zanthor

I'm building an AR and I've noticed a great disparity in the cost of stripped lowers. With deals as low as $90 and as high as $420 for essentially a hunk of aluminum. What makes one lower better than the next?

Glass as it exists you have to look at it specifically which takes your vision from what you are seeing. We aren't far from the ability to do a visual overlay like a HUD in a jet fighter, your relevant information overlaying your natural field of vision. This post was intended to be far less about the actual technology and more to find out how USPSA has handled introduction of new technology in the past. I'm certain that the first USPSA match didn't have SS, Production, Limited, L10 and Open divisions, but I haven't been around the sport long enough to know that history. I know some would say it couldn't possibly be useful, but at one point someone looked at a computer and said the same thing. Now the government gives them away as part of welfare because they are considered a fundamental need (smart phones.)

So I've been following 'wearable' technology pretty closely and as more of it gets to market the potential applications to sports and training is astounding. Right now the technology is very young and has little to no usable software written, but that will change soon enough. An example would be using a google glass type device to give you a heads up display of relevant information. You could easily determine rounds fired or remaining, prompt reloads, possibly call shots or assist in target counting/transitions/engagement/etc. My question for the veterans of our sport, those who have been around since the early days is this: How did new technology get introduced to practical shooting. I'm sure the first time someone showed up with a compensated pistol with a magwell on it there was outrage about how it was cheating and such. I've heard stories about Winterset saying that they don't allow Optics for "Open Shooters" because they got beat too badly by Rick when he got a gun with an Optic on it. I'd be interested to know how our sport evolved from simple guns to high tech. Note: you can argue how it wouldn't help all you want, but I'm sure someone said that about optics on pistols at some point.

I didn't like my 6" gun for matches...

Those are all in place.

Found this on the shelf under my bench, it's a 3/16ths hex bolt about 1/4 inch long. Not sure if it's from my press, a spare part that fell out of the bin I put the spare parts kit in or a random bit from something else. Any help would be appreciated!

I just started loading .40 and worked up loads with several powders I had on hand. The HP-38 was very consistent and made major easily, I'll be using Titegroup going forward since I just got 8lbs of it though.

So many neat toys to spend money on... I love my Mr. Bulletfeeder and would love to automate my press even further, but I don't think that's likely to happen any time soon!

I found that just a very slight sanding of the drop hole to smooth it out did the trick. I'm not sure about dropping them direct into the Dillon tube - the adapter seems to be necessary to lock the tray in place and get the correct alignment. not really just have a firm hold on to the dillon tube ... i have never used the adaptor even on my old VP Gotta try that - it would be a huge time saver. I find this also allows for a little wiggle room with the tube, making it so if they aren't feeding you can move the tube and sometimes they start again. All said and done I love my vibra-prime, money well spent.

I got into reloading on a VERY tight budget and the Lee Loadmaster made that possible. Over the course of a year I made ~5000 rounds of .45 and every single round went bang and was passably accurate (I'll go out on a limb and say I was far more of a problem than any ammo I loaded.) That said it took constant tinkering to keep it running. I spent more time in those 5K rounds working on the press than I did making ammo. The priming system was by far the biggest problem, removing the primer from the press and using an ergo-prime was a good solution but added an extra step to the process I didn't like. So after 5K rounds and tons of frustration I took the plunge and bought a 650 with case feed and Mr. Bulletfeeder. (Sold my loadmaster on e-bay for a profit as well.) Setup was quick and easy for all parts, and once everything was set how I wanted it ran and ran and ran. I've now made 7K .45 and 1K .40 on the Dillon and the only adjustment I had to make took me less than 30 seconds. Nothing is inherently wrong with Lee's products, but you do get what you pay for. For me the extra money on the front end to ensure I spend my time making ammo (rather than fixing press issues) was well worth it.

I haven't handled any of the "new design" droppers but in the older ones the ID of the entire tube changed with caliber. The conversion "kit" contained the dropper and all of the parts to convert the collator for around $120. I would imagine with the non collated version they are now offering you could get just the drop tube without collator parts. You can also save a little money using the same set up for 38 SPL that you use for 9mm. That's pretty much what I meant. There's two parts to the dropper. The exterior piece with the threads, and the interior piece that holds the ball bearings. It would be nice to be able to buy the interior piece for each caliber, along with the ball bearings. Hence, a caliber conversion kit. How much cheaper do you think leaving a plastic tube and lock nut out of the dropper is going to make it? The cost of the materials and manufacturing is minimal, the price is in the patent. Regarding the mini-bulletfeeder I saw this and thought it was a neat idea, however I'm not sure I see value without the collator. That said I used the dropper without the collator to work around a problem with a limited number of lead rounds I was loading, and it really didn't slow me down at all. The dropper has a much wider mouth than the brass, which means you just need the bullet oriented properly to drop it into the assembly line, and since the dropper holds 5-7 rounds even if you miss a beat you can keep cranking the lever and it's easy to catch up.

I started with wet tumbling but switched back to walnut because it was too much work for my needs. I really disliked the extra steps to prepare the brass, and while it looked amazing I get good results with my lizard litter walnut media and no messy cleanup.

I've loaded thousands of Precision Bullets (moly coated) without a problem. I also loaded 1K of lead without a problem and when I started on the next box I had all sorts of problems with it. I realized later that I had construction dust get in the boxes I didn't have a problem with, I used canned air to blow out the dust, but obviously enough stuck to the wax to make it more reliable. I never tried the mica or baby powder, but I can only assume that would have an identical effect and be way easier on the gun in the long run!

I've noticed that their turn around on replying to e-mails is also quite fast now compared to months ago when I first got my press. I've been seeing next day responses, and yes their answers may not always be what I want to hear, but they are definitely knowledgeable about their product and provide great support!

My first reloading bench was using their kits, I still have two in the garage that are 3' x 8' and ROCK solid. My next bench (when I moved to the basement because Iowa's cold and hot and never pleasant in the garage) I did with a 2x4 frame, MDF surface and leveling feet from a wood crafting store. It's rock solid as well once bolted to the wall.