NC Shooter

Merlin, You'll be pleased to know it has nothing to do with intelligence and may be more about determination. I'm also blind in my right eye but I wanted to try 3gun, knowing I'll never be really good at it so I didn't want to throw a lot of cash into the sport. I'm just proud to say that I can compete. I have shot a few matches already that I did not come in dead last. With a little time and practice I may find my way to the middle of the pack. I could be happy with that. I can barely see enough of what must be seen to figure out what the heck I'm doing out there - but I'm having fun at it. Ken

I hope you'll be impressed with my frugality on this one. I am a long time Highpower shooter and I decided that I wanted to try 3 gun just for the hoot factor (and I love it). I bought a 16 inch Bushmaster V Match upper from a friend for $300.00 put a riser block and a Lupold 3X9 scope on it that has been in my safe for years. Mated this up with a Rock River Arms lower with a match trigger that I bought for $250.00. My shotgun is a Police turn in Remington 870 bought for $150.00 and added a 3 round mag tube extension for $35.00 more. My pistol is another Police turn in Beretta Mod. 96 in .40 cal. $300.00 and I use uncle Mikes double mag holders with a Blackhawk holster. on a last ditch guide belt. I know some of you guys are laughing your a$$e$ off at me but at 56 years old I never hoped to do anything more than enjoy myself nevermind win anything at the prize table. Rifle ________________________________________$550.00 Shotgun _____________________________________$185.00 Pistol _______________________________________$300.00 Accessories __________________________________$100.00 Having the most fun possible with your clothes on ___Priceless Still looking for the deal of the century on a 3 wheel jogging stroller for a cart. Ken

Surface corrosion is probably the first and best indicator to reject brifle brass. Brass whore that I am I don't mind a little corrosion from range foundling pistol brass that has been laying on the ground for a while but I get picky about rifle brass due to the pressures involved. I have even pulled the bullets and scrapped rifle ammo that I bought from the CMP (mostly Greek HXP stuff) that were sealed in spam cans since the 50's. Problem is that If I do not know what caused the corrosion I won't risk shooting it in my babies. Ken Edited for spelling error.

I have had nearly the same experience as Mr Chitlin with .45 Caliber loads that would run fine in a "Plane Jane" Colt Government Model SSP but caused problems in a Colt Series 70 National Match Gold Cup with a Kart competition barrel. Some of the offending cartridges would not allow the slide to fully close and lock into battery. This ammo was also made using Dillon Dies. The good news is that my Dillon case gages that I ordered from Brian should arive tomorrow. The bad news is that I'm concerned now that the ammo might pass in the gage but still not function in my Gold Cup - We'll see. Does anyone have any data on comparative tolerence differences between Dillon and Wilson case gages? The only thing I have heard is that the Dillon gages are stainless steel and The Wilson gages are possibly chromium steel. Ken

Steve, Yes you are absolutely correct! "Is it safe to assume too much case volume is bad as well? Otherwise you would always just seat the bullet to the SAAMI (sp?) max length spec and be done with it right?" Too much of an air gap in a cartridge will create an inconsistant load - This was the driver for the development of the the 7.62X51 or .308 Win round. Improvments in propellant powders from 1900 to 1955 caused a significant reduction in powder charge in the 30-06 round, so engineers just necked down the case to compensate and voila a new cartridge is born. Modern metalic cartridge manufacture is a delicate balance. some rounds perform best with a compressed powder charge. while others are more consistant with just a full case fill. Your mileage will vary because of all of the variables built into everything from ambient temperature, humidity, altitude, your gun, etc, etc. You get the picture. Until you are satisfied with your loads and always while you are doing any load development keep meticlous records of every variable that you can. The rewards will become obvious very quickly and you will spend less time duplicating superior results. This forum is a fantastic resource. There are many threads pertaining to reloading and the search function is your best friend. Good luck and keep us posted. Regards, Ken

Take a look at these: http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/store/Pro...0SHOOTING%20MAT http://www.midwayusa.com/esearch.exe/searc...or=all_products http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?a=389653 http://www.champchoice.com/detail.php?item=700D I have the one from Champions Choice it is 72" long. I don't know of any longer. Ken

RePete, What I was getting at is that small base dies are not usually required for most semi-autos. I will add (and this is only IMHO) you might get better accuracy with your bolt gun if you only neck size instead of full length size with a small base die. My reasoning is that the small base die (I think) should return the brass to nearly origional factory dimensions. This may generate a little loosness in the chamber but may be for you a very consistant load. I only bring this up because all of the bench rest shooters that I know will fire form their brass in a specific rifle then neck size the the brass and fire it in only that rifle for ever more. If you are reloading for more than one rifle and using the same brass in each of them of course all bets are off. In which case you can just tell me to shut up, mind my own buisness and go away. Sorry about the thread drift folks, Ken

