Too Much Monkey Business

07/30/2024 – I am really trying to keep up with a weekly publishing schedule. It’s tough. I want to be funny, witty and/or clever, much like Kamala Harris. Unfortunately, I realized neither of us ever were, and we are both about as qualified to be President. Reality is a bummer.

Near as I can tell, checking in with various news sources, one Presidential candidate has labeled their opponent “Weird”. The other, labels their opponent a “Doo-Doo Head”. I suppose further research is required. Moving on…

That’s my little bike, a CFMoto 300NK. It allows me to putt-putt around locally, where the big Suzuki is a bit too much. Riding down Route 302, between Casco, ME and Windham during tourist season, is like riding blindfolded through a a congestion of bumper cars, most with Massachusetts, New York or New Jersey license plates.

Much of my day, these days, is spent in physical rehab. Apparently, I went seventy eight years without an oil change, except for that filter change in 2018. So my arteries and other blood vessels are mere shadows of their former selves, and need to be… descaled and reinflated.

In the interim, I can cut down trees into logs, then cut them to useful length and split them into firewood, but I can’t stay on a treadmill for more than twenty minutes without my legs complaining, severely. The latter is what my masochistic cardiologist, Roy, says I need to tolerate while working up to an hour. What parent names their cardiologist son Roy?

Worse, Roy tells me I need to re-prioritize my life, extensively workout every other day, walk every day, and stop whining. The latter to benefit him, not me. I am trying to locate a food source with no calories, no carbs and no cholesterol. I met with a dietician who, after handing me a stack of Internet sourced handouts, concluded with the words, “I’m sure you’ll figure it out”.

243 Winchester handloads for my Compact Model 70

I did not quit shooting firearms. I just have less available time, so I work primarily on projects aligned with my personal applications. I do feel I need to speak out on behalf of .243 Winchester enthusiasts.

The 243 Winchester is a 308 Winchester hot rod. The powder/bore capacity of the 308 Winchester factory ammunition propels a 150 grain bullet to 3,000 fps MV. Reduce bullet diameter from 0.308″ – 0.243″, put approximately the same powder capacity and charge weight behind 34% – 62% less bullet weight; fast things are bound to happen.

In near sectional density and ballistic coefficient equivalents, deer worthy 100 grain .243 Winchester factory ammo is rated as fast as 3150 fps, with varmint worthy 55 grain factory ammo rated at 4100 fps. Yes, the .243 Winchester remains a popular cartridge with 68+ available factory loads.

I like the 243 Winchester because it pairs well with light, compact rifles, it consumes modest amounts of component resources and comparatively inexpensive factory ammo. As a bonus, recoil is light, report is not fierce and, did I mention it is inexpensive to shoot.

The following is my bullet selection, in the event I can get someone with a hand truck to wheel me out into the woods with my gear. Kidding, I can get out there, even if it is with an apelike gait.

 Comments on bullet selection

Sierra is one of those companies that has been bought and sold more than once in very recent years. It is now owned by one of those capital investment LLC companies that run businesses for as long as they last, and maximize short term profits as the expense of longevity and customers.

That’s fine. Capitalism is the best system… unless you’re a consumer, then capitalism can suck. I pulled the listed bullets out of FIFO inventory, inventory purchased when these bullets were consistent with the old Sierra’s value pricing philosophy. They are now approximately 3x the price. Both Hornady and Barnes offer comparable product at half the price.

The rest of the bullets listed have stayed in line with prices, including the Berger bullet. For most real world situations, the Berger could be replaced with virtually any commercially made expanding bullet with a weight of 100 +/- grains.  Yes, including those on sale for 16 cents each. So why am I listing Berger bullets? They look impressive… like little rocket ships from the 1950s. And that is reason enough.

No, my brass is not shiny, just clean…

Did Hornady change the formula for One Shot Sonic Brass Cleaner? It used to be excellent a while back. I tried it with a new 2 liter Hornady Lock-N-Load Sonic Cleaner 2L without heat turned on, as per the instructions, and the brass came out tarnished and with less than clean primer pockets. I dumped the product in a vibratory cleaner got it to this stage of clean.

Steel pin cleaning works great, but it is time consuming and a mess to work with. Those pins end up in everything, including a less than carefully monitored lunch. I think I will go back to IOSSO case cleaner. I only stopped using it because I could not figure out how to pronounce the name. Anyway…

Warning: Bullet selections are specific, and loads are not valid with substitutions of different bullets of the same weight. Variations in bullet length will alter net case capacity,  pressure and velocity. Primer selection is specific and primer types are not interchangeable. These are maximum loads in my firearms and may be excessive in others. All loads should be reduced by 5% as a starting point for development where cartridges have greater than 40 grains in capacity and 10% for cartridges with less than 40 grain capacity following safe handloading practices as represented in established mainstream reloading manuals. Presentation of these loads does not constitute a solicitation for their use, nor a recommendation.

There are so many great liberties in life. I’ve been listening and singing to free Spotify while working, Dobie Gray – Drift Away. A solo performance on my part, I can sing as loud, or be quiet, as I like and I don’t even have to get the words right. Oh! Good one. Jonny Lang – Lie To Me.

Handload Notes…

While the Berger appears turtled, less than 2.710″ COL puts the end of the bullet shank inside the case mouth. While using this bullet yields the least net case capacity, it is more than enough as further increases in charges result in excess pressure.

That’s all I’ve got. I have to get on the treadmill.