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Very Hot Topic (More than 25 Replies) Schützen - Zimmerstutzen (Read 110114 times)
waterman
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Re: Schützen - Zimmerstutzen
Reply #45 - Apr 29th, 2010 at 11:24am
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Hi Biggi,

I have many questions about the bullets used for loading your own ammo at home.  Do you buy them?  Or do you cast them from a pot of molten lead & tin with a bullet mould?  And are they always "stop ring" bullets?

And do any of your shooters "breech-seat" their bullets and use a blank cartridge?

We have one shooter of Swiss descent who wears the traditional hat and respectable clothing, and a shooter of Italian descent who is usually well-dressed but with a very nice leather coat and fedora hat.  The rest of us look like older, fatter versions of Joe's son, with more layers of clothing because of the unpredictable weather at our range.  Some of us look like homeless beggars with guns.

Other shooters (at other ranges) dress in what must have been the American equivalent of the Bavarian upper class style of the 1900s.  They wear vests and coats and bowler hats.

Waterman
  
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feuerbixler
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Re: Schützen - Zimmerstutzen
Reply #46 - Apr 29th, 2010 at 4:52pm
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Hi waterman!

You cannot buy ready loaded ammo for 8.15er rifles. Nobody fabricates it, because each rifle needs other loading parameters. And each cartridge-bearing/chamber (don't know correct expression, in German it's called "Patronen-Lager", where you put the loaded cartridge into the rifle for shooting) is different to the other. Some are longer, others are shorter. My loaded cartridges have a length of 59 millimeters, others need a length of 62 millimeters. Some riflemen like ammo without plugging, some like plugging with cotton batting, others prefer small balls rolled from toilet paper, others like cut circles from felt-material. And last but not least, each barrel likes another quantity of powder, depending on the used bullet-weight.

You are interested in manufacturing ammo at home? Okay, I try to explain how we proceed. I've already told, how difficult it is in Germany to get the certificate for buying powder. First the 2-day education/training for learning all the operations with the material and the security while working with explosive substances. Then the inspection by government/police, whether you are "clean" and no danger about your past life (as murderer or bank-robber *grin*).

Then you buy all loading tools for it, or borrow it from a friend. You buy the empty "virginal" cartridge cases, for preparing them directly for your cartridge-bearing. The crank at the "bottle neck" of the cartridge must fit into the cartridge-bearing. For that you need the "cartridge sizer". If you don't know the diameter of your barrel, you have to check for it. Perhaps you need .318/.321/.323 bullets. You can buy the bullets ready fabricated in 148 grain or 170 grain. Nearly nobody melt them self, because you need a lot of equipment and more lot of time.

Then you start making the ammo, step by step. Everybody has different methods and ways of handicraft. For a normal shooting day at a price-competition you should have about 100 cartridges with you.

More later!

Biggi
« Last Edit: Apr 29th, 2010 at 5:12pm by feuerbixler »  

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Re: Schützen - Zimmerstutzen
Reply #47 - Apr 29th, 2010 at 5:55pm
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Hello...

...somebody asks me, what for heaven's sake means "feuerbixler".

I'll explain it:

The traditional Zimmerstutzen-Schuetzen in Bavaria call themselves "Zimmerbixler". This comes from "Zimmerstutzen" (the Zimmer-Rifle) and from "Bix". This "Bix" is Bavarian dialect and the idiom stands for the German word "Büchse" - and a "Büchse" is a "rifle".

When I created the first issue for my website in November 2007, I searched for a available domain-name. The word "zimmerbixler" was already sold out, so I created the artificial made-up word "feuerbixler". This word doesn't exists before - or it was very,very unusual. It is made from "Feuerstutzen" (Schuetzen-rifle / traditional fire-rifle) and "Büchse". 

In original Bavarian idiom you would pronounce it "feierbixler" (in English speech-pronounciation like "fire-biggs-ler"), but this nobody outside Bavaria or Tyrol/Austria would understand...

So I decided for "feuerbixler", what is nowadays something like a "trademark" for good information for traditional shooting.

Biggi
  

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Re: Schützen - Zimmerstutzen
Reply #48 - Apr 29th, 2010 at 8:21pm
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Hi waterman!

What means "breech-seat" in your question-text? I didn't find a translation for this. Please explain it for me, what you mean. And what are those stop-ring-bullets? 

Nice description about you and your schuetzen-friends. *big*grin* Homeless beggars with guns... hahahaaa *lofl*
Grin

Yes, I thought so, that the US-riflemen wear always a baseball cap and also military clothing. But don't be surprised: the Bavarian riflemen wear the traditional clothing mostly only for traditional shooting. For the common small-bore cal .22 shooting in the club they wear also quite normal clothing. Other regions of Germany don't know our old-fashioned or typical Bavarian clothing, they think that we are a little bit crazy. And pistol-shooter never wear traditional clothing, they wear jeans and sweatsuit. 

