9x18 Makarov Ballistics

Since I picked up the CZ-82 the other day I got to thinking about the ballistics of the 9x18 Makarov round that it fires.

For most of the 20th Century much of Europe viewed the 7.65 Browning (.32 ACP), 9mm Browning Short (.380 ACP), and the 9x18 Mak as suitable for use in service pistols. For example, as late at the 1970s Beretta designed and produced a new design in 7.65mm for use by Italian law enforcement. This was, of course, the Model 81.

The 9mm Mak is often said in the USA to fall in between the 9x19mm and .380 ACP. While this is true, in reality it's much closer to .380 than 9mm.

Let's look at some common ballistics for each round:

• A typical 9mm load will push a 115 grain bullet to 1180 FPS for 355 ft. lbs. of muzzle energy.
• .380 ACP will shoot a 95 grain FMJ bullet to about 980 FPS for 203 ft. lbs. of muzzle energy.
• 9x18 Makarov shoots a 95 grain FMJ bullet to 1050 FPS for 220 ft. lbs. of muzzle energy.

Obviously, there's quite a bit of variation for each cartridge depending on bullet weight, pressure, and the barrel length from which its fired, which directly impacts velocity and energy.

Let's take a look at the 9x18 in comparison with a design even older than the.32 ACP, which dates from 1899. I.e., how well did the .36 caliber Colt 1851 Navy perform and how does the Makarov stack up against it? After all, the Colt Navy was considered perfectly suitable for combat use on the American frontier and in the American Civil War.

Last summer I chronographed several loads through my Uberti 1851 Navy, using a variety of powders. Keep in mind that the sporting grade black powders available in the mid to late 19th Century were actually better than the black powder we can currently get. The closest we can get today is Swiss BP or Hodgdon Triple 7 BP substitute.

From my Uberti Navy with a 7.5" barrel:

• 82 grain round ball over 25 grains of Swiss FFFg black powder: 1051 FPS for 201 ft.lbs.
• 82 grain round ball over 25 grains of Triple 7 FFFg BP substitute: 1111 FPS for 225 ft. lbs.
• 140 grain conical over 17 grains of Swiss FFFg black powder: 780 FPS for 189 ft. lbs.

Basically, the 9x18 Makarov performs similarly to a Colt Navy .36 but in a more compact package that holds more rounds and is more reliable due to using self contained centerfire  metallic cartridges.

I don't think that's bad performance at all.

A CZ-82 Followed Me Home

A 1988 production CZ82 in 9x18 Makarov followed me home from the gun show yesterday.

The CZ82s are a bit more expensive than they used to be, but what isn't? Like many of these surplus guns the paint finish shows some wear, but the grips are in nice shape and mechanically it seems perfect. The oval bore is bright and shiny.

The gun came in a cardboard box with one 12 round magazine, a gun lock, and a used Falco thumb break holster, which also fits a Beretta 81 or 84. I'm giving it to a friend to use with his Beretta 81. I'm left handed so the holster is useless for me.

The CZ next to my Beretta 81:

The ergonomics of the CZ82 are impressive. It fits my hand very well. The safety and magazine release are ambidextrous, although the mag catch is significantly easier to depress from the left side, which works for me because I'm accustomed to using my left index finger for that.

The CZ field strips just like a Makarov. First, ensure it's empty and the magazine is out of the gun, and the hammer down. Pull down on the front of the trigger guard. Cock the hammer and then pull the slide to the rear and up, and it'll pull off the gun.

To reassemble first put the recoil spring back around the barrel and then reverse the disassembly steps.

I own several DA/SA semiautos but the CZ82 has by far the best DA trigger of any of them. It actually feels like a good DA revolver trigger, under 10 lbs. and smooth. The SA pull has some take up but is light, probably no more than 5 lbs.

I got a couple boxes of Sellier & Bellot and one box of Barnaul 9x18 at the show. Last night I put in an order for 500 rounds of S&B.

