Carlos

I have recommended Lee single stages on this site as an inexpensive way to learn reloading one step at a time. I use Lee's FCD die in by Dillon 650. But when it comes to the Lee progressive vs Dillon, well, Dillon simply builds a better mousetrap and backs it up w/ a far superior warranty & customer service IMHO.

You guys are missing the next US Cahmpion: Phil Strader. He is a shoe-in. Agree as well that Saul is a strong contender for the next world shoot. Also keep your eye on Junior Chris Tilley - wasn't Eric a junior when he won the first time? As for the 1st world 3gun, my money is on Eric Lund.

We had a regular local shooter show up wearing camo in Area 8 (Maryland actually). I suppose we let it slide since he was wearing a camo kilt. No complaints here as far as discouraging tactical clothing - leave that to the SOF match types. Besides, other regions of IPSC have to contend w/ laws banning civilian military training (a citizen army?? Why, the very IDEA!! Humph!). Blue or black BDUs? Don't see a problem there. Wouldn't grey or mud brown be more practical for going prone?

You wrote: "TSA must not allow unlocked bags containing guns to be loaded by handlers onto an aircraft!! Because of the nature of the contents, the bag should be inspected with owner present. " You summed it up perfectly. Never mind that TSA is in violation of well-thought out FAA regs, this is a matter of common sense. TSA is insisting on a policy whereby guns are made accessible by opening luggage in areas of the airport where the citizen is not allowed to go. This exposes the gun to being taken on board an airplane by terrorists, being stolen in secure areas, being accessible to persons with access to the tarmac and therefore to planes, etc. This new procedure makes hijacking MORE likely, not less so. Once our unlocked guns disappear behind closed TSA doors, we have a right to know: Who is back there? TSA? Should we, the people, blindly trust TSA on this? There is a small document called the Constitution penned specifically to protect citizens from our own government. If that document still means anything, it means that we should not blindly trust TSA. I will now be taking a firearm on EVERY flight and plan to confront them on this. I am a loyal American; patriotism and the fight against terrorism are one thing. TSA stupidity is another.

What about Kano Kroil? It is supposed to be a penetrating oil that gets under copper fouling. What about comp fouling?

N-350 did it to me: it was like "crack, crack, BOOM! crack crack" very distracting.

Flex: if its a SS or if it is non-chrome lined steel, then any competent smith can do it for you. Chrome lined is another story. Who made the barrel?

Had similar problems at first. Are the die and seater stem tight enough? I bet they are - you sound cautious and that is the right way to start. Measuring: I lower the caliper slowly onto the loaded round, apply a little pressure (see below) then I rotate the round in the caliper while holding the same pressure. The OAL often changes - especially w/ RNs. I still get .003 to .005 variance. As stated, .45 is a low pressure and very forgiving round - it has pressure not too much higher than a shotgun; around 19,000 PSI for the .45 As for calipers, they can be "tricked" by too much finger pressure. What happens is too much pressure bends parts of the thin metal tool and can give you false readings. Try going light on the pressure. VV N340 is a clean, consistent powder - good choice. Once you are more comfortable reloading, you might want to try a faster powder like N-330, N-320 or even N310 in the .45. One of the favorite antique US powders for .45 was the Bullseye powder (discontinued?) which was quite fast burning but very dirty to use. Makes a mess!! N-310 is supperior - except for price. As a general rule of thumb in .45, fast burn equals softer recoil for the same velocity.

BTT. Thread drift? OK, fair enough. Getting back to FAA regs vs. TSA procedures (does TSA even have proposed regs yet? Where in the C.F.R. or F.R.??) What about a Kryptonite type "U" lock through the hole in an old style Glock tupper ware container? My point is, what about something thwey could not remove w/ just a bolt cutter? Something to force the issue and bring out as manager who we could confront w/ the FAA regs and point out that TSA/ the airlines are in violation of FAA regs, that FAA WILL be involved through the airport administrator, that common sense would dictate that an unsecured weapon in a remote location of the airport was counter to airline security, and that TSA had better cease-and-desist IMMEDIATELY!! I like the idea of the large warning sticker on the inner container - something to really make TSA/the airlines re-consider their current procedure.

