Projectiles are one of the most misunderstood
links in the whole sport of shooting. Most folks feel you should
just be able to order up a crate of 10,000 slugs in a general
caliber size. Not so. Look at a catalog that provides slugs or
hand loading supplies. Just look at 30-32 caliber. Why 30-32?
Cause it gives a good example.
Do you know that "Caliber",
strictly speaking, should be written as a decimal portion of an
inch? Thus 30 caliber is written .30"
So, let's look at a catalog ... hummm
... 30 caliber - here it is ... Lee 30 caliber rifle molds ...
.309" ... what?!! Oh ... here's the Lyman rifle molds ...
30 caliber is .311". Except here's one that's .314"
What the heck?
Well, here's the 32 caliber molds ...
.311" Wait, wouldn't that be 31 caliber? Yes, it would. Here's
another 32 caliber mold ... .314"? Wait ... didn't we just
see those numbers listed as 30 caliber molds in the paragraph
above? Yes we did. Oh ... here's the RCBS 32 caliber molds ...
.321".
Now, above we see that .314" is
30 or 32 caliber .... I think. But ... here's a mold that's .312"
... it's called a 7.62mm. And, the British 303 is listed at .312".
No ... not .303" ... don't be silly.
Here's a 32 caliber at .321" Amazing.
That's actually correct. But Lyman's .323" is 8mm ... and
Lee's 8mm is .324" Sure, both are 32 caliber slugs ... do
try to keep up.
Let's expand to another popular slug
you hear of. The 9mm.
Now 9mm is actually .354" but
is .356" at Lee. It's also .358" at Lee. Of course,
.358" is also 38 caliber. Well yes, .380" is actually
38 caliber ... but nobody makes a 38 caliber slug as huge as .380"
... that would be ridiculous! Here's a 9mm at .365". Good
Heavens! ... wouldn't that be a 36 caliber? No - 36 calibers don't
exist on the charts here. But; here's a .358" listed as a
35 caliber ... obviously a misprint!
So, can you shoot a 38 caliber in a
9mm? Well, it depends upon if they are both .356" or if one's
.358" or even .365" (which would be a 36 caliber if
it existed). You'd think a 36 caliber would just drop out a 38
caliber barrel - right? but, it would be waaay to big really!
OK ... Enough!!!
Now ... you just want a thousand slugs
capable of MOA @ 100 yards in ... what caliber was that?
Now, to simplify more, you realize
that the caliber measurement is supposed to be the measurement
across the bottom of the grooves inside the barrel. That's fine.
If we can determine that, we just have to decide how deep your
slugs should ride into the grooves. All the way to the bottom!!!
Right ... very rugged of you. Don't want any blow-by - right?
So, let's jamb a .380" into your .380" bore. Cock the
rifle. Careful ... all's clear. Fire! "Phunk". .....What
was that? .......Where did it hit?.... What? ....Nothing? ....
Stuck in the bore? Bummer. Here's a brass rod ...
Oh, you want a "bore riding"
slug? So, we need the measurements across the lands - not the
grooves. And you want a drive band on it? Sure - to grab the rifling
some - but how much? All the way to the bottom of the groove?
Oh ... maybe not. Now, you know we'll have to hit this measurement
dead on the first time when we order these custom swagging dies.
Why? Cause we can't size anything with a drive ring bigger than
the exterior sides of the slug. The sizing die will wipe the drive
ring right off. And, we'll maybe want the rifling to cut the sides
of the slug some - to get good tracking down the bore? But how
much?
Now. When you cast, you cast alittle
oversized and then size them back to your specific size for your
particular barrel. But not too much, or you will squeeze them
out of round. So ... you want a .354" 9mm but you have to
order an 8mm (which sounds too small) but is actually too big
at .358" and size it back to the .356" which your barrel
actually likes? Right then. Very simple. Glad we cleared that
up.
Complicated? .... Headache?
Non-sense. You buy a Barnes rifle which
Barnes himself has proofed at the range. You shoot the slugs he
tells you at the size he tells you. The rifle has already proven
itself. He's already posted actual groups from it. You'll shoot
it very well yourself, once you learn the technique of handling
the rifle. You can cast slugs in the molds Barnes will make for
you or order them from Pelletman to be cast in Barnes molds and
sized in Barnes sizing dies. That's if you want to do what old
Barnes said. But then ... what does he know? You can always just
go to the catalog and order up something cheap!
So, why on Earth is all this such a
pain? I swear all of the above is true. I haven't made it up or
exaggerated for the sake of a good story. Here's the reason ............
plain and simple: "It ain't simple!"
Accuracy is not easy. This is why,
after I've worked out all of the above for you and provided same,
I hate to see the rifles collecting dust in the safe. And why,
I'm not too thrilled about providing my development work to other
manufactures who can't be bothered to do their own development
work. I also have rather strong feelings about any who'd use my
projectiles to make somebody else's product look better. Let them
do their own development work. They have 24 hours in each of their
days - just as I do. If they know what they are doing ... they
won't need to "borrow" my stuff. If someone would think
it's fine for them to use my stuff because they don't want to
bother to develop the low paying areas of their business, would
you ever wonder what else they don't bother with? You know ...
it doesn't pay very well to maintain a web site ... answer e-mail
... fix warrenty stuff ... etc.
Yep ... this is why I get the big bucks
... ha ha. You don't just get a rifle from Barnes. You get a complete
business support system.
A few thoughts from today's mail
and catalog browsing.
"Caliber" has always been
another topic of the "typical" verses what I choose
to offer. The default there is supposed to be 17 or 22 cal. ...
and maybe a 50 cal. in big bore. Those are THE "proper"
calibers according to ... something. ;?)
So, I was reading, this morning
at coffee, in a new Midway catalog. Alot of you probably get that.
I hardly read it or other catalogs, because I do not buy in any
parts. However; my wife Kelly had it laying there. Told me there
was alot of stuff in it that I might enjoy seeing.
Check around page 722/723 in the
section listing barrels for sale. Here's a quick index of calibers
offered on just those two pages: 17, 20, 22, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28,
30, 32, 33, 35, 36, 37, 38, 40, 41, 45, 50, 54. Hummm. Enlightening.
Then, on the same two pages there
are twist rates (for those same barrels) of 1 in 7, 8, 9, 10,
12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 32, 48, 66, 70. Once again ... enlightening.
There would appear to be more than one way to do things.
Hey - next somebody will tell you
they can make a smooth bore shoot well. Ha!!!