Another Sacrifice on the Alter of Performance

Dave Rishar

Dave Rishar

Joined
Oct 25, 2004
Messages
3,178
Let's set the stage for this little drama.

I'm working up a load on my single stage press for a Glock model 20 in 10mm Auto with the intent of eventual duplication on a large scale with my progressive. Those who have shot the Glock in 10mm know that the recoil, while not excessive, is a bit sharp. I'm using a heavy (190 grains) bullet, the loads are hot, and the powder (milsurp WC820) is a bit of an unknown quantity. The Glock chamber is not completely supported. I'm being careful but I'm decidedly nervous and the 24 ounce mocha that I've just consumed is not helping. Before I know it, I'm flinching a bit.

You know how they say that there are two groups of people who use chronographs, those who have shot their chrony and those that will? Yeah, I used to make fun of folks who shot their chronos. Used to.

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I shot my damned chrono. Would you believe it?

That particular string was running 13 grains of WC820, which seems to be burning similarly to (but slightly faster than) AA #9. The two rounds before it were in the mid 1100's, which is about as hot as I want to run. By my calculations, the fateful shot delivered approximately 558 ft-lbs. of energy (TKO value of 12) to my poor chronograph. As it hit the ground, I noted that the display read ERR. It was a one shot stop.

The patient may survive. It seems to be working, albeit erratically. I'll fiddle around with it through the week as my schedule allows.

Assuming that it doesn't make it, I'm planning on a wall mount.
 

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I shot my gun case once. I was so mad. It was my favorite case, it was tough and would last a lifetime. I sewed the big hole with a bright red thread. A reminder to myself.



munk
 
Told your story to a friend on another forum, who'd written about using a chrono in his blackpowder shooting.

Phillip said that he'd shot his chrono too, but it turned out to be only a flesh wound.
 
Chronos must be very brave. Imagine people shooting at you, and you can't so much as duck. :D

Sarge
 
Dave Rishar said:
...As it hit the ground, I noted that the display read ERR. ...
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Ahoy matey, this be Talk like a Pirate day. thet thar cronograph be sayin ARRRRRRRH now!
 
The chrono was lucky...just imagine if you were testing khuk speeds. There wouldn't be anything left to repair...not unlike that mp3 player you tested previously.
DanR
 
Half a day later and I'm still mortified. Perhaps my public admission of guilt will encourage me to shoot better in the future. (And it wasn't even a good hit! It was barely a graze! I didn't even shoot my chrono correctly!)

CT? That's an excellent idea. If the chrono does not pull through I'll send it to the great shooting range in the sky with a khukuri. I'm hoping that this is not necessary though, or I'll be out $80.

Admittedly, I've gotten nearly $80 worth of giggling since it happened, but still...

And just think of what's going to happen the next time that I'm at the range with it. (If it still works.) "Shot yer chrono, huh? Way to go there, Hathcock. Looks like a trophy buck to me. You gonna punch the tag on it or what? That's one for the record book."

Sheesh.
 
Arrrh! ye shoulda been shootin' good ol' gunpowder, thar's nuthin' like the stench of black powder from yer broadsides on a clear day out on the ol' briney, yer victims at yer feet, an' the doubloons a clinkin' in yer chest.

them new-fangled milsurp powders be gettin ye inter bad habbits. why, bet yer don't even piss down the barrel anymores ter get out the foulin and corrosives, an' probbaly waits hours after a broadside befores cleanin yer glockies innards...
 
You know, I just realized that I misspelled "altar." Since it's in the title I can't even fix it.

This is going to be a long week.
 
Dave Rishar said:
You know, I just realized that I misspelled "altar." Since it's in the title I can't even fix it.

This is going to be a long week.
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I wouldn't sweat it Dave, you most certainly altered the appearance of your chronograph, so the Freudian slip is more than understandable. ;)

Sarge
 
Dave it looked like a quick death or were you able to save it . Darn it son . If I can shoot a 700 grain 32 inch wiggly waggly arrow through one of those things the least you could do is get a little bit of lead to go through ? L:O:L

(162 F:P:S: ) by the way .
 
I'd mount some mini antlers on it and hang it on the wall, I just want to hear what you'd name it!
 
Dave Rishar said:
You know, I just realized that I misspelled "altar." Since it's in the title I can't even fix it.

This is going to be a long week.
Click to expand...

Dave I am pretty sure you can alter your altar by doing editing and then advanced . If I change my title to absolutely sure then we,ll know for sure .
 
Dave, I've had a few expensive mistakes over the years, too.

Fortunately crono's are replaceable.
 
When I was a kid, 12 yo, on the farm, I had a 12ga 1897 Winchester pump shotgun with an exposed hammer. You kept the hammer at half cook or down as a safety. I used to like to play with the hammer until one day I shot my mattress as I was getting ready to go out the back door and hunt. I was surprised it did not make much noise. Almost lost my shotgun that time when mother found the hole.

My second misadventure was about a year later, walking around in the woods, playing with the hammer when the gun discharged into the ground hitting a rock and bouncing 14 #8 birdshot into my right foot. I could not tell anyone or would surely lose my shotgun this time, so I dug out what I could with my Exacto knife under the blankets with a flashlight. :eek:

Fainted from the pain several times! But I was NOT going to lose my gun!

And then worried for months about dying from "lead poisoning." I was not sure what that was, but had heard about it.

I was a hell of a lot more careful after that.

Had an x-ray of my right foot recently and the doctor asked about the "shrapnel." Still a few pellets in there, 51 years later. Guess lead poisoning is something else!?!?

My wife, Anne, had a .38 pistol (still got it) from her marriage to the psycho that she accidently discharged while married to her other husband, the accountant. It went through the bedroom wall, where she was and shattered an aquarium beside him while he was watching tennis on TV. He took it from her and she only got it back after the divorce (for other reasons).

Anne has also learned gun safety, now.
 
Bill Marsh said:
My wife, Anne, had a .38 pistol (still got it) from her marriage to the psycho that she accidently discharged while married to her other husband, the accountant. It went through the bedroom wall, where she was and shattered an aquarium beside him while he was watching tennis on TV. He took it from her and she only got it back after the divorce (for other reasons).

Anne has also learned gun safety, now.
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reminds me a bit about one of my sister-in-laws, she was married to a no-account boozer and wife-beater, he got her brother drunk one day & took him down the bank to draw out all his money - which disappeared. i offered to take care of him (had a spare barrel for my .45 & know enough to police my brass) but the family decided, after much soul searching not to have him disappear. she & him were the local moonshiners/bootleggers & would pick up beer & hard stuff in huntsville & sell it down in decatur & cullman counties. of course all the local preachers, po-leese an' govt. officials were their customers. (those were dry counties way back then, she and the other moonshiners would bribe the mayor and the preachers whenever the referendums on going wet would come up). just wanted you to know so you'd see he was a bit better bred than an accountant.

anyways, he ups and whallops her one one nite, she waits till he's in bed & puts two .38 slugs into the headboard 2" either side of his head, (she's a good shot, woulda been closer but she was drunk herself at the time). he was a good boy for a few months after that one, but bein' who he was, one nite he wallops her agin' - she waited till he was asleep & fractured his skull with an iron skillet. he was in the hospital for a few months & never hit her again. never did see what she saw in him, love is blind i guess.

he finally developed kidney failure & had to be put on a dialysis machine at home 3 times a week by her, he was even nicer then (she did threaten to unplug the blood line on the downstream side of the pump if he acted up, mebbe that had somethin to do with it). he's since passed on - not too sure if she helped him with that or not.
 
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