"Because I always do it that way..."
Ever fall into a routine "because I always do it that way," and not change anything, when maybe you should?
I'm just about out of Hodgdon Clays, and it seems there is none to be found anywhere. I use Clays almost exclusively with the Lee 125 RNFP for 38 special plinkers in 357 lever guns, a variety of 38 and 357 revolvers, and a 357 Handi. 3.8 grains gives good accuracy, doesn't lead the barrel (lubed with Carnauba Red), and stays subsonic for use with a suppresor on the Handi.
Last night, I'm sitting at my workbench, lubing a batch of those boolits, thinking about what powder I will use as a substitute. Got a few different choices on the shelf, most of them slower pistol powders that I've migrated away from because of how well Clays works for 38 special plinking loads. Remembered that most of a jug of Royal Scot is tucked way back under the bench. Dig out the Scot load manual from the pile of reloading books. Hmm. Similar charge weights to Clays in 38 special. Check the burn rate chart. Right next to Clays. OK, maybe we have a winner?
Then the air feed for the Lubrisizer starts leaking somewhere. I'm tired, don't feel like running it down, leave it for the next day.
I come back to the bench today, start fiddling with the lubrisizer and running boolits through again. The wife is in the workshop doing artwork. She says "Isn't there a faster way to do that?" I answer affirmatively, but explain that this way produces ammo that really works well and, "it's what I've been doing for a long time now."
Then I start thinking...why am I lubing my subsonic 38 specials with a lube that is made for high pressures and high velocities? Well..."it works!" But other stuff works, too. Go through some drawers, find a bottle of Lee Liquid Alox. Do the tumble lube routine with the Lee .358 push through sizer (that die hadn't seen the light of day in I don't know how many years). Wow, forgot how fast that goes. Big pile of lubed boolits, in a fraction of the usual time. Leave the boolits out in the cool breeze to dry. Come back a few hours later and load them up over 3.8 grains of Royal Scot.
After supper, I sat down at my shooting bench to test the loads through the 357 Handi with the suppressor mounted. Target out at 25 yards. Put a few rounds thru. Takes a bit to get used to the heavy trigger of the Handi Rifle again, as I haven't shot it in about a month. Scope needs a few clicks up and a few clicks left. Now I'm hitting bullseyes and getting clover leafs. Put the target out at 85 yards. Put a few rounds downrange. Impact is about six inches low, but the grouping is quite passable. Raise my point of aim six inches and fire for effect.
Went through fifty rounds, tearing up the center a 100 yard precision target. The rounds are remarkably consistent, and everything remained subsonic. Noise level is about the same as a pellet gun, which is perfect. Back to the workbench to check for leading. If there's any, it's minimal. Two passes with a bore snake and the barrel is clean and shiney. The tumble lube did the job. This is a very good load for that rifle.
If the wife hadn't made the comment to me, I would have continued to spend the time lubing those bullets the same as always. And there's nothing wrong with that. I've been following the same, succesful recipe for a number of years now, as time for experimentation is usually scarce. I'm glad she pushed me off the path a little bit. Kinda fun. Maybe it's time to stop following my old recipes and find more new ones...