Was always on the hunt for .45 brass until I staerted working at an indoor range. Before that, I was in your shoes. The commercial sellers are all high: about $40 to 50 per 1000 on .45, plus shipping. E-mail Jon or look for a local source; I briefly had contact w/ a local police officer/swap team guy who offered to give me all their Glock 21 brass from a practice day - all I had to do was show up and sweep the police range. I should have followed up. MIght not hurt to ask. I have bought from http://www.brassmanbrass.com Good quality brass from police ranges, high prices when delivery is included. At least .45 practice brass lasts forever.

"apply a liberal (like 9th Circuit Court of Appeals liberal)" Nice one impact10! As an attorney forced to deal w/ the "interesting" decisions out of the 9th, I really appreciated that comment! Regards, D. _____________________________________ Some people's minds are so open that their brain falls out

My SX2 choked on light loads until I locked bolt to rear for 4 weeks to get the spring to lighten up. W/ regular loads, it functions very well though strangely, it has jammed 2x on Winchester regular slugs while digesting all the S&B slugs and buck I can feed it.

Hey Jack! I plan on doing lots of local competitions up here in Area 8 and certainly the Summer Blast (if its still on), and I'd like to head south for the NC and SC sectionals. As for the Tex Limited, I heard its a fantastic match and maybe that needs to get done this season too. The Pan Am? I remember you had plans to shoot taht in 2002 - did you make it? If you go again, LMK, I might just join you!. As for Phil, I'm not surprised to hear he never writes or calls, he is up to his eyeballs with work! I have been helping out at his new shop, Shooters Paradise in Woodbridge, VA. Besides renovating and running a combination training center, indoor range and gunstore/pro shop, Phil is still working full time for Capitol Hill Police while trying to also shoot a full competition schedule. I don't know how he manages it all; I know I couldn't do it - of course everyone knows Phil does some things much faster than anybody else can. Will be shooting limited w. the .45 again and maybe some production w/ a new G-17 if my girlfriend does not take to USPSA competition (she said something about wanting to paint the Glock PINK!). Anyway, drop me a line before you head north. D.

Agree w/ GMinProd - tried the 185 TC from Westcoast and they are snappy like a .40. Does anybody win using the .40? Well, sufice to say the 185 by itself will not cause you to loose. Was it the "best"?? I moved to the 200grn RN since I load for both my STI and a friends Para .45 - no feeding problems w/ the RNs. Alternatively, the 200 SWC is a good choice - and more reliable than a RN.

Hey Jack! Great to see you here! We met at the SC Sectional and VA Summer blast. Excellent question on airtravel. For background, do a search here on FAA and TSA - it seems TSA has violated FAA regulations on at least on occasion involving a forum member where a case was locked at check in TSA broke into the case WITHOUT passenger present (which is not allowed under FAA regs) then taped cheapo replacement locks onto the outside of the suitcase w/ a note saying sorry. Also, individual airlines vary as to how to/ how much ammo can be carried and TSA seems to have pre-empted those policies. I agree this is a concern and think we all would be well served by holding TSA's feet to the fire on this - lets make sure they preserve our right to travel w/ our 2nd amendment rights intact. Douglas Johnson TY 44934

Great idea Travis!! Will float this to all of those I know locally. Sick and tired of the Cooper worship and see NO requirement for 2 rounds on target when 1 round would solve so many disputes.

