Garrison Joe

A well running pump will spit light shells OR heavy shells out of the magazine onto the carrier. A weak mag spring would be the first thing to check. Next thing to check is dirty or worn shell stops. It's almost certainly not the ammo causing failure to remove shells from the magazine easily. Try factory loads as a test if you need to convince yourself. If they also hang up, then that proves it is the gun or short-stroking while running the action. good luck, GJ

The Wild Bunch pump guns (models 12, 1897) are not very picky about the 12 gauge loads you can feed them. Like most pump guns, keep the mouth edge rolled over with a little taper and avoid a nailhead or bulge in the hull mouth that is larger than the normal hull diameter, so the rounds enter chamber easily. A good shell checker gauge that you can drop your loads into to check the mouth and brass (aka, head cover) diameter is really valuable. Several are around the market. Boggus has made one that works fine. Load to a performance level that is comfortable for you to shoot. Lots of folks like 7/8 ounce of shot at 850-900 FPS. A little more for my needs - 1 ounce at 1050 FPS or so. There aren't really any "magic" components that make a magic load. Many powders, many wads, almost any primer will make a gallery type shotgun load that works in a pump gun. If it feeds and fires 100%, it's golden for Wild Bunch. good luck, GJ

Well, no guarantees that anybody's statement in 2019 about pricing is going to be good in 2024. If I could have guessed our current economic outcome in 2019, I would have bought a warehouse and bought TONS of American powders then, and might be replacing them with TONS of VV powders now. (GMAB) In 2019, we mostly had confidence that the American powder manufacturers understood their business and the world economy well enough to keep reloaders supplied with components at reasonable prices. We know that they got BADLY fooled by events and turns of the industry, largely, and have passed on the pain to us. 🙄 GJ

Best (most extensive) source for cast bullet loads - the Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook, 4th Edition: https://www.lymanproducts.com/brands/lyman/publications/cast-bullet-handbook-4th-edition (May be a few bucks cheaper at Amazon or sometimes found used in book stores online) Also lots of load data at the Cast Boolits forum (yeah, they use that exact spelling of their name), look at one of the subforums called either CB Loads/Military Rifles or CB Loads, Your Favorite Cartridge. https://castboolits.gunloads.com/forum.php Also the Artful Bullet: https://www.artfulbullet.com/index.php#discussions.12 Powder...... The very best (finest accuracy at 300 yards) that I have EVER used for .30-06 cast bullet rifle loads is IMR SR 4759. They quit making it 15 years ago. Sadly. If you find it at garage sales, snap it up. Close to that accuracy - Accurate 5744. Followed by IMR 3031, Reloder 7, IMR 4227, IMR 4198 and bunches of others. For most BAMM shooting, folks often find matches being shot at 50 or 100 yards, due to lack of range real estate at many cowboy clubs. For that kind of shooting, one can drop down to "gallery" loads like the C E Harris load which is famous for 100 to 200 yard shooting - 16 grains of 2400 in just about any bottleneck military cartridge case of WW I or WW II, bullets ranging from 150 to 200 grains. https://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?13425-Cast-Bullet-Loads-for-Military-Rifles-Article Each gun is a project unto itself. A load that may be fantastic in one of my guns may be a stinker in yours. Keep trying. good luck, GJ

Yes, I cast just about everything I shoot. For a .30-06 rifle, usually have good luck with 185 to 200 grain bullet, gas checked, and cast pretty hard (20 BNH), lubed with conventional Alox type lube, sized to 0.311 for a good barrel, and powder to make about 1600-1800 FPS. Usually it's easy to load for 3" groups at 100 yards. And most rifles with sufficient load tuning can get to 1.5" groups. It often takes 3 months of range work to satisfy me that I have wrung out a load for best accuracy. Have fun! GJ

One can't unless bending parts is in the plan. The reply was written without actually measuring a gun I had worked over. I have now measured my standard match gun and there's a gap of 0.140" between hammer and grip safety at full slide travel. THAT clearance is enough for my average size hand to avoid web pinching when firing. I do know the fellow who tuned this gun and relieved the fit on the hammer spur - I see him every morning. good luck, GJ

