Garrison Joe

Need a pic or an arsenal and model number to be sure of that being a rifle issued to some armed forces up through WW II, but most of the Swiss 7.5 rifles and carbines are correct for BAMM (or Doughboy). It needs to be unmodified from the configuration and sights it was issued with. If it works as usual, your rifle will like a cast bullet load that many others don't. Murphy at work. But some great cast bullet military cartridge powders for 1600 to 1800 FPS are Varget, Reloder 7, 5744, 4198, 2400, 4227. For lighter loads, then Unique and Red Dot and 231. Cast bullet at least 16 Brinell hardness, sized .309 ought to be just about perfect. I'd look for a 150 to 180 grain design that you like. So that 170 grain mold you already have would be first thing to try. good luck, GJ

The full rules handbook can be found at this link (on the SASS handbooks page): https://www.sassnet.com/Downloads/SASS%20WILD%20BUNCH%20Action%20Shooting%20Handbook%20Vers%2015%203.5.21.pdf I don't find either the full rules or the summary of changes on the Wild Bunch Rules forum yet, though. They will probably show up there fairly soon. A new version of the WB RO manual is here: https://www.sassnet.com/Downloads/WB%20RO_Manual%20-%2015%203.16.21.pdf And the WB match director's guide here: https://www.sassnet.com/Downloads/WB%20MD%20Handbook%20-%20Vers%2012%203.5.21.pdf good luck, GJ

Well, your rifle is probably a Swiss K31 straight pull bolt rifle then. Should look like the attached picture. 7.5×55mm Swiss is that gun's cartridge. It takes an odd size lead or jacketed bullet - nominally .306". A cast bullet sized to .307 or .308 usually works fine. Without too much worry, normal 30 caliber jacketed bullets will work safely. It's generally a VERY accurate piece, and uncommonly well taken care of. And was never dropped. Hard to get brass for it. And the stripper clips for rapid reloading are fragile, expensive and unique to that gun. Privi Partisan is making new ammo for it, and sometimes you can find Hornady rounds too.

After I had picked myself up off the ground from laughing so hard, I'd use the meta-rule - "Don't be a hard A$$" (Besides, a round needs to be FIRED to actually have a bullet go down range for shooter to own stage) good luck, GJ

My best loads for 6.5 Swede for BAMM rifle use the Lyman 266673 mold from which I drop a 16 Brinell hardness bullet at 150 grain weight. Then I water quench to about 27 Brinell hardness, lube with Xlox or Carnuba Red lubes. Most importantly, shoot for a muzzle velocity close to 1600 FPS. The Swede barrels have a VERY fast twist rate and don't shoot any cast bullet accurately MOST of the time at velocities higher than that. (Which is not the sweet spot for most other military surplus rifles. '03 Springfields tend to like 1800-1900 FPS in my experience) So, a real good load I use is 17 grains of Reloder 7 - shoots under 1.5" at 100 yards. But if you have some old (no longer made) IMR 4759, about 16.5 grains will usually shoot even tighter. Also, the Night Owl Enterprises 270-163 mold is another winner. I've gotten some loads using it's water-quenched bullets grouping 0.75" at 100 (iron sights). Again, right at about 1600 FPS. As for brass - a lot of mine is Lapua. Seems like I was getting most of that from Graf's on-line, but that was WELL before our current panic situation. It is VERY well made and makes accurate loads. For just "shooting" ammo, I was able to get a few hundred Privi Partisan FMJ rounds and fire to obtain "pretty good" brass. Hornady also has made runs of nice 6.5 Swede brass in the past. Today, Brass is where you find it, and since I haven't tried to find it for several years, my suggestions may be "dry holes" now. good luck, GJ

And most folks in the shooting industry believe it is recoil momentum, not recoil energy, that is what most folks feel. Since power factor is a momentum calculation (mass times velocity), and both weights of bullets can be loaded to the same power factor to meet rules, it makes sense to me that they have just about the same felt recoil. And that is what I feel when I shoot those loads side by side - just about the same recoil effects. (Yes, I have read the SAAMI definition of gun recoil ENERGY. They start out talking about momentum being what they are concerned with, and then shift the discussion to energy. Although their math works, I believe their shift in focus from momentum to free energy is just wrong). But, what should matter to YOU is what YOU experience with recoil. Try it out and see. I just have found myself that there is little difference with both bullet weights loaded to the same Power Factor. BTW - why would our WB rules establish that Power Factor was the correct way to set a minimum floor for making sure folks were not shooting powder-puff loads, and then some folks want to shift to energy to talk about recoil? good luck, GJ

You don't make it clear, but I assume you are talking about 250 grain bullets in a .45 Colt RIFLE load. That would be fine, and especially useful with a Marlin rifle with it's standard OVERSIZE chamber that is hard to seal up from the blow back of combustion gases. Where a 250 grain bullet usually CANNOT be made to work is in the .45 auto case for your pistol. If you seat most 250 grain bullets deep enough to meet the max OAL length for that cartridge, the base of the bullet swells the case enough to cause a bulge there, and some rounds will not chamber. Its in reference to PISTOL loads that you saw most of the comments about using a 230 grain bullet instead of a 200 grain bullet. There's so slight a difference there that I don't care, and I continue to shoot a 200 grain Truncated Cone slug (both in pistol and rifle). THAT really helps ME keep things simple. good luck, GJ

