TMC Posted December 9, 2005 Share Posted December 9, 2005 Very nice, I have one of his Vipers. Does anybody know how to contact Rusty? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XRe Posted December 9, 2005 Author Share Posted December 9, 2005 You can reach him at David's Gun Room - 770-447-6021. In fact, I need to give him a shout myself.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uscbigdawg Posted December 10, 2005 Share Posted December 10, 2005 My first Open gun was (and is thanks to TMC) a 5" Viper. My current is the last of the 5"ers with a 3-port comp. I love everything that Rusty does and am sure that I'll work with him again in the future. You can't go wrong with anything that he does...just don't tell him to take his time...'cause he will. SPC Richard A. White, Senior Medic 249th MP Detachment (EACF) Camp Humphreys, ROK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wakal Posted December 10, 2005 Share Posted December 10, 2005 Damn, that is a good looking gun! I like the look of the front strap treatment...what do you think about it "in action"? Alex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XRe Posted December 12, 2005 Author Share Posted December 12, 2005 You can't go wrong with anything that he does...just don't tell him to take his time...'cause he will. I think Rusty invented "gunsmith time" I like the look of the front strap treatment...what do you think about it "in action"? The "Tiger Claw" stippling does provide pretty good traction. It's fairly "bitey". My experience with it on the other Viper I had was that it dulls over time (to be expected, as the "teeth" are only plastic, after all). It could be reapplied, but... I found I preferred something with more complete coverage. On that gun, I ended up having Rusty go the "soldering iron" approach (this was before Roupe grips, Shannahan's stuff, etc - Noel Alfaro was doing grips, but that was about it). I liked that better, personally - I felt like I had a better grip with it. I'm expecting I'll end up with the same thing on this gun - and eventually an unmolested mag well, as well. Some folks liked this better. Some others ended up going the grip tape route. I've got TruGrip on my Trojan... I might try it here, in the end, too... We'll see Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XRe Posted December 12, 2005 Author Share Posted December 12, 2005 Just got off the phone w/ Rusty... The rumor that's been circulated here about him no longer building Vipers is patently false I need to go hunt up the threads I saw that in, and rebutt I put 50 rounds of WWB 130gr stuff through the gun last night. Hard to judge anything about it, with it being minor PF ammo loaded with (probably) 231, and I was shooting at an indoor range. Soft, loud (side ports and indoor range stall are bad juju for concussion), relatively quick moving, but not ridiculous... Schweeeet.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirtypool40 Posted December 13, 2005 Share Posted December 13, 2005 Well, Dave, sounds like you made the return to open sooner than expected. Good for you. Sweet blaster. I talked to the new gonn abe wife, and if I sell the back up Limited gun I can get back into exploring open too. Wish me luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uscbigdawg Posted December 13, 2005 Share Posted December 13, 2005 Just got off the phone w/ Rusty... The rumor that's been circulated here about him no longer building Vipers is patently false I need to go hunt up the threads I saw that in, and rebutt That was probably me. Between him and Pat C. I was told that my current Open 5" Viper w/ 3-port comp is that last itteration of this gun because of the reduced power factor and is why yours has the one-port comp. Rusty's port designs on the barrel is super efficient, and like in his old 6" Viper, needs only a 1 port compensator. Let us know how it runs with with some major loads! SPC Richard A. White, Senior Medic 249th MP Detachment (EACF) Camp Humphreys, ROK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XRe Posted December 13, 2005 Author Share Posted December 13, 2005 That was probably me. I thought it was, but... couldn't find the posts, yet... Between him and Pat C. I was told that my current Open 5" Viper w/ 3-port comp is that last itteration of this gun because of the reduced power factor and is why yours has the one-port comp. AH.... that's what you meant... What I read (and, I suspect, what's been spread around following) was that he wasn't building the Pit Viper at all, anymore... Funnily enough, he's apparently building the 3 chamber comp design (that appears in the "Viper & Mongoose" thread) as the standard gun. My gun is apparently quite old - it's, like, "vintage" Let us know how it runs with with some major loads! I definitely will - a good amount of load development is in order to find the right recipe for this thing w/ 165PF major. I suspect I'll end up right back at 124s w/ N350, but I'm open to different things. Faster powders may work, now, and 3N38 wasn't out when I was shooting before. N105 is also viable. I never tried the IMR powders before, so I'll give 'em a whirl, too. GeneralChang threw some 115s my way - need to dredge up some 121s and 124/125s, as well... I talked to