practical_man

^^^^This I have better performance using .357 or .358 lead projectiles in 9mm production pistols. BlueBullets brand .358 125 grain bullets run fine in my 9mm glock.

Tooth guy comes closest to the core of the analysis. Anything you don't enjoy doing is costly in terms that matter - time away from things you enjoy. If you really enjoy something, you make it a priority and budget accordingly. If you're trying to justify it to a significant other based on dollars, you might be missing the point completely. Doing things you enjoy brings energy and enthusiasm to your relationships. This is truly priceless. Once the kids are fed, clothed and housed, everything else is a matter of setting priorities. If you love to ahoot, you can make it work by driving a cheaper car, brown bagging your lunch, etc. If how you spend money is a friction point with wife or girlfriend then shooting not cost isn't the problem. Control is the problem and you need to fix that first. In my experience control battles are indicators of trust problems. Now to your question, as other have noted shooting is cheap compared to fishing or flying. I usually spend less than $50 on a match, including lunch and gas. The hardware- pistol, holster, etc is sunk cost so I just amortize it. Really, the guns I shoot cost nothing compared to ammo for a year, but I don't own a custom built 1911 that I didn't build. I really like shooting production or Revolvers. My most pricey handgun is a revolver that Toolguy fixed up for me. Best return on investment I have ever had in guns. He is a truly gifted machinist and teacher. So back to the point. Don't try to justify based on fiat currency. The things than matter most are how much you enjoy the surplus in your life: surplus time for leisure, surplus money for joy, and surplus energy for the people who matter in your life.

^^^ This. Plus a little Dextron Automatic Transmission fluid.

My experience mirrors young eyes and warp speed. I really like Varget. It's the first powder unused with Heavy .224 bullets and it is supremely consistent. I load it using the standard Dillon measure. It sounds like corn flakes in the measure, but steady technique produces great results.

I had mine sprayed with duracoat after doing some machine work on it. Duracoat does its job of rust prevention pretty well. It does scratch with use. It comes in many colors. My slide was bead blasted to remove much of the old finish. Spray finish is probably his easiest solution. Hard chrome is always an option too

It very much depends on the child. For several years I volunteered at our Skeet club. We taught new shooters frequently. Many dads brought kids who weren't physically strong enough to control the shotguns. That makes for a rough start for the kids. Lesson #1: Dry fire to build safe gun handling before trying live fire with kids. Other kids (mostly boys in the 8-10 years range) weren't mature enough to pay attention to safety. Horseplay is common among energetic boys. Less so with girls, or at least those at our club. Lesson #2. Frequent breaks when training children. Think of it as a recess. Like most things in life, age is irrelevant to competence. Test the basic skills to gauge interest and try to make things fun for kids. Checkers or shooting, the principle is the same: each person is ready when they are ready. They are interested or not. They have the physical coordination and maturity or they don't. The only way to find out is teach and test, a little at a time, and make things as fun as possible.

Does the bolt touch the frame opening in front? It not, you could lengthen the slot a bit to allow better protrusion. That would be an easy fix. You would have to remove side plate and internals though.

^^^This. I learned it the hard way. New brass sticks easily. I use a little case lube even with carbide dies. A little lube really smooths things out and makes it better for everyone New brass may or may not give consistent bullet pull. I size all new brass before loading now. I don't want to repeat the set back problems of the past

Shoot a bunch of different revolvers at a rental range. I like the K Frame S&W with a 4" barrel. It generally fits most people well. They run forever. Easy to learn to shoot well with 38 Special loads. Enough mass that recoil isn't punishment. Small enough to carry concealed if you choose to. And the list goes on. Many great values on police or prison guard trade-in revolvers. Ruger Double Action revolvers are a close second, though their DA trigger is somewhat heavier I have had Taurus and Rossi as a result of trades. I DO NOT recommend them. A used S&W or Ruger is a more reliable choice in my experience. Training and Practice are essential parts of firearms ownership. This can't be over emphasized. Good luck in the quest. Shooting rental guns with an experienced coach is probably the best education for your friends. It will do more to help them make an informed decision than anything else.

