Current Photos and Information Page

Current Photos and Information Page

(Also, click here to see the Browning Citori Information Page)

- MORE RELOADING PICTURES -
Please make sure younger viewers are not in the room - this stuff is really scary.

This is a brand new Sako Custom Rifle in .264 Winchester Magnum.
The maker test fired the gun prior to releasing it to the customer.
The customer fired the gun with factory ammo with no problems then decided to load up some of his own
using 4831 powder.   He checked the loading manual and proceeded to load up about 20 of the
.264 Win Mag cartridges per manual specs.   The first shot destroyed the gun and nearly the shooter.
Other than hearing loss, the shooter didn't sustain any lasting damage.

When he got back to his loading bench he noticed a can of 3031 sitting there that he hadn't used in a long time.
It suddenly became clear what happened to the gun. The 3031 is MUCH faster powder than 4831
and he was using the loading data for 4831 but pouring 3031 powder, costing him a new custom rifle.
He took the gun back to the gunsmith that made the gun and the 'smith had to remove the barrel
to get the bolt open and the pieces out. The case ruptured, the bolt head sheared off a piece,
the magazine blew out the bottom, the middle of stock went into orbit, and the chamber was egg-shaped.
After some examination, the gunsmith found that the locking lugs on the bolt were damaged and
the matching lugs in the receiver had been set back - the bolt almost blew out of the gun.
The only pieces that could be salvaged were the sling swivels, scope mount, trigger assembly and bolt stop.
Estimates are that, instead of a chamber pressure of 60,000 psi, the chamber pressure
was well in excess of 150,000 psi.

Very nearly a fatal accident. Please be very careful when hand loading.
Check everything twice then twice more to be absolutely sure...

This is what can happen when more than one gun is on the shooting bench at a time.

The cartridge on the far Left is a 7 mm Rem Mag.
The cartridge on the far Right is a .270 Winchester.
Center Left is a fired 7 mm Rem Mag.
Center Right is a .270 Win fired in a 7 mm Rem Mag Chamber.

In the Left picture you can see the brass "WIN" imprinted onto the bolt face.
In the Right picture you can see the deformed head of the .270 Win case.

No permanent damage was done to the shooter or gun
although the shooter had a cluster of "pimples" on the right side of his face
for several days from the burning powder that blew past the bolt.

The shooter says that he now has a new set of safety rules.
He has added "Only one gun and type of cartridge on the Bench at a time".
And "Eye protection is as important as hearing protection - -
BOTH WILL BE WORN".

And this can happen if you use someone else's reloads...

A box of .25-06 reloads happen to have a .243 Winchester included when
this fellow purchased the gun and cartridges at a garage sale.
The firing of the .243 Win was first thought to be a case separation of one
of the .25-06 cases, but investigation showed it to be a factory loaded .243 Win
that got mixed in with the others.
The reloaded .25-06's were 5 grains over the maximum load listed in the
reloading manuals, also. They showed flattened primers and "cratering"
around the firing pin impact.
Don't use another person's reloads unless you watch them reload the cases
AND are familiar with what is being done...!!

Left is a .25-06 * Center is a .243 Winchester * Right is the .243 fired in the .25-06

And still another Reloaded cartridge problem...

This is .243 Winchester that was apparently made from .30-06 military
brass, dated 1942.
No annealing was done before sizing and the case
had became "work hardened".
The cartridge was chambered, then extracted. Only half the case came out
spilling powder all over and leaving the neck and bullet to be retrieved with a puller.
Extraction was very easy, since the case didn't seize.... It just separated.

I can only imagine what might have happen if this cartridge had been fired.

