RELOAD!

JUNE 2004 NEWSLETTER
© Bruce Buck, editor


MAY MINUET
Tamarack Preserve
May 16, 2004
By Lans Christensen

It’s bird chirping, tree leafing, grass growing, short sleeve shooting time
again, and what better place to do it than Tamarack, always one of our favorite
shoots and eagerly awaited by all travelers. So, imagine the surprise at finding
a less than full parking lot and only 70+ shooters on the start sheet. Some
speculation suggested that the low turnout was due to the ammo policy of the
club. This should no longer be an issue of any kind. First, Tamarack supplies
the fine Eley cartridge…they even had 28ga at 5$ a box!…and they work just fine.
Secondly, there are other ammo options: Several members of our squad used
Victory felt wad loads and these worked admirably too. There were only one or
two “fluffy” reports heard all day and these came from over-bored guns where
proper sealing may be the rare problem. Finally, using the same loads puts us on
a seldom seen level field where results can be interpreted accordingly.

We hit the trails and found a course of twelve stations: ten of 4 pair, and two
of 5 pair, with eight of these being simo pairs. Whether this is
disproportionate is not the question; we all need to work on the techniques
required by true pairs. They demand a good read and a good plan, because you are
almost always forced out of the comfort zone. Which of the two will be easier as
a second shot? And how quickly do you have to hit the first in order to leave
enough time?

Several stations gave us the chance to work out the options. Number #6 threw a
pair from low left to high right, and making a conservative move on the first
left a curling, dying 50 yarder for the second. Looking and moving early on the
first gave you two shots on a steady, straight line.

Likewise, Bill Tracy’s wicked pair of teal that were actually falling away from
the box: The traditional one going up, the other falling, just didn’t leave much
hope on the second. Our two pros in the squad went after both on the way up, and
did so with success.

The hike up to #1 always gives plenty of time to hear the echoes of “lost…lost”
heard so often at this signature station. Now it’s been well cleared and the box
is neatly laid out in stone. The true pairs still fly in from another area code,
and can be taken as a driven pair if you face them. Most of us opted to turn to
the right and take them as high crossers which slowed and stalled obligingly at
the end of the window.

During the day there were only a couple of woodsy visibility issues; one station
had a pair of white targets, and another, #2, had a very quick window against a
hypnotic bright/shadow light show. Minor quibbles, and nothing to mar the great
day.

The course had us back for lunch in record time and it was as elegant as always.
The fresh fruit tart brought happy smiles to even the callous foodies.

At the awards, we all joined in thanking Bob Vanacek, Bill Tracy, and the entire
Tamarack family for their hospitality and generosity. A special note of thanks
for their generosity to our junior shooters should be mentioned as well.

Al took a moment to recognize the achievements of a special Traveler. Paula
Moore, just named to the USA World Compak and FITASC Teams , this shooter should
be an inspiration to us all who believe you can achieve your dreams….no matter
how much work it takes or how hard it gets. The USA could not hope for a better
representative.

Good News ...We don’t have to wait a year to shoot hear again- just sign up for
the excellent NWTF shoot June 13th.

HOA LAVERT CYPHER 86
I-1 Curt Anderson 76
I-2 Paul Fostini 74
I-3 Dean Anglace 72
II-2 Preston Moore 77
II-2 Marty Schroeder 74
II-3 Mike Steiner 70
III-1 Ralph Lowry 69
III-2 Andre Kirylak 67
III-3 Fred Roesslein 66
IV-1 Joe Sproviero 64
IV-2 Lans Christensen 61*
IV-3 Lyn Narins 61
V-1 Tony Restivo 61
V-2 Dave Niesyn 59
V-3 James Meyer 55
VI-1 Jerry Burke 53
VI-2 Les Carter 45
VI-3 Alan Costa 41
Ldy-1 Susie Clarke 63
Ldy-2 Cyndi Dalena 60
Ldy-3 Debbe Christensen 40
Msdm Edie Ellis 62
Vet-1 Jasen Jasensky 70
Vet-2 Bruce Galotto 67*
Vet-3 Ed Moritt 67
SrVet Ted Fedun 75
Jr-1 Jason Lenhart 52
Jr-2 Luke Sproviero 48
Jr-3 Jason Costa 26
Guest Victor Brocilli 83
* ties decided by tie-breaker stations

THE TECHNOID BARRELS ALONG...

