shred

I've got an Oehler, and even it won't record every shot if lighting conditions are poor. It's great, but it's also considerably larger to haul around (large toolbox vs shoeboxes) than the Pact and Chrony versions. Sometimes portability is nice. The basic circuits of any chronograph are simple, so what you're paying more for is maybe a bit better accuracy, better function in fringe conditions and more features (most of which can be duplicated in Excel).

T-handles are ok, I guess, if you can't get ball-ends. http://www.bondhus.com/Products/products.htm has a little info, but the big deal is you can stick 'em in at an angle, and also twiddle them at an angle (like, say, removing the primer system on a 650). Due to the angle features, they're also easier to insert into the screw in question. My vast collection of random wrenches have now been exiled to a remote drawer. (Edited by shred at 5:17 pm on Dec. 30, 2002)

Many Open and Limited guns are set up that way to avoid inadvertent slide lock backs when the mag isn't completely empty, which can happen when something (like a bullet) bumps the catch. Since we try hard to avoid slide-lock reloads in IPSC, many people disable the lock-open-on-empty feature.

For a long time I've used whatever hex keys were on hand to adjust my press-- they were free and I had tons of 'em. Then I got a set of Bondhus ball-end wrenches. These things rock for Dillon work. They're in the "I'm so happy every time I use them that I don't care what I paid" category. If you haven't tried them, make a new years resolution to get a set.

Vince... didn't you learn the search function last time?

I doubt I'll be participating.. $10 up front, $10 extra for each match you shoot, and realistically you'd have to shoot at least 10 semi-major matches (Nationals, 2 Areas, 4 state/section and 2 "other" matches-- one of which can't even be in your area, and all of which must be correctly blessed by USPSA) to even be in the running. Since the nearest 'other' state match is at least a 6 hour drive and we don't even have a section here, this is looking like a big non-starter for us. And USPSA had better tread very lightly when it comes to paying cash prizes to winners. Taxes and various state lottery laws all may apply. (Edited by shred at 11:19 am on Dec. 30, 2002)

The actual reloading steps are the same, from hand-press to single-stage to turret to Dillon to Camdex. Learn what those are before poking your fingers into a Dillon and it'll make much more sense. Get your hands on a decent reloading manual (for pistol only, Lyman has a "Pistol and Revolver" manual that's pretty good), and/or a copy of "ABC's of Reloading" to learn the basics-- However, there will be a ton of info in those books that's pretty much irrelevant if you're loading 45 ACP for IPSC/IDPA/plinking use-- for the time being, you can ignore anything about case trimming, neck-sizing, lubing, chamfering, sorting by headstamp, powder trickling, cleaning primer pockets or casting your own bullets. Loading a single, straight-walled pistol cartrige cuts out about 75% of the complexity involved with reloading. On apartment-reloading: When I had a SDB (my first press), I bolted it to a 2-foot chunk of 2x12 and then clamped that to a table as needed. Easy to move and put away, but be careful with the primer chute. I used the SDB for 2 years of IPSC shooting before upgrading to a 650 (I sold the SDB to another shooter for a bit less than I paid for it-- this is a bonus with Dillon gear, easy resale). My 650 is also mounted to a plank which attaches to a small workbench I built (you could still use a table, but it needs to be a sturdy one). With the casefeeder, it's considerably larger and more cumbersome to move and store. Keep in mind storage for powder, primers, bullets and brass too. Those can easily get everywhere if not corralled. (Edited by shred at 11:01 am on Dec. 30, 2002)

The poor-man's roll-sizer is a 'push-through' setup-- remove the decapping stem from a .40 sizing die (or crimp/seat bits from a Lee FCD, which is probably better) and fashion a punch for the shellplate such that the case-to-be-sized is pushed completely through the sizing die and out the top. You can push them either right-side up or upside down. Easiest done on a spare single-stage press with a die like Dillon or Lee FCD that have a full-diameter when the decapping stem is removed. It won't work with a RCBS-style die. Somebody was demoing a commercial version of this with casefeeder attachment at Area 2 this year. Looks a whole lot like the Case-Sizer jr at : http://www.magmaengr.com/ (Edited by shred at 6:09 pm on Dec. 29, 2002)

I always tell new shooters that nobody else will ever remember their first time out, so long as they don't shoot anybody. (Actually we also remember the new shooter that shot all A's the entire match) Watching new shooters get better and keep coming back is super cool. (me, I reloaded from slide-lock every time at my first IPSC match)

Ok, so it was an 80% second place... , and it amused me immensely that I beat the M's and GM's that had come down for a shot at TJ, but really it was that I didn't have any thoughts beyond shooting well and learning from it.

