Another video said Ransom recommends using the "tab" at the front right bottom. Resetting the rest by gripping the frame my introduce minor variations. Good Video with revolver - more accurate than other videos using semi-auto pistols.
Thanks Lloyd. I haven't spotted that in the literature, but got this Ransom used. That makes sense as it does take some pressure to bring it back to rest. Will keep that in mind as it could be causing some stringing, or other issues. O.R.
I think the Speer 148 gr. HBWCs are out of production, at least I haven't been able to find any. A shame, they shoot great in my Clark PPC Revolver. I use pretty much the same load but with 2.8 grs. of Bullseye.
Nice video it shows the difference between the potential of a custom revolver and a standard factory revolver. In the large bores I like the S&W revolvers but for 38 Special I prefer Colt I frame revolvers. I have two Officer's Model Match heavy barrels one from 1938 and one from the 1950s. The adjustable sights are better on the post war gun. I had Bill Davis build me a PPC gun on a Python I had. It like your Davis Smith was boring to shoot because it was so accurate.
That gun is unbelievable they way it shoots almost any light load accurately. Interesting to hear about the guns you shoot. Thanks for the comment. O.R.
I looked for HBWC ammo for my 38 & AmmoSeek only displays 2 brands. Bullets are easy to find but loaded HBWC ammo is expensive & hard to find. I used to buy it in stores & it wasn't expensive. I settled for a box of solid base wadcutters. Cheaper & likely less accurate.
I was fortunate that my uncle was state patrol and obtained federal match hbwc ammo. Not sure but suspect they used it in matches and not for their duty carry ammo. When he passed away I inherited his stash of several boxes probably manufactured in the 70’s. My S&W K likes it. I’m sure even if available (which I doubt) I couldn’t afford it. Thanks for your comment. O.R.
I used to shoot a fair amount of w/c out of my s & w 640 as I carried it while hunting for small game. I made some amazing shots because I was familiar with my gun and load.
Great video! Back around 1979 I had a PPC built by Cake-Davis. Is that the same as Bill Davis? They used a 1-14 twist Micro groove barrel, that had about 8 or more grooves. I shot mostly Speer and Hornady bullets, with some Zero now and than, with 2.7 grains of Bullseye. It was my second of 3 guns. First one was built by TNT Arms in New Hampshire. I didn't like that gun and sold it after a year. He was local to me and I could actually touch his products. I had to mail away M10 to Cake-Davis, sight unseen, and hopefully got back a quality product. I did. No internet in those days, so I bought it from an ad in the back of a gun magazine. Cost me $300 plus my gun. It was a slab side barrel with a Bomar rib, plus an under rib. That gun got me a Master rating, and a house full of trophies. I still have it, still shoot it (for fun now), and will never get rid of it. The third gun I won in a match, and it was not well made so I sold it right away.
My guess is that we are talking about the same fellow. Reasons: How many would have the Davis name. Mine has the Bomar rib, and appears to have lots of riflings. Never counted, but at least 8. It is made from a Smith #10. I think that's all the evidence I need. It shoots anything better than anything I own. Heavy barrel called "Wind cheater". I only used in Bullseye competition, and probably lucky, but I did end up on top. Thanks for the comment, and safe shooting. O.R.
Nice video a a good group with that gun and A old school Ransom Rest.. We could not help but notice two things. If it is ok for us to mention it that is. . #1 Your machine appears it needs adjusted or cleaned due to the break pad is not keeping the machine at recoil height. It appears the machine drops back down to battery position. This is due to the brake disc has been affected with oil is the usual reason, or it is compromised in some way. You may want to look in the manual or contact us on how to clean and resolve this recoil issue and dirty break pad. Should never oil the rocker and some do, or have, and this will cause the recoil brake not to function properly. Or the spring retainer knob and spring is not set to 1.5" . That said obviously it is still accurate just not absorbing the recoil properly it appears in the video. #2 We are interested on why you choose not to use the trigger bar trigger finger on the machine, If the trigger bar is out of adjustment it can have to much swag or wiggle and some use there finger instead of readjusting it or replacing the broken trigger bar spring. We are curious on what your reason was. Obviously a nice round group so machine is doing its job. We just feel we would mention the recoil as well as curious on why no trigger bar used. You may even consider our remote trigger if you feel the trigger bar is inadequate or not for you. Fill free to contact us. We would love to discuss fixing this for you. We back our machine and desire you to get the most out of it.
