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Post by seancass on Dec 29, 2017 11:25:08 GMT -5
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Fowler
.401 Bobcat
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Post by Fowler on Dec 29, 2017 11:53:42 GMT -5
Looks colder than curling up next to my wife.
Good times for sure, David your should let one of those jugs freeze and try hitting a frozen one, would be interesting to see what it does...
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paulg
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Post by paulg on Dec 29, 2017 12:05:59 GMT -5
Looks colder than curling up next to my wife. Good times for sure, David your should let one of those jugs freeze and try hitting a frozen one, would be interesting to see what it does... That would be “COOL” to see! Bwaahaaa By the way I LOVE seeing this stuff. Thanks Mr. Bradshaw and thanks Sean for getting it up here. |
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Post by bradshaw on Dec 29, 2017 13:05:42 GMT -5
Sean... beaucoup thanks for posting. Shooting yesterday, 28 December 2017.
Reckon everyone across the North Country knows what we’re talking about when we say, “It’s COLD out.” And a big thanks to Cherie Lowry for video with iPad. A camera with moveable lens and auto focus could get get into trouble, as has happened before. Temperature ranged 9 to 14 below ZERO. During introduction words stuck to my mouth. After the guns, a few notes are in order.
1) Smith & Wesson M-29 .44 Mag, 4-inch, a vintage 29-2 variant. Pachmayr small Presentation grips. Narrowed and rounded trigger and bobbed the hammer decades ago. Barrel set back by S&W and various internals (only the extractor rod is visible changed once or twice by factory guru Al Plaas. Lubrication most often synthetic motor oil. A well-blooded, perfectly behaving revolver with eclectic appetite for jackted, cast, and Powder Coat cast bullets.
Ammo: Sierra 210 JHC, 22.5/Win 296, CCI 350, Federal .44 Mag brass.
2) Ruger 03 .45 Colt, 5-1/2”, factory one-of-a-kind Bisley Blackhawk. Maximum ejector assembly, shortened 1/4”, on dedicated barrel. Super Redhawk front sight w/Redhawk inserts. Accessory .45 ACP cylinder in stainless, Ruger’s first. Firm-fit cylinders.
Ammo: Federal .45 Colt 225 Lead HP; Speer .45 Colt 250 Gold Dot Hollow Point.
Notes on aerial shooting in sub-ZERO weather
* Gloves & Single Action----The double action revolver basically becomes a single action when wearing gloves in the hard cold. Gloves must be supply enough to feel the trigger. My preference is for insulated deerskin treated with a hot mix of straight mineral oil & beeswax. Untreated gloves wear out much faster, cannot resist moisture. And, dry gloves turn slippery at unpredictable moments, a hazard to CONTROL and Point of Impact.
* Single vs double action----Whether the revolver is a double or single action, the SHOOTER is more reliable shooting SINGLE ACTION. Just as in drawing from the leather while tracking a deer, single action is no slower than double action. SA offers a bigger hole in the trigger guard for a gloved finger. Note the finger itself must reset after the shot. Otherwise, the glove impedes TRIGGER RESET. If on return the trigger pinches the glove it fails to reset----the revolver can neither be cocked single nor double action! Every shooter of course must learn and internalize all motions of operation in the field. And, no, you will not last long trying to shoot bare handed.
Depending on your anatomy and glove, you may on reset force your finger against the front of the trigger guard to complete trigger reset. Otherwise, slightly retract trigger finger as trigger goes forward. That last little click of the DA reset is not felt or heard in the hard cold. Your own reset motion must be known and practiced. Double action works, but requires more work. “More work” includes SHOOTER TIMING, the coordination of HAMMER FALL to LEADE and FOLLOW THROUGH. The instant of hammer fall is more difficult to control in DA with a glove, all of it compounded by cold.
Single action lockwork----specifically to include Ruger's great New Model transfer bar system----is incredibly reliable under severe freezing. A proper DA mechanism works perfectly under these conditions, however the shooter has more to contend with. Once again, performance comes before doctrine.
David Bradshaw
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Post by coldtriggerfinger on Dec 29, 2017 14:36:06 GMT -5
Excellent vid ! And excellent post.
Interesting the mineral oil ,bees wax mix ! There are some Mechanics brand winter gloves that have come out in the past couple years that are good for winter shooting also.
Awesome to see someone not being a wimp concerning the cold.
The coldest I've done chronographing is 45 below ambient. I was learning how revolvers handle the cold.
A word of advice to those that don't know. Its best to NOT shoot warm full pressure ammo in a very cold gun. Round steel constricts in the cold . Much more than copper and lead does.
But, I did learn that a Blackhawk in 45 Colt holds together just great even with a 360 gr Oregon Trail cast boolit at faster than 454 Casul velocity.
Real cold is a different kinda thing to deal with when it comes to shooting.
But I've had many very enjoyable range sessions in the 40s below. Only time I've had to deal with mirage for longer range rifle shooting was caused by heat coming off the barrel .
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Post by bradshaw on Dec 29, 2017 14:53:35 GMT -5
Bill.... depending on cartridge and load, block of ice may or may not react dramatically to impact. Horsepower is key. Short of a really hard punch, a thrown, frozen gallon jug doesn’t produce much excitement.
Paul.... thank you for the kind words. It’s a lot of work, having fun, which includes seancass. Speaking of Sean, check out his videos with 100-shot S&W 9mm revolver in Moon Clip Heaven.
Note on SIGHT PICTURE: I don’t remember having one. Certainly wasn’t INSTINCT SHOOTING. Worked mightily to see the sights (No, the front sight by itself won’t make the nut). I was trying to get on, ride the sights and bullet right through the jug, to shoot only below the horizon. Exactly what you don’t want in silhouette or hunting----for the sight picture to change. The sight picture for aerial shooting lasts as long as lacquer thinner in a fry pan. Sometimes you see it, sometimes you don’t. Work the sight picture. Always.
