Paper Patching and Semi-auto rifles...

[offshore44]

Anyone ever try it?

[pdawg_shooter]

I have for a M1A and a M1. Worked fine for me.

[beppe]

hello to everyone! I have an SKS, work well, but at 50 meters is not needed, this is just my thought, maybe 100 meters with optic.




ciao a tutti ! io ho un SKS ,funzionano bene , ma a 50 metri non serve , questo è solo un mio pensiero , forse a 100 mt con ottica si .

[offshore44]

Nice! I was messing about with the 308 stuff for the bolt gun and...well...one thing led to another. Tried loading a couple dummy rounds from the magazine on my StG-58 and everything seemed to work fine except for a small flat spot from the ogive onto the meplat. Not huge but I would guess that it would effect accuracy some. Not that the FAL is a target gun though.

Thanks pdawg_shooter and beppe!

I found my next project!

[dogrunner]

I have..........Garand, Lyman 311041 over 45 gr's 4895.....computer paper, sized .308 prior to patch, light roll in liquid alox.........Function 100%, no leading whatever. But that shooting was at my home where I have only 40 yards or so.........need to get to my regular range and work on the accuracy issue...still groups ran right at an inch.

[offshore44]

Messed about with some more dummy rounds and discovered that there may be some issues with the FAL, and the magazines. The last round in the mag will have any exposed paper sliced perfectly from ogive to case mouth by the feed lip. Oh, and I found out that the chamber on the FAL is very much tighter than the one on my bolt gun. I was expecting a difference in dimensions, but WOW! It's a DSA, just for informational purposes. Factory assembled StG58, so some parts are DSA and some are Steyr. The barrel is Green Mountain, I believe.

If there is enough interest, I'll document what I find and how I address the issues. This could be an interesting winter project.

[Lonegun1894]

I for one would be interested in your results, as I am just starting PPing so any and all information is an asset to me.

[offshore44]

I for one would be interested in your results, as I am just starting PPing so any and all information is an asset to me.

pdawg_shooter and others are past masters at this paper patching thing. There is a sticky up at the top that will surely get you started in the right direction.

The one thing that I can say is that there is no recipe that will work in all rifles under all conditions. It is not a cut and paste type of deal. Much like history it never repeats, but it always rhymes. I'm really just trying to add a little value here for all of the good information and help that I've received.

Here what I have so far. It has been successfully done. You can paper patch a semi auto rifle and achieve some degree of accuracy and functionality. Playing with dummy round for function tests is demonstrating that the feed path from the magazine to the chamber is going to be the part that needs the most attention. At least it appears that is where the majority of the fiascoes are going to occur. The FAL is a main battle rifle, so it feeds rounds "enthusiastically and positively" to say the least. Along the lines of driving a finish nail with a quarter jack. I have thought of no way yet to make the patch sturdy enough to survive that. On the other hand there appears to be ways to keep the patch from contacting anything destructive on it's journey from the magazine to the chamber. That may be enough. After that it functions just like any other paper patched gun tube. Rounds one through 19 are possibly doable, it's the last round in the magazine that is always going to be an issue. I am going to ignore it for the moment, or at least deal with it later.

The fact that the FAL has an adjustable gas system is great for extraction, but only of limited utility for the feed cycle. The major benefit is that the rifle can be adjusted for just about any powder will allow for function. Meaning that I can load for the patch, and adjust the gas for rifle function within broad limits. Bonus. Another positive is that the gas plug can be flipped over to the grenade setting and the rifle works just fine as a straight pull single shot. It should be easy to get a load that works in single shot mode, then work out the feed problems. In theory, anyway.

So first up - a load will be developed that shoots well in the rifle. Normal paper patched development type stuff.

If the rifle will shoot a 2" five round group at 100 yards, 19 rounds into 4" at 100 yards and doesn't pack the long Stolle flash suppressor full of paper the experiment will be a success.

[barrabruce]

Semi auto's are so 1980's over here.(OZ)
Apart from the cops and the army only pro shooters and those with properties with special permits are still allowed to play with them.
Thank god they banned them and saved me before I turned into a psychopathic killer or some such.

:cry::cry::cry::cry:I want mine back.

[pdawg_shooter]

Semi auto's are so 1980's over here.(OZ)
Apart from the cops and the army only pro shooters and those with properties with special permits are still allowed to play with them.
Thank god they banned them and saved me before I turned into a psychopathic killer or some such.

:cry::cry::cry::cry:I want mine back.

You start by taking back you Parliament. Hang all the gun grabbers and corrupt pols, and put some good conservative people in there....wish we could it here !

[offshore44]

Amen to that! Semi's are fun to play around with, but a good bolt gun or falling block is my favorite.

Sorry to hear that barrabruce. There are a ton o' folks over here that feel exactly that way as well.

The funny thing is; I can make actual "hits on target" as fast with my 98 Mauser and chargers than I can with any of my semi's. Now there is less flailing about with the semi's, but the point is the hits on target are roughly comparable. I don't see how eliminating a semi auto rifle from the hands of a civilian has accomplished a thing.

[Harter66]

It doesn't do anything for the lawful.

I worked an s k s w/fair success even for heavies . The 3''x5'' 50yd groups were my off putting.

[303Guy]

They had a luni doing a stunt in a restaurant over in Oz a number of years ago. This nutter was unable to get a car licence because he was a nutter. So anyway, after killing quite a few of the diners, the authorities seized the opportunity to ban all semi-auto's. The nutter used a mini-14. I'd say he wouldn't have have been so deadly with a bolt action but he didn't do any rapid fire, just selected his targets and fired. How a nutter that didn't qualify for a car licence could qualify for a gun licence is a mystery. Anyway, the problem was solved by banning semi's. One would have thought that nutter firearm licencing would have been targeted which is where the problem actually lies.

I had a mini-14 once and I wish I had kept it.