Roadrider18

Grant, I hope your are on the mend and suffering no permanent ill effects! Besides my concern shooting reloads in AR and M1A rifles (which I have done for more than 30+ years), I always worried about the handling of primers outside a containment apparatus of some sort. After all, primers are HE and very sensitive as your unfortunate accident illustrates, regardless of the cause. I have one of these in my shop I use for eye pro when milling, filing or anytime I run the risk of getting debris in my eyes. Your story now has me wearing the shield when I load my primer tubes AND fill the machine's magazine. The HG-25 shield has passed ANSI Z87.1-2010 specifications for high velocity impact. Perhaps I need to consider wearing my welding gloves as well! Thanks for sharing your story!

I am a huge fan of Bill Laughridge. Once you meet Bill, you will understand why. Bill has been studying/'smithing on the 1911 for well over 40 years. He still gets together with folks like Bob Marvel to find better ways to 'smith on the 1911. I am not deriding BR or LAV at all. But, these guys were just starting their careers as a fly fishing guide in the Keys or chasing bad guys all over the world when Bill was 'smithing for competitive shooters at national events. LAV learned his skills at the bench of John Miller, the outstanding armor for the AMU many decades ago. Not sure who developed the 'hard fit' barrel method. Some folks think John Miller while others point to Jim Clark Sr. Doesn't really matter, both were pioneers on developing the 1911 into a pistol for marksmen and competitive shooters. As far as gleaming institutional information on the 1911, you can get that about anywhere. But, why a technique works or does not work fitting over-sized parts in a 1911, very few people possess that knowledge let alone want to serve as a conduit for passing information to the next generation. Also, remember, being able to assemble a great 1911 does not make a great teacher. BR has exploded on the 'smithing scene since forced out of the day long intense sunshine on bonefish flats (fly fishin' for bones; my other money pit addiction besides shooting). Bob does excellent work no doubt about it. I have heard nothing but glowing reviews as a 1911 teacher as well. Milling: not something one of these guys is going to teach you. Takes way too long to learn even simple machining skills. Best to pick these skills up at a machining course at your local community college offering 'trade' training. Now talk about an expense....wait til you start pricing out mills! A 42" table with CAD/CAM made in China is going to set you back a pretty coin! What is even more amazing...a 1964 Bridgeport 42" mill will cost even more! I learned on my high school buddy dad's mill (early 70s). I made plenty of unintentional boat anchors and fishin' weights learning how to mill.

Not sure which machine gun would have eaten the brass you have, perhaps the MK48. Not a lot of these out there pumping out brass. The bolt/ejector and operating design of a machine gun is extremely tough on the brass. I try to avoid reloading belted machine gun brass due to fatigue and exceeding elasticity limits of the brass. If you do reload such brass, been sure to carefully inspect for small hairline cracks, especially in the area of the rim.

You should drop every round of ammunition (especially bottleneck ammunition) you reload in a case gage. Dillon sells the L.E. Wilson for 270. Pick one up. You want to resize your brass only to the extent required to pass the gage test. Set you resizing die depth in the press accordingly.

Manson

That is TRUE Jack! Check to see the caliber stamped on your barrel. 5.56mm is capable of shooting 223REM. A 223REM chambered barrel has a shorter throat than its 5.56NATO counterpart which could result in higher pressures in the 223 barrel. SAAMI stipulates a maximum pressure of 55,000psi for the 223REM. C.I.P. stipulates 62,366psi for the 5.56NATO AND 223REM. Choice is yours. I do not own a 223REM so it is a non-issue. But, it is a data point each shooter needs to be cognizant.

