cautery

LOL!!! Nah, they look similar to some I saw/used in the service, but not as nice. These are baseline commercial shop stools from Global... I bought them as a "temporary" fix for my shop space over in Texas, but they'll have to do fro a while longer. What I really want are the kind that have casters that you can disable by hitting a foot pedal ring inside the foot rest ring... (mucho dinero).

Thanks! Nope, those are the pull chains for the 4x150Watt compact fluorescent lights and the 4-blade 54" ceiling fan (no suspension rod, mounted directly to ceiling). Compressed air IS coming though. I just brought my air compressor over a week or so ago. I am in the process of installing a electric sub-panel near it that will have a 40AMP 220 supply. The 220 will pass through the box to a 40AMP 220VDC plug. The sub-panel will split the two legs into 2 each 40 AMP 110VDC supplies to 2 each twin 20AMP breakers. Each circuit will be wired to a single outlet of a 2-gang, duplex housing... (4 each, true 20AMP circuits... well, three actually). One of the 4 circuits will be robbed of a little juice to supply the overhead lighting for the garage ( 4 x 8' 2-bulb fluorescents, and 1 x 4' 4 bulb flourescent), front security light, and garage door opener) Have to do all this extra electrical to get reliable power in garage... for the compressor, power tools, et al. The compressor has a simple air drying/regulation/drain system made from black pipe/regulator, and a drier unit. It's sufficiently dry air for most air powered tools, but I am adding a 2-stage desiccant system to provide air dry enough for paint guns et al.... Then I'll hard pipe from the garage, through the attic to the loading room to supply air as needed. Compressed air is a gift from God.

It's been about 4 years since I posted to this thread last. Figured that I'd post some "in-progress" images/comments on my attempts to merge Renee's loading stuff with my loading stuff... and make it all fit into a single room. NOT an easy challenge. Posting a 5 image "panorama" from the door of the room progressing around the room to the right. 1) Future location of utility bench/cabinets: Work top under which will be drawers on one side, and a slide out on the other for tool boxes et al. Wall will have peg board-like organization for certain tools/hardware bins, et al. Above that will be a set of shelves/cabinets up to the ceiling to hold reference material, etc. Additional lighting will be affixed to bottom of cabinet to light bench top. 2) Back wall: Contains my original NRMA bench with my 550 (load development) under cover, our MEC 9000H (12GA), and Renee's old 550 (probably will be dedicated to .223 at some point). Sorry for the mess... I was getting ready to load some shells for skeet/sporting practice. 3) Corner Shot: I built another modified NRMA plan bench to add to the original. This one is longer (8'). I added a fill in cabinet on the far end so the cabinets would look more seamless. I made all cabinets the same, deleting the drop down scale door/compartment, which makes the storage more flexible. 4) Long Bench: The long bench (walk up space is about the same as the old bench) has Renee's 650 (predominantly 38 Super), and my 1050 (40 S&W). I shortened the case feeder mount and case tube so the 650 would fit on the walk up height bench AND still allow you to put cases in the feeder with the 54" ceiling fan running (without pain). Great thought was put into the placement of the reloading presses to maximize flexibility when needing to run two presses at once. It's close quarters, but you can run any two-press combination except the 550/650 adjacent to each other. 5) Safe to closet: There's the safe.... not nearly big enough. Looking at replacing that one with the largest one we can get into this room (approx. 30" x 30" x 68-72" max). The closet door will be replaced with a pocket door to maintain full access to the closet with a 30" safe. Additionally, I will be adding additional cabinets above both loading benches to the ceiling all the way around to 30" beyond the long bench (flush with new safe right side). The bare wall on the right with shotguns leaning on it will have a bin rack unit of some sort bolted to it from floor to ceiling to organize all the hardware, parts,et al. for easy access. Both benches are wired with 110VDC bus bars. Probably the very next thing I will do is built a pull-out, L-R rotating shelf for the MEC 9000H's hydraulic pump, so that I can adjust it for seated shotgun reloading.... OR, engineer a remote foot pedal. Once the pump is in its final "home", I will replace most of the flex hyd hose, with hard piping to get back some addt'l storage room.

Well, I was a bit behind Renee, but I FINALLY shot my first 25 straight in 12GA at the Toby Bancroft Memorial Gun Club during Day 2 of the Independence Open as part of a personal best 89. They shot my nice Guerini hat! I'm in Fort Worth, but maybe Renee will post a pic for me.

