practical_man

I use Krylon on AR-15 furniture which is very similar. The Fusion sticks better than regular Krylon, but it will chip. Chips don't bother me because my guns are tools not showpieces. There are much more durable options available as you know. Cerrakote and Norell's moly resin have worked well for me. They are harder than Krylon and more durable but they too will chip and wear with use. I can't say how it will work on STI plastic. I suspect the results will be similar. Hope this helps.

I have both Dillon Strong Mount and InLineFabrication mount. I like Dan's mounting set up much better. It is made of thicker material and much stronger, e.g., less flex in the mount when popping crimped primers out and seating primers. I will eventually get Dan's mounts to replace strong mounts that I have; I like them that much better. For mounting, I used T-nuts from the hardware store. These nuts imbed into the bottom of the bench. Makes swapping presses much easier. A few T-nuts an I can easily switch between Dillon Blue for metallic, MEC Red for shotguns, and my RCBS Green casting pot. Maybe one day I will transition over to the quick change mount, but the T-nut system is working out VERY well for me. I really like all of Dan's stuff. It's a great value, even if it isn't inexpensive. His light kit for my Dillon 550 may be the best money I ever spent on loading equipment. That light is much more effective than any of the improvised solutions I've tried. -john

I have had great luck with Ultradot on 1911s. My experiment wit Burris FF3 was a miserable failure.

Thanks Jeremy and Mark!

Mark Do you know who might have .357 diameter HAP? I do shoot the .355 diameter 115 grain HAP in 9mm with good results. I like that bullet. Thanks

Thanks for your replies. I have been on the road a bit lately. Sorry for my late response.

Nomex aviator gloves that are issued at work. Gloves are primarily to protect hands from environmental hazards, not to cure slippery grip. They work fine for both. Gloves do slow down gun manipulation a bit. For competition ProGrip is a better solution.

I'm looking for input on a substitute for zero 125 grain bullets; preferably a bullet that is actually available for purchase. Is there anything more affordable than Hornady XTP that will hold 3" groups at 50 yards? The revolver is a 627 with compensator. The revolver is more than capable of holding the x-ring with zero bullets at 130PF. Thanks for you input.

Their prices look competitive. What's their shipping cost? thanks

I wouldn't worry too very much about this tho. I've never encountered a mismarked AR barrel. I handload 223 with Varget and run it pretty close to NATO pressures with some bullets. I've never had a problem doing this, but I also load to magazine length so the bullets are nowhere near the end of the leade when chambered. What brand barrel are you concerned about? -john

I measure by casting the chamber with cerrosafe. When I do a chamber cast I usually cast the first 2 to 3 inches of the barrel so I can measure land & groove dimensions, etc. It's easy to do and fairly inexpensive. Cerrosafe is an alloy that melts around 200 degrees fahrenheit. Follow the instructions that come with it, and it's relatively foolproof. Compare the dimensions to SAAMI and NATO specs. You can also do this with lead, but that's a messier and more difficult process. It is a bit more accurate tho. -john

I started loading .223 for CMP Service Rifle competition where accuracy is fairly important. I started with a set of redding dies which worked just fine. I added a Lee collet factory crimp die to better control neck tension at the crimp. A set of Lee dies will do you just fine; that's what I would have bought had I known better at the time. We don't need benchrest accuracy. I'm not Lee, but here's what I do. Clean brass Resize and trim to length. Lots of case lube is helpful here. I like OneShot, and I put a little imperial sizing wax in the neck of every 10th case or so to keep the expander ball sliding smoothly inside the neck) Set up Dillon 550 for .223 Seat Primer Drop Powder (Varget, which feels like you're chopping thru a forest but is consistent to +/- .2 grains and that's good enough for sub MOA accuracy out to 600 yds) Seat bullet Crimp with factory crimp collet die I have toyed with the idea of adding a collet die to station one to ensure consistent neck tension but havent seen the need yet. If I have a problem with neck tension, I will certainly do that. Hope this helps

