After making this whole post ... it occured to me that I should give you two ways of viewing it. A). WITH all the commentary, belly aching, and introspection. Or ... "B". Just look at the pictures. You may preface any comments, if you wish, with the version you chose.



I've taken the time to prove, that my rifles shoot ... very well. They deliver a very high degree of accuracy. One of the reasons why, is that I've also taken the time to develop the projectiles ... and the tooling that makes those projectiles.



Looking back over the big picture of my Airgunsmithing days ... the guns would get the attention. I doubt if too many people would think of .... bullet molds. Certainly not ... sizing dies. If a tenth of one percent did think of either ... I'm not certain that the subject of "cherry cutters" or "sprue cone cutters" would trip off the tongue. But ... a day is a day. Several days are several days. Profound. So what?

Well, none of the guns are accurate, without the appropriate projectile. And, by "appropriate", I mean well and properly made. Of course, that means "tested/proven". And, there again ... a day is a day. A Week is a week. What's the point?

I can't sit and polish that last rag full of "pretty" onto a new gun every day. I have to do the complete package.



That involves making casting molds.

"Well ... can't you just do it simplier ... and quicker?" You know ... Lee sells a mold and handle for about $19 you know. Can I just buy one of them.



I show you as much of the details as I can. I know finished guns are more of a kick. And I get comments that make me feel that the only worthy use of my hours, would be finishing one ... preferably theirs. It's hard to convey that it's all one big endless story. Doesn't break into segments very well. That's because everybody is different, and it's my task to be what each individual wants me to be.

I hear from people that tell me they've been checking my website ... but that I never post anything on Daily Briefing any more. So they haven't known what's going on for a year or two. There's some "thing" that I don't understand that makes some folks feel they are being forced to leave home and family ... in order to click on one of the thirty links from my old site to this forum. And so; they patiently sit and click refresh. Waiting for me to come back, while I've posted over 3,500 posts here, detailing every aspect of my work and life too. Having provided the possibility for questions, interaction, and posting pics of customer guns in the field; I've completely failed to personally bring everybody along. And so; I'm given many opportunities to fill in the details of the last two years .... and justify the delays ... and project the future ... all in one email.



Well, this is what I've been doing ... instead of working on your gun, during all the hours it took to make these.



This one is done. The second one ... with a different slug, is almost done. And then, I'll make the sizing dies.

Gives you another glimpse as to why I hope things are used, after I face the sad faces for making stuff other than strictly ... the guns. ..... hahah,.

I've also been machining valves. And picked my way thru a couple of brutish days of aches, pains, and "special" stuff.

Well ... a different kind of post. Just look at the pics if you want. ... I'll go post that at the top too.

Gary

PS ... I've had to EDIT this post twice now .... can you believe! If you type in a capital B followed by a ) followed by a period .... you get the stupid smilie in sunglasses! Try it ... believe it. So ... I must come up with something other than ..... A, B, choices .... hahah



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/16/2011 08:51PM by barnespneumatic.

Hi Gary:

So you have only made 132 molds in all this time...Shame on you...

I'm kidding; I do agree 100% with you when you say that "no gun would be accurate without the appropriate projectile". You even take the guess work for the shooter, because your air guns come matched with its slugs.

Thanks for sharing these pictures and the story that goes with them.

Hello Julio,

Yeah ... but most of them never got above room temperature after I shipped them. hahah.

Thanks for reading (I see you took option "A" ... hahah). Thanks for the comment.

Wish you were up and we could hit the range together. Maybe this Summer.

God Bless my friend. And Hello to the Mrs.

Gary

Both molds complete. I can cast them now, and go to the range with these bullets, and the Nitro Express.

Will fit in a copy of .465" sizing die set too.

Gary

Nice! Now we'll be waiting for the range results.

Good luck!

Julio

Gary,

I would be brimming with pride if I made just one of those much less an entire gun.

Thank you guys.

Yeah Lon. I hear ya. And, I know I'm hard on readers. But there's only so many thousand posts you can make, without being honest.

For me, no matter what I'm working on ... no matter what I've just finished .... THE very next thing I hear is ... "When". That "basking in the glow" thingie ya hear about .... doesn't happen.

Hey - I have to go cast bullets. Or ... something else.

Gary

So...I'm guessing that your molds are following the 90 / 10 split. Ninety percent of the molds you have produced have cast (between all of them together) perhaps ten percent of all the Barnes projectiles ever made. The remaining 10% of the molds you've made over the years have cast the remaining ninety percent of those bullets. If you separate out just the last four or five years, it'd probably be more like 95/5, with the ones that Surfire/Jerry's kids are running doing virtually all of the heavy lifting in this respect. Just a thought, but I'll bet it's not far from the truth.

Also of note, how often have you seen old-style muzzleloaders cased with a powder horn, priming trickler, and a ball mold? For some of the old Hawken rifles, it was pretty much all the time, it came as a kit that you finished at home. But have you ever seen one with a USED ball mold? Almost never. Even the rugged individualist mountain-man types seem to prefer buying their lead bullets from somebody else, who knows why? Perhaps it's because they just don't usually get shot a lot, and the ratio of casting time to shooting time is a bit lopsided when you're first figuring out how to make your own bullets out of molten lead.

A real mountain man would have his own shot tower.

-- Jim

Hi Rotor,

Well, you said the magic word, in your reply there. "Cased" guns. That's the culprit. Everybody has that mental image of the "Cased" gun. The way I usually hear it is .... Gun, molds, cleaning kit, tools, BOWIE KNIFE, and a dozen other little things to round out the kit. Looks nice in the case. That's a sure bet none of it will ever get used.

I doubt the Mountain Man carried his gun in a "case". Those sets you see now, with the unused stuff ... didn't come from any Mt. Man's bag.

I honestly don't mind making things, if someone is going to use them. But, I have too much work to do, am too far behind, and put waaaayyyyy too much attention into items, to just have them "fill out a case". Also ... there's no money in them. Even when you charge all you think you can with good conscious, you still get the shaft regarding the time and skill used.

I didn't mind these. I know that Hugh will use them. And we'll see some results.

You are right in your 90/10 senerio.

Gary

Forget the guns Gary, those are beautiful. Such simple, clean form follows function lines. Me Likey! Your guns are gorgeous but there's something stark about these that catch my eye. Maybe that's why I liked the Hawg .62 cal pistol/carbine that you made, all the pics I ever saw were with metal and wood tones similar to these?

I guess it's cause everything around my house is only halfway done and that's the look I'm use to? Oh well, great work

I'm running with option "B", and I agree with Griffin.....these molds are a fine complement to your guns Gary, and would look even better well worn next to a battered (not toooo battered) Gray Gox that's got a whole lot of notches carved on the stock for each deer or pig it brought down....
Cheers
Neil

Notches carved in the stock? Oh dear...

Notch... Knottshzzzz!! ...... noticcchhhhhhes???

This post GB is why i put you on a "WHOLE NUDDA" level as compared to other BB gun makers. SERIOUSLY, an airgun maker who also makes his own molds and also does metal engraving and wood carving.....etc...etc....etc. Most of the current BB gun makers can barely make a "good" gun let alone do what you do.

Tooting your horn............"HECK YES I AM" cause you simply deserve it. You do make accurate gun and bullets. I've been following your BB site for years. To me, you are waaaaay ahead of the air guns themselves as well as. Just like my idol......BRUCE LEE. you are ahead of your time. IMO

Nobody is more anxious to see how these shoot than I am! I am warming the pot up right now!
Was casting last night for my M1 Garand! 170 gr gas check bullets. 36 gr 4895. 2000 fps. Cycles the old warhorse and groups 3 inches prone hold at 100 yds! Thats about right for a non tricked out M1.
Casting is one of the more enjoyable parts of the shooting and reloading hobby, and it gives great satisfaction to know your homebrew is better than much of the stuff you can buy. Nothing works right, however without a good mould. I have casted tons of bullets with a variety of moulds over the years. Gary's moulds are works of art.
I have never had the opportunity to cast for an air rifle and am looking forward to it!

Hugh

Working on it. The molds cast great. I took some video while casting this am.

I ran into a snag at the range. Material failure with a valve head. Small detour. Can fix that easily. Will redesign the part ... and use alternate material. Might have gotten a bad batch .... or just a combination of a few small details that raised the stress on the part above the material's threshold.

Really puts those heavy slugs out there to 100 yards right now.

Gary

Dear gary, I ordered a mold and sizing die ith the Yukon. Can you tell me what your casting service would charge for 100 rounds?db

Hello Don,

Perhaps Jerry will pick this up. Jerry - that would be the 450, 469, and 675 grainers .... as examples. 58 caliber.

Don, the details of the casting service is that I make the tooling. Jerry and his Sons run a business which uses my tooling to manufacture the slugs. I do not make a dime from any of it. It serves to help my customers, and makes a business and learning experience for Jerry's Sons. Therefore; I don't know the prices, or details. They call their business Surefire Casting.

Best,
Gary

Don,

The 450 and 469 (approximate weights) would be $41 unsized and $43.50 sized right now. That price has held pretty steady based on availability of reasonable priced lead. I don't think we have a 675gr mold right now but I'd expect the price would be about $53-55 per 100 for that size slug assuming it is not particularly difficult to cast. Most of the molds have characteristics that Timmy has figured out and he can cast them efficiently, sometimes (mostly with commercial hollowpoint molds) a mold is difficult enough to earn a surcharge.

Timmy will also Match grade slugs for $12 per 100 which yields slugs in a very tight weight tolerance. For .58s that is plus or minus .8gr from the mean. That is equivalent to plus or minus .0254gr for a .22 14.3gr pellet! Most scales in use for sorting pellets can't even resolve that fine... We don't recommend the match grade service though because the standard slugs are usually well within any tolerance you can discern at the range (and it's a pain!).

Also for $12 per 100, you can get the slugs color coated so you can tell the old from the new or one style from the other or just enjoy the color...

OK, I withdraw the notches in the stock comment further up....I was being a bit mischevious, feeding off Gary's concern that too much emphasis is placed on the "wood", and of course a mountain man wouldn't be worried about the wood, would he? But really it would be sacrilege to intentionally mar one of Gary's masterpieces, so how about notches in your belt, cut by one of Gary's fine knives?
Regards
Neil

Oh Neil!

A Gary's air gun with it's matching knife, what a perfect combo. More if you are one of those outdoor kind of guys.

Matching knives!!!



Oh .... my back .....

Humm,

I know there is at least one Gray Fox out there with a matching knife. That might not have been the intent, but they sure look like a matched set. Now all that is needed is the mold and die set .

Keith

Sssshhhhhhhhhh!!!!

People READ this thing!




Right, I have to tidy up that loose end too. And here .... I thought I was done!

haha.

Good to hear from you.

Gary

Hi Jerry,

I hate reading alot of detail .... so, you're saying that it's $12 for a hundred match grade color coated 58 slugs? I guess that includes postage ... right?

Do you give a discount if I'd get 150 slugs?



Gary

Sorry Gary, no discounts, that'll be $18...

Well, it's pricey ... but I know they're handmade and all. And, I guess fifty cents of that is postage anyway ... no getting around that.

Gary

I guess I could trade 150 slugs for a matching knife....

Perfect add on to any rifle.................

Matching knife, eh?

Funny, I don't remember seeing a bayonet lug on any of your rifles. Perhaps I missed it somehow...