Renee uses her 3-gun 11-87 (sans optic and long mag tube) for Team Challenge Flurry and Flush, 5-stand, sporting, and skeet... Before she and I got our O/Us, we used our 11/87 and 1100 for literally thousands of rounds... We keep ring sets and o-rings for both guns in the bag, but haven't had to use them. We shoot with mag tubes DRY... Clean the tubes, rings, etc with 0000 steel wool and flush with carb cleaner to get the wool remnants off. Sometimes I use a dry lube I have (NOT the REMINGTON ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!)... just a very light coat. The ring set should drop free down the tube. Lube has a tendency to gum up... I prefer the 1100... It seems to be some bit lighter. Mine was a used gun from a police department bulk purchase that was scraped clean and re-blued. I shot it so much that it started spitting out pieces of stamped metal, but it keeps on running. The nipple in the receiver that engages the barrel extension wore down such that the barrel began to rotate in the receiver and the empties woulf hang on the ejection port... Jerry Micalek told me a tip to fix it with a weld bead in the right place to tighten/index it properly.... Jim Clark tigged a small bead, we took the bead down as needed with a swipe or two of the file... Voila, instantly fitted barrel... never another problem. Less than $400 in that gun including the AnglePort (Ballistic Specialties) Custom Chokes and the special threading of the non-ckoked barrel it came with... Love my ugly old 1100!

When MarkS_A18138 got his Spolar, I got his MEC 9000H... (Thanks again Mark for getting me into the shotgon side of reloading). I've never used a PW or a Spolar, or a Dillon (I Love Dillons... we have 2-550Bs, 1-650, and 1-1050), BUT I love my MEC 9000H... In fact, I'm pretty sure I'd rather have the hyd than the automate. I've loaded over 5000 shells in the less than two months, and I could not be happier... If I do my part, it does its part... And I am using the adjustable powder/shot bar.... Coming from the metallic world, using the adjustable bar is THE ONLY way to fly. I dig it... I have a spreadsheet that I record the loads and bar settings and I can repeat them pretty easily... WAY more accurate than bushed bars!! I'm loading a 1oz ALR reclaimed shot load over Downrange XL-1 wads in STS hulls primed with NobelSport 209's..... using TIGHTGROUP powder for 1300fps... Less recoil than a AA Target 1-1/8; smokes targets in all reasonable sporting presentations, and I can also use it in skeet, trap, and wobble trap practice. Love this load! Sorry for the drift... The MEC 9000H is a cool way to go... The ONLY thing I don't like is the requirement to have a separate machine for each gauge... However, since I will likely be needing to reload for all 4 guns on a regular basis, it will be more efficient time-wise for me to switch machines on a quick change mount and quick disco. hyd line, than it would be to do a gauge change... Or perhaps one day I will have the space to have all 4 on the bench at once with a switching manifold to direct the hyd pressure to the desired machine. I'm thinking that you can't go wrong with a MEC or a Spolar, and the guys here in this thread like the PW...

If you are serious about having the best adjustable comb.... and assuming this is so the gun fits you properly, then there simply is NO SUBSTITUTE for the work dome by Todd Nelson! Renee Tyson and I road tripped to Todd's shop and spent the day with him while he did a full workup on our twin 34" Guerini Magnus Sporting guns. BEST money I have ever spent in the shotgunning sports.... period. His hardware AND craftsmanship is second to none, and IN ADDITION to the top notch gunfitting service, Todd also gave us top notch form coaching... Cannot tell you how much the coaching has helped... Learnign about the shot "from the muzzle back to the ground" was a whole new experience... Todd will do the work on your gun at any of the events he goes to each year (if you are quick and get on his schedule... it fills up quick), but I HIGHLY recommend making the trip to NW Alabama and getting the work done there. There's nothing like having his undivided attention for the entire process, with zero interruptions. It was a great trip, great results, that part of the country is absolutely beautiful, the people are great, AND we got to go visit the Coon Dog Cemetery!

