George

Yep, figured it would have to be out towards 1.20" OAL to get AA7 to work in the neener at major PF even compressed. I tried it when I first went 9major because I liked it in the souper so much (and have a ton of it). Gave up at 9.2-9.3 gr. on AA7 because I use a Glock open gun platform now and can only load to 1.165" OAL.

I am not sure HS6 will get you there unless you can load longer than 1.165" OAL. I am limited to that OAL by Glock magazine depth in my open gun and with a 124gr JHP it takes 8.6gr HS6 to get to 170PF. That is already a compressed load in a 9mm case! I agree with AA7 being a great powder choice in a comp gun. Just not sure you can cram enuff of it into a neener case to get to 170pf. I use over 10 grains of AA7 in my .38 stupor open gun to get 170pf with a 124gr.

I have used AA7 and WW231 in 9mm with good results for many years now. Both are good choices for 9mm IMHO. I have also used AA5 and HS6 to good result in 9mm. You will be best served IMHO by just sticking to the powder you already have to start (AA7) and get some pistol reloading experience under your belt before you start looking to perfect a load recipe for your gun. At this point loading something that is functionally reliable and doesn't kick like a mule is where you should be looking to start here. I recommend getting started using a 147gr FMJ or JHP loaded to 1.150" OAL. Start at 4.0 grains of AA7 and work it up a couple tenths at a time till you get to 5.2 to 5.4 grains. You want to get solid slide function and make sure the gun locks back reliably on an empty magazine or your load is too soft or too heavy. If you have a chronograph available select the powder charge that gives you about 900-920fps with the 147gr bullet. This will put you in the 130-135 power factor range which is just about perfect for 9mm ammo in competition and general shooting use.

+1 to the L.E. Wilson drop gauge. Use it to compare a fired case from YOUR chamber to the ones being re-sized. Headspace is fine once the resized case head is at or below the level of the fired case head in the gauge. Even if case is tight on first firing in your rifle it should be fine once you resize it again.

Registration Update: As of todays mail we have 58 confirmed entries in hand with about a dozen folks emailing me saying their entry is on it's way. At this point I figure this match is 75% full within the next couple of days and 100% full within the next week or two! Get those apps in if you want a slot folks. The wait list starts after 90 entries are confirmed. Entries are accepted via US mail only and are processed in order of postmark time and date. I cannot specifically reserve match slots unless I actually have an entry form with match fee in my hand.

Competitor registration for the 2012 BARC is now open. Here is the registration form: 2012_Reg_Form.pdf

The date for the 2012 BARC has been set and we are now open for business on a limited basis. Match date: June 24, 2012. Location: Richmond Rod & Gun Club, Richmond, CA Registration will open after December 1, 2011. Match fee is now $90.00, non-refundable under a week out. Rules and general information have been updated for 2012 Sponsors are being organized and there is very good news there. The 2012 BARC will be getting a larger level of sponsor support than ever before. This will translate to a humongous prize table for 2012 with higher retail prize value down to a much deeper level than last year. Stage designs are being worked on and will be posted when completed. Stay tuned for more details.

The available points on a given stage is based on shooting all A's (5 points per A). A good rule of thumb is that you need to shoot 90-92% of the available points on a stage at a minimum. Shooting all A's is usually a time waster to some degree depending on the course. Shooting so fast that you get mostly C's is a waste of points. The proper balance is found when you shoot as fast as you can while still reaping 90% or more of the available stage points.

Been using standard WW SR primers in AR's for over 25 years without a single slam-fire. Don't know anyone else who has ever had a single slam-fire with standard SR primers in AR's either, ever! Not a worrisome issue at all IMHO

The Hornady bulk 55gr FMJBT are the best 55gr projectile out there IMHO. I load them over WW748 using WW SR primers. Load data for 748 is 26.5 to 27.5 grains (you need to work it up in your rife) with OAL at 2.235" Shoots MOA or better in all my AR's

THIS! JW Marriott rocks for a match hotel Stayed there for 2002 and 2005 MG Nats and would never stay anywhere else for a match at that range.

55gr FMJBT with a typical BC at 3150fps when zeroed at 200 yards will be 3/4" high at 100 yards and 5 and 3/4" low at 300 yards. Even though there is no substitute for testing at actual distance, sighting with offset at 100 yards is just about twice as good as doing it at 50-60 yards is

Cheapest trimmer that indexes on the case shoulder is the Possum Hollow trimmer (under $50). It can be hand turned or chuck it into a drill to motorize it. Trims just as well as the Giraud/Gracey just doesn't chamfer and debur at the same time.

