When I'm having a rough day I sometimes slip off to

tinker. It is constructive, mostly, and takes my mind off things. For all GNR's humorous grumblings I know he used to do some too. I have on video somewhere him making the shot of a lifetime. 200 yds., offhand, iron sights, on a nice sheep Ram. But right after the shot rather than basking in his victory he is looking in the grass for his ejected brass casing. A painstaking jewel of perfection, trimmed, inside reamed, to .44 AMP from Lake City .30-06 cases. Why in the world would you do that when they have had perfectly good .44 Mag. revolvers for over 20 yrs. Because it is satisfying, and performance is controlled by the user. The AMP was really a short rifle if you really think of it. Sure it's not easy, but that is what makes it fun.

I like making 100 yr. old guns with no ammo since WWII run again. To see if I can do it. It takes my mind off less constructive practices.

Thanks to a good friend, who specializes in pink boxes, I have a little stash of .414 Elgin T. Gates brass from Starline. Rare as it is, it is not as rare as good usable .401 WSL. I first trim to length, and turn the rims down in diameter so they will fit inside the single stack magazine. BTW good magazines that hold only 4 shots run about $200 on average, if you happen to find a dusty case of them at a yard sale! Lastly, a recess in the solid web must be made so the extractor has a place to "clip" into. I may later have to trim the web to fit a tighter shell holder, for now this will work. I have shot .410" projectiles but really need a .406" bullet sizer. The bullets actually mic 0.403" just ahead of the case mouth and crimp. My soft cast bullets will work for now.

I'm not a good machinist, never was, but now I really can't see. I have to mock up one, mark the settings, and run by those. With grabby brass it is challenging. I only make a few for fun and testing. It's good, I have not injured anyone today, knock wood.