Yes, so it is! We are a marginal group. But we are proud of it!
Wink

Biggi
  

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Re: Schützen - Zimmerstutzen
Reply #49 - Apr 29th, 2010 at 10:27pm
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Biggi,

     Since I don't have the pictures made of my zimmerpistole, I'll jump in and answer your breech seating question.  The bullet is pushed through the chamber (I think that is what you are referring to as the "cartridge/bearing/chamber") and into the throat of the barrel (the portion where the cartridge chamber blends into the bore) for a perfect seal and perfect alignment with the bore.  A case containing powder and primer, and perhaps one or more wads is then placed into the chamber.  Ususally there is about 1 mm space between the mouth of the cartridge case and the rear surface of the bullet.  This technique, referred to as breech seating because the bullet is seated from the breech and ahead of the case, is believed to give the most accurate results for our lead bullet shooting.  I hope my explanation makes sense, but if not, I'll try again!  Wink

Charlie the Frog
  
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Re: Schützen - Zimmerstutzen
Reply #50 - Apr 29th, 2010 at 10:57pm
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Biggi, here's a link to the ISSA (International Single Shot Association) website photo gallery showing a rifle with the bullet and breech seater (one design of many!) in the relationship they would be in inside the barrel.  (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links) you look carefully at the forward part of the seating tool, you can see a brass piece that actually does the pushing on the base of the bullet.  And here's another photo showing the tool in the rifle, with the handle ready to pull back, which will cause the plunger to push the bullet into the rifling.  (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)

David
  

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Re: Schützen - Zimmerstutzen
Reply #51 - Apr 29th, 2010 at 11:02pm
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Hi Biggi,

To breech-seat means to place the bullet into the rifled part of the bore ahead of the chamber.  The bullet is lightly engraved by the rifling and should be (in theory) exactly aligned with the rifle bore. Breech-seating is done with a special tool.  The tool can be simple if you have an action with strong forcing power (System Aydt, for example) or complicated if you have an action with little or no forcing power (Martini, for example).  In my Original Aydt, I simply use a plugged case (a fired case with a wooden dowel or stick that fills the space between the chamber and the start of the rifling).  I drop a lead bullet into the chamber and then insert the plugged case.  Then I pull the lever of the rifle up and the breech block of the Aydt pushes the plugged case forward into the chamber.  The bullet is pushed through the forcing cone and comes to rest in the rifling, with the base of the lead bullet completely sealing the bore.

Then I open the action. The extractor pulls the plugged case out so that I can remove it with my fingers.  Then I insert a case with a good primer and the charge of powder, but no bullet.  The mouth of the case is sealed with a card wad or something to keep the powder from spilling out. Lately, I have used thin slices of floral foam, the stuff florists use to make a fancy arrangement, to seal the mouth of the case.

Stop-Ring bullets are originally German.  Dimensions vary with the 8.15x46R case, but the inside diameter at the mouth of the case, where the bullet sits, is about 0.334" in my Martini, but the bore diameter is .308" and the groove diameter is .314".  There is a funnel or throat 0.445" long connecting the two.  In my Haenel Original Aydt, the diameter at the case mouth is 0.347", the bore diameter is 0.312 and the groove diameter is 0.317", tapering to 0.314".   The funnel between the case mouth and the start of the rifling is 0.312" long.   

More on next note.

waterman
  
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Re: Schützen - Zimmerstutzen
Reply #52 - Apr 29th, 2010 at 11:06pm
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Biggi,

A picture is worth a thousand words in German or English! This is a picture of a mechanical breech-seater made by Russ Weber in Colorado, this particular model is made to fit a Winchester action. #1 you carefully push your lubed bullet base first into the “cartridge case” part of the seater. #2 you then insert the seater and bullet into the action as you would a normal cartridge. #3 then you turn the seater so that lug locks into the action. #4 you pull back on the handle so that the bullet is then inserted into the barrel just ahead of the chamber. #5 you remove the seater and insert a cartridge loaded with powder and you’re ready to shoot. 

Bob
  
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Re: Schützen - Zimmerstutzen
Reply #53 - Apr 29th, 2010 at 11:15pm
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More about Stop-Ring bullets:

The early loading tools were simple.  The second tool simply seated the new primer.  Next, the shooter put in the powder.  The shooter may or may not have squeezed down the mouth of the case to hold the bullet a bit better.  The stop-ring bullet was then seated with the fingers.  The bullet had a smaller diameter section that fit inside the cartridge case. Usually about .316"  Then came a ring section of increased diameter, about .335".  This ring would cause the bullet to stop when it came to the mouth of the case.  That is where the name comes from.  The section in front of the stop ring was about .310" or .312".  The forward part of the bullet just guided the loaded cartridge into the front part of the transition cone.  The stop-ring section more or less filled the cone and kept the bullet somewhat aligned with the bore.

