Recent content by Robert Wilson

Final update, if anyone cares... I sent it back. It just wasn't consistent enough. I could sometimes get several acceptable three shot groups in a row, but sooner or later the gun would park one in orbit. Another, very careful, bore measurement had most of the grooves at .001". The gunsmith at...

The first time I clean a new gun (I usually do this before I ever fire the gun) I half-fill a five gallon bucket with warm water and dish soap. I remove the barrel from the gun, remove the nipple, and drop the nipple and the breech end of the barrel into the water. With a mop or tight-fitting...

Just FWIW, I did finally get to spend a few days at the range with the gun. The shallow rifling is a limitation. The groove depth is supposed to be .004, but in reality it's about half that. I nearly sent it back after the first day at the range, because it was printing 15 inch groups at 50...

Well that's awfully strange. Granted, I only have one Leupold with the heavy duplex, but the inner wires are the same thickness as the inner wires on the half-dozen or so standard duplex Leupold scopes I have. I suppose that's what I get for basing my opinions on a sample of one.

If folks really wanted to settle the issue for themselves, they'd do some experimentation. It would be interesting to know how much variation it takes to actually affect accuracy in the guns you shoot. That wouldn't be nearly so much as arguing opinion and anecdote, though, would it? :p

I still use my old Harell powder measure from my benchrest shooting days. I don't know what benchrest competitors are currently doing, but in my day (20 years ago) few if any competitors weighed their loads. The good benchrest measures are accurate to .1 with most powders, so weighing is kind of...

I'd never thought about it but can kind of see the point. The center wires of Leupold's heavy duplex aren't really any thicker than those on their standard duplex. It's only the outer wires that are thicker, so the heavy duplex isn't going to subtend any more of a small target than would the...

I agree with rcmodel's advice. There is no such thing as a "cleanest" (or "dirtiest" for the matter) lead bullet. There are lubes that smoke more or less than others. That's all.

I don't call myself an "expert" but I may the closest thing we've got. :o And you are correct in the essentials. ExMachina is just a hopeless optimist. :)

That would be very nice, but I'm afraid it just isn't true. I work in the field and have tested a number of such devices under controlled circumstances. A pair of muffs rated 33 NRR, for example, generally don't come anywhere close to reducing sound by 33 dB. Variables include testing...

I've kind of given up on gun magazines in general. Most gun writers seem to be rewriting the same pieces year after year, and after the first ten years or so of subscriptions it gets a little boring. IMO... Handloader and Rifle were the gold standard through the 90's, but quality has really...

Sadly, this is not the case, at least regarding ear muffs. The noise reduction rating (NRR) advertised for ear muffs and plugs isn't a direct dB reduction. It's the result of a moderately complicated formula and is really only useful in comparing different products.

Oh, but I've negligently left out one very important piece of the puzzle: loose ball/patch combos absolutely require a wad between powder and patch. I like to use pre-lubed Wonder Wads myself. This negates worries about damage to the patch, and also adds quite a bit of lube to soften fouling.

I respectfully disagree. I do not see that a cloth patch can serve as an effective gas check, and I have seen photographs and video showing flame and smoke exiting the muzzle prior to the bullet. In my opinion, the patch serves only to allow ease of loading while still imparting spin to the...

I agree with the OP. I take issue with the "sometimes the long shot is the only shot you get" argument. Firstly because I believe it is too often used to excuse poor hunting skills and secondly because hunters always encounter game outside of acceptable range. There have been times that I have...