I'm not sure you're missing anything, but the Bully does have some things that might appeal to folks over the Clark. If you want to use a C-More, it bolts directly to the Bully so you save the height and weight of the railway attachment so the dot closer to the bore. From what I can tell the Clark STI has got to be heavier since it's more massive. In a .22 I don't want or need any extra weight if I'm not shooting bullseye. I happen to really like the way my setup balances (37oz total) and transitions. I'd be curious to see what a 41 with the STC barrel on it would weigh. While stainless and carbon steel are going to weigh about the same (close enough it doesn't matter) there are some advantages to stainless from a machining standpoint according to many of the barrel experts out there and they seem to all say it's easier to get a smooth bore using stainless. Aside from that Ray makes all of his barrels out of stainless so it's a logical extension for him (and his barrels have done extremely well in serious bullseye competition). As far as the compensator they seem to go in and out of fashion in bullseye, but the folks that like them claim they make it easier to call the shot. It seems to make a difference when I've run it on a plate rack (compared with the standard barrel) and doesn't have any drawbacks that I can see. As far as accuracy goes I haven't shot mine at 50yds yet, but I've shot a lot of groups at 25yds that were under .75" (CCI SV) with nothing more than a rolled up towel as a makeshift rest for my wrists. I can say it's gone several hundred rounds at this point with no problems...runs like a top. I considered buying one of the Clark setups, and then one of Ray's that are similar (Weaver rails) but was actually getting ready to talk to Ray to see if he'd make a barrel that would allow the direct mounting of a C-More when someone beat me to it and saved me the trouble. So far I'm thrilled with how the combo balances, transitions, shoots etc and while it's a bit more expensive than the Clark I figure I'll be using it for many, many years and the difference just won't mean much over time. R, You know... I DID miss something... I was looking at the OTHER barrels... I apparently missed the "Steel Challenge" barrel... Ok... I see the appeal... It is definitely cool looking with the flutes and all... If they are 11.6 ounces, then they are probably somewhere around 4.5 ounces or so lighter... Being able to mount the slide ride vs. the railway... a tiny bit less weight and something like a 1/16 to 3/32" difference in height... not a lot, but measurable. I'm a relative newcomer to steel challenge, so my 41 is capable of way fater transitions than I can master... I've used mine mostly for Team Challenge in the Pistol and Combo events... (12ea, 4" plates at 20yds, and 12 ea. 6" plates at 25yds for Pistol, and anything from a 4" close plate, to a 2" shrouded circle at 60 yards for combo... I've actually seen one of Renee's team mates down multiple 3" shrouded circles at 75 yards)... anyway... so speed is not REALLY an issue like it is in Steel Challenge... Accuracy is the priority in STC... I KNOW Ray is trying to be conservative on his site with the accuracy examples on the SC barrel, but I'd like to know what SC barrels are actually getting... Clark guarantees 1-5/8" at 50 yards with decent ammo... I do a LOT of rimfire ammo testing CCI SV is a very subjective standard. One lot may shoot better than Green Tag if you are lucky, and then some lots shoot groups like a shotgun... I have a practice lot right now, that simply will not shoot less than a 2.5" group at 100 yds from any rifle... Shoots pretty well from my pistol... To compare accuracy from barrel line to barrel line, you need to be able to compare the same brand/lot of ammo, same distance, same procedure, weather, et al... I'd actually like to do a head to head test using the same lot of CCI, say Lapua Standard +, and like Wolf Match Target... not high dollar stuff like TENEX... good stuff that is consistent and available to the average Joe with an average budget... and then write an article on it. I'm intrigued with this barrel now...

Renee and I have 2 each 550's, a 650, and a 1050 between us for metallic. I can't imagine trying (or wanting to try) to load on anything else if the volume is above about 20 rounds. (I'd use a single stage IF I was going to do ultra-accurate rifle, but that's about it). The 550 is superb for low volume or load development.... or case prep in a two tool head 223 setup. The 650 does all our loading except for 40 S&W which is reserved for the 1050... I f I had the budget and room (both will come), I would have at least 5 each 1050s... one for each volume caliber I shoot. The Dillon's are ALL great out of the box, easy to maintain, guarantee is real and best in the biz. I just dig Dillon... And AFTER you get a 550 or 650, go see Lee at Uniqutek for some extra goodies, like toolhead kits... Then you'll have the potential to load on a progressive with very near the consistency of a single stage...

Yep... I AM impressed with its looks... It's pretty... BTW, I was out practicing STC today... shooting the combo uprights with my Model 41 (Clark STC barrel)... I opened 45, 50, and 60yds with 2 mags... I used my third mag just playing around and closed 4 of 5 2-inchers at 60 yards... And "I" am not really even a "decent" pistol shooter... In this case, it's all about the bow and arrow... not the Indian. Can't wait for next week...

Post up if you are going to be there! If you aren't planning to be there.... change your plans!!! This is going to be a great tournament. We are going to be in town starting Wednesday for practice on Wed/Thu... prelims are Friday/Saturday, and the Championship is on Sunday... As of today, there are 85 teams PRE-registered.... That's more than the total number shot last year, and last year was the largest turn-out since the match left Florida! Grab one or two friends, pack the guns, and get to the National Shooting Complex in San Antonio! It's a blast to shoot and there's some money, prizes, and trophies to be won.