David Bradshaw
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Post by Lee Martin on Dec 30, 2017 10:15:42 GMT -5
Beautifully done David. We got light snow last night and the temps are in the 20's. Wasn't going to shoot pistol this weekend, but I'm now inspired to do so. May hit the range tomorrow. Sunday Front Royal, VA forecast = 10 low, 23 high.....proverbial heat wave compared to your VT conditions. Sean - many thanks for posting these. -Lee www.singleactions.com"Chasing perfection five shots at a time" |
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Post by jfs on Dec 30, 2017 15:59:41 GMT -5
Not that I could duplicate your shots....but it looks like a heck of a lot of fun....
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paul105
.375 Atomic
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Post by paul105 on Dec 30, 2017 19:47:13 GMT -5
Always enjoy these posts. It's a lot more challenging than it looks with David behind the gun.
Paul
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Post by bradshaw on Dec 30, 2017 21:41:28 GMT -5
Not that I could duplicate your shots....but it looks like a heck of a lot of fun.... ***** James.... just pretend it’s a charging cape buffalo. Just like shooting offhand in a silhouette match or spinning to the corner of your eye on a deer you’ve tracked four hours, it all begins on PLANTED FEET. Even out-of-position... PLANTED. From there eyes continue on target. Sight picture swings to the magic dotted line between your eyes and the hell-bent-to-disappear target. That is why a pistol must point. Cannot go hunting for sights with a shot at hand. Sometimes I see a sight picture, sometimes I don’t. Leastwise, the visual is not always clear even as the mind is. The fast trigger is a product of a lot of fire, deliberate fire, slow fire, squeezing. SQUEEZE is defined buy SMOOTH. A squeeze robbed of time is still a squeeze. Anyplace with safe background you can throw a target and shoot it BELOW THE HORIZON LINE opens the door. David Bradshaw |
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Post by bradshaw on Dec 30, 2017 21:43:35 GMT -5
Always enjoy these posts. It's a lot more challenging than it looks with David behind the gun. Paul ***** Paul.... thanks for cutting me slack the target won’t. David Bradshaw |
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Post by bradshaw on Dec 30, 2017 21:45:16 GMT -5
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Post by webber on Dec 31, 2017 12:46:42 GMT -5
I have a question. First let me say I am impressed by the shooting. But the question is on the load for the M29 with the 210 SierraJHC. On Hodgdons website the start load for H110/W296 is 26gr and max is 27gr. Is the 22.5 gr load you are using with the bullets seated short and crimped over the beginning of the ogive or seated to the crimp groove? If it is to the crimp groove isn't 22.5 gr awfully light? Almost 17 percent reduction isn't it.?
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Post by webber on Dec 31, 2017 12:47:52 GMT -5
I have a question. First let me say I am impressed by the shooting. But the question is on the load for the M29 with the 210 SierraJHC. On Hodgdons website the start load for H110/W296 is 26gr and max is 27gr. Is the 22.5 gr load you are using with the bullets seated short and crimped over the beginning of the ogive or seated to the crimp groove? If it is to the crimp groove isn't 22.5 gr awfully light? Almost 17 percent reduction isn't it.? Considering what is said about H110/W296.
OH BTW, I am not stirring anything so don't get bent out of shape. I am asking this in the interest of safety. While I have downloaded H110/W296 it has not been to that extent.
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Post by bradshaw on Dec 31, 2017 20:26:43 GMT -5
I have a question. First let me say I am impressed by the shooting. But the question is on the load for the M29 with the 210 SierraJHC. On Hodgdons website the start load for H110/W296 is 26gr and max is 27gr. Is the 22.5 gr load you are using with the bullets seated short and crimped over the beginning of the ogive or seated to the crimp groove? If it is to the crimp groove isn't 22.5 gr awfully light? Almost 17 percent reduction isn't it.? Considering what is said about H110/W296. OH BTW, I am not stirring anything so don't get bent out of shape. I am asking this in the interest of safety. While I have downloaded H110/W296 it has not been to that extent. ***** Webber..... thank you for the kind words. You raise a very important point on the loading of slow-burn powders in magnum revolver cases. Specifically, slow-burn ball powders. Perhaps someone blew up a gun and the nearest they could figure, a reduced charge of slow powder is to blame. Perhaps an over-reaction caused a hard line to be drawn in the sand. A line in the sand impermeable to tide and wind. Such a line does not exist. There is an inescapable ENVIRONMENTAL FACTOR in the combustion of powder. Hodgdon 110 and Winchester 296 both are Winchester 296. The rpm range or performance window is not as open and shut as is often stated. There is a cushion. The cushion is relatively small. Nevertheless, the bandleader has flexibility enough to, on the moderate end, keep a Smith & Wesson in the game many years, while, at the upper end, keep a big frame 5-shot grinning. Carried the Model 29 4-inch for years with the old Honady 200 JHP stoked over 22/H110. The genes of this bullet survive in the Nosler .44 200 JHP. The m-29 survives perfectly well on the Sierra 210 JHC over 22.5/296 or H110. As you note, these loads cruise below book. The gun the bullet and the powder don’t care. The ballerina doesn’t have to break her leg each time she goes onstage. Just needs to dance. Webber, you have put your finger on a myth which needs exposure once and for all. Lest a clown may eavesdrop, nowhere suggest slow powder dance on the floor reserved for medium----not to mention fast----powders. Somewhere there is a picture of three shots @ 200 yards from my Jim Stroh Freedom Arms .44 Mag. 3-inches or less @ two football fields. David Bradshaw |
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