[unconventional range bags?]

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=202018002&R=202018002

[Safer powder and primer storage]

Like my grandparents who lived through the Great Depression, I scraped through the component shortages of the Clinton years and vowed to never get caught without again. Unknowlingly, I became a bit of a "hoarder" of stuff over the past couple of decades. I'd pick up some primers or powder at most shows or a big match and just put much of it back somewhere for "safe keeping".

I went to the big gun show this weekend and stocked upsome more.

I was so proud of myself for for laying in "Obama re-election insurance" until my wife unit asked me just how safe having that stuff in a townhome really is.

I did an inventory and while I do not want to publish exact details, it is safe to say I probably have a lifetime supply laid in.

I have looked into the "U Store it" places to find no flammable or hazmat material is allowed. Flammable storage cabinets run a grand or better plus shipping. I have no outside space available to build anything.

I am looking for suggestions as I doubt I am alone out there. Short of a reloaders yard sale ......anybody have any ideas regarding safer storage of this stuff? And yes, I am reloading and shooting as much as I can and still stay married.

[550B overhaul question]

I have bought two well used 550s and had them reworked by Dillon. This was before the most recent powder measure design, but they did great work and only charged me for some extras I ordered along with the rework. It was like receiving new presses back.

The round counters have probably beed doscontinued ten years or so. I had some, never could get them to work really well. I sold all of them on EBay and never looked back. I can keep track of rounds via bullet or primer useage just as well.

[Best powder 30-.06]

I have had great resluts with RL15. 53 grains with a Nosler 150 BT gives me just a shade below 3000fps and is really accurate as well. Rifle is a box stock Rem 700 BDL.

[Best mags for a 9mm 1911?]

10 round Metalforms here. I am running a SA loaded and a custom Caspian commander in 9mm. These mags have been flawless.

[77's vs 69's]

I am running an 18" White Oak 1:7 barrel. So far after extensive testing with both 69 and 77 SMKs, the 69s shoot tighter groups and are more consistent across the board. 300 yards is the max I can shoot at my range.

I am running 22 grains of H335 as my current match load. I am seeing 2580 FPS average velocity with the 69 SMK. I intend to kick this up some more on my next batch as my best load has been 25 grains of RL15 @ 2824 FPS avarage. However, I do not get consistent powder drops on my 550 with RL15.

[Magazines for 9mm 1911]

I have a SA loaded and a custom caspian commander in 9mm. I anm running 10 round Metalform mags with zero problems. I also have some Tripp .38 Super mags that run well in the commander but are iffy in the SA.

[Kudos to Springer Precision]

Having just switched to the XDm 5.25, these folks have really been a big help. They are a pleasure to do business with. They have stuff in stock, shipments are made immediately and they answer any questions I have pronto.

I'd highly recommend them to anybody. Just sayin'

[Wilderness Tactical Instructors Belt]

I have several of their belts and really like them. They are also very helpful if you have questions regarding sizing. Very good products....really stable, almost indestructable.

[Choke for FN SLP for 3 Gun]

I am currently running a couple of Briley chokes. They did most of the modifications to my SLP so I went with a couple of their aftermarket chokes as well. They are not cheap, but Briley cut me some slack as part of the package.

Shooting Remington "Heavy Dove" loads 1 1/8 oz of 7 1/2 shot:

LM Choke patterns ~ 10" at 10 yards and 15" at 15 yards

IM Choke ~8" at 10 yards and 10" at 15 yards.

I have been shooting the LM choke almost exclusively. It is also gives me the best results with slugs. The IM choke has a lower POI.

FWIW: Briley also has a laminated card showing effective ranges for their chokes. While it is designed for the clay shooting crowd, I find it handy to keep it in my range bag as a reference tool.

[M&P 9 Pro Availability]

My son is USCG. He ordered a 9mm Pro in Tampa on the military and LE discount program back in November. He has yet to see his pistol.

[FN SLP Mag Tube Spring]

It ran like a charm at the range this weekend with a variety of slugs and birdshot.

As always, thanks for the input! Rick

[FN SLP Mag Tube Spring]

Thanks! I will be running by the range this weekend to try it out. Will report back.

[FN SLP Mag Tube Spring]

I just tried this fix at the house. I used a Nordic spring, ran it down the mag tube until I was sure it was seated in the follower and "bottomed out". I cut 15" off the spring and that left me with 13" of mag spring hanging out the end of the tube.

