dauntedfuture
-
Posts
961 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Forums
Profiles
Events
Store
Posts posted by dauntedfuture
-
-
We can all thank the war of 1812 for the excise tax, it was levied to fund the war and was never repealed.
-
save yourself some time and effort and FL size everything. You can use one die for multiple rifles, just set it so the brass will be sized enough for the smallest chamber. Keep your brass separate for each rifle if possible.
If you shoot, or fire, brass in a rifle it has been fired. If you are fire-forming brass you are shooting brass in the chamber that's not exactly firmed correctly; for example to make a .223 AI, you shoot a .223 in a .223 AI chamber: you have now fire-firmed .223 to .223AI and can now load the .223AI with .223AI data as you have another 3g case capacity or so. When you size .22-250 brass in a 6x or 6xc die you have now un-fire-formed brass that's sized for a 6x or 6xc, after its been fired once, its been fire formed. You can also fire form cases with some pistol powder and cream of wheat if you want to form the brass without burning out the barrel.
I am also in the "trim everything every time" reloading camp.
-
Are you using lee dies? Lee has two separate .38 super dies. One is for use with .356 bullets and the other is for use with .355 bullets. I know because they sent me the one for .356 and I could pull the bullets out. I should think that the .355 die would be more common but...... I am not sure if you are saying that some are long and they have no tension or all have no neck tension and some are long. You need to isolate the problem; make sure you have a .38 super die, size a case. Measure ID, it should be .353-.354. If it is, go to belling adjustment and make sure you are not over doing it. try pushing a bullet it, it should just barely start in the case. if that's ok, seat a bullet without any crimp. If you now have a seated bullet in a case with sufficient crimp and a belled case mouth THEN adjust the crimp and check tension again.
-
I used to have a LNL. It was sticking in the up position too. It was not consistent and this was before I had a lockout powder die. As a result, I loaded my only batch of ammo with a few squibs mixed in. I parted ways with that LNL and bought a 650. The LNL has a few things that I like going for it. I like how the dies lock in so you can change one or two, I like how the dies lock in better. I like the spring shell holder thing. I think the case feeder worked as well if not a little better then the Dillon. That powder system and powder check are the fatal flaw, I loaded my only sqib ammo on that press... and its long gone. I am sure there is a way to fix and or correct this but....
-
You are talking about two different things: head space which is the distance from the front of the bolt to the "front" of the chamber, or on brass its from the base to the shoulder of the case. We size brass so that it will fit back in the chamber or push the shoulder back to where it should be. OAL case length is the distance from the case head to the case mouth. If a case is way too long it will go into the throat, crimp the bullet and not release it and jack the pressure up.
You CAN use SOME chamber gauges to check headspace and OAL length. Most are cut so that if the neck of the brass sticks out, it needs trimmed provided it drops into the gauge properly. It think you will find that its almost easier to just try trimming all the brass. You can usually get away with trimming just once after the initial firing if things are set up properly and your not shooting an M1A. You SHOULD check OAL case length to make sure but most of the time you will be OK.
I have a Girud trimmer so its faster for me to trim all the brass each time.
-
For what its worth: I currently run three presses. I have an RCBS rock chucker that I use very little, a 550 and a 650. I got the RCBS press at 22 years ago and it served me well for rifle stuff. It was a pain with pistol. 20 years ago I got a 550 and have loaded who knows how many rounds on it. I got a 650 about 4 years ago and it has not got all that much use compared to the other presses. I bought and sold a Hornady LNL auto index press to buy the 650 after an ill fated LNL adventure. Ill be the first to admit that the LNL has some features that are nice but if your looking at a LNL vs 650, save your money and buy the 650.
I really like the 550 and it has lots going for it. I have fewer problems with it and in general its about as fast as the 650 is as on the 550 I load a bullet and feed a case and on the 650 I just feed bullets. I have had parts break on the 650 and the auto feed is not as smooth as I would like with .223, some of this could be me I know but with the 550 these are non-issues.
The real advantage of the 650 is that you have 5 stations so I run a powder check. The case feeder is quite nice. It is a faster press.
If I could only have one press it would be the 550.
Cheers
-
Might I suggest the following from observing countless shooters in competition and the military: The majority of people don't have nearly as much of an issue with shooting as they do manipulation of the firearm. This is most easily observed when observing military (non competitive) shooters; most soldiers can hit the target on the pop up range but where they struggle is manipulation, clearing malfunctions, safety manipulation and more. The really good shooters don't necessary shoot a course of fire better then the other guy, they just do it faster. When it comes to USPSA and some other shooting disciplines you can miss fast enough to still win the match or stage, where they excel in one of the many other areas is how fast and smooth they draw, index, reload etc.