Steve, In your last post you state: "This does mean that f I change from 115gn to 125gn I'll need to reset the dies on the press, the 125 may require the bullet seating die to move up a wee bit, right?" I would like to add the following: If you change from a 115 gr bullet to a 125 gr you will want to reduce the powder charge accordingly, again just refer to your reloading manual. Second; Yes, it is likely that you will need to re-adjust your seating depth (outward) for the heavier bullet. Watch your Overall Cartridge Length so that you do not exceed internal magazine dimentions. Your manual will have that dimention specified as well. If you get to a point that your OAL will not allow you to seat out any further as with even heavier bullets reduce your powder charge per your manual. Good luck, Post again with both successes or further questions. Ken

Sure, the test is still valid. All you need to do is stack a few wheel weights on top to approximate the weight of a standard carrier. Better yet silver solder the extra weight to your titanium carrier.

To put it another way, All firearms must launch the bullet in a trajectory. It has nothing to do with you or even muzzle flip. Example: If you have ever heard someone bragging that their .270 was a very flat shooter, this is a misnomer. The sights of any firearm must point the barrel slightly above horizontal or every shot would be low compared to line of sight to the target. Physics dictate that the projectile begins to drop from the nanosecond that it leaves the barrel because of Earths gravity. If you could drop a bullet from one hand at the exact moment that you fire a bullet from a gun in the other they would both hit the ground at the same instant IF the guns sights did not compensate by elevating the barrel to cause impact on target at a specific distance. Think of this in the same terms as artillary fire trajectory. I hope this helps - some of the people I work with feel that my explanations get more complicated than they need to be. Sorry. Regards, Ken

+1 on the shameless range brass scrounger part. You just need to be more carefull when you sort and inspect the brass. I have reloaded .223 as well as .308 and 30-06 on a single stage press for years before I got my Dillon RL550B for Christmas last year and as the man said, you can re-load for around half of what you will pay for new. You will want to get a case gage and be certain about cartridge headspace etc. etc. but in no time you will be making better ammo than you can buy for a fraction of the price. Ken

Berkim is correct. The VV website should say something more like; Neck sizing only is fine if you are reloading for a bolt action rifle. If you are reloading for a semi-auto full length resizing is required. You do not need small base dies unless you are having specific issues like can happen with Ruger mini 14s that get a little picky. Good luck, Ken

$.02 opinion from a Highpower shooter. Do not use one piece bolt rings! I got this from a Marine Corp armorer. He also said, that with the bolt extended as if you were about to install it in the rifle, stand your bolt/carrier assembly upright on the bolt face on a flat surface there should be no slippage. If the bolt slips into the carrier from just the weight of the carrier standing above it, it is time to replace the rings. Ken

Being an OLD bulleseye shooter, I can tell you that a .45 ACP from a 5" pistol will typically drop about two inches from 25 yards to 50 yards and around 15 inches or more depending upon your load to 100 yards. Just shoot center mass and you should stay in the A zone if you are sighted at 25 feet and and are only shooting out to less than 50 yards. You can always favor up or down a little once you know exactly how your load performs at any particular distance. Hope this helps. Ken

I would like to add a +1 to all of the posts that said to go and watch a few matches first! Do your self a favor and don't buy a particular gun just because you want to buy a gun. I shot my first match with a gun and rig that I already owned, and learned a lot about how the matches are run and the mental processes required. Needless to say I came in dead last in two of the three games I went to play but now I know what I want and need. I have been a bullseye shooter for a long time and already had a few choices. I went with my favorite gun (a 1911 Colt) and I shoot it well but it was not the best choice for the type of match I attended. 1.) Go watch a match and ask questions - lots of them - and listen to others conversations. 2.) Rent or borrow a few types of pistols to see what fits you and the competitions you want to enter. 3.) learn the fundimentals of safety and marksmanship and concentrate on shooting "A"s. 4.) Buy your own gun after you know what you want to compete with. 5.) Save your brass and start a savings fund for reloading equipment, it aint cheap. This is of course all my dumb a$$ opinion and your mileage will vary but if the wife dosen't care for the idea of your new found obsession already - just wait until you start spending your kids inheritence and colledge tuition fund on it, and you want to go shoot three times a week. Good luck, Ken

+ 2 for Varget, it is also very temperature forgiving.

