JonF

Think you'll do the mag well eventually too? That looks like a cool addition.

Oh yeah. Version 2.0 is all sorted and running.

That mags i can do but get yer own damn ammo! :fugg:

I'm in. Are we going to retry our rimfire challenge, Alec? I'm telling you, its a lot of fun hosing that much lead downrange!

Where on earth did you get some heady topper? Seriously, did you make a brewery run or something?

Mike, For all the oddball mags for which i dont have dedicated kydex for, i use a set of HSGI Taco pistol mag pouches if i need to carry them on my belt. They use an automatically adjusting elastic retention system and so they can securely hold everything from a thin buckmark/ruger type mag to thick doublestack 2011's and everything in between. They are a little pricier than a typical hard shell double pouch from unkle mike or bladetech, but the truth is you could do away with all the dedicated pouches use them for every configuration. I use mine at the oddball steel and rimfire matches when i want to carry 22 mags or something for a gun i dont shoot much and have no specific equipment for. Works great too!

He was there in spirit and thanks to his absence, you were at least able win for once.

Over the recent holidays, i went on a few runs to the better bottle shops to pull some various ipa's while i was off. Here's some of the better ones that i highly recommend and have been drinking regularly the past two weeks. Ballast Point Sculpin IPA - this is the king of ipa's! Excellent balance of sweet biscuity malt and fragrant citruisy hops. If you can find it, pay whatever price they're asking but be warned, it isn't cheap. Firestone Walker Union Jack IPA - Same as Sculpin but about 95% as good. frankly its hard to get as good as sculpin but this is a much cheaper alternative. Lagunitas Lil Sumpin sumpin - this is a wheat IPA which is unusual but that sweet silky wheat malt and the intense hops is an awesome combination. Ithaca Flower Power IPA - lower on the maltyness, but intense hops! Kane head high IPA - this has got to be the most piney rich hop flavor i've ever had. good grapefruit citrus but low on malt. total hop bomb fresh out of the tap at the brewery. Firestone Wookey jack black rye ale - wow, the dark rye malt imparts a richness that you can't get in an IPA. This is an awesome brew. 22oz bombers only. Beer to avoid: Sam Adams whitewater IPA - boring, total drainpour. Weyerbacher last chance IPA - this isn't an ipa, its a boring pale ale. not a drainpour, but disappointing. Southern tier IPA - worse than boring, hops taste like musky seaweed and vegetables. I walked down to the bay and poured it out there since that's likely where it came from.

Par for the course for SS. Remember the ammo price hikes in 08 from the first election? SS used to charge $10-12 per box of 9mm ammo before the election, then once the panic hit, they were charging upwards of $30+ for the same box! After the panic subsided, they never really dropped back to the normal levels that you had EVERYWHERE else. Instead they chose to keep charging like $28+ for the same ammo.

http://www.sadtrombone.com/

Touche!

Mike, you seriously need to add some semi auto pistols to your collection. You're way to revoler heavy! lol

Actually they were. I too picked up two stripped for $45 ea from JoeBob over the summer.

I had the same issues as you guys. Tight takedown and pivot pin holes but a little moly lube makes it at least usable since i didn't want to venture into reaming it. also the slot milled into the left side for the mag catch was too tight to accept the metal catch itself so i had to sand the steel catch to give it enough clearance. Then there was the trigger opening that was too tight for my aftermarket trigger and needed to be opened up a little as well.

