Jakeleg,

Welcome aboard from South Carolina. Glad to have you with us. Looks like Tascosa Joe already reached out to you by PM. He will try to give you any assistance you need. You can also post questions on this forum and you will find no shortage of responses. Just FYI, NCOWS is entirely member-operated. We do not have a paid office staff (thus, the recording) but we have a good online presence and everyone is very friendly and helpful.

If you’re looking for a posse near you, with whom to shoot, you can find that info on the main NCOWS web page by clicking on POSSES. If you click on an individual posse it will take you to a link with their contact and match info.

Hope to see you on the range or at one of our events. Be safe and thanks for joining.

Wouldn't leather from vegetarian cows be from a vegan source? They don't eat meat.

I just want to make sure any cactus material has been totally checked for any leftover spines. 
But I do think they should call it cactus skin, rather than leather.   

Well, not exactly. 

Yesterday morning I went to test-shoot a rifle a friend is trying to trade off.  This one is a military rolling block carbine in 44-40, built on the No. 1 action, with markings from Mexico.  (These were also used as guard guns in some prisons here in the US, but guard guns aren't as cool as veteranos of the Mexican Revolution.)

The rifle checked out OK.  Chamber and bore looked good, some wear from cleaning from the muzzle.  Action locked up.  Ammo was an Ideal 42798 on top of a caseful of FFg.  Brass was many-times fired, and full-length sized to chamber in the various 44-40s my friend shoots.

On the 4th shot, I got treated to a faceful of burning powder residue and smoke, coming out of the now-open action.  The case ruptured and separated at the neck (we found the case neck in the chamber, didn't find the case head).  After some research, we think the back-half of the case slammed back on the firing pin, knocking the hammer back and allowing the action to open.  This failure mode has been discussed some over the years, but I've only seen something similar once before (that time, a case head separation in a roller in 43 Reformado). 

No injuries, thanks to eye protection and a covid facemask.  I suspect the case separation wouldn't have been as much of a problem in a Colt or copy, or a lever-action rifle: both do a better job of managing escaping gas. 

I suppose there are two lessons here, in addition to the reminder to always wear eye protection. 

First, particularly when full-length sizing brass, keep a close eye out for incipient cracks/case head separations.  The repeated use of this batch of brass, full-length sizing each time, had weakened it to the point it was ready to let go. 

Second, if you're going to shoot an old rolling block, it might be a good idea to check the amount of play on the pins, and possibly replacing them with oversized pins if needed.  When I disassembled the action and put the pins in their respective hammer and block, I was able to feel some "wobble". 

Post some photographs please....

I was running the Muster and did not have any opportunity to take but one picture. Thanks to Drydock though I do have two videos. I don't know how to attach them on here. I tried using the "Attachments and other options" thing but it will not let me choose the file. Also do not know how to post the two videos I have either. HELP!