JS> Well, I'm close, the birch bullets I loaded up in the .40 tend not
JS> to stabilize too well, I can barely keep them on the paper at 7
JS> yards, so i need to figure out some way of getting them a little
JS> more stable so I don't accidently take out the chronograph.  I might
JS> just have to move the chrony up closer.
This is just a guess, but I suspect that the problem has to do with the 
birch's fragmenting where it contacts the rifling. If that is what's 
happening, you need a binding agent to hold the wood fibers together.
One thing I have seen used is a vinyl monomer diffused into the wood and 
then exposed to UV to cause polymerization. The result is an 
unbelieveaby tough composite that's only slightly more dense than the 
wood. That's probably impractical in this case, however.
The next idea that occurs to me is a formaldehyde-phenol co-polymer 
(bakelite). Dissolve phenol in alcohol to aid in penetration. Soak the 
wood in the solution until it's saturated. Then allow the alcohol to 
evaporate. Finally, put the wood in a 5% formalin solution. 
Polymerization should occur within the wood and bind the fibers in a 
bakelite matrix.
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 X RM 1.3 02881 X If crime doesn't pay, why are there so many lawyers?
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