tacomandood

Well I was thinking of just using the frame from the batting net, and having some kind of bungee pulling the net from the rear so that it all funnels down into whatever container. Maybe just cut a hole in the netting and melt the frayed ends with a lighter? I was thinking a mesh tarp like that would probably work best too. Seems the eyelets would hook easily into the poles used for the batting net frame. I do like the idea of the golf net too. In the worst case, all the brass would be in a neat little pile and could probably be picked up easily by handfuls. I’m gonna go shop around town and see what I find. Worst case, I may just wait for the CED catcher to go on sale. How often would you say they do their sales? All I’ve seen in the last few months was Black Friday.

So I’m sure all you reloaders out there feel me in the struggle of picking up brass during or after a practice session. I’ve seen the brass chute CED has come out with and it seems like a pretty sweet idea. Unfortunately, they’re asking $150 for it! Link for reference: https://www.doublealpha.biz/us/ced-brass-chute Currently, I use a tarp or moving blanket when I’m out shooting to catch my brass, but since switching to .40, the brass flies a lot further and rolls making this method almost useless. So I got to thinking.. What about using a batting net? It’s basically the same idea as the CED brass chute. The only thing I’d imagine would need to be done is replacing the net to a finer mesh, which can probably be found at Home Depot/Lowe’s pretty easily. Then, come up with a way to funnel the net into a container so the brass doesn’t melt the net. Here’s the batting net I was thinking of: https://www.hitrunsteal.com/products/portable-baseball-and-softball-hitting-net-5-x-5-large-mouth-net?variant=44674920974 So what do you guys think? Should I just save myself the trouble and fork out the extra for the CED net? Maybe my idea could work? Or do you guys have any other ideas?

That’s part of the challenge with production/L10. I usually never had issues since I generally planned a reload every time I moved with at least 1-2 left in the mag. If I got to a point in my stage plan where I expected 9 or even 10 shots without makeups I would usually try and plan that spot differently by shooting other targets sooner or after a mag change. Even on further steel shots I left myself plenty of makeup rounds before a reload. There’s been times recently that I can think of where I’ve hit a couple mini poppers at like 15+ yards on the first shot and still dropped a mag with like 4 rounds left in because that’s how many I planned for makeups. Still, I got sick of limited capacity magazines and decided to switch to Limited last month. The reason is not so much that it’s harder to have only 10 rounds, but seeing how much less competitive Production can be against guys who are shooting Major PF and not having to reload 2-4 times in a stage really irked me. Plus, winning Production at a local match isn’t very fun when you’re beating the same 4-5 guys every time. It seems there’s a lot more diversity in Limited as far as competition goes.

I thought the Redding Competition die had the spring loaded seating stem right? Seems a few people on this thread just take the spring out eventually, but isn’t it supposed to help with more precise seating and alignment? That’s what I’ve heard from some who had the seating issues I mentioned earlier, and supposedly this is a possible fix for it.

Dillon resizing dies are known for being slightly undersized as well if you're having sizing issues. The only other issue I could think of is that maybe your cases are bulged near the rim? Pretty uncommon in anything other than .40 shot through older Glocks, though, so I doubt it's that. Depending on how much you're reloading, you could take a look at getting a rollsizer too. A bit expensive if you're not processing thousands of pieces of brass regularly, but man do they look sweet lol. They're supposed to help with fixing issues like this, plus you can swap out the sizing die to just a universal decapper in your first station, and it would probably make the whole process way smoother. Again, depends on what kind of money you've got to spend and if that's even worth it to you. The last thing I'd recommend is maybe checking out a different seating die? I know you said there were issues before even loading them... but I've had issues with my Dillon 9mm seating dies where they kinda seat the bullet in crooked and it caused the case to bulge about halfway down. Only happened with FMJs and 147gr coated bullets, really. I guess the easiest fix is a Redding competition seating die since it's spring loaded and supposed to keep the bullet completely straight.. but that's a single $100 die just for the sake of convenience.

I mean, I was pointing out why Ben and Kim price it the way they do. Also tried to explain why that matter to people who worry about the price, which I think adds a little more value to this thread than you trying to be funny buuut.. sure, bud.

I think it’s more about the perceived value of cost versus benefits received. $25/month is the bronze level which only gets you access to their training videos and forums. If you want personalized feedback on your monthly match videos it’s $50. Still a very fair price when you consider that even just 5-6 months of continued feedback is still cheaper than a one-day class. Still, some people probably think to themselves “well with $25 I can get Ben Stoeger’s Skills & Drills book and get the same thing forever blah blah”. Except it’s not.. So, to each their own I guess. [emoji1745][emoji3603]

AR500 Target Solutions (whoo, that’s a mouthful lol) is the first couple of stands I bought from and they’ve lasted me great for thousands of rounds now in the last year and a half. The base design is unique and super easy to move around or take apart, and the hangers and targets are easily compatible with 90% of other plates or hanging systems I’ve used. All you need is a 2x4 and you’re set to go. Though the price is a little more than what you might find from other places, for the design and portability you really can’t go wrong. I keep both of these stands and silhouettes in the back of my Jeep at all times in case I ever want to go out on a whim, and they don’t take up more than half of the back cargo space and maybe 6” high. Fast & free shipping too! I got two full target sets in 3 days from when I placed the order, since he uses USPS priority flat rate. https://www.ar500targetsolutions.com/product/ar500-12x20-x-38-silhouette-steel-target-full-stand/

Honestly, after the first one being deformed like that I’d just get the glass replacement. Seems to me if you’ve had the press that long a simple $40 replacement that won’t ever have to be replaced again would be worth it. Supposedly they help with static as well, though I didn’t have that issue again after just a few weeks of use.