When it comes to specifics for rifle dry fire and more specifically to your point: When I was shooting lots of NRA highpower and got a new rifle I would spend lots of time getting into and out of position until it was second nature. I also adjusted the rifle stock and sling so I KNEW what settings were needed for standing, sitting and prone. I would call this "rifle manipulation" its kind of the same thing I was discussing earlier. This is/ was a first critical area for a new shooter to learn and overcome as a poor position is no way to shoot well consistently.
I cant say that I spent all that much time actually "dry firing" other then standing. One year at the Nationals in a clinic one of the drills was to dry fire an entire 10 rd string and plot the shots and record your score. After that you shot 10 live fire shots. The scores were almost exactly the same, more then anything else this will tell you how well and or honest your calls are on target. If you dry fire a 100-10X and shoot a 85-0x then you either cant call for crap and or your not honest with yourself.
Now, for three gun I "practice" the draw with the pistol, mounting the rifle and reloading the shotgun but... I'm no expert but I did stay at a holiday inn last night.
my .02
-
Any update? I still think that an NRA type competition will be a good first start. You are going to get sighters, you can use a rest and you will know how far you are shooting. Coaching is encouraged for new shooters. I think you will get more out of shooting paper then steel as you will have a better idea of where you are. Make sure you crono your ammunition and check a calculator, if your not supersonic at 1000yds try another load until you are there. There are typically 600 (midrange) and 1000 yd long range matches, if you have your choice try 600 yds first.
Jonathan
-
Wow. Some of these guys are real-real proud of a rifle barrel. It would be nice if more manufactures said whose blanks they use...Just saying.... There is a world of difference between a Wilson and Krieger blank.
-
H4895 is one of the few rifle powders that you can reduce and it will still work. Its a great choice for reduced loads. From the Hodgdon web site: "you can load to 60% of the max load in ctgs. that list H4895" or, from the Hodgdon site a 55g with H4895 in .223 max load is 24.6, so you can load all the way down to 14.7g. I think you will run out of case space before you run into pressure issues with this one.
-
I dont see them any longer. If they are Hornady bullets they shoot ok to pretty good. The H 75g has a good BC. If its a Privi bullet, I would pass I can't get those things to shoot well. Never had an issue with other heavy bullets other then the privy bullets.
-
ill give 9mm a little shot of lube, no issues with straight wall cases.
-
I have had great luck with the Precision delta 147 round nose bullets. They can be seated out a little longer then Zero 147s as the bearing surface on the PDs in further back towards the base of the bullet then it is with the Zero's They both shoot well. OAL can make a difference as can magazines in a 9mm 1911, they can be finicky. If the bullets are nose diving into the magazine try loading them as long as possible and see what happens.
-
just stay away from FC brass, its soft. If you buy 1x LC brass its probably MG brass so you will have to work to size it and there will be lots of trimming involved.
-
After you set your dies up to where the die is touching and then another 1/4 to 1/2 a turn, lube and size 5 cases. If all the primers done come out, adjust the decapping pin down a little at a time. If the decapper is too far down, it will bottom out in the bottom of the case. With a clean and dry chamber rifle, try to chamber those 5 sticks of brass, they should all come out easily. If they don't, adjust the die down another 1/4-1/2 a turn and try ANOTHER 5 cases. Repeat this until you can chamber and extract without any issues. Make sure once this is adjusted you tighten your die lock ring. Put a witness mark on the die, ring and shell holder. If you are using one die for several rifles, try the brass in each rifle and size it enough for the tight rifle. It will still be larger then new brass so don't sweat things. Measure these cases and trim if required. Don't forget to chamfer and debur. Its almost impossible to create an "excess headspace" condition when sizing brass, its easy to not size brass enough. oh yea, you also might need to trim or swage the primer pockets if its mil brass.
-
I was in the same boat about two years ago. I was on my way back from the 2013 TX multigun and rode back home next to one of the better shooters of the day. We chatted a little, he asked how I did, I was 25th for TO and then started talking about gear. At the time I was shooting an M&P, FN SLP and my AR, his comment was simple, "Look at what most of the best shooters use, there is a reason." It was not long after that I decided to order a STI. After much consideration I settled on the 5.0 tactical in 9mm. I added adjustable sights, a fiber front, mag well and short trigger. After I picked the gun up I transitioned from shooting USPSA production with the M&P to shooting limited with my STI .40 for commonality. Simply put I was amazed how well I shot the STI, its an easy gun to shoot. I could go on.... In all honesty I think that the STI does save me a very small amount of time when shooting splits but shooting small plates at distance is when it comes into its own, like at BRM fall 2013 match. I do try to dump the mag and clear the gun if and when possible as opposed to dumping the plastic pistol. My magazines are modified to hold open on the last rd as opposed to not on my limited gun.