I loaded 8 Remington factory dummy rounds in the tube a couple times and tried hand cycling. Almost every round hung up on the retention bar. ( The thingy inside the lower receiver that catches each shell before it goes back on the lifter)

What did I do wrong?

[New FN SLP Looking for advice on setup]

I have been experimenting with chokes. So far a Briley LM is far superior to anything I have used both with various birdshot and slug loads.

[Fiber Optic color? Red or Green]

I have been running both on several different platforms. I came to the conclusion I pick up the green much faster and changed out all the red for green rods.

[550 powder checking]

I am seeing the same problem with loading 147 grain subsonic 9mm loads with Universal Clays. My solution is a dab of velcro on the exposed side (left) of the tool head and a Streamlight Key-mate micro flashlight. I add with velcro to the key-mate and stick it to the side of the toolhead facing down into the case.

This way I avoid 110V wires crossing the bench and the "wand" of the conventional desk lamps others utilize for this purpose.

The Key-mate can be found on Amazon for about 9 bucks.

[Ever shoot a round of Clays with your 3 gun SG?]

Gang,

I should have stated my plan is to shoot the course in the "conventional" SC load 2 manner. I would not go out there acting all "Tactical Ted" on them.

When I lived up in NW Ohio, I shot trap almost every Thursday evening. I used a Remington 1100 SP with a 28" barrel. It was a standard hunting shotgun, just a basic synthetic stock and matt black metal. You would not believe the dirty looks I got from the guys shooting the custom $2500.00 and up Brownings and Italian trap guns. They really got mad when I beat them on a fairly regular basis.

The "traditional" shotgun sports attract some real snobs as well as some great guys. ( Really like most shooting sports I guess.) My only beef is they are typically the ones ready to throw we black rifle guys under the bus when the chips are down.

Believe me, I will only attempt to be a true "ambassador" for our sport....not an ass..... Scout's honor.

[Ever shoot a round of Clays with your 3 gun SG?]

I have been asked to fill in on a five man squad this Wednesday. It is an industry sponsored charity event. The birds will probably all be close in as opposed to a regular tourney. There will be a lot of conventional hunting shotgunners there as well as some of the big boys who play the clays game regularly. Winning is not really an option as several teams will be stacked.

I am a dedicated 3 gunner and have no inspirations to get serious about taking on sporting clays as regular events.

I am seriously considering taking my FN SLP. I really want some trigger time on movers with this shotgun. I think it would be decent practice and a boat load of fun.

It has the typical 18" barrel and extended mag tube. I have 5 chokes from skeet through full.

So, should I go with the SLP or should I grab the Browning Gran Lightning out of the safe and go the conventional route?

[I got busted]

Wife and i have had a "don't ask, don't tell" program in place for a long time.

Our 30th anniversary is this June so it must be working.

[Have 550 thinking of another 550 or a 650]

I have been running a brace of 550s for several years. One each for large and small primers. It has worked very well for me sticking to the same set up and same tool heads.

[9mm: 124 or 147?]

I just finished loading my first batch of 500 Zero 147 gr FMJ. Been shooting 124s for the past few years as I have found heavier bullets are more accurate in glocks, my wife's M&P a couple 1911s and most recently a SA 5.25.

For me personally, at the range I see only marginal differences between 147s and 124s. I realize others feel quite differently though.

I have experienced an abnormally high rejection rate loading the 147s on my 550. (> 15%) The rejection rate improved a little when I increased OAL to 1.14. The cases with the 147s all have a noticable bulge.

Bottom line, I am going back to 124s. They are a little cheaper and I will be spending far less time pulling bullets and reloading the culls.

[WST for 9mm]

I am currently running 5 grains WST with a Berry 125 grain LRN, Wolf SP primer. In my SA 5" 1911 it clocked at 1122 FPS in 85 deg F weather.

Next batch I plan to back down to 4.7 grains.

I load 9mm, 10MM , 40 and .45 ACP with WST. I really like that powder a lot.

[Zero 147gr RN and SA XDm 5.25 what OAL?]

Current OAL is 1.11. I am going to run some out to 1.15. "Coke bottle" is a good description. Funky looking rounds!

[Zero 147gr RN and SA XDm 5.25 what OAL?]

I am getting a high reject rate loading on my 550. Cases are bulging down at base of bullet. Wondering if anyone has worked up max OAL for this combination?

This is for 3 gun. Power factor not a consideration so much as reliabile feeding.