TODAY'S GUN TIME

[sandman2234]

I bought 200s in .243 & .223, put Timney triggers in them, and haven't shot either one. One has the factory camo stock and the other got a Hogue with camo pattern. That I don't remember which is which hints at how much bench time I don't get, but then I trap more critters than I'll ever shoot.

You at least have the option of bench time! You have guns, ammo and a place to shoot by just walking out your back door!
David from jax

 

[paulsharvey]

My go-to gun for small groups (my personal version of small groups; shot some 0.40s, few 0.8s, and lots between 1 and 1.5") is a Cheap TC Compass in 223/556. I think it was like $229. I've thought about swapping to a Boyd's stock, but I don't really want to mess with it if it's shooting like that. Same token, I've got a frustrating Ruger American Predator 308 (18" barrel) that shoots 'fine' and 'good enough' but just never shot like I hoped, 1.5" pretty regular, some 1.25", but also some 1.75" stuff; that I have thought about swapping to a Boyd's

 

[the old grind]

You at least have the option of bench time!

Too busy trapping & napping. Maybe I should just sell more guns.

 

[sandman2234]

Too busy trapping & napping. Maybe I should just sell more guns.

You could nap while you are waiting on the target (that you currently trap) and take them out with a well placed shot!
I am still in the market for some, have a few items that I am shy of! (or are in my "want list"!)
David from jax

 

[gsganzer]

Found one!

My favorite concealed carry pistol has always been a Sig P230 stainless. These .380 pistols are nothing short of perfection, with a DA/SA, decocker and fixed barrel blowback design and a simple heal catch for the mag. They fit my hand like a glove and point so naturally. The accuracy has always been outstanding, making them a true 25yd+ pistol in a world where most small .380's are a "belly gun".

I have many striker fired pistols, but I've always appreciated and preferred a nice hammer gun that you could cock for that first round trigger crispness and accuracy.

I always thought there was an opening in the market for Sig to plump up the P230 design and make it a 9mm luger, and I guess they did in some regards with the old P239 that never seemed to catch on and really leaned more squarely toward the P228/229 then the P230. I guess in today's mindset, everyone wants more rounds in the mag.

Anyway, found a nice one that was selling from a member on another forum. I'll get the FFL transfer/shipping worked out tomorrow.

I think I'm still interested in a Sig Mosquito too, for plinking and trapped hog dispatch. Maybe even a P220 in .45ACP. I always thought I was done buying guns, then another itch seems to come along.

 

[5030]

Just finishing up another batch of 500 .223 cases. I have to finish annealing them and then they get loaded along with the rest I did previously, all with Federal primers and juiced with H335. I bent the stem that carries the sizing ball in my RCBS 223 competition die set somehow, so I called RCBS in Oroville California and talked to them about buying a new stem and sizing ball and interestingly (I didn't know it) but RCBS die sets are guaranteed for life and they replaced the stem and seater ball (and the new seater ball is machined for headed decap pins, not that I use them as I decap with either a Redding Decap die or my Frankfort Arsenal decapping tool.

Anyway, they sent me one via Fed-Ex, no charge. I found that very refreshing because in today's world, nothing is guaranteed for life. Guess RCBS reloading products are..

Nice folks to talk to on the phone as well and they found it interesting that because I own and operate my own machine and fabrication shop, I make my own custom seater stems for various bullets and I also make my own die bushings for the Whidden and Redding bushing dies I use with my 30, 338 and 300 Win Mag reloads. I do seat all of them with a RCBS micrometer seater and make the seater stems to order. I bore, ream and then heat treat the bushings from oil hard drill rod btw and the seater stems from either mild steel bar stock or in the case of ballistic tipped bullets, aluminum bar stock.

All my handload cases get annealed (rifle) as well as my handgun reloads in magnum calibers because the heavy required crimp work hardens the crimped end and causes them to fail (crack) prematurely so I anneal just the ends of them to extend case life. Quality brass isn't cheap today but I am so I do it.

 

[gsganzer]

I think almost all my dies are Redding for my rifle rounds. For my pistol, I have some Dillon carbide for use in the Dillon 650.

I remember having to call Redding one time, and like your experience with RCBS, Redding went above and beyond to help me.

 

[5030]

You won't find any Dillion stuff here and never will. I don't do 'production' loading with indexable powder drops and such. I use a Harrell ball bearing powder drop and an Ohaus triple beam scale with my own designed vibrating powder trickler and electric eye to finish off each charge to within 1/4 grain. About the only thing I use besides a Rockchucker single stage press is a Redding T8 Turret press. I'm never in any hurry either. Hurry equals mistakes and mistakes can and will destroy my expensive custom built weapons. Not in my wheelhouse.

Just like when I prep my bottleneck cases. First they all get the primers removed and then (in the case of OFMB) they get the pocket crimps removed with a pocket chamfering tool chucked in one of my floor lathes. Then they get FL resized in the appropriate dies, then get cut to COAL, then get the ID of the necks VLD reamed and then the OD of the necks reamed with a burr removal tool. After they are FL resized, they get a 3 hour bath in a wet tumbler with SS pins and a dash of Dawn detergent and Lemishine and dried in the sun for a day.

Final step before priming is annealing.

Of course some steps are deleted when dealing with brass other than OFMB as I load many calibers, rifle and handgun. I never have enough...lol

 

[gsganzer]

I use the Rockchucker and Redding dies for all my rifle rounds. The Dillow was when we used to shoot a lot of 9mm, 10mm, 44mag and other pistol rounds. I do much of that anymore. But I'll probably resurrect the Dillon for some .308 and .223 loadings.

Almost all my shooting is hunting related. I'm getting ready to load some .260 and .375 H&H with the Rockchucker. But I'll probably resurrect the Dillon for some .308 and .223 loadings. We shoot a fair amount of those for pigs and plinking.

 

[paulsharvey]

I have a mix of Lyman, Lee, and Hornady dies, 1 Lee press, 1 Hornady press, and a Lee perfectnpowder measure. Honestly, Hornady is my go to brand foe dies, mostly because that's what is in stock locally, but they are good qualify. I also like the add-on microadjust seating stem.