10" Ruger Mark II

[tja6435]

Recently purchased this fine specimen from Black Powder Bill.
This pistol is in fantastic condition and now has a home:

Haven't had a chance to take it to the range, but expect high performance from it

[rancher1913]

got several of the mk-1 and the kids love shooting them, well they used to love shooting them but we've been out of 22lr for a year. looks like you got enough to last a weekend with yours.

[M-Tecs]

I missed that one. You got a smoken deal.

[Jackpine]

Am sure you will enjoy your new toy. I have one that I bought back in the 80's when I was shooting handgun metallic silhouette. Had a blast with it. I should dig it out of the back of the safe someday and ring some hundred yard targets.

Jackpine

[TXGunNut]

Looks like fun, nice ammo stash.

[tja6435]

I'd like to try IHMSA with that pistol and my .44 Redhawk

[44man]

I still have mine. I won every shoot plus state.

[tja6435]

44man, I was reading up on some of your old posts and in one thread you mentioned a case seating tension gauge and how tension was super important for long distance grouping. The pics of your gauge device aren't still in that thread, but I'd like to build myself one so that I can monitor and sort by seating tension to see how it works for me. Could you help me out with some pics? Thanks for your time , I was hoping you'd stop by.

[44man]

I have so many I have to delete some so they are lost. Let me see if I can post them again.147686147687
Running short again but I got them. The long rod is fastened to the bottom of the handle and is 1/8" piano wire from the model airplane shop, (spring steel). I drilled a hole at the handle top and put a graduated rod through with a sliding bent wire loop on the long rod.
On the end is a faucet washer that moves and stays at a reading.
Just start a boolit and use the rod to seat, the washer will move to a reading to sort to. Move the washer back for each shell.
Watch when handle weight takes over but the reading will not change. Finish the crimp with the handle.
I tried to use it for my 30-30 but the handle will be too low with it's weight.

[44man]

I made an aluminum block at the bottom but my first was a hose clamp that works.

[tja6435]

That is way less complicated than I had envisioned. Thanks for the pics. Once I get wrapped up with my busy season here be the end of Nov, I'm going to alot some time to building this tension gauge. Thanks for the help.

[tja6435]

44man, so if I wanted to seat boolits in cases with less case tension than say the 44 Mag, all I'd have to do is make a longer rod of the 1/8" spring steel? Say a longer one for 223, 300blk, a medium length rod for 38spl/357mag and a shorter one for .44/.45/.458 SOCOM?

[44man]

44man, so if I wanted to seat boolits in cases with less case tension than say the 44 Mag, all I'd have to do is make a longer rod of the 1/8" spring steel? Say a longer one for 223, 300blk, a medium length rod for 38spl/357mag and a shorter one for .44/.45/.458 SOCOM?
No, position of the case means the rifle cases will have the handle lower. But for all revolvers it will work. Any short case. Once handle weight comes in, it is too hard to measure. We need a better system, maybe a strain gauge.

[tja6435]

Do you seat and crimp in the same step? I have almost always had to seat/crimp in 2 steps so not to scrape the bullet while seating.

[44man]

Do you seat and crimp in the same step? I have almost always had to seat/crimp in 2 steps so not to scrape the bullet while seating.
Everything I load is crimped with the seat die at the end of the stroke. I have never found a difference at all.
I do have extra crimp dies, Redding, Hornady, etc but many of my boolits will not pass through them unless I lap them out. Things are made for jacketed, not fat cast! If your boolits fit through they are OK.
With the seat die the boolit will still go deeper as you crimp but the brass will already be at the crimp groove. Only a few thousandths movement. Die adjustment so as not to apply more crimp then needed and you will not scrape lead. All you need for crimp is to hold boolits under recoil but tension does most of the work.
You will read for hours to tell you "CRIMP HARDER." Does nothing at all. It can even ruin precious tension.
The worst cast factory loads we ever shot had full profile crimps, .454, 2 shots tied up a Freedom and SRH with pulled boolits. I would not want those in bear country. My loads did not pull with a moderate roll crimp applied when seating.

[dubber123]

To the OP, if you intend on shooting it with iron sights, investigate replacing the factory rear sight. I changed out mine for an angled back, plain black serrated unit, and got an instant 3/4" reduction in 50 yd. groups. The front sight is excellent.

[Jackpine]

The worst cast factory loads we ever shot had full profile crimps, .454, 2 shots tied up a Freedom and SRH with pulled boolits. I would not want those in bear country. My loads did not pull with a moderate roll crimp applied when seating.

Trying to understand cause and effect here. Were the factory rounds pulling out because they were that "hot" and your loads are lighter or ?

Thanks,

Jackpine

[44man]

Trying to understand cause and effect here. Were the factory rounds pulling out because they were that "hot" and your loads are lighter or ?

Thanks,

Jackpine
No, I was over max loads, near 55,000 psi to test a PB and primers.
Whitworth brought the boolit loads to test. First thing I asked him "Why so much crimp?"
I was taken back with how fast they pulled.
It was one of two things, so much crimp it ruined tension or the brass had no tension to start with.