the new gonn abe wife, and if I sell the back up Limited gun I can get back into exploring open too. Wish me luck. Excellent, Eric!! You have a good woman, there Basically, I worked my tail off through November on photo stuff, and ended up with enough in the bank to pay for the new toy. This is the first time I've actually paid myself anything for my side business - nice paycheck, I think I was thrilled to be able to have this happen - and long before I believed was possible. Open is an entirely different game than L-10, and the pool suddenly gets deeper... Luckily, I know a little something about swimming, so getting up to speed shouldn't take too long... The work with the L-10 gun is going to benefit my Open shooting quite a bit, and I'll keep shooting it for cross training, too, so... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uscbigdawg Posted December 14, 2005 Share Posted December 14, 2005 You probably won't be making major with 124's and N105 'cause there just isn't enough barrel and the velocity flat lines, towards the upper end of filling the case. I really, really, REALLY wanted it to work, but it didn't pan out. 3N38 is alright, but just felt kinda funky. I want to do more checking with 7625, but good ol' N350 works great. I'm running MGB 115 CMJ's now, and they're super accurate. The increased velocity from the lighter bullet gave me more gas volume to work the ports and comp better (since the gun was designed for the old 175 power factor and felt like a slug with 124's at 168 PF). I did some really brief testing with the MGB 121's and man were they accurate! I didn't get enough match trigger time with it though to see how it felt shooting at our speeds, but want to try it as well. Good luck and congrats on the new blaster!!! SPC Richard A. White, Senior Medic 249th MP Detachment (EACF) Camp Humphreys, ROK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XRe Posted December 14, 2005 Author Share Posted December 14, 2005 You probably won't be making major with 124's and N105 'cause there just isn't enough barrel and the velocity flat lines, towards the upper end of filling the case. I'll keep that in mind What weight were you at when you quit?? Or, should I just dip a case and weigh it, and use that as a starting load??? The increased velocity from the lighter bullet gave me more gas volume to work the ports and comp better (since the gun was designed for the old 175 power factor and felt like a slug with 124's at 168 PF). The gun actually cycled pretty snappily with minor PF 130gr WWB stuff, which surprised me. Relative to old Major... probably a little slower, but relative to my .40?? Heh, much faster. It was also ridiculously soft w/ that ammo - which was a wierd juxtaposition against the concussion I was getting off the indoor range... But... I was wondering if 115s might not end up being the ticket, due to gas pressure, and 121s have always sounded like something to try - a good in between weight for stuff like this. I need to get ahold of some to try out... Thanks for the insight!! Any chance I could get you to share your load data (or what of it you remember, if your notes are back here in the US??)?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uscbigdawg Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 Hi Dave, With N105, you're not too far off from the load it up, lop it off and seat the bullet. It got to a point, where the velocities just leveled off, and the pressures were coming up still. So, I abandoned it. If the gun had fewer holes in it (probably 2 fewer) it would have been great. As for the loads I'm using, I recall it's 8.4 grains of N350 with a 115gr. MGB CMJ. The Vipers are incredibly fast gun. You'll see with major ammo. Too, I put in a 9# spring and a Sprinco. It was a toss up between a 9# and 8#. It came down to feel. Let us know how it goes. SPC Richard A. White, Senior Medic 249th MP Detachment (EACF) Camp Humphreys, ROK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XRe Posted December 15, 2005 Author Share Posted December 15, 2005 Thanks for the data, Rich... With N105, you're not too far off from the load it up, lop it off and seat the bullet. Might get messy, even on a 550, then... Hmmm.... Ok, I'll hold that one in reserve for playing around only, for the time being... As for the loads I'm using, I recall it's 8.4 grains of N350 with a 115gr. MGB CMJ. Is that 1.250" OAL, .374-.375 crimp? Probably looking at 7.8 for a 124 and 8.1 on a 121, then?? -ish, anyway... Start at 7.5 and work up... The Vipers are incredibly fast gun. You'll see with major ammo. Don't forget, this is my 2nd Viper - first was an original 6" With new major, this 5" setup ought to be the ticket, though.... It's not much bigger than a "box legal" gun for modified! Too, I put in a 9# spring and a Sprinco. It was a toss up between a 9# and 8#. It came down to feel. I don't like the Sprinco. I tried one with the other gun w/ an 8# and a 10# spring. The feel was just wierd. Actually, I tend to prefer the heavier 10#-12# spring range in this gun... but I might play with a lighter spring for steel. I do like the Sprinco straight rate recoil springs, though - kick ass stuff. We'll see I'm approaching this as a totally new gun... for now, I'll keep it setup as Rusty desires. After I get a load and get a few rounds through it, I'll play around with spring rates and whatnot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