Yeah that stuff. Once you get the bearing and lights on there’s just barely enough room for clearance so definitely recommend doing it all at once.

You’ll probably need to install the low-profile lock ring and screws or the silicon board for the light kit will bump into the standard screws. Either way, you’d have to take it off since there’s no way to get the light around the center rod that it’s attached to.

Yeah Ben and Kim mentioned in one of their recent podcasts that the main reason they have it priced as such is to basically avoid getting f*#kheads on their forums lol. If you’re paying a decent chunk you’re obviously there to improve your shooting and not be a nuisance in the forums before you post unproductive comments and get banned. Also, it specifically states on their website that the information there is simply to help you and your own self-improvement is dependent on how much work you put into training. I’d simply look at it as another tool to get better, but you have to know how to use it. Plus, with the amount of information you seem to get and the direct feedback from two of the best shooters in the sport I don’t see why you wouldn’t use it.

I’m willing to bet the issue was almost entirely from the mags. Might still wanna replace the springs in there, most people do that every ~10k rounds or so, or once a year. To be honest, I’m surprised you went so many rounds without having to clean your mags. Mine start gunking and jamming up after just dropping them in the dirt 2 or 3 times lol. I clean mine with light oil and wipes every 1k rounds and get like 5-6 swabs that come out pretty black. I can kinda start to feel when they start getting slowed down by dirtiness though. Maybe try feeling for that when you’re loading them and it’s been a while since you’ve cleaned them?

Yeah the Dillon one is definitely cheaply made. Super thin nylon, and I pretty much paid extra to have the Dillon branding stitched into it. I could see it being big enough to cover a mr. bulletfeeder though, I have plenty of loose space with just my press and case feeder.

Jesus that one definitely needed to be replaced! Lol

Primarily faster operation, depending on what auto drive you’re using. With the Mark 7s, I guess you can increase the index speed without worrying about powder flip. More of a problem for those loading 9mm major with a case full of powder. I know there are replacement rods or whatever those things are called on the toolhead that go thru the shellplate that are supposed to have tighter tolerances too, but I haven’t looked into it too much.

Yeah, as I mentioned before, the bearing upgrades aren't absolutely necessary but a nice thing to have. A similar upgrade to the precision powder adjustment where it's nice to have and makes a slight difference, but for only $25 I figured it was worth it. If you ever decide to upgrade to an autodrive most people say its almost completely necessary, so at least you've invested in the upgrade now rather than later. I don't know if its my getting better with the press or the upgrades along with it, but I easily loaded 900 rounds in just under an hour (58 minutes) the other day. I'd attribute the smooth and consistent function to the upgrades and it was definitely nice not having to stop every ~100 rounds to brush off powder around the shellplate. The lighting kit I absolutely recommend installing as soon as possible. It's helped me catch messed up cases, different caliber cases, and janky bullet seats before it jams up the press a few times now. Of course, that's easier to add when you take it apart for cleaning, so whichever you end up doing first works lol. Let us know what you think after you've had a good run with those installed.

