rmcdave

Tullamore Dew is hard to beat. Smooth as silk and reasonably priced. If you can find the 12 year old Tullamore, it's even better than the original.

Attn: Standles Check your private messages. Dave

Thanks guys (and gals). I knew I could count on you to come up with the correct answer. Dave

At our local match today, I was the closest thing to a RO on our squad and I ran into a scoring siuation that I was unsure how to handle. The stage consisted of a tight array of 5 targets. Four of them were arranged in kind of a square -- 2 on the top, and 2 on the bottom. In the center of the square there was a partial hardcover target. A generous helping of no-shoots was thrown in to make things interesting. The stage instructions said to engage T1-T5 with 2 shots each, perform a mandatory reload, and engage T1-T5 with one shot each using strong hand only. Virginia Count. The shooter in question put 2 shots each on T1-T4 but forgot about T5 (the hardcover target in the middle of the array). He reloads, goes strong hand, puts 1 shot each on T1-T4. When he gets to T5 he realizes that there are no shots on it, so he fires three shots at it. Two A's and 1 into the black hardcover portion. How many procedurals should be given? I reasoned that there should be 2 extra shot penalties. Since there were only 15 holes in the targets there wouldn't be any extra hits. There would be no FTE since there were holes on each target. Later in the day I asked some veteran shooters on another squad how they would score it. They thought I was correct on the 2 extra shots, but said they would have assessed a FTE in addition. I couldn't understand how I could give an FTE to a target that had holes in it. Maybe if there was more than 1 string, but not in this situation. What was the proper way to score this? Thanks, Dave

How old is your 550? Some of the early models (mid '80s) had a problem with the powder bar not returning under spring pressure alone. Dillon introduced a Powder Measure Failsafe Kit (part 20303) to rectify the problem. Does your machine have this installed? Check tho online manual for a picture of the kit.

I was wondering what type of sight black works best for everyone? I get the best results using the Gunsmoke calcium carbide lamp, but it can be kind of inconvenient to re-apply between stages. I have used the aerosol Birchwood-Casey product, but the result looks grey in comparison to the rich black that the Gunsmoke produces. Is there another aerosol sight black out there that works any better? Thanks, Dave

Actually, I think you may not even need the caliber conversion kit. If I recall correctly, both the .308 Win and .45 ACP use the same shellplate. You would probably only need the insert for the powder die. They both use large primers so you're good to go in that department. Dave

How about just sewing a patch onto the shirt? Would be easier and surely less expensive... Dave

Darn, now where did I put that #5 crochet hook?

When do we vote?

Does anyone here have any first hand experience using a Safariland 012 holster and 771 mag pouches with a CR Speed belt? If so, how is the fit? Any modifications necessary? Any comments appreciated. Thanks, Dave

Standard ball on my 550 and I plan on keeping it that way. I thought about switching to the roller handle but I think that it would be better suited to a machine with an automatic case feeder. It seems that it would be easier to grab the ball end after manually inserting the new case, as opposed to the roller handle.

T&T sells Frontier brand FMJ bullets. Made in South Africa. I shoot the 180's and find them to be of high quality and reasonably priced. I tried to buy several thousand at the Valley Forge gun show on Saturday, but they were sold out. T&T owner said to expect the next shipment after January 1st. Price increase is expected due to the rising cost of lead. Dave

I would also recommend T&T reloading. Depending on where you are located in NJ, it may be feasible for you to skip the shipping and pick up the supplies at the shop near Easton, PA. Be sure to call ahead to make sure that he has what you need in stock and arrange a time to pick the items up. Dave

I share your vision problem, being nearsighted with astigmatism. At my last checkup with the eye doctor, I took my handgun along with me so that I could get a prescription made up with a front sight focus. After explaining to her what I wanted to accomplish vision-wise, she made up a pair of "test glasses" with corrective lenses that she could quickly swap (much in the same manner as a standard vision exam). Holding the gun at arms length and wearing these glasses I had a prescription giving me a crisp front sight picture within a few minutes. Rather than go with the just the bifocal insert in the top of the lenses, I decided to have the entire lens (both left and right sides) made to this front sight prescription. Picked out a cheap pair of frames at LensCrafters and had the glasses made up. I had them center the prescription a bit higher on the lens to accomodate for tilting my head forward while shooting. As I understand it, this is very important when dealing with astigmatism. When wearing these glasses, the front sight is very crisp (I had forgotten what it really looked like) and the targets are just a tiny bit fuzzy. After a few minutes I don't even notice the fuzzy targets. After spending over $3500 this year on guns and gear, there is no question in my mind that the $99 I spent on this pair of glasses has returned the largest improvement in my shooting. Dave