Bret Heidkamp
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Posts posted by Bret Heidkamp
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Comps make a big difference in their design, but mostly I prefer forward angle or straight up and 4 big ports. The Dawson #2 is about the best I've ever used, and I've used just about all of them. 3 ports don't work well unless it's a steel gun shooting minor.
I would not "just screw one on and go shoot" - you have to figure out what works, for your style of shooting. Spring weights are just as critical, you can't just "go shoot" there either. Open guns are very sensitive to minor changes, and you need to experiment with what works the best with your powder / bullet combo.
For instance, I personally prefer 115's and lots of powder vs. 124's. I like a flat shooting pistol, not a flippy one. Anyone here that has seen me shoot, I shoot fairly fast, most splits are 12's and transitions can be 15's on close targets.
so for the OP of the thread, yes angles make a difference but it is small in my opinion compared to the number and size of the ports. 4 port, straight up, dawson #2 and work on springs, recoil rods, and powder loads for around 169 pf.
But of course YMMV and it's all about what you like, not me. I'm just saying experiment and you'll narrow it down. You can adjust to anything, but don't handicap yourself with equipment - be true to your own style.
my favorite open setup:
dawson 2 comp
sprinco open race rod
9# spring
15# hammer spring
shortened slide 3/8 to 1/2, some flat topped, some not, doesn't matter
scoop cut the back where the bomar would go
standard bbl
let it rip - this setup is not for the timid.
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38 Super = more fuel, more gas, more comp. For me, the gun has to shoot flat as possible. If you don't mind a bit more muzzle rise, and if you don't port your barrels, then 9mm seems like a logical choice - although the only upside is brass price. That's not enough for me to switch from a very flat-shooting cartridge to one I have to work with for half a season, personally.
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Just got one today. Fitting was tight. I am concerned hearing about all the cracking problems. On a side note: Rescomp mags will not fit the small aluminum grip. They (mags) are 5 thousands thicker, and wedge 1/4 of the way in. Very disappointing as my rescomp mags allow me 21 + 1 in limited. I'll be removing the alum, and going back to plastic.
Can you just sand out .005" or a bit more out of the grip interior? That isn't much material - I'll bet the tolerance stacking adds up to at least that much between the mag body and the grip molding. What do you think? A dowel with some 120 wrapped around it might be the ticket.
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Good job! Also congrats to our Area 1 Champion, James Ong!
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No, but:
MASS-RIFLE-ASS-N-INC
I don't think you could get me to wear that.
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This is a new classifier, so no data on it yet.
Shot it in 4.09 down 4, Open. Should be somewhere in the 90's but probably not 100%. Will post % when I find out.
Shot all targets from the right side of the barricade, friggin' Alpha-Charlie on every target. Noticed my comp cracked on both sides of the first port before practice the next day - must have happened during the match! Only one week until Area 1, things have a way of breaking just before bigger matches.
This one can easily be in the 3.XX range, we had a rather cold temp that day so everyone was slower.
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What are the ground conditions on the bays?
Sand, gravel, grass...?
thanks
DUST!
and powdered dust, with some gravel.
Idaho Falls gets like 0.25 inches of rain every decade. (which, considering it was snowing at my place yesterday, might be a good thing)
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I've had holes in the frame filled by Mike Johnson - Shooting Specialties up in Havre, Mt. He uses a technique that I have not seen anyone else do. It is some sort of a pressed in metal fill. It looks completely smooth and level with the frame. I have a few on an old frame that were then keyholed with a fresh drilled and threaded hole, and the fill doesn't pull out. That was about 10 years ago, and those fills are still perfectly flush and tight.
It is kind of like a blind rivet that is perfectly flush inside and out. Works awesome, not sure how it is done!
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Tim,
The stages look outstanding. Great job!
Thanks to those who contributed the designs, I can't wait to shoot those field courses!!!