This list looks very good and quite complete. I would suggest a couple alterations: First, skip The "AR series" dies, there's no real need to crimp rifle ammo. Yes, its done for nato ammo, but for reloading its not that necessary. If you do need to crimp for any reason, a Lee factory crimp die is a better option. I's suggest the RCBS Small Base X-die set as an alternative. These will help you extend your trim intervals immensely. unfortunately Cabelas doesn't carry them but plenty of other vendors do and all the stuff (except the cabelas branded items) you have above can be ordered from those vendors as well. http://www.midwayusa.com/product/807582/rcbs-x-die-2-die-set-223-remington-small-base Ditch the RCBS case block and get the MTM; its a much better unit. http://www.cabelas.com/product/MTM-Universal-Case-Loading-Block/706310.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch.cmd%3Fform_state%3DsearchForm%26N%3D0%26fsch%3Dtrue%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3Dmtm%2Bcase%26x%3D0%26y%3D0%26WTz_l%3DHeader%253BSearch-All%2BProducts&Ntt=mtm+case&WTz_l=Header%3BSearch-All+Products Also, those kinetic bullet pullers are terrible and you'll be sick of using it after the first attempt. I know they're cheap, but a good cam lock collet puller is so easy, you'll love it. Here;s the puller die, you'll also need a specific collet for the caliber. http://www.cabelas.com/product/Hornady-Cam-Lock-Bullet-Puller/705372.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch.cmd%3Fform_state%3DsearchForm%26N%3D0%26fsch%3Dtrue%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3Dhornady%2Bpuller%26x%3D0%26y%3D0%26WTz_l%3DHeader%253BSearch-All%2BProducts&Ntt=hornady+puller&WTz_l=Header%3BSearch-All+Products If you're going to buy case prep tools (reamers, cleaners, etc), you might as well get the entire set. http://www.cabelas.com/product/Shooting/Reloading/Tools-Accessories|/pc/104792580/c/104761080/sc/104635080/Lyman-Universal-Case-Prep-Accessory-Tool-Kit/706426.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse.cmd%3FN%3D1100198%26WTz_l%3DSBC%253BBRprd1317262&WTz_l=SBC%3BBRprd1317262%3Bcat104635080 One nice thing about the Rock Chucker is that you can convert it to use hte Nornady Lock N Load quick change bushing system. You remove the stock threaded die bushing and replace it with a lock n load style receiver. Then you can purchase a set of lock n load die bushings for your dies and then swapping dies will never be easier! http://www.cabelas.com/product/Hornady174-Lock-N-Load174-Conversion-Kit/1324252.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch%2F%3FN%3D5100193%26Ne%3D5100193%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3Dlock%2Bn%2Bload%2Bconversion%26Ntx%3Dmode%252Bmatchallpartial%26WTz_l%3DHeader%253BSearch-All%2BProducts%26WTz_st%3DSearchRefinements%26form_state%3DsearchForm%26search%3Dlock%2Bn%2Bload%2Bconversion%26searchTypeByFilter%3DAllProducts%26x%3D0%26y%3D0&Ntt=lock+n+load+conversion&WTz_l=Header%3BSearch-All+Products http://www.cabelas.com/product/Hornady174-Lock-N-Loadreg-Die-Bushings/739970.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch.cmd%3Fform_state%3DsearchForm%26N%3D0%26fsch%3Dtrue%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3Dhornay%2Bbushing%26x%3D0%26y%3D0%26WTz_l%3DHeader%253BSearch-All%2BProducts&Ntt=hornay+bushing&WTz_l=Header%3BSearch-All+Products Lastly, since you'll be getting the RCBS trimmer with your kit, you can add on the power drive unit to speed up trimming. You'll hate hand trimming in no time so consider that upgrade eventually. http://www.cabelas.com/product/RCBS-Trim-Pro174-Case-Trimmer-Power-Unit/741079.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch.cmd%3Fform_state%3DsearchForm%26N%3D0%26fsch%3Dtrue%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3Drcbs%2Btrimmer%26x%3D0%26y%3D0%26WTz_l%3DHeader%253BSearch-All%2BProducts&Ntt=rcbs+trimmer&WTz_l=Header%3BSearch-All+Products

Chris, TACCOM makes the complete upper (carbon barrel, receiver and handguard) and also the carbon butstock. They also sell bolts now but i have a stainless CMMG bolt. Lower receiver is polymer NFA from joebob's. http://www.taccom3g.com/AR15_22LR_COMPONENTS.html