I appreciate your advice and support of your product. Thanks. I believe that the tension adjustment was not set high enough, I have since found the info on line, and have paid more attention to that. I don't exactly remember why I removed the trigger unit, seems like I was having some Issue using it on some single action black powder stuff, maybe it was in the way or something when capping the gun, just plain forgot, sorry. I have a fair ability with trigger pull, having shot in competition, and may not need that as much as some that may have problems with flinching, or whatever. I do remember that I was switching back and forth between several guns, and by removing it, didn't need to keep adjusting. Just haven't got to putting it back. Thanks again for the support.
@Motoroil Agree. Sure is different now than when I grew up. Watching (actually first was listening to) the Lone Ranger. He never shot first, and then not to kill. Our games were in the back yard, building rubber-band guns and model rockets to play with.
Odd looking barrel on the Bill Davis Custom, Last one I saw (45 years ago) was just a massive Bull Barrel. Also, he was working on building 'SMOLTS' for California PPC shooters.
I understand that it was ongoing. I don’t know much about that game, but this will shoot amazing with just about anything in the low to midrange cartridges. O.R.
@@oldranger3044 The PPC Matches were primarily for law enforcement when I was shooting it in the mid to late 1970's. (I still have my 'Patch' board collected from the events I participated in.) I ran into Bill at a few of these shoots, shot next to him in a couple, he 'fixed' my revolver at one match, between the 7 and the 15 yard set. (That was funny). The matches were fired at different yardages and consisted of a total of 60 rounds per event. I can't recall all the timed values, but the course of fire was 12 rds. (double action only) at 7 yards. 6 rds. (Double action only) at 15 yards. 18 rds. at 25 yards -6 rds. kneeling, 6 rds. Weak hand barricade, 6 rds. strong hand barricade. Then 24 rds. at the 50 yard position- 6 rds. prone, 6 rds. sitting, 6rds. weak hand barricade and 6 rds. strong hand barricade. It was not unusual for Bill to shoot a perfect score in these matches. Usually the various winners of each classification was determined by the number of X's on shooters targets since multiple shooters shot a 'clean' target. (Example- a score of 600 with 52 X's) Bill's guns were present at almost all the matches I attended. Of course not every Bill Davis gun was shot by quality shooters, but every one of them just knew the gun would win them the prize. Oh, and shiny medals weren't the only prizes at these matches. Brand new, in the Box, S&W's Colts and various shotguns were part of the prizes for Top Shooter. And one of the most looked forward to matches was the Bay Area Night Shoot. Average scores always dropped at that shoot, but it was fun. AS for the SMOLT, as I recall, it started out as a crossbreed. A COLT Action and cylinder with a S&W barrel. The idea was a smoothed, tuned COLT action with a SMITH barrel. Some thought the S&W barrel was a better shooter.
@@CUDA1970Terry Great information and hearing from a match shooter who shot in the competition with Bill is classic. It adds to my appreciation of the gun and gives an idea of how the matches were run. Thanks again for the input. O.R.
@@CUDA1970Terry Oh, I used the gun in some local competition in 2016-17. Believe I ended up in the top, maybe even first. Sadly there was no prize, but there are the memories. O.R.
The Federal wads are amazing in that gun. Not enough of a gunsmith to know why, possibly in the angle of the forcing cone. Point taken, it sure likes them. Thanks for viewing and commenting. O.R.
Very fine shooting irons you got there. I have a 14-2 that was made in 1968. I have an RCBS 148gr DEWC mold and use the same 2.7gr of BE and I recently bought 1000pcs of once fired wadcutter brass. Have you ever tested to see if there is an accuracy difference in brass types?