Everyone has their special approach on this. Most all will work well enough. I use non chlorinated brake cleaner to get old oils and powder residue off. Quick, easy, and cheap. You MUST lube after doing this or you will get serious rust. Mobil 1 synthetic 30W is what I use on all my 1911 pattern pistols. It works and generally stays where it belongs. I have found it works better than greases. 1911s run better wet and relatively clean. I use a brass oversize brush to clean the chamber. That's important to good function. Use the solvent of your choice. I like a 50/50 mix of Dexteon AUtomatic Transmission Fliud and Mineral Spirits. Cheap and effective. Bore cleaning is generally just a nylon brush using the above solvent. If there is metallic fouling the no use a snug fitting brass brush to remove it. Wipe off the outside and re-lube to prevent rust. I use the same routine with Glocks or spendy small shop built pistols. It's just a machine. Cleaning is just part of the maintenance process. No need to over think it or go crazy with special products. You probably have all the lube and cleaners you need in your garage right now.

As other have said, a scope that will resolve .22 holes at 300 yards requires great glass and is spendy. My Leupold won't get the job done on a standard high power target. It will do it at 200 but not 300. I use a spotting scope for more than hits. It is helpful in reading mirage for sight corrections. If you just want to see hits a target camera is probably the way to go now. If you are shooting high power or f class, I would save up for a Kowa of your choice.

That is great news! The slow heavy 38 Special is my favorite ? -John

I a amazed by your ingenuity! Thank you for sharing your achievement. Talented machinists are a blessing to our society. They are truly under appreciated.

Thanks to all that offered input. I ordered the feeder for 650

I like this idea a lot. I need to do some studying up on it. I am a real novice at this sort of thing.

Thank you. Good to have the reason why!

Thanks! I read your earlier post about the roll sizer set up. I just couldn't figure out which feeder assembly you were using. Do you know if anyone has done a home built auto drive and what the specs are? I just can't convince myself to spend $700 for an auto drive right now.

Thanks to everyone! I will order one today!

Narrow and smooth is my favorite right now. Leave just a little serration in the center. I have a .300 wide smooth trigger that came in my 586. It's a close second for me. The serrated trigger as it comes from factory is just too sharp for me in double action shooting.

We are buying a Case Pro. Which Dillon Case feeder is best for the Case Pro? We use a Dillon 550 loader, but no case feeder. That's not a constraint to swap CF from roll sizer to press. Desirable but not required. The important thing is to get a case feeder that will work best with the case pro. thanks

If the chamber gauges correctly now then all you need is a throat reamer. They are about $100. If you are only doing one it makes more sense to take it to a local competent gunsmith with your dummy rounds and have him do cut as required

Stephen That's good shooting load. I have a 45 that consistently has first round fliers. I have been told it is from inconsistent seating the first round. Changing extractor tension helped some but didn't completely eliminate it for me. I would like to know the cure too!

I really like WSF with light bullets. 5.4 grains WSF with 115 grain HAP bullets is very accurate for me at 50 yards. I haven't tried with coated bullets yet.

Of course it is. Cut a couple coils of the mainspring. Polish the hammer- sear interface. Polish trigger return plunger. That should get you down to 2.5 pounds pretty easily. Don't take too much off the mainspring as it is part of slowing the bolt after firing. Be careful not to lose the ball detent in the mainspring assembly. It is under serious pressure. The good news is the ball detent is cheap and readily available.

I used a Lee hand press with a universal decapper for a very long time. Cheap and effective. Plenty of leverage. The ram catches the spent primers I drilled a hole in mine so I could get the spent primers out without taking the shell holder off. I am considering a Harvey de-primer now. Mostly because it is a neat gadget that doesn't require shell holders.