Croomrider

It is something done by precision reloaders to group cases by headstamp, including year on LC, to get more uniformity of case volumes. If you are not trying to get sub MOA groups or shooting long range > 300 yards, it's probably not necessary. Mike

Sorry, not trying to bust your chops. Glad you are happy with the 1.5" groups. However, I'll bet you are comparing them to what you were getting with 55gr FMJ type factory ammo. That stuff is absolutely THE worst. Anything you do should be an improvement over that. You said you were using a 10x scope so your corrected vision shouldn't be a problem at all in shooting groups in the 1/2" range with good equipment and quality ammo from a solid bench. All I'm trying to say here is, assume it's the loads or equipment, or your technique, and don't blame your vision when using a scope! I have a target on the wall behind my reloading bench that I shot in pracice a few years ago. It was shot from the sitting position, 10 shots in 60 seconds at 100 yards with a bolt action rifle and IRON sights. The target scored 100-10x with all shots inside the X-ring which is about 1". I would never have come close to that with a rifle that shot 1.5" groups. The thing that makes the biggest difference in developing accurate loads is the BULLET. This is especially true for longer distances. The ability of a bullet to buck the wind is directly related to it's balistic coefficient. The BC will increase with longer heavier and more pointed and boat-tailed bullets. In the 223, the 69gr bullets work pretty good for out to 300 yards, but nobody would use them for 600 or greater. All I'm saying is, you can do better, and look to the bullet! Mike

Go to the 69gr bullets. 55's are very poor, even at 200 yards. I shot NRA high power for years and nobody that was serious would shoot 55gr. bullets past 100 yards! 1.5 inch groups are not GOOD for 100 yards either, and it's obviously going further south downrange. Bullets are everything for distance work! Mike

Could the sliver be copper from the bullet jacket? It could be created when seating the bullet or shaved off in the chambering process. Mike

You have gotten some great advice here. I am a machinist by trade and own a job shop with 12 CNC machines. What you don't realize is, the less money you spend, the MORE skill you will need to do a good job. No experience and cheap equipment is a recipe for disaster. Definitely look into a machining class at a community college. If you are still interested after that you would most likely want a decent used Bridgeport or clone. The good news is that in this economy, they can be had cheaper than at any time I can remember. No matter what, if you buy the equipment to do the work yourself, it will easily cost you more than you would pay to have several slides done professionally! Mike

I would size it as well. Too much chance of some cases being out of round and maybe not consistent. But then I load on a progressive press so it wouldn't be any extra effort anyway! Mike

Why do you think RCBS dies are superior? I really like the Dillon pistol dies. For rifle, Redding is hard to beat! Mike

Loading long is very similar to going to a different cartridge with a longer case and more capacity. You will see much discussion in the open forum about how much easier it is to load for 38 super compared to 9-major. The main difference is just a longer case and more capacity. I've never loaded 9-major but I'll bet they don't have much of the bullet in the case. As far a pressure, you have to remember that the pressure is not the same behind the bullet the whole time it is in the barrel. This is commonly called the pressure curve. Changing the volume of the case behind the bullet can definitely affect the pressure and even the curve to some degree. Loading long and then adding just enough powder to make the same velocity does not mean you will have the same pressure curve as the shorter loaded round. What it feels like is more subjective! Mike

I would return that gun to STI or whoever fitted it with that barrel, along with some of the fired cases in question. I'm was going to say to try some factory loads in it, but I'm not sure that would be safe. The machining on the back of that barrel looks terrible. To me that would be enough excuse to return it anyway! Mike

I don't think this statement is entirely accurate. Even though you may end up with the same velocity the pressure curves will be different and the shorter loaded round will have a higher initial spike on the pressure. I'm not saying it will necessarily take anything to a dangerous level but the longer loaded round with the same powder and velocity should be at a lower pressure and be easier in the brass etc. Mike

It sounds like your follower is not going into the extended basepad. You may need to smooth out the transition or bevel the bottom of the follower to allow use of the full tube plus baseplate extension. Mike

Cool, I didn't realize this thread was that old! haha Mike

I don't know specifically, but most dovetails on firearms are 60 degrees. If you work in a machine shop that can build it, you should be able to measure it as well! Mike

+2 on the previous two posts! I have a 650 but have done a lot of rifle loading on it. It works great on pistol too! Mike

I have a 650 and love it. The Dillon pistol dies are great. I have also used the Redding rifle dies extensively to load match rifle ammo. They are very nice dies. I'm not sure what purpose you are loading the rifle shells for, but considering the rifles you are loading for I really doubt you need the Redding Competition setup. However, the seater sure is easy to make length changes with if you intend to load mutiple different bullets! Mike

I did say the safest thing would be to dump it in the yard. However, you didn't answer my question. If you weighed an approriate amount of the powder in question, assuming it was WW-231, and loaded it for a light charge. What powder could you substitute that would blow up the gun? Mike

Tampa, yes that whould be where I got my name. My other passion is dirtbikes! Mike

What powder could blow up a gun if you set it to throw a light charge of 231 and it was something else? 2.5 grains of C4 maybe, but short of somebody deliberately trying to sabotage you, what are the chances of that?

The safest thing would be to spread it around the yard. However, since 231 is on the faster end of the powder burning rate chart, I probably would have just loaded a couple of rounds on the lighter side and tested them in the back yard. Assuming it went well, then use the powder. I would never make the assumption that it was a slower powder suitable for it's normal usage! Mike

It depends on what you need for accuracy. If you want something that shoots good, especially beyond 100 yards, ditch the FMJ type of bullets and use hollow points. The match grade hollow points will be your best bet and will have better ballistic coefficients and less wind drift at the longer distances. I did a lot of NRA High Power rifle tournaments and would never use 55 gr. FMJ's even at 100 yards. They are too inconsistent because of the base. The 69 gr. match bullets are pretty good out to 300 yards, but past that the 77 or preferably 80 grain matchkings if you can single load them. A good bullet from a barrel with a twist that will stabilize it, will usually still hold good groups at longer distances if you get it shooting good at 100 yards! Mike

Im pretty sure this is what you mean! "The Antimony Man" http://www.theantimonyman.com/ Mike

Of course I am not worried about your dummy round going off. My concern is strictly for training to clear a bad round and shoot another one as fast as possible. In a gunfight I think that would be a good thing to train for. However, in my mind, I'm not convinced it's a good thing to train for in a shooting game. I would rather try to eliminate any bad rounds through quality ammo and probably take more time and try to be more careful to not blow my gun up if I did have a malfunction. You make a good point about possibly not being able to catch it anyway with guys that pull the trigger multiple times in a second. However, if a squib round doesn't jack another round into the chamber, and I don't think it would, it might be best to give up a few seconds to evaluate what happened before proceeding. Just my thoughts, but I'm new to this game and other opinions may vary! Mike

The possible problem I see is that if you get a squib load and you react the same way you could put a live round down a barrel with a stuck bullet and blow up your gun. I guess you need to evaluate the risk vs. reward. Mike