Maybe it's just me.... But I don't understand what the Bully Barrel offers that hasn't been available in the Clark Custom Model 41 STC barrel for the last 10 years or so..... I guess a stainless barrel might be "neat" to have... My Clark STC barrel in blue matches my blue slide and frame... My Clark barrel has full length rails and can mount a C-More or an Aimpoint CompC3 (and basically anything else that can mount to a weaver rail). "Very light weight"? Is stainless steel measurably lighter than blued steel? Fitting? My Clark STC barrel required no fitting at all, and when mounted to the frame feels as if it were one piece with the frame... Reliability? I have shot my M41 in STC and Steel Challenge format... works great. As long as I do my job, it does its job. Accuracy? My Clark STC barrel (and every other one I have ever grouped) regularly shoots 1" or better at 50 yards (mine with CCI standard). Compensated? Can't imagine why you would want/need a comp... But, Clark would do it for you... They have machined/threaded them for suppressors, so I can't imagine that you couldn't put a comp on one... You can get the STC barrel (no top strap to avoid trapping cases). or the Bulls eye Optic barrel... Clark Custom Model 41 Barrels Am I missing something?

Auto for Flush and Flurry (helps to have a loading block too, but I HAVE loaded out of my Sporting CLays bag successfully before). Now that I HAVE a good O/U, I am using it for Mixed Bag. Funny, the form coaching I got from Todd Nelson, our gunfitter and the practice on that stuff with the O/U has made me a much better shotgunner with my 1100 too... IF you have the funds, get an auto that will stand up to the volume of shooting that you will want to do... I still shoot my 1100, and it works great, but it was not intended to do the thousands of rounds that I put through it a year... And I personally don't think you need one of those autoloaders... but I have never tried one. I have a spoon welded on my 1100 (a la 3-gun) that makes the "toss one in the chamber; rotate second to trip sppon and shove in the mag" technique... Fast enough that I am ALWAYS waiting for the bird, especially in flurry. See y'all in San Antonio!!!

I just sent Steve an email RE: RO'ing. I REALLY appreciate all the effort you guys are putting into making this a GREAT match... as it should be. THANK YOU! I'll do my best to help out.

Brian... Lee is a good dude. We've spoken many times. I have the PACT scale (as part of the trickler system), but WHEN I buy a new scale it will be Lee's scale from UniqueTek. I'm fixing to go buy about six MORE of his powder bar micrometer kits too.

Lost 89 of 300 bags of shot... Hate that, but glad that's the worst of it.

It got worse.... Got tire fixed (tire plus service call plus labor = $195.00) Nope, that was bad, but it really got worse. Hit the road again, and at the Canton/Grand Saline exit I lost the entire tread on the other right hand side trailer tire.... Had to drive 11 miles out of the way to get to a tire repair shop.... on 3 "good tires" and a balloon. At least this tire was "only" $119.00 installed! Hit the road again... took US80 from Grand Saline to Mineola, and then US 69 back to I-20 at the Tyler Exit. Got back up on the highway... got back up to highway speed.... Made it past the next exit, and.... An 18-wheeler passed me on the left (I was doing 55-60mph) doing at least 80 and then cut me off. I had to hit the brakes to keep him from slamming into my front left quarter panel, spinning me and flipping me.... Came off the brakes and the trailer was oscillating... It was harmonic... I tried to stop it but it was too late. I got into it to try to pull out of it.... The magnitude build until I couldn't hold it any more. The trailer and the truck swapped ends... Now I am going backwards down I-20 in the fast lane. Trailer is dragging me down the highway, and I am staring two 18-wheelers side by side in the face.... Twitched the wheel left to push the rear of the trailer off the road and into the median. The trailer goes into the median, finds soft soil.... starts slowing down... fast! The trailer and truck swap ends again, this time MUCH more quickly and violently. The wheel reverses and whips my hand in a 360 as the truck whips around and grabs the median soil.... The truck digs in and begins to roll.... I'm looking at the ground and the picture of the ground freezes in my side window, and then it zooms out... I land on all fours. I'm just off the road.... I look back up the highway just as the twin eighteen wheelers pass.... There's lead, lead bags, and bag remnants everywhere... and about a billion lead marbles on the road. Call 911... They come, I'm alright... Truck starts!!! Pull truck out of the ruts in the median W/O a tow truck. A 3.5" x 1.5" dent in the right rear fender apparently from the trailer rail when I jacked while swapping ends... and grass in the tire beads. I'm fine (sprained wrist?), the trucks fine, the trailer is fine, didn't even break a bead on a tire.... somewhere less than 1/2 the $4200 worth of lead is fine... the truck isn't even out of alignment!!! Drove the rest of the way to LA at 55mph.... I hate that I lost a ton of money today, but I gotta say, I believe it is a TRUE divine intervention that I am alive. Had I made a mistake and chosen the twitch the wheel the other way, I would have gone sideways across traffic, rolled, and been double T-boned by two 18 wheelers... Then NOBODY would get their lead tomorrow! Thank you Lord for letting me hang around down here for a little while longer...

