124gr9mm

I think that's an interesting observation. I've noticed several times LEO's come around for a local/friendly match expecting that they'll automatically be one of "the best" simply because they carry a gun for the day job. They don't realize that MOST of the regular match participants put far more rounds downrange per year than the average LEO. I guess they don't come back for fear of being judged negatively, but almost everyone gets that there's a learning curve associated with new activities, so the judging doesn't start right away. You typically have to suck for a while before you start to get "the look" ...

I agree. It's a life thing, not a shooting thing.

Thanks for sharing this feedback. I load a lot of coated bullets so it's good to see some new names to try.

I think that's an important point. If you have one person (even a board member) who's enabling and driving the more modern shooting activities then things could easily slip backwards if that person leaves. The old culture is the path of least resistance, so you need multiple people who are interested/active to sustain things.

I have a gen 2 in 9mm and I really like it. IMO getting rid of the craptastic plastic trigger and replacing with an MCarbo aluminum trigger is a must. I tell people to do it before they even try the stock on...it's that bad. While you haev the gun ope to replace the trigger you should go ahead and do the MCarbo spring kit as well. Stock setup is fine, but MCarbo is better. The iron sights leave something to be desired, so most people use a simple red dot of some kind. I have mine on a quick detach mount so I just take it off and put it on the bottom rail when I want to fold it. I prefer 124gr ammo for my pistols so that what I use for the Sub 2k, but honestly it's cycled everything I've put into it with zero issues. There are tons of backpacks lying around the house from when the kids were in school, so I re-purpose one of those as my range/storage bag. Very fun gun to shoot and my go-to when there are practice Steel Challenge and Knockdown matches at out indoor range.

I'm always interested in drop-in options for triggers. Recently picked up a 22/45 for my daughter so I may take a look at the sear and hammer from a Volquartsen kit...

I like seeing the expression on friends faces at the range when I fire the "extra" round...

Good possibility. If everything else has remained the same, maybe take out/clean the seating die and reset it.

To say I'm jealous of having a home range would be an understatement...

Are you using the same bullets as the previous (successful) 5000? What bullets are they (brand, weight, shape, etc)? What's the OAL you're using and how consistent is the measurement? What press and dies are you using? Do ANY of the recent load fit, or are they all bad? Did anything change between the last successful loads and the new bad ones?

Agree with this.

Here's the link to the thread with your spreadsheet: Thanks again for sharing it with us.

Go to a used tool shop or go online and get a black and decker folding workbench/workmate: Bolt a piece of plywood to it and you have a foldable/portable reloading table. Attach the press to the table to reload and then remove it when you want to fold the table and store it. That's what I started with intending to build something bigger eventually, but it works so well I keep putting off a new build: Yes, there's a ton of s#!t cluttering it in that picture but when I remove the presses it folds flat.

Thanks for sharing the Everglades coupon code! I'll add them to the list to try...

As we can see by the varied replies so far I'm not sure there's a wrong way to do it!! I use this Harbor Freight double tumbler: https://www.harborfreight.com/dual-drum-rotary-rock-tumbler-67632.html I put 2.5 pounds of pins in each barrel and then put brass in until it's about 3/4 of the way full, then water until it's about 1/4 inch from the top. I use a VERY small squirt of Dawn soap and a MINUSCULE amount of Lemi-Shine (maybe 20 grains of it). I let it tumble for about 2 hours. I do not de-prime. I picked up a used salad spinner from Goodwill that works perfectly as a media separator. When clean I lay them out on a towel near the furnace and let them air dry for at least 24 hours. I just did a batch and they came out clean as normal. I've done the same process as above without pins as well, but the insides of the cases obviously were not as shiny as the outside.

I've used a bunch, and the two I seem to get most often are Acme and ibejiheads

Some things I've seen on other firearms forums: - Commercial sellers must have a paid commercial account. This doesn't necessarily mean a retailer, but includes people who are obviously making an income selling here (should be easy to determine based on forum stat's) - Non-commercial sellers can register to post in classified if they pay. For example: *$20 for a year *$5 for a 3 month window *$3 per month etc, etc - Ad's in place in Classified forum only to support the site

Thanks for sharing. If I try it out I'll respond with results.

Indeed. I started collecting brass several months before I began reloading to build up a decent stockpile, so I've never had to buy brass (9mm, 38 special, 357 magnum, 45 acp, .223/5.56). That gave me a low cost per round immediately. Additionally, I look for local guys who are selling powder/primers/bullets (and buy on sale whenever possible) so my cost stays low there as well. So instead of paying .18 cents per round from academy I end up around .11 - .12 cents. I only shoot around 6000 - 7000 of 9mm/year but that still more than $350 saved by reloading. It's a hobby to me, so I don't factor in a cost for time spend reloading, so if that's a factor then yes, its a wash with buying bulk from Academy.

Great. Another bullet I need to try!

That was my mistake SGT. I meant coated, not plated.

This was my understanding as well. We had a local/practice match last weekend and I wasn't sure, so I asked the RO what to do when he said load and make ready. He answered exactly as above and didn't blink when I was hammer down, safety off.

Lots of good suggestions here. Thinking of doing my first 3 gun this summer, so I'll have to come back to this thread!

Respectfully, I'd recommend moving on. If you keep digging and digging into this you're going to alienate yourself from the RO, RM and the organization itself. What do you hope to gain? They're not going to reverse the DQ. You're a new shooter who was warned on one stage and DQ'd on a subsequent stage for the same thing you were warned about. In the mind of the RO, RM, and anyone else in the organization it will be an open and shut issue. I believe you're telling the truth with your side of the story, but we don't get the OTHER side of the story from what the RO was seeing. From his eyes there was a problem with the way you were shooting. It was just a DQ. It's part of the game and it happens frequently. It even happens to experienced shooters. Go to the range and practice between now and your next match so you won't miss ANY targets.

Respectfully, I don't understand how that didn't answer your question. Different bullets can need to be seated differently. For ACME 124gr coated bullets I sit at 1.12 and they gauge and plunk just fine. For Brazos 125gr coated I have to sit at 1.08 to gauge and plunk. Not sure what you mean about "compressed loads". There's plenty of room in the case whether they're seated at 1.12 or 1.08 with Bullseye, Titegroup, and Clean Shot.