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Lever-action-lover · Joined: 30 Dec 2002 Posts: 114

My grandfather once told me that when he was a little boy he would hunt and eat what he hunted and was a very care free guy, he also said that he used to sand off the bullet till it had a very pointy edge(Dont try at home). He said this mad them go further and longer...anyone else do crazy things?

expatriate · Joined: 26 Oct 2002 Posts: 1150 Location: Alaska

When I was a kid we used to have a problem with the neighbor's cattle getting into our yard and eating Mom's flower garden. The primary means of defense was to load .410 shells with rock salt. Didn't seriously hurt the cows, but got them moooooving.

Lever-action-lover · Joined: 30 Dec 2002 Posts: 114

Ya I guess it would get them moving, I would if I was pelted with rock salt :wink:

expatriate · Joined: 26 Oct 2002 Posts: 1150 Location: Alaska

Unfortunately, I don't know if this thread will get a lot of posts. People who've done "crazy things" behind a reloading bench tend not to post on message boards because either 1)they're blind and can't see the screen; 2) they can't type because they don't have fingers; or 3) they can't get a modem hookup inside the coffin.

Reloading safety is pretty straightforward: by the book or buy the farm.

[ This Message was edited by: expatriate on 2003-03-01 22:34 ]

bitmasher · Joined: 27 Feb 2002 Posts: 2595 Location: Colorado

:smile: Thats pretty good, yeah exploding rifle chambers can put a crimp in your style.

I don't have any crazy stories to tell. However I do have a comment on the sanding off of bullets.

It seems that a sanded down bullet would go further and faster (less mass), but the gain would be at the expense of accuracy. A hand sanded bullet would (unless using very fine grit and extreme care) be rough (altering the air flow around the bullet) and change the center of gravity possibly causing tumbling.

Lever, I'm not saying that what your Grandpa did was foolish, just that it seems to me that it would take a good deal of careful work to gain speed/range without decreasing accuracy.

Lever-action-lover · Joined: 30 Dec 2002 Posts: 114

You do have a very good point that I had looked over.(Im not saying I was going to do this). I think he hunted with a 22 or something like that so at the ranges he would be shooting would it really matter?

expatriate · Joined: 26 Oct 2002 Posts: 1150 Location: Alaska

I have to agree with Bit on this one. I don't think it'd be possible to sand down a bullet by hand without throwing the center of gravity off (of the centerline of the bullet), causing it to tumble in flight. And if Grandpa's claiming his technique yielded longer ranges, this would definitely be a factor.

I'm not saying Grandpa's telling a fib necessarily, just that I think it'd take more precise equipment than a piece of sandpaper and a good eye.

bitmasher · Joined: 27 Feb 2002 Posts: 2595 Location: Colorado

Well I guess exploding rifle chambers didn't put a crimp in your style, Ex! From your other burst barrel question, it is good to hear nobody got hurt.

I think it would matter on the 22, Lever. Although if it was a 22, there wasn't much bullet to sand down in the first place. :smile:

expatriate · Joined: 26 Oct 2002 Posts: 1150 Location: Alaska

Yes, the barrel burst wasn't one of my proudest moments, but nevertheless I don't think I could've done anything to avoid it. My brother's pumped out a lot of handloads over the years, and every one of them performed flawlessly. And for that particular load, I doubt there's enough room in the case for a double charge. I still don't know what caused the problem for sure. Another possibility was that the extractor might've broken on the previous round and opened a weak spot around the case head. But Taurus just sent the repaired gun back without any feedback whatsoever.

The biggest lesson learned, though, was the value of eye protection. I'd never had anything like that occur in my life. Well, OK, I DID have an incident with my muzzleloader as a kid. I had one round that kicked a whole lot harder than the rest, and I couldn't figure it out until I tried to reload and couldn't find my ramrod. Depending on your aim point, 60 grains of FF and a .45 round ball will propel a maple ramrod about 150 yards. The challenge is finding it afterward.

bitmasher · Joined: 27 Feb 2002 Posts: 2595 Location: Colorado

Yikes! 150 yards is a long way to launch a ramrod, all things considered.

expatriate · Joined: 26 Oct 2002 Posts: 1150 Location: Alaska

Long way to look for one, too. :smile:

saskie · Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2003 10:11 am Post subject:

When I was young (God...did I really just say that) EVERYBODY smoked. We used to take the bullets out of .22 shells, shake out a small bit of tobacco from a cigarette and replace it with the powder from the .22. Then we'd stuff some tobacco back in the end to hide it and offer it to an unsuspecting friend. They'd get about 1 good draw off it before the powder went up like a sparkler - Priceless.

expatriate · Joined: 26 Oct 2002 Posts: 1150 Location: Alaska

Is that why they call it smokeless powder? :smile:

saskie · Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2003 9:28 pm Post subject:

Perhaps...LOL :smile:

bitmasher · Joined: 27 Feb 2002 Posts: 2595 Location: Colorado

That is pretty good. :smile: