jm951

I don't know why you would want to. It may be great for closeup hoser stages, but get the range out there and it could hurt far more than help.

I use the silver dollar in the powder measure because I have an old Dillon and I'm too cheap to buy the latest whizbang stuff when keeping an eye on the measure and a silver dollar on top solves the problem nicely.

I'm using Clays. One other thing you might want to consider. I've been using a Dillion almost since they came out. Since I load multiple calibers on this press, I've seen some powder bridging occasionally. By experimentation, I found keeping the powder measure at least 1/2 full and putting a silver dollar on top of the powder in the measure keeps things running perfectly. No powder bridging since I started doing that. The little extra weight of the dollar seems to have completely ended bridging. I checked the charge weights for quite a while after I started, and there's been absolutely no problems with metering.

I was using a SA 1911, military look alike. It shot well and did what I asked but I found that when shooting in cold weather matches, my arthritis in the hands/fingers caused problems with the controls- safety, slide release and mag release. SO, I switched to a G21, no buttons besides mag catch, just shoot. The 1911 looks lonely in the safe now all by its lonesome in the corner, but I haven't had anymore problems with not being able to operate the weapon in the cold either.

I used to shoot an L1A1 inch pattern that I built. It was fairly accurate and you're quite right about it being a soft gun in 308. DSA has some guns assembled on Austrian parts that are pretty decent for the money. Ditto on thinning the front post a bit and I'd also consider the scope mount DSA offers as well. It's low enough that when you remove a scope, you can still see through the irons. I sold mine because there isn't much reason to have a 308 in the vast, vast majority of matches shot in my area as there is no Heavy Metal class. You'd just be shooting for the cool factor while the mousegunners eat your lunch on time.

Yup, the teutonic chili pepper in its turbo S configuration is probably the world's fastest SUV, its no slouch in the 4 wheelin department either. The down side is the cost. In my current turbo car, I can blast past stangs and vettes on my way to the range. Just cinch up the 6 point harness, twist up the boost and kill bugs fast while avoiding those annoying official letters from the state concerning velocity. But, back to practicality. Since I really need a truck at the moment for a variety of reasons, the toy has to go. So, whatever I wind up with will be my new 3 gun hauler. I don't think that 4 wheel drive is that necessary. For cab room, the Dodge is winner hands down. The Ford is likely a better made vehicle, mechanically speaking. Chevy and GMC aren't that bad either. I'm not a brand name koolaid type. I'll weigh whatever I wind up with by a financial analysis. As for other vehicles, the Element is a quirky vehicle but has a high utility factor. Fuel economy isn't bad either. If I didn't need a truck so bad, I'd consider thinking of something like the new Dodge station wagon. There's tons of room, decent fuel consumption and rides well for long trips. I don't see that a SUV is really necessary for 3 gun hauling. Then again, I don't haul along a gun cart, a golf cart, 2 spare guns of each type and enough ammo to storm Falujah single handed.

Porsche- there is no substitute. Just pack in the HK stuff, Valentine One and hit it. However, now that I am in serious need of a truck, my procurement director/finance minister has directed me that the fleet cannot be expanded, hence the Porsche will have to go since her Honda is most definately not subject to liquidation. I'm looking at getting a decent mid 90's extended cab. My 96 Ram got 20mpg highway/17mpg city. With the extended cab, I could pack in lots of stuff behind the front seats. A lockable hard shell tonneau on the bed kept prying eyes from seeing what was being toted in the rear. In comparison to the Porsche- switched from premium to regular, no more expensive insurance and cheaper parts- it's a financial wash, even with 3 gun trips factored in. The cool thing about older trucks is that they've already done most of their depreciation with a reasonable amount of life left in them. My 96 Ram didn't get traded away until 225k was showing on the clock. Find one with about 70k showing and in good shape mechanically, it should go in the 5-6k range. Pay cash up front, no payments, nor interest and you've got some cheap drivin.

Having been into mountaineering in my youth, I can say this much. Stay hydrated, work out as much as possible and get into the best shape possible before you go, get there a couple days early, once there, work out a bit. Be prepared for shortness of breath on your first day or so there. If you can get there early, your body will have time to adjust somewhat. Stay hydrated, did I mention that? It also wouldn't surprise me a bit if you develop a monster headache your first day there. The altitude change isn't terribly drastic, but age and conditioning do play a factor in how quickly you adapt.

That's what used to be called "Mexican Match" where you take mil surp, pull the bullet, rewiegh the powder and put a match bullet in it. Lots of guys in the SW shooting metallic shilouettes used to do it. It's pretty effective short of giong all out and matching cases. You'd be surprised at how well it can shoot with some tinkering to suit your particular rifle. I don't think that I'd take that kind of time with ammo for a semi auto, but for bolt guns, it was decent. Since I'm shooting HM now, I'm thinking seriously about bulk milsurp bullets. I've bought a couple k already and experimented with weighing them (a digital scale is a must for this!!). The curve is a bit skewed to the light side, but I got enough in the +-.1gr range to make up some very cheap "match" ammo. Cost will be comparable to surplus excepting my time of course. The bullets out of tolerance will go into rounds for "hoser" stages where the distance isn't more than 50yds.

I'm going Heavy Metal. Hey, that end of the pool isn't nearly as crowded!!

I was using a FAL, main issues are- trigger stinks, sights, LENGTHHHH. Properly setup, they're as reliable as a hammer unless you pull stunt like I did once and have the gas set wrong. Shooting a big bolt action ain't fun. I'm using a SA M1A this time around.

What about active duty personnel subject to being deployed? What would happen to their entry fees if they have to go to the sandbox?

Even with the "issues" it was still great fun. Count me in as a repeat customer!!

I'm shooting a 3rd gen G21 and I haven't seen the infamous Glock bulge. Maybe it's on higher pressure rounds than 45acp. The stuff I'm currently loading is 230gr lrn Precision Moly over 4.4gr Clays with Rem primers. No issues of any type noted. I'm using a 550B and full length size my brass too.

Since almost no matches in my area are 30cal neutral, I'm going with an AR platform. While it's way cool and there's no missing a 30cal hit on steel, unless the match is somehow unbiased on rifle pf, I can't see any reason to shoot anything other than 223. I wish there were some system for it, but the HeMan/HeavyMetal thing generally isn't done over here.