After some searching I found some surplus CZ magazines at Royal Tiger Imports for $29.99 each, including a mag pouch, so I ordered three. On eBay I found a correct surplus cleaning rod and separately, a Czech military surplus holster.

The surplus holster I ordered is basically a leather gun case with belt loops, but it's  ambidextrous and completely conceals the gun, while not even looking like a holster. It will hold the gun, cleaning rod, and a spare magazine. I wouldn't use it for around town but it should work well for trail hiking where you want to protect the gun from weather while also not scaring any earthy-crunch granola types you might encounter.

Pic borrowed from an eBay seller in Czechia:

It looks more like an e-tool carrier than a holster, IMO.

The CZ also fits into a commercial Tanker holster for 1911s, which gives me another option.

Today I took the CZ to the range and put 50 Barnaul and 25 S&B through it. The Barnaul ammo gave me two hiccups. The second or third shot in the first magazine misfed and to clear it I had to drop the mag and rack the slide to clear it. On another mag it failed to lock back after the last shot. The S&B ran fine.

Accuracy was good with me able to keep 50 rounds within a few inches offhand at 10 yards. Between presbyopia and shooting indoors under florescent lighting which made it hard to see the front sight so I'm happy with how it grouped. Recoil was a bit snappy, especially compared with the Beretta 81 .32 I also shot today. I have a Wolff spring kit on order to see if the extra power recoil spring can tame that.

It's a neat gun I look forward to shooting more.

Jewish Man Saves Family from Attack in Florida

Here's another recent example of why Jewish Americans must embrace and exercise their right to keep and bear arms as protected by the Second Amendment. Being a defenseless victim is NOT a Jewish virtue. In fact, it is against Jewish law.

https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/man-charged-antisemitic-hate-crime-miami-beach/3790877/

My book "Guns for Jews" discusses why being armed for self defense is in accordance with Jewish law, and provides resources for those new to owning and carrying a firearm. The link goes to the free PDF on my Google Drive.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/18GXFERy8nH1iM6ERtLs-PXX3qXDo5C0K/view?usp=drive_link

Found Some More 7.62x25 Surplus

Sorry, it's not for sale. I found a .50 caliber can full of Romanian 1983 production 7.62x25 Ball in my crawlspace where I stash ammo. Apparently I bought this shortly after I got the Polish Tokarev and forgot about it.

It has corrosive primers but so what. That just means you need to clean the gun after firing it.

So, now I have three loads that I want to run over my Garmin chronograph from the Polish Tokarev:

• 1983 production Romanian milsurp 7.62x25
• 21st Century production Sellier & Bellot 7.62x25
• 21st Century production Prvi Partizan 7.63x25 Mauser

w00t!

Polish Tokarev Pistol

Yesterday I got together with a friend to do some shooting on his property. One of the guns I brought was one I haven't shot in years, a Polish-made Tokarev TTC chambered for 7.62x25.

The Tokarev pistol was originally designed in 1930 in the USSR and then refined in 1933 to simplify manfacture. After WW2 it was made in several other COMBLOC countries including Poland, Romania, Hungary, North Korea, and the PRC. Yugoslavia built the M57, which has a longer grip and holds 1 more round in the mag (9 vs. 8).

Something I never cared for on the Tokarev pistols was the grip angle. With stock grips it feels like you're holing a carpenter's square. However, you can remedy this with grips that provide a bump at the heel. Years ago I installed a set of Marschal grips which wrap around the back of the frame providing such a bump. The grips are made in Hungary.

We only put about 50 rounds through the gun. It was some old Yugoslavian military surplus ball made by Prvi Partizan. 7.62x25 ball is generally an 85 grain FMJ bullet pushed to about 1400 FPS at the muzzle. This will vary depending on barrel length and the particular lot of ammo. The small diameter high velocity bullet is known for its great penetration and flat trajectory.

I highly recommend treating any surplus 7.62x25 ammo as having corrosive primers, and cleaning accordingly. Thus, before I packed it up for the day I ran a few patches with Hoppe's No.9 through the bore to remove most of the residue and saturate anything left with oil, to prevent any corrosion until I cleaned it today.

