Firearms Discussion

[stretch0069]

Originally Posted by Galvanized

Shooting from the hip (Dillon reloader )

A fellow reloader????? hmmm....could be trouble.

[Topcat]

you making those home loads again?? last time I fired a 357 with those, it looked like a flame thrower.......

Ya might put yer eye out with that thing one of these days!

[stretch0069]

hahahahaha

50AE is too damned expensive to buy. I HAVE to reload. Not to mention the 454 Casull. Those suckers will cost you $1.50 a round. 50AE is the same. We won't go into the other calibers I have.

[Galvanized]

stretch, yes sir but the XL650 Dillon has been off the bench for 18months. I'm an old slow guy and at 59(July) I am glad most of the handgun loads are of moderate disposition. I'd shoot more often if not living in town, indoor range is all that's close. The XL650 can do 600 rounds per hour of 41Mag or 45Colt. The exwife was fond of 357, 9mm, 223. She was into the power feel of semi-autos but I like the pace and pleasure of revolvers.

Quick run down.
Walther PPk/s in stainless. Had to use an Arkansas white on the rails for stick free action. Used special lube for stainless. Feeds all 380ammo now, Cor-Bon for the magazine.

S&W Model 57, a very early edition. The sweetest factory breaking glass trigger I've had the pleasure of squeezing. DoM late '63,iirc.

Rugers, several in 45Colt, all SA. Wish I had bought my buddy's GP-100. A pleasent shooting, tack driving 357. The SAs have been abused by rough treatment and being knocked around. I wish now they were smaller caliber so Gary Reeder in Arizona could rework them. If you like SA handguns check out his web page. Gun porn for sure. Hamilton Bowen and Colt SAs are way out of my budget. Close to ten years ago I used to post at sixguns.com and sixgunner.com. It was a pleasure to be with Jim Taylor, John Taffin and Paco Kelly on line in real time.
The 454s can be had cheap used as most that buy them can only shoot 18 rounds before WTF sets-in I think Freedom Firearms is offering 50s now that are pleasent shooters. You might want to search Shootist Holiday for the annual, invitation only gathering of the true handgunners.

I never cared too much for stuffing long gun cases but have reloaded 30-06, 303, 308, 30-30 and 30carbine. If you spot a Ruger in 30carbine or especially 32cal, grab it if it's decent. Any of the 3 screw SA Rugers are just going up in price but the 32s are highly sought and command a premium.

Many years ago my brother in law was into trap shooting and I tagged along for several years. Use to work with him and his Size-O-Matic. We would fill a 33gallon plastic trash can in an evening with 12ga. I shot a field grade O/U Beretta w/32"tubes. Kind of long to be real quick but at 6'210#I could do'er. If you ever get a chance to shot trap at night under the lights you'll find it pure pleasure. The bright white clay stands out on an inky sky so well that a miss is very embarassing. Great times.

This is my first real gun talk in awhile and really don't intend to sound know it all. I really got into reloading and have sold/traded many firearms.
I have a Marlin lever gun in 45Colt but a 45-70 made into a take down would be a better traviling rifle. The newer Czech 22s keep grabbing my attention. I need a 22 rifle that's very accurate and would feed it the sub-sonic Mexican ammo

The old fart has rambled long enough. I saw your Avatar and know the majic of shooting through ones own smoke rings. I did shoot black powder for awhile but it was just too dirty.
I'll try to answer any question or offer some reloading tips if you want or you offer yours first. OH! The XL650 is overkill. I should have insisted on the 550 but she wanted to do 223 & 9mm *shakes head*.

[stretch0069]

Ahhh...another 41Mag fan. I have a NMBH 6.5" that I will keep forever.

Back in "the good ole days" when I was in Oregon, I reloaded on a Lee Load Master. It is an awesome press....when its working. It is fickle, but then I've heard that about Dillon too. My thing was Dillon's price. I do want to get my hands on one though. Unfortunately, I don't do any shooting, and thus reloading, these days. I need to get back into a rural environment.

I sold most of my firearms. Still got a dozen or so. Still have the three Desert Eagles. The 50AE is in the avatar. Hot loads. Everyone has to have a 9mm. I have a 22-250 that I wonder why I have it. I need a nice semi-auto 7.62/.308. I have a couple hundred rounds sitting here just wanting to be shot. but I suppose they'll have to sit and wait with the other hundreds of rounds waiting also. hahahaha I hate being in NoVa. Oh well...maybe a move to Alaska would be good.

