Chris
Well-Known Member
Yeah, it could be that inside truck temps differ from outdoor ambient. I see your concern and share it, I'll find a way to normalize gun temps and verify that it is so by measurement. Seems like this is of utmost importance.
What do we know about shooting cast in extreme cold weather?
- Thread starter Chris
- Start date
Yeah, it could be that inside truck temps differ from outdoor ambient. I see your concern and share it, I'll find a way to normalize gun temps and verify that it is so by measurement. Seems like this is of utmost importance.
Eutectic
Active Member
Thinking more Brad..... I think the closer we can get the bore without any film (or very slight) when going into the minus world might be the ticket. (Like a jacketed bullet??) This is why I'm into eye droppers of Motul 2t to cut film.....
What we really need is a borescope hooked to a computer program than analyzes C.O.R.E. where it lives..... Guesswork is S L O W !! This sounds like an Ian job to me??
Pete
What we really need is a borescope hooked to a computer program than analyzes C.O.R.E. where it lives..... Guesswork is S L O W !! This sounds like an Ian job to me??
Pete
Eutectic
Active Member
There's an old saying: "If a little bit is good than more is even better!" Some carry this over into bullet lube.....
Most of us lube experimenters have found through tests that the minimum you can use is the best as C.O.R.E. will improve. You need enough to cover the basics; like leading. Like almost everything else, bitter cold seems to even want minimum more so..
So the best saying contrary to the above for our bullets might be like the old Brylcreem commercial of old... "Brylcreem..... A little dab will do yah! Use more only if you dare....
Pete
Most of us lube experimenters have found through tests that the minimum you can use is the best as C.O.R.E. will improve. You need enough to cover the basics; like leading. Like almost everything else, bitter cold seems to even want minimum more so..
So the best saying contrary to the above for our bullets might be like the old Brylcreem commercial of old... "Brylcreem..... A little dab will do yah! Use more only if you dare....
Pete
Ian
Notorious member
This is why the component selection and cooking method is so important. The heavy, straight mineral gear oil is something that is extracted from the microwax with great difficulty at the refinery, and the two seem to want to fit back together like two halves of a torn piece of paper. The gear oil is only a plasticizer for the hard, brittle, dry microcrystalline 180F wax. Further, the two are locked together with the ~25% by weight sodium stearate matrix that forms when the whole mess is heated past the melt point of the stearate and allowed to be still while it all cools and gels into a homogenous, tightly-bound, waxy grease. The end result? It behaves as the sum of its parts, not as any particular component, because each part is so locked-together with the rest. In this respect, the SL-68.1 is like a ternary bullet alloy, taking on new properties of it's own by virtue of the unique, inseparable combination of base ingredients.
Long chain carbon molecules all bound up . . . Pretty good description of me shooting in below zero temps.
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Consistency of residuals encountered
In short, what is left in the bore shot to shot. Is it consistent in amount and physical properties. Does it change over time. Does it change with temp. Does it change with number of shots fired.
Not easy to accomplish. But think of it, if each bullet finds a different bore condition do you think they all go into a single hole?
Temp is a huge factor.
In short, what is left in the bore shot to shot. Is it consistent in amount and physical properties. Does it change over time. Does it change with temp. Does it change with number of shots fired.
Not easy to accomplish. But think of it, if each bullet finds a different bore condition do you think they all go into a single hole?
Temp is a huge factor.
Chris
Well-Known Member
here's what I'm thinking for protocol:
Barrel cleaned with Ed's Red and patched dry
Barrel been patched with the lube which is subject of experiment. Fire a fouler the night before the test. This is an attempt toward consistent C.O.R.E. for first shot.
Rifles and ammo will be ambient temperature before shooting verified by thermometer.
Wait between shots until barrel is again verified to be ambient temp.
Shoot one shot at 5 targets with a backer target accumulating a group.
After last shot above is fired then slow fire a 5 shot group on a new target to compare point of impact and group size with above.
Rifles are Ruger .358 Win and 3589 bullet, Marlin 1895 .45/70 with LBT 405 grain. I have shot thousands of cast in these rifles and know how they shoot.
Suggestions for improvement, critiques are welcome. Don't want the results thrown out because some distrust the protocol.
Barrel cleaned with Ed's Red and patched dry
Barrel been patched with the lube which is subject of experiment. Fire a fouler the night before the test. This is an attempt toward consistent C.O.R.E. for first shot.
Rifles and ammo will be ambient temperature before shooting verified by thermometer.
Wait between shots until barrel is again verified to be ambient temp.
Shoot one shot at 5 targets with a backer target accumulating a group.
After last shot above is fired then slow fire a 5 shot group on a new target to compare point of impact and group size with above.
Rifles are Ruger .358 Win and 3589 bullet, Marlin 1895 .45/70 with LBT 405 grain. I have shot thousands of cast in these rifles and know how they shoot.
Suggestions for improvement, critiques are welcome. Don't want the results thrown out because some distrust the protocol.
Go,with the 358. I find that the smaller in diameter and lighter a bullet is the more it is affected by changes in CORE.
My Marlin 32-20 shows cold barrel flyers with CR at 45° or so. My Marlin 45-70 show no cold barrel flyers with the same lube at 10°. I think the heavier bullet can run over bore residue and be less affected by it than a lighter bullet.
My Marlin 32-20 shows cold barrel flyers with CR at 45° or so. My Marlin 45-70 show no cold barrel flyers with the same lube at 10°. I think the heavier bullet can run over bore residue and be less affected by it than a lighter bullet.
Bret4207
At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
My shooting at sub zero temps usually is at varmints, either coyotes or porkies. Cast on coyotes has involved chance shots with an FR8 in 308, a 44 Special or, believe it or not, a 380 auto pistol. Pretty sure the 308 was using 2400, the 44 Unique and the 380 I can't recall. Standard primers in all. The 308, for the most part, seemed to do fine. My shooting...eh, not so much. Suckers are hard to hit on the run, especially when you're bundled up and have to get the tractor stopped. Never had ignition problems or any fails in the lube area. Porkies I've used everything from a 32S+W to a 45-70. Again, no failures of the powder to ignite with standard primers that couldn't be traced to slowed FP fall. Powders tend to be faster pistol/shotgun numbers like Red Dot, Unique, 2400. No lube probs, but it's only a couple shots at most. Probably the coldest was down in the -25F or a bit lower region. Just haven't done enough, maybe 25-30 times, to see any patterns on group change or anything. And with my so called eyes these days, not much chance I could shoot well enough to tell anyway.
Chris
Well-Known Member
Hey Bret, I remember you emptying your service pistol at a coyote running at 100 yards up at the Club after dark. Remember that? You knocked him down and got some hair. That was fine shooting as he was doing 60.
Chris
Well-Known Member
Well I am still waiting for solid below zero weather and we aren't getting it in northern NY. When it comes, I am ready to go with a .358 Win, 3589 bullets, and a bunch of donated lubes. Thanks to JohnB, Barn, Yodogsandman for your lube contributions. very generous of you. Will publish results here.
