2kcrewcab

Same here....not sure what's going on, but I had the same exact thing today with Firefox, and I also reported it as legit.

I'm running 147's in my Glock 19. I did find that there was a very significant drop in velocity going from my 5" guns (specifically Springfield XD), to the point where I had to increase my powder charge a bit to make power out of my G19.

I run 3.4 gr of N320 under 147 gr plated bullets with an OAL of 1.127". I had to bump up to make power in my G19. When shooting my XDm 5.25, I was able to make power at 3.1 gr.

Different bullet profile, but my load data for 124gr. RN plated bullets from The Bullet Works is 4.0 gr N320 @ 1.127" OAL, giving me 1070 FPS out of a Springfield XDm 5.25".

Yeah...it's the one that goes in the powder die.

I prefer a green FO front with a black rear sight - and to take it one step further, I prefer Dawson Precision. The main thing I like about the Dawson front FO sights is that the fiber is pulled into a recess in the sight, making it more crisp than some of the other options out there. I also found that different colored lenses in my glasses made a difference in how I pick up the green FO. It might be just a Jedi mind trick, but I had some cheapo blue lens safety glasses that I bought at a local hardware store, and I could have sworn it made the green easier to pick up. Then I switched to some Maui Jim "HD" lenses, and it's even better than before. Your mileage may vary...but that's how it is for me.

I did have to increase my powder charge to make power in my CCP gun. I had some 147 gr plated bullets that were originally tuned for running in an XDm 5.25, and they wouldn't even come close to 125 PF in my Glock 19 for CCP - matter of fact, they wouldn't even cycle it reliably with the factory spring setup. After finding out how slow they were out of the G19, I tested them in some of my other pistols and found that they were borderline even in my G17 and XD 4".

Never used the Hornady, but they do look like decent machines. I went "blue" on the recommendation of many of my friends when I first started loading several years ago, and I have not regretted it. A friend of mine gave me an old RCBS Jr single stage to start loading some low volume pistol and rifle cartridges on, and I used it for quite a while - kept it mounted within arms reach of my Dillon. Then later, I decided that the Jr wasn't cutting it anymore - just wasn't robust enough - and I came across a deal on a Redding T-7 Turret Press. I am VERY impressed with it. Built like a tank, smooth, and functional. I now use it for all of my low-volume rifle and pistol cartridges. As someone already said - to each his own. I'm no bigot - I like Dark Green, Light Green, and Blue - and wouldn't snub my nose at the right color of Red either.

I had similar trouble several years ago on my 550B. It turns out that the shell plate holder wasn't exactly lined up. It was VERY close, but not exact. I was researching the issue online and found a picture of an alignment tool. As it turned out, I had a couple of them in a box of reloading accessories that I was given by a friend of mine, but had no idea what they were until I saw the picture. Once I knew what they were, I used one of them to ensure that the shell plate holder was in exact alignment, and from that point forward, I have had far less frustration with primers not wanting to line up and seat properly.

I've never used an SDB, but have been very happy with my 550B. I actually like the fact that it doesn't auto-index, because when something goes wrong, it's easier to correct without getting things out of sync (at least in my mind). The other thing to keep in mind about the differences is the proprietary dies with the SDB. I like and use Dillon dies for most of my reloading, but I'm not locked into that with the 550B.

I've used N310 in .45 ACP for several years now, and have no plans to switch. Very clean powder (as all VV's seem to be). It's a little pricier than some of the other options, but hard to beat IMO. As a note on the cleanliness of it, I have Dillon powder hoppers that have never been emptied of some flavor of VV powder since I've had them (several years), and they look brand new still - no discoloration at all. If I dumped them out, you'd have a hard time telling they weren't brand new.

A couple of other websites to check for deals on plated bullets: http://www.thebulletworks.net/ http://www.tjconevera.com/ http://www.shop.rmrbullets.com/

Powder Valley has VV powders in stock. I saw it yesterday and ordered some N320, and they just posted on their FB page that they had it in stock.

I have multiple toolheads with powder measures, and I typically only use one type of powder in each caliber, so I just leave it in the hopper. As for the discoloration, I have some powder measures that are about 8 or so years old and have always had powder in them, but they haven't discolored at all...thanks to VV powders. I loaned one of my toolheads to a buddy of mine to load up some .38 Special once. He had it for a couple of weeks and when it came back, the hopper was totally brown. I don't remember what powder he used, but it certainly wasn't N320. Anyway, I've never had a problem leaving it in the powder measure. My setup is inside my house where it is climate controlled, however. Just my .02-worth.

I would have to agree that something seems off on your chrono results. I load Berry's Plated 180's for IDPA in ESP, and I'm running 3.5 gr of N320 making 134PF out of a 5" XD. Previous chrono results for me had 3.6 gr at 138PF, and 3.8 gr at 148PF. All OALs were 1.125".