-
I can say definitively that Copper fowling MIGHT be a problem. I say this because some LR shooters don't clean their bores at all and I knew another guy on the All Guard team that did not clean his AR at all, he just kept adding lube. Experience tells me that Copper and powder fowling are not as bog of an issue with a .223 rifle as they are with faster shooting rifles. My .17 HMR needs cleaning every 100 rds, just a bore snake, to keep shooting well. My .22-250 needs the same. Both of these rifles are hard use guns when the Gopher shooting gets going. My 6.5x.284 and .308 Palma get a FEW patches with solvent after each range trip to keep powder and copper fowling down, I don't strip it all out in order to minimize those first round fliers. Every few matches I will bore paste the bores and clean everything out and work the throat area over more then the rest to keep things smooth and monitor wear.
-
I don't know much of anything about your situation there in SA. I should think that parts are harder to come by. I would think that the S&W and the Anderson rifles have standard AR dimensions, i'm not as sure about the Norinco gun. It would be a shame to find yourself in a situation where you can get aftermarket parts and they don't fit. Is you are considering the Norinco, I would make sure it will take triggers and compensators etc.
-
For what its worth: many a years ago I bought a used M1 for 800 with a 18.5 and 24" barrel with the intention of shooting 3 gun. Afghanistan and Iraq got in the way and it was not for years later that I was able shoot 3g. I remember that the M1 kicked quite a bit, so I sold it for 800 with the extra barrel. years later in El Paso at our club matches I upgraded from my 870 house gun to a 1100 tac 4. I liked the 1100 at the time but made a critical mistake of putting Scattergun sights because I did not know any better. The EZ loader was a lifesaver after I put it in and I did not have trouble with the 1100. A few years later I picked up a new M2 for cheep on sale at a store but it had a 18.5 barrel and rifle sights. I knew I would need another barrel, at the time I did not know another barrel would be so expensive. I later sold the gun for what I put into it. This was about the time the FNH SLP came out, and I was torn between the SLP and a M2 with a proper barrel. I went with the SLP and shot it for about two years. I finally saw the light and found a lightly used and lightly modified M2 for sale and scooped it up. The lighter weight of the M2 was enough to make me a believer and I did not notice that It recoiled any more then the SLP. Shot side by side, the rem 1100 has a longer smoother recoil and it heavy to swing. the SLP is heavy with moderate recoil. The m2 with a comfortech stock is light, swings well and has moderate recoil. The only complaint that I have about the M2 is the lack of an aftermarket short comfortech stock. I wish I had read this thread before I bought the 1100! Of the matches I have been to, its rare to see 10/10 shotguns in a squad run. On average I would have to say that its a 60% success rate. Without question I can say that the most important trait of a shotgun is that it works. Im no expert....I just shoot them....the "only" mods to my M2 are increased magazine, welded lifter, ghost load and big bolt release.
-
Interesting. My first three gun rifle had a 16" barrel and it worked just fine. I replaced with a better 18" model that weighted about the same. I am considering a 20" lighter weight barrel for my next rifle. So, im moving in the opposite direction. I am convinced that weight is critical as too heavy is not so good, not as sure about loss of velocity with shorter barrels. Is there anything to be said about a more efficient use of a comp with a shorter barrel as there is more gas pressure to work the comp?
-
Lots of interesting commentary here. I would like to see more commonality across the 3 gun events as opposed to more diversity. What ever it is, keep it as much the same as possible. I loath the clubs that impose strange rules because "local buba don't got a fancy semi auto SG etc." One match I went to, a SG only club match, you could only load 5 rounds in the SG to "make things more fair." I think your doing these shooters a disservice in the same way as if you don't use or enforce proper USPSA riles at a match, you set the shooter up for failure at his first "real" match. Equipment helps but its the Indian that matters more. I have observed lots of shooters new and more-experienced fail or struggle because their equipment does not work as opposed to the advantage that loading another shell in the gun after the buzzer or 10 extra rounds of rifle in a magazine provides. my .02
-
I was shooting a highpower match on a Saturday and drove a few hours to a hotel Saturday night to shoot another match on Sunday. I did not have time to clean the rifle so I applied a liberal portion of Sweets to the bore and left it over night. Needless to say there was lots and lots of blue that came out of the barrel. The barrel never shot quite as well after that...... Leaving Ammonia solvents in a barrel can etch the steel. At least it was a worn Colt Hbar barrel and not something nicer.
-
What ever works. An M die is an expander die not a neck sizing die. You can size without the expander ball and then run through an Mdie and I think that's what you are doing but to be clear you are expanding the neck, not sizing it.
-
I generally think its best to plug the muzzle and fill the bore with sweets 7.62 and leave it for a few days..... (don't do this) About all I do is clean the bore with some bore paste and solvent before I shoot to make sure there are no shavings or oil in the bore.
Xtreme 147 gr in .357--any problems?
in 9mm/38 Caliber
Posted
You are fine. I have shot .357 jacket bullets in a 9mm barrel. Plated and lead bullets are commonly .356 and it does not take much for them to be .357. In reality a plated bullet loads more like a lead bullet then it does like a jacketed bullet. Sierra used to make, and might still make a .309 diameter match bullet for use in worn .308 match rifles.