Kent Lomont, 44 Magnum, H&G 503, H110 and Magnum Primers

[John Ross]

John, speaking of the .44 Automag. Kent mentioned in his article on loading the Automag about trying a 173 grain jacketed hollowpoint you provided him and I believe it's the same bullet you described in your book "Unintended Consequences". I assume you made these yourself with Lakeville dies? I believe Kent told me he used basically a full case of H-110/296 in the Automag. By the way, those look like some pretty suspicious charaters. The cabin was in Idaho, yes?

Correct on all counts except the dies were actually made by Frank "Hemp" Hemsted in 1973. I cannelured the bullets with a C-H tool that put only about .140" shank in the case. I got 2000 FPS out of both 8 3/8" M29s and 6 1/2" Auto Mags. That load shot into 2 1/2" @ 100 yds. from scoped guns.

Hemp made beautiful dies at reasonable cost. He died of cancer Christmas night 1973.

[Don Purcell]

Yep, had a memory dump. Too bad they aren't still available sounds like a fun round to shoot. Kent once gave me a couple hundred of Jim Harvey's 270 grain "Jugular" to try. I still have a box or so but will keep them for memory's sake.

[johniv]

I did not know the man, but I sure have enjoyed this conversation. Thanks to all.
John

[JBinMN]

One of things that makes folks sad is.... that we can read here about how well some of ya knew this feller & respect how ya are respecting him & his family, remembering times ya had & sharing them...
As well as what he meant to our kind of folks, doing what he did.

While at the same time, folks like me are wishing you could pass on what YOU know, as well as what he shared & passed on...


Glad to hear that he has folks who knew him & his family, that can share the remembrances.


Thanks!

[Leadmelter]

Yo u can google his obit online. He had a BS in Chemistry and started shooting and reloading about age 13. He built custom Auto mag barrels and his own ballistics lab. Became an expert Class 3 dealer and was a regular on that circuit.
Leadmelter
MI

[John Ross]

While at the same time, folks like me are wishing you could pass on what YOU know,

Well, I haven't exactly been a hermit when it comes to passing on the things I've learned...

http://www.lsstuff.com/misc/JR500.pdf

[JBinMN]

Yo u can google his obit online. He had a BS in Chemistry and started shooting and reloading about age 13. He built custom Auto mag barrels and his own ballistics lab. Became an expert Class 3 dealer and was a regular on that circuit.
Leadmelter
MI

Well, I haven't exactly been a hermit when it comes to passing on the things I've learned...

http://www.lsstuff.com/misc/JR500.pdf

Thanks! & I will go look up more , as well as read the .pdf file.

[nicholst55]

"44MAG#1, I'm pretty sure he was talking about rifle primers."
Correct. Can't talk about things like that now. Many would have conniption fits over it nowadays.
Times are different. I can understand though. Anything people do now is unsafe, bad for your health, illegal or a sin according to many.
But as I said I can understand. We don't know who we are dealing with now.

A deceased former member here stated that he used to deepen the primer pockets on his .44 Mag brass enough to accommodate LRPs, simply to simplify his logistics. He lived in a remote area up north, and the .44 was either his only handgun, or else the only one that took LPPs, I forget which. He figured that .010" of brass wasn't going to make any appreciable difference in the primer pocket, and went on to prove it - at least to himself.

I mentioned this in a thread some time later, and was thoroughly castigated for suggesting such a dangerous thing. Whatever.

[44MAG#1]

The rifle primer in question was a Federal not telling which. All I had at the time was a M29 8 3/8ths and a Contender that I rarely shot. I was temporaily out of a Ruger SBH. He knew i was using the Smith. It fired the primers okay. Never had a misfire. I used Remington brass and had to push hard on the press handle to get them very slightly below flush with the case head and used the same powder charge he recommended of H110. I used H&G 503 bullets. I made it clear what firearm i was using.
Today it is best to never mention a load as we have people ready to pounce like a starving lion if anyone mentions a load that they cant wrap their head around.
I was chastised about a load i mentioned from John Linebaugh to use in my Ruger New Vaquero. So i have learned a lesson.

This was when we were talking about the pressure test on some bullets I had NEI make a mold for. He recommended I send Elmer Keith some with the load data which I did.