No, not exactly. I feel that shooting mixed brass will cause groups to enlarge. Different brands have slightly different volumes, probably causing slight variation in pressures. Also, some brass is thicker which can put different amounts of crimp, again affecting pressure (bullet speed). I believe I have noticed that if I load a mixture of cleaned and uncleaned brass that there is a difference. With that, it's real hard to determine small differences in grouping because of other factors. My opinion would be that if one sticks with the same brass and treats it the same, no noticeable difference in group size will result from different brands.. Just my opinion. O.R.
There’s that chance. Have one bolt and one c-clamp. Used the same arrangement with the Davis which seemed to shoot one hole groups, so I would think if there was a clamping issue, it should have reared its ugly head then also. I know my setup isn’t the best for the Ranson, but haven’t had the use to justify a cement set. The three legs are dug in, and have about 150 pounds of lead for weight on the bench. Thanks for the comment and suggestion. O. R.
@@Dayattherange Didn’t take it that way, so no problem. It is actually something that I’ve been wondering about. I believe that I’ve had other problems like the tightness of the grip adapter, tension, and have had my mount bolt and clamps loosen and wasn’t aware of it. Now that I know that you have one, I totally understand the mounting question that you weren’t telling me to solidify things and even if that were the case, I would only consider it helpful. If my experience with the Ransom can be helpful, just let me know. O.R.
I have read that the Model 14 will shoot semi wadcutter or round nose better than wadcutters, due to the twist rate. I wonder if there is any merit to this?
Snow has finally gone here, seems like my range and I also survived. Great idea for testing, and that sounds familiar. I have molds for the 311 round nose and both the Keith heavy and lighter bullets. Of course there a bunch of powder combinations to test, but a light and moderate charge of bullseye and unique should give us an idea in the ransom rest. Now all I need is the time and a push to get at it. Thanks. O.R.
I know these are not hunting loads, but as a long time handgun hunter I always found 50 and 100 yards are more telling of a good hand load combination.
The Davis was a custom PPC gun as I understand. I am amazed how it shoots almost any low velocity bullet with great accuracy. I think that the PPC competition has fell off, probably why I could afford to purchase that one. O.R.
Hi thanks for the very interesting testing. I have a question. How can you be sure that the barrel is perfectly re-aligned from shot to shot ? could a laser pointer fixed to the barrel help in some ways ? i guess a laser deflection at 21 yds is practically zero. In this way you can be 100% sure that the barrel is exactly pointing at the same spot on the target after any shot. And in this way you can check also the accuracy of the testing rest ? thanks again. Kind regards, gino
Appreciate your comments. Something like a reflex could probably tell if the alignment went south say by an inch or more. I do have one mounted on the Davis, next time I do something like that with that gun I will pay more attention. As it was grouping in the inch to inch and a half area, probably couldn't have seen much difference, as my reflex is not that super precise. With the Smith K, there is no easy way to mount any optics, wish sometimes I could as my eye sight just doesn't cut it for iron's anymore. Thanks again for the ideas, when things finally thaw out here in May, I am going to try the Davis off the bench with only the optics and compare that to the groups done with the Ransom. OR
@@oldranger3044 Hi thanks a lot for your very kind and valuable reply/advice. I am everything but an expert but i am truly fascinated by tech challenges and performances. When alignment is mentioned my mind goes automatically to laser devices. I guess they are the most accurate around ? You say " there is no easy way to mount any optics " yes that is the challenge. To fix "properly" a laser pointer to the barrel. Actually i do not even know if it is possible. Once done that it will not be necessary that the bullet hits the red dot of course, but only that the red dot is placed in the same exact spot on the target after every shot. In that way you can be pretty sure that the barrel will also be re-aligned after each shot. I have the feeling that with that thick and long barrel and decent ammo you could get a hole in hole result at least at 25 yards. If the shooter variabile is also part of the equation things can change drammatically. If the shooter were me i would not even see the target .. i am very short sighted. Unfortunately. I love weapons since my youth. My uncle was assembling replicas of the old Colt Navy handgun as a job in his workshop in Brescia Italy. I think that most of them were shipped abroad. I spent many days in his workshop. I was 7-8 years old. www.emf-company.com/store/pc/catalog/1851-Navy-Brass-R.jpg I do not remember exactly but he could have been working as a contractor for these people www.pietta.it/home-pietta-eng Kindest regards, gino