600 sq. feet?!?! HA! I have you all beat! I set up the 650 in my old efficiency! Yes, it dominated the room, and yes, visitors and family thought I'd gone over the edge in turning the one room I had into an ammo factory - actually, I don't miss that aspect of reloading . . . Anyway, the new condo is 875 sq. feet inside the DC beltway and the Dillon 650 fits into an L-shaped closet w/o much room to spare. However, you will find small apartment reloading easy, safe, relaxing, and you will REALLY enjoy all the extra shooting you can afford to do! A few suggestions: Environment: you will introduce some hazardous chemicals into your small environment of the apartment but the good news is they are easy to avoid or clean up. Wear a latex glove on the hand used to touch bullets - any bullets. I use West coats fully plated bullets and even those are coated w/ a very fine black soot. Any guesse as to what that might be? Lead and graphite. It builds up on the glove and is noticeable fter a few dozen bullets. Any remaining lead from reloading comes mostly from the primers. You might smell a faint smell like firecrackers as your Dillon pops out old primers. There is a fine dust that is produced and it does contain lead and murcury salts. Not to worry, just make sure to empty th spent primer cup at the bottom of the trashbag and throw it out right away. Its a good idea to vacuum the area around the reloader often; see if you can find a vacuum filter called a HEPA filter - it will get the lead dust. THe biggest thing you can do to protect from lead is to avoid eating it - how?? Wash hands and wrists after reloading w/ a high lye content soap and never, ever smoke or drink during a reloading session. Reloading can easily be done; a friend reloads using a portable bench on wheels w/ a locking mechanism and just rolls the thig out of the closet when its time to reload. As to mauals, try the powder manufacturer's websites first; data is likely free online. You can also learn a lot from a $12.00 Lee manual though that guy has a few quirky ideas (like "never ever use federal primers" - sheesh! nothing wrong w/ Federal). In addition, you might consider posting a WTB add ont he USPSA classifieds for maybe an AT-500 then buyng the new upgrade parts from Dillon. Have fun and feel free to ask for advice here on BE.com, we are here to help! (Edited by Carlos at 2:15 pm on Dec. 31, 2002)

I am 2.5 years into USPSA (IPSC) and I went w/ .45 over .40 - brass lasts forever and has proven safe for me to reload until it cracks lengthwise - I never count reloadings on my brass. ALso, I like fast powders like Clays, N310, and Bullseye but am shy about using those powders in .40. SO far, low pressure .45 has proven very forgiving of my ham-fisted relaoding techniques. Don't sweat the capacity issue w/ your para; Bevin Grams can likely get 17 or 18 rounds in a 140 length tube w/ his parts; once you find highcaps (try CDNN) send them to Bevin. Starting a stage w/ 19 rounds in your gun will not leave you at a disadvantage to the S_I shooters. Above all, spend every extra penny and second of your time in PRACTICE!!! That's a huge part of what makes a winning shooter.

There is also a great AR-15 assembly article series on http://www.snipercountry.com - look around there - its there. If you want to BUILD your own AR as opposed to just assembling somebody else's parts on a FFL-transferred lower, check out http://www.roderuscustom.tzo.com Yes, before you ask, it IS legal to machine your OWN post ban lower at home (in most areas - check first) and no, you can never transfer it or have somebody else do the work for you - you can't even take it to gunsmith overnight (transfer) but its otherwise the same as any post ban AR. Its yours and yours only. No, you WILL NOT save $$$ doing it - its just for those who like DIY projects. The AR lower does little besides hold the trigger and buffer tube - don't buy the hype w/ "match lowers" - thats a crock of bull!! DO get a good trigger - see below: Anyway, an easy way to go w/o building is find a 20" heavy (though not bull weight) non-chromed barreled AR w/ 1-7 through 1-9" twist that either comes w/ a free float tube or put one on yourself - no, your headspace will not change when you take the barrel off an AR upper. RRA (preferred), bushmaster, or DPMS should have these as complete guns. Put in a lighter trigger - JP is a good way to go for this and its a drop in procedure w/ minor fiddling anyone can do. find a good limited class brake (see rulebook) and you will be most of the way there for limited class. Open is another ballgame and opinions on options for open will tend to vary more than for a limited class AR-15.

