OPENB

Chuck, Where'd you find a RAMP in stock? Been searching, and thought this was still vaporware. Midway keeps pushing back the availability date. Looks like it would be perfect for an open setup.

I am using the DD 1 oclock offset. It would be better mounted for a righthanded shooter, but I have mine at 11 oclock for a lefty. So far I like it better than mounted on the handguard, gives a bigger field of view thru the lens. Downside of it on this side of the recvr. is when it is mounted back far enough to clear my Larue lever, I have the Docter mount on the last slot of the DD, and there is not much clearance for the charging handle. Works for me though. Price is right too. Will try to post pics when I get home tonight.

After shooting stage 8 at Ft. Benning, I'd say yes, a true open gun was a distinct advantage.

I've had several barrels cut and turned by ADCO in Toledo. Fast turn around, and great work. I will have him do my WOA this winter after Ft. Benning. If you get the 20", what are you getting it cut down to? If it is to 18", I'd suggest it might not be worth the expense for 2". If it is to 16", DPMS makes this barrel already, and you wouldn't have to get it cut. Plus, the gas port should already be correct size, and you wouldn't have to have it enlarged. Just some observations.

Hey, Robert, good to see you here. I love my ETAC, and talked to my buddy who's waiting on his to come in. Great Saiga conversion!

Headspace should be checked, but be aware it not something you can adjust short of recutting the chamber, and not at all if it is a chrome lined chamber. The bolt is not adjustable. If it is "NOGO", then recheck with a new bolt.

Man, I was scrolling to the bottom of this thread to find Kelly & Alaska said what I was going to say! You have to evaluate your goals. If winning a match is the goal, get the gun that you feel will get you there. If winning the fight is, the game gun is not necessarily the same gun. You will rarely take more than a 100 yd. shot with a patrol rifle, so a free float is not usually required. In 3 gun, 400-500 in not uncommon. I am LEO. I use different tools for different jobs. If a 16mid will fit in your patrol car lock, that would be your best compromise. Softer, let in dept. spec. Go flat top, and add irons, so you have the flexability to go to glass at a later time.

The barrel port location IS the gas system. A 16" carbine barrel will have the port hole closer to the chamber, requiring a short, carbine gas tube. Rifle length gas tubes are used on most 18-20" barrels, and mid length is in between, a compromise between carbine and rifle. I am using a WOA 18" SS barrel with rifle length gas system, 1/8 twist. I got it at Ranier Arms earlier this year for around $300. I had ordered a DPMS M12 18" barrel for around $180, but there was a YEAR long wait on it. If I was doing this all over again, I would get the DPMS 20" chrome moly barrel from Brownells for $140, shoot the hell out of it, and repeat as necessary (when it gets over 2MOA groups). I think it was Benny that said the DPMS barrels shoot so much better than what you pay for them. As to your last question, DPMS does make a 16" barrel with a rifle gas port location. I know Chris Keen has one, and it runs great for him. I have heard others say they don't, so you may want to look into that one further.

In it's simplist terms, the lower is just a box to hold your fire control parts, it really is a low stress part. IF it is in spec (hole locations, etc) and you don't want/need a special lower like the Firebird or POF, any one will do you fine. Probably one of the best deals going is the Superior Arms that AIM was selling for $89. I'd rather drop my big coin on the upper than sweat the lower. I've got DPMS, PWA, RRA, and CMMG, and all are GTG. My RRA does have a fairly tight magwell that won't let PMAGS drop free, so I don't use them in it. It's probably like all the other "this vs. that" discussions, pride of ownership. Determine what you want it to do, and buy accordingly.

Did you magic marker the bullet too? If you have marks on the bullet, it is seated too long, and is engaging the rifling.

I didn't get it either. Not in my filter, or in box. I shot Linda an email, not so concerned about the shirt, I've got 15 years worth of match shirts, but any relevant match new. Until this gets resolved, if anyone gets any match updates in an email, let's share it here so everyone gets informed. I'm confirmed in the match, so at least I don't have to sweat getting THAT email!

I had the same problem recently, and it turned out I didn't have the sizer screwed in far enough, and wasn't bumping the shoulder back enough. Bottle neck cases headspace on the shoulder. Try the 1/8 to 1/4 more after touching the shell holder, then try to chamber the case. If it still sticks, which mine did, try a little deeper on the sizer. I ended up almost a 1/2 turn past touching. My press "cams over", at full stroke. You'll feel the the arm spring back when you pull it back down, that is the camming action. The small base sizer is tighter down near the extraction groove, the "base". If that is where your case is sticking, then you need the small base sizer. I have found most don't need the small base sizer, Lee dies are already considered small base. I have not used the Dillon rifle dies, but their pistol dies are known for not sizing down as far as the other brands. Lee makes some cheap loading equipment, but I have always liked their dies, from design to performance to price. Try Magic Marker on the whole case, and find out where it is sticking.