titandriver Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 Dave --- in my Alfaro-built gun, (1998 build) 5&1/2 inch barrel, two blowholes, I used 9.4grs of N105 and a Zero 121 JHP at an average velocity of 1426. Gave me a 172.5 PF when I chrono'd it last year. Was a pain to load on my 650 so I went back to 7625. I load to 1.235 OAL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kimberkid Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 Yea, FWIW, I have loaded up to 10.5 gr. of N105 in my 5 inch gun. It came out to like 182 PF or something. I dont have any barrel ports and I didnt notice any extreme pressure. I like it a lot and while it is pretty loud, it is also pretty soft. With your different set up, I dunno how it would work, but give it a try. I do agree with titandriver though, it is a pain loading it on a 650. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
titandriver Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 KimberKid sent me scrambling for my Chrono book and I found that the max load for my Alfaro .38 Super and N105 was 10.4grs with a Zero 121JHP. Average velocity was 1515 for a PF of 183.3. Man, those were the days! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XRe Posted December 16, 2005 Author Share Posted December 16, 2005 Damn, that's a lot of powder! With the cost of VV... N105 and 3N38 might just get disqualified outright due to charge weight Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uscbigdawg Posted January 8, 2006 Share Posted January 8, 2006 Here's my baby. It'll be nice when I can get his big brother back home. The good news is that I know Todd's taking care of him for me. SPC Richard A. White, Senior Medic 249th MP Detachment (EACF) Camp Humphreys, ROK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XRe Posted January 8, 2006 Author Share Posted January 8, 2006 How many rounds are on that bad boy?? The bluing is looking rather "loved" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TMC Posted January 8, 2006 Share Posted January 8, 2006 (edited) Here's uscbigdawg's other Viper (Spanky) he's letting me "borrow" until the day he wants it back or I'm tired of shooting it, which may be longer than Rich thinks I love this gun! Edited January 9, 2006 by TMC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XRe Posted January 9, 2006 Author Share Posted January 9, 2006 (edited) Ah... Todd, I see Rusty sold you my old black mag well (look for my post in that thread, anyway - linking to a post doesn't seem to be working).... Actually, mine was in a lot worse shape.... Shoulda said Todd, above, sorry... Edited January 9, 2006 by XRe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uscbigdawg Posted January 9, 2006 Share Posted January 9, 2006 Todd, Holy crap!!! Please tell me that Spanky came chromed. Please tell you didn't do that! BTW, did the carbon fiber come on that gun? Did Pat switch the grip? Wow...looks pretty nice I will say that. It's been a couple of years since I've seen my baby boy. It was my first Open gun and I did very well with that gun. Dave, Yeah you could say that (i.e. the bluing being loved). It's got about 90k on it and is still a tack driver. The last time I benched it, it was shooting .7" at 50 yards (out of a rest...there's no way I could shoot that well). Glad to see Spanky though. Had to shed a tear when I saw him. And I can't wait to get him home again. SPC Richard A. White, Senior Medic 249th MP Detachment (EACF) Camp Humphreys, ROK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XRe Posted January 9, 2006 Author Share Posted January 9, 2006 Speaking of Spanky, I see he won the .22 Open class at the Griffin steel match... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ima45dv8 Posted January 9, 2006 Share Posted January 9, 2006 Speaking of Spanky, I see he won the .22 Open class at the Griffin steel match... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TMC Posted January 9, 2006 Share Posted January 9, 2006 Todd,Holy crap!!! Please tell me that Spanky came chromed. Please tell you didn't do that! BTW, did the carbon fiber come on that gun? Did Pat switch the grip? Wow...looks pretty nice I will say that. It's been a couple of years since I've seen my baby boy. It was my first Open gun and I did very well with that gun. SPC Richard A. White, Senior Medic 249th MP Detachment (EACF) Camp Humphreys, ROK Don't worry Rich nothing is permanent. The Carbon mount is mine and will be going on my 9mm major gun when its get closer to being finished, I have the standard C-more that came on the gun. It is not chromed, when I got it the blueing looked like yours, I tried some of that spray on finish which is holding up ok on the frame but didn't last on the slide. The flats on the slide are just shined up with 600 paper and the rest of the blueing I took a brush to to get rid of the grime and surface rust. The mag well is painted and that will come off easily. If I was keeping this gun it would have been chromed long ago. Todd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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