American Handgunner Jul/Aug 1981 - Jeffersonian

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Your Initiation To The Big Boomers Can Be Made A Lot More Pleasant If You Take It A Step At A Time ... By Mike Venturino W e are living in the age of the magnum handgun. Metallic silhouette shooting with handguns is a fast growing sport; handgun · hunting is being legalized in many areas; and the total selection of magnum handguns available from various manufacturers is simply amazing. The only benefits a magnum handgun offers over the standard calibers are power and flatness of trajectory. On the other hand, the side effects of that power are rroise and recoil-both of which make the magnum a very difficult handgun to learn · to shoot accurately. No one that I have ever met has become even a mediocre shot with a magnum handgun by using full power loads in it from the very beginning. To become an accurate marksman with a hard-hitting, big bore handgun requires much practice with what I term "learning loads; handloads for a big bore handgun that are mild-say no more than 900 FPS at the most, and accurate." By accurate I mean groups no larger than two inches at 25 yards-when the handgun is fired from either a mechanical or sandbag rest. Another requirement for "learning loads" is that they be relatively cheap. This · is a tall orderin this day and age, but since At the far left, notice that recoil is slight. That's because author is using his "learning loads." The gun is a S&W Model 29 .44 Magnum. Inset shows usual recoil of .44 Magnumhow's that for a big jump? Top photo shows target with a nice 25 yd. group measuring J~" shot with author's best load of Bullseye. This powder and the Unique have been around a long time and make great learning loads. Cast bullets make good loads for inexpensive shooting and were used by writer. So, learning loads were set up to be cheap, accurate, and to lessen recoil. AMERICAN HANDGUNNER . JULY / AUGUST <strong>1981</strong> it takes much ammo to become good with a handgun, cost is a consideration. Jacketed bullets for this variety ofhandload are a waste-pure and simple. For "learning loads" their ability to expand into the classic mushroom is useless, and worse yet, at low velocities it is possible for them to stick in a handgun's bore. And they are too expensive for most of us to shoot hundreds and thousands away in practice. If a handgunner does not cast his own . bullets then the soft, swaged lead bullets put out by various manufacturers are the ticket. Unless driven too fast they will not lead the bore. For those who already own bullet casting equipment the moulded lead bullet is a far better route to go. Casting your own bullets gives you a latitude in bullet weight, alloy, diameter, and lubricant not available to shooters of stor.e-bought bullets. I know my cast bullets are good because I have tested thousands of them through over a dozen handguns using a Lee Pistol Machine Rest. I have yet to find a revolver that will not shoot groups of at least two inches at 25 yards with the proper loads-'" with cast bullets! Self-cast bullets are good and by far the cheapest bullets available. I know! . Bullet design is not greatly important fOf "learning loads" except that the bullet should be accurate. If the shooter will do most of his practicing at paper targets then the standby wadcutter shape or the semiwadcutter is best because ofthe clean holes they will cut. For varmints such as gophers or small game this same reasoning is sound. However, if a roundnose bullet (or mould) is all that is available don't sell it short. Some ofthese old-fashioned looking bullets are amazingly accurate. For myown use I have generally settled (Continued on page 44) 43
Page 2 and 3: Like every Model 700, the BDL has o
Page 4 and 5: AMERICAII JULY/ AUGUST 1981, Vol. 6
Page 6 and 7: MO~~~Rlp· • S & W: SQUARE BUTT K
Page 8 and 9: I The Magnificent Beretta MINX .22
Page 10 and 11: INDUSTRY INSIDER JERRY RAKUSAN the
Page 12 and 13: SILUETAS PHILIP C. BRIGGS NRA SILHO
Page 14 and 15: COMBAT SHOOTERS now have a low cost
Page 17 and 18: , . Wh~n you go to pick a firearm,
Page 19 and 20: 397••ON. The Colt Trooper MKII!
Page 21 and 22: Making a high performance optical s
Page 23 and 24: Complet .45 Combat Modifications Sp
Page 25 and 26: BULLSEYE BANDGUN ACCESSORIES .The C
Page 27 and 28: Not Eve!)' La"" OHicer Qualifies In
Page 29 and 30: ise, and found himselflooking down
Page 31 and 32: for comfort-the seeds ofhis gun wer
Page 33 and 34: EVERY POSTER A COLLECTOR'S ITEM HUR
Page 35 and 36: Model 25 wouldn't be quite as simpl
Page 37 and 38: B. WITT GUN WORKS (Carl Witt), 4020
Page 39 and 40: Ikey's trigger jobs are among the b
Page 41: tions had to be exactly right, it w
Page 47 and 48: .. 47
Page 49 and 50: OM H-S PRECISION The first time tha
Page 51 and 52: A new dimension to the study oftoda
Page 53 and 54: .22 SILHOUEnES THE .22 PISTOL A wor
Page 55 and 56: good clean IV2 pounds and still pro
Page 57 and 58: SIGHT SETTINGS (Continued from page
Page 59 and 60: HANDLOADING (Continued from page 22
Page 61 and 62: Can you imagine what happens when t
Page 63 and 64: J960 Colt SheriH's Model .45 calibe
Page 65 and 66: ASP (Armament Systems & The Carpent
Page 67 and 68: HANDLOADING (Continued from page 59
Page 69 and 70: Buy One IfJBl1 Book, Get One Free!
Page 71 and 72: loosened, the bottom end of the wel
Page 73 and 74: this assignment, of course. The ind
Page 75 and 76: lose velocity potential because of
Page 77 and 78: ngton 2112 primer, as will17.5/Blue
Page 79 and 80: into Open standing class (legal und
Page 81 and 82: All the big shots read GUNS. it off
Page 83 and 84: sure that the barrel lugs mate perf
Page 85 and 86: HANDGUN HUNTING (Continued from pag
Page 87 and 88: only 5000 rounds through either P9S
Page 89 and 90: NEW S&W GUNS (Continued from page 4
Page 91 and 92: REDHAWK VS M29 (Continued from page
Page 93 and 94:
Customize your own gun with the lam
Page 96:
·ous. That's the best word to escr
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American Handgunner Jul/Aug 1981 - Jeffersonian

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