Good day with the .32 inline

[ShawnT]

Well Sunday was a great day to shoot here on Long Island. Got to the club at 7:30am, me and 8 others, you just never know about holidays sometimes you'll have the range to yourself and other holidays it is packed. Sometimes it is nice to chat with some of the other guys and sometimes it can be a pain when you are really trying to work on something and want to be left alone, but what can you do. :wink: It was about 67 degrees for a change with little to no wind, but was about 80* when I left and really starting to kick up the wind. Can't wait for the cool crisp fall days to get here.

Started off shooting the same 20 grain load as last weekend. First shot really dropped, :shock: :huh?: that really caught me off guard as it felt good. Next shot was high and left of the center and third was low left. :huh?: So this really got me wondering what changed. Started looking the rifle over and found that I had inadvertently left the Weaver ring screws loose where it clamps to the bases. :d'oh!: I had took the scope off last weekend and must have just put them finger tight. :d'oh!: After I tightened them I shot 8 shots and they grouped good. Swapped out the target and turned the scope right just a bit. I had a member come over and asked me to help him out with a rifle that would not fire so I only shot 4 rounds and called it good then had him bring over his rifle. The rounds taped over were from his 308 after getting it firing again.




On Friday evening and Saturday I made up a thimble for the rifle from some octagonal steel I got from McMaster Carr. I was planning on installing it this weekend but when I got out my screws assortment box to drill the pockets (for the screw heads) and holes in the thimble I decided to change from a #6 to a #8 screw. Turned out I did not have an #8x40 tpi Bottom tap so I could not get it mounted. None of the local hardware stores carried a #8x40 tpi tap and the local machine shop supply was closed. Hope to get one tomorrow, if they have it and I don't have to order it from McMaster Carr, but with work might not get it mounted till next weekend. Just might have to take it squirrel hunting in the white, and carry the ram rod separately, at this rate since I leave for Ohio the following weekend.




I was back out today and got the rifle even more centered and it is now ready for some squirrel hunting. I got side tracked again with a fellow club member that had another rifle that would not fire. 2 days in a row 2 different rifles. Both are older members and both getting ready for hunting season early. I think both go to the Northern zone in NY (Adirondack mountains) where the season starts earlier than the southern zones. Both rifles had basically the same problem, maintenance issues. They both needed to have the bolts scrubbed out and the triggers flushed out. The guy today is a nice guy bit is a real jabber box and can really drive me nuts. So after getting him going I loaded up and took the target frame to the club house storeroom and forgot to take a pic of the target but it was pretty much like the 4 rounds above.

 

[WV Hunter]

I like your thimble, looks great! What did you use for a ramrod, or did you find one that will work?

Good shooting Shawn, that little sucker sure does well. Hope you get to test it out on some squirrels. :yeah:

 

[pjsoden]

Thimble looks great! And the gun seems to be shooting well.
The squirrels better watch out!

 

[ShawnT]

Thanks guys. So far I am very pleased with the rifle. I plan to try some head shots. :wink: I hope to do a little hunting in a couple weeks when I go home to Ohio. Hope it cools off some. I forgot to add that I did take the Chony out yesterday. With 20 grians of Pyrodex P I was getting 1398 to 1435 Fps. So it is shooting a little faster than a 22lr. 15 grains shot 1295 to 1330 and that is closer to what CCI advertises the Mini Mags as doing.

I picked up an MSM synthetic ramrod at Dixons last time I was there, I think it was listed as for a TC Cherokee or maybe Seneca. I also made an aluminum rod but have been using it more as a range rod. Not sure how I would coat/paint it so that it would look good and the finish last. Due to the barrels length the rod will end up sticking out from the muzzle some. if cut so that it sits on the recoil/mount lug and flush to the muzzle it would be just a bit short. Still working on that one. Will probably used the MSM for now. I emailed the Spin Jag people about a small diameter rod since they list Jags for .32 but they never responded to my emails. McMaster Carr has some anodized Aluminum but it is Gray instead of black.

 

[WV Hunter]

Thanks guys. So far I am very pleased with the rifle. I hope to do a little hunting in a couple weeks. Hope it cools off some.
I picked up an MSM synthetic ramrod at Dixons last time I was there, I think it was listed as for a TC Cherokee or maybe Seneca. I also made an aluminum rod but have been using it more as a range rod. Not sure how I would coat/paint it so that it would look good and the finish last. Due to the barrels length the rod will end up sticking out from the muzzle some. if cut so that it sits on the recoil/mount lug and flush to the muzzle it would be just a bit short. Still working on that one. Will probably used the MSM for now. I emailed the Spin Jag people about a small diameter rod since they list Jags for .32 but they never responded to my emails. McMaster Carr has some anodized Aluminum but it is Gray instead of black.