IIRC, Ejection port had to be covered by holster leather early in the history of SASS WB rules. That was relaxed several years ago. Perhaps that is where the confusion came from - folks not keeping up with the WB rules changes.. good luck, GJ

Be careful - you'll shoot yourself. 😉

Sounds like a 7 3/8" hat size (23.25 / PI) to me. Moderately large, not huge. But a picture of the (inside) showing the hat band and brand and grade of material of the body would help, too. Hope this will help it sell - it's a good price good luck, GJ

If the match knows what they are doing, it's out of the shooter's gun. Although testing power factor has been somewhat ignored in last couple of years. And the technique to check power factor has loose rules which individual directors can adapt to their conditions. With all that uncertainty, if you are concerned about never being DQ'd, then you want to stay up around 165 PF with the 1911 ammo. As Boggus wrote above. And the more likely it is you would be "on the podium" at the end, the more likely your ammo gets tested. At least that was the past experience. good luck, GJ PS - I have experienced a few matches that test ammo with a common "range" gun, then if there is a failed result with that, they look up the shooter to obtain the gun that will be/has been used in the match. Matches that do that will usually collect an extra 5 rounds beyond what the test with the range gun requires, so as to prevent a "questionable" shooter from substituting stronger ammo. And the very best match officials will arrive unannounced during the match, go to the shooter who will be tested, and ask for a sample of ammo right then. Or, a little disruptive, I've heard of ammo being collected from the shooter AT THE LOADING TABLE (from magazines on the shooter's belt even). That seems a little intrusive for my tastes.

Lyman cast bullet handbook shows almost exactly the same weights of WST or Titegroup make the same velocities with a 230 grain slug. The maximum pressure listed in handbook with TG is higher than maximum for WST, as are velocities. So that establishes a safety margin A 4.2 grain WST load with the 230 grain cast bullet is a favorite (even a standard) of many WB shooters, and it's what I load for knockdown targets. So, a great place to start would be 4.2 grains of TiteGroup and that 230 grain slug loaded to put the lowest part of the nose (where it tapers out to the full bullet shank diameter) right at the mouth of the case. Then you can chrono that and probably find that to make about 710 FPS. You can step up slightly from there if desired. Each 1911 I've ever loaded for shoots a different velocity with any given load, so running bullets over a chronograph or LabRadar is recommended. good luck, GJ

Good chance that those Garand clips are still usable - might be real US surplus from Korea. Inside the circle are ID letters - if you can read them it will help with valuation. Maybe $1-2 a piece. Can be cleaned up some in a brass tumbler. But no BAMM rifle uses those clips. Need 5 round straight charging clips for Springfield 1903 or 03As or Mausers. The brass looks well aged - meaning not worth much; maybe 10 cents unless you have a real rare military case. The one headstamp is roughly 1960s commercial Remington case. The headstamps with 2 digits are US military surplus. Add 1900 to the digits and you have the manufacture date of the brass. good luck, GJ

Thinning the back side of the hammer spur so that at full recoil of the slide it only comes to within 1/2" of touching the grip safety usually eliminates most of that problem. As well, some metal can be shaved off the top surface of the grip safety itself, right at the contact point. Combine that with the aforementioned flat mainspring housing, and that is what works for me. Looking for a "traditional" grip safety that will protect your web of hand is like looking for a "steam bucket." The reason that beavertail safeties are so long/large is they try to do that protection job solely by shielding the hammer. That is fixing the symptom, not the cause. good luck, GJ

Holsters are no where near as critical to success in WB as they are in Cowboy, because only one draw occurs and most importantly, that handgun never gets reholstered on the clock. So, if a holster holds the gun presented for as fast a draw as you are capable of, and you can run and bend over to touch your knees with the gun holstered but not strapped in, it should not matter how much it costs. Avoid retention straps that sometimes get in your way or take ANY time to undo. I like just the fit of the holster to do the retention. That said, I use and love Mernickle rigs. GJ PS Actually, the quality and ease of use of the mag holders are much more important than the holster design, as a shooter uses them 3 - 5 times every stage.