Bret
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http://www.riflebarrels.com/faq_lilja_rifle_barrels.htm#Life
Lilja rifle barrels are among the best in the world. Dan probably has a pretty good idea of what causes wear.
"A cartridge burning less powder will last longer or increasing the bore size for a given powder volume helps too. For example a .243 Winchester and a .308 Winchester both are based on the same case but the .308 will last longer because it has a larger bore. "
And although I am not a big fan of Lilja barrels, Dan and I agree:
"A cartridge burning less powder will last longer or increasing the bore size for a given powder volume helps too"
If you can get your hands on a borescope, you'll learn a bit about erosion. It is seriously sandblaster-effect related. So, the bigger bore = less abrasive effect until you up the powder charge again. More expansion ratio = less effect for the same powder charge (pretty intuitive physics).
Heat ends up showing as thermal cracking rather than erosion - and you can lose little chunks of rifling - ask me how I know! Whole 'nother topic.
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Guys,
Barrel wear is directly related to the amount of powder burned. A barrel can only have "so much" powder burned in it, and it's done. Powder is abrasive (I mean partially burned / burning powder) thus the throat area gets sandblasted. The area 1/2" back from the muzzle also gets blasted due to the explosive turbulence there, and some of the unburnt bits focused in a small section.
Not much to do with bullet wear, although it contributes eventually. It's powder abrasion, sandblasting effect.
More powder = more wear. 6.5mm/7mm STW would be a great example. 378 Weatherby might be too, if anyone could stand it enough to shoot it!!
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Pictures???
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Don't know if this will help with the aluminum grips but on the plastic ones you have to make sure the bushings are new / tight. If they are loose, grips crack. The problem is you can't feel them get loose, it's not obvious. About .001" play must be doing it.
Change grips = change bushings, and I've started changing the bushings whenever I do a major overhaul!
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Hi Ken,
Yeah, once you shoot 260 your 308 will be up for sale! Basically, the donut thing is just because it is tough to outside turn all the extra brass thickness away when you neck something down. The brass gets thicker vs. when you neck up this doesn't happen. Since it is tough to get the OD turner all the way into the shoulder, that little bit of thickness becomes a donut. Thus the need to ream vs. turn.
Hope that helps!!
I'll buy your new unfired Lapua 308 cases - PM me. Then you can start with the right cases!
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We're currently testing Bartlein gain twist barrels for long range. Have one done right now in 308, just off the lathe, ready for cerakote. Another in 260, same thing. Waiting on a special 300 win mag reamer to show up before chambering the last test barrel. The Bartleins are cut rifled, on CNC equipment (rather than Pratt & Whitney). The decision is mostly summed up as cut vs. button rather than brand vs. brand.
99% will shoot better than most shooters can. 100% will shoot crappy if your smith puts a crooked chamber in them.
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From what my research tells me: Necking down from .308 is OK as long as you neck turn (which most .243 users that are necking up do as well).
Ken, if you step down a case, you'll get a donut and you need to inside neck ream to get rid of it, not neck turn the exterior of the neck. If you ignore it, you'll get seriously high pressures. Anytime you step down a case, you make the neck walls thicker, thus you have to ream to get back to a normal thickness. Too thick = superman grip on the bullet and possibly a chambering issue where the power of the bolt's camming action crushes the neck into the bullet. Not good.
Stepping up a case doesn't create a donut issue, and makes the neck walls thinner. You can lightly outside neck turn to clean up the concentricity and you're good to go.
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The 175 SMK groups are under .5 MOA but I am an absolutel perfectionsit, I know this rifle is capable of more. I want a clean 1 hole group at 100 hahaha I am on a mission.
I hate to say this but you are selecting the wrong bullet (and the wrong caliber, actually) to shoot at 100 yards. Forget about the 175 smk, that is a long range bullet. Use a flat base spire point lighter weight benchrest bullet, not a heavy boat tail. Look at what the bench guys shoot at 100 and 200 yards. The bullet you are shooting is not stable until about 200+ yards.
