Its been a busy week this week, but unfortunately not for the webpage. As a heads up the next two weeks promise to be quite busy. This week I’ll likely be on the road a fair bit, heading to Alabama to try and get housing nailed down for the family, and then headed back to Texas to help the rest of the family finish up the move. If all goes well, I’ll be writing the next update from Alabama. So there is likely not to be any new content in the next week.
We did sneak in a book review for this week. If you are looking for a more detailed explanation on how rifling is formed on the inside of a barrel, this book is an excellent read. It is fairly technical, so it’s best not to read this too close to bed time.
You can read my thoughts on the book here: Thoughts On: Rifling Machines and Methods. This is another book that I believe could really benefit if the photo’s were printed in color rather the black and white. That is not to diminish the read, just something I would be willing to pay a premium for. With that said there are plenty of drawings and cross sections of some of the cutters used which I found to be informative. As someone who would like to rifle a few barrels of my own, this is a book I am happy to have gotten my hands on.
On reviewing the SAAMI page, I noticed a new cartridge was snuck in. The 429 Desert Eagle. The SAAMI approved drawing has been included below. I’ll be adding this to the pistol cartridge catalog in the near future. It looks like SAAMI has approved a 46,000psi service pressure or MAP for this cartridge.
Some may compare this cartridge to the 440 Cor-bon which was a similarly 50 AE based case. However the service pressure for the the 429 DE is much higher, and you should not chamber and fire the 429 DE in a 440 Cor-bon, even though it is reportedly possible to do so. Having fired a 50 AE Desert Eagle, I am curious as to what this new cartridge has to offer, perhaps I’ll do a bit of digging and will present the results in a future write up.
Speaking of the Desert Eagle, if you have not fired one and have the opportunity to do so, I encourage it. They are a unique and large pistol, which makes for a fun and different shooting experience. In terms of practicality, I do not have much use for them outside of it being a safe queen and something to be enjoyed on special occasions. However there is a dedicated following, and it has become something of a pop icon being featured in many movies, books and video games.
That is all I have for this week. As always if you are looking to get in touch, best way is to send me an email jay@theballisticassistant.com. You may check us out on Parler (if they ever get back online, I hear maybe today?) Facebook, Instagram, MeWe, and Reddit. If you’d like to submit a load to our load database the instructions are here.
Stay Safe Out There!
The Ballistic Assistant