Quote:
Originally posted by RPKESQ
Most people forget what is job #1 for a firearm.
Job#1 Set off an explosive charge next to your face or body in complete safety, period.
Everything else is lower in priority.
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Absolutely. Need more power? Get a bigger gun; don't compromse safety with the one you have. I don't think very many people even stop to consider what it is they are doing. Hmm... Let's see, grab ahold of this device, capable of generating 60,000 psi and light it off while holding it 6" in front of your face. But wait; 60,000 psi isn't enough; let's try 65,000, or 70,000... doesn't seem to hurt anything, what do the "experts" know anyway? Most folks only get to make one mistake playing this game. This guy was very, very lucky.
Drdogface, I like your cartridge selection. That .38-70 must be a real challenge, though. It's a bottleneck, isn't it? That, coupled with all that capacity in a .38 bore must make life interesting.
I currently load black powder for two .45-70's, the original Ballard and a C. Sharps '75. I've got another C. Sharps, a model '74, in .45-2.6 (aka .45-100) as well. I typically load my .45 Colts for my Peacemaker with black powder, finding it shoots as well or better than smokeless in that caliber.
I played with an original Highwall (flat spring, narrow side) in .40-70 Sharps Straight for a few years before trading it off to a shooting buddy. It had the typical oversize bore / undersize chamber combination so prevelant in that era, so all it would shoot were bore diameter, paper patch, pure lead bullets in fixed ammunition. It shot well when breech-seating groove diameter bullets, but that's not very practical in a hunting rifle. Too much work rolling those darn patches on or breech seating, so I gave it up. My buddy has since had the chamber opened up to allow chambering of groove diameter bullets in reworked .30-40 Krag brass, and it shoots quite well for him.