DogmaDog

On the PC: Half-Life and its mods RULE! Team fortress classic, Counterstrike, and the coolest, Science and Industry. Man I wasted so much of grad school playing those. Lata, DogmaDog

Interesting thread, and sorry I'm so late getting to it. I don't know a whole lot about reloading, but the kinds of things you're talking about really do sound more like what benchrest rifle shooters do. IPSC shooting really isn't about accuracy, in that it's not hard to find a pistol/ammo combination that will shoot a group that will fit in the A zone at 50 yards (shooting 2 shots into that zone quickly, well...) I spent a summer on the Marine Corps Rifle team, and learned quite a bit from the Gunny who ran our reloading shop. One of the experiments he performed was to load a lot of ammo for Palma rifles (.308 loads for single shot bolt guns, fired at 800, 900, and 1000 yards), and paint the base of some of the rounds blue, and others red. When he handed the blue rounds to the shooter, he said "here's yer rounds" with a kinda sad looking face, and no enthusiasm. The red rounds were handed out with a big smile, a wink, and a thumbs-up. He claims to have seen better scores shot with the red rounds than the blue rounds. He was a really smart guy, and a really great shot, and I believe him. Moral of the story: Don't work too much on equipment, work on yourself! That said, I bought a book called the "Precision Shooting Reloading Guide" (I think the title is correct), which is a collection of articles from "Precision Shooting" magazine. Written by some guys who reload and shoot well in their rifle disciplines, and who performed some quantitative experiments, and wrote their results about what matters and what doesn't seem to. Interesting reading if you're into the engineering and mechanical aspects of shooting. Finally, I highly encourage you to go compete. NOTHING else will improve your shooting as greatly as the pressure and desire to perform in competition! Semper Fi, DogmaDog

At a minimum, you'll need a serviceable pistol, 3 magazines for it, a holster that covers the trigger guard and is otherwise safe, and "concealable", eye and ear protection are also mandatory, and you'll probably need about 100 rounds of ammunition, and you may need to wear a "concealment garment" (some kind of shirt that will cover your holstered pistol). Most local clubs I've shot at charged about $10 to $15 for a match. Check the websites already posted, and contact the match directors of local clubs before you go if you can (I usually need to get directions to new ranges I go to, anyway). Also, check http://www.uspsa.org to find local uspsa clubs...the shooting is fairly similar, though you might need more magazines and ammo, but there might be a uspsa club closer to you than the nearest IDPA club. It's a good idea to read the IDPA rulebook before going, too, and you'll have some idea of what to expect. Good luck, DogmaDog Usually, clubs will let you shoot at least one match before they start coercing you into joining IDPA (~$35 annual membership).

I'd love to see more stages with different numbers of rounds per target. One shot per, or 3 shots per (2 to body, 1 to head?), whatever. I'd also like to see more stages without 4 target arrays. I'd like to have some choice about where to reload my single stack...play it safe, or try to pick up that lone target?? You know, get my mind working. I'd also like less symmetrical stages. Anyway, T, if you designed a one hit per stage, I would be happy to shoot it Semper Fi, DogmaDog

I'd have to say not legal, though I have no rule to cite. I think there's also a potential safety issue there, say if a competitor moves past a target array because he didn't know where they were...then goes back to try to pick them up. ROs can introduce uncertainty without specifically misleading competitors. Keep the stages blind, or hang indicators on targets (no-shoots wear hats, for e.g.), and then move them around between competitors. This way, the competitor knows he can't be sure what he will encounter, and will excercise due caution. Semper Fi, DogmaDog

I shot my first 3 gun match this last weekend. My AR-15 is really souped up for highpower competition, and doesn't work well at all for 3-gun. The biggest problem was the 0.040" rear aperture. The heavy match barrel, plus 2.5 lbs of lead in the handguard didn't help, but I did manage to take the 4 lb. weight out of the buttstock. Freefloating the handguard isn't really necessary, or even useful, unless you're going to use a shooting sling and put some torque on the barrel. A standard issue M16-A2, dropped a few times, and with no bluing left, wielded by a raw recruit, is perfectly sufficient to hit an IPSC sized target out to 300 yards. My rifle is a bushmaster, with some Compass Lake parts. I'm considering just getting a second upper, in stock A2 configuration, for 3 gunning. That way I'll have the nice trigger, without all the 600 yard hardware. Someone (here, I think) mentioned that Rock River Arms' stock triggers are pretty nice. I'd consider just a stock RRA AR-15, possibly with a nicer trigger if it needs it, and go from there. Good luck, DogmaDog

Yea.