Prvi Partizan currently sells 7.62 Tok ammo loaded with an 85 grain JHP. If this expands and holds together it would work well for defense. Alternatively, you can handload the cartridge with Hornady XTP bullets.

The 7.62 Tok round has some bark and flash when fired from a pistol but recoil is not bad at all in the TTC, which weighs around 30 - 31 oz.

Tokarev pistols will also safely chamber and fire 7.63x25 Mauser ammo, as made for the C-96 Broomhandle. I only have a couple hundred rounds of 7.62 Tokarev left but I do have probably close to 1,000 rounds of 7.63 Mauser for future range trips.

As originally built the Tokarev's only safety was the half cock notch on the hammer. To meet import point requirements under the Gun Control Act of 1968, importers have added manual safeties. On my gun it's the lever behind the trigger. To engage the safety raise it, to disengage it push it down.

If the gun is placed on half cock the trigger and slide are locked in place. The only way to work the slide at that point is to first fully cock the gun.

The trigger pull on my pistol is probably around 6 to 8 lbs. but pretty crisp. I prefer it to the spongy triggers on most modern, striker-fired semiautos.

My Tokarev came with two 8-round mags, a cleaning rod, and a leather belt holster. Like many old European military holsters, it's pretty much a gun case you can wear on your belt.

Out of curiosity, I stuck the Tok in this commercial US M-3 Tanker holster and found it to fit well.

I think it'll be seeing some more range time soon.

Revolver Day

Today I got to the range and put 200 rounds of .38 Special downrange, all fired double action, from a S&W Model 10-8 3" and a S&W Model 64-3 4".

Each bullseye is 50 shots. The bottom targets were shot at 7 yards, while the top were at 10 yards. The left side were with the Model 10 and the right side the Model 64.

Except for the bottom right target, all ammunition was .38 Special full charge wadcutters, 3.5 grains of Bullseye with a 148 grain wadcutter bullet. The lower right was a 158 grain semiwadcutter over the same powder charge. All my handloads.

I'm pushing most of shots a little to the right, something I'm working on. (Not unusual for left handed shooters.)

Kempf Patent Speedloader

This short popped up on my YouTube feed this morning. It shows the 1930s Kempf Patent Revolver Cartridge Clip Corp. speedloader.

I'd like to see a reproduction of this.

Home Defense Shotgun Setup

As antisemitism continues to rise I want to remind my fellow Jewish Americans that if you aren't armed for self defense, you need to be. See my free book, "Guns for Jews," which is a free book I wrote to help Jewish Americans arm themselves. It's a PDF hosted on my Google Drive.

Ideally, your first gun should be a handgun to along with a concealed carry permit. However, many jurisdictions where Jewish Americans live make it difficult and time consuming to get a handgun and a carry permit. Something you can probably get with less paperwork and delay is a shotgun for home defense.

I've had this Mossberg 500 Mariner 12 gauge shotgun for close to 20 years. It's pretty much a dedicated home defense gun, although I did use it in one or two action matches over 10 years ago. Recently, I've done a few mods to make it more useful for me.

When choosing these modifications, I kept Greg Ellifritz's comments in these posts in mind:

• https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/shotguns-for-home-protection
• https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/home-defense-shotgun-questions-answered

So, after a couple different configurations over the years, I think I've settled on my final set up:

1. Magpul SGA stock, set to my length of pull using spacers. Five extra rounds are kept in a Hill People Gear stock cuff. I also added a QD sling swivel stud to the stock.
2. A Hi Viz clamp on fiber optic front sight, which much more visible and taller than the factory bead. This corrected the high point of impact with the factory bead.
3. Defender Tactical Mini-Pro Lifer and Cartridge Arrestor System, so I can shoot the 1.75" mini shells.
4. CVLIFE 1.25" quickly adjustable rifle sling.
5. CDM Gear ROC-12 accessory rail.
6. Inforce WML 400 lumen weapon light mounted so I can activate it using my right thumb (I'm left handed).

