Topic: Where do you guys buy ammo these days ?

[dave500]

now ive heard everything,america out of ammo?

[jamesb]

Our cabelas here has a good stock of ammo. It was hard for me to find .44 mag went to cabelas and bought 4 boxes and it the cheapest anywhere 32.00 a box Walmart had it at 48.00 after tax. .22 rounds are a different though I can not find them anywhere.

[Duke McDukiedook]

The one by the Legends?

[BobbyR]

now ive heard everything,america out of ammo?

It is a sad state of affairs.

[dave500]

do they still make .22 stingers and hornets?with the nice nickle plated shell?

[Terry in Australia]

I've been having a hell of a time getting ammo for my rifle, anyone got any .58 cal ammo for my Snider Springfield?

[RAFster122s]

10,000 rounds enough Terry?
1000 rounds of every caliber I need in the ammo case at each firing station.  Installing that 1" armor plate in all the walls and roof was expensive when we built the place but I don't have to worry about small arms fire.

[Terry in Australia]

Are you serious Dave? Are you one of those "Doomsdayers" I see on cable TV? Geez, what does all that metal weigh?

I suppose the good thing is that it'd be pretty good insulation, and if all the wall's and roof's corners were welded together, your house would be pretty much storm proof too?

I hope you've got a steel floor and rape dungeon, er, storm cellar too mate, you don't want anyone digging underneath and taking you by surprise? Cheers, Terry.    

[70CB750]

I've been having a hell of a time getting ammo for my rifle, anyone got any .58 cal ammo for my Snider Springfield?

Easy enough.  Cast your own bullets and just reload.

[dave500]

the case itself would be obscure and hard to find aswell?even say 32-20 would be hard to locate?once a fairly common round?in the olden days.

[70CB750]

Likely yes, but I am sure it exists somewhere.

[Terry in Australia]

Actually, they're really easy to get, my mate Jeff at Ace Motorcycles casts his own projectiles from wheel weights (apparently the lead/tin mix is ideal for bullets) and shortened and necked down 24 gauge brass shotgun shells are a good fit.

The one in the pic is one of Jeff's, he gave it to me with the instructions to "Tie your rifle to a tree and tie a piece of string at least 20 feet long to the trigger, just in case". Not surprisingly, I haven't fired it yet........

This guy knows what he's doing, same rifle as mine but with longer barrel and not Snider converted, but he's hitting targets at 800 yards, so he's got my respect.

Accurizing the .58 cal black powder mini-ball

[70CB750]

Would you know what he loaded in that shell?  Black powder and how much?

[Terry in Australia]

Would you know what he loaded in that shell?  Black powder and how much?

Black pwder mate, and no more than 95 grains.

[70CB750]

And the bullet is 250 or so?

My inline MZ responds well to 80 grains of 777 black powder substitute and 240 bullets - saboted in 50 caliber barrel.  But I can load it to 150 if I chose to, only black powder kicks more than smokeless stuff.

It is not much of a primitive weapon, but it is legal to use here for hunting.

Of course Hawken is Hawken, the rifle that kilt the bear that kilt me:)

Jeremiah finds the frozen body of Hatchet Jack

[Terry in Australia]

And the bullet is 250 or so?

My inline MZ responds well to 80 grains of 777 black powder substitute and 240 bullets - saboted in 50 caliber barrel.  But I can load it to 150 if I chose to, only black powder kicks more than smokeless stuff.

It is not much of a primitive weapon, but it is legal to use here for hunting.

Of course Hawken is Hawken, the rifle that kilt the bear that kilt me:)

Jeremiah finds the frozen body of Hatchet Jack

Thanks mate, and I loved that film clip. I can't go any more than 95 grains of black powder as my rifle has an iron barrel, I believe the later ones had steel barrels and could take a bigger charge.

The 1861 Springfield was a very close copy of the English Enfield model 1853, so as I needed a firing pin, spring and nipple I did an internet search (isn't the 'net a wonderful thing?) and found a gun shop in England that sold NOS (from the 1800's!) parts for Enfields, and not surprisingly, the parts I bought all fit my rifle.

I do have to shim the firing pin nipple as the pin catches when I close the breech, but otherwise, it was perfect, and all the parts and a new "Snap Cap" (for dry firing) came in for under 100 bucks. Cheers, Terry.

[BobbyR]

Beautiful piece of ordinance.

[Terry in Australia]

Thanks Bobby, interestingly enough there are no military marks on it, except "US" on the butt plate, but the previous owner (who gave it to me as a "Thank You" for selling two of his Martini Henry's for him) told me that it'd been used in the American Civil War, so I think it's pretty cool. Cheers, Terry.

[RAFster122s]

Terry, was being absurd as armor plate would be quite costly as well as very heavy.
Interesting piece of history even if it is not authentic, or even if it is.
It is a firearm that you would need to reload your own ammo and adapt brass from other rounds as has been mentioned.

One problem is that the reloadable brass or primers or other parts is difficult to find.

Every national election lately has created a shortage of ammo for a time with a frenzy of hording. The ammo makers love the increases in price/profit.