Few things are closer to the heart of the Technoid than projects which have the
potential to really mess up a good gun. To be truly worthwhile, a gun project
has to have risk. Anyone can alter their gun when there is a guaranteed outcome,
but where is the thrill, where is the rush, that comes with dancing right on the
razor's edge? (Sorry, Somerset.)

Having said that, you will notice that the Technoid always manages to inflict
his projects on the Editor's guns. The Technoid feels that the thrill of
courting risk is not diminished in the slightest by having that risk assumed by
someone else. In that vein, the Technoid will now address potential barrel
modifications to your gun, not his.

There are four basic barrel modifications: 1) chokes, 2) porting, 3) forcing
cones and 4) backboring. Since you asked, here is what the Technoid thinks of
all four- Yes, No, Yes, Maybe.

1) Chokes: You should have screw chokes. You can probably survive with fixed
chokes of IC (.010") and Mod (.020"), but there is no need to. Most modern guns
come with screw chokes. Every machine shop with a thread cutter makes after
market chokes, so there are plenty of different lengths, weights, colors and
constrictions to choose from if you do not like the factory versions. If your
gun does not have screw chokes, consider having Briley install a set. Briley's
thin wall choke tube sets are excellent and are now installed as an original
equipment option on Holland and Hollands. The job costs about $350 and includes
five chokes. Installing chokes is a low risk modification and very much worth
while.

Most factory screw chokes added muzzle weight. This is because the factories did
it, shall we say, inexpensively. They simply bulged the barrel at the muzzle,
threaded it and popped in a big, fat, heavy choke. In addition to saving
production costs, this method was strong. Unfortunately, it was also heavy
because the weight of the screw chokes was added to the original weight of the
barrel. Recently Beretta, Perazzi and some Rugers have gone to lighter
chokes in non-bulged barrels. A set of standard after market extended chokes for
the popular Citori weighs about two ounces- a tremendous amount of weight to add
right on the end of the barrel. To get around added muzzle weight many of the
best British shooters buy fixed choke guns (Miroku 3800s and 38s currently) and
then get them screw choked. Aftermarket choke installations only replace metal
which has been removed and keep the muzzle weight on those 32" barrels
manageable. If you have a gun with factory screw chokes, take them out and test
the balance of your gun. This is how your gun was originally designed to feel.

2) Porting: A few new guns, notably a large part of the Japanese Browning Citori
series and many of the Berettas, now come with barrel porting standard. There
are also a dozen aftermarket companies that perform this modification. Does it
actually work? Probably a little, but equally probably, not enough to matter. It
definitely does not work as well as it does in the high gas pressure
environments of rifle and pistol. Stroboscopic photography seems to show that
porting does indeed slightly reduce muzzle jump when the gun is unrestrained.
The heavier the shell, the better it works. Whether the reduction in muzzle jump
will be noticeable to the shooter is another question, especially if the shooter
uses light loads.

In the 1970s the Technoid conducted a blind comparison (some say that all of the
Technoid's comparisons are blind) of Magnaported barrels vs standard barrels on
a Remington 1100 and could detect absolutely no difference. Then again, it is
hard to tell with gas guns. Later Technoidal testing on two identical Browning
Citori GTI O/Us, one factory ported and one not, also showed no discernable
difference. We are talking about muzzle jump here. No one has ever substantiated
any claim that porting has reduced rearward recoil, although several of the
machine shops claim it. Be aware that many types of porting increase muzzle
blast to obnoxious levels, but other porthole shapes do not seem to.

So, do you port? If you are a pigeon shooter, shoot max loads, are already deaf
and are not concerned with the resale value of your gun, you might give it a
try. For sporting, if you habitually have a weak forehand grip or choose to
shoot a zero pitch stock to reduce face slap, there might be some slight
benefit. Other than that, skip it. Leave porting to cruise liners and 1955
Buicks. If the gun comes ported from the factory, it probably does not hurt
anything, so there is no point in filling the holes back up.

3) Forcing Cones: We refer here to lengthening the taper where the chamber and
the barrels meet, not where the barrels and the choke meet. Technically, they
are both forcing cones. Some modern shotgun come with long cones, some do not.
The softest shooting (but most log-like) O/U ever made, the Krieghoff K80, has
long cones. However, it is interesting to note that most of their high end Ulm
pigeon guns have short cones. Most current production Berettas come with fairly
long cones. Japanese Brownings do not, although they come backbored and ported.
Obviously, there is no universality of opinion here either. Well, you don't
have to worry about what the manufacturers say, listen to the Technoid. Grind
'em out! Lengthened forcing cones are the one barrel modification which the
Technoid has found to unfailingly reduce perceived recoil and slightly improve
pattern. John McDougall, in the Australian magazine Guns & Game, wrote that his
tests have shown a consistent 10% pattern tightening when cones are lengthened.
This is attributed to less shot deformation.

