Yondering

Seems like a fairly heavy barrel and receiver set, which are two of the main places to save weight on a large frame AR. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me to try to save a couple ounces in the bolt carrier when using a 42 oz barrel.

Sure it was 680? There are a bunch of green retaining compounds, and the stuff I've gotten from them and other companies is one of the press fit compounds, not 680. I never saw an actual # on the little packets though, it was just a different viscosity than 680 so obviously different. I'll use 680 on a front Glock sight, but not in a tight dovetail.

Sounds like maybe you're talking about wicking grade green #290 or something similar. This is the problem with saying "green" or some other color though - there are a bunch of variations in each color and nobody knows which one you really mean if you don't use the number, and yes it does make a big difference. For example, there is a whole line of bearing and sleeve retaining compounds that are green, ranging from medium to permanent strength, and those are completely different than #290 wicking grade green. If a guy takes your advice and uses green #680 to install a rear sight, it'll be a permanent installation and will either need to have the loctite burned out or the sight milled away to remove it. It's also likely to bind up before the sight is fully installed because it's not intended for press fits.

Yes it really does! This is mine with the KMS light. (The LEDs are not visible from a normal loading position, this is just the angle of the camera.) DIYguy, you can see the bearing bronze washer under the shellplate bolt head:

Sorry not to get back to this earlier. See pic below. The manual incorrectly uses "RMR" as a generic term for red dot (RMR is specifically Trijicon's product) but otherwise this info seems to be correct. https://i.imgur.com/2ALk0VF.jpg[/img] Edit, not sure why sometimes imgur photos work here and sometimes they don't? Hopefully the link works for you. http://https://i.imgur.com/2ALk0VFh.jpg[/img]

It's pretty much an exact fit (1/2") on the ID, and slightly larger than the bolt head on the OD but still a loose drop-in fit in the indexer. I used this one, McMaster Carr part #7421K4: https://www.mcmaster.com/7421k4 Edit - my mistake earlier, I wrote 5/8" which is incorrect.

I haven't seen any very significant temp sensitivity, but our temps here are pretty mild compared to what you get. Most of my load development is around 50-60 degrees, and we rarely see more than 30 degrees change in either direction, which hasn't been enough to matter for me.

I've got the KMS light as well and really like it. It's worth buying the complete kit IMO, as you'll spend just as much for the power adapter somewhere else, and the KMS unit comes with a handy switch. On my 550 I installed a washer in the shellplate indexer that's made from teflon-impregnated bearing bronze; it was only about $1 from McMaster Carr and made the indexer a little more consistent. It seems to give the same effect as the roller bearing upgrades but doesn't require any modification to the indexer. I could look up the part number if anyone wants it. I've machined some precision toolheads that are an exact fit to the press for rifle accuracy loads, but don't think it's really worthwhile for most pistol ammo.

Clays works great for 125gr and lighter 9mm. It's a bit fast burning for heavier bullets, but does a great job with the lighter stuff, especially with lead bullets. It does a great job of filling the case too, so overcharges are immediately obvious unlike some other common powders like Titegroup. The load data posted above is not even at +P levels; it's perfectly safe in a Glock. I load tons of this stuff and have done a lot of experimenting with pushing the limits; what you're wanting to do is well within the limits and wouldn't concern me in the slightest. Load up some ammo and rock on.

I've been teaching myself to shoot left handed for about 4 years now, no injuries but it's a good skill to learn. I didn't really see any specific questions in your post though. Left hand training is not much different than right hand training, just put in the practice, both dry and live. I suppose one suggestion that may help you is to do other activities with your left hand too, to build dexterity. I was surprised how difficult it was to eat with my left hand instead of my right, for example. The hard part is having the discipline to do this a lot, but with your shoulder injury you do have a small advantage there as I expect it'll remind you to use your other hand. If your question was about eye dominance - personally I'm very right side dominant, but train to use whichever eye is on the gun side; i.e. left hand = left eye, right hand = right eye. That's mostly because my training is centered around defense and daily carry rather than competition, but I think ambidexterity with the eyes is just as useful as with the hands. YMMV of course.

OK, I'll try to get a picture of my manual tonight if I can remember. You might be able to download it online too.

The Lee factory crimp die ensures the OD of your loaded rounds meet minimum specs. That's fine for jacketed bullets; it's not fine for lead bullets (coated or lubed) that need to be oversized. Pull down some of yours from different headstamps and measure the bullet diameters, you'll see what I'm talking about. This is a pretty well known issue with the Lee FCD for pistol calibers. The bottleneck rifle calibers are a totally different thing since those are a collet die with no sizing ring.

Do you have the manual? It lists which optics fit each plate.

Depends what it is and if the first loading process made the bullet undersized. Jacketed bullets are usually fine. Plated and softer cast or swaged bullets are more prone to being undersized or damaged.

No, the problem isn't the crimp, it's the carbide sizing ring in the Lee factory crimp die that sizes down the bullets. It doesn't matter how little crimp you apply, if you push the loaded round through that carbide ring, some of the bullets get sized down. Now if you just use a standard seating die for crimping, Lee or any other brand, it's fine. Just avoid that "Factory Crimp Die". Too much crimp is also bad, but that's not the problem I described above.