One of the clubs I shoot at (Gonzales, LA), seems to have a box of those Octagon things lying aroung. They have had a stage using them at the last couple matches I've been to, but they seem to be looking forward to being rid of them. I kinda like them for their novelty value...just shooting something else is a new challenge, but I like the metric targets, too. Like many sports, IPSC is rooted in combat (see also archery, fencing, wrestling, throwing javelins, discus, hammer, boxing). Perhaps it is destined to continue to be "sporterized" and diverge from its roots, but I think that would be a shame. Semper Fi, DogmaDog

Couldn't you just load up some lightweight .45 bullets that would more closely mimic .40 rounds and recoil? DD

illtmprdman, congrats on the new acquisition! I haven't yet read Brian's book, but the "beyond fundamentals" part suggests that it's not quite the best starting point for first learning to shoot. (I do wanna read it, and you should, at some point, as well). I got my start in the Marine Corps, where everyone was turned into a competent rifle shot through the simple expedient of dry firing 10 hours per day for a week, followed by a week of live fire. We had a coach, but he really couldn't tell what we were SEEING. "Sight alignment" and "trigger control" were our twin mantras--we strove to see a sharply focused front sight, perfectly centered in the fuzzy rear sight aperture, and we tried to achieve a slow, steady squeeze of the trigger with a surprise break (it should surprise you when the gun goes off). Anyway, you can download the Marine's manuals on rifle and pistol marksmanship. Just go to http://www.usmc.mil and select "publications" from the menu along the top of the page, then "doctrinal publications" and then "training series" (I think). Rifle Marksmanship and Pistol Marksmanship should be there. They'll contain lots of stuff specifically about M16s and Berettas, but also stuff applicable to any platform. These manuals cover the basics. They won't make you even a B class IPSC shooter (I shoot high "expert" scores in the Marines, and may get my IPSC "C" classification pretty soon). They will describe the absolute FUNDAMENTALS of marksmanship. Now quit reading the forums and go dry fire your Para! Semper Fi, DogmaDog

Thanks for your help, everyone! I met a guy at a local match who has 4 different models of Dillon presses (SDB to 1050), and is willing to have me over and show me how they work. If I can't learn enough that way to make a decision, then I'm probably hopeless. Anyway, thanks again, DogmaDog

Uhhhh. I thought the "watching TV" thing was a no-no when reloading...makes sense to me, and it's not like theres anything on TV more interesting than powder pouring into a casing. Anyway, I'm seeing a more advocates of the SDB press, even though other threads, as well as shooters at the local matches I've been to say to skip the SDB and just get a 550. Also, Brian's article rates the SDB as having a steeper learning curve than the 550 (is this just a typo?). Anyone concur that the 550 is easier to learn how to use than the SDB (and what does that mean exactly?). Why on earth does the SDB use proprietary dies anyway? What's cheaper about that? Thanks for all your input so far! DD

D-izz-amn! Flex MONEY! Yeah, dog! Ahem. I'm actually kinda sorry to see that thread go. It was kinda entertaining, and I was hoping it might steer toward a "reverse engineering" of DRM's "method". I figured that we could deduce just about every aspect of it in spite of DRM's non-disclosure of any substantive information. And I'd be more than willing to try out some drills to get a feel for what it is he was trying to promote. Just hold the gun at chest level and hose a target at 4 yards, repeat at longer ranges? Why does it work? How does it work? Where does it lead? I would have liked to have something to try out. As it is, I'm far more likely to seek training elsewhere. C'est la vie, DogmaDog

Ack! Decisions, decisions. That "portable reloading bench" from midway looks like a pretty good deal for $46. I bet I could slide that thing in the closet. Also...what's so important about these flip trays? Don't the primers come all one way in a try when you buy them? Couldn't you just invert them on a dinner plate? Hrrmmm. Press bench flip tray manual tumbler scale calipers glasses bullet puller consumeables Glad I have a couple months to figure this all out! Thanks, DD

Does the SDB have a substantial space advantage over the 550 or 650? Cost isn't such a tremendous issue for me...just space/portability issue. Those 2 presses have been recommended by the local club shooters, and the versatility seems like a plus. I'll probably live in a house someday. And I'll probably get back into rifle shooting someday, too. A tutor is something I'll look for. I've dropped some hints and questions at local matches...so far no one has invited me over to their loading shop. Thanks for the info! DogmaDog

I have a Ciener top end for my Kimber .45. It works just fine, but if I had it to do over, I'd get the Kimber top end, just to get the same sights, or I'd get the Marvel top end, because it looks like a really solid piece of gear. The rear sight notch on the Ciener is pretty shallow, and the corners in the notch aren't sharp. You should be able to get a .22 conversion for your Glock, and that way, you get the same grip and trigger (and possibly the same sight picture) as you do when shooting in competition. I think you can get a lot of training value out of a .22. Target transitions, and long range shooting, especially, and just slow fire trigger control work. Good luck, DogmaDog