[Don Purcell]

As far as myself it's just fairly ordinary. My dad started me down this road very young. Maybe 6-7 years old I would watch and "help" him load .44 Mags. and 22-250's. Started casting lead round balls for the muzzleloaders then advanced to the Lyman 429421 for the .44's and .30 cals. for the 30-06 and 30-40 Krag and the .22 calibers for the 22-250. Learned to shoot handguns with my dad's Super Blackhawk around 8-9 year's old with 5 grains of Bullseye and 250 Keith and worked up from there. Our family was not flush with cash so if I got to shoot 50 rounds or more in a week I learned to make every shot count. The first handgun I bought was a Ruger Old Army .44. Lead round ball and 40 grains FFF. Slow to load but impressive to onlookers. For Christmas of 1973 my parents bought me my first Magnum, a Ruger .41 Magnum. But the following Christmas was the best, an 8 3/8 Model 29. Reading Elmer Keith for many years obviously set the path for long range shooting and boy, was that 8 3/8 a sweetie for that. The longest known range was .6 of a mile and I know others were way longer than that across a plowed field as long as you could see your bullet strikes. Met Elmer Keith in 1979 for the first time at the N.R.A. Convention in San Antonio. Then met Kent Lomont at the Kansas City Convention the following year and began camping and shooting with him later that Thanksgiving weekend. I was then totally corrupted on volume shooting. Started I.P.S.C. shooting around then with a slightly modified 1911 .45 acp. Big bore rifles, Ruger 1 # .458 Winchester, 45-70 then finally Shiloh and C. Sharps Arms buffalo rifles in 45-100 and 45-110 then learning to make them shoot with paper patch bullets and black powder which we did. One of my best loads for the 45-110 is a 560 grain paper patch with 103 grains Swiss FG which will put 5 rounds touching each other to make one hole at 100 yards. At one fellows farm we had balloons at 1 measured mile. Yes, you can break a balloon at one mile with a Sharps. This is probably where the groaning and calls of B.S. start but if you get a chance just ask Medal of Honor winner Sammy Davis as he shot with us and was a witness. My dad also broke some with his 45-100. Anyway, pretty normal stuff and then the Smith and Wesson .500 came along and now I have one of each of John's .500's and life is good. Sorry, this has been a long way around the barn.

[sixshot]

Good stuff Don. When some one starts calling BS on someone else it usually means they can't do it or haven't even tried so no one else can do it either. There will always be doubters just like many doubted Elmer, then Handgun Silhouette came along & a whole bunch of guys found out a six gun was accurate a lot farther than they ever imagined. This has been a good thread.

Dick

[John Ross]

When some one starts calling BS on someone else it usually means they can't do it or haven't even tried so no one else can do it either.
Dick

^^^^^THIS!

When I finally met Kent in person at the Super Vel facility in August of '73 I was 16 and not shaving yet. We were shooting our M29s into a small manmade pond about 20 feet in diameter. At one point Kent started firing full cylinders as fast as he could into the water. I was amazed at how he made a revolver sound like a machine gun. This was with our standard load of 25 H110 H&G 503, which we had just chronographed out of my 8 3/8" M29 at 1510 FPS.

"How do I learn to do that?" I asked him. I expected him to tell me about how it took years of practice, training, exercises, etc.

"It's easy," he said. "Don't bother practicing with an unloaded gun, that's a waste of time. Just hold the gun in both hands, press your elbows into your sides, and let 'er rip. Pushing against the gun's recoil with full loads helps you pull the trigger faster than you can with an empty gun or girlfriend loads. Try it."

I did, and was utterly flabbergasted at the results. Kent saw the look on my face and hooted with laughter. "I told you it was easy!"

Yes, Kent, you did...

[Lloyd Smale]

Listen to Don and John. there in my opinion in the same league as some of the greatest

[Don Purcell]

Greatest what?

[Plate plinker]

Firearms enthusiast.

[Don Purcell]

Going to try post some pictures of about 34 years ago shooting south of Dugger, Indiana with Kent.

[Don Purcell]

This is the first time posting pictures and thought they would be larger. That is Kent shooting the belt fed water cooled Browning. A full 200 hundred rounds non-stop without a hitch. You could hear the water sizzling in the jacket. Belt fed .50 Browning off the top of his 1 ton Power Wagon. Belt fed .30 cal. air cooled shooting cast bullets. The bullets were cast from a Saeco gang mold at I believe 170 - 175 grain gas checked. Look closed and you can see it was scoped. Hope you enjoy. All the best , Don.

[ddixie884]

Kewl.............

[JBinMN]

This is the first time posting pictures and thought they would be larger. That is Kent shooting the belt fed water cooled Browning. A full 200 hundred rounds non-stop without a hitch. You could hear the water sizzling in the jacket. Belt fed .50 Browning off the top of his 1 ton Power Wagon. Belt fed .30 cal. air cooled shooting cast bullets. The bullets were cast from a Saeco gang mold at I believe 170 - 175 grain gas checked. Look closed and you can see it was scoped. Hope you enjoy. All the best , Don.

I did enjoy! & Thanks!



I correctly picked the MG types as well., from the pictures. Imagine that..! LOL

[MK111]

I met Kent when he set up at the Ohio Gun Collectors show in Columbus OH. I bought a lot of bulk gun powder from him in the mid 1980's before he moved out west. A good friend of mine worked for Kent processing all his 50 BMG cases. He still talks of the good times at Kent's shop in IN before he moved out west.