High Primers

I think I’ve got it!

Or rather I should say that I think Don Plante figured it out.

The hammer hits the firing pin and that hits the primer, but it doesn’t go bang. Removing that round and looking at its backside, the dent in the primer is smaller than it should be.

Do you ever ask questions like these?

• When did I last replace the recoil spring in the wad gun and does it run best with 11 or 12 pounds for my current load?
• How long have I had this S&W Model 41 and what did I pay for it new? And when did I get the shorter barrel that I now prefer?
• How long has it been since I gave the ball gun a complete tear down and cleaning?
• My backup 22 (a Ruger Mk III,Volquartsen trigger) looks clean but have I fouled the barrel yet?

In the past, I’ve jotted notes in my shooting log that would let me figure these things out. But since it’s one book for many guns, finding some detail about a specific firearm means a lot of page flipping. And, if the detail doesn’t jump out, does that mean I missed it or did I just forget to put it in there in the first place?

This is the last of a five part series on tolerances in reloading.

Here are some scattered notes and comments from today.

I didn’t shoot very well in today’s 2700. All my scores were down at the low-end of where I’ve been shooting. The bad news is this was an Authorized match and the scores count so I’ll be in Outdoor Sharpshooter land for a while. The good news is that’s where I *should* be competing, that’s where I *need* to be working, and doing the things I did today (shooting, not quitting, re-focusing on basics) is what will *eventually* let me learn what I need to know to advance. Patience!

The sorting of my large bucket of all 45 ACP brass according to headstamp is done.

Strike #1

After its initial firing (as factory-loaded hardball), 100% of the Aguila brass would not pass through the Martindale gauge. This suggests it has been stretched beyond its ability to recover possibly because of the thinness of the brass or its composition among other reasons.

(Pictured: Jim Henderson and myself)