I've been wanting to try out 1.75" mini shells due to their reduced recoil and because you can load more in the tube magazine. Mossberg shotguns are easily modified to run with the mini shells with adapters from either Op Sol or Defender Tactical. The Mossberg 590S comes from the factory already setup to handle mini-shells.

Even if I keep the gun loaded with Federal 2.75" 00 Flitecontrol for now, the mini shell adaptor gives me the ability to use reduced recoil loads when I'm older.

Since I no longer have any small children in the house, the gun is kept in a closet "cruiser ready," i.e., full magazine, empty chamber, bolt locked forward.

Set up this way, the Mossberg will handle any home defense situation I can reasonably think of in my suburban location.

Links:

(Some of these are affiliate links.)

• Inforce weaponlight: https://amzn.to/4unaiN7
• CGM gear light mount rail: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B081NTW9TM?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_3
• HiViz fiber optic sight: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002INN3G?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_3
• CVLife sling: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07WRB433Q?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_1&th=1
• QD sling swivels: https://amzn.to/4loI8gF
• Sling swivel studs: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CMTXBT1R?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_3&th=1
• Magpul SGA stock for Mossberg 500/590: https://magpul.com/sgastock-mossberg500-590-590a1.html?mp_global_color=118
• Defender Tactical Mini-Pro Lifter and Cartridge Arrestor System: https://defendertactical.com/products/mini-pro
• Hill People Gear Stock Cuff: https://hillpeoplegear.com/Products/By-Activity/Hunting/CategoryID/37/ProductID/43

Food for the Single Six Magnum

Today I loaded up some food for my Ruger Single Six Magnum Vaquero:

• Missouri Bullet Company .313" 115 RNFP cast bullets
• 3.2 grains Hodgdon HP-38 powder
• CCI No.500 primer
• Starline cases

Yeah, my reloading bench is cluttered.

What looks like a copper wash on the bullets is Hi-Tek coating applied in lieu of a traditional bullet lube. The appearance of the loaded rounds remind me of oversized high velocity .22s, or the old Winchester-Western Lubaloy bullets.

Ruger Single Six Magnum Vaquero

Several years ago I got this Ruger Single Six Magnum Vaquero chambered for .32 H&R Magnum.  Because of the color case hardening and the faux ivory grips, I nicknamed it the "Cowboy Pimp Gun."

TBH, I haven't shot it a lot because typical .32 H&R loads with 85 - 100 grain bullets shoot low and I didn't want to file the front sight shorter to raise the point of impact. It also had a really stiff trigger. I recently remedied both of those issues.

To fix the heavy trigger pull I got a spring kit from Wolff Gunsprings, which included a reduced power trigger spring and several hammer springs. I installed the Wolff trigger spring and replaced the factory 23 lb. hammer spring with an 18 lb. spring. This is a major improvement giving the gun a light trigger pull. I don't have a trigger pull gauge so I can't really say what it is now.

To raise the point of impact I loaded up some 120 grain cast RNFP bullets from Matt's Bullets over 3.2 grains of HP-38. They probably run around 800 FPS, but I can go up to 3.7 grains of powder. Because I wanted to ensure that the gun will reliably set off whatever ammo I put in it, I used CCI primers which are harder than other brands.

I brought the gun to the range today and did the Old West Shootist's drill, and was pleased that this load shoots to point of aim at 10 yards, and that it reliably set off the CCI primers.

I love it when a plan comes together. Now that I've got the issues worked out with the gun I expect to shoot it a lot more.

Warsun T7 EDC Light

In the past week I picked up a Warsun T7 pocket sized flat flashlight from Amazon. It's a handy little light for when you need to get some work done and don't need or want something super bright.

It charges via USB-C and has multiple modes, all controlled with a single button.

The case is made from aluminum. One end has an LED while the opposite end has a magnet so you can hang it to provide area illumination, e.g., under the hood of a car.

Here are some pictures showing its size, next to a quarter for reference.

 

Not counting the pocket clip, it's 0.30" thick, 4.4" long, and about 0.95" wide. It slips comfortably in a pocket like a thin pocket knife.

