Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 36:31 — 25.1MB)

James tells us about his plans for his camping trip.  Something about dragging maxpedition bags filled with rocks behind a hummer, more video with a Barrett M99, and “some other stuff.”

Here is the Barrett M99 video:

Here is the Maxpedition Volta Battery Case we are talking about:

Rob tells James and Dan about Rangelog.com.  Dan is a bit skeptical, but he likes the idea of using it for reloading logs.

Rob will be shooting the Area 5 Championships on June 10 as a part of squad 109.

One of our “rebellious” listeners emails in a question:

I have a show suggestion. I got into reloading this year, and now I’m considering casting my own bullets. I’m somewhat confused regarding the lack of a reloading manual when you cast your own. Where do you get reliable load data? I’m looking to cast for 44mag, 38 special and 357mag. Do molds come with reloading data? I’ve read that there are some standard loads for specific weights of WC and SWC. Is this info reliable? Thanks for your help.- Bob

James recommends the Lyman load data book.  Also, when using a unique alloy, find the load data for the most similar bullet(same shape, weight) and use that as a reference point.  James also recommends going the community route with loaddata.com.  He has found lots of good loads for specific components.

Rob, Dan, and James jump into why people reload.  Rob mentions customizing special lead-free hunting loads for California and the ever quotable James helps us get into the minds of the California animals: “It’s not like they eat lead shot because it tastes good.”  He also tells us about the politicians.

James also tells us how to “stick it to ‘em” by casting your own lead-free bullets with Bismuth.  Plus, it’s slightly heavier than lead.

Dan uses a big word and dashes our hopes in one fell swoop