given them. I am interested in a Redhawk because the grips fit my hands. The Super Redhawk grip is just large enough that I have trouble reaching the trigger. I would note that I do not like the Ruger revolver triggers because they are too rounded and feel like my finger is always trying to slip off. The ammo will be handloads borrowed from my lever gun, a Marlin 1894. The bullets I am using are 300 grain Cast Performance bullets (WFNGC) with powder loaded to whatever gives maximum accuracy in the lever gun. I am still working on that. I have a load for IMR 4227 and am now trying H-110 to see if the groups will pull in. I also shoot some Remington 240 grain JSP. The groups for this are noticeably larger than the lead bullets. A new scope on the lever gun-- sorry, to the purists. My old eyes demand a scope-- eliminated the fliers and greatly improved the groups with both bullets. This relatively hot ammo would seem to demand a strong gun. I am looking at the Ruger Redhawk mostly for its strength. Any information or ideas would be appreciated. My primary source of ideas and information currently is the articles published about the Ruger 44 Mag on RealGuns.com. I have seen some S&W 44's in the display cases at the gun shops and have also seen comments in some forums that make me wonder if the S&W will stand up to the ammo I want to shoot?

I bought a 500 round pack of "Brown Bear." This is steel cased and lacquer coated, lead soft point, 140 gr copper jacket bullets. On a day at the range I got holes in the target from 175 gr Sierra soft point about two inches high and on centerline at 100 yards. Group under an inch. Keeping the scope settings the same, I fired 20 rounds of "Brown Bear" in two 10 shot strings from the magazine with a barrel and chamber cleaning between strings. The two groups were on the same target and the impacts were about ten inches high, ten inches left, six inch diameter pattern. I use masking tape on the back of the target to help differentiate successive groups in these tests; all impacts were in the same place and pattern and a lot of the taped holes vanished under new impacts. This was partly a test of how well the Russian ammo would do and partly how well the magazine would feed. For a comparison I tried a five-shot group of the "Brown Bear" in each of my bolt guns. I was surprised that both guns got one-inch or less groups on centerline and two inches high. I could only conjecture about why the bolt guns did well with this ammo and the DPMS did not.

This is/was a DPMS factory LR-308. Stainless fluted 24 inch barrel. I added a CAA "adjustable" pistol grip (from Brownells) and a (modified to fit) Limbsaver recoil pad. No felt recoil is very nice! The initial live-fire was with the factory trigger, long take-up stage and (measured) 6 lb pull. It was a long way from full relaxed position to break but it was decently smooth. Dry fire it was OK; live fire I found it unnerving. Now the rifle has a Rock River Arsenal trigger that has almost no creep/take-up and a 3.5 lb breaking-glass pull. Factory mags were used; two 19 round mags come with the rifle and I purchased a 4-round mag for possible hunting where the small mag is required. I intend to buy some more mags. I have a Nikon 6-18 x 40 scope with mil dot reticule in tip-off mounts. The day at the range I was shooting from my hands with the front support hand resting on sandbags at the wrist while trying to not damage my wristwatch. That works better with the lighter bolt guns. Next time I will remove the watch and probably try shooting directly from the sandbag rest. Except for the semi-auto loading trial mentioned in earlier posts, the rounds were single-loaded by tossing them into the ejection port and releasing the bolt to chamber them. I am loading a few rounds of 180 gr boat tail plastic ballistic tip over some Reloder-15 at 40% and 60% of the average difference between average min and max spec powder charges listed in the 4 manuals I have. That will give a comparison with the existing results and with some Federal factory 180 gr loads across the LR-308 and the two bolt guns. Eventually I will have done this with at least 4 different powders and several bullet weights and designs. I am thinking about changing from CCI Large Rifle primers to Winchester (brand) Large Rifle primers.

It is time for one more observation about these handloads. Given, from the previous post, a maximum COAL of 2.800, there are a lot of options. The best thing I found was an Internet reprint from the Sierra manual for the 308 Win that got my attention that has loads for most of the bullets and most of the powders I currently have on hand. I am just going to have fun experimenting with these loads. And I do check my own copy of the Sierra manual to be certain that the Internet copy is valid.

These bullets were offered by MidwayUSA last week as "blemished bullets." The price looked good to me. They are packaged in plastic boxes 4" square by 1 1/4" thick, 100 bullets per box, with the MidwayUSA logo as repackaged reloading components. If you are interested, give Midway a call but do not wait around? The bullets look fine to me. I already have some similar handloads with 175 Sierra, HPBT, COL 2.800 to 2.810 and all this ammo does fine in magazines for the bolt guns. The 175gr HPBT Sierra I fired on the one day at the range with the DPMS only had two rounds in the mag once-- the rest were single loaded-- but that experiment worked fine. The COL above is my standard unless there is a definite reason to load some other COL. This Sierra loading did very well at the range. All hits in a half-inch wide spread a couple of inches tall, on centerline and nominal 2 inches high. I got out the left-over rounds of the 175 Sierra and tried loading the magazine. The nominal 2.805 plus or minus loaded fine except for one 'long' round that would still work provided it was at the top of the mag. If you keep all loads for the AR 308 Win at 2.800 and not more than 2.805, all should be well. I get nervous if the COL is below 2.800, but some of my loads have run as short as 2.795 and I have not seen a problem yet. The Russian ammo I fired that day mics at 2.655 plus or minus a couple of thousandths, 140 grain. It would be OK in a firefight for covering fire but the group was more of a spread from the DPMS than a group. Both 10 round clips fed fine from the magazine however. I kept the scope settings from the hand loads: 6" dia pattern about 10" high and 10" left at 100 yards. I can only wonder if the bullets were 'jumping' too far into the rifling? I found it very interesting that 5 shot groups from both my bolt guns using the Brown Bear ammo made essentially a one-hole group on centerline and 2" high. I was shooting from the shoulder with my support hand resting on sand bags at the wrist. My nerves were not great that day and my muscles that mattered were not doing well either; by late in the week I had a severe cold which answered the question. I do better if the fore ends are on the sand bags and I wonder what all these guns would do from a mechanical support. I am thinking that I will need to buy another press and set up a bullet seating operation dedicated to the DPMS that also uses better (more expensive) dies than I currently have. That will let me at least try to control the 'jump' distance and keep the COL very precise.

This morning I went to my favorite gunshop. I bought an RRA trigger for a lot less than most of what I have seen on the Internet. For $10 more and a donation of the removed parts, the gunsmith installed it for me in about 5 minutes. Maybe he did not take that long? The new trigger barely moves and then there is (I was told) a 4 pound pull that feels almost too light for my comfort and the hammer snaps as clean and crisp as paper-thin glass. The trigger must be released to reset and that is a very positive action. The RRA trigger feels almost as good as the primary on the set trigger that is installed on my 7 MM bolt gun. Dry fire is fine as far as it goes; I will tell how the trigger really is when I have had some range time on it. It is a different world with a live cartridge in the chamber.