@@gino3286 Hi again, Must be ESP because I woke up in the night and realized that I had been thinking about the dot type optics, and not actual laser. Yes, if I could mount a laser device somehow on the barrel, then I could place say a black target so that that beam could be seen by my 60x camera at 25 yes. Next would be if the laser could be not damaged or the alignment changed by the recoil. I could also mount a laser to the frame of the Ransom rest, but that wouldn't tell if the grip in the Ransom rest moved, but it would tell if the Ransom rest shifted or did not reset correctly. Anyway, I now have an idea of how to sight my muzzle loading rifles which of course have no modern sights. This would be just to see how accuracy they are. If I can secure a laser to the barrel, then have a remote camera close at the 50 yard target and a screen I can see next to the gun, I could fire the gun when I was able to arrange pointing it so that the laser was in the correct spot. That doesn't sound easy, and may be more difficult than it sounds, so it may never happen, but it is now in my thoughts. thanks again for the comments, and very interested in hearing about your experience years ago. I admire the smiths from Italy, and their interests in the black powder revolvers, and the movies that helped to renew interests in the guns. I bought my first replica in the 60's, my desire overcame my lack of financial funds, and I purchased a 1861 36 cal made by Uberti, imported by Replica Arms.
@@oldranger3044 thank you very much indeed. Yes the task is very challenging And after all the Ransom Rest is a standard in the industry. This must mean something. However i am very impressed by the accuracy of the Bill Davis custom indeed. The barrel is gorgeous. Thick and so very stiff i guess. Kind regards, gino
I like the shooting the revolvers, and you might enjoy some videos I've done on their accuracy. You may find them by searching: 1860 Uberti shooting Lee conicals. Improving accuracy with a 1851 uberti fast twist. Bench shooting 1858 New Army Pietta at 21 yards. Those three might be of interest, don't know how to post links to them, as I am pretty new at this, and not as tech savvy as the younger shooters, but, I know how to squeeze a trigger. And yes, I think that Davis I have can shoot 1 inch groups regularly at 25 yards with the right ammo.
Not particular with the case, except cleaned 38's, 2.7 gr Bullseye, had best results with the Speer 147 gr hollow base wadcutter, however, the hollow base ones made by the zero bullet company(147 gr) were also good, they are sold by rose distributing here in the US. I like the Zero because they have a slight taper which helps to align the bullet axis straight when seating into the case. Hopes this helps but shipping the bullets could be a problem. Casting the hollow base bullets is possible, but never tried and feel it would be slow. Pretty much anything that goes out that Davis barrel ends up on one hole on the target.
je fais mieux a peut près pareil avec mon révolver manurhin en 38 wc en étant simplement posé, et par contre je fais largement mieux avec mon manurhin en 32 swl ogive 98 grains, 1.6 grains n310 vitavuhori
That's the true definition of accuracy that's a very interesting combination of components everything is working together nicely well done sir
That Davis is one heck of a shooter. Seems like it likes most anything in the low to mid velocity range. Thanks for commenting and viewing. O.R.
Thanks for doing it right . The general way done on you tube is by way of gongs . That tells me very little about accuracy
Right. Or, maybe some do off hand shooting. That again probably says more about the shooter's ability (or inability) than the gun. O.R.
Another video said Ransom recommends using the "tab" at the front right bottom. Resetting the rest by gripping the frame my introduce minor variations. Good Video with revolver - more accurate than other videos using semi-auto pistols.
Thanks Lloyd. I haven't spotted that in the literature, but got this Ransom used. That makes sense as it does take some pressure to bring it back to rest. Will keep that in mind as it could be causing some stringing, or other issues. O.R.