Shotgun Chamber Rust and Fowling

I am seeing a lot of shotgun chambers with fowling and rust. Many times this is so bad that customer brings the gun in complaining of poor extraction or ejection. The root of the problem is the Plastic Hulls of the cartridges. I'm not sure whether it is a chemical discharge under heat or (as many other gunsmiths believe) the action of powder residue and heat in the absence of any lubricant. This problem did not exist during the age of the paper hulls. The Paper Hulls had a wax impregnated into the paper to prevent moisture from entering the shells. This wax was deposited in the chamber when the shells discharged. The heat released some of wax that would then adhere to the chamber walls and protect the chamber from fowling and rust buildup. With the Plastic Hulls, there is no such wax. The hot powder gases blow past the plastic causing any lubricant that may be present to burn and blow away, leaving the chamber walls dry and coated with powder residue. Some experts seem to think that the plastic it's self exudes a vapor upon heating that aggravates this situation. This fowling is very slightly hydroscopic (it tends to draw some moisture from the surrounding air) which causes a black crud in the chamber, which will eventually cause rust to start. Most chambers that come in fowled and/or rusted are accompanied by a shiny bright bore. When one looks down the bore one sees only the shiny bore and ignores the dark/rusted chamber, since it is usually not lighted and appears dark anyway, unless a flashlight or other bright light is directed AT the chamber wall. I have handed customers their own barrel and asked their opinion of it's condition. The response is most always that it has a nice shiny bore...... not noticing the chamber fowling that is causing their gun to fail to extract or eject properly. The solution is the wipe a small amount of lubricant into the chamber after each outing. If you LUBRICATE NOTHING ELSE, LUBRICATE THE CHAMBER with a light oil and Don't Use Too Much, a little is all that's needed. Too much lubricant will cause other serious problems by reducing the friction of the case against the chamber wall. "More is better" will cause problems. Use a VERY LIGHT coat of lubricant.

The following pictures are a prime example of this problem. This gun was brought in because of severe extraction problems. Simply the cases were sticking to the rust in the chamber and resulting friction was too much for the extraction/ejection system to handle.

The fowling is usually black rather than red rusty color and more uniform.
That is, the chamber has an even coat of black fowling rather than patches of red rust.

In this one the rust had begun to creep down the bore.
(The strange looking lines coming up the bore are from our background in front of the muzzle.)

And here is the same barrel AFTER cleaning.
A little Preventive Maintenance would have prevented this expense and trip to the gunsmith.
This barrel happens to be from a Browning Auto-5, 20 gauge. More information on Browning's Patent shotguns follows.

Browning's Patent Shotguns

("Hump backs" and more)

A problem that I see come in quite frequently has to do with the Browning Auto 5, Remington Model 11 and Sportsman, and the Savage Models 720, 745 and 750, and in part, Ithaca/SKB 900. These semi-auto shotguns are all made on the Browning Patent and use a "Friction Piece" recoil system. The problems arise when the Friction Ring and/or Friction Piece (Friction Brakes on the Magnums) are improperly installed. The results can be disastrous to the firearm. I have seen one of these so badly damaged that the receiver had to have some metal removed to allow it to function again. Of course the collector value of this firearm was totally destroyed. Others have quit functioning due to Friction Piece damage, as below. This assembly not only prevents recoil from damaging the gun, but also reduces the "felt" recoil to the shooter. I have excerpted some Browning notes to help owners of these guns properly adjust the recoil assembly of their shotguns. Only use the "Light Load" setup if you experience feed problems with the "Heavy Load" setup. Otherwise, always use the setup for "Heavy Loads". The graphics are fuzzy but may help.
If you need additional information, please Email.

As you may see from the above photo the Friction Piece and Friction Ring show significant damage.

Above is the proper setup for Standard Shotgun Models.

This is the setup for the Magnum Shotgun Models.

Iver Johnson Top Break DA Revolvers

Iver Johnson, Top Break, DA, "Safety Hammer" in .32 S&W.
This is after repairs and cleanup. Original nickel is about 80%.

This pistol, and others like it, had a "safety bar" safety system,
much like today's systems, but it was patented and used around 1894.
They were so far ahead of their time that they didn't catch on
and the Safety Bar safety system was pretty much ignored until
around 1904. It was at this time that the "Hammer the Hammer"
slogan was adopted and reinforced through such widespread advertising
that it became known in virtually every household throughout this
and many foreign lands.

Iver Johnson's advertisements said, "You can Hammer the Hammer".

Original Iver Johnson Ad from around 1904.

Notice the area in Color is almost identical to today's
"safety bar" firing systems.

When the trigger is pulled, the Safety Bar (in Blue) moves up in front
of the firing pin (Green) so that the hammer strike (Purple) will push the pin forward into the primer.
Unless the trigger is pulled fully back the bar stays down and the hammer cannot push the firing pin.
The area in Red is empty space in which the hammer block my move.

How's this for a custom job. One of customer's did this nice custom stock.

Machined Aluminum with wood inserts on a Savage 110.
Looking for better long range varmint accuracy.

Here's a new Wildcat cartridge we're working on.
We call it the .17 BMF.

Left is a .30-06 Springfield for comparison.
Center is the new .17 BMF and right is it's parent cartridge the .50 BMG.

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Still more to come... (as time permits)