(BIG UPDATE DOWN THE PAGE!!!) I hate being "that guy"... As I write this, I am sitting under the overpass at Exit 373 on I-20 about 60 miles West of Fort Worth on my way to NW Louisiana... I picked up 7500lbs (300 bags) of shot this morning in Abilene. Drive to pickup went great, load out was flawless and fast. Proceeded East on I-20 and get 74 miles and the trailer gets squirrely... Get it off the road without killing myself or dumping the load only to discover rubber shreds in the space once occupied by the nice, air-filled tire on my right rear tandem was. I limp it the 3 miles to the exit and start looking for a mobile tire service.... that is also not on an epic repair journey already. 2 hours later, I am still waiting on the guy who promised to be here with a tire an hour ago... And I'm sure it's going to be a solid gold tire. And I still have to make the 300 miles to LA to make delivery of 200 of 300 of the bags on my trailer this evening before dark. I THOUGHT I prepared for this journey. Checked and repaired the trailer lights, checked the tires, all good. Next trip I'll have a spare trailer tire, hydraulic jack, long handle lug wrench, and a cheater pipe. This sucks!

Use a cement mixer, but while you are removing the blades, prep and coat the inside of the hopper with a plastic/epoxy coating. It will eliminate any peening concerns, and will also lower the noise level.

Lazy males are one of my biggest pet peeves!!! Great idea! Though the currently available models don't carry a particularly high SAF (Spouse Acceptance Factor). If I was designing a new facility, I'd consider it, but I suspect that I would be over-ruled. Although having one in the shop would be a good idea. On a side note... Having been raised in a house full of females, I was trained early to take the extra time to sit rather than stand (at home for sure). It doesn't take a bunch of extra time; it's more relaxing; cleaner; and guarantees you won't leave the seat up or get yelled at. FACTOID: EVEN if you raise the seat and have infallible aim, micro-drops of whatever is in the bowl ends up OUTSIDE the rim of the bowl... on the fixture and the surrounding area for about 24 inches in radius. Not cool IMHO. Do your family a favor and sit down...

Match registration is acceptable use at both PayPal and Google checkout. The NSCA Nationals match online payment is via PayPal, and they are processing hundreds via CC. Of 1320+ current registrations, I would suspect more than 30-40% use CC. PayPal would cost you 2.9% plus $0.30 per transaction. The Google rate is above and is a little less. The buyer has to have a Google account to use Google checkout even if you use your own credit card. The buyer does not have to have a PayPal account to use a credit card.... Logging in to PayPal is promoted highly, but there IS an option to skip login/sign up. I suspect Yahoo might have a similar service. I would prefer not to have to sign up for an account if I didn't already have one.... but it really shouldn't be that big of a deal. Most online shops require you to register too...

Well, in my original bullet jump article, I observed a 30+% reduction in group sizes, but that testing only included a portion of the above controls... and I started with a Glock 22. I suspect that if I repeated the testing with all of the above variables controlled, single stage press loading, et al. stuff, I could get much, much better results. Read the article and you'll see that there was lots of room for further increasing accuracy. I basically used the minimum controls necessary to test bullet jump potential increases. The controls were to put the stock, KKM, and custom chambered KKM on equal footing... I have since learned lots more tricks for how to better fit the barrel to the slide, fit the slide to the frame, trigger jobs, etc. to include how to make better custom inserts for the Ransom rest.... and mounting the Ransom rest. It is much more stable on the concrete bench rest stations at The Shootout vs. the sheet metal tables on the range in CA that I did my initial testing on... I'm confident that I could get single ragged hole groups from a Glock if I wanted to... I don't think the extreme level is necessary for USPSA.... I wouldn't do single stage press reloading. I wouldn't buy special brass, etc. I would however use my 550 tweaks, modified Redding seating die, and I'd use brass sorted for same head stamp and sort for length with no more than 0.002" length difference.