It's plenty bright for walking around in the dark. Today I took advantage of the side light while working to clear a slow drain. It was perfect for illuminating under a bathroom vanity.

I can't comment yet on run time but it should be at least a few hours when used on low. If I have one criticism it's that it relies on one button to cycle through all the modes, and I'd just assume that it didn't have a strobe mode for the side LED. But for $12 on Prime (or $23 for a two pack) I can't complain.

Put Together Some Reduced .30-30 Handloads Today

Today I loaded up 50 rounds of .30-30 (.30 WCF) reduced loads with lead bullets and Unique powder. These will primarily be fired in a late 1940s-vintage Stevens 325-B bolt action.

The bullets were 1990s-vintage Alberts Scheutzen Plinker 154 grain swaged lead from my late father's stash. I used some Federal No.210 large rifle primers I bought back then when I was loading .30-06 for shooting in an M-1 Garand in Service Rifle competition back in the 90s. I haven't loaded much high power rifle since then.

After seating but before crimping:

Aesthetically, I really like the retro look of these loads.

I chose a mild charge of 9.0 grains of Unique, which should drive the bullet to around 1200 - 1300 FPS, but I'll run some over a chronograph to be sure. I've see data for 150 grain lead bullets with up to 11.0 grains of Unique.

I also inventoried my .30 caliber cast bullets. I have a box of Lasercast 170 grain RNFPs. They are designed to use a gas check but those aren't installed. I  have a bag of gas checks which I can add using my Lee sizer, and did that for 20 bullets. I also have some Lee 178 grain RNFP gas checked bullets from MOD Outfitters, sized .310. I should be able to drive the gas checked bullets close to 2,000 FPS. I'll try using Winchester 748 powder or IMR 3031 for that.

Accessory Kit for the Stevens 325-B

Today I put together an accessory kit to help keep the Stevens 325-B .30-30 running in the field.

• Two spare 3-round magazines
• East German surplus RG-57 AKM cleaning kit
• East German surplus grenade pouch

All items were bought from Numrich Arms.

Numrich warned that the magazines may require final fitting. However, both of mine locked into the rifle easily and fed three rounds into the chamber.

The RG-57 cleaning kit is based around a pull-through, a couple bore brushes, a broom-like brush,  an AKM tool, and a small oil bottle, all contained within a tin reminiscent of vintage pipe tobacco tins. The tin is contained in vinyl pouch with a snap, and a coarse net-like cleaning cloth.

The two bore brushes attach to the patch pulling loop with a hook. I tried the pull-through with one of the large cotton cleaning patches and it pulled through easily, dry or wet.

This site has a nice overview of the kit. Note that mine came with a different kind of pouch to keep it in.

I filled the oil bottle with Ballistol. Apparently the East Germans used it for gun oil, not solvent. Because Ballistol is a CLP it'll be good for both cleaning the rifle and protecting it against rust.

I got turned onto the East German grenade pouches by Jess on the Endurance Room YouTube channel, where he uses one to hold his fire kit. They contain a divider which for my uses I cut out. Numrich has them cheap in NOS condition.

I also added a small Ziplock bag with some cotton flannel cleaning patches.

This kit should handle most needs short of an obstructed bore or a stuck case. If I encounter either in the field I may be able to knock out a bore obstruction by dropping the pull-through's weight on it, but a stuck case would require a cleaning rod to knock out.

IMO, this would be a good setup for one of these rifles kept as a truck gun.

While out hunting I'd have this in my pack with at least one of the spare magazines in a jacket pocket.

WFC Peep Sight for the Stevens 325-B

I lucked out and found on eBay a vintage WFC peep sight meant for the Stevens 325 / Savage 340 and snagged it.

This should noticeably improve the practical accuracy of the rifle compared with an open rear sight. It's missing the mounting screws but I just checked the threads on the rifle and they are 10-32, so sourcing a couple suitable cap screws will be easy. I may have some in my shop but if not, Lowe's or Home Depot will have them.

