Opinion

B

Bill Calfee

Gun Fool
Opinion


CYA friends:


I know better, but, I have to give my opinion on something........


I got to look at the killer ratchet on General Lee today....


The back third of the bore is glazed........



Anyway.....


This ratchet is from "the day"....


I'm sorry but I've got to say this, and I apologize to our SAP ignition friends.


If I owned General Lee, I'd have this fine ratchet professionally de-glazed....


Then I'd fit this fine ratchet to a DiOrio V-3, crescent pin and all.....


And then in the hands of a "Tony Harper" class shooter, wear the world out with it...



I'm sorry.....I don't mean to offend our SAP ignition friends..........


But................


Even as fine as the Falcon SAP ignition is, the full potential of this "ratchet from the day" will never be fully realized fit to it, nor any other SAP action.


Your friend, Bill gun fool Calfee..



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Ratchet rifling

Ratchet rifling


CYA friends:


Throughout my RFBR schmidt career I've used the absolute best possible components in my builds...

At least most of the time.....occasionally I'd see how well I could make something shoot, just out of curiosity, that wouldn't use the components I put in my serious builds...


Anyway...................


Why am I carrying on so much about the ratchet on General Lee?


Cause it's been a long time since I've seen a taper lapped ratchet, with the breech end in such pristine condition, as the one on the General.


It looks like the ratchet on Black Death....



Here's why:


I did a little doodle of the cross section of a ratchet land.


This doodle is of an un-lapped, as buttoned, ratchet.


Notice the white arrow...



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The white arrow is pointing to the edge formed by the flat on top of the land meeting the angle which ends in the next groove.


This following side angle is what gives the ratchet its wind bucking capability,



Now back to the white arrow pointing to the edge between the flat and angle.


This edge is still present on the ratchet on the General.......same for Black Death.


This "edge" is an indicator of how much the breech end of a ratchet is washed out from the taper lapping.



Most of the ratchets I've seen in the past few years have this "edge" washed completely out.....



This edge being present in the ratchet on the General is why I'm carrying on so much...


No, I don't really expect whoever owns the General to fit this fine ratchet to a MD-PAS action...


The Falcon action will make an outstanding RFBR gun, once a couple of issues are addressed.


Your friend, Bill gun fool Calfee
 
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