I'd give Johnny Meadows a call. He's very likely to have at least one in his inventory. There's another post with his phone number on the forum. email - johnnymeadows55 at-sign yahoo.com good luck, GJ

I have had serious repair work (including timing resetting, locking recess recutting) done by NuLine Guns in Missouri. They are also a GREAT source of new old stock M12 parts, since they bought a lot of Winchester parts stock decades ago. http://www.nulineguns.com/ You are a few years too late to have either Herb Orre or Stu Wright, both of whom worked in Pinckneyville, IL, work on your 12. I had Stu sleeve a badly bulged M12 chamber coming from a previous owner getting carried away with high pressure loads. Those two were Model 12 geniuses. But there is a younger guy now at Mann's Gunshop that I have heard does lots of Winchester shotgun work, by the name of Justin. 618-357-2911 If you just want your M12 slicked up, there are several SASS/WB gunsmiths who can do that. See other folks' posts. good luck, GJ

Although no one has posted round counts yet, typical "big match" WB round counts (average per stage) run about 35 pistol, 8 rifle and 7 shotgun per stage. Multiply by the 12 stages they expect to put up, and you can see the ammo needed for the WB match. Then take another 100-200 pistol, 100 rifle and 100-200 shotgun for spares and side matches (which have not been called out yet either), and you know how big the pack mule is going to have to be. Be SURE you have chronographed your loads and calculated power factors for ammo shot from your 1911 and rifle. Big matches always chrono a sample of shooters and their ammo. 160 PF is a good average power factor to "shoot" for. good luck, GJ

I use a 19# mainspring (rather than 17#), but really do like the 15# recoil spring. That is all that is needed if you only shoot WB level loads. If you would expect to shoot a lot of factory or hotter loads, then the factory standard 23 and 16 springs make sense. If you don't have a rounded-bottom-edge firing pin retainer, it makes a big difference in racking the slide to load a round. Firing pin and spring - I usually let go for 25,000 rounds. Extractor - when I no longer see fired brass piling up in my usual location about 6 feet from gun, and about 30-45 degrees back from the firing line. Or when I get 10% of case mouths dinged up. A "10-8 extractor test" or a "shake-the-slide-with-dummy-round-under-extractor test" gets performed periodically - maybe once a year. good luck, GJ

I replace those two springs at about 5,000 rounds. I often use Wilson springs, but Wolff are fine by me too. And when replacing the mainspring, I usually put in a new sear (three-fingered) spring. Flat springs are not long life springs. good luck, GJ

I've seen folks report that GD works fine at our "moderate" power factors. Lyman cast bullet loading data shows it to be very safe to run in .45 auto loading. It won't be as clean and accurate as WST when loading .45 auto. But it will function the 1911 just fine. BTW - If you are chasing a slightly slower burn rate powder to try to get less felt recoil in the 1911, that is a hard goal to achieve. Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook data for .45 auto calls for 4.8 grains Green Dot under a 225 grain cast bullet to make 725 FPS. That would be 163 Power Factor, if your pistol shoots like Lyman's test gun did. Or about 5.4 grains to make 750 FPS with a 200 grain cast bullet. As always, chronograph the loads in your gun to make sure you meet PF. good luck, GJ

OK, the weak extractor can be tightened with judicious bending. Look for the instructions to "tension a 1911 extractor" on the internet. It can be done with $200 tensioning tools, or with a padded vise, a small piece of tubing or pipe, and a few fittings back into the slide. Bend the front half so the hook moves toward the center line of the slide more. It won't take much deformation of the extractor. Even if you buy a new one, you should check the hook's geometry and the tension when installed in your slide. So it's worth knowing how to do extractor tensioning. (Or know where to find your gunsmith when you need it done in a hurry....) And, 1911 extractors will not tighten up with use. They get looser. (Unless there's crud jammed in the extractor bore of the slide) Good luck, GJ