SR1911 - Same lubing as any 1911. Grease on the slide rails, barrel locking lugs, barrel bushing inside and out. Oil on the tip of disconnector - 1 drop. Most other parts on the 1911 only need to be clean to work, as the design and fit is so good that no lubing is needed. And, I can't shoot a 1911 with it oozing oil out of all the openings - gun gets slippery (one handed). Cast bullets deposit lots more fouling, grease, lead fragments into a semi-auto. Cleaning is vital, lubing is optional. If a part/joint slides and is open enough to apply it - use grease. If things turn at 300+ RPM (hah) or you can't get to the part needing lube, then oil it. If the gun "needs to be run wet" you have poor or tight fitting parts. Parts showing the finish worn off - are places needing a little lube. GJ Oh, and if you are shooting below 0 F - stay home unless it's your own home under attack. Serious cold weather needs a switch to very light grease or one that stays Mobil when cold. I love Battle Born synthetic grease - probably about the equivalent of Slide Glide.

Reports on Tisas are pretty good, usually. I'd rather see them try to get Colt back on track making them, though, rather then sending 3/4 of the price back to Turkeye folks. Overseas production does not help America. We need to be able to make arms in the US. "Important messages from 1917 and 1939". good luck, GJ

In Feb 1 revision of the Wild Bunch rules, an aluminum frame that is full size (5" barrel, single-stack and standard grip size) is now allowed (in writing) in both the Modern and Traditional gun categories. Maximum weights with an empty magazine inserted for Trad is still 40 ounces and for Modern, 42 ounces. good luck, GJ

Most likely a few grains of powder that did not burn in barrel. 4.0 grains with a 230 is pretty light, and WST is a medium speed pistol powder, so I would expect he was not getting 100% burn in the barrel. Just much easier to see in dim light. Usually the load is 4.2 grains with a 230 for WB. If you really want to check, throw an old sheet on the ground, stand or kneel at the edge of that, shoot over the sheet. Unburned grains may collect on the sheet. good luck, GJ

There never WAS a minimum weight requirement, AFAIK. Only maximum weight limits. As stated before, and repeated for emphasis, if the rules are changing to allow alloy frame guns, they need to say that clearly, and eliminate arguments. GJ

Look on the schedule for the "Territorial Governors Meeting" late Thursday. As Trigger Happy explained here, the WB TG meeting and the Cowboy TG meeting is the same joint meeting. I'd expect some consternation with each group having to consider ("sit still for") the other group's agenda points. good luck, GJ

Download your copy of the 2024 rule book from: https://sassnet.com/the-shooting/cowboy-action-shooting/handbooks-rules From a quick scan, I see no mention of aluminum, light weight, alloy frames, and whether they are permitted or not and under what category they can participate. MY GUESS - alloy frames are not yet permitted. If they were permitted for Modern, then they would probably be mentioned in the Traditional section as to whether they are also allowed in Traditional or not. Since there are no rules covering light alloy frames and if they are allowed for any category of guns (including the open category), I would guess they are (still) not legal. Now, if someone believes that the new rules allow light alloy frames, I'd suggest the rule book be modified in a very timely manner to call that out clearly, since this mandate is underlined and all caps on page 35 of the rule book: good luck, GJ

Be careful trusting 3.9 grains WST to make a reliable 160 power factor (comfortably above the 150 minimum power factor). Check with a chronograph. And check reliable function with the spring set that is in your 1911. I use 4.2 grains WST when I shoot a 225 or 230 grain bullet. But, the small pistol primer does not cause the owner any functional problems, as long as your slide and barrel combination let the firing pin hit close enough to center to ignite the primer. It can cause quite a bit of cussing when a fellow shooter gets back some of your empty brass, though, and they don't happen to put an eyeball on the fired primer before trying to deprime and seat a primer. Large PISTOL primers are back to being available now (if that is the only reason you would go to a small primer). Now, large RIFLE primers are a whole different story. I've got such a stock of .45 auto cases from the last 20 years, I'll never use small primer brass. Besides, I find it perturbing that ammo makers cannot live with the large pistol primer standard that SAAMI set. good luck, GJ