OK, how detailed into this subject do you want to go? I've spent hundreds of hours on pistol ammunition accuracy research, and no one thing will maximize your accuracy... it's the sum of the parts. Shooter, gun, ammo are a system... 1) Shooter (or method for maintaining the weapon on the same POA for each round). I will not discuss this, as the variables are many. I reduce the variables (in testing), by using a Ransom Rest with custom inserts to fit the specific gun. The rest is mounted on a specially constructed platform and mounted to a rigid shooting base (like a concrete bench rest rifle station). I use a specially modified mechanical trigger pull device to make sure the trigger is pulled the same way every time. etc, etc... 2) Weapon - Bottom line, you need a weapon that locks up the exact same way every shot. -A quality barrel, produced at or near the beginning of the first run for the rifling tooling. -A quality barrel properly fit to the slide is not optional. -Further, the slide to frame fit should be such that when in lockup, the trigger pull does not cause the slide/barrel bore line to change in any way. -Now, to the chamber... Headspacing - The round must locate in the chamber the same way EVERY time... This is much harder to do than one might think, especially with weapons that (are supposed) to headspace on the case mouth. Typically, a factory auto-loader with factory ammo tends to headspace on the extractor, which introduces a variable into the cartridge to chamber relationship. This must be eliminated. The way I fix this on the weapon is as follows: I purchase a barrel that is short chambered and then finish reamed with MY reamer that I had made to MY specifications. This gives me control over where the headspacing step is located, the chamber diameter, lead length and the transition angle/length to the full height rifling. More on the lead later under ammunition discussion . I choose a chamber depth such that when the barrel is fitted at the hood, the value falls into a very small range.... On a .40 S&W, I chose (IIRC) 0.853". This is because the vast majority of S&W brass it at or slightly longer than this measurement. Now, by using a depth micrometer, I can measure the exact length from the face of the barrel hood to the headspacing step. This is a critical measurement. - Chamber diameter, headspacing step, breech face - I chose a slightly smaller diameter than the SAAMI specs. I did not complete my testing on chamber diameter due to the requirement for a separate custom made reamer being required for each diameter. I "backed" into my diameter measurement by starting with rounds loaded in the brass and bullet brand I planned to use. I made it smaller to reduce potential "rocking" in the chamber, but large enough to make sure the round would chamber reliably. However, chamber diameter is much less critical than what follows, and the "rocking" is rendered minimal assuming the following is realized: The headspacing step MUST be true and perfectly perpendicular to the centerline of the bore. Additionally, the center of the circle described by the headspacing step MUST fall on the centerline of the bore. I could explain why, but this is already going to be long enough as it. Further, the outside diameter of the headspacing step where it meets the chamber wall must be computed to match to the diameter of the loaded round at the end of the case to 0.000" (-0.000"/+0.005). In reality, since brass thickness changes, you cut it a bit bigger than this, and choose brass to match. The breech face should be true and as close to perpendicular to the bore line (parallel to the headspacing step) as humanly possible (this is ONE of the important factors in barrel fitment). The closer you come to accomplishing the above perfectly, the better the resultls. Ammunition - Now that you have eliminated as many of the variables as possible to launching a projectile on the same path every time through the weapon, you need to construct a bullet that fits the gun. Case - Ideally, you want every case to be identical in every respect. This is not possible of course, but you do need to control as many of the variables as possible. The critical variables include: case length, case wall thickness (especially at the mouth), diameter at the base, and to a lesser extent case volume. Rim thickness can also be important but I will not cover that here, as it is minimized if other things are accomplished. Ideally, I would get Starline to make a special run of brass for me. It would all come from the same brass stock, consecutive off the machines, and have NO HEADSTAMP. I would have it sent to me un-trimmed, or preferably cut to 0.010" over my computed required length. In my testing, I used once-fired Winchester brass, all from boxes with the same lot number. I cleaned the brass, then de-capped and sized the brass using a Redding sizer die. I cleaned the brass again. If I was doing the test again, I would then lap the base of each case to 1200 grit using a fixture to insure the base was perpendicular to the case centerline. I used a micrometer to sort the brass for length (discarded those less than 0.855"), base diameter, and case wall thickness. I then used a modified Redding trimmer, to trim all of the cases to 0.853" in length (-0.000/+0.0005") and chamfer the edges just enough to insure that the outside edge would feed reliably to the headspace step, and that the inside edge would not scar the bullet on loading. It is important to maintain the maximum amount of face on the case mouth AND that the case mouth face be exactly perpendicular to the case centerline. All of this effort combined with what follows insures a round that resides in the chamber with less than 