The firearm thread

[ManDownUnder]

• Resize a case
• Dont prime it and dont put powder in the case.
• Run you bullet seating die out so that it is just seating the bullet in the case with only just enough tension in the neck to hole the bullet firm
• Seat a bullet in the case. It should be way over sized now.
• Take that "dummy" round and chamber it. (gently)
• This will make the bullet catch on the rifling and push back into the case.

I don't believe it - I tried this, this morning and the damned thing didn't catch on the rifling at all!!!!

It chambered and withdrew with no effort at all - and that's with the bullet only just seated! Will try again tonight with another cartridge and bullet combo (both are brand new incidentally...)

... tres odd!

[Scouse]

But I dont want a firearms licence

[Indiana_Jones]

But I dont want a firearms licence

Then you'll have to go shooting with someone who does have one I guess. That's if you plan on shooting animals.

-Indy

[Mr Merde]

I don't believe it - I tried this, this morning and the damned thing didn't catch on the rifling at all!!!!

It chambered and withdrew with no effort at all - and that's with the bullet only just seated! Will try again tonight with another cartridge and bullet combo (both are brand new incidentally...)

... tres odd!

There is another way.

It involves making a chamber cast with a material called kerosafe.

This melts at a temperature lower than that of boiling water.

Check out chamber cast on the web for instructions.

Once you have the cast you can determine how much leade you do have in the chamber.

Chris

[ManDownUnder]

But I dont want a firearms licence

You'll need one if you want to avoid anything resebling cruelty to animals on your record.

I had a high powered air rifle (1000fps+ BSA Supersport - LOVELY piece of kit) and against my better judgement chose to use it to deal with a possum in the tree outside in order to avoid waking the kids.

Close range... chest shot... thump. squeals of pain, blood dripping... but one VERY alive possum. Shot two... thump - same thing, screams of pain but ... shot 3... thump... finally falls out of the tree where a coup de gras was administered.

Never again.

Use the right tool for the job. You wouldn't race on a road bike - you don't shoot shoot big animals with a small gun.

On the flip side - getting your license is easy enough, and opens a lot of doors for you (refer Indy's current rampage... err collecting and shooting frenzy)

[Indiana_Jones]

On the flip side - getting your license is easy enough, and opens a lot of doors for you (refer Indy's current rampage... err collecting and shooting frenzy)

Lol what are you trying to say

Also you're spot on MDU about the cruelty to animals by using the wrong tool for the job.

So, should we get a KB shooting session sorted out for next month or March at Merdes?

-Indy

[Wolf]

But I dont want a firearms licence

When shooting a goat, you will typically be aiming at the upper part of the animal's front leg - as it tends to obscure the rib area wherein the heart and lungs (the bits that you actually want to hit if you value your chances of a fairly clean and quick kill). The projectile must pass through the leg, out the other side, through the ribs and into the chest cavity and have enough momentum to do nasty things to the heart and lungs.

A .22lr lacks sufficient punch to guarantee that. It'd be touch-and-go if the goat was facing you and you had a clear shot at it's rib cage - amazing how the merest things (like ribs) can deflect a light projectile far enough off course to render it inefficient...

I have seen a possum killed by a .22cal pneumatic air rifle - it was actually caught in a trap so the shooter had ample time to pump and load numerous times and shoot it in the head at point blank range.

A .22lr would have dispatched it with one shot at a far better distance.

If you want to hunt "serious" game (anything bigger than a mouse or rat), you will need a firearms licence.

Then it's .22lr for possums and rabbits (stoats and other similar-sized animals), and .222 or better for goat-sized.

Anything less, you're just going to needlessly wound and inflict pain on the animal.

[Wolf]

Close range... chest shot... thump. squeals of pain, blood dripping... but one VERY alive possum. Shot two... thump - same thing, screams of pain but ... shot 3... thump... finally falls out of the tree where a coup de gras was administered.

What a lovely possum! Thoughtfully elected not to rip you to shreds in self defence.

I shot a rat with a shotgun but only just clipped it with the edge of the spread pattern, fucking thing went straight for me, shrieking. Fortunately my next shot was on the mark and killed it before it could get to me and sink its dirty teeth in.

Possum inflicted a substantial wound on one of dad's terriers: dog had "treed it" half way up the inner wall of the shed and the possum leaped over the dog to get to the door - raking with its claws as it went.

[ManDownUnder]

What a lovely possum! Thoughtfully elected not to rip you to shreds in self defence.

Thanks - done my time there though... one I was about to shoot at a while back... f'n thing peed on me!

