Tutorial

I’m cheap.

The less I spend on other things, the more I have for bullets. And as any Bullseye shooter will tell you, to get good, you have to push a lot of lead downrange and, as most of you know, lead is not cheap anymore. Gone are the days of three or four cent heads. Today, you’re probably looking at eight to nine cents for a 200 grain LSWC, and if you buy in 5000 unit quantities, that’s not small change.

Shiney brass makes for more Xs.

It works like this. A shiney piece of brass will press a smoother surface onto the sides of the bullet. When such a bullet is then fired, it becomes subject to external forces and one of those is the impact of photons being reflected from the target face.

For what it may be worth, I learned something unexpected in dry-fire. Whether or not I need to keep that lesson or if it was just a stepping stone along the way, I don’t know.

The Problem

After loading several hundred rounds of ammunition not too long ago, I then discovered that two primers had been seated sideways and one upside down. I removed the bullets and recovered the powder but decided to discard the shells with their damaged primers. But since the primers were still live, I wondered what should I do to deactivate them?

Heretofore, I’ve picked up 45 ACP empties at the indoor range I use in Scottsdale AZ. The ROs have even been so kind to sweep empties from others in my direction (after the other shooters have left) because they had observed me doing so. Over many weeks and months, then, I’ve accumulated quite a collection.

Here are some less-than-obvious values to good equipment.

• The bullet goes where the gun was aimed when the hammer was released.

That should be obvious but, as a beginner I knew my wobble was much worse than the inaccuracy of the gun. My “off the shelf” Springfield Armory “Mil-Spec” 1911 (the Parkerized version) would shoot a 6-8" group at 50 yards. That was good enough for scores of 8, 9, 10 and X. Pretty good.

For everything except the bore, I use Mil-Comm MC25 Firearm Cleaner/Degreaser followed by TW-25B Lubricant (grease) any place metal slides on metal (look for the wear marks). For protection from finger-oil, I use a very lightly oiled rag anywhere I might touch the bluing but then vigorously wipe it as dry as possible.

Email posted to Bullseye-L

If you’re looking for a reusable “snap cap” for your Smith & Wesson model 41, you might want to take a look at what I created. I’ve used it for hundreds of dry fire “shots” and it shows little signs of wear. It is cut from a commonly available trash can and can be made in just a few minutes. I call it the “Trash Can Snap Cap.” No disassembly of the pistol is needed for installation or removal but a small tool such as a miniature screwdriver or pair of tweezers will facilitate installation and removal.

On the Monday after Christmas, I called Coach Pat [Dolan] at the phone number he’d given me during the Bullseye competition two months previously. I introduced myself, said I was very interested in taking him up on his offer of coaching, and asked when he might be available and what range was convenient for him. In thirty seconds we found that 1:00PM that same day was good for both of us, and that he preferred the facilities at the Phoenix Rod and Gun Club where the Bullseye Competition had taken place.

Note: Ed Harris is the “Ed” in Ed’s Red; that’s not me.