Seasons bag, 2014

[Mortblanc]

Cleaning up for the growing season and looking at a new spring filled with chicken defense.

I just popped a groundhog back in the fence line. They can devastate a garden patch in no time.

He was about 75 yards out there, just far enough so that I heard the bullet thump after the report had faded. He did a back flip and ran off.

So much for the stopping power of a .22lr. I should have used one of the bigger rifles but it is Sunday morning and folks are probably sleeping in. Don't need the echoes of a high power rifle waking up the near dead and hung-over.

That is critter #1 for the new spring season.

[CharlesHarris]

AIM Surplus is selling surplus Russian M91/30 rifles for about $100. A sub- caliber adapter to take .32 S&W Long revolver cartridges is readily available, very quiet in the long rifle barrel, and more effective than .22 LR on the larger varmints. Accuracy is "OK", not for head shots on rabbits, but sure kills on body shots to 50 yards or so. If limited to one inexpensive, "agricultural" utility rifle, the revolver carrtridge adapter gives the lower noise small game option and conserves your rifle rounds. I have one of these for my. 303 also and am well satisfied. Of course, a low- powered handload, with cast lead bullet and a pinch of pistol or shotgun powder does the same thing, more accurately and cheaply. But if reloading is beyond your means, the cartridge adapters make sense for simplicity and utility.

[Steve]

(23 March 2014, 18:31)CharlesHarris Wrote: Of course, a low- powered handload, with cast lead bullet and a pinch of pistol or shotgun powder does the same thing, more accurately and cheaply. But if reloading is beyond your means, the cartridge adapters make sense for simplicity and utility.

Not too easy. I've been reloading low powered .308 cast lead loads, using Trailboss powder and haven't yet managed to get the accuracy to match a full powered load, despite having a 1-in-10 twist.

[Mortblanc]

(23 March 2014, 18:31)CharlesHarris Wrote: AIM Surplus is selling surplus Russian M91/30 rifles for about $100. A sub- caliber adapter to take .32 S&W Long revolver cartridges is readily available, very quiet in the long rifle barrel, and more effective than .22 LR on the larger varmints. Accuracy is "OK", not for head shots on rabbits, but sure kills on body shots to 50 yards or so. If limited to one inexpensive, "agricultural" utility rifle, the revolver carrtridge adapter gives the lower noise small game option and conserves your rifle rounds. I have one of these for my. 303 also and am well satisfied. Of course, a low- powered handload, with cast lead bullet and a pinch of pistol or shotgun powder does the same thing, more accurately and cheaply. But if reloading is beyond your means, the cartridge adapters make sense for simplicity and utility.

Got it all.

I reload and cast bullets for everything I shoot.

Also have the .32 adapter for my 7.62x54, 30-06 and .303 rifles. I even reload the .32 for the adapters.

Normally I would have used the .357 single shot for this but it was a bit early on the Sunday morn and I have one .22 rifle that is very, very quiet and much more accurate than the adapters have proven to be.

[CharlesHarris]

I have found that the most accurate small game loads in .30 cal. rifles are assembled with soft lead, flat-nosed .32-20 revolver bullets of 110-125 grains, at subsonic velocities, using the same powder loading which would be appropriate for a full charge load with 230-grain bullet in. 32 ACP. While bulky powders such as Trail Boss are currently fashionable, their larger particle size does not measure well, and they are more expensive to use. Bullseye pistol powder ignites easily, is tolerant of airspace in the case, and requires no inert filler, nor is it sensitive to powder position. I use the same 5 grain fixed measure to load .357 Magnum, .44 Special, .45 ACP, as well as small game or gallery loads for the. 30-30, .303 and. 30-06. Accuracy is better than FMJ ball ammo and inch five-shot groups from my scoped hunting rifle are regularly expected at 50 yards, and in proportion to the range at 100 yards.

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CORRECTION, CHARGE REFERS TO .45 ACP, nominaly 5 grains of Bullseye!

[Mortblanc]

I have a nice little Lee mold in .312 that I milled down to 90 grains. I use it for all my .32 revolver loads and for my light duty 30 caliber rifle loads.

I find the point of impact so far off from my full power jacketed loads that I do not attempt to fire the lead bullets from my dedicated, scoped rifles.

I do have one of my 30-30 rifles set up with both scope and irons and the irons are adjusted to the lightweight cast bullets and the scope to jacketed fare. The scope is on QD mounts so it is off and on with no change of zero. This is one area where the deep cut rifling of the Winchester brands beats the micro-groove Marlin barrels in most cases. One nice thing about the 30-30 is that one can push heavy cast bullets to the same velocities as factory jacketed bullets most of the time. Often the same sight setting will work for both.

I also have one of my M/N Russian rifles dedicated to cast bullets. The deep cut M/N rifling does good work with cast bullets.

Powders???

At this point in time I find myself using what can be had instead of what I want to use. (Praise be to our illustrious leader!)

In the past two years I have found myself using powders I would never have considered for calibers I was told they would not tolerate. I have also learned that there is no expiration date on powder, after using several cans of IMR4350 that were probably older than I am and at least one can of Reloader22 that I know I bought in 1968.

If the present shortage ever ends I am going to buy myself a 50 pound keg of Unique and about a bazillion primers.!

[CharlesHarris]

My hunting rifles are zeroed at 200 yards. If the lower post of the duplex reticle is used as a holdover point, the gallery loads shoot close to point of aim at about 50 feet. With iron sighted milsurps, if full power loads shoot on to the sight graduations, then the gallery load requires 600 yards of elevation to shoot on at 50 feet.