Your load work (and ladder tests) really needs to be at 300 yards for the 175 smk or you won't get results that are easy to interpret. The ladder won't have enough vertical separation.
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Just got back from SHOT and I got a chance to play with the Premier lineup. There is a new 1.1 to 8x (true 1 power) and it goes from a illuminated dot reticle at 1x to a mil/slash reticle at 8x. Pretty cool.
The 5-25 would be a great choice too, the interesting thing Premier does is they have a tactical feel to the clicks. Every 10 clicks is a bigger "click" so you can feel how far you turned the knob in dim light. You can get their scopes with a single turn knob or a two turn setup. The two turn has a pin that protrudes on the second rev. so you don't get lost. Nice feature to have, as my S&B turns yellow but I am never really on that second rev that much! I'm about 7 mils for 1000 yards, and I think it's 15 mils before I get to the second revolution.
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Finish up some plumbing on a building with 50 business suites in it at the end of a 12 hour day, and open the water valve slowly to half way. I went to the suite I worked on and there were no leaks. I went back to the main on the way out and turned the quarter turn valve all of the way. Handle was perpendicular to the pipe. The next morning I get a call, on the way back to the same site, from my boss asking if I turned the water back on. I realized I turned it off instead of on.
I'm not trying to slam you here, but are you a licensed master plumber, or at least a journeyman? I would guess not (since you were painting signs later?) so what were you doing working on plumbing? I am a licensed master plumber, and for a building of this size, how did you get to work on anything with a domestic water connection? I'm guessing no inspectors were involved!
Again, not trying to be snippy to you, but that's a total apprentice mistake. Oh well, at least it worked out. Glad the building didn't flood or a fitting blow apart as I'll bet your insurance wouldn't cover it if you're not a licensed plumbing company. It doesn't even have to be your work, sometimes another person before you didn't do a good job and it blows apart when you touch it! Or even contaminating the public water supply if you don't know what you're doing. Something to think about at least - liability of working outside your trade - if this applies.
I guess hearing this just struck a nerve with me this morning, sorry.
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This is just a ridiculous year. I am so p*ssed off that I cannot get time to practice, between balancing CrossTac, another new company startup, and my family life I have only shot ONE MATCH THIS YEAR. In FEBRUARY in MONTANA!!!
This has got to let up. 6 days a week, min, sometimes 7 days a week. Heck, it's Sunday and I'm headed to the office again to catch up on all the paperwork I couldn't do this week.
Passed on my slot to the Nationals, didn't shoot a single Area match, didn't even shoot the section matches. Aaarrggghhhh!!!
We are moving the CrossTac shop to a much bigger facility (10,000 sq ft) to make more shooting gear. Great, but a huge undertaking. I haven't even posted on this forum this year, I think.
OK, I feel better now. Just in case anyone was wondering where in the f*** I went to. I've been working my tail off, and the reward is more WORK.
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I am unable to make it to the match. I hope everyone has a great time!!!!
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The wheels are worth 2X what the car is worth. :roflol: That qualifies him as an Uptard.
uptard
verb- the act of making something worse in an inept attempt to make it better, usually by adding unnecessary, useless, and/or ridiculous elements
Jim's $500 Honda station wagon was uptarded when he added the whale-tail spoiler.
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Here is a really tricky question.
Will I loose or gain FPS with my load (4.1 gr. Clays, 230 grn FMJ, Federal LP MATCH) ? vs, here in South West TN ?
Hop
You will lose power factor. That is a given any time you travel away from your home range. You should know by now that traveling anywhere requires at least 185pf loads back home to make major!!
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Hire the attorney. Immediately. Then go to the range and relax.
OK Lets talk Comps
in Open Pistols
Posted
forgot to add that I also port the bbl twice, 12 o'clock, once in the comp thread area, once more behind that through the slide/bbl. No the comp doesn't come off when it gets hot, just in case you're wondering! :-) Use loctite 620 retaining compound on the threads, the green goo of doom.