A dozen years ago I worked for Atari. (Shortly after that, the company collapsed ). As part of the collapse, I ended up with a couple old table-top style arcade machines-- the kind you'd see in Pizza Hut. Right now they're Missile Command and Arkanoid, but that may get converted back to Pac-Man. Those machines are becoming collectors items, but if you look around, you can sometimes find the less popular ones for $200+. (All the new machines have interchangable parts and never seem to come on the market.. ) The ultimate home arcade machine now is to get one and swap the guts for an old PC running MAME-- then you get tons of classic games and the smack-em-around indestructible controls. Something about those old games-- since they didn't have stunning graphics, they had to have good gameplay. (Edited by shred at 12:43 pm on Dec. 29, 2002)

Hopefully it was a pre-existing hole that he stuck his foot into. Most fun present so far: a cool radio controlled hovercraft, from my parents of all people. (Edited by shred at 1:33 pm on Dec. 29, 2002)

It's been so long since I posted that I'm not sure y'all are answering my question, but in the mean time I've been thinking about it and decided that I was, as Steve said, in a results-oriented mode. As in, I was thinking (subconsciously) "When I win my class, then I'll be good/happy/successful.. ". Since I got where I was going (winning my class) and wasn't happy with how I did, I had a conflict going on. This happens in a lot of places for lots of people ("When I get a new house.. then I'll be happy", "When I get a million dollars..", "When I get my M-card", ... ) Since then I've dropped a lot of that "When.. then.." thinking and have improved considerably for it. The most fun I've had at a match recently I came in second and was happy about it (It didn't hurt that TJ was first, but it was really how well I shot)

You could whip up a recoil spring tester to check the weight: http://www.brianenos.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard...28&topic=44

eeek. After having one primer go off unexpectedly in the seating station, I'm not going to run my RF-100 with the top off for any length of time. I don't think Dillon put 1/4" of polycarbonate on there for show. I've considered drilling and tapping the shield for a couple of small nylon bolts to bear on and allow external micro-adjustments to the plastic plate. That would be cool, especially with a 'lift' option.

I used ~4.8gr Titegroup under a 115 for steel loads in my comped supers all last season (bumped to 5.0 and 135 pf for Paper & Iron). The dot bounces some but it's super soft.

The full-frontal view is less useful than angle-views many times. Bonus is you don't have to draw down on yourself.

You could always use the flip tray to examine 'em all, then dump the tray into the RF100. When mine's misadjusted and sticking primers right before the drop tube, I poke up under the shield with a small tool and lift the plastic plate just a tad. You can also tap the plate edge a bit to tune the entry as well.

Cool. Go get 'em Kath! I was a perpetual student for a while, having too much fun to leave, but I definately get the 'number' people vs the 'word' people. I'm a word-thinker. (Hey BE, that tie into temperment types??)

Well, I might approach Ron's level of pondering the classifier system, and have come up with some items: a) There is a considerable amount of variability in the HHF's between classifiers-- a level of shooting performance that scores 70% on one may score 80% on another. Translation: Some classifiers are easier than others. Some will never get you an M-card. My classifier % is around 80%, has been for a year and a half. c) At the three national-level matches I shot this year (Area 4, Area 2 and Race Gun Nats), my match %'s were all between 70 and 80%. What does that mean? I dunno. Maybe all the flaws cancel themselves out. Anyway, I'm working to get issue 'a' fixed by Sedro, and working on me to fix the other two (Edited by shred at 8:12 pm on Dec. 19, 2002)

I played with PowerPistol on Miculek's recommendation at Area 4. It's a bit on the fast side, but behaves similarly to N340. I vaguely remember ~7.5gr in a 38 Super with a 124 gr bullet was barely Major.

With purely anecdotal evidence, I'm starting to think there's a curve that peaks somewhere in A-B class as to the 'amount of rounds I should fire in practice'.. most of the GM-class shooters don't seem to shoot a lot anymore, even though they burned a pile of powder getting there. a random quote: "Want to make GM? Shoot 500,000 rounds. By then, you can't help it" FWIW, Todd suggests 25K rounds/year is plenty.

..fishing around in the depths of my memory here.. way back when I got a Lee bullet mold and it came with some handwashing instructions that were somewhat specific in regard to soaps. I've since forgotten the exact ones though (must be the lead). I think it involved dishwashing soap though.

Quote: from TeamGE on 5:59 pm on Dec. 17, 2002 Any other material would make the magwell too big for that much weight. I know there are brass magwells out there that run in the 4 to 5 ounce range. Yeah, I just played with a Dawson 'Heavy Ice' magwell. Heavy it is, but it's also large since it's chrome-plated brass.

Here's a tip for y'all that are struggling to see the front sight tracking: point your nose at the horizon. I was fiddling around with a .22 at the range today and for some reason had trouble following the sights. Then I noticed I was only using the top 1/4" of my glasses. Propped my head up and voila, the sights are much easier to follow.