Hey all, I'd really like to start reloading in the next couple months, in order to save money on ammunition. The whole business looks pretty daunting, though, and I mostly just want to be able to put bullets in my gun and shoot them without worrying about "grains" and "crimp" and "runout" or whatever. Anyway, I live in an apartment, and I'm not going to have lots of space I can devote to a messy work area any time soon. I'm also not going to be able to bolt a workbench to the wall. I'm wondering how small a footprint I can get away with for a reloading "rig" (preferably something I could push into the closet when not in use). It can't make lots of noise, or stink up the whole apartment with weird chemical smells (rule #1: DON'T piss off the wife!) Are any of the dillon presses (550, 650) amenable to something like that? Also, are there any good, succinct online sources or books that explain the terms and processes associated with reloading? I've browsed the threads here, and there's plenty of helpful info, but also lots of controversy over a lot of details I don't know the importance of. Am I going to be able to get a press, set it up, and leave it, and then crank out .45 ammo that will do as well as the factory stuff I buy now, whenever I feel like it, without intensive study or explosive mishaps? Thanks for your help, DogmaDog

Actually, the conditions do apply to other weapons. Here's how recruits are made to recite the conditions for the M16A2: "Sir, a condition 1 weapon has a full magazine inserted, bolt forward on a loaded chamber, weapon on safe!" "Condition 2: there is no condition 2" "Condition 3: full magazine inserted, bolt forward on an empty chamber, weapon on safe!" "Condition 4: Magazine removed, bolt forward on an empty chamber, weapon on safe!" They actually made us recite "condition 2, there is no condition 2", which is the case for most of our current service small arms. It's the same for the Beretta as for the M16 (substitute "slide" for "bolt&quot. There is no "condition 0" in current use...the condition codes are carry conditions...all are "safe" ways to carry your weapon. They pretty much go out the window when the shooting starts. But, yeah...enough of my blather. Works well in the Marine Corps, apparently doesn't work so well, and probably won't ever, at the local gun club. Semper fi, DogmaDog

Hahaha...pretty funny all. Sorry in advance for the thread drift, but I hate calls from telemarketers. I have noticed, however, that there's a little pause when you pick up the phone, between when the computer detects your pick up, and connects the annoying telemarketer on the other end. I got in the habbit of hanging up quickly if someone didn't start talking to me within about 1/2 second of my "Hello?" Sometimes I'd get a call back from some bewildered friend, wanting to know what happened, but most of the time, nothing. I'm just presuming that means I'm hanging up on telemarketers successfully. If you ever call me, you better say whatever it is you wanna say, right away dammit! Lata, DD

I haven't heard condition codes used in IPSC/USPSA or IDPA since I started shooting either, but they are standard terms in the Marine Corps, and we use them on the rifle and pistol range during requalification. "Load and make ready, and holster a condition 1 weapon" is valid terminology in the USMC. It also works because Marines are trained in the meaning of the terms and how to take their weapons from one condition to another. I would surmise that Col Cooper got the terminology from the Marines, way back in the day. Semper Fi, DogmaDog

Is trigger slapping kinda equipment dependent? I'm guessing that in order to slap without seriously adverse effects on your accuracy, you need a very light trigger with a very short pull length...like a 2 lb 1911 trigger. I wonder if it would work at all with my 4.5 lb Kimber. And what problem does it address, again? Late, DogmaDog

Ron, Of course, it's not my intent to call anyone here a dummy. And I wouldn't put it past some assinine gun-control organization to claim that IDPA shooters are violating the law when they draw from concealment at a match, and that they're "training to be terrorists/spree-shooting psychos/murderers", so, even though such a position ought not to be dignified with a response, It can't hurt to have one prepared if ever you are forced to respond. In any case, I would think the position ("concealing" weapons during a match where such is standard match procedure) would be defensible even if local law lacked the kinds of stipulations vluc pointed out. Cheers, DogmaDog

What does it actually mean to "slap" the trigger? Are you removing your finger entirely from the trigger, and then "tapping" it with the pad of your finger or something? Thanks, DogmaDog

Stoopid California. Can't you legalize an AR-15 just by painting it pink or something? I mean, then it wouldn't be black, so that removes at least one of its "evil" features, right? Draw smiley faces on the points of your bullets, too. Just a stupid question: would an AR-15 outfit with a more conventional rifle stock (no pistol grip) be legal in california? Later, DogmaDog

I have a Bushmaster set up for Highpower service rifle competition, and it's a fine weapon. I've heard that the RRA stock triggers are very nice, compared to the stock Bushmaster triggers (I don't care, I have a Compass Lake trigger...also very nice). The RRA rifles do look very nice on their website. Good luck, DogmaDog