Hornady dies have a sliding sleeve setup in the seater die which is very useful, however, basic rcbs and lee dies do not and they are generally priced the same (lee might be cheaper). You usually have to step up to redding and forster competition does to get those features so the hornady is an great value. On the other hand, RCBS makes some different types of full length sizers for rifle that can be useful for various purposes. They make "small base" dies which resize the shell generally .001" smaller down at the base to aid in feeding semi-auto's that may be on the tight side. Not always necessary, but its an option if needed. They also have thier "x-die" setup which helps minimize shell growth between resizings. Shell resizing is a TEDIOUS and miserable step in reloading and anything that can help prolong sizing intervals is great. THey work through a simple concept of inhibiting brass flow upwards by employing an internal collet stop that the case mouth rests against during resizing. For soemthing like 223 where you may shoot larger quantites and reload many times this is very useful. trickers are a simple item so any one will do. Hornady has a slick 2-speed one but its pricy. For any item you intend to buy, consider the fact that rifle reloading with a single stage and manual tools is a very tedious, labor intensive process so anything that you can buy to automate, motorize, speed up, or eliminate a step works greatly to reduce your time spent in the overall process. Its not a big deal when loading small quantities for a bench rest bolt gun, however, for an AR where you can run through ammo like water, anything helps. For instance, a motorized case prep center for chamfering/deburring helps speed up that part and reduces hand fatigue. Add in a WFT or Giraud trimmer and you may not even need to prep case mouths since they cut so clean. Skip the nato brass for a later day if possible since crimp removal requires one more step. RCBS X-dies help with reducing trim intervals.

Its a good basic kit, but you will need some additional items including dies. Most presses require separate "shell holders" for every caliber. It goes atop the ram and holds the shell and Its a cheap item but the press is useless without it. Trimmer setup. whatever you type decide but know that the kit doesn't include any. It has 1 shot lube, but again, its not very good for anything larger than 223. It has a powder measure, but again, they aren't the best solution for extruded rifle powders. Some work, some don't,t you just have to find out for yourself but a quick search for whatever powder you choose will turn up any complaints. At best you'll get inconsistent throws which isn't optimal for rifle, niether for consistency nor reliability in the case of high pressure loads. Get an additional set of lee dippers for rough throws and polish them off the with the trickler if you have any trouble.

Lets start from step 1 to final finished ammo. Havent figured out your press type yet? Here's some differences: Single stage presses are great for slow production, highest quality target grade ammo whereas progressives will focus on speed of reloading and sacrifice some precision to do so (although with today's equipment and components, very high quality ammo can be made on progressives). One very important thing you need to custom tailor to your choice of press type is the powder you use. powder dispensers on progressives don't like big grain extruded powders since they tend to clump, clog, bridge and spill and are more trouble than not. The double edged sword is that these extruded powders ten to be the most optimal slower burning, temp insensitive types with flash inhibitors whose burn curves suit rifles better than fine ball powders that DO dispense well in progressive measures. Onto the reloading... Dies: You need a set of 2 dies, a seater and either a full length sizer for semi-auto or a neck sizer for bolt action. Case lube for resizing: Hornady 1 shot works fine for 223, but i find it lacking for anything larger like 30-06 so i use a lube pad and bottle of rcbs lube. Trimmer for trimming: Someone above mentioned the WFT and its a great setup but keep in mind its for 1 caliber only. THere are trimmers that will trim more than 1 caliber with only a collet/shell holder change. These are more versatile, but slower to use and set up. Dedicated trimmers like the WFT are faster but not versatile. You decide what fits your needs better: do you reload multiple calibers or 223 only (and consider the future). Make sure you have a good set of calipers for trimming too. Case prep: Swaging: if you have any crimped primer pockets, you need to either swage(expand) or chamfer the crimp out. Dillon makes a great swager and there are plenty of swaging bits you can use by hand or chuck up in a drill to start grinding. Mouth deburring: After trimming, you will have some brass flash to trim form the mouth inside and out. There's individual tools, combo tools or even better, an power case prep center with multiple motorcised rotating bits. Primer pocket prep: sometimes you may need to clean a primer pocket or true one up that may have non-uniform depth. There are tools/bits to clean, scrape and bore them to proper depth. Priming: If your press doesn't have the ability to seat primers, you need a hand primer seater. OR just run them through your progressive press if you have one. Powder: If you do decide to do the single stage to start (and its something every reloader will need eventually so it wont go to waste should you decide to iupgrade later), you can use a simple system of a set of lee dippers, a manual powder trickler and a good digital scale. I have both this and the automatic trickler and i can throw charges 10 times faster with the dippers and trickler. The auto trickler is nice in that it is totally hands off, but it is slow. For experimenting with charge ladders, i use the auto, but for production its dippers and a trickler for speed. You also need a shell tray to hold your shells while you charge them and also a good funnel with a couple different tips for different caliber cases. Seating: With your chosen press and dies, its as asimple as a single stroke of the press to cap off a charged case and create a complete cartridge. Since we don't flare rifle case mouths, the bullets tend to not stay seated quite as well as pistol ammo (even with boat tails) so some of the seater dies have a slick sliding bullet sleeve to guide and align the projectile while its being driven up into the die. Its not critical, but it makes the process easier and free of hangups and you can get this type for the same money as other dies that don't have feature so why not, right? Thats the basics. There's a lot of gear to sift through so happy hunting!