I'm surprised you didn't hear back from spinjag. They've always been very quick to respond to me. I'd try them again.

The ideal thing would be one of knights extending ramrods, though I'm not sure you could get one that is skinny enough :huh?: I think they are all the same size (3/8"?).

What about this? http://www.aramrod.com/ramrods/field_rods.html
You could use one of those along with a Knight T-Handle starter (that screws into the ramrod) and it would give you ample length.

Just a thought. ???

 

[ShawnT]

The ideal thing would be one of knights extending ramrods, though I'm not sure you could get one that is skinny enough :huh?: I think they are all the same size (3/8"?).

What about this? http://www.aramrod.com/ramrods/field_rods.html
You could use one of those along with a Knight T-Handle starter (that screws into the ramrod) and it would give you ample length.

Just a thought. ???

Thanks for the link Mike, never saw those. That should work.

Who needs a "Knight T-Handle" when I have this home made one. :wink: :lol: Been using it on the aluminum rod I made as sort of a range rod. I do need to put them together and spin them fast so I can sand them together.

 

[WV Hunter]

The ideal thing would be one of knights extending ramrods, though I'm not sure you could get one that is skinny enough :huh?: I think they are all the same size (3/8"?).

What about this? http://www.aramrod.com/ramrods/field_rods.html
You could use one of those along with a Knight T-Handle starter (that screws into the ramrod) and it would give you ample length.

Just a thought. ???

Thanks for the link Mike, never saw those. That should work.

Who needs a "Knight T-Handle" when I have this home made one. :wink: :lol: Been using it on the aluminum rod I made as sort of a range rod. I do need to put them together and spin them fast so I can sand them together.

Yup, that'll work! :mrgreen:

Definitely be nice not having the ramrod hanging out over the barrel end.
Get that bad boy put together and blued, I want to see the finished product :yeah: :yeah:

 

[ShawnT]

I just ordered one of those BH rods. They don't really tell you if they are #8x32 or #10x32 but does not really matter. It will still stick out just a bit I think but not too bad. Should be fine for field loading, I am using an old Dewy Rod for cleaning anyway. The type of jag I use will determine finished length. Leaving in a few minutes to see if I can get a tap and drill bit for the screws for the Thimble. That part is just a tad scary since I am drilling holes in the barrel! :shock: But will just set the drill press up to not go too deep. I really want to get it blued too. Some of the guys are thinking it is a stainless barrel.

 

[WV Hunter]

Some of the guys are thinking it is a stainless barrel.

Yeah, until you squirrel hunt in the rain with it... :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[ShawnT]

Some of the guys are thinking it is a stainless barrel.

Yeah, until you squirrel hunt in the rain with it... :lol: :lol: :lol:

Yup. Rust city then.

Just got back from the Machine shop/Tool supply and they did not have the tap. :d'oh!:

Had to order one from McMaster Carr. Not a cheap tap either at /$22 :shock: Should be here tomorrow evening. Had I realized I did not have the right tap I would have drilled smaller holes in the thimble and went with the #6x48 screws, I have the tap for that. I don't want to remake it again though.

 

[Squeeze]

http://drillsandcutters.com/8-32-carbon-steel-bottoming-hand-tap/ I use these guys a lot. Not the fastest shipping, but way cheaper

 

[ShawnT]

Squeeze,

Thanks for the link but that won't work, but added it to my favorites folder. That is the 8x32 and I need the 8x40. Drills and Cutters don't show the 40 tpi tap, neither did the local Supply I just went too. McMaster is not expensive for the 8x32 either, or even the 36tpi they are less than $5, it's only the 40tpi tap that is expensive but then the shipping will be between $5 and $7. I had to get an 11/16x20 tap a while back and it was about $50. :shock:

 

[BuckDoeHunter]

Nice shooting!

Looking forward to the photo of all the squirrels taken with your rifle, nice work :yeah:

 

[ShawnT]

Nice shooting!

Looking forward to the photo of all the squirrels taken with your rifle, nice work :yeah:

Thanks. Really looking forward to blowing a little smoke at them squirrels.