Second that! Mike Fisher does great work for a reasonable price. Good guy too!
I will have to argue with your statement on 38mm.
As far as I remember;
Kosdon TRF (no thrust ring) does NOT share dimensions with AMW cases. Kosdon East cases (with thrust ring) do share AMW specs.
I think that Kosdon East became AMW, which then sold recipes to CTi, who still make the AMW reloads... (So doesn't that mean that CTi fliers are, in some way, still flying some Kosdon recipes??)
If I am wrong, then may the slugs feast of my eyeballs whilst i sleep.
I'll respectfully maintain my original statement. Kosdon TRM did not have external thrust rings, true! And I really don't want any slugs feasting on your eyeballs!
But...
AMW made only two 38mm cases, the 390 (3G) and the 640 (5G). They were based on Frank's hardware; I have used the AMW I220SK and I315Sk in clusters using a mix of AMW and Kosdon 390 and 640 cases. The bulkheads and nozzles are different; though the noz throats are the same. Have used them interchangeably for years; maybe the case length is different, but the internal snap ring to snap ring distance is the same.
Kosdon TRM: all my gold hardware came from Frank. Some purchased second hand, but I recall very few gold anodized cases coming from Kosdon East (Paul R. and friends)...I remember a couple of matte gold finish 75-6000 cases around LDRS 19 when Paul started flying color propellant, which as you mentioned became AMW. Everything I got from Frank (38,54, 2.5", 4",) has been the glossy gold. Paul didn't want to deal with motor ejection delays; the 38 loads didn't come until much later in the AMW lineage. He was right; never saw an AMW 54-98 Cato, but I personally experienced a few and Paul was helpful.
Regarding the CTI/AMW merger, I wouldn't say AMW sold the recipes to CTI; and I'd bet a few reloads that AMW/Pro-X reloads are CTI formulas instead of AMW formulas. They have a completely different look/feel/smell. Off memory: Tamed Tiger = CTI Classic. Scalded Tiger =CTI White Thunder. Black Bear = Smoky Sam, Pro X Red Rhino = CTI red Lightning, Blue Baboon = Blue Streak, etc. CTI had the colors in production before the merger, the only "new" propellant to spawn was Skidmark; a welcome addition to the CTI family! Though insiders swear that CTI skid = AMW skid, there were changes for processing, material availability, etc; they certainly don't burn the same.
That's enough for now I think; I miss Frank and I miss Paul. Though I really enjoy Aerotech, CTI, and Loki, AMW and Kosdon were always my favorites; if nothing else because they were different (and serve/d well for EX!). Great stuff regardless! Between Preston N. and I, a lot of Kosdon and AMW has been burned in the Midwest; and we're far from done burning our stash yet!
-Eric-