My understanding is that the German ammo companies sold packets of primers, and other packets of empty cartridge cases, still other packets of pre-measured powder charges in tiny tubes or envelopes, and a variety of stop-ring bullets.  The shooter bought whatever combination worked best for his rifle, assembled the ammo and went off to the range.
  
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Re: Schützen - Zimmerstutzen
Reply #54 - Apr 30th, 2010 at 1:20am
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Traditional German ringed bullet. May be the RWS bullet.

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Re: Schützen - Zimmerstutzen
Reply #55 - Apr 30th, 2010 at 9:17am
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Topic "breech-seater"

Thanx to all writers for exact explanation and the illustration with the pics. Very interesting!!! I've never seen before here in Europe. And I cannot imagine, that it works with a "Martini-System" (Martini-Action), while there is that "slide-chute" for the cartridge into the chamber. You cannot fill it from back with that breech-seater. And a lot of riflemen have a Martini-Stutzen. It might work with an Aydt-System/Action or other rolling-block action. 

Isn't it less precise while assembling the cartridge like this? In contrast to the work you make at home with your perfect tools? And I think it lasts a long time between the shots to manufacture them with a breech-seater...

I can imagine for me, that it is in Germany forbidden to work at the range with "open powder". Seen by law, for the powder in the ready filled cartridge you need only a "Waffen-Besitz-Karte" (that's a Arm-Owner-Certificate) from the town-administration with the authorization for "buying/getting ammo" . If you have "open powder" like in those old pre-measured powder charges in envelopes, you need the certificate for buying and working with powder (Powder-Certificate / Pulver-Schein). 

In former times (until Second World War), the riflemen filled their cartridges at the "Ladsaal" ("loading hall") of the upper class society's building, near the ranges. They had their small equipment with them, to manufacture their 20 or 30 shots for a shooting-Sunday at the shooting-society. Nowadays no more imaginable, because of the law and less time for shooting by much more shots you want to make...

But I'll ask some folks at weekend while shooting in Austria, who know a bit more about refilling the cartridges in former times.

Biggi
  

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Re: Schützen - Zimmerstutzen
Reply #56 - Apr 30th, 2010 at 12:14pm
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Breech-seating:  There was a different type of tool for breech seating bullets in a Martini.  Would someone please post a pic of the old Ideal bullet seater that you hit with your hand?  The breech seater in Bob's photo works with rifles like the Winchester or Sharps because they have breech blocks that rise vertically.   


Bullets:  Biggi, how do you purchase bullets for the 8.15?  Do you have a large selection? Or are there just the 2 different weights?  And who makes the bullets? Could you post pics of the currently available bullets, like the pics Joe posted of the RWS bullet? Does anyone sell the German bullets in the US?
  
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Re: Schützen - Zimmerstutzen
Reply #57 - Apr 30th, 2010 at 3:11pm
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Here is a Ideal style breech seater. This one I made for myself. The original Ideals were painted black I believe, not sure.  Huh  This tool can be used with the Martini style rifles as Waterman points out.

If ones bullet fits the bore of a rifle and is the correct temper there is no need to hit the tool with the hand.  But since we and machines are never perfect we see shooters hitting the tool with the hand and even a mallet.  Shocked

Not so much these days do to the well made mechanical seaters being offered.  Smiley



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Re: Schützen - Zimmerstutzen
Reply #58 - Apr 30th, 2010 at 3:20pm
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Biggi, 

My impression is that your modern day safety rules/laws do not allow you to load your rifles in the old traditional way. 

If we people and our machines are not perfect, our goverments and law makers are very very far from perfect.  Angry

Dont get me started!!  Cheesy Grin


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Re: Schützen - Zimmerstutzen
Reply #59 - Apr 30th, 2010 at 3:58pm
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Hello!

Yes, our modern law after some gun rampage at school in the last years in Germany, the possibilities for sport-riflemen/women are very restrictive. I think, you cannot imagine in US (the country with free-arm-ownership) what we have for difficulties with it. There are a lot of political parties, who want to ban the sporting arms completely. And I think, the difficulties by law are the barrier, to spoil the party...
Undecided

The lawyers guidelines for reloading at home are like this, that you are not allowed to load in a room, where you sleep, live or work. It has to be a separate room like a hobby cellar. There must be a plain floor cover, no carpet. You have to store your powder in the plastic bottle in a wooden box (lockable), built without metal-elements, no screws - in eventuality of explosion, that there are no metal parts flying around. You get only a prescribed lot of powder per year. If you need more than 1 Kilogramm per year, you have to submit a request to the authority. And so on. Yada-yada-yada!

You see, it is not really funny...
Angry

...but we can live with it. It would be nowadays horrible, if everybody could buy so much powder like he wants to make nonsense with it.

Biggi


  

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