I was talking to Del Ramsey this morning about the possibility of MMP creating a 45 cal. sub-base to go along with the 50 cal. base they already offer. For those that do not know Del, is a big time 45 cal. shooter and long ago discovered the advantageous of the 45 cal. ML.
I have been using the 50 cal. sub-base for years now shooting full bore lead, brass, and copper bullets from my rifles. I received this picture from a friend of mine, a Washington hunter, that I showed the use of the sub-bridge as a wad for full bore bullets. He hunts across the border here into Idaho. He sent this picture of a Bull Shop .503x400 LGP lead bullet that he recovered after after a recent elk hunting trip here in Idaho. The bullet was shot with a the MMP sub-bridge as the the wad on top of 90 grains of T7. To me the picture is really interesting as it shows the impression of the sub-base in the bottom of the bullet. The obturation impression is really unigue.
One of the purposes of the conversation was to discuss with Del the possibility of creating a 45 cal. HPH sub base. Many of us have operated on 45 cal. sabots removing the petals to create a 45 cal. sub-base. Ron's and
michiganmuzzy jigs to make the sub-bases are really helpful thoughts. I feel
michiganmuzzy jig is really a step forward in this process by creating multiple wads in one cutting.
Back to my discussion with Del, when I asked about him creating a 45 cal. sub-base he really was interested but it all comes down to 'investment'. He estimates the tooling for such a base would be expensive. Then we, he, wondered about the return on the investment - how many 45 cal. wads would/could he sale? In my estimation with the revival and status of the 45 cal. ML, I believe he would come near to matching the sale of 50 cal. sub-bases.
I wish there were away for us to communicate the value and the necessity of having the wad available for national use.