Vince about summed it up for IPSC (as usual) though I might add that the prohibition of humanoid targets in some regions stems not from what we in the US understand as PC but rather it stems from certain countries bans on civilian military training. In addition to non humanoid targets, the laws are interpreted so that IPSC in some countries will not use actual doors, hallways or windows as that might be construed as civilian tactical training. While I am weary of those who might be called "whacktical tactical", I'd like the freedom in USPSA to retain some semblance of realistic defensive scenarios in our sport in order to retain the cross-over IDPA shooters and primarily new production shooters/CCW holders who might otherwise consider our sport merely another form of competition (IPSC can and should maintain some measure of practicality). On the other hand, Travis is right in that national level competitions immediately preceeding the next world shoot MUST have both targets and stages the resemble those which our team will likely encounter overseas. I am all for "making book" on other regions so as to better compete internationaly (conversely, Vince - feel free to spy on us all you like - I'll even loan you a gun to shoot locally). Other regions use the classic target exclusively; our team should at least be practiced in their use before heading into the world shoot. Good points so far, and a good discussion.

Non-chromed chamber? You are in luck! Do a search on US google.com on Varmint Al's reloading and check out his page on plishing chambers w/ Flitz polish. It does not take a meaningful amount of metal off (read it will NOT make your chamber larger to any meaningful degree) but it will smooth it out. Feel free to disagree, top experts do not agree, but I agree w/ Al that chamber walls are not meant to be high friction devices. Let us know what you discover.

There is an industry plot to make you buy DVDs only in your area - its called Zone Control and there are easy ways to defeat it w/ a $75 DVD - look at http://www.nerd-out.com and look at the forums - especially the ones for the Daewoo 7600, 7400, and 3000N DVD players. Greetings from radio free USA.

I am w/ the G-man; try http://www.gibrass.com or do a search on Watson's Weapons. Also, small print ads in SGN under reloading will reveal several "pull down" as well as surplus powders. No reason they should not work 100% - just be sure the seller identifies the stuff first and work up slowly.

Ahh - a mechnical solution to drop free mags - taht would seem to be the way to go (I hate tweaking on mags that are non DF). Anyway, I would concentrate on just shooting in Production for now; go to as many matches as you can, ask questions, observe, and try out other classes after you "shoot the heck out of it" as planned. Your gun, it seems to me, can be just as competitive as any other gun in production class. Some may criticize the trigger on the Hi-Power (and w/ 9mm major loads, the name IS appropriate) but top shooters have done well w/ triggers as heavy as the HP. If you want to fiddle w/ trigger weight w/o spending much, just get some engine assembly grease w/ Moly from an auto parts place and try de-greasing all the trigger parts, then coating w/ moly - its similar to that "Trigger Magic" product that Brownells used to sell. Also, Wolf makes springs for that gun to let you try your hand at trigger tuning. Anyway, you have an perfectly good tool for production so on w/ the shooting! D.

Ahh - a mechnical solution to drop free mags - taht would seem to be the way to go (I hate tweaking on mags that are non DF). Anyway, I would concentrate on just shooting in Production for now; go to as many matches as you can, ask questions, observe, and try out other classes after you "shoot the heck out of it" as planned. Your gun, it seems to me, can be just as competitive as any other gun in production class. Some may criticize the trigger on the Hi-Power (and w/ 9mm major loads, the name IS appropriate) but top shooters have done well w/ triggers as heavy as the HP. If you want to fiddle w/ trigger weight w/o spending much, just get some engine assembly grease w/ Moly from an auto parts place and try de-greasing all the trigger parts, then coating w/ moly - its similar to that "Trigger Magic" product that Brownells used to sell. Also, Wolf makes springs for that gun to let you try your hand at trigger tuning. Anyway, you have an perfectly good tool for production so on w/ the shooting! D.