You didn't mention which Kimber model you own. I will assume it is a 5" 1911. Oval hammer pin holes because your slide is accelerating too fast aft? I have seen oval pin holes because they were not accurately positioned when the receiver was manufactured, but, not due to the slide's momentum. I am not saying it can't happen, I simply haven't seen such. A 1/16" or slightly smaller radius will work fine. A small radius will decrease the slide's mechanical advantage in overcoming the hammer/main spring. Further, the slower the slide is going as it reaches it aft position the less battering on the impact area of the receiver. The recoil spring has nothing to do with decelerating the slide's aft movement. It is for accelerating the slide forward into battery. I am not in agreement with your use of a 19# main spring unless this is strictly a game gun. I would use a 23# main spring. If it is a game gun, you can try down to a 17# mainspring. I wouldn't go much lower. A 1/16" radius on the FPS with a 23# hammer spring and a 16# recoil spring offers a pretty good sweet spot for a Kimber 5" 45ACP 1911. If you do swap out the recoil spring, I wouldn't go with less than 14#.

Place the dowel against the rear end of the carrier. Still sounds like you have one of two issues. I'm guessing its the second listed below since you are getting 1/16" movement with the mortar method. I missed that important fact earlier. 1. If the mortar method is moving the BCG aft 1/16", your bolt locking lugs may be corroded into the barrel extension. I do not suggest continuing with the mortar method. As mentioned it is primarily used for clearing field stoppages. I would continue flooding the barrel extension with Kroil or Liquid Wrench. Keep the rifle in a muzzle down vertical position. Let the solution soak for about 24 hours. Tap the rear of the carrier with the dowel and mallet. Eventually the bolt will break free if corrosion is the issue. 2. The barrel extension is out of alignment. Remove the upper completely from the lower receiver. Take a large flat screwdriver, from the bottom side, get the blade up between the bolt and barrel extension and gently pry the BCG aft. You can use a small piece of wood to gain leverage and hopefully not mar the receiver. If the issue is indeed a misaligned barrel extension, it is going to take considerable force to free the bolt. But, it is do'able without sacrificing your upper receiver.

Not that I want to take business away from Wes..... But, Noveske offers the 16" RECON barrel, mid-length gas tube on his web site.

You didn't mention your pistol model. Many OEM 40SW barrels in pistols, Glock for instance, have unsupported chambers. Thus, you end up with the infamous 40 bulge at the base. Not only can this make feeding into the shell plate an issue, but, more importantly, if the bulge is not completely removed during resizing, you will have a significantly higher probability of encountering fail to feed (chamber) issues at the range. You can either go with EGW modified Lee resizing die, which doesn't solve the shell plate problem, or, go with the Redding push through 40 die in a single stage press. I installed the EGW modified die. I also very gently opened up each shell plate station with a file in order to accommodate bulging brass. No issues at all after making these changes.

I assume the action worked properly when you put the rifle up after your last shooting session. If the penetrating oil you applied has not allowed some movement, the bolt may be corroded in the carrier. Or the bolt may be corroded and frozen inside the barrel extension. You might want to try Liquid Wrench since it specifically attacks corrosion. The mortar method is good for fixing a stoppage in the field. Not so good if parts are mated due to corrosion and carbon/oil bonding. Remove upper receiver from lower receiver and secure upper in a padded vise. Better to use the AR upper receiver action block to prevent damage to the upper receiver. Take a wooden dowel (can be purchased from Home Depot) same size diameter as the BCG and place end against the end of the BCG. Take a mallet and gently tap the dowel. You are attempting to break the corrosion bond. If you use the action block, you can get rather aggressive attacking the dowel with the mallet.

I agree, simply purchasing and swapping out bolts will yield very little if any enhancement in accuracy. However, a 'smith who purchases in the "white" rough bolts from a manufacturer such as LMT or FN in lots of 100 can painstakingly mill the bolt to optimum headspacing and lockup for a barrel. This will make that mated barrel and bolt more accurate. BUT, this work is typically done on a barrel with the chamber cut for specific ammunition, ie., MK262 Mod1. But the chamber and throat can be cut to anything the customer desires...within reason. But, it begs the question why go there? And I guess the only answer is, some folks have the disposable income.

