.38-50 Hepburn

[ian45662]

Ian keep me posted with the bullet. I been thinking on having one cut to 1.425 to get over the legal limit for the pit safety of 345 gr.
I can open my 1.4" base a little and get over the 345 gr.
I been shooting 15 gr of unique cornmeal blanks and have 500 cases now that blew the shoulders out very good and I'm starting to load those with 65 grains with old 05 3F Goex Express for the final forming. Right now I think the cases as they are are shooting just fine from what the few third load showed but I have not shot them at 200 yards yet and for the longer range it will have to wait till April when Alma starts and if I can make it to Friendship in March to give the 500 mtr a try.
I would like to stretch it to the 1K at Lodi to find out what this caliber can hold up to.
My purpose for having this rifle build is for the midrange or less.

I certainly will. I am going to shoot some at 100 years today before the snow hits. After they due to the snow it will probably be a few weeks before I can get back out to the range. I might be able to get to the 300 yard range next weekend. That will depend on the snow. Hopefully we can both knock some animals down with our 38s at friendship in March.

[Don McDowell]

some animals down with our 38s at friendship in March.

Or maybe more better yet, bring them to the Desert International 60 rounds for score at 5 and 600 over 2 days, then a practice day at 8,9 and 1000, just to see if they'll work...

[Kurt]

Don,

I would love to shoot that match but the cost shooting it more than I can justify shooting it.

[Don McDowell]

The cost seems high until you sit down and figure out, that everyday the first relay will start out on a brand new target. There is no other place on the planet where you can fire that many rounds for score in a week.

[Kurt]

It's not the cost of the match so much, yes it's high at $360. it's the inflated fuel price on top of it. A 1700 mile trip at 10 MPG +- depending on the wind and camp fees on top of it makes it close to $2000.

Going to the Q and Baker also comes at a price, but shooting the Q since 05 we made a lot of good friends and been shooting with then for all those years those matches are like a family reunion, plus where else can you spend a month shooting 2000 rounds between the two matches for less than $80. plus get lost in the hills for two months doing some dirt digging and good fishing to keep your belly full.

[Don McDowell]

Yup it'll cost around 2 grand to go, and I'll be shooting with friends at Phoenix.
It's all in what one chooses to do I suppose.

[Kurt]

That is what one should do.
Our type of matches are declining at a fast rate and it's not just the cost that I hear and read of the fees but also a lot of us old farts are going to the other side that like this game.

[Don McDowell]

Most of them the go away just because of the lack of participation, and the match directors simply unable to justify tying up a range for a weekend for 12 people..

[Kurt]

Yes, But why is that lack of participation? why did it start?

I saw this at out range that had a high volume of muzzleloader shooters 30-40 of them showing up with no match or range fees shooting the over the log shoots or turkey shoots and snow less than 10 show up and the turkey shoots have long been gone.
Even the wannabe cowboys are gone in the last two years and there used to be enough that they used 4 of the pistol ranges and the 200 yard and that crowd started declining and now gone.

Well I better see if I can get the tractor fired up and move some snow.

[Don McDowell]

I'm surprised they can keep any matches at Lodi, and they lost the silhouette matches at St. Louis , don't hear much about Effingham, nor the one in Arkansas anymore. Miller Ks went by the wayside because of land use changes, same with Mexia. If it wasn't for the military rifles included at Alliance I would be surprised if those kept going.
It has to be disheartening for the match directors to go thru all the hoops to put a match on and not have enough people show up to even begin to justify the time and effort.