0.001" shared clearance between the headspacing step and the breech face. Combined with a tuned extractor that has minimal or no rim contact/pressure on the round when in battery, does two things. It reduces breech slap (the cartridge backing out of the chamber against the breech face), and cartridge tile in the chamber due to headspacing on the extractor which tilts the projectile off the bore centerline. Bullet - I used MG 180gr. CMJ bullets. You can start with any reputable bullet, but you MUST start with the bullet and plan backwards to the reamer design. Bullet profiles are different and weigh heavily on the reamer's lead specs, et al. I weighted the bullets one by one to get a working sample twice the number required for testing that were 180gr exactly (-0.0gr/+0.1gr). if I was doing the testing again, I would hold this tolerance even tighter using a scale that resolves to 0.01gr. From my working sample, I used a mic to sort for bullet diameter and bullet length. If I was doing this again, I would also get/devise a way to sort for bullet concentricity. I held bullet diameter to within chosen diameter -0.000"/+0.0005" I held length to within 0.0005". I had to sort a LOT of bullets to get a sample large enough for testing. Primers - WSP all from the same lot number Powder - TG all from same/new keg. Loading - If I did this again for absolute accuracy, I would probably use a top line single stage press and Redding dies, but for this test, I used my highly tuned Dillon 550 with a toolhead clamp (you can do the same thing with UniqueTek's toolhead kit). I used all Redding Competition series dies with after-market o-ringed lock nuts and set screws..... Suffice to say, I have tricked my 550 and dies out to insure that it loads as consistently as possible on a progressive press... Sizing - cases were pre-sized, but I ran them through the sizer again to insure consistency. Powder/belling - Powder system was modified with a UniqueTek micrometer kit on the powder bar and a host of other tweaks. I used a ten charge average to set the charges, and was able to get individual charge variation to less than 0.05gr. If I did this again, I would probably load on a single stage press and trickle each charge and weigh it on a scale that resolved to 0.01gr. I basically did not bell the cases at all.... The ream/chamfer step in case prep made it such that the powder die essentially only sealed with the case mouth. I suspect there was some belling, but it was less than 0.001". Bullet Seating - CRITICAL I used a specially modified Redding Competition Seating Die. While this die is THE best seating die for consistent seating depth in my opinion, the seater insert works by contacting the bullet on the profile. Since bullet profile differs slightly from bullet to bullet, this can result in a slightly different seating depth from round to round. Having all of the cases the exact same length reduces this to the minimum, but can be improved with a little effort. A note on the difference between Cartridge Overall Length and (Effective) Bullet Seating Depth... The die sets the bullet to approximately the same position every time... Thus, you can achieve the same COL. However, case length will change EFFECTIVE bullet seating depth. If all of the bullets are the same length, then the volume in the case will be consistent, BUT the length of case the bullet occupies will change according to the range in case lengths. Keeping case length the same insures that you have the same amount of brass length holding the bullet consistent. If case wall thickness, case length, bullet diameter, bullet length, and crimp are the same, then you will get as close to equal bullet retention in the case as possible. We'll discuss crimp in a moment. Now... back to the seating insert. Using the stock insert, bullet profile differences will change bullet seating depth depending on the manufacturing QC of the bullet. Ballistically, this is an almost negligible effect, but I believe bullet seating depth is important to pressure measurements (bullet retention), but wayyyy more important is the position of the bullet to the rifling. I made my Redding seating die insert such that the insert contacts the bullet as a whole rather than just a ring around the profile. First I tried using a proto that contacted just the tip, which does make COL VERY consistent, it does not control the seating depth with respect to profile differences. You can't get perfect consistency without perfect profile consistency, but you can minimize the overall effect by averaging the differences with a full profile contact patch.... not to mention that a full profile contact controls bullet centerline to case centerline variances. Essentially, I cast a negative of a representative bullet. Then I cast a positive from the negative using a material that would stand up to the heat level I needed for the next step. Then, I cast a positive using a hard casting metal. I took this positive, and had it machined to fit the die as an insert with attention toward making the insert centerline parallel and centered along the die centerline. This insert netted me COL/BSD consistency to within 0.001". It would be even more consistent using a quality single stage press. Now... WHY all the fuss about bullet seating depth and COL consistency? The answer is BULLET JUMP... BULLET JUMP is the distance the bullet travels from its rest position in the cartridge until it contacts the lands in the barrel. Everything I've covered up to this point culminates with this... While all the barrel lockup, slide to frame, chamber dimensioning, and bullet construction details serve to locate the projectile in the same place in space in relation to the bore prior to