Need some feedback

[Atlanticwallblanks]

Some observations.

The rounds used at this event were for the most part from the same lots used at the Newville, PA WWI event. Other than the usual minor problems reported there, nothing out of the ordinary was reported to me.

Multiple types of blanks within the same caliber were failing. (short vs Long blanks, virgin brass vs once fired brass.)

Almost every major caliber reported failures. .303, 8mm, 8X50R, .30-06. (.30-06 failures in bolt actions are rare with properly headspaced blanks)

Most reports are along the lines of - the rounds worked for 20-30 rounds then failures began.

I keep hearing about dust.

From what I see here on feedback, I can see that there may be the usual cases of the rounds simply not liking a particular weapon.
BUT the main thing I seem to focus on is dust.

When all types of rounds failed - from more than one manufacturer - most often reported after a short number of rounds were fired, and almost everyone using the word dust in their report........I have to think that dust was the overwhelming cause for the malfunctions.

I listed my logic for this conclusion above, what say you?

Robb

[rmli]

Dust IS a major problem to the function of my SMLE. Every time I shot through a firing loop, dirt and dust would rain down on top of the breech. Cycling the action while the dust was still in the air made it even worse. Not a good thing when the Huns are in your wire. By the way, are your .303 longnecks still in stock? I need to reorder before our next "gala in the dirt".

[Atlanticwallblanks]

The min/max on the headspace on he .303 is .006 inches. How much flying dust do you think it takes to fill up that space?
It is surprising how much dirt can screw things up. Try dropping a Mauser in the sand on the beach. "But you can't make a Mauser fail" " Watch me".


Yes, the web site is a mess right now as I do some clean up and fixing of broken links, but the rounds are in stock.

Robb

[Atlanticwallblanks]

Ok, back here after all the holiday fun is over.....

Seph,

I can't argue with your logic. 90% of people prefer the long rounds over the short rounds. They do work better in most rifles.
The price of bras for the short rounds may cause me to drop them anyway.....if 90% want the long rounds and the short cost only a fraction less....it isn't hard to figure out where to go with this on my end.

Thank you to everyone on the feedback.

PLEASE if you ever have a serious problem - Please contact me. Things come out of adjustment, wear out etc. I may not always catch it. I can not work you through a problem or fix it if I don't know about it.

I will pop my head in here about once a weak to see what is going on and be of any assistance if I can.


Robb

[Larry Dunn]

Robb,

Any comments about my problems with the .303-based 8x56R blanks? They were not dust/dirt related, but had more to do with rim and case size.

Thanks,

Larry

[Atlanticwallblanks]

Larry, I still have your e-mail that I am working my way to but I will take care of it here.

The M-95 takes a large rimed round but you know that.....

The only true full length blank you can form would be out of 9.3x74R Mauser. at $1.45 per case before all the work starts on it you can see it is not reasonable unless you really need a good close up on film.

The only 2 other calibers that are cost effective are the .303 British and the 7.62x54R

Good and bad for each round.

.303 short will work in most rifles, but working the action is slow. 7.62x54R short surplus rounds are just as slow, but 1/3 the cost of the Brit. The steel cases on the short 7.62x54R are strong enough *not to expand in the chamber. If you want to use a short round it really is your best bet hands down.

(*take note of that for later)

.303 British Long work well in some rifles though not all. The main benefit is that the shoulder is long enough that it will come very close to properly headspaceing on the rim and shoulder properly supporting the case in the front and back. This is about as good as you will get. With a blank it is safe, with live ammunition, the .303 case is much thinner in diameter and would explode in the rifle so don't do it.

7.62x54R fill length. The best part about this round is the rim is slightly larger than the .303 and it will almost always feed well.

*The bad part, is that the case is hanging on the rim when you fire the round. With only the extractor holding on to the thin rim holding it where it belongs several things commonly happen. Often the case will bounce off the extractor and stick in the chamber. Second, and equally bad, since the case is not supported anywhere in the chamber it will "fire form" to the chamber. By this I mean the case will swell up to the shape of the 8x56R chamber and again get stuck in the chamber.

If the .303 long do not work but the 7.62x54R do work for you, by all means, go ahead and use the 7.62x54R. Every gun is different so some will take the less suitable round.

If you are not concerned about working the bolt with cat like reflexes, use the 7.62x54R short.

They will not feed as fast and are corrosive, but you can buy 2.5X as many rounds for the price of the long rounds.

When I tell people to use the .303 long when they want "long' rounds, I am going off the feedback that tells me that very slightly more people use the .303 than 7.62, and that worst case, you can feed them in by hand but not have any problems ejecting them. I have seen way too many fire forming / stuck cases with the 7.62 round. Several that could not be cleared in the field.

I hope that helps explain the mechanical reasons and my personal reasons for advising the use of the round.

If the rounds won't work for you and you can't get some Brit. to take them off your hands give me a call, we can work something out.

Robb

[Larry Dunn]

Thanks for the comments Robb, they are very helpful. I know that a lot has to do with how high the clip sits in the magazine of the M95, and this varies from rifle to rifle. I've tried the short 7.62, but it's pretty much a single-load proposition with my M95s. I just picked up a new carbine, and haven't had a chance to see how it feeds--I'll try the .303 rounds in the new one and see how they work--if they don't, I'm sure I can get one of our local Brits to make a deal.

BTW, the blanks you sent for my Rast-Gasser revolver worked brilliantly.

Thanks,

Larry