Usually the way to fix ejection forward is to tune the extractor tension, then also tune the HOOK angles. Kuhnhausen's 1911 shop manual shows an excellent diagram and some explanation of how to to that, IIRC. I have used Bill Wilson's reference page to do this task, too. https://www.m1911.org/technic2.htm But before you get to filing on things, blacken up the slide's ejection port all around, and the bolt face, and the extractor hook. Fire a few rounds, and look for shiny brass marks on any part of slide, and see what part of the hook is getting marked by the rim during extraction. If the slide port is taking hits on the lower edge of port, the extractor hook needs beveling as shown in Wilson's diagram, on the lower half of the hook, so the top is pulling and the bottom is just guiding loaded rounds up out of magazine and under the hook. If the rearward edge of port is taking hits, the case is starting out coming to the rear but is bouncing off the slide. Check the tension on the extractor using the dummy-round-snapped-under extractor on a slide removed from the frame. Shake it - if the round pops loose, the extractor needs a little more tension. Too much tension, and round won't feed up out of magazine and under the hook. Low tension on extractor is a common cause of forward ejecting. And also check the ejector. Sometimes a longer 9mm type ejector has been installed - that does not always help with ejection. Use a .45 auto shape ejector. Again, see Kuhnhausen. If you find you can't get your Armscorp extractor to hold consistent tension, I would recommend a Wilson Bullet Proof extractor: https://shopwilsoncombat.com/Extractor-70-Series-45-ACP-Bullet-Proof-Blue/productinfo/415-70/ Finally, running the "10-8 extraction" test may help you understand some of the problem(s) coming during extraction/ejection, and will let you test that you got the problem eliminated. https://modernserviceweapons.com/?p=131 Good luck, GJ

Not really normal, but if you leave one laying in a magnetic parts dish or hanging off a magnetic screwdriver shaft, it might happen. Not a problem firing. The mainspring is MUCH stronger force than the magnetic attraction will ever be. I would wipe the FP off with a rag each time before reassembling it in slide, just in case it picked up a steel sliver while lying on your work bench. A degausser for magnetic tape will demagnetize that pin if you want to be sure. Look at a full stock high-end audio shop. Good luck, GJ

I round off the lower back corner of the firing pin retainer, or get a commercial retainer plate that is already fixed. Cuts more effort than you would think! Swap springs for a 19# main and a 15# recoil spring, and I find most ladies can handle the slide fine. Good luck, GJ

Mine too. Dovetail the slide. Good luck, GJ

And how would you get the bead up high enough to give you correct bullet impact on target? Use a conventional sight, or the sight recommended above with a bead insert. Then you have a rugged sight that withstands repeated draws from leather and gives you a precise sight picture. It is rare anymore that I even see a shotgun bead when I shoot my SGs. Too much clays shooting has shown me that I don't have to (and shouldn't, even) look at the barrel and bead. Good luck, GJ

And try Graf's and Powder Valley too. I have especially found Graf's able to keep many powders in stock during this whole virus-aster. Good luck, GJ

Cause rules are rules. ;) It's primarily to get folks to focus a little more during shotgun shooting, I believe. And to encourage loads above the wimpy-light SG loads used in Cowboy shooting - so something that is closer to factory loads. What the knockdown stands are sitting in really makes almost no difference in how hard it is to get a knockdown to fall. If you feel the targets are not properly calibrated to go down, take it up with the individual match director. After shooting major matches through the Southwest for 10+ years, I never have had a problem with a WB SG knockdown going down. Good luck, GJ

For shotgun and rifle reloads, I have been very well served by a Mernickel combination shell slide that has 4 SG and 5 rifle loops on it. That snaps right over my gun belt. Simple, simple, simple. If I feel a need to have more, I have a separate shotgun shell belt, AND of course I can stage SG rounds on stages that have horizontal surface props, too. Pistol reloads will ALWAYS be done in WB by pulling another magazine. Never by loading a loose round in the 1911. That's prohibited anyway. I'd suggest 6 total magazine holders on your gun belt. You can spread them around your waist now, but I still like all of mine on the off-side from the holster and 1911. 3 holders that have two mag pouches in each and that tuck together for minimal belt space are my favorite. Mernickel has some nice ones, for example. Your local matches may only have 21 or 28 round limited pistol count, but if you go to any major matches, you will find stages up to 42 pistol rounds! Good luck, GJ

Around here, our TOs are pretty consistently giving JUST 1 warning, and second is a SDQ MS. Anything less stringent than that becomes a "record keeping exercise" Good luck, GJ Fixed penalty severity

I would not shoot military bolt rifles at 25 yards. It completely takes out requirements to have knowledge of windage and trajectory. And safety aspects of a 1500+ FPS lead bullet (most with gas checks) at 25 yards on a STEEL target is a challenge. Shooting that close would have to be on paper, and that is not usually very interesting for most folks used to steel target shooting. I'd think with your range conditions (30 yards, no resetting or paper repair), I would not even consider it. And I am a BIG proponent of BAMM matches. But, I am a rifle shooter from way back and greatly enjoy the challenges that come about from moderate to longer ranges. Shooters that shoot short ranges like 30 yards will not learn much for their future performance at conventional BAMM matches. Even Appleseed matches shoot 50 and 100 yards, AFAIK. I have some about-life-size sparrow targets I cut from 3/8" mild steel. I have shot those at 25 yards offhand with bolt and semi-auto 22 LR. THAT is kinda fun. Good luck, GJ

Go to the main SASS Wire. Look up member "Roger Rapid" Or go to this link, which I got by doing exactly that: https://forums.sassnet.com/index.php?/profile/72108-roger-rapid/ Send him a Private Message. Wait for him to reply. (Don't believe he's registered on the WB forum, as his name does not show on a search in the Wild Bunch side) Good luck, GJ