[willawake]

I sold most of my firearms. Still got a dozen or so.

[Galvanized]

Lee is not bad but it is bargin gear. I had a RCBS Rock Chucker that was traded to a friend because he was forming brass. Little did I know that it was worth double the trade value I got.
John Taffin told me in a thread to bolt my bench to the wall and flipped primers would be a thing of the past. My bench at the time weighed 300# and seemed rock steady. After bolting it to the wall, no more problems reloading fast. Dillon is top shelf stuff. Once set-up, never had a reject in thousands of reloads.

The 22-250 could be used in the Mid West for varmit=red mist The problem with some of those is the throat gets shot out.

My brother, outside of Bermingham,Al., collects H&K and just looking at them can cause bodily damage A bit much for me as the only autos I regret letting go was a 1911 from the late '30s and a really sweet High Standard 22 target pistol (forget the model type) with the long fluted barrel.

willawake, the vast majority of US gun owners are not filmed in Hollywood

Firearms are like comps, in that one really good, well used one is worth several not so good units.

[stretch0069]

great....now the NSA and ATF will be watching us.

<thinking>

hey...more members!!!

btw...i sold all my guns to support my underwater basket-weaving habit.

[Spacedye69]

You won't hear me talking about guns...sshhhhh

[Galvanized]

Originally Posted by Spacedye69

You won't hear me talking about guns...sshhhhh

No political discussion out of me on this point

Old saying in motorbiking...Just because your paranoid, doesn't mean they are not after ya I refuse to live in fear. Used to take long brisk evening walks with my g/f around downtown Long Beach and took to carrying a cane(I didn't need) with a brass ball on the end.

[willawake]

my mom carries an extending flexible ninja baton on her walks, there are many stray dogs around the streets

[stretch0069]

...but i do have a friend that has a few......i think......maybe........

[Spacedye69]

I can at least get a concealed (?) carry permit in Ohio now if I were to ever own a "registered" hand gun!!

[MD Willington]

Guns are bad mmmkay.. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to put some CitGo gas in the Suburban so I can go get a loaf of bread, a latte at $tarbuck$, & pick up the kids from soccer practice...

{/sarcasm

lol

[stretch0069]

Originally Posted by MD Willington

Guns are bad mmmkay.. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to put some CitGo gas in the Suburban so I can go get a loaf of bread, a latte at $tarbuck$, & pick up the kids from soccer practice...

all of which is with 4 blocks of your house, right??



I live three miles from my work. the infrastructure is not there for me to walk or ride a bike. too many busy multi-lane roads without pedestrian access. Also, its not the safest area to be walking through. I'd carry a pistol, but I can't have a gun at work nor do they provide a place to store it at the gaurdhouse. i hate cities.

I just realized I'm coming up on two years without firing a single round.

[Galvanized]

Random thoughts on reloading from an addled brian

Smokeless powders: Nitroglycerin can be considered to be the main propellent/combustable. It's burn rate is controlled by the matrix of it's carrier, the size/shape of the grains and most important, the pressure it is subject too during the burn. Smokeless has a moisture sealing coating that should not be compromised by crushing prior to loading. Most will have a light coating of graphite to aid flowing through charge throwers. This graphite can be bothersome because it's dirty.
Most new reloaders, like wide eyed OCers, look to low volume high pressure powders when starting out=big mistake. High volume powders are much more forgiving. A double charge is hard to throw/load, a mistake of 20% too much will not generate frame warping pressures as will/can happen with low volume powders. The main disadvantage of high volume powders is they do not burn very clean. A string of 100 rounds will leave hand/glove and firearm filthy compared to the much more tempermental low volume stuff.

Bear this in mind well...As pressures rise so does rate of burn. The best handgun powders are Unique and 2400. I'm very fond of 2400 for 41,44 & 45 Colt. Unique works well for 9mm to 45APC.
Several reloading manuals are a must. Never start out with a max loading, work up to it. Why? Not all chambers, cases, throats, bullets or barrels are the same.

Most would think an early production run would be best because of the new tooling=wrong. Like JEDEC has it's standards there is a controlling spec agency that I can't recall ATM, that specs firearm manufacture. New production is done with broaching and reaming cutters that are at the high side of spec. These will go through several reworks/sharpening of tooling, till they reach the low side of spec...These are the tightest chambers & barrels=A very good thing indeed. Chamber sizes can vary by 0.005", barrels by 0.003". This is why loads must be worked at for the best velocity combined with the best accuracy.