I think the Speer 148 gr. HBWCs are out of production, at least I haven't been able to find any. A shame, they shoot great in my Clark PPC Revolver. I use pretty much the same load but with 2.8 grs. of Bullseye.
Haven't checked for a while, right, seems Midway doesn't list them at this time. Typical, I was just getting to like them. O.R.
For even more accuracy fire each string using only one chamber.
Next time I get the ransom set up I’ll plan to try that. Thanks. O.R.
Nice video it shows the difference between the potential of a custom revolver and a standard factory revolver. In the large bores I like the S&W revolvers but for 38 Special I prefer Colt I frame revolvers. I have two Officer's Model Match heavy barrels one from 1938 and one from the 1950s. The adjustable sights are better on the post war gun. I had Bill Davis build me a PPC gun on a Python I had. It like your Davis Smith was boring to shoot because it was so accurate.
That gun is unbelievable they way it shoots almost any light load accurately. Interesting to hear about the guns you shoot. Thanks for the comment. O.R.
I looked for HBWC ammo for my 38 & AmmoSeek only displays 2 brands. Bullets are easy to find but loaded HBWC ammo is expensive & hard to find. I used to buy it in stores & it wasn't expensive. I settled for a box of solid base wadcutters. Cheaper & likely less accurate.
I was fortunate that my uncle was state patrol and obtained federal match hbwc ammo. Not sure but suspect they used it in matches and not for their duty carry ammo. When he passed away I inherited his stash of several boxes probably manufactured in the 70’s. My S&W K likes it. I’m sure even if available (which I doubt) I couldn’t afford it. Thanks for your comment. O.R.
I used to shoot a fair amount of w/c out of my s & w 640 as I carried it while hunting for small game. I made some amazing shots because I was familiar with my gun and load.
With a good gun and load, combined with the experience, expect good results. O.R.
Great video! Back around 1979 I had a PPC built by Cake-Davis. Is that the same as Bill Davis? They used a 1-14 twist Micro groove barrel, that had about 8 or more grooves. I shot mostly Speer and Hornady bullets, with some Zero now and than, with 2.7 grains of Bullseye. It was my second of 3 guns. First one was built by TNT Arms in New Hampshire. I didn't like that gun and sold it after a year. He was local to me and I could actually touch his products. I had to mail away M10 to Cake-Davis, sight unseen, and hopefully got back a quality product. I did. No internet in those days, so I bought it from an ad in the back of a gun magazine. Cost me $300 plus my gun. It was a slab side barrel with a Bomar rib, plus an under rib. That gun got me a Master rating, and a house full of trophies. I still have it, still shoot it (for fun now), and will never get rid of it. The third gun I won in a match, and it was not well made so I sold it right away.
My guess is that we are talking about the same fellow. Reasons: How many would have the Davis name. Mine has the Bomar rib, and appears to have lots of riflings. Never counted, but at least 8. It is made from a Smith #10. I think that's all the evidence I need. It shoots anything better than anything I own. Heavy barrel called "Wind cheater". I only used in Bullseye competition, and probably lucky, but I did end up on top. Thanks for the comment, and safe shooting. O.R.
Nice video a a good group with that gun and A old school Ransom Rest.. We could not help but notice two things. If it is ok for us to mention it that is. . #1 Your machine appears it needs adjusted or cleaned due to the break pad is not keeping the machine at recoil height. It appears the machine drops back down to battery position. This is due to the brake disc has been affected with oil is the usual reason, or it is compromised in some way. You may want to look in the manual or contact us on how to clean and resolve this recoil issue and dirty break pad. Should never oil the rocker and some do, or have, and this will cause the recoil brake not to function properly. Or the spring retainer knob and spring is not set to 1.5" . That said obviously it is still accurate just not absorbing the recoil properly it appears in the video. #2 We are interested on why you choose not to use the trigger bar trigger finger on the machine, If the trigger bar is out of adjustment it can have to much swag or wiggle and some use there finger instead of readjusting it or replacing the broken trigger bar spring. We are curious on what your reason was. Obviously a nice round group so machine is doing its job. We just feel we would mention the recoil as well as curious on why no trigger bar used. You may even consider our remote trigger if you feel the trigger bar is inadequate or not for you. Fill free to contact us. We would love to discuss fixing this for you. We back our machine and desire you to get the most out of it.
