Just when ya think?

Quite the Thread Title huh? It’s SPOT On in this Case. I took the New Hawken “Silver Elite” out this morning with some Bullets i intentionally Cast Harder for this Green Mountain Stainless Barrel, i was CONFIDENT it would Shoot them the Best of Anything i had? I also brought along a Group of 4 of Ed’s Lyman Gould Bullets, Knowing Ed Casts of PURE LEAD, I wanted to Show that This Stainless GM LRH Barrel would Shoot the Harder Bullet the Best, I really didn’t expect this Rifle to Shoot the SOFT Lead Gould Bullet Very well at all? I would have placed a LARGE BET on it! Boy am i glad i didn’t have a Bet made! I would have been Paying up!! This morning did NOT go the way I expected it would

I wasn’t even gonna do the Video, But I Thought what the Heck? I do these Accuracy Videos as much for my Own Records, i Enjoy being able to go back and actually See what happened? And this was a GOOD ONE, You can hear how Confident i am in the Start of the Video on the Harder Bullet being the Best performer, So I thought anyway? And here is where this Thread Title Comes in, JUST WHEN I THINK I REALLY HAVE THIS STUFF FIGURED OUT? Something like this happens and PROVES ME COMPLETELY WRONG in all honesty, this is what DRIVES me in this Stuff, If every outing were PERFECT, it wouldn’t be Fun to me, This Stuff keeps me on my Toes



I shot at the Same place I’ve been Shooting all Winter, the ONLY place i can get right now

Results from My Accurate Molds #46-380M Bullet Hardened to 9-9.5 BHN, it Sure didn’t shoot well here? TOTALLY Fooled me!



And here are the Results from Ed’s Lyman Gould Hollow Point, Cast of PURE LEAD

Do you think that the cold outside temps had anything to do with it? Unless it wasn't cold there today.

Harleysboss said:

Do you think that the cold outside temps had anything to do with it? Unless it wasn't cold there today.

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It was Cold, And a Bit of Wind Coming and Going, it was a miserable morning Here!! After shooting the 1st Group (my hardened bullet) I almost packed up and went Home due to being Miserable Cold! I really figured i had a Bedding issue going on? But I talked myself in to Shooting the PURE Lead Lyman Gould Bullets just to See what would happen? I AM SURE GLAD I DID THAT!! I really didn’t think they would Shoot well at all out of this Stainless Barrel? My past experience, and Idahoron’s have Shown that these Stainless Barrels are NOT Lovers of PURE, Soft Lead. But this Barrel CAME ALIVE With it??? I just got done Casting up some of my #46-380M of Certified PURE Lead, They will be my Next Test It will be interesting to see if they Shoot Better, or Worse? Maybe this Particular Barrel Don’t like this Bullet? I highly doubt that’s the Case? But I’ve been Wrong before, Like this morning

Do you think they were a little hard to obturate and catch the rifling good? I didn’t watch the video yet cause the boss is almost asleep, so I don’t know how you sized them yet. I would assume the same as always, just kissing the lands.

sdporter said:

Do you think they were a little hard to obturate and catch the rifling good? I didn’t watch the video yet cause the boss is almost asleep, so I don’t know how you sized them yet. I would assume the same as always, just kissing the lands.

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You brought up a Good point, and one i was gonna touch on above in my Response to Harleysboss. I have a Bunch of Lee Push Through Sizers, In other words i can only get so Close.

I had these Bullets Sized to .449, this Bore is like 450.5, It feels about identical to my Rice. The .449s Go Down with No help, If there is any Excess Grease that will be all that Slightly Holds/Clings to the Bore. I do this Same thing every outing in my Rice 1:20 Twist with STELLAR Results. But Truth is i would be MUCH better with an Adjustable Swinglock Type Sizer, Where i could Get the Bullet to Just “Kiss” the Lands on the Way Down. This Way the Bullet is in FULL Contact with the Lands/Rifling, Instead of Having to “BUMP UP” and Grab.

So most Definitely this could have Been what happened? The next best thing i could do to Test that is to Go up to .451, 451.5 Where the Bullet is engaged, and i have to Push them Down

Sideshow, isn’t it like 2:00 a.m. where you are? What the heck are you still doing awake? Another crazy insomniac

Idaholewis said:

You brought up a Good point, and one i was gonna touch on above in my Response to Harleysboss. I have a Bunch of Lee Push Through Sizers, In other words i can only get so Close.

I had these Bullets Sized to .449, this Bore is like 450.5, It feels about identical to my Rice. The .449s Go Down with No help, If there is any Excess Grease that will be all that Slightly Holds/Clings to the Bore. I do this Same thing every outing in my Rice 1:20 Twist with STELLAR Results. But Truth is i would be MUCH better with an Adjustable Swinglock Type Sizer, Where i could Get the Bullet to Just “Kiss” the Lands on the Way Down. This Way the Bullet is in FULL Contact with the Lands/Rifling, Instead of Having to “BUMP UP” and Grab.