Since this peep sight design hangs off the back of the receiver it's a bit more vulnerable to damage than a barrel-mounted open sight. So, I want a backup. I have a Marble's #95 sight on the way from Midwest Gunworks. The #95 has a folding leaf so it will be down and out of the way of the peep sight.

Stevens 325-B .30-30

Several years ago when Ruger introduced their Ruger American Ranch Rifle in 7.62x39 I had immediate case of the wants. I have a large supply of the caliber and it would be very useful here in Pennsylvania. However, I generally don't buy right handed bolt action rifles unless they are a classic or military surplus. So, I've held off on getting one.

However, yesterday I got my hands on a suitable alternative in another caliber I stock with similar ballistics. It's a right handed boltgun but for this case I'll make an exception. It's a Savage Stevens 325B in .30-30 Winchester.

In 1947 or '48, Savage Arms' Stevens subsidiary introduced a new rifle, the model 325. It was designed to appeal to returning GIs who'd gotten used to shooting bolt action rifles and was chambered initially in .30-30 and .22 Hornet. After a few years it was renamed the Savage 340 and in addition to these two calibers, was chambered in .222 Remington, .223 Remington, and .225 Winchester. Savage sold the 340s until 1985.

These rifles used modern manufacturing techniques including many stamped sheet steel parts, to help keep the cost down. Instead of walnut the stock was made from birch. It sold for $38 in 1948, which an inflation calculator tells me is worth about $656 today.

The Stevens is rather plain, but a serviceable rifle. I imagine that many of them were working guns on farms. Over on the Gun and Game Forum, member Outpost75, who owns a Savage 340A in .30-30, described them, "These are good, sturdy, accurate little rifles, if a bit "agricultural" looking."

This Stevens 325B in .30-30 followed me home from the Oaks, PA gun show yesterday. It's in excellent shape for a 76 year old gun. It's stamped on the top of the barrel near the receiver with a B inside of a circle. This appears to be a Savage date code indicating it was built in 1950.   The bore and crown are spotless. Along with the gun I bought a Chicom SKS sling. I like these because they are simple, light, quiet, and easy to adjust.

The unloaded rifle weighs 7 lbs. but feels a little lighter to me because it balances very well. The barrel is 21" long, and the length of pull is about 13-5/8", which fits me nicely.

If you're enamored with Jeff Cooper's scout rifle concept one of these would be a good scout-ish platform, keeping in mind that it cannot be rechambered for .308 and scope mounting requires a side-mounted rail. You won't get stripped clip loading but because it uses detachable box magazines, that's moot, IMHO.

The detachable box magazine feed also makes these ideal for truck gun usage. You can keep a couple magazines loaded and locked in a separate container from the rifle, but quickly load it when required.

The standard scope mounts for this series of rifles mounts to the side of the receiver, due to the split bridge design. My rifle was built before Savage came out with their side mount so it lacks the drilled and tapped mounting holes. However, it is drilled and tapped for a receiver peep sight. I setup a search on eBay to see if one turns up.

For now I'll rely on the open iron sights. Another possibility is to drill and tap the receiver ring for a short section of Picatinny rail and mount a small dot sight on it. That would help preserve the rifle's handling while giving a much better sighting arrangement.

Something to keep in mind if you buy one of these is that the bolt has only one locking lug, relying on the root of the bolt handle to act as a safety lug. Compared with, e.g., a Mauser, Mosin-Nagant, or Lee-Enfield, the action is relatively weak. That said, it is plenty strong enough for factory loads in the calibers for which it was built.

The Stevens feeds from a three-round detachable box magazine. I like such magazines on hunting rifles because they facilitate easy loading and unloading, and with a spare magazine in your pocket you're set for a day's hunt. I ordered a couple reproductions from Numrich Arms, which may require a little final fitting.

The magazine is also a limiting factor on those who want to use spitzer bullets in the .30-30. While rifles with tubular magazines can't use hard-tipped pointed bullets because of the risk of unwanted detonation in the mag, the short length of the Savage / Stevens pretty much limits cartridges to those with the same length as factory loads. Here's the mag filled with Remington 170 grain Core Lokt factory loads. You can see there isn't much room for a longer bullet.