And since when are FFL's privvy to the goverments' purchase orders? I don't buy it, even if it wasn't intended to be fear mongering to drive sales.

The answer is yes, however, it is significantly more expensive for centerfire the ligher you wish to go. On the cheap end of the spectrum, there are factory offerings from the likes of Bushmaster (Carbon-15) who employ polymer upper and lower receivers and lighweight profile barrels to keep the weight down. The net result is a very light rifle but many people question the fragility and durability of that brand. Then there are the homebrew equivalents using NFA/plum crazy, CAV arms, etc receivers with a polymer upper (bushmaster or worse, vulcan) and lightweight carbine or ACE stocks with 14.5" pencil barrels and plastic/carbon fiber handguards which can result in sub 5lb centerfire configurations. On the exotic end of the spectrum, you have Christiansen Arms who builds something similar to mine above in 223 but at a very high cost. They have a carbon fiber sleeved bull barrel to save weight which provides for better accuracy than a simple minimalistic pencil barrel. They do use aluminum receivers but to haev carbon fiber handguards to keep front end weight down so the balance, which is the most important factor, is still good even if its not the absolute lightest.

You mosin, like mine and many others, likely has a bore that is far more rough than a brand new rifle with a mirror slick bore. Fouling (carbon/lead/copper) embeds itself deeply into those nooks and crannies created by years of shooting corrosive ammo with less than optimal cleaning regimens hence the difficulty in getting it clean in one pass. I think the bore squeegee is a great idea in general, but only for new, shiny bores that are easily cleaned regardless of whether you use a traditional cloth patch or silicone squeegee. Unfortuntately, as you've seen, the only real prescription for rough bores is good old elbow grease to dig into all that embedded crud.

Another little thing i just remembered... when i put the first follower in, i also tried to reinstall the crosspin that came with the OEM follower. There was a hole in the +4 so i figured it would go there. Nope, mag barely functioned with it in there and certainly wouldn't go all the way up so that couldn't possibly part of the equation. Were you able to use those pins?

I just got around to trying out my +4 followers and i have to say, mine ran like a champ. I tried all 5 mags several times each with different ammo and no real issues to report. With MiniMags (40gr solids), it ran 100%, no questioned asked. With Federal bulk pack 36gr HP's, i had a couple nose up jams when dropping the slide on a fresh mag but that can happen with the blunt nose HP. Most importantly, it wasn't chronic nor even reproducible in any particular mag so it was definitely the ammo. I really wonder what could be causing your problems. If they all run like crap, could it be a batch thing or does it come down to the gun? The world may never know... lol

They should rename themselves, "LowerThanDirt". in '08, they were one of the first to start price gouging on everything and when they did, thier prices were the WORST! Eff em.