All excellent questions Matt! Yes, one needs to be mindful of a barrel's gas tube length as it relates to buffers. Primarily due to the size of the gas port in the barrel; all which affects dwell time. IMO, if purchasing a 16" barrel, a mid-length gas tube with the DPMS extra heavy buffer (BS-11T) is the best setup for reliability and achieving a very comfortable recoil which also decreases the time for followup or next shot. I also prefer the BLUE Tactical Spring LLC action (buffer) spring in this setup. Other folks will have other opinions. But, your action spring and buffer should be selected based on the length of the gas tube AND the diameter of the gas port in the barrel. Accuracy will be dependent upon the quality of the barrel, a free floated forend, and headspacing of the bolt and other variables. And yes, you are correct very very few vendor headspace bolts to a barrel. Remember this is really a derivative of a battle rifle (not a MOA or sub-MOA rifle) adapted for gaming purposes in your case. Starting out with a limited budget, you can't go wrong with a mil-spec bolt. If your budget allows, you have BCGs from JP, Young, LMT, FailZero, BCM and a host of other vendors. Any of these BCGs will perform for you. Indeed, there are several black rifle manufacturers who assemble their rifles with the intent on achieving MOA or sub-MOA accuracy. LaRue's OBR 556 and the HK MR556A1 are two such offerings. Both incorporate a pressed fit barrel with a properly headspaced bolt. It is very very difficult to remove one of these barrels without proper tools. Both rifles are very expensive, >$2K. The OBR is one of the most accurate DI or piston black rifles to be evaluated by the FBI FTU. For upper receiver assembly, you will need a torque wrench and an AR armours tool. Don't skimp on the armours tool, inexpensive ones don't hold up very well and will not maintain a good grip on the barrel nut or buffer tube castle nut and you will bugger both up. I suggest posting your allocated budget and letting fellow BE forum members give you input on what works for them. Plenty of info here! Good luck!

If you bought a BarSto "Match Target" or a Jarvis "Fitting Required" barrel, how did you establish proper headspace with a file? I use a chamber finish reamer on every Match Target or "gunsmith fit" barrel I have purchased from these vndors. The chamber comes under-sized to allow a 'smith to adjust barrel headspace and total headspace to that specific gun. A semi-dropin might be allow the user to install the barrel, but, make sure you know your barrel and total headspace to avoid any unpleasant (or dangerous) situations. Smoking a barrel to determine points of interference is a classic technique in the "hard fit" barrel fitting method.

I have a single stage Redding, and Dillon 550, 650 and 900 mounted on a 10' bench. I don't really think it matters where you locate your press as long as you have adequate room to work (about 12" for me) on both sides of the press.

After tens of thousands of hulls going through my Dillon SL900, I have never done anything special other than taking a dry rag and wiping down the exterior before reloading.

You mentioned many things I also like about the 550. I put a case feeder on my 550 when they first became available. The feeder dramatically increased the number or rounds I could load in an hour. So much in fact, that I bought extra primer tubes to preload. The case feeder for the 550 is handgun caliber only capable. I attempted to modify a 223REM case feeder caliber adapter but, the bottleneck brass feeding reliability into the shell plate was awful. That lead me to the 650. The 650 is also an excellent machine and loads 556 very quickly! I bought the Powder Check system in order to alleviate my concerns about not being able to eyeball the powder in the brass. The 650 is indeed a do-it-all machine. Yet, I keep my 550 setup for handgun (9mm, 40SW and 45ACP) while the 650 is setup for either 5.56x45 or 7.62x51. Any ammunition I load for precision shooting (bolt guns) is performed on a single stage Redding.

The last of the Colt LE6920s (they have been discontinued and replaced with the SP6920) can be purchased for less than $1000. This rifle makes an excellent platform to customize as your budget allows. Yes, they are stamped "RESTRICTED TO MILITARY/ LAW ENFORCEMENT/EXPORT" but this means nothing (legally) and actually makes them more desirable to some owners. I don't see your location, but, I do not think they are CA Compliant. As others have stated, there are many excellent choices available. It pretty much depends on your budget. QUALITY is the key. I would also recommend Mil-Spec, not a Commerical (spec) rifle/parts. Someone mentioned learn to shoot irons first. I could not agree more. Learning to estimate range with your MK1 MOD0 (MOD1 with glasses ) eyeballs and effectively putting rounds on target will pay dividends in the long run.