I could be mistaken but I believe the M118 round used a 172 grain spire point boat tail and a slightly heavier powder charge. I do have some of the newer M118LR shells but I have not broken any of them down to weigh the bullet or powder charge. Ken

41.5 grains of IMR4895 with a sierra 168 grain Match King bullet will duplicate the Lake City M852 Match round. I have also used IMR4064 and Hogdon Varget with good results. the Varget load is very temperature forgiving. Ken

Adam, Reading this thread I see a lot of good data is being tossed at you but it is important to sort it all out to make sure that your gun goes bang in a good way. Rangerat makes a good point about head space defined as the dimension from the case head to the datum point of the shoulder (this is what you are checking with the case gage). If a case is too long (excessive headspace - not sizing enough) the cartridge won't chamber properly and the bolt may not lock into battery. It would be very bad if your rifle managed to fire in this condition. The opposite (insufficient headspace - sizing too much) or a case that is too short may rupture upon firing or may just cause the extractor to rip the case head off during extraction. Buy a "NEW" not old loading manual (Sierra, Speer or Lymann #48 are good) and read up on reloading for rifle cartridges before you go any further. I load for 1000 yard accuracy so I sort and inspect all cases but I would never mix commercial and military cases in the same lot. the reason is that mil-spec cases are a lot thicker brass than comercial and have less internal volume and therefore develop much higher pressure with the same powder charge than comercial cases. Opinions vary but there is also a difference in external dimensions of .223 Remington versus 5.56 mm SS109 mil-spec this can make your military brass very difficult to resize using small base dies (it will over work the brass) I would also reccomend Imperial die sizing wax if you are going to keep using military brass because of its excellant lubrosity (I have no experience with slick 50 but would aviod it if it is a petrolium distilate product. Full length resizing is good enough. Sorry for the long post but I hope this helps. Edited to address other questons: Should I be tumbling the lube off (I haven't bothered to at this point)? Yes you should clean the lube off. Should I try crimping with my Lee die? Rifle cases are not belled like pistol cases so there is no flair to smooth out, the bullets are held in place by neck tension, but as has been said a light taper crimp at the bullet cannellure helps prevent set-back just don't over do it. Should I try using just my own once-fired WWB cases? Any "Boxer" primed cartridge case can be reloaded. If you are using brass that has been fired in your rifle you should be able (as has been said) to set back the shoulder a few thousandths and the case should gage just fine. Be very careful about using range brass, inspect throughly, reject any brass that has shiny areas along the side above the case head (called insipient case head separation) also reject any brass that has very flat or smeared primers (an indication that they were loaded very hot). Guys I know that use range brass a lot make a tool from a thick paper clip with a "L" bent into the end to check cases internally for cracks. Good luck, Ken H.

I have been reloading for .38/.357, .40 S&W, .45, .30 Carbine, .223, .308 and 30-06 for many years using two Lymann Spartan single stage presses. The wife surprised me this past Christmas with a RL550B bought from Brian E. and I have never been more pleased with a gift or a press. Change-over for both primer sizes and powder types is a snap once you get yourself organized but I would suggest buying additional toolheads for each caliber that you load. My own plan is to have both a separate tool head and powder measure for each caliber I load and I understand that this will be much cheaper with a RL550B than a 650 or 1050. Hope this helps. Ken

I'm not certain that I understand the problem totaly and yes a little more case bell may solve the issue but look also at the possibility that your seating die may not be adjusted right. Is it possible that your bullet is still being pressed down by the stem after the die has begun to taper crimp the bullet in place and then the case wall begins to collapse? Just brain storming here but I've seen it happen. Good luck, Ken

buy the strong mount - you won't regret it

I have been using 50/50 corn cob and walnut media with a bit of jewlers rouge. I just bought some nu-finish after reading some of the posts here and WOW what a difference. Thanks for the tip guys! Ken H.

This is for AZ BP Shootr - If they post, these are two photos from the underside showing how the top attaches to the Black & Decker Workmate (with a piece of 1' X 4"). In one shot I have the top loosened and pulled out so you can see the countersunk T-nuts that secure the two pieces of MDF board that was glued before screwing together. Send a PM if you need further details. Regards, Ken H.

It's just my - probably not so humble opinion but; for rifle it is a must to sort brass not only by manufacturer but separate by lot if you can and certainly if you are using military cases sort to manufacturer, lot and year if you can. The internal dimentions of different manufacturers and especially millitary case manufacturers make a huge difference in shot to shot consistancy (because of internal pressures generated with differing volumes). I have not found the same differences in pistol case manufacturers but I am still anal enough to sort those too based on listening to bullseye pistol shooters. Having shot NRA highpower for almost twenty years I am just very set in my ways and it may make no difference if the target is under 25 yards away but it can make a great difference if the target is a 100 or more yards away. The care and attention you give to your ammo pays off in a confidence factor and allows you to forget about that part of the issue if you have a mike and don't know why (although you should if you called each shot). Ken H.