I appreciate your advice and support of your product. Thanks. I believe that the tension adjustment was not set high enough, I have since found the info on line, and have paid more attention to that. I don't exactly remember why I removed the trigger unit, seems like I was having some Issue using it on some single action black powder stuff, maybe it was in the way or something when capping the gun, just plain forgot, sorry. I have a fair ability with trigger pull, having shot in competition, and may not need that as much as some that may have problems with flinching, or whatever. I do remember that I was switching back and forth between several guns, and by removing it, didn't need to keep adjusting. Just haven't got to putting it back. Thanks again for the support.
@Motoroil Agree. Sure is different now than when I grew up. Watching (actually first was listening to) the Lone Ranger. He never shot first, and then not to kill. Our games were in the back yard, building rubber-band guns and model rockets to play with.
Nice video, Sir!!! Exactly I am looking for!!!
Thanks!!!
Glad it was helpful! Good shooting!!
Odd looking barrel on the Bill Davis Custom, Last one I saw (45 years ago) was just a massive Bull Barrel.
Also, he was working on building 'SMOLTS' for California PPC shooters.
I understand that it was ongoing. I don’t know much about that game, but this will shoot amazing with just about anything in the low to midrange cartridges. O.R.
@@oldranger3044 The PPC Matches were primarily for law enforcement when I was shooting it in the mid to late 1970's. (I still have my 'Patch' board collected from the events I participated in.) I ran into Bill at a few of these shoots, shot next to him in a couple, he 'fixed' my revolver at one match, between the 7 and the 15 yard set. (That was funny).
The matches were fired at different yardages and consisted of a total of 60 rounds per event. I can't recall all the timed values, but the course of fire was 12 rds. (double action only) at 7 yards. 6 rds. (Double action only) at 15 yards. 18 rds. at 25 yards -6 rds. kneeling, 6 rds. Weak hand barricade, 6 rds. strong hand barricade. Then 24 rds. at the 50 yard position- 6 rds. prone, 6 rds. sitting, 6rds. weak hand barricade and 6 rds. strong hand barricade. It was not unusual for Bill to shoot a perfect score in these matches. Usually the various winners of each classification was determined by the number of X's on shooters targets since multiple shooters shot a 'clean' target. (Example- a score of 600 with 52 X's)
Bill's guns were present at almost all the matches I attended. Of course not every Bill Davis gun was shot by quality shooters, but every one of them just knew the gun would win them the prize.
Oh, and shiny medals weren't the only prizes at these matches. Brand new, in the Box, S&W's Colts and various shotguns were part of the prizes for Top Shooter.
And one of the most looked forward to matches was the Bay Area Night Shoot. Average scores always dropped at that shoot, but it was fun.
AS for the SMOLT, as I recall, it started out as a crossbreed. A COLT Action and cylinder with a S&W barrel. The idea was a smoothed, tuned COLT action with a SMITH barrel. Some thought the S&W barrel was a better shooter.
@@CUDA1970Terry Great information and hearing from a match shooter who shot in the competition with Bill is classic. It adds to my appreciation of the gun and gives an idea of how the matches were run. Thanks again for the input. O.R.
@@CUDA1970Terry Oh, I used the gun in some local competition in 2016-17. Believe I ended up in the top, maybe even first. Sadly there was no prize, but there are the memories. O.R.
Ottimo test, thanks
The old S and W held it's own to with the right cartridges
The Federal wads are amazing in that gun. Not enough of a gunsmith to know why, possibly in the angle of the forcing cone. Point taken, it sure likes them. Thanks for viewing and commenting. O.R.
Very fine shooting irons you got there. I have a 14-2 that was made in 1968. I have an RCBS 148gr DEWC mold and use the same 2.7gr of BE and I recently bought 1000pcs of once fired wadcutter brass. Have you ever tested to see if there is an accuracy difference in brass types?