Best trimmer to use is the Giraud or the Gracey as they index on the case shoulder and produce a more uniform bullet jump distance than trimmers that index on the case head. This is because the cartridge case indexes on the shoulder in the chamber, not the case head. The Giraud and Gracey also chamfer and debur at the same time they trim, collet trimmers need this dane as separate steps. The Giraud and Gracey are also motorized so they are way FAST.

My experience with the 1100 and 11-87 shotguns is to use nothing heavier than 30w motor oil in them. Gas system, bolt, trigger group, all lubed with motor oil type lube. Remington recommends RemOil (of course), IME, synthetic detergent motor oil like Mobil 1 works better. Run the gas system sloppy wet and it won't carbonize on you and it will just wipe clean instead of requiring scraping. Run the trigger group moderately wet and the bolt slightly wet (friction points only). IME greases are too thick for the action and gas system and will slow bolt speed which can cause issues with light shot loads and other reduced power ammo.

Hornady One-Shot lube for pistol cases, Dillon lanolin lube for bottle-neck rifle cases.

We replaced all the faucets in the house about 6 years ago with Kohler single handle ones and we are very happy with them. A little pricier than other brands but worth it IMHO.

Tellya' what, how about if I send you one of our steel clay backers gratis and you can try it for yourself. PM me your shipping address and I will get one out to you ASAP. Keep it, beat the crap outa' it and then let me know what you think.

Here is the part of my previous post about that in reference to the custom made steel clay-backer targets we are using. "I am absolutely comfortable using these targets at ranges as close as 35 yards to the competitor. No splatter comes back uprange from the steel backer due to the upward angle on the backer face. NOTE: The backers we use are made of AR-400 steel, nothing softer would suffice!"

see above edit. Yup, caliber makes quite a difference here The .308 135gr has a piss poor BC and sectional density compared to the .270 version. .488 BC and .251 SD versus .399 BC and .201 SD for the .308 135gr SMK. That translates to a whole lot more wind drag on the .308 projectile. Try the SMK 175 in .308. It has a .502 BC and .263 SD and is known to fly very well to 1000 yards. The 155gr Palma Match King would also be a good choice at .504 BC and .233 SD. The 175 will buck cross wind better than the 155 though.

I have used the SMK 135 gr (.277 diameter) out to 800 yards very successfully. Great bullet for .270 caliber IMO. Drive it fast and it goes where you point it very well in the wind.

A very big +1 to Bil's point on NOT taking an iMac apart, EVER!!! USB 2.0 is plenty fast enuff for an external HD Try OWC for good deals on external HD's Their Mercury Elite line of FW400/USB 2.0 drives are a very good price point. http://eshop.macsale...FW800_FW400_USB

300 yard zero will also be on at about 30 yards, 3" high at 100 yards and 4" high at 200 yards. Best zero IMO if you will shoot past 200 much. 200 yard zero will also be on at about 50 yards, 1" high at 100 yards and 6" low at 300 yards. Good zero if you don't shoot past 200 much. Best to set both and note the click difference so you can apply either zero as needed. Setting zero at the close range point (30 or 50 yards) is just a ballpark and no guarantee it will be on at the intended distance too. Always check at full distance.

Tumbling loaded rifle rounds will not set them off. It is perfectly safe IMHO to tumble them for a reasonable mount of time to clean them.

The clay is required to properly indicate a hit (and therefore a score) because edge hits on the steel backer do not always take the hinged 2x4 over backwards. The rule for score is "frangible must indicate hit to score". This is the final level of indication that gives us a 100% hit determination reliability rating for this target in match usage. The bright orange clay being there and then not being there is the absolute best indication of a hit you can have (or conversely, indication of a miss if the clay is still hanging there). The hinged 2x4 is not there to make the target a falling steel type, it is there to eliminate damage large caliber rifles were doing to the wood when we used to use rigid 2x4 supports. A .308 would move the target stand base and also take the top of the 2x4 off if there was any level of wood damage below the wood backer when a rigid 2x4 was used. The fall-over-mode is just icing on the cake when a solid hit to the backer is made, but it is not the indication of score, the frangible breaking is the indication of score.