The 752-20 Mitutoyo (for ~$165) are what I use for machining, but the functional difference between those and the $90 196-30 model I linked above is mainly the water/coolant/oil resistance which isn't a big deal for reloading, so I recommended the cheaper of those two. The other difference is the 752-20 model turns on when you move the scale (rather than pushing a button) and is auto-off; kind of nice but not worth the price difference IMO. Both are very good quality. Someone above commented on not losing zero if you drop them - that's one very good reason to go with digital calipers rather than dial calipers. As a machinist, I've dropped my share of dial calipers, and it usually kills them. Digital calipers are much more tolerant of being dropped, even the cheap models, but the quality difference of something like that $90 Mitutoyo is worth it if you can afford it IMO. With that said, if a guy has to go cheap, you can still do well with a $30-$50 set if you shop carefully, just recognize it's a quality difference of Lee vs Dillon.

Moloch, I haven't used that Faxon barrel (and so much depends on gas port size of your barrel), but can offer some general guidelines: Adding a suppressor delivers more gas to the operating system, and requires a restriction in gas if you want to bring it back to the same point as unsuppressed. Using a light weight bolt carrier also requires less gas, because it doesn't take as much force to counter the inertia of that lighter carrier. You definitely can combine the two (suppressor and lighter carrier), but I think you'll need to use an adjustable gas block or some other method of gas restriction (there are several options) to tune the rifle to work correctly. Personally I prefer to use an adjustable gas block anyway since so many AR barrels are overgassed a bit right from the manufacturer. Also keep in mind that you should expect more POI change when adding the suppressor to that pencil barrel than you would get with a heavier barrel. Nothing wrong with that, just be aware of it and account for it on target.

Agreed. The ETS mags made some sense at first because they had a 22 round 9mm mag when Glock didn't. Then Magpul made their version. But now that factory 22 round mags exist from Glock, I see no reason for the aftermarket stuff. As for the more standard factory sizes, forget it, none of them are better than factory Glock mags. I like Magpul, and really tried to like ETS mags (back then), but had issues with both brands of 9mm mags in various guns. The ETS extended G43 mags sound like a good idea in theory but I ran into feed issues with certain bullets that worked fine in factory mags, so that was the end of that for me. AR15 mags are a different story for me, really like Pmags.

Agreed on the ProChrono, use mine all the time and it's been great. On calipers, most of the suggestions above seem to be on the cheap end. If you want good, it's hard to go wrong with Mitutoyo. Their "Absolute" series is really good; I use a 6" version for machining that is also a great choice for handloading. Price is around $100. Here is one for $90: https://www.amazon.com/Mitutoyo-500-196-30-Advanced-Measuring-Resolution/dp/B00IG46NL2/ref=sr_1_4?crid=10R8KCG47O2IQ&keywords=mitutoyo+absolute+digital+caliper&qid=1570470838&s=hi&sprefix=mitutoyo+absolu%2Ctools%2C229&sr=1-4

We're saying the same thing, and case flaring just isn't that complicated. It needs to be enough to not shave lead, but not too much. The amount of flare needed for lead bullets is more generous than what jacketed bullets need, and it should be more than just barely enough, but it shouldn't be excessive. If the brass is scraping inside the seater die the flare is probably excessive, unless he's got a really tight die. I really disagree with recommending the Lee factory crimp die though with lead bullets. That die has a carbide ring that sizes down the case; with some thicker brass this causes undersized bullets, which causes gas cutting and lead smoke, and in the worst cases even some leading. Coated bullets are not a magic cure for this; you still need bullets large enough to seal the bore, and the Lee FCD is counter productive for that. If you're using it with jacketed bullets it's not much of a problem. If a guy is loading long lead bullets like 147gr that bulge some cases (or get sized down by the internal case taper), it's better to cull those brass headstamps instead of using a band-aid like a Lee FCD.

Sounds like you went too far on your flare adjustment; it shouldn't be rubbing the die from being too big, and it shouldn't be shaving lead from being too small. It is a fine adjustment, 1/4 turn of the die can go from not enough to way too much. I'm not sure what you mean by "diy dillon lube"; if you made it then it's not Dillon brand?

You are correct. No point in measuring to 3 decimal places if you're using 1"=1 moa. At 100 yards, 1.047" = 1.000 MOA. Doesn't matter for the point of the thread, but it's a valid point about that Bullseye software. tcoz, it might be true that your rifle doesn't change POI very much with the magnetospeed, but it does change for a lot of other rifles. It's mostly about barrel stiffness vs weight of whatever you attach to it; same thing applies to mounting a suppressor, you should expect POI to drop. Look at the difference in group size though; if we're to consider the 5 round groups as valid, adding the magnetospeed approximately tripled your group MOA size. That's one reason most accuracy nuts don't like to work up loads with one of these attached to the barrel.

Flare the case mouth more. Doesn't matter what the bullet shape is, if it's lubed or coated lead you need to use a generous flare on the case mouth.

Nah, you knew what that meant when you wrote it. The "sorry you took offense to my insults" thing is a real slimy move; that may work for you on other people but not here. I don't owe you anything, and didn't call you any names anyway. If I'm sorry for something, it's that the OP's thread got ruined. I see nothing productive left for either of us in this thread; I'm done.

You've loaded thousands of rounds of crimped primer pockets without issues? Maybe yours were processed before you got them? If they were done on something like a Dillon swager it may not be immediately obvious with a casual inspection.