[ManDownUnder]

OK - gun cleaning.

I'm currently doing the shoot and clean shoot and clean routine breaking the barrel in.

shoot one and clean x 5 (done)
shoot 3 and clean x 1 (next)
shoot 5 and clean x 1 (next next)

Stainless barrel on the Tikka T3.

Hoppes #9
Wet patch it, let it sit for 5 mins... dry patch through, keep dry patches going till clean. Swab again... wait 5, dry patches through ...

... until the initial patch following the wet swab comes out clean... takes a while but does a good job!

So me thinks on the last clean cycle... use SWEETS 7.62 (Ammonia based) instead of the hoppes. Wet the patch and continue to swab barrel back and forth for a minute, poke it out the muzzel end, wipe off any foam at the muzzel, and remove patch

Clean patch it after that. Repeating the cycle till no blue/colouring comes out on the initial wet patch.

Jesus it was fast! 2 wet patches and it was done!

Anyway - the question is this - what is the blue colouring? Ammonia (5% w/w) solution obviously reacting with copper, lead or both... but what exactly is the blue? Copper Nitrate or something...? Lead Oxide perhaps?

Copper Oxide is green - and this was cobalt blue - not even close to green

[ManDownUnder]

Copper Oxide is green - and this was cobalt blue - not even close to green

Ok - laziness on my part - but I found the answer.

Copper + Ammonia does it's chemical magic and forms copper II and copper III ions.

Copper II are light blue
Copper III are darker blue

I guess I was seeing the copper II and II combo meal...

SWEETS 7.62 is fun stuff - just keep your nose away from it... ammonia at "only" 5% will still damned near burn your lungs out!

[Swoop]

Anyway - the question is this - what is the blue colouring?

When old ladies have their hair dyed blue, have you ever wondered why?
Obviously it leeches out and moves into gun barrels.

I bet you don't know where wrinkles go to, when you hang your clothes out on the washing line either...

[Leyton]

OK - gun cleaning.

I'm currently doing the shoot and clean shoot and clean routine breaking the barrel in.

shoot one and clean x 5 (done)
shoot 3 and clean x 1 (next)
shoot 5 and clean x 1 (next next)

Stainless barrel on the Tikka T3.

Hoppes #9
Wet patch it, let it sit for 5 mins... dry patch through, keep dry patches going till clean. Swab again... wait 5, dry patches through ...

... until the initial patch following the wet swab comes out clean... takes a while but does a good job!

So me thinks on the last clean cycle... use SWEETS 7.62 (Ammonia based) instead of the hoppes. Wet the patch and continue to swab barrel back and forth for a minute, poke it out the muzzel end, wipe off any foam at the muzzel, and remove patch

Clean patch it after that. Repeating the cycle till no blue/colouring comes out on the initial wet patch.

Jesus it was fast! 2 wet patches and it was done!

Anyway - the question is this - what is the blue colouring? Ammonia (5% w/w) solution obviously reacting with copper, lead or both... but what exactly is the blue? Copper Nitrate or something...? Lead Oxide perhaps?

Copper Oxide is green - and this was cobalt blue - not even close to green

Yeah its just the reaction with the copper

A trick I used with my 700 SPS (Steel barrel) was to soak it with hoppes #9 over night (Never do this with sweets! it can wreck the barrel). Poor about 5 jug fulls of hot water down the barrel then hoppes #9 it for 15 mins, Let it sit. Then flush it out with Sweets 7.62 with a jag and a few million patchs, do this for about 5 minutes, Followed by one more hot flush. Then chase it down with some fuellite or meths to displace any oily residue.

This will remove basicly all copper and make it shoot like crap again, however it will be a little more polished, and gradually improve.

After a while you should have a barrel that shoots good unfowled. Most barrels shoot better with a tiny bit of fowling until it gets too much

[Indiana_Jones]

Have to do that with my Mosin's sometime. the 42' one if full of Copper

-Indy

[Leyton]

This method removes all fowling hehe it gets quite messy and usally resaults in the rifle shooting like crap until you put about 10-15 cold rounds through it before you start to see improvement, but overall it breaks in the barrel sooner then just normal useage.

I am not a big believer in breaking in barrels I have been gental on my new center fire barrels in the past ensuring not to form counter productive amounts of fowling. I usally just done the old shoot 3, Clean well, shoot 5 clean, shoot 5 clean, 10 clean... For the SPS now I dont really worry too much. I just do a basic defowlment with Hoppes after a small shoot and about every 40 rounds it gets the SWEETS breifly and when it starts to shoot like poo it gets the hot water