As others have said, it's primarily pressures that the ammunition is loaded to and the amount of freebore in the chamber. SAAMI had the drawings and chamber specs on their website. Freely available to download here: http://saami.org/specifications_and_information/index.cfm Info sheets from Federal and Armalite are attached for your consideration. Is there a specific reason concern you have that we can help with? 223VS556.pdfTech Notes_TECH NOTE 74 5.56 vs 223 vs Wylde 090817 Rev 0.pdf

Polishing may or may not reduce measured trigger pull. It will improve the smoothness and feel, and likely improve function. I like to polish the safety plunger to make sure it freely moves in the channel and across the trigger bar. YMMV

I have and like the Range Officer quite a bit. I am shooting it as is for now. Short list of future mods is a maxwell and ambi safety. Otherwise it is a solid and accurate pistol. The adjustable sights are a bit sharp. Mine will eventually get dressed a bit to take the bite out. I have a love/hate relationship with adjustable sights anyway.... Hope this helps

Thanks for posting. The bushing is certainly of interest. Comp might be for a rifle. What is the thread? What is outside diameter? Thanks

Me too. I bought mine in the early 90s. Guess I got lucky because it just works every time. I usually run it overnight.

Like others mine is 2x4 frame with two sheets of laminated 3/4" exterior plywood as a top. No flex at all. It is 24 x 36 inch work surface so that helps keep things rigid.

I have and use Lee, Dillon, RCBS, Lyman, and Hornady Dies. All work well when properly adjusted. Your problem description is a little unclear. If you loaded ammo, then resized the loaded round, you may have introduced a problem by swaging the bullet to a smaller diameter. Set the case gauge to the side for now. Use your barrel to chamber check. I would propose that you pull all of the affected ammo. It could be hazardous to shoot it, as bullet set back can seriously increase pressures. While you are at it, readjust your dies according to the instructions. I am not trying to be insulting, but it is possible that they are improperly adjusted. Screwing the dies down as far as possible helps a lot to get sizing done properly. You may have an expander ball in the sizing die that is too big for the bullets you are using. You will have to measure to check. Once the dies are verified as properly installed, load a few dummies - no powder or primer, and check them in your pistol. be sure to do the push test - literally push a round firmly against a table to see if the bullet will move - measure with calipers before and after to check this. If the RCBS dies are out of spec they will replace them. At least for me, RCBS has replaced everything for free, even if operator error caused the part failure. I use a lot of different brands of dies, collected over the years as I was learning. Now if I need dies I get Hornady or Dillon. It's worth the little added cost for me. I do like the Lee collet sizing die for rifle ammo. hope this helps.

Did you put it on a dial indicator? If not, you might. I had a model 67 that did what you describe. The ejector rod looked fine to the eye. When I put it on a dial indicator it was over .050 off true. After I straightened the ejector rod all was well.

Jman, That's great news. Now if only I could find some AutoComp... I'd really like to try some for Bianchi in both 9mm minor and 38 Special. I guess patience is a virtue... -john

The ranch products 38 special clips work fine with Winchester brass. They are about $75 per hundred. Sadly hey are terrible with any other brand of brass. I have a few Hearthco for starline brass. They are excellent. Haven't tried rsc yet

I've never had that problem. I set the die up with a wrench, then tighten the lock ring set screw. It's a one time deal for me. The set screw just keeps the die at the right place. Guess you could use green loctite to hold the lock ring to the die if you like. All that said, I only use set screw lock rings for single stage rifle calipers. On my progressive loader just tightening the lock ring to the tool head witha wrench does the job well.

^^this^^ I use a 6004 at work. It gets the pistol away from the hugely thick IBV armor. It does allow the pistol to move around more than I like and get hung up in seat belts in HMMWV or aircraft but I like it better than the alternatives I've tried. For competition I like BladeTech. Belt space can be an issue tho. Everything is a compromise, except safety

How was the accuracy? Did you get complete combustion? Thanks John