Zak Smith

I've had some correspondance with a gentleman who has been playing with existing 6.8 uppers and building some. He reports the data posted by Remington is conservative, and that Major is likely possible in an 18" bbl. -z

The pictured brass was commercially loaded Federal GM, fired once. -z

The pictured bullets are Nosler Ballistic Tip with a boat-tail rear end. -z

Hey, I spent two days trying to figure out how to load those .44MAG rounds in.... -z

-z

The gun has none of the telltale signs of the refurbs. Can you explain which parts comprise the weak point? By decocking, you mean releasing the squeeze-cocker? -z

Mike Cecil at CSGunWorks.Com is a good guy to do business with. He has good prices on optics and stuff and provides excellent service. Wes at MSTN.biz is also good. -z

I found this gem of a HK P7PSP on vacation. Made in '81, it looks new. Price was a steal. -z

I'm loading .308WIN on an XL650 using once-fired Federal brass. Do I need to chamfer the casemouths? I ask because I often get some little slivers of copper from the jacket when the bullet is seated, like this: Does this matter? thanks Zak

8 or 10,000 rounds so far and the only thing I've broken is three Bomar-clone rear sight pins, and I chipped one extractor. -z

JP builds an impressive and accurate AR10. For mags, if you can find a cheap source for M1A mags, you can convert them with a magbody and follower kit from Armalite for $30.

http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?...t=0entry86343 -z

Brian helped me figure out what to get for an XL650 setup to load: .45, .40, .44MAG, and .308. We got everything in the "first pass" except for a toolhead stand for the "1st" caliber - the one the 650 came in. 1 16926 650 in 45 ACP 1 21080 Lg Pistol Casefeed Assem. 1 17950 550/650 Roller Handle, aluminum 1 22214 SqDeal/550/650 Bullet Tray 1 21044 3? Powder check system (650/1050 only) 1 21146 650 Spare Pts kit 1 10443 650 Machine Cover 1 11093 RF 100 Primer filler combo 1 21105 650 44 Mag/Special conversion 1 21094 650 308/30.06 conversion 2 22059 650 Deluxe Quick Change kit 2 20064 3? Powder Die 1 21374 Powder check rod assem, 44 to 45 cal 1 13898 jam nuts for rod sleeve 1 12685 Rod sleeve for powder check 1 15166 Dillon 45 acp stainless case gage 1 20255 Rapid Polish, Case 1 21075 Lg Rifle Casefeed plate 1 10668 1" bench wrench & 5, 1" lock rings 1 10669 5-Pack Lock rings 1 21120 650 40/10mm cal conversion 1 22059 650 Deluxe Quick Change kit 1 14398 40 cal/10mm die set 1 15164 Dillon 40 cal stainless case gage 1 20064 3? Powder Die 1 21373 Powder check rod assem, 30 to 41 cal 1 21065 650 Small priming assembly If you already have dies for a caliber, make sure you have separate seating and crimp dies - it makes adjusting them so much easier, and you can use the Lee Factory Crimp die. -z

For $700, consider the Dan Wesson Patriot Expert. It's got a forged frame, is fitted well from the factory, and has an external extractor. I've been shooting this one since March 2003 in IPSC and 3Gun, about 10k rounds: (I replaced the factory long trigger with the short SV ITS trigger, and put different grip panels on. Otherwise, it's stock.) Reliability has been excellent. -z

I bought one of the improved LMT bolts from Wes at MSTN. I sent him an email and paypal on Friday night, and the bolt was in my hands Monday afternoon. Excellent service. -z

Leo, That's a good point. I may tweak the last 20" or so of the tube to slow the velocity, but they're not going as fast as one might think. I had to take some care to make sure the rounds would actually travel the entire length of the tube and not get hung up anywhere. -z

Nik, I haven't started gauging every round yet. My last stage is the Lee Factory Crimp which should solve a lot of problems... but even on the SDB, I never had a .45 round that wouldn't chamber. If I decide to be that careful, I'll gauge a batch of 1000 at a time. I check primers before I load mags. -z

Brian hooked me up with a XL650 last week and I'm extremely happy with it. I'm done with a box of 500 bullets before I know it, and serious quantities of ammo are easy to produce. The first modification I made to my machine was a "loaded round tube" to replace the blue plastic box that came with the machine. The tube is 1.5" I.D. plastic "pool" tubing. I attached it by punching two holes through the tube at the top about 0.25" inch apart, drilling one hole in the loaded-cartridge tray bracket, and using a zip-tie. Now the loaded rounds accumulate in the destination ammo box and I have one less thing to impede my loading rate. So far I've tested it with .44MAG and it works well. -z

Your dealer is misinformed, or has made up his own "policy." It's perfectly legal for a non-licensee to ship to an out-of-state FFL, per the FAQ item posted. -z

I would appreciate any pictures posted of your SV's with either Xcellerator flutes on the frame, or Free-form serrations on the slide. I'm working out my SV order and need some help visualizing the options. thanks! Zak PS. For some pictoral content, here's my L10 gun:

Can anyone provide a link to the Bushmaster clamp-on front sight? I can't find it in their online catalog. thanks Zak

Erik, I don't know what you'd use the lower rec's dovetails for. Some sort of mag holder or light, perhaps? Julien, Yes, it's the BC comp. I am still dialing in this rifle. I also have the BC comp on my other AR and it is very effective. -z

Here are some more pictures:

Adjustable Gas Block: Offset tac-rail for short-range iron sight or JPoint/Doctor: IAI - Integral ACOG Interface (the slot & holes in the upper). I'm not using it with the TA11. Oversized Magwell and solid trigger guard floor Muzzle comp Hidden dovetails on lower receiver Machined lightening cuts in upper. Note how much extra "beef" is in the upper/lower interface area. -z

Erik, Do you have any pictures of what the gun looks like with the Heinie rear sight? thanks Zak