David Bradshaw Photos - Vol LXXXV, PC Part 3

[Lee Martin]

Ruger 03 .45 Colt, crossdraw in holster originally made for a first-run Super Redhawk. Holster shortened and blocked for Blackhawk topstrap. Tank Hoover’s cast Powder Coat bullets have a warm hearth in the 03. Wool logging trousers from Johnson Woolen Mills, Vermont.



Ruger 03 with stock Ruger carbon steel mainspring & strut. Stainless mainspring assembly next to backstop. Black mainspring assembly was original to Ruger Old Army cap & ball revolver. The heavier coil and power cap & ball mainspring cured primer blanking from extreme pressure loads in prototype .357 Maximums, became production standard. The heavy spring is unnecessary in normally aspirated Blackhawks & Super Blackhawks. Note, however, David doesn't cotton to light mainsprings.



Ruger 03 with a stainless pawl & a blue pawl. Carbon steel pawl presently in revolver. Revolver doesn't care which pawl is aboard, as both are practically indestructible. Note slight radius on upper dog of the blue pawl, which dates to prototype Maximums.



452” NEI 310 cast by Tank Hoover, powder coating baked at 400 degrees fahrenheit for 20 minutes. Samples of this fine SWC weigh 330-335 grains



.45 Colt cast 330-335 SWC PC deep seated over 10.5/HS-6 touches off remarkably soft on the ears. Little or no accuracy difference between conventional and deep seating. Velocity probably under 1,000 fps



NEI 310----330-335 SWC Powder Coat----deep seated over 10.7/HS-6. Penetrating 6 softwood boards



45 NEI 310 SWC pokes through 7th board



Alloy lead annealed in powder coat process creates malleability conducive to soft skin punch. A hard bullet wouldn’t expand in wood, or meat



Same bullet, other side



The .452” 330-335 SWC PC found temporary employment by putting the crimp on goats. A far cry from hunting—--except for some canned hunts——livestock nevertheless provides an opportunity to observe the other “internal ballistics”



Hoover’s powder coat NEI 310 SWC deep seated over 10.7/HS-6. Freedom Arms M83 4-3/4” with .45 Colt cylinder and Leopold 4x28mm. Two shots to check sight dope at 55 yards. Point of Aim: center on welding seam of propane tank



Popped in, one dim afternoon, yellow insert from sight. Better to check sight dope before heading out. 6 o’clock hold, as plane of front sight touches white dot. Two shots to check dope, NEI 310 SWC deep seated over 10.7/HS-6. 2x2 into 2.2-inches @ 100 yards



While this whitetail fell to a muzzleloader, at 75 yards the presentation was close to ideal for disciplined revolver placement. Mountain whitetails validate the argument for an honest bullet with a bit of meatball in its character, well placed, if for no other reason than these animals are extreme athletes. Having observed the bone-grinding hole the cast 330-335 grain SWC, annealed during powder coat, drills through livestock one may reasonably discern the bullet fit for the trail.



Staring on the track near this spot, Lo many years ago, David tracked a buck through hardwoods and soft, to finally jump him and drill him with a 6-1/2” Model 29, well up the right flank of yonder mountain. Conditions here provide no such fortune. The leather one wears on the trail must be quiet and kind



-Lee
www.singleactions.com
"Chasing perfection five shots at a time"

[Joe S.]

Nice pics. Thanks for sharing!

[ericp]

Nice photo set. You're in the Northeast, correct? The country looks pretty similar to the Western UP, beautiful. I'm fond of the Muck boots for farm work, but they are awful noisy in modern plastic snowshoe bindings once the temp gets below 10 degrees or so.



Eric

[lscg]

great pictures Sir! I never tire of seeing them.

[Markbo]

Why deep seated?

[bradshaw]

Jan 27, 2016 11:44:01 GMT -5 Markbo said:

Why deep seated?

Answer: EFFICIENCY. Same velocity with less powder .

There are others reasons:
* laziness----no need to perfectly index crimp with cannelure.
* single stage press----seat & crimp in same pass, providing front band seats .030-.060" (or deeper) below crimp.
* accuracy with many loads equals that of loads with conventional seating.

I prefer to deep seat cast bullets whenever possible. In general, deep seating of jacketed bullets is only done to fit cylinder. Top end loads with slow powder are conventionally seated.
David Bradshaw

[elvaquero]

Impressive belt and crossdraw holster rig in the top photo. Custom made, I assume. Is the belt three inches wide?

[bradshaw]

elvaquero.... thank you for the kind words. Made, in 1962, the brass buckle with copper tongue and 2-3/4" belt to carry a Super Blackhawk. The quarter inch brass is somewhat excessive for the job. Nevertheless, it has swung many a mountain. Holster pictured was originally made as a combination cross draw and strong side for a Super Redhawk. The original SRH grip was an ugly affair; worse, it threw my middle finger directly into the trigger guard. That SRH found a happier owner. The holster slept with other little used leather. Then, in 2003 Ruger built the Ruger 03 Blackhawk for me. In immediate need of leather, I dusted off the old SRH skin, trimmed the muzzle, and blocked in the top strap. Alleged temporary fix wore so well it has remained in service.

There is no difference between a single-layer 2-3/4" or 3" belt. Both support a 3 pound revolver all day without cutting your torso in half.

A holster must carry silent on the trail and at draw. Simplicity is supreme. Turns out my old carcass enjoys a skin which slings cross draw and strong side both. Thinking, for a number of years, about a shoulder holster to compliment the hip, and to serve as a relief. The old U.S. Army M7 "tanker" holster designed for the 1911 is an incredibly practical rig, practicality accorded by the bandoleer strap slung on the trapezoid opposite the carry----it can't slip off your shoulder. (The tanker holster was designed for a 2-1/2 pound 1911, not a 3 pound sixgun. The M7 strap is too narrow for heavier carry, and the draw is too slow for a tracking pistol.) So, at some point the Ruger 03 will find excitement from a bandoleer rig. Meanwhile back in the jungle, good leather is never obsolete.
David Bradshaw

[jayhawker]

Well said Mr. Bradshaw.

[bradshaw]

ericp..... yup, the Northeast. Mild winter so far. Barely more than one day's worth of tracking snow the entire season. The rut seemed to cycle on and on. Bucks we took at the end of season had NO FAT over their backstraps. The bucks rangy as hell, swinging wide and hard, chasing tail. The mild winter probably good on that account. Turkeys, which got hammered last winter, should be finding enough to eat----so far. Winter has served thicker snow to Lee down in Virginia and Tank just above him, with less cold. Tank reports bucks dropping horns during the season in Pennsylvania, while some bucks up here still sport horns----and it's February! Likewise, the midwest seems to have caught storms sweeping from the rockies and fueled by Gulf moisture.
David Bradshaw