[Bob Wessner]

Thanks Bobby, interestingly enough there are no military marks on it, except "US" on the butt plate, but the previous owner (who gave it to me as a "Thank You" for selling two of his Martini Henry's for him) told me that it'd been used in the American Civil War, so I think it's pretty cool. Cheers, Terry.

Terry, it is illegal for anyone outside the U.S. to own, or otherwise possess Civil War armament.  Send it to me and I'll see that it is returned to the proper authorities.   

[Terry in Australia]

Thanks Bobby, interestingly enough there are no military marks on it, except "US" on the butt plate, but the previous owner (who gave it to me as a "Thank You" for selling two of his Martini Henry's for him) told me that it'd been used in the American Civil War, so I think it's pretty cool. Cheers, Terry.

Terry, it is illegal for anyone outside the U.S. to own, or otherwise possess Civil War armament.  Send it to me and I'll see that it is returned to the proper authorities.   

Geez, well if that's the law Bob, send me your address and I'll send it right back!

[BobbyR]

Thanks Bobby, interestingly enough there are no military marks on it, except "US" on the butt plate, but the previous owner (who gave it to me as a "Thank You" for selling two of his Martini Henry's for him) told me that it'd been used in the American Civil War, so I think it's pretty cool. Cheers, Terry.

It is odd how these beautiful firearms made their way around the World. I suppose I have fired maybe a Million rounds of 50 Cal but the guns were ugly and industrial looking.

They issued me an M16 which I rarely shot and had to give back, it had no soul. I own a Glock, which is finely made, but it has no charm either.

I bought my Son a 30'06 hunting rifle, but he wanted a black polymer stock. It is a fine shooter, but it has no charm either.

The process of gunmaking may have advanced technologically, but the art of marrying metal and wood in a way it can be admired as a piece of art is gone.     

[RAFster122s]

My Uncle Kermit had a couple family heirloom rifles that were percussion black powder guns. Thieves that apparently knew them broke in and stole the guns and many of the dulcimers and other stringed instruments Kermit made along with his guitars while Aunt Mabel was in the hospital.
Those old guns were works of art with engraving on the stocks and even some on the octagonal barrels.

[Terry in Australia]

Well I agree in principle men, but back in 1861 there was probably some old farts sitting around lamenting that those modern fandangled guns with rifling and no need for a piece of flint to ignite the powder in the frizzen had no soul either. That's progress.

Having said that, I don't like modern miltary weapons either Bobby, and those .50 cal's weigh a fcuking ton. You're lucky you were a pilot and not an armourer, or else you'd have muscles in your schidt. I spent a few weeks running an armoury full of them (for APC's and AASLAV's) and I didn't need to do PT, each morning I had to pull 20 of them (complete with spare barrels or BFB's) out of the armoury, issue them across the counter, and every night they'd come back in so I could lock them back into the armoury.

As far as basic infantry small arms go, the Austeyr isn't a bad rifle, but I prefer the old SLR. It doesn't matter where you hit someone with an SLR, they're dead. Sidearms? Yep the Glock is right up there, but any handgun is only as good as the bloke holding it, and even then, if the baddies get that close that I can hit one with a handgun, they're too fcuking close for me.............  

[RAFster122s]

I have a good friend in Ohio whose brother (who lives in northern Ohio) is into long distance competition shooting. He prefers very high velocity small bore rounds and has a custom barrel gun that fires a bullet that is about 5 mm in diameter in a case necked down to fit the projectile. He likes to practice by ridding area farmers of their groundhog problem. (Ground hog dens can cause a tractor to roll if to hits their den opening with a wheel, or can tear up implements being pulled or cause hay wagons to lose their load.) He sets up 500-800 yards away or if he wants to be sporting and needs the practice he does his setup from 1000-1500 yards away. The velocities he uses are like that of the .50 cal in that a round will kill whatever it hits no matter where it hits. The .50 cal being pretty brutal in that if you hit the shoulder it often takes the arm off.
Anyway, when Jim's brother shows up at competitions the other competitors who don't know him laugh at the puny round he is putting down range compared to their predominant .30 cal or larger rounds. When he walks away with the trophy they no longer laugh.

My Uncle Jack and Uncle Dean were farmers in SW Virginia with dairy cattle and they raised tobacco, wheat, alfalfa, oats, corn, and occassionally barley. They both served in the Korean Conflict and Uncle Jack returned home with shrapnel damage that causes him to see 4-5 of everything. Uncle Jack had problems with ground hogs living in the corn field across the stream from his house. His house sat about 1/2 way up the steep hillside about 75-100 feet from the valley floor where the field and stream/creek ran. He would open the front door and raise the window or screen in the storm door to shoot or shoot at the ground hogs with a scoped Remington .22 LR.  He would let myself or my brother take a shot at the little piggies. I never hit one from the distance we were firing. It was between 150-200 yards to the groundhog den. Uncle Jack would often take one down. Normally there would be 3-4 out from the large den they lived in. He would reduce their numbers slowly until they were gone. A new family of them would setup home the next year and new den dug and the process repeated... They are a common problem in SW VA.