launch (and this is a good thing), the last step is to make sure the projectile contacts the lands the same way and in the same position every time.... ideally, such that the centerline of the projectile and the centerline of the bore are coincident (same line). Combined with a consistent launching force, there is no other way to insure that a projectile travels the same path every time. The final step in getting this to happen is to minimize the possibility that the bullet will cant off the bore centerline while it begins to exit the case to the lands. IF the bullet profile is concentric, and the bullet centerline is coincident with the bore centerline, and the lead centerline is cut coincident with the bore centerline, and the bullet travels straight to the lands, the bullet will contact all the lands at the same instant insuring that it travels true down the bore. THIS will reduce abnormalities in the bullets external ballistics. (Think perfect spiral footbal pass). If you reduce the bullet jump distance to near zero, you reduce the potential for the bullet to get off the bore centerline. All the values I chose in my bullet and chamber design were chosen to minimize bullet jump to a potential BJ of less than 0.001". CAUTION: Bullet jump reduction can be extremely dangerous. The bullet must NOT be in contact with the lands prior to ignition!!! My reamer was cut to match the bullet I used. IF you change bullets, the profile will be different, and you WILL have a different seating depth (COL) to get the same bullet jump. You have to set the seating depth by loading a round, and then PHYSICALLY chamber checking it (OVER AND OVER) until you KNOW the case is headspacing on the case mouth and that the bullet is NOT in contact with the lands. I found the COL that gave me just contact, and then reduced it to give me a jump of 0.005" in my tests. AND I chamber checked EVERY loaded round prior to testing in the ACTUAL BARREL. Crimp - Crimp is NOT to increase bullet retention in rounds that headspace on the case mouth. Crimp is to remove belling, period. Since I had virtually no belling, I had very little crimp. Since I controlled the bullet and case wall thickness to match my chamber diameter at the headspacing step, I only had the crimp station there to basically INSURE that the diameter at the case mouth was as close to the headspacing step outer diameter as possible without binding. This also helps to reduce the possibility of cartridge tip due to gravity or an improperly tuned extractor. END OF MECHANICAL STUFF - There you have it. This is what I did to make my weapon/ammo as mechanically consistent as possible (in summary.... many details omitted). All that's left really is finding a powder and charge weight that produce the ideal velocity for your bullet/barrel combo. I used TG, and it worked pretty good for me, but I am sure there could have been improvement in this arena. I am not exactly a student of the black art of powder choice, charge weight, and velocity... Maybe someday... However, I will make a comment here. Pistol ballisticians feel free to comment here, but if I had to do this over again, I would probably choose a heavier bullet. Pistol bullets are not designed to travel fast.... My intuition tells me that a heavier bullet, pushed slower (farther from the sonic barrier and trans-sonic region) will be more stable in flight. And given the longer bullet centerline in the heavier bullet, I suspect it would also be a bit more stable. This also gives you a wider range of velocities to play with. Anyway.... I am exhausted from writing this. I haven't thought on this subject for years now, and I need a break. Feel free to ask questions... Here is an article I wrote on some of my testing. It doesn't contain everything I discussed here, and doesn't cover all of the testing I conducted. I conducted testing with improvements on the equipment described in the article, and I have added points and some assumptions here in this discussion that I may or may not have actually tested. But the article is a good read: Bullet Jump Article NOTE: Don't use the "Article Index" to go from page to page. The article was located on a different website when posted originally. Use the "And Then?" links at the bottom of each page to move through the article. Hope this provides you with some ideas.... Please don't attempt ANY of the things described in this post unless you have the requisite skills and knowledge. You could easily damage/kill yourself or your equipment!!

I am not a multi-gunner, so I probably do not understand all the issues involved, but it would seem to me that the following might simplify things some... You are either shooting major or minor... period. If all the weapons you use make major, you are scored major. If ANY of the weapons you use go minor, you are shooting minor...

I've been asking for online registration and payment ever since I joined USPSA.... Lot's of sporting clays matches have online registration.... including the NSCA Nationals. At a minimum, folks SHOULD be able to pay by credit card, whether you use an interactive online registration form where you take the info via a regular secure page https:// or all the way up to using a PayPal pay online or all the way to a payment service like SPORG (they specialize in event registration). The only hard part is configuring it so that you can take payment for multiple people on a single transaction for squadding requests.... of course you can get around that by using the USPSA online squadding.... ANYTHING that allows me to be able to NOT have to mail in an app with a check is a good thing... I want to be able to register, pay, and KNOW I'm in and taken care of right now. I hate snail mail...