Calling Grapeshot

[Noz]

I posted this on the SASS Wire but thought you might miss it there.



Thanks for taking care of my boys yesterday with their new Remingtons. They were greatly impressed with your help. It's folks like you that make the shooting sports special.
Thanks again, I truly appreciate it and I certainly owe you a beer.

I see you bill yourself as Capt of Artillery. I was priviledged to carry that title for a while back in the 60s. 5th of the 39th (LaCrosse), 3 of the 35th 155 (towed), 1st of the 75th (8" SP). Changed branch to the spooks and went to Viet Nam as G-2 Air. Still think fondly of my initiation into the Loyal Order of St. Barbara.

[Dick Dastardly]

Ho the fire,

Grapeshot has a full plate for the imediate.  He'll be rite back.

DD-DLoS

[Grapeshot]

Nozzle Rag!

It was my pleasure to help out.  Your boys were great students and very good shots.  You taught them well.  They listened and puit into application all that I tought them and followed the safety regs out to the letter.  They'll make fine cowboys when they finally get all their gear together and come on out to play for real.

Started out in a Local Ceremonial Unit in my home town firing and servicing a pair of Revolutionary War vintage brass barreled Muzzle loading cannon that were cast by Paul Revere's foundery.  Even learned a bit about a US M1903 3 inch Field gun modeled after a 75mm Krupp.

From there went to Active Duty in the Ordnance Corp where I had lots of guns to play with.  Just finished up a year with a NET team on a Light Weight 155mm towed that the Marines are fielding.  Neat piece.  All Titanium carriage and a Gun tube that's about 39 calibers long.  Out side Diameter slighty less than the M198's so the weight is down to under 10K lbs.  Air Mobile by Helo and Osprey.

Big BANG, Bigger BOOM.

[Noz]

I'll show you how brown my shoes are: I spent the Christmas vacation of 1966 working on FADAC, the artillery's first ballistic computer. It had the unbelievable capacity of 8 kilobites. To use it, you literally entered it. It was housed in the back of a deuce and a half. It had no CRT readout only nixie tubes. Slow, cumbersome, delicate and generally unreliable. I could out plot it with a chart and a deflection fan.
Loved the 8". Most accurate of all the artillery pieces at that time.

Anyway, enough old soldier stuff.

Thanks again.
Jim

[Noz]

The elder Blanchard got his badge yesterday. He is Officially "Spring River Slade", the younger is "Bones Blanchard".

[Grapeshot]

Yeah, I found that out today.  They were at Jefferson with me.  I Loaned them my .45 Colt Carbine and 12 Gage SxS.

They had a bit of bad luck.  Seems they lost their powder measure during the match so they pulled out and helped out doing loading table, spotter and whatever else that was needed.  Good guys, both show promise.  I think that they are going to invest in one of the brass flasks that throw a preset charge.

I see darksiders in the making. 

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

Lost a powder measure, so had to drop out!  Did you know that a .38 Spl case holds 22 grains of FFF for a .36 C&B.  A .357 case holds 25 grains, just a bit on the light side for a .44, but usable.

I agree.  A measure on the spout of your flask, or make paper cartridges.

[Grapeshot]

Lost a powder measure, so had to drop out!  Did you know that a .38 Spl case holds 22 grains of FFF for a .36 C&B.  A .357 case holds 25 grains, just a bit on the light side for a .44, but usable.

I agree.  A measure on the spout of your flask, or make paper cartridges.

I did suggest that to them, but they seemed to think that it was hassle enough to throw a charge from powder container to measure to pistol that it was slow them down even more using the .38 case I offered them.

As it was, they still had a good time and learned more about the sport and he people in it.

[Noz]

They have a CVA flask with a 17 gr tube on the way from me. I think they are going to stay with the C & B revolvers. They both had a good time even though they had problems.  My first shoot wasn't much better and I was shooting BlackHawks. They're already talking about next time.

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

I know a lot of old BP target shootes that used light charges and fillers, but that slows you up even more.  My Navy likes 22 to 25 grains of FFF.  A 25gr. tube, with your finger over the end generally fills to 22 gr.  A deadly load!