An interesting feature on my rifle is a .30-30 case head inlet into the right side of the butt. The pictures I've found of the Stevens lack this so I'm guessing a previous owner put it there. Pretty cool.

The .30-30 cartridge is great for shooting cast bullets, which I plan to do. So I slugged the bore by driving a .32 caliber lead bullet through the barrel and then measuring the groove diameter, which came out to .30905". I have some .310" bullets from MOD Outfitters I'll be trying in the Stevens after I get the chance to load some .30-30s.

In my wanderings online to search for info about the Stevens 325 and Savage 340 rifle I ran across these two articles by Leeroy Wisner, which are worth saving if you have one:

• Stevens 325 and Savage 340 Bolt Action Rifle
• Gunsmithing the Savage Model 340 Rifle

And also this site:

• The Savage 340

I've always thought this series of rifles was neat and I'm happy to have finally acquired one. Now all I need to happen is for the weather to warm up so it's normal Southeast, PA winter instead of feeling like I live on Hoth, and I'll get to shoot it.

Winchester 94 "Old Red"

I ordered this 1935-vintage Winchester 94 Sporting Rifle from a Gunbroker seller last Saturday and picked it up yesterday, along with a couple boxes of Remington .30-30 170 grain JSP ammo. To pay for it, I put a couple of other guns that were gathering dust on consignment.

It's drilled and tapped to accept a tang sight, one of which I may add.

Overall it's in excellent shape for a 91 year old rifle. The bore is excellent with sharp rifling, no pits, and a good crown. It was very clean. After I hosed out the old congealed oil the action works smoothly. The wood is sound and except for nine decades of dings the original varnish is in very good condition.

It should be a fine shooter and I plan to take it into the woods after whitetail next Fall.

There are 6 notches cut into the bottom of the stock (disclosed in the GB listing). The left side of the butt bears the initials, "RED," so I've named the rifle "Old Red."

Along with the rifle I bought two boxes of Remington .30-30 170 grain Core Lokt JSPs. I have reloading dies, a pound of IMR-3031, a brick of large rifle primers, a box of Hornady Interlock 170 grain JSP bullets, and 250 pieces of Starline brass on the way. I also have fifty 178 grain .310" bullets hand cast from Lyman No.2 alloy on the way from MOD Outfitters that I'm looking forward to loading for the old Winchester.

Today I slugged the bore by driving a .32 caliber bullet through it which allowed me to measure groove diameter. 

The rule of thumb for choosing the diameter of cast bullets for a rifle is to use those that are .001" to .002" over groove diameter. I'll load a few dummies with the .310" bullet to check functioning with, and also to verify that they chamber OK. Assuming all's good there I'll load up small batches of 10 with a couple different powders.

Tanker Holsters for Single Action Carry

I gave this setup a try to see how comfortable it would be for woods carry, although today it got carried on my walk around the subdivision where I live. It's a Cimarron Pistolero .357 Colt SAA clone in a World War Supply canvas tanker holster that's actually intended for S&W Victory Models. It actually works well for the single action and the cartridge loops on the strap make it a nice grab-n-go setup.

It carried comfortably under my coat. Not how I'd normally carry concealed because of the slow draw, but it's not bad for a low threat environment, IMO.

Aside from the canvas holster I have this leather Tanker holster from El Paso Saddlery, built for a 4" S&W N-Frame. I bought it for my Model 28-2 but the Cimarron hogleg fits in it with about a half inch of barrel poking out the end.

You could add a belt slide with cartridge loops to the EPS rig and like the cheaper canvas holster, have a pretty good rig for fast grab-n-go.

Wheelgun Wednesday

Today I was able to sneak out to the range for a couple hours for Wheelgun Wednesday. I brought two hoglegs with me: A Cimarron Model P in .44-40 WCF and a Cimarron Pistolero in .357 Magnum, shooting .38 Special ammunition.

