My new to me Thunderbolt.

[Tall Dark Slim]

I traded for a Thunderbolt the other day and intend to give it a go. I figured a pump rifle would be the easiest transition for me to make although I have my eye on a 30" '73 too. I shot it and it ran flawlessly with my cowboy ammo. I intend to use it for my cowboy match this weekend and see how it goes. Any pointers on how to run it better would be highly appreciated. I am going to see about just how rapidly it can be run today in practice. I will attempt to run it like a '97 and see if it can be slide fired.

[Tornado]

Did you really think you post that statment without pictures!

[Tall Dark Slim]

Yes it really exists.

I shot in for the first time in a match last Saturday and it was a lot of fun and I learned a lot. I learned that the shooter must cycle the weapon properly in order to avoid malfunctions. I quickly learned that I CAN out run this gun if I try. Basically it functions fine and dandy when I do my part. When I perform the cycle in a quick and smooth manner the weapon lives up to its original name, but too fast and it jams. In practice I can have as many as three dummies in the air at once. I practice cycling on my knees instead of standing to avoid hitting the ceiling with the shells and generally keeping them closer to my practice area.

I wonder if a lighter projectile and shorter brass would allow the gun to fire faster.... Theory being that there is less mass to be accelerated onto the carrier and a shorter case length to travel.