Long cones appear to take a touch of the peak off of the recoil. The area under
the recoil curve remains the same (Newton still has to be accommodated and
apples still fall to the ground), but the slope of the curve seems to change and
the recoil is drawn out a bit. This is the "shove vs punch" comparison which
makes semi-automatics seem so soft shooting.

It is vital that the lengthened cones be properly polished as any roughness in
this area will pick up a lot of plastic from the wads. Tom Roster claims that
the maximum beneficial cone length is 1 3/4" and that longer cones do not
improve things. This may be so, but the Technoid has observed that extra long
4" to 6" cones as done by The Shotgun Shop and Seminole seem to be able to take
an absolutely mirror polish. The shorter cones with their sharper angle may be
more difficult to polish correctly and never seem to buff up as well.

Rumor has it that fiber wads do not perform well in guns with long cones due to
gas blowby. Baloney. The Technoid's checkered past included shooting tens of
thousands of 3.25 dram Federal T123 fiber wad International Skeet loads through
Belgian B-25s with lengthened cones with no problem. Nor is there with modern
plastic wads which can properly obturate in a sewer pipe. Long forcing cones
should cost you $50 to $150 and might be worth it.

4) Backboring: The nominal interior diameter of a 12 gauge shotgun barrel is
.729", but your barrel could measure anything from .720" to .800" and still
handle a 12 gauge shell. Anything bigger than .729" is technically overbore or
backbored. Stan Baker, Seattle gunsmith, claims to have coined the term
"backbore" in order to avoid the less attractive connotation of "overbore".
They mean the same thing.

The Technoid, in one of his denser moments, had some guns backbored in an
attempt to reduce recoil. It did not work and should not have come as a
surprise. If you look at the formula for free recoil, bore size is not one of
the components. From a purely subjective (not mathematical) point of view, it
also failed to lower the recoil sensation the way that elongating the cones did.
Don't know why.

In theory, backboring decreases friction and provides a larger wad base for the
powder gases to push upon. Both of these should increase velocity and they may
to a slight extent. Stan Baker claimed that his extreme and maximum .800" Big
Bore barrels added 50 fps. Even so, normal shell to shell factory variation is
30 fps, so the most extreme backboring does not really affect velocity for all
practical purposes.

Very often when people have guns backbored, they also run the cones out and may
also have the gun ported. When everything is done at once it is impossible to
tell if one particular change had a measurable effect. Subjective recoil
reduction caused by elongated cones is often attributed to backboring or
porting.

Instead of decreasing recoil, aftermarket backboring actually increases it
because the weight of the gun is reduced by the amount of metal removed and
ejecta velocity may be increased slightly. Gun weight and ejecta velocity are
important components of the recoil formula.

There is a big difference between "aftermarket" backboring and "factory"
overbored new guns. The factory overbored barrels are actually a little heavier
because wall thickness is maintained while barrel diameter is increased. There
is more metal. If you want an example of road hugging weight brought on by
factory overboring, try to swing a new Browning 425 Ultra with 32" barrels.

Large bores may help slightly when using extremely heavy hunting loads, but
there is no proven meaningful change in velocity or recoil with standard target
loads. The aforementioned Australian tests found that backboring neither
meaningfully increased velocity nor consistently improved patterns. Sorry
folks, factory "backboring" is just another marketing ploy to go along with
barrel porting.

Does aftermarket (not factory) backboring have any benefit at all? You can bet
your Junior Technoid magic slide rule ring that it does. While aftermarket
backboring may not reduce recoil or improve patterns, it sure reduces weight.
If the barrels on your gun feel too heavy and unresponsive, you may be able to
put them on a diet. Most standard barrels have a wall thickness of around
.040". This is a lot of meat and might be substantially reduced. On a standard
30" set of barrels, backboring .010" will reduce barrel weight by 2.77 ounces.
A .020 backbore will take off a monumental 5.58 ounces. A change of 3 ounces is
a lot, so go easy. Check first with your gunsmith. He will know what is safe.
Be aware, however, that aftermarket backboring will void any factory warrantee.
Briley charges about $150 per tube for backboring.