First I ran two new-to-me handloads through the Model P. Both were loaded in Starline brass with a CCI No.300 primer and 7.0 grains of Winchester 244 powder. The first batch was loaded with a 200 grain lead round nose flat point (LRNFP) bullet, while the second was loaded with a 215 grain LRNFP.

The results were interesting and the opposite of what you'd expect. I.e., the lighter bullets ran slower than the heavier bullets. I attribute this to higher pressure with the higher bullet. I've seen this before with .38/44 handloads, where 5.9 grains of Herco gave ~100 FPS more muzzle velocity with a 178 grain Keith bullet than a 158 grain LSWC.

With the 200 grain bullet I got an average muzzle velocity of 827.1 FPS for 304 ft.lbs. of energy from the Model P's 5.5" barrel.

The 215 grain bullets ran at an average 903.3 FPS for 389.7 ft.lbs. of energy. About a 76 FPS difference. Both strings were 10 shots.

After running the .44s over the Garmin I changed to 10 yards and ran the Hickock-North drill with both guns, and also 6 shots one-handed on a B-8 center, followed by 10 shots fired two-handed on a B-8 center.

The ammo I used in the Pistolero were handloads with a Lee TL358-158 SWC over 4.7 grains of Unique, which ran about 842 FPS from my 4" S&W Model 15 last week. They should be going around that from the .357-chambered but 4-5/8" barreled Pistolero.

Anyway, I need to continue to work on my one-hand shooting and well as file down the front sight on the Model P, which shoots low.

Powder Dippers

I got in the mail today this set of 3D printed dippers from eBay seller "3dReloaded." They fill in some gaps in the Lee powder dipper set. Note that the capacities are 0.20cc to 1.10cc. For whatever reason the maker didn't include the decimal points in his designs. 

A major reason why I got this set is because I think they'll be especially useful with powders that don't meter consistently with small charges, where a difference of 0.1 or 0.2 grains can make a big difference (e.g, Red Dot and Unique).

To start I'll probably measure each dipper with Bullseye, Titegroup, Red Dot, and Unique.

Winchester 244 in .44-40 WCF

A few years ago when reloading components were hard to come by, one of the powders that was seen relatively frequently on the shelf was Winchester 244, which is just ahead of Alliant Unique on Hodgdon's burn rate chart. When searching for loading data for Win-244 a common theme is that there is not much to be found.

I picked up a pound in 2024 and loaded a box of .38 Special 158 grain LSWCs but didn't do much with it. I mostly use Bullesye, Titegroup, and HP-38 in .38 Special, with some Unique thrown in for variety.

One thing I like about 244 is that like the other ball powders it meters consistently, so I wanted to find a use for it.

Another cartridge I load for is .44-40 WCF, which I shoot in a Cimarron Model P revolver, a Cimarron 1860 Henry rifle, and a Cimarron 1873 Sporting Rifle (all built by Uberti). Loaddata.com has data for Winchester 244 in .44-40, with 200 grain bullets ranging from 6.8 grains to 7.6 grains, and for 223 grain bullets from 6.5 to 7.4 grains, so today I decided to load some up.

Muzzle velocities for these loads range from around 928 FPS to a bit over 1,000 FPS from a 7" Colt Frontier Six Shooter, according to Loaddata.com. That's in the ballpark of what .44-40 will do with full charges of high quality black powder, e.g., Swiss.

I loaded 50 with a 200 grain RNFP from Desperado Cowboy Bullets and 50 with a 215 grain RNFP from Matt's Bullets, both over 7.0 grains of 244, which I dispensed using the No.9 rotor in my RCBS Little Dandy.

Performance of this should be similar to the Skeeter Load of a 250 grain Keith bullet over 7.5 grains of Unique in .44 Special, albeit with lighter bullets.

I'm hoping to try them out next weekend.

NOTE: Make sure you verify the load data before relying upon it, and if you use a Little Dandy do not rely on what my measure throws. Verify that yourself with a scale and your powder measure.