Given the above: This maybe a factor in your 22-250 blowing primers. If it is not an overused weapon, it may just have a loose chamber. This can have an impact on headspace. In an effort to reduce headspace do not fully resize it's brass before stuffing the cases. Just neck size the cases and I bet blown primers will be reduced. Under magnification examine the tip of it's firing pin. Any nicks or rough spots MUST be polished off. They will create stress risers on the face of the primer when it needs all the help it can get.

The tempering of lead bullets has had my interest for awhile. Never have done it. It's done for hunting bear, wild hogs and other thick skinned/large game. The benifit for me would be better accuracy with less barrel leading. Quality cast bullets are bought as cast oversized by 0.002", no more than that. Then they are put on a board, in a forced convection oven at 7C under slumping for several hours. IIRC, then the board is tipped over icewater. The bullets are now ready to be run through a resizer to get final dimension and lubing. If bullet resizing is over 0.003" swaging, the temper is reduced.

The above is as best I can recall.

[MD Willington]

We feed our COMBLOC rifles WOLF; stinky, dirty, laquered, steel cases...

No reloading...

Fun stuff...

[Galvanized]

Originally Posted by MD Willington

We feed our COMBLOC rifles WOLF; stinky, dirty, laquered, steel cases...

No reloading...

Fun stuff...

A questionable gift from Mother Russia Kidding...It is fun.
Steel cases should never be reloaded.

The indoor range I used to go to outlawed Wolf 9mm, as there were just too many hang fires. I think it was because it was full-auto being used in semi-auto pistols and the firing pins were not striking hard enough.

I had an Argentine Mouser that was great fun desert shooting tracers at night(bullets had red dyed tips) and armor piercing (black bullet tips) at 8" rocks at 50 meters. These guys would powder the rocks...Poof=Gone. Big laughs all around. :

[stretch0069]

Galvanized....i need to visit SoCal. You rock!!! That was an awesome post even if it were in a gun forum. When it comes to 41 and 44 Mag. I have great recipes for H110. I have VERY good accuracy as well as consistancy from the DE44Mag and the Ruger NMBH 41Mag. To be honest, when I was working up my loads, Hodgedon was more readily available than anything else. I completely agree with having a full case rather than a more dense powder. My avatar is the DE50AE reloaded with H110. If I remember correctly, its a compressed load. Its not a hot load (depending on what book you use), but its up there, hence the fire ring. People love it...the powder is cheap...and the DE can take it. Many shooters I've met are scared of it. They would rather shoot my Taurus Raging Bull in 454Casull, which does look impressive, but its "just a revolver". I never let anyone shoot my 454 with full power loads. I don't want to take someone to the emergency room to remove a pistol from their forehead.

Shooting is great fun, but there are a lot of dangers. Fortunately, these dangers can be mitigated. But, as with everything in life, nothing is certain. If life was easy, there would be no need to leave the couch.

Oh...on the subject of Wolf Ammo. I have thrown thousands of 9mm down-range. One hang fire. One out of......oh.....8000. Thats not too shabby in my book. For personal defense though...I use my own hand loads. I have also gone through about 10K rounds of .223. The AR eats it up. Unfortunately, the AR seems to be prone to rust if I don't keep on top of it. Thinking about selling/trading for a 7.62/.308....maybe an M1A???

Damn...forgot another thing...Galvanized...I'll have to look into your suggestion on the 22-250. Just as soon as I get a chance to go out and shoot it again.

[Galvanized]

I have an unopened keg of 2400 so that should last awhile
H 110 is a good'en.

*IF* I were to want/need an auto=10mm from CZ, they bought out Dan Wesson Firearms. Poor Wesson went down the tubes again after a serious retooling. They had a CNC machine that would do 5 operations with one frame hold=incredably accurate tolerances for the finished product.
CZ refined it further and still makes it. 10mm>>>9mm.
A Taurus Tracker 41, 5 shot, in titanium *dreamin'*. Only $700. A camera would be bought first because it can be shot most anywhere.

For Full-Zoot loads: Buy a tool that deburrs the inside of the primer flash hole. The tool can be set for depth. It will deburr and very slightly champfer the hole. This keeps load pressures more consistant as the burr shields/directs the flash.