TargetTalk

Greetings Shooters,

I just finished up two Pardini HP barrels and mailed them off. Currently, I have material on hand and no major projects pending. So, this would be a good time to have me machine a new barrel for your Pardini, Walther, FAS, Hammerli, Benelli, etc.

Attached are sample targets fired from a machine fixture at 50 yards.

Contact me off line if I can be of service to you.

Cheers,

Dave Wilson

Fabricator and shooter of fine 32 barrels.

Sweet!!!

You say "Fast Twist". How fast????

Greetings,

These two barrels were machined from a Shilen Stainless Steel 0.308", six groove, twelve twist blank.

Typical twist rate of the European pistols is 1:450mm (17.7"). This rate of twist works excellent for 25 meter shooting. For USA NRA bullseye shooting, a faster twist barrel stabilizes the bullet better for 50 yard shooting.

Cheers,

Dave Wilson

Dave,

Thanks for your post. I'm still wondering, when you say that the barrels are "six groove, twelve twist blank," does that mean a twelve inch twist? Also, I noticed an online article discussing your work which was posted a few months ago by a bullseye shooter: http://tonybrong.blogspot.com/2010/02/w ... rrels.html

His article is very interesting, although he gives slightly different specs for your barrels. Do you use different stock from time to time?

Thanks.

Greetings,

Yes, I use different barrel materials. I have used Shilen, Douglas, Remington, Lothar-Walter, and SGW blanks in the past.

The blanks have been received with 4, 6, and 8 lands and grooves.

I have used twist rates of 8, 10, 12, and 14.

All barrels would shoot X-ring at 50 yards with carefully assembled hand loads.

My goal, is to find the combination that, providing the stars align correctly, puts all ten shots in one hole.

Hand loading is the key. One must experiment with the bullet, powder, brass, primer, etc. to get the best results. I learned this early on from conversations with the best 32 experimenter/shooter I ever met, Darius "Doc" Young.

Cheers,

Dave Wilson

Hey Dave - are you still producing Pardini barrels? I have an HP that needs attention.

Hi Dave,
I have used Speer 100gr HBWC for a few years but have you ever tested the 90gr Hornady HBWC projectile?
Do you have any thoughts or comments on 90gr vs 100gr in terms of stability, faster or slower twist, velocities, increase/decrease powder, better for 25m or 50m?

I have one of Daves barrels on my HP. Its performance is above reproach. Dave is not selling snake oil. He backs up what he says with results. He makes a quality product and delivers it in a timely manner.

Greetings All,

Wow! This post is ten years old!

Yes, I do machine barrels for the various 32 pistols. Contact me via personal email for more details.

Factory barrels actually shoot quite well with carefully assembled hand loads. The best results I have achieved are with the 100 grain H&N bullet available from Cibles of Canada. I use Lapua cases and currently use 1.70 grains of Bullseye powder from the 1990's. The bullets come in different diameters, so be sure to measure your barrel groove diameter and order the same size or 0.001" larger.

I have tried the 90 grain Hornady bullet and could not get better than ten ring accuracy at 50 yards. Perhaps someone has had better results to share with us?

Cheers,

Dave

Dave,
you are scaring me a little with your math, check the original post. only five years, let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Do you still recommend the .314" H&N bullet after one of your .308" barrel conversions? Wouldn't .006" over cause leading?

I talked to Neal Stepp today and he was planning on placing a big H&N order soon so they should be available in the near future.

Greetings,

Thanks for correcting my dates. I joined in 2005. The post was started in 2010.

Doc Young used to shoot Hart 0.308" barrels on his pistols. While shooting with the Military, he was issued factory Lapua 98 grain ammo which is "usually" 0.313" diameter. No severe leaded reported.

Some time ago, I chronographed 0.314" bullets in a 0.308" barrel. There was a slight increase in velocity; but, not enough to concern me.

With custom barrels, the chambers are also a bit tighter and using 0.314" bullets may cause chambering issues due to the "fat" bullet.

I would recommend using bullets equal to or 0.001" larger than the groove diameter of the barrel.

Good news that Neal Stepp is going to start importing the H&N bullets. A great guy to deal with.

Cheers,

Dave

Neal currently has H&N bullets in stock but no lead bullets. He currently has .32 cal bullets referred to as "high speed" they are copper plated. From H&N website:


"This surface finish was introduced by H&N in the 1990s and has today become widely accepted. With this method the blank is electroplated with copper. An additional plastic coating reduces high stress in the case of powerful loads. This is the reason these bullets are also suitable for velocities over 320m/s as well. Full jacketing of the lead core prevents melting and lead abrasion. The soft core of the bullet also ensures that it fits to the barrel profile perfectly and makes it possible to use it at any shooting range. There are extensive load data available for high-speed bullets.

seems to me these would be a quality bullet if you cannot use lead at indoor ranges. It would probably be a good thing if as many people as possible contacted Neal about getting H&N bullets so he will know it is worth his efforts to import them. He stated the powers to be are imposing more restrictions on everything small arms related so it is getting harder for him to import. If more people contact him, he will make his order bigger.

Do you have a contact number or email address for Neil Stepp?

Dave