BruceB
12-20-2006, 09:58 PM
In a way, it was danged-near boring, but it was the kind of "boring" I wish I'd see more often.
This 7.62x39 Ruger 77 bolt-action has shown flashes of cast-bullet brilliance from time to time, but not terribly consistently. TODAY, I tried a series of loads using 311291, water-dropped WW, .311" with each of IMR 4831, IMR 4320, and XMP 5744......and ALL rounds used CCI #300 PISTOL PRIMERS. This was my first use of the pistol primers in CB rifle loads, and the results were.....boring. That's because the vast majority of the loads plopped TEN rounds under an inch at 50 yards. Most of the rounds which strayed beyond that figure were called-out at the shot break. Velocities ran from 1200 fps (4831) to over 1800 fps (4320) and ALL the powders gave decent results. What a fine and mellow feeling, knowing that if I operated the rifle correctly, the bullet WOULD land in the group! I could get used to this....
Naturally, a fly would have to land in my ointment, and sure enuff....I was just starting to shoot another series of loads with 311466 (ONE round fired out of forty in the box) when the Timney trigger in the rifle crapped out on me. The striker would not stay in the cocked position. Also, I had removed all the tiny Allen keys from Der Schuetzenwagen for some forgotten project a ways back, so the Ruger was dead in the water.
All was not lost! Those two fantastic bargain moulds from the last gun show had provided the boolits for today's outing. The Hoch 457425 and Lyman 462520HP (427 and 522 grains, .459" WW) gave me just about the best 50-yard groups I've seen from this rifle. The Hoch boolit turned in one group of ten (one big hole) of .800" and the fat-nosed 462520 wasn't far behind. All loads were using 4227 and dacron, and PISTOL primers again.
Transitioning directly from a modern, 3-9X scoped rifle with a feathery trigger, to the Sharps' with its set trigger, tang rear sight and open-ring globe front sight with spirit level, is quite an adjustment. The routine for a Sharps is this:
1. BOOOOM!
2. Bring the hammer back to half-cock to avoid possible firing-pin damage on opening the action.
3. Drop the lever and remove the case.
4. Reload.
5. Bring the hammer to full cock.
6. Press the rear trigger to 'set' the front one.
7. Look at the spirit level and try to zero the bubble at dead center, while....
8....getting into shooting position while still "keeping the level level", and...
9. Adjust the rifle on the rest to center the black aiming mark in the ring of the front sight, AND while trying to position the eye properly behind the rear aperture...
10....and trying to preserve the various precariously-stable elements while...
11. TOUCHING the front trigger just enough to trip it (about 4 ounces), and...
12. ...then riding-out the recoil in an attempt to follow-through on the shot.
In better lighting than I had today, it's not difficult to watch the bubble through the rear aperture, which simplifies things a lot.
I fired until the shadows from the sunset touched the bottom of my targets, which is about the maximum use of daylight, I'd say. The temperature was mid-thirties all afternoon until about 3:00, at which point it started cooling quickly. It was T-shirt weather inside Der 'wagen until then, too. Very light breezes made it nice , except the 7.62 barrel got hot and stayed that way.
Note that I picked up on using the pistol primers from shooters right here on this Board. Thank you, gentlemen. On very short experience, it seems a very worthwhile idea.
This 7.62x39 Ruger 77 bolt-action has shown flashes of cast-bullet brilliance from time to time, but not terribly consistently. TODAY, I tried a series of loads using 311291, water-dropped WW, .311" with each of IMR 4831, IMR 4320, and XMP 5744......and ALL rounds used CCI #300 PISTOL PRIMERS. This was my first use of the pistol primers in CB rifle loads, and the results were.....boring. That's because the vast majority of the loads plopped TEN rounds under an inch at 50 yards. Most of the rounds which strayed beyond that figure were called-out at the shot break. Velocities ran from 1200 fps (4831) to over 1800 fps (4320) and ALL the powders gave decent results. What a fine and mellow feeling, knowing that if I operated the rifle correctly, the bullet WOULD land in the group! I could get used to this....
Naturally, a fly would have to land in my ointment, and sure enuff....I was just starting to shoot another series of loads with 311466 (ONE round fired out of forty in the box) when the Timney trigger in the rifle crapped out on me. The striker would not stay in the cocked position. Also, I had removed all the tiny Allen keys from Der Schuetzenwagen for some forgotten project a ways back, so the Ruger was dead in the water.
All was not lost! Those two fantastic bargain moulds from the last gun show had provided the boolits for today's outing. The Hoch 457425 and Lyman 462520HP (427 and 522 grains, .459" WW) gave me just about the best 50-yard groups I've seen from this rifle. The Hoch boolit turned in one group of ten (one big hole) of .800" and the fat-nosed 462520 wasn't far behind. All loads were using 4227 and dacron, and PISTOL primers again.
Transitioning directly from a modern, 3-9X scoped rifle with a feathery trigger, to the Sharps' with its set trigger, tang rear sight and open-ring globe front sight with spirit level, is quite an adjustment. The routine for a Sharps is this:
1. BOOOOM!
2. Bring the hammer back to half-cock to avoid possible firing-pin damage on opening the action.
3. Drop the lever and remove the case.
4. Reload.
5. Bring the hammer to full cock.
6. Press the rear trigger to 'set' the front one.
7. Look at the spirit level and try to zero the bubble at dead center, while....
8....getting into shooting position while still "keeping the level level", and...
9. Adjust the rifle on the rest to center the black aiming mark in the ring of the front sight, AND while trying to position the eye properly behind the rear aperture...
10....and trying to preserve the various precariously-stable elements while...
11. TOUCHING the front trigger just enough to trip it (about 4 ounces), and...
12. ...then riding-out the recoil in an attempt to follow-through on the shot.
In better lighting than I had today, it's not difficult to watch the bubble through the rear aperture, which simplifies things a lot.
I fired until the shadows from the sunset touched the bottom of my targets, which is about the maximum use of daylight, I'd say. The temperature was mid-thirties all afternoon until about 3:00, at which point it started cooling quickly. It was T-shirt weather inside Der 'wagen until then, too. Very light breezes made it nice , except the 7.62 barrel got hot and stayed that way.
Note that I picked up on using the pistol primers from shooters right here on this Board. Thank you, gentlemen. On very short experience, it seems a very worthwhile idea.