First….8x57mm JS There are some variables to handloading the 8×57 JS, the first being it’s name. Sometimes it is referred to the 7.9x57mm, or 7.92×57, or 8mm Mauser, or 8x57mm JS Mauser, or the 8x57mm IS Mauser. They are all the same. The cartridge is a derivative of the German […]

If you get beyond the Sunday paper’s sports section and/or comics, you may have encountered one of the insert ads for inexpensive military surplus firearms. They are typically under $100 and frequently of Turkish, German, Yugoslavian, Russian or Swiss origin. They are sourced from an almost endless list of countries […]

I’ve been traveling back and forth between Maine and California for the past few years. I was trying to decide if I wanted to start another project before I headed back east again, or if I should wait for my return. There were so many things to get out of […]

I recently read an article in a print publication, where the author went to great length to caution people to not work on their own firearms. The author cited his automotive engineer brother-in-law, as a man who refused to work on the family car for fear of putting his family’s […]

Didn’t know the Bisley was offered in .22 WRM with a 9 ½” barrel? It is not in the Ruger catalog all in one place, but the parts are. The conversion parts are also available from Brownells and Numrich. Some assembly is required. The traditional single action grip everybody else […]

Casting can produce a bullet very close to bore size but, generally, bullets must be run through a sizing die that will swage them to more consistent, uniform and appropriate dimensions. Internal to the casting process, variations in dimensions are primarily caused by: temperature swings of material and tools when […]

I absolutely agree with the author of a recent e-mail, who suggested that a white gas powered Colman stove, and heavy cast pot, is a better set up for wheel weight reclamation work than the Lee melter. The melter’s small reservoir and its need to be operated with clean material […]

You wouldn’t think that “lead”, such a basic component of bullet casting, would be offered in so many forms. Pure lead is too soft for bullet material, and pure lead has some properties that make it less than idea for casting. The addition of modest amounts of tin and antimony […]

Many, many…many years ago, in a place called, “New Jersey”, I did a lot of pistol and rifle shooting at indoor ranges. The ammo I purchased and fired at the range, carried a light powder charge, a soft cast bullet and made clouds of acrid smoke and lead, in an […]

Among our most respected modern makers of 1911 handguns is Springfield Armory.  Springfield came into the market at exactly the right time, when Colt had given up the lead in 1911 sales and seemed in danger of giving up altogether.  GI .45s suitable for modification or hard use were becoming […]