Bison Bud

I am not aware of any "Black Friday" deals on this kind of stuff, but you should be able to get started on a pretty reasonable budget. Take a look at one of the Lee bottom pour casting pots and a good Saeco mold on Midway, Graf & Sons, etc. and your pretty much in business. I personally haven't done too well with the Lee molds and much prefer steel over aluminum, but the Lee molds are far cheaper and many folks have good luck with them so it's up to you. If your using scrap lead rather than buying premium metals, you will quickly save whatever you spend on equipment over buying pre-cast projectiles. Good luck and good shooting to you and yours.

Wow, I don't post here often and now I know why! Frankly, I am a bit shocked on how many here consider this thread to be beating a dead horse. While I will admit that it's been an on again off again proposition from the start, it is back in the mainstream news once again, which makes it at least somewhat current. Anyway, at least there are some here that understand my primary point about it being about right and wrong and two sets of rules being used, one for the rich and elite and another for the rest of us. Adios.

I see in the news that they are once again considering "Involuntary Manslaughter" charges against Alex Baldwin and feel the need to ask why he isn't already convicted. Frankly, he was holding the gun that shot two people and killed one and since he was holding it, he also obviously pointed it at them or they wouldn't have been hit. Everything else should simply be a moot point and he can deny ever pulling the trigger, or state that someone told him the gun was safe, but the fact is he was pointing the gun at them when it went off and through his personal negligence one person wrongfully died. Honestly, isn't this the legal definition of "Involuntary Manslaughter" anyway? While I doubt that he intended to kill anyone, it was indeed his negligence the caused the accident and that sure seems pretty cut and dried to me. There probably should also be criminal charges against others involved, but none of that relives the fact that he was holding and pointing the gun when it went off. Frankly, I really dislike it when people of wealth and privilege get special treatment especially in the court system. The law should be the same for everyone and applied equally no matter what! How do others here feel about this situation?

Somewhat curious as to what the actual or at least intended load was here? By the way, beautiful handguns and I'm glad they apparently weren't damaged!

I wasn't there, but he generally shoots a Lightning rifle and lever action shotgun and is one of very few that I've seen that can really make a Lightning rifle sing! He is also probably the best Lightning gunsmith out there.

Congratulations as well! Tom/Lassiter has done more for this game than most anyone else I know. He is a true example of the "Cowboy Way" and a true competitive sportsman. He was a great help to me when I first started out, and is indeed one of the best cowboy gunsmiths and gunfighters in the game. Well done on all counts and well deserved recognition!

I have used both .44's and 38's in cowboy action with a full brace of cowboy guns for each caliber and multiple choices for .38 caliber rifles. However, my reason for posting is that I have Marlin Carbines in both .44 Mag. and .357 Mag. and have always loaded the magnum brass for them simply because they feed better and are more reliable overall than using the shorter cartridges. This also means that I have pretty much always loaded separate rounds for these rifles and my handguns and have never had a problem doing so (my USFA SAA's are .38 Special and will not take the magnum length). Having all three guns use the same load is primarily a convenience in my opinion. However, I do shoot all .38 Special when I shoot my Uberti 73, as it doesn't seem to care much about overall cartridge length. Anyway, that's the true beauty of loading your own ammo, as you can taylor it to your own needs. Good luck and good shooting to all.

I know this is not what you asked, but I prefer a non-bevel base mold for my bullets. Although the bevel base makes seating the bullets easier and doesn't require as much belling of the brass mouth, I think it also helps to contribute to gas cutting and possible leading issues. This may not be a big issue, but I do feel that it is better to avoid the bevel base if I can. Personally, my .44 caliber mold of choice is a 200 grain, two cavity, tuncated cone mold, made by Saeco, which does not have a bevel base. I've had great luck with this mold in .44 Special and .44 Magnum and have cast and fired thousands without leading issues. Anyway, if you want a bevel base mold, you've already received some good information above, I just thought I'd kick in about why one choice might be better than the other. It's your choice and your ammo, good luck and good shooting to all.

Larsen, the one I saw and worked on was on a Model 39 rimfire rifle and it had real problems with misfires and was very picky about what ammo it would or would not shoot. Frankly, the rebounding hammer was the whole issue and a bear to get it to work even reasonably well. At least in my opinion it turned the best .22 lever gun ever made into a complete piece of crap! I guess I just assumed that they would do this to the other Marlin lever guns and apparently thought that they had indeed done so. Anyway, good to know that Ruger isn't using this on the models we use for this game. Sorry, if I mislead anyone, but glad we cleared it up for all.

Just wondering whether the new Ruger made Marlins have that stupid "Rebounding Hammer" that was on most of the later production models? I have always preferred the original hammer with either the half-cock or cross-pin safety, but the lawyers always seem to find a way to screw up a good thing.

Thanks to all that posted information here! Apparently, even an old dog can learn a new trick of two. Good luck and good shooting to all.

Hey Brandon! Always good to hear from you and I'd love to get out and shoot together again. Unfortunately, an infected knee implant a few years back and multiple surgeries to get past it, as well as major surgeries on both shoulders has left me considerably less mobile and capable of shooting a real match. Turning 70 this month doesn't help either, with some serious arthritis pain and nearly every injury I ever had coming back to haunt me to some degree. Anyway, I can still walk and stand, but not for extended periods and it's been a real change in lifestyle to say the least. Geese, I even have to walk my dogs from a mobility scooter because I can't go far or fast enough to suit them. I do still get up to my local club range to shoot and it's still my favorite recreational activity, but I do most of it from a chair. I keep on moving and hoping my physical condition will improve and that I will someday be able to get back out there to the matches, but at least for now I doubt that I could make it through an entire cowboy match. Frankly, I really miss it and pards like you are the primary reason! Anyway, I hope things are well with you and yours and thanks for touching base here! I have many good memories of shooting with you and Mountain Drover, two of my favorite posse pards of all time.

I read on another thread that small rifle primers were the same thing as magnum, small pistol primers. Even if the primer charge is equal, I always thought that there was some dimensional difference between the two. However, I have recently heard of folks using the small rifle primers in handgun loads with some success and over the past few years you had to take what you could get so this could be useful information. Does anyone out there really have the scoop on this issue? Are they interchangeable in both directions (ie. can you use small pistol primers in small rifle load too)? Good luck and good shooting to all.

Clyde, you and your Dad were always good posse pards and it's good to hear from you even under these circumstances. Anyway, prayers are up for Manatee and also best wishes for a speedy and complete recovery.

Yeah, this is pretty common and all those items mentioned should thin it back out just fine. Mineral Spirits or Paint thinner is my go to solvent, but I've also used denatured alcohol.