I got the Lee chamfer tool too, after watching the same guy's youtube video using it in a 16mm socket chucked in a drill. They must have changed the outside diameter of the tool, because it was too big to fit in a 16mm, and too small in a 17mm, and nothing close in SAE would work. I tried my Wilson/RCBS deburring tool, and it fits perfectly in the power adapter for the Possum Hollow. I'm going to get one for .308 too.

I started with the Lee set up, and got frustrated with the case wobbling off the shell holder while spinning in the drill. I tried the RCBS trim die, but couldn't find a good way to trim, either with a file or a Dremel tool, and it was pretty slow. I was about to try the RCBS trim-pro with drill attached, but it was getting pretty expensive. I watched the Youtube video on the Possum Hollow, and thought I'd try it. Got it last night from Midway, along with the power drill attachment. Did 100 .223 cases in about 10 minutes. Just like sharpening a pencil. $30 plus shipping. I can replace this 10 times for the price of a Gracey. And very consistent, I got 1.75" on the dozen or so cases I checked. Just have to trim AFTER resizing so the shoulders are set back consistently.

Dillon dies are known to leave a lot of the case near the extraction groove unsized. I run a Square Deal with the proprietary Dillon dies for that press. I use a regular Lee resizing die in a single stage press to resize as much of the case as possible, making sure to cam over the press handle to take out all the slop in the linkage. Then I run them as normal through the SD. If I ever pony up for a 650, I'd run a Lee in station 1, or maybe a U die (made by Lee), if I needed it. As is, the regular Lee resizer as been adequate for me. Some run the Lee factory crimp die in the last station as added insurance.

I also have a bunch of XM193 brass that has FC headstamps without the +, but does have crimped primer pockets. I know it is from brown box XM193, because our dept. shot it at our police range. I know FC brass has a less than stellar reputation, but since it is XM, is it the same as LC?

If you have been waiting 10 years for the sequel, the wait is almost over. BDS II comes out Oct. 30. Just watched the trailer, and it looks kick ass! The brothers are played by the same actors, & Rocco is back, in spirit, but Willem Defoe is not. Definitely don't want to miss this movie!

Thanks, Mpeltier. I got a couple rooms at the Hyatt Place. Gorgeous place! I had booked a Hyatt Place in Boston last year to see the Red Sox whup on the Yankees, but it got overbooked and I didn't get to stay there. It was just like this one. Can't wait. Glad I didn't get into the Express now.

Well, we had a communication breakdown in my shooting group, and did not get hotel rooms yet. The match hotel, which we stayed in last year is full. What would you all recommend as choice #2? Hard to tell by internet pictures, but I see by the reviews the Days Inn near the gate is a s...hole. Is the Manchester Holiday Express decent?

I use the CMMG extended mag. Comes with their stainless steel anti tilt follower, and has a steel body. Like the cprod., finish rubs off rather easily. Works great for me, and $29. Is the cprod. aluminum or steel? Magpul follower or something else?

That's what I want to hear, good reviews on the Moss. The guy I talked to said he could not zero with the adjustable rear, he ran out of adjustment before it could zero. I guess he got a bad one. Does the Mossberg need any work done to run great? Even a Benelli gets bolt lighting and etc.

I have/had a Remy Competition Master, and I like it. I'm not shooting as much tactical, so I sold it to my Dad, but have dibs if he changes his mind. Mine ran like a raped ape. It needs attention, mag spring needed replaced, gas system ran better wet. But if I did those things, it worked great. Same gun is now the Tac IV, with black instead of grey furniture. Buddy bought that model, and had problems right out of the box. Rem. ended up buying it back. I would do a search on the 930spx. I heard bad stuff from a guy locally. Sent his back 4 times for bad barrels that were not threaded square for chokes. Unable to zero past 20 yards. If I were to hear good reviews again on the Mossberg, I might take a chance on it. The Rem. has been around for a long time, and has aftermarket support. The Remy is steel frame, and soaks recoil well.

I am currently running a Meopta Kdot, but a buddy showed me his Burris XTR, and I am thinking the reticle would be the ticket for the long range stage at Benning. And now I hear the newest models of the XTR have better illumination. I saw a great deal on an IOR 1.1-4 with the horseshoe reticle. Which reticle is better for ranging longer shots? I am assuming the IOR would have better glass to justify the couple hundred higher price, so it would come down to the ranging reticle.

Bullets back for me. Friends went to a tactical carbine class, and they call it a "beer can reload". I've tried it both ways, and I seem to have better control of the mag that way. I do see how the 20 rd. mag would be easier to load pistol-style, though.

I voter "other". I just got a stock trigger group done by Bill Springfield, www.triggerwork.net. He works over the stock trigger, hammer, and disconnector into a great trigger, around 3#. Makes the lightning cut on the hammer like a JP. Blew my RRA NM 2 stage away. Buddy got the 4# for his work gun. Very reasonable prices, and 1 week turnaround. He will smooth out a RRA into a 2#, too.