[2400 45/70?]

While 2400 is not the best choice, and can only find listings in some of the old Lyman Ideal handbooks, NOT the most recent Lyman manuals, it was listed for use in bullet weights from 300 to 405gr lead alloy bullets. You may be able to google for the older Lyman manuals. Compared with the volume of the case, 2400 loads are quite small volume-wise. My advise would be to tip the muzzle of the rifle up to settle the powder against the primer. A heavy crimp on the bullet by the case mouth would be advisable.

[Anyone from Scottsdale?]

My daughter, son-in-law and grown grandsons finally got out of Phoenix & vicinity after 10 years. In actual fact, they seem to like the place! You have to adjust your lifestyle in the hot weather (May to October). Air conditioning is a must in your house and car. Only problem with the latter is that for short trips, by the time the AC kicks in, you are there. If you go to the grocery store and buy ice cream, you better have an ice chest in the car to put it in! I couldn't find the funniest cartoon/T-shirt. The one I like shows a skeleton of a cowboy wearing a sombrero and holding a guitar. He is leaning back against a cactus. On the adjacent cactus is the skeleton of a buzzard perched there, looking at him! Caption is the same: "But it's a dry heat!" OTOH, Phoenix has some great restaurants. If you drive through Scottsdale, be sure to have gasoline in your tank. I've only been able to find one gas station. Of course, the next suburb has plenty of them. If, Heaven forbid, you need serious medical treatment, the Mayo Clinic is there, along with their hospital on the north side of town! There are other medical facilities as well.

If you are there during spring training, a lot of the teams play there!

[Astronaut and Space Pioneer John Glenn Passed Away Today]

Fifty-five years ago, in the summer of 1961, a 19-year-old college student (and AFROTC cadet) was working as a summer hire for the Navy, at Cape Canaveral. On the weekends he was allowed to use the pool at the Holiday Inn, which was where the Mercury Astronauts stayed (the Astronaut facility hadn't been built yet). While there, with a 16mm silent movie camera, he was filming six of the seven astronauts (Gordon Cooper was in Australia). When the youngster was observed filming him, as he came up from a run on the beach, Col. Glenn said with a grin, "Here, I'll give you a real closeup!" and stuck his face right in the lens! I still have the film and a DVD made from it (though the DVD needs digital enhancement).

 

R.I.P., Colonel Glenn, Sir!

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[A Day in Infamy]

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Lest we forget the service and sacrifice of those who were at Pearl Harbor on "The Date That Will (still) Live in Infamy", and those who have come after them!

[anybody wearing hearings any recommendations]

Got my Phonax aids from the VA this past Wednesday (cheaper than $6,500 a civilian audiologist wanted!). My left ear is real bad, and they and another couple of audiologists recommended a transmitter type in the left ear, sending to the right ear. Takes some getting used to, and I was told it can take a couple of months to get my brain reprogrammed. I agree that a lot of background noise is problematic. I've been wearing mine mostly when the wife is around, especially on my left side, and when watching TV. I certainly do NOT intend to wear them out shooting. I will take them out, insert my custom-fitted plugs and add the muffs on the firing line.

[Bell P-39]

Army Air Forces used the export version, the P-400, on Guadalcanal in support of the Marines. They had no equipment to recharge their oxygen equipment, so were pretty much restricted to close air support, at which they did a great job. The engine was mounted behind the pilot, and they had a 20mm (I think) cannon mounted in the nose, firing through the propeller spinner. Replaced later by the P-38's that got Yamamoto.

[What information do you put on the labels of your bullet boxes?]

You asked about "bullet boxes", but from the responses are more for cartridge boxes. Since I generally purchase my bullets from a commercial caster, and have several different ones for different cartridges, on the bullet boxes I generally put the manufacturer, the caliber, the actual bullet diameter, actual bullet weight, stock number if there is one, and the hardness (measured by me with a SAECO hardness tester). I don't bother with bullet composition, as I don't really know what it is, and don't really care as long as the hardness is within my spec range. I will also list the quantity of bullets (usually 100 to each small box), or less, if I have used fewer than an amount required for a 50 round box of cartridges, I'll cross out the 100 and write in the number left.

 

On cartridge boxes, which are plastic 50-rd pistol boxes, I will list the cartridge, bullet weight, muzzle velocity from a revolver with the barrel length listed, and the MV from a rifle with the barrel length listed. I also list the powder, charge, powder lot number, if available, primer brand and lot number (in case of Failure To Fire...FTF), and the date loaded. I do use cartridge specific colors for the boxes: Green (RCBS) for .44-40, red for .45 LC, blue for .44 Magnum.

[Purchase and Proper Fit for New Holster]

What I probably should have said was that I don't mind having the top of the holster cut so you can insert your finger inside the trigger guard, although I recommend not doing it, and many of the Old West designs have the cutout in the holster, but I prefer to see the back of the trigger guard supported by the holster. (Note: Double action revolvers should NEVER be put in a holster with the trigger exposed! Too much chance of grabbing the trigger of the holstered gun, or having brush or other objects setting off the gun!)

[Purchase and Proper Fit for New Holster]

First of all, speed- or fast-draw is NOT part of Cowboy Action Shooting! No, the gun should not stick in the holster, but cutting away lot of the holster to "speed" your draw isn't necessary, and if it decreases security beyond a certain point, a drastically cut down holster gains nothing and IMHO decreases safety. Personally, I don't care that much for exposed trigger guards on holsters. Your trigger finger should never go inside the trigger guard until the gun is pointed safely downrange!

 

Whatever style holster you pick is up to you, but you may wish to look into the styles utilized in the Old West, or B-Western movies, if that is your preference. Unlike many of the originals, which often were paper-thin, I recommend holsters made of topgrain, vegetable-tanned cowhide of no less than 8-9 oz leather (an "ounce" os a 64th of an inch). A lining, if one is chosen should also be of topgrain cowhide, smooth side to the gun cemented and stitched to the outer layer. For lined holsters, I generally use 6-7 oz for the outer layer, with a 2-3 or 3-4 oz. lining.

 

Even if the holster is supposed to be for your make, model and barrel length, it should be wet-fit to the gun. Even then, the holster will probably be a bit snug, and can be given a final wet-fitting by the customer. (I provide instructions for doing that with my holsters.)

 

As for belt size, I recommend taking an actual measurement around where you will wear your gun belt. If you plan to also wear it over a heavy coat, give the maker that measurement also. Best way is using a dressmaker's tape. Do NOT try to just give your pants waste size. Your pants may have stretched or shrunk over the years.

 

Expect to pay a fair amount (probably close to $100 per holster) for good quality work. The more decoration and fanciness, the more the rig will cost, especially if it is hand-tooled.

 

Good luck!