Gonna throw my experience in here as well. Purchased min back in late April, and have had 1000+ rounds through it so far. I stopped keeping track after about 800 but haven't shot it a whole lot in the last couple of months so I'm anywhere between 1000-1300. Anyway, there was some weird thing with the ones produced in April where the trigger spring was coming disconnected in the middle of shooting. I'm sure you can find videos or memes of guys out there having to hold it upside down to get the trigger to reset and shoot. So this happened to me about 75 rounds in and I was pretty disappointed while at the range. Luckily, I took it apart later that night and popped the spring back into place properly. Since then, I haven't had it happen again nor noticed any signs of it loosening. As mentioned above, you really can't beat the capacity for the size. I hate that it only came with two 10-round mags, and the flush-fit is useless unless you're a women or have dwarf hands, but after getting one 12-round and carrying the 10-round with pinky extension I've nothing more to complain about. I've got 23 rounds ready to go if I need to use it, and it fits in such a small package that's so easily concealable that I hate carrying any other guns. I have a small AIWB holster and just carry a backup mag in my front pocket or the hidden mag pockets in my 5.11 pants. After buying it, I immediately sold my Kimber (I know, I know.. lol) Micro 9 and stopped carrying my P320C after I went through enough rounds to trust the 365's reliability. Since about August, I've been exclusively carrying this one and have no desire to carry anything else. Even the 320C has been sold at this point. Everyone I know (besides one Glock fanboy) has shot it and wished they'd gotten a 365 instead of a Glock 19 or 43. Of course, it's a poppy little gun if you're used to shooting competition guns, but nothing you shouldn't expect from its size. I think the main thing holding most people back is the slew of malfunctions they were having in the first couple months of production. Almost all issues you'll find have been fixed since about June this year including barrel peening (relief cuts added to slide), strikers breaking (new striker design), and the aforementioned trigger spring disconnecting. The X-ray sights are truly great for what they're made for, and I can't complain about the brightness of the tritium at night or the front fiber optic in the day. The ergonomics feel great for me, but I tend to push the gun left when drawing out of a holster. I have average-sized hands and I think it's just something about the way I set my grip up. Because of it, I tend to hit about 3"-4" left at about 7 yards. This is something that I've had a tough time fully fixing, but I spend most of my time practicing for USPSA when I get a chance to go out shooting and I'm sure it could be fixed more easily if I trained it out more aggressively. As of right now, 3"-4" is still close enough for me for most situations I'd imagine myself having to use it in. As far as the gun feeling off-balance, it really balances out once you have a full magazine in there, so those complaining about it being top-heavy are paying attention to the wrong thing. Sights too large as well? It's a carry gun, not a gun meant to be shot at 25+ yards so I don't see the complaints there either. That's like being mad that your Honda Civic doesn't go 0-60 as fast or smooth as your Porsche. Overall, for the price (~$500) and the capacity and size it can't be beat. Most of the complaints on this thread seem to be guys upset that it doesn't have features or handling of a race gun? As a comfortable, light, everyday carry you can't do much better right now in terms of capacity and concealability. HOWEVER, if you're a Glock person you may want to hold off for a little while longer as the current rumors floating around are of a Glock 43X, which is supposed to compete with the 365 in terms of size and capacity. At the end of the day, I'd see if you could get your hands on one to shoot and maybe even borrow from a friend for a few days to see how it carries. I traded a buddy of mine his G19 for my 365 for about a week to let him truly get a feel, and he ended up getting a 365 not too long after lol.

Came here to say the same. You’ll notice that the failsafe wont pull it down far enough if it’s too loose, and that’s where you get the second clunk. You’ll notice it on the upstroke if you go slow and see exactly where it’s happening. Try tightening it up a little and see if that doesn’t fix it for you. Personally, I don’t mind a slight clunk when it resets, because it’s lets me know that’s it’s working properly. It helps me create a rhythm on my stroke as well so that I’m running the press pretty consistently.

Lol watching him wear those bulky glasses cameras and the BCGs with lens inserts they give for BCT made me laugh pretty hard. Awesome drill though, I’ll have to try this out myself. I’m getting to the point where I can call shots that are outside on 10-15 yard targets, but my reaction time and accuracy on calling missed shots past that is terrible. I’ll be finished with the next shot before realizing I shot one outside. Granted, I can get the make up shots in afterward, but by the time I’ve realized it in already moving to the next target and lose a bunch of time on the transition back. Maybe trying this drill at a faster pace will really force me to call those bad ones sooner.

Lol I thought the same thing when I was trying to post something about reloading. Thankfully, Tapatalk seems to keep it from happening while I’m typing it in on my phone. It’s almost more convenient to try and post something on my iPhone keyboard than it is on desktop lol. Hopefully a fix comes soon.

Eh, it’s harder to appreciate the difference the upgrades make. As I mentioned before, it’s not anything huge, but you’ll definitely see how much smoother everything runs after installing them. I processed about 1200 pieces of brass last night in about an hour because it was so easy to just crank that handle as fast as I could while resizing. I know if I was indexing the machine that fast before the upgrades, pieces of brass would be flying out and around everywhere. But I’d say you can probably wait until you take apart the press to clean it before you install everything. I clean mine about every 2-3k rounds (about 6000 turns if you count brass processing) and when I changed calibers yesterday, but Dillon recommends somewhere between 5-10k loads I think. I’ve noticed the press stays a lot cleaner with the upgrades, though, and when I clean it now it usually just consists of a quick brush/wipe and reapplying grease to moving or metal-to-metal parts. Grease will be very little too. I bought a brand new container when I got the press and have cleaned it about 4-5 times now and haven’t even used the grease that’s stuck on the lid of the can lol. Pulling out all the brass locater pins and doing a quick brush around the shell plate after a session helps keep it cleaner longer too.

Looks like I'm going for the Shotmaxx-2 then! Watched some overviews on the Pocket Pro and they seem pretty decent, but the portability just can't be beat. I can see how that would be a bit annoying, but something I'm willing to work around. As far as timing others, I'm sure you could just crank up the sensitivity a little and do your own thing, right? That's usually what I do when I'm out shooting with others anyway lol. Now I just gotta get rid of this Pact and use the money from that toward the Shotmaxx.

Yeah I’d imagine it’s good to be at the exact same powder drop every time you go back too. I don’t expect my scale to always be 100% accurate either, so it makes sense eliminating another possible variable there.

It definitely makes sense for the convenience, I’m just too cheap to want to spend $80 to save a few minutes at a time lol.