So most Definitely this could have Been what happened? The next best thing i could do to Test that is to Go up to .451, 451.5 Where the Bullet is engaged, and i have to Push them Down

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Lewis if i may suggest -- knurl them . I have Great luck with that . Bullet stays on the powder too !!!
I made a knurling tool from a picture of one i saw on Doug's Message Boards . Really simple to do and i bet i dont have $50 in it !!! Bought a knurler for lathes from ebay , couple pieces of angle iron i had for the frame work , nuts and bolts and washers , a few springs , etc and im in bussiness !!! Using files sucks -- make you one !!! Best investment of time and a little bit of money ive done for a mz , its priceless !!! Sure beats around 400 bucks for a Corbin !!! I made a adjustable "platform" so i can raise and lower the bullet too . Works good . Different springs vary the tension on the bullet , whether lead or jacketed . More ways than 1 to skin a cat !!! Lol !!!
If i knew how id drag that pic over here or post a pic of mine . I keep forgeting how to do it , silly Sideshow !!! No computer whiz here !!! Its Really Simple to make !!!

sdporter said:

Sideshow, isn’t it like 2:00 a.m. where you are? What the heck are you still doing awake? Another crazy insomniac

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1:22 am . Yea my hip is keepin me up . Cant stay layin down.....

Sideshow said:

1:22 am . Yea my hip is keepin me up . Cant stay layin down.....

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Oh, I hate that. “Nervous legs” as the boss calls it. Such a great time gettin old.

sdporter said:

Oh, I hate that. “Nervous legs” as the boss calls it. Such a great time gettin old.

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It sure aint for sissies !!! Lol !!!

BINGO!! Soft lead it is for this TC Hawken “Elite” Stainless Green Mountain LRH .45 Cal Barrel

I couldn’t resist running back out and Testing my Bullet Again, After Seeing the SOFT LEAD Lyman Gould Shoot so Well Yesterday, i was Confident my Bullet would Shoot Good as well, But it needed to be Soft Lead (At least When sized just under Bore like i am here) I Cast these of Certified PURE LEAD From BACO, They are SOFT

My Rifle, and Target (Same Place)


Accurate Molds #46-380M bullets cast of Certified PURE LEAD, Sized to .449, Lubed with my Rendered Bear Fat/Lanolin/Beeswax Lube, And Home punched 1/8” Wool Felt Wads from Bulk material i got from Durofelt, Hammer Struck .45 Rifle Wad Punch from BACO


85 Weight Grains of Swiss 1.5, This is some Good powder


The Score, There are 4 Shots there. This Stainless Barrel is a PURE LEAD Loving Machine

A good first outing with this Swiss 1.5

Here is a Close Up look at the Swiss 1.5F Compared to my “Trusty” Swiss 2F

Swiss 1.5 on Left (Much courser) and Swiss 2F on the Right

Idaholewis said:

BINGO!! Soft lead it is for this TC Hawken “Elite” Stainless Green Mountain LRH .45 Cal Barrel

I couldn’t resist running back out and Testing my Bullet Again, After Seeing the SOFT LEAD Lyman Gould Shoot so Well Yesterday, i was Confident my Bullet would Shoot Good as well, But it needed to be Soft Lead (At least When sized just under Bore like i am here) I Cast these of Certified PURE LEAD From BACO, They are SOFT

My Rifle, and Target (Same Place)

Accurate Molds #46-380M bullets cast of Certified PURE LEAD, Sized to .449, Lubed with my Rendered Bear Fat/Lanolin/Beeswax Lube, And Home punched 1/8” Wool Felt Wads from Bulk material i got from Durofelt, Hammer Struck .45 Rifle Wad Punch from BACO

85 Weight Grains of Swiss 1.5, This is some Good powder

The Score, There are 4 Shots there. This Stainless Barrel is a PURE LEAD Loving Machine

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Lewis thats Wonderfull !!! That pretty lady is a Shooter !!! On a brand new barrel its delivering the goods like mammy !!! You havent even tweetered Nothin yet !!! WOW !!!! Congrats my Friend !!!

Now we're talking!! Very Nice grouping. Ed...Lewis maybe back on top for bestest caster

Sideshow said:

Lewis thats Wonderfull !!! That pretty lady is a Shooter !!! On a brand new barrel its delivering the goods like mammy !!! You havent even tweetered Nothin yet !!! WOW !!!! Congrats my Friend !!!