No, not exactly. I feel that shooting mixed brass will cause groups to enlarge. Different brands have slightly different volumes, probably causing slight variation in pressures. Also, some brass is thicker which can put different amounts of crimp, again affecting pressure (bullet speed). I believe I have noticed that if I load a mixture of cleaned and uncleaned brass that there is a difference. With that, it's real hard to determine small differences in grouping because of other factors. My opinion would be that if one sticks with the same brass and treats it the same, no noticeable difference in group size will result from different brands.. Just my opinion. O.R.
Is the ransom rest clamped down or bolted down? Could it have been moving in the model19 groups?
There’s that chance. Have one bolt and one c-clamp. Used the same arrangement with the Davis which seemed to shoot one hole groups, so I would think if there was a clamping issue, it should have reared its ugly head then also. I know my setup isn’t the best for the Ranson, but haven’t had the use to justify a cement set. The three legs are dug in, and have about 150 pounds of lead for weight on the bench. Thanks for the comment and suggestion. O. R.
@@oldranger3044 Not criticizing at all sir was just curious, wish I could get mine that stable.
@@Dayattherange Didn’t take it that way, so no problem. It is actually something that I’ve been wondering about. I believe that I’ve had other problems like the tightness of the grip adapter, tension, and have had my mount bolt and clamps loosen and wasn’t aware of it. Now that I know that you have one, I totally understand the mounting question that you weren’t telling me to solidify things and even if that were the case, I would only consider it helpful. If my experience with the Ransom can be helpful, just let me know. O.R.
Impressive
I have read that the Model 14 will shoot semi wadcutter or round nose better than wadcutters, due to the twist rate. I wonder if there is any merit to this?
Snow has finally gone here, seems like my range and I also survived. Great idea for testing, and that sounds familiar. I have molds for the 311 round nose and both the Keith heavy and lighter bullets. Of course there a bunch of powder combinations to test, but a light and moderate charge of bullseye and unique should give us an idea in the ransom rest. Now all I need is the time and a push to get at it. Thanks. O.R.
Theoretically a WC should need less twist and velocity as far as I understand things.
It’s been some time, but any chance of seeing your K38 in a video again? They are such great revolvers.
I know these are not hunting loads, but as a long time handgun hunter I always found 50 and 100 yards are more telling of a good hand load combination.
Well spoken.
That wheel gun is a tack driver.
The Davis was a custom PPC gun as I understand. I am amazed how it shoots almost any low velocity bullet with great accuracy. I think that the PPC competition has fell off, probably why I could afford to purchase that one. O.R.
Hi thanks for the very interesting testing. I have a question. How can you be sure that the barrel is perfectly re-aligned from shot to shot ? could a laser pointer fixed to the barrel help in some ways ? i guess a laser deflection at 21 yds is practically zero. In this way you can be 100% sure that the barrel is exactly pointing at the same spot on the target after any shot. And in this way you can check also the accuracy of the testing rest ? thanks again. Kind regards, gino
Appreciate your comments. Something like a reflex could probably tell if the alignment went south say by an inch or more. I do have one mounted on the Davis, next time I do something like that with that gun I will pay more attention. As it was grouping in the inch to inch and a half area, probably couldn't have seen much difference, as my reflex is not that super precise. With the Smith K, there is no easy way to mount any optics, wish sometimes I could as my eye sight just doesn't cut it for iron's anymore. Thanks again for the ideas, when things finally thaw out here in May, I am going to try the Davis off the bench with only the optics and compare that to the groups done with the Ransom. OR
@@oldranger3044 Hi thanks a lot for your very kind and valuable reply/advice. I am everything but an expert but i am truly fascinated by tech challenges and performances. When alignment is mentioned my mind goes automatically to laser devices. I guess they are the most accurate around ? You say " there is no easy way to mount any optics " yes that is the challenge. To fix "properly" a laser pointer to the barrel. Actually i do not even know if it is possible. Once done that it will not be necessary that the bullet hits the red dot of course, but only that the red dot is placed in the same exact spot on the target after every shot. In that way you can be pretty sure that the barrel will also be re-aligned after each shot. I have the feeling that with that thick and long barrel and decent ammo you could get a hole in hole result at least at 25 yards. If the shooter variabile is also part of the equation things can change drammatically. If the shooter were me i would not even see the target .. i am very short sighted. Unfortunately. I love weapons since my youth. My uncle was assembling replicas of the old Colt Navy handgun as a job in his workshop in Brescia Italy. I think that most of them were shipped abroad. I spent many days in his workshop. I was 7-8 years old.