Good news/bad news. Backboring works well to reduce the weight of solid choke
barrels. Unfortunately, solid choked barrels are usually pretty well balanced
and seldom need it. It is the factory screw choke barrels that are usually too
loady up front, especially the 32" jobs. A backbore of 3 to 4 ounces could
transform these guns from pigs to peacocks. That is the good news. The bad
news is that Briley does not want to hear about backboring a gun with factory
screw chokes. Now you know how Tantalus felt when the Greek gods kept the water
and grapes just out of reach. The problem is that enlargement of the bore may
cause the skirt of the unaltered choke tube to intrude into the bore itself.
This would cause the choke to be added to the ejecta on the first shot! Bad
move.

Though Briley will not touch your screw choked Beretta or 425 (note that this
was written in 1995 and Briley may have changed their minds in 2004), Ken Eyster
and several other custom gunsmiths may still be willing to backbore a screw
choked gun. Whatever you do, make sure your backboring is done by a pro.

There you go Junior Technoids. You now have four separate and efficient ways to
ruin a perfectly good set of barrels. Remember the Technoid's motto: "The
factory never does it right. It is up to us."

The above was written in 1995. Drivel never dies, it just sort of lurks around
waiting to rise up like those 17 year locusts.Some things changed in the past
nine years. The craze to port barrels seems to be tapering off slightly, though
ports are still as prevalent as acne at high school.

Overbore barrels have gained in popularity with Browning, Beretta, Remington,
Perazzi and many others jumping on the bandwagon that Krieghoff started so many
years ago.

Long cones have advocates and detractors. Browning doesn’t use them, but Beretta
has gone from their traditional fairly long cones to very long cones in the
Optima Bore barrels.

Everyone is using screw chokes with the exception of special order guns and very
high end guns. There remains the odd iconoclast who feels that fixed chokes can
give superior patterns, especially in the tighter constrictions. The Technoid is
in this camp.

ADDENDUM: Did you know that there are more people involved in the shooting
sports than play golf?

Yup. That’s a fact according to NSSF.




*** 2004 CTSCA SHOOTING CALENDAR ***

JUN 13 NAT’L. WILD TURKEY FED. SHOOT- TAMARACK PRESERVE, NY
JUL 18 SUMMERTIME, SUMMERTIME- ORVIS/SANDANONA, NY
AUG 13~15 GREAT EASTERN LOBSTER CLASSIC- ADDIEVILLE EAST FARM, RI
SEP 19 SMALL GAUGE CTSCA CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS-FAIRFIELD CTY. F&G, CT
OCT 8~10 ANNUAL FALL TRIP- PA & NY WEEKEND TOUR
OCT 17 OCTOBERSHUTZENFEST- MILLBROOK ROD & GUN CLUB, NY
NOV 14 DR. RUDY PASSERO MEMORIAL CTSCA CLUB CH.- EAST MTN, NY
NOV 28 KOEHLER SOCIETY FUNDRAISER-EAST MOUNTAIN PRESERVE, NY
DEC 19 DICK LOSEE MEMORIAL SHOOT /CHRISTMAS PARTY- MID COUNTY, NY
* Shoot schedules are subject to last minute change. Always consult the current edition of “Reload!” Therein lies the truth. At least our version of it at this particular time…

*** OTHER 2004 SHOOTS OF INTEREST ***
ALWAYS, ALWAYS, CALL AHEAD TO CONFIRM

JUN 5 ADDIEVILLE EAST, RI (401-568-3185) NORTH EAST R.G.S. CH
JUN 6 NEWGATE COON CLUB, CT (860-738-3619) THREE SHOT SHOOTOUT
JUN 13 ADDIEVILLE EAST, RI (401-568-3185) 17TH ANNUAL NE D.U. CH.
JUN 27 WALLINGFORD R&G, CT (203-265-1012) 50 BIRD FUN SHOOT
JUN 30 SANDANONA, NY (203-452-1639) 15TH ANNUAL DU CLAYS SHOOT
JUL 17,18 ADDIEVILLE EAST, RI (401-568-3185) NSCA ZONE 1+ RI STATE CH
JUL 25 WALLINGFORD R&G, CT (203-265-1012) 50 BIRD FUN SHOOT
JUL 25 FAIRFIELD COUNTY F&G, CT (203-426-8508) FIVE STAND OPEN
JUL 31 FAIRFIELD COUNTY F&G, CT (203-426-8508) BBQ SHOOT
AUG 22 WALLINGFORD R&G, CT (203-265-1012) 50 BIRD FUN SHOOT
AUG 28,29 FAIRFIELD COUNTY F&G, CT (203-426-8508) NSCA CT STATE CH
SEP 4 NEWGATE COON CLUB, CT (860-738-3619) 5TH SPORTING CLASSIC
OCT 24 WALLINGFORD R&G, CT (203-265-1012) 50 BIRD FUN SHOOT
NOV 7 NEWGATE COON CLUB, CT (860-738-3619) THREE SHOT SHOOTOUT
DEC 5 NEWGATE COON CLUB, CT (860-738-3619) CHRISTMAS SHOOT
DEC 12 WALLINGFORD R&G, CT (203-265-1012) 50 BIRD FUN SHOOT


CONTACTING THE TRAVELERS...

