meeesterpaul

Alliant e3 as alternative to Clays. Meters better than it looks but not as fine-tunable as HP38 or Ramshot Competition. I haven't used clay so I can't compare. I understand that e3 is pressure and temperature insensitive and that has been. Soft, smooth, clean at way-low loads but I run an 0.2gr more than the gun needs to run to make up for the occasional variation in load drop. Lee Auto Drum Powder Measure HK VP40 and P30L(40), Wilson 45 Auto

I've been running reloads recently. After separating the better quality ones from compromised ones with less good crimps or hulls I would cycle them through the gun without firing them. Even those B-list shells would run until the day I cleaned the gun before a match without running it again - and apparently didn't lube well enough. Before the end of the day I was having cycling trouble. Ran my last box of Federal factory anmo through. For lube I have been using Hornady One Shot for a couple months. I'm not sure that it holds up to a long match or two. Took a look between stages and had some synthetic gun oil on my cart. Dripped some oil on the bottom of the bolt and went back to reloads again and they ran fine. Btw; loads were 1.065oz 16gr Alliant e3, about 1160fps. This multi-thousand round gun will run 1.125oz 1050fps loads - when I don't run it dry.

While hand cycling some reloads to make sure they function (looking to avoid crimps that are flared instead of rolled) I see that there are pushed in 'divots' on the hulls. They haven't torn the plastic but they gave them a pretty good nudge. Maybe you have a sharp edge at the same spot. These were decent used hulls. btw; They all ran fine in my well-used VR. Some of them only have 1.0625oz over 15.5-15.8gr of e3 and chrono less than 1080fps.

That's a bummer. I'll bet their customer service well be eager to help get that straightened out. I'm sure that they didn't put it out on the market without having seen it work. Give them a chance to get it working for you because drums are great. If you get it straightened out let us know.

fyi; 1⅛oz at 1080fps cycled and held the bolt open. (15.8grains of Alliant e3 in AA 2¾" hulls with Winchester 209 primer with 1 ounce Claybuster wads. Gas ports stock, only deburred. No barrel end compensator or buffer other than Adaptive Tactial EX Perrformance stock with honeycombed buttpsd. Hornady One Shot lube on a well used gun. 50° day, Chrono ar 10ft.

I load 1⅛ oz loads to about 1150. If I were to go to a 1 oz load I would expect to run much faster to get a match on the Power Factor. A 1 oz load would have to run at 1290 for an equivalent Power Factor. I haven't run any 1 oz loads in a while so I forget whether that's what actually worked. If I wasn't use e3 powder I'd try some 1¼ loads at 1040fps.

VR80 Magwell Amarok Tactical https://amaroktactical.com/ria-vr80-derya-mk12-magwell/

VR80 Magwell Amarok Tactical https://amaroktactical.com/ria-vr80-derya-mk12-magwell/

After doing some from inside the mags I think I ended up tugging them straight out, pulling on the triangular tab with a pliers. I replaced the springs with the springs in a BiC Velocity retractable pen. They were available in a pack with a cluster of colors so there were enough for a batch of mags. https://www.staples.com/BIC-Velocity-Retractable-Ballpoint-Pens-Medium-Point-Blue-12-pack-16263-VLG11BL/product_431464

I have more Fed smalls than I need and could use or trade for something harder. ( I'm near Filtydelphia,1072) An article that was discussing investing in stocks of companies in our fun world had quotes from Vista Outdoors' CEO ( I think). He has happy to say that the purchase of Remington's primer operation will help them expand and still enjoy the margins by not add manufacturing capacity to the market. He was also pleased that his 'competition' at Olin was paying attention to the capacity/over capacity risks. Seems that enjoying the margins will let them pay down debt and buy back shares. The stock may be a better value than the primers. I don't think we'll see primers under $49.9999 again.

what was up? Was that DWX a flop or something?

Needing more than one drum? Yee Haw! that would be some stage! Unless the stage designer has a magfed shotgun you probably won't see that sort of advantage dropped in our laps. I've see 29 target stage which only took one reload. Hearing complaints from people with 30-50 round mags on their other guns was . . . amusing. I bring the drum to the line in an open top utility pouch. I hang smaller mags on a clip over the belt or in a bungee tensioned 308 mag holders (or a pocket)

Wish I could get 5s to become 6s as easily for NJ events.

Btw, the drum is sweet. Sold my (unwieldy) 19s after using it.

I get by with 308 mag holders in 3 Gun but I wouldn't be surprised if those mag clips will be better at times. Depends on how you'll use them and if it's on a stage then how it is laid out. Depending on what you're doing the drum mags are very nice. I can't use them in events in New Jersey but in one stage in Pennsylvania with 29 shotgun targets I only had to reload once. Between matches I keep a about 16 rounds of buckshot in it.