| Preparing
for the Test (cont'd):
With the equipment ready, the only
remaining preparatory tasks were 1) loading the test ammunition, and 2)
finalizing the testing protocol.
The ammunition was loaded as follows:
Winchester cases (0.845"
+/-0.001")
Winchester Small Pistol primers
VihtaVuori N340 powder - 4.9 gr. (+/-0.05 gr.)
Montana Gold 180 gr. FMJ bullets (+0.1/- 0.0 gr.)
OAL held at a nominal 1.140" (+0.002"/-0.000")
For completion of the testing protocol, I
again solicited suggestions from the guys over at Glock
Talk. As a result, I added the stock Glock barrel into the test
as a baseline against which the other two barrels can be compared
(Thanks, Fireglock.).
The ammunition was "randomized" to insure that it was not
loaded into the storage boxes in the order they were produced.
Additionally, I added the requirement for a detailed slide cleaning
during barrel changes to insure that all barrels started from the
"same place". (Thanks, Dennis
in MA).
Additionally, I decided to add a load
workup series to the test to verify the safety of firing max recommended
loads through a barrel with near-zero bullet jump. This additional
series prompted a member to suggest making observations as to the effect
on point of impact by hand cycling rounds into the chamber (Thanks, Jim
Watson).
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|
You can take a look at the Testing
Protocol I took to the range with me right here.
I made a few changes to it while at the
range. None of the changes affected the test results, but did yield significant time savings. The version that I actually
used on the range is here.
With all the preparations completed, I made
plans for a morning shoot to determine the answers to the following
questions:
1) Does reducing bullet jump affect
accuracy in the Glock Model 22 (40 S&W) pistol?
2) Does the reduction to near zero
bullet jump negatively impact functional reliability?
3) Is the prototype barrel safe to
shoot at maximum recommended powder charges (VV N340 6.0 gr.) and
near-zero bullet jump?
4) Does hand cycling (vs. recoil
cycling) have an observable effect on point of impact when using the
Ransom Rest?
And
then?
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