www.emf-company.com/store/pc/catalog/1851-Navy-Brass-R.jpg
I do not remember exactly but he could have been working as a contractor for these people www.pietta.it/home-pietta-eng
Kindest regards, gino
@@gino3286 Hi again, Must be ESP because I woke up in the night and realized that I had been thinking about the dot type optics, and not actual laser. Yes, if I could mount a laser device somehow on the barrel, then I could place say a black target so that that beam could be seen by my 60x camera at 25 yes. Next would be if the laser could be not damaged or the alignment changed by the recoil. I could also mount a laser to the frame of the Ransom rest, but that wouldn't tell if the grip in the Ransom rest moved, but it would tell if the Ransom rest shifted or did not reset correctly. Anyway, I now have an idea of how to sight my muzzle loading rifles which of course have no modern sights. This would be just to see how accuracy they are. If I can secure a laser to the barrel, then have a remote camera close at the 50 yard target and a screen I can see next to the gun, I could fire the gun when I was able to arrange pointing it so that the laser was in the correct spot. That doesn't sound easy, and may be more difficult than it sounds, so it may never happen, but it is now in my thoughts. thanks again for the comments, and very interested in hearing about your experience years ago. I admire the smiths from Italy, and their interests in the black powder revolvers, and the movies that helped to renew interests in the guns. I bought my first replica in the 60's, my desire overcame my lack of financial funds, and I purchased a 1861 36 cal made by Uberti, imported by Replica Arms.
@@oldranger3044 thank you very much indeed. Yes the task is very challenging And after all the Ransom Rest is a standard in the industry. This must mean something. However i am very impressed by the accuracy of the Bill Davis custom indeed. The barrel is gorgeous. Thick and so very stiff i guess. Kind regards, gino
I like the shooting the revolvers, and you might enjoy some videos I've done on their accuracy. You may find them by searching: 1860 Uberti shooting Lee conicals. Improving accuracy with a 1851 uberti fast twist. Bench shooting 1858 New Army Pietta at 21 yards.
Those three might be of interest, don't know how to post links to them, as I am pretty new at this, and not as tech savvy as the younger shooters, but, I know how to squeeze a trigger. And yes, I think that Davis I have can shoot 1 inch groups regularly at 25 yards with the right ammo.
Whats the load,Mate?
many thanks
Not particular with the case, except cleaned 38's, 2.7 gr Bullseye, had best results with the Speer 147 gr hollow base wadcutter, however, the hollow base ones made by the zero bullet company(147 gr) were also good, they are sold by rose distributing here in the US. I like the Zero because they have a slight taper which helps to align the bullet axis straight when seating into the case. Hopes this helps but shipping the bullets could be a problem. Casting the hollow base bullets is possible, but never tried and feel it would be slow. Pretty much anything that goes out that Davis barrel ends up on one hole on the target.
@@oldranger3044
I know mate.
you know the secret of a bill davis gun.
Korth copied it!
Yup, 2.7 gn BE with a speer 148 gn HBWC
700 fps- CLASSIC
I had a nice model ten converted to PPC and a K38 at the same time. In my hands they were not that much different.
The Davis seems to outshoot my K, but that can be seen mostly with the Ransom rest. Right, harder to tell otherwise. O.R.
je fais mieux a peut près pareil avec mon révolver manurhin en 38 wc en étant simplement posé, et par contre je fais largement mieux avec mon manurhin en 32 swl ogive 98 grains, 1.6 grains n310 vitavuhori