CTSCA Home Office: Email <ctsca @email.com> (by far the best way) or telephone
860-354-9351 if you absolutely must.

Membership, Address Changes and Shooting Class status: Contact Cyndi Dalena at
860-582-3142 between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM. Or Email <shotguncyndi@prodigy.net>.

Guide Book questions, contact Dick Orenstein <oren@umich.edu> or call
203-226-5251.

To place an ad, post a shoot date in Reload! or simply heap abuse on the editor,
contact Bruce Buck at tel: 203-454-1080, fax: 707-215-0668 or email:
<bcb23@columbia.edu>.



**** THE UPCOMING TRAVELERS MONTHLY SHOOT ****

SUNDAY, JUNE 13, 2004
NATIONAL WILD TURKEY FEDERATION NORTHEAST S.C. CHAMPIONSHIP
TAMARACK PRESERVE, MILLBROOK, NY

THIS SHOOT IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. EVERYONE IS WELCOME

Continuing the successful format of the last few years, in lieu of our usual
“Bustin’ Out” June shoot, we are uniting once again with our good friends at
Tamarack Preserve to support the National Wild Turkey Federation. The June shoot
is 150 birds over Two courses! That’s right. 150 of the little darlins. Eighteen
stations. Two courses. It’s a big deal. Check in by 9:00 AM for the squadded
start. A fancy catered gourmet luncheon is served after you finish shooting
both courses. Hand in your score card and you get a luncheon ticket. Nothing
easier.

Entry is $175 pre-registered, $195 walk-in. Juniors and Sub-Juniors who
accompany a paying adult shoot for free. Tamarack requires fiber wad shells and
these shells are included in your entry fee. They have 12 and 20 ga. Since the
NWTF is a 501-c-3 charitable organization, the entry fee may be tax deductible
to the extent allowed by law.

Note that registration is sent directly to Tamarack, NOT to the CTSCA and the
check is made out to the “National Wild Turkey Federation”. NWTF should be
sending you an invite to the shoot so you can reply on which ever form you wish.
Travelers $55 “shoot credit awards” are not redeemable at this particular shoot.
Also, because this is an open “mixed” shoot, Travelers subgauge HANDICAPS will
be SUSPENDED to keep the scorers sane.

Directions to Tamarack Preserve, Millbrook, NY: From US84/NY22 junction
take NY 22 North about, more or less, sort of 35 miles to traffic light in
Amenia, NY. Go West (left) on NY 44 for 2.9 miles to Turkey Hollow Road on Left.
Look for Tamarack sign.

From the Taconic Parkway, take the NY 44 exit. Go East on NY 44 for 1.7 miles.
Go Left onto NY 44-A heading East for 3.2 miles, then merging back onto NY 44
East. Continue on NY 44 East for 6.7 miles to Turkey Hollow Road on Right. Look
for Tamarack sign.

If lost, strayed or stolen, the Tamarack Preserve number is 845-373-7084.

EYE AND EAR PROTECTION ARE MANDATORY AT TRAVELERS’ SHOOTS!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PRE-REGISTRATION FORM

SUNDAY, JUNE 13, 2004
NATIONAL WILD TURKEY FEDERATION
NORTHEAST SPORTING CLAYS CHAMPIONSHIP
TAMARACK PRESERVE, MILLBROOK, NY

Send your check for $175 made out to "National Wild Turkey Federation” to:

NWTF c/o Tamarack Preserve
4754 Rte 44
Millbrook, NY 12545

NAME:_______________________________________________________________________

ADDRESS:____________________________________________________________________

CITY/STATE/ZIP:_____________________________________________________________

DAY TELEPHONE: ___________________ EMAIL:_____________________________

NSCA # (not required unless you wish) ______________ NSCA Class (ditto) _____________

CONCURRENTS: Lady ___ Vet (55+) ___ Super Vet (65+) ___ Junior (under 18)

PLEASE SQUAD ME WITH ____________________________________________________