Loads look PERRRRRFECT. Should shoot that well, too. GJ

Oh, and if you are shooting a SemiWadcutter design slug, then the right spot to seat it is still where the "rebate" of the nose makes it's 90 degree shoulder. Get all the fat shank in the case, and VERY little above the crimp.....maybe 5 to 10 thousandths of an inch max. Although I have shot a lot of 200 grain semiwadcutters in Wild Bunch quite successfully, that is with a target-tuned feed ramp and chamber. A lot of guns are not properly throated to feed the semiwadcutter design and it's usual short OAL well. So, I don't recommend folks use a SWC bullet for Wild Bunch. good luck, GJ

There are different recommendations for OAL in the .45 auto, because there are BUNCHES of different mold designs. The designs with a longer ogive have a skinny nose, and can be seated farther out. Short, blunt, fat noses will start sticking in the very short throat of factory and similar short-throated 1911 barrels if you load them to a long OAL length. OAL "requirements" for the .45 auto cartridge are the place where OAL becomes kinda stupid and just about useless. IGNORE OAL when loading, because you are not going to be loading Wild Bunch ammo up at MAXIMUM LOAD pressures, where the amount of bullet that is pushed into the case walls matters. If it really matters in these loads, they would tell you exactly what bullet mold design they were using. What you NEED to do, is make sure ALL the cylindrical section of the bullet is inside the case. Just the nose part sticks out. Nose being any part of the curve or conical part (for a truncated cone) at the front of the bullet. So, you look at your bullet, and find where the cylinder shape of the bands on the bullet shank "turns the corner" and becomes the curved part (or conical part) of the nose. Mark that spot with a knife cut or a Sharpie. Then set your seater die to put that mark just even with the case mouth. This puts the cylinder (shank) of the bullet in the case and the nose outside the case. No one knows WHICH of the various molds for 230 grain round nose that Hornady technicians selected to load and run the pressure tests on. So their "exactly 1.200 inches" OAL label on the load is what THEIR bullet probably needed. But won't be what you need. You found by trial that 1.260" OAL would stick the nose of YOUR slug into the rifling of YOUR barrel. And 1.250" would not. Which means you are not making much of a jump at all with the bullet - maximum jump gap would be 1.260 - 1.250 or 10 thousandths. That is nothing. Even if you had a gap to jump of 50 thousandths, it would not make a lot of difference with a pistol bullet. The techs are mostly trying to prevent folks from seating a bullet so far into the case that it raises pressures due to smaller volume for combustion at "bullet start". The deeper the bullet is seated in the case, the more combustion space the bullet takes up, leaving less space for combustion. IF they were trying to give you an OAL for best possible accuracy, they would be putting the bullet nose out closer to the rifling, which for your bullet might be 1.255" Your 1.250" is just about perfect for best accuracy, and not so long that you stick a bullet solidly enough into the rifling to have the problems of too long a load: * provide too much resistance to getting the bullet started down the barrel, raising chamber pressure wildly, or * stripping the bullet out of the case if you have to open the slide with a live round (which leaves a slug stuck in the barrel), or * if really long, then slide fails to go into battery because the bullet has hit the rifling and the case does not get 100% of the way into the chamber (the firing pin won't fall). So, to review, the recommended OAL in .45 auto loading data FOR CAST BULLETS is usually wrong because you don't have the same bullet that the techs used. The important part is to load so the curved nose section of the slug is all that is forward of the case mouth Crimp is just a taper that straightens out the expansion bell you put on to make bullet seating easy, and to return the OD of the loaded round at the mouth to about 0.471 or 0.472" And, make sure your OAL is short enough to let you shuck out an unfired round without having the bullet stick in chamber or refuse to come out the ejection port. For comparison, I shoot a truncated cone bullet, which has a longer nose compared to the typical Round Nose of a lot of .45 auto case bullets. My OAL is 1.180". Bullet still feeds fine, I don't get higher pressures than the loading books show, I have no failures to go to battery or stuck bullets when ejecting a live round. Both my loads and your loads need to share only one "measurement" - that the case mouth gets put where the cylinder of the bullet shank starts to curve at the beginning of the nose. Those OALs are vastly different. Both are safe and effective because they keep the fattest diameter of the slug back behind where the rifling starts. good luck, GJ