Funny how these things work sometimes.I was headed to the range today to sight in the house gun with it's new Streamlight tactical light and laser, and planned on writing up a bit to share the fun.And.... in an act of Karma, I get an email from Eric at AmmoMan about a big test they just finished regarding.... you guessed it..... tactical flashlights.Not exactly the same as the neato green laser ..read more

and what it does to the human eye.Have you ever squinted in order to see something better?   You have, and you know you did.  Why?  Because it works!   Squinting reshapes the eye, and it focuses differently.It's how most of us 'experienced' folks know it's time to get the eyes checked again.... sigh.Long ago, somebody figured out that a person looking through a very small hole saw things ..read more

When I bought the Uberti 1885 from a good friend, along with it came the box of cast bullets he'd been using in the rifle.  They are a brand I've seen at gun shows and in a few stores, but till now never used myself.Now, I'm going to use them up, there being about 200 of them, but I'm not looking for significantly exciting accuracy from them.  I'll post some pictures of the average bullets from ..read more

I ordered some cast bullets from Western Bullet Co.   They pulled the money from my bank account on 7-2.  Their auto-generated receipt leaves the shipping info blank.  An e-mail requesting likely shipping time has gone unanswered.We shall see if I tossed my money away, or if I'm just expecting too much in the way of customer service. Update: It's beginning to look like Western Bullet is pretty ..read more

The 1885 High Wall saga.... as the worm squirms.So far, I have tried cast lead bullets from 300 grains to 535 grains, with Red Dot, 3031, and Pyrodex RS.The 300 grain FPGC bullets were tried with all three powders.  The results were acceptable, but not stunning.405 grain FPBB bullets were tried with Red Dot and Pyrodex.  Okay, but nothing to get excited about.The 535 grain Postell bullets, till ..read more

  This morning, before the heat set in, I worked some 45-70 cases.  Most went into the polisher after being sized, but I saved 20 odds out for load development and 'sperimentin.Today I loaded 10 rounds with 40 grains of Pyrodex RS (By weight, as I don't own a volume measure yet) under a 530 grain Postell target bullet with SPG lube, with a 0.060" over-powder wad.This bullet did not stabilize when ..read more

In regards to the Uberti 1885 mentioned in the last post, it certainly is a lovely old rifle.  Old in design at least.  There is something soul stirring about a heavy single shot rifle with a long octagon barrel, chambered in a cartridge born in the dark days of Black Powder.Naturally, in the name of good stewardship, I spent some time cleaning and caring for the already near spotless rifle.  It ..read more

  In life I've tried to be a generous fellow, most times. That has led to a general patience with strays of all kinds, and making room for them to find home within my walls.Once again, it's happened.  This time an Uberti High Wall chambered in 45-70.  It's branded Stoeger, but in all other ways it's an Uberti right up to the box and it's number.  A 30" octagon barrel Hunter model, although the ..read more

Complacency kills... or at the least, can make for a bad day at the range.I, when possible, like to relax while I do the littlest chores. Sitting down while paying bills, or perhaps taking a break while the laundry runs.Reloading is no stranger to that, and most shell preparation is done while as relaxed as possible.  That means I'm carrying it to the deck on any nice day, and working on a table ..read more

In the gunshop, stepping up to the counter with a bore brush...."Find everything okay?" says the older clerk."Nope" says I."??" They look at me."I was hoping to find a good bore cleaner for copper, but all I saw on the shelf were 'all-in-one' sprays and such.   Did I miss something?"The clerk heads to the cleaning section, and picks up a little yellow can of bug spray.... I mean bore cleaner.  ..read more