Bill Laughridge (Cylinder & Slide) offers very good classes. He also offers the 2 Day barrel fitting (hard fit method) in conjunction with the 5 day pistol building course. Bob Rodgers took Bill's class about 9 years ago. Most of the other names mentioned have been through Bill's shop at one time or another for advice. Before you take any course, practice filing a 1" piece of 1" round steel into a cube with square facets and equal sides! Bill L's idea to humor you while you await the class! Before you go, you should have sound filing skills in order to do quality work. C&S offers classes in both Freemont, NE and Virginia Beach, VA. Have fun!

Jim, you are most likely correct, especially future development of firearms intended for the private citizen. Primarily, due to my previously mentioned reference to SCOTUS applying "sporting" to ownership by the private citizen. Political opinion no longer favor private ownership of military weapons. The Swiss model is now dead in the USA.

Paul (BCM) assembles many excellent weapon systems for different kits and applications.

I want to clarify a comment I made several posts ago.... I am NOT advocating (AT ALL) a private citizen advancing upon an active shooter! To do so may risk personal injury or death (at the hands of the active shooter or responding LEOs) not to mention potential unwanted exposure to the judicial system. Some states require a retreat while others only allow defense of current position (if life is threatened)in order to use deadly force with protection of laws in certain jurisdictions.

Nearly all civilian firearms are derivatives of military concepts and/or designs going all the way back to the cottage industry of flintlocks and percussion muskets, to Sam Colt and Eliphalet Remington. Yes, in recent decades, Congress and SCOTUS have developed a "sporting" sense to firearm (small arms) design and private citizen ownership, but, that was NOT the intent of the Founders. Many countries (especially European) do not allow ownership of calibers designated as "military".

A good rifle, but, pick your marketing medicine... Current endorsers.... Kyle Lamb - JP Larry Vickers - Daniel Defense Mike Pannone - Next Generation Arms (And, these are just some of the US Army endorsers...) Simply a source of income (and free swag) for these guys and banner marketing for the company. There are many good rifles from which to choose. To succeed in the crowded black rifle marketplace, a company has to have a good product to begin with. If not, they will be out of business in a very short period of time. And, no endorsement will cure a cranky rifle/product. About the operator in the picture.... I would submit it is difficult to critique this operator's choice of techniques in this engagement. A DM or Scout/Sniper would certainly like to assume a "schooled" position or tactic, but, sometimes the environment and/or time compression of a developing situation does not allow one to assume the optimum position. Not spotting, because his teammate had field glasses. This was not a square range, but, life & death drama unfolding in theater in the round. In terms of HOW MANY widgets one needs... I subscribe to the notion... Three is Two... Two is One... and, One is None To deviate on a separate thought... If one has a concealed carry permit for your state, and chooses to exercise your right, how often do you carry more than one weapon on your person or in your vehicle? And for that matter, is your other vehicle weapon a carbine/rifle/shotgun? Sadly, I am reminded of the recent massacre at the IHOP in Carson City, NV. Recall the bystander who only had a concealed sidearm and chose not to get involved because he perceived he was lacking firepower? Certainly his call, and I am by no means critiquing his decision. I always have adequate small arms close at hand or in close proximity. You shouldn't choose when to not carry or not be prepared (unless your local or state government has made that decision for you) because you can't choose your lucky day for violence to find you. Finally, "relative superiority" is achieved by surprise, rehearsed tactics and violence of action, whether actual or perceived by the enemy; not, actual firepower or number of participants. And, most importantly proper mindset to allow one to stay focused and in the moment in order to achieve success. So, there's not a whole lot of difference between 'winning' (surviving) on the square range or in life's theater in the round. Like discussed here in BE forums so many times, one's degree of success, regardless of venue, are dependent upon training, rehearsal and preparation. The "doing" is almost anti-climatic.

My son shoots the Benelli Montefeltro and has no trouble at all on the course.