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She comes ALIVE with SOFT LEAD that’s for sure

Now i need to Size the harder Bullets Closer to my Lands, JUST to see if that is why they Wouldn’t Shoot Yesterday? Not that it matters? Me being me, i wanna try and figure it out? I believe that harder Bullet being Slightly Under Bore didn’t Take well to The “Bump up” When the powder Goes off, What else can it be? I guess it’s possible that this Particular Stainless Barrel doesn’t like a Harder Bullet? But like i said, That goes AGAINST everything i learned with previous Stainless GM LRH Barrel, and What Idahoron found. It’s an odd deal that’s for Sure

Here is how my Old Stainless 50 GM LRH would Shoot Pure Soft Lead


And another, It simply would NOT shoot Soft Lead


And here is what that SAME Stainless Barrel would do with a Bullet that Had a little bit of Hardness to it. It would COME ALIVE! I had a LOVE/HATE Relationship with this Barrel.

Idaholewis said:

She comes ALIVE with SOFT LEAD that’s for sure

Now i need to Size the harder Bullets Closer to my Lands, JUST to see if that is why they Wouldn’t Shoot Yesterday? Not that it matters? Me being me, i wanna try and figure it out? I believe that harder Bullet being Slightly Under Bore didn’t Take well to The “Bump up” When the powder Goes off, What else can it be? I guess it’s possible that this Particular Stainless Barrel doesn’t like a Harder Bullet? But like i said, That goes AGAINST everything i learned with previous Stainless GM LRH Barrel, and What Idahoron found. It’s an odd deal that’s for Sure

Here is how my Old Stainless 50 GM LRH would Shoot Pure Soft Lead

And another, It simply would NOT shoot Soft Lead

And here is what that SAME Stainless Barrel would do with a Bullet that Had a little bit of Hardness to it. It would COME ALIVE! I had a LOVE/HATE Relationship with this Barrel.

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Love , hate i can see that !!! Funny how some barrels get all particular and moody . Geez its about enough to make a guy pull his hair out sometimes !!!! So far this barrel shows some Real Promise . Beautiful !!!

Don’t ever think that I haven’t had my Share of BAD outings, Believe me i have!! I have driven home Scratching my Head MANY of times! It was a learning process, I was trying LOTS of New things back when i Started

Check this out. I literally missed this ENTIRE 3X3 Foot Square Target 3 Days in a Row with the Cold Clean Bore Shot, and this was at 50 Yards, i could NOT get my 1st bullet to Touch this ENTIRE Target??? This is Stil a Mystery to me? But it’s a FACT! This would happen ONLY After a Steam Cleaning Through the Nipple Hole, And ONLY with “Slip Fit” Paper Patch Bullets. I NEVER did know where the 1st Shots went? Being Dry, and By myself I couldn’t tell where the Bullets had hit? After the Cold Clean Bore AWOL Shot, The rest would Fly RIGHT ON WHERE THEY WERE SUPPOSE TO, Go figure that on out?

Harleysboss said:

Now we're talking!! Very Nice grouping. Ed...Lewis maybe back on top for bestest caster

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Thats ok , Ed makes Wonderfull soup........

Idaholewis said:

Don’t ever think that I haven’t had my Share of BAD outings, Believe me i have!! I have driven home Scratching my Head MANY of times! It was a learning process, I was trying LOTS of New things back when i Started

Check this out. I literally missed this ENTIRE 3X3 Foot Square Target 3 Days in a Row with the Cold Clean Bore Shot, and this was at 50 Yards, i could NOT get my 1st bullet to Touch this ENTIRE Target??? This is Stil a Mystery to me? But it’s a FACT! This would happen ONLY After a Steam Cleaning Through the Nipple Hole, And ONLY with “Slip Fit” Paper Patch Bullets. I NEVER did know where the 1st Shots went? Being Dry, and By myself I couldn’t tell where the Bullets had hit? After the Cold Clean Bore AWOL Shot, The rest would Fly RIGHT ON WHERE THEY WERE SUPPOSE TO, Go figure that on out?

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Oooh boy.........that'll make ya talk to yerself alright.......i dunno !!! Lol !!! Lordy how ya supposed to hunt with THAT ?????

I have DEFINITELY Put my Time in There isn’t much I haven’t seen

Here is another 1 to try, Try a Hard (9-9.5 BHN) Paper Patch Bullet in a 1:48 Twist Stock Renegade, We stil have No idea where those hit? The only shot i seen, dug a Hole in the Ground several feet in front of my Target, Bounced up and Busted my Wood Target Frame, The Other 3 Or So Shots WHO KNOWS where they went? I’m not sure it was Safe BEHIND the Gun

And another. Try a Hard Card Wad like a Nitro Card in a TC Hawken Or Renegade with a QLA Muzzle, Here is another WATCH OUT Scenario! They literally Fly ALL OVER the Mountain Side