That was a really enlightening anecdote.
Well Eightbore, I don't feel enlightened. Mystified might be a better term. Miller, I don't have a chronograph and even if I did, I'm not sure I'd want to replicate the beating I took. I suppose I could use a sissy bag between my shoulder and the butt.
Still, the Maxi Balls I had been using showed good contact and full engraving by the lands whenever I pulled a bullet with my ball puller. I did this often when I emptied my gun after a day of hunting in the rain or snow. And pure lead should have obturated upon ignition and gave me a perfect seal anyway. Also, I had in the past used a wad of hornets nest material under my bullets or balls because that was supposed to give a better seal and prevent blown patches.
Had I had an imperfect seal with the Maxi Balls, I would have expected fliers and poor groups. Instead, this gun and load typically would put five shots into amazingly small groups, often one ragged hole at 75 yds. from the bench, and this with open sights. It was the tighter fitting projectiles that flew high and wide, and the dispersion was like minute of basketball.
I don't really recall the gun sounding differently when firing the loads that hammered me. But you're right Miller; logically, it would take a very large increase in velocity to get the amount of recoil increase that I experienced. I can't imagine that a bit tighter seal with pure lead would give me several hundred fps greater velocity though. That load normally should have ran around 1650 fps. I have shot very warm 350 gr. loads at around 2100 fps from a .45-70 Siamese Mauser that were not nearly so uncomfortable. Of course, the Siamese Mauser did not have a thin comb and narrow curved brass buttplate, so this is somewhat subjective.
I have analyzed this experience in my mind a thousand times since it happened and have no rational explanation. I feel kinda like those guys who claim they were abducted by space aliens and forced to sleep with an alien chick to propagate their species. You kind of wish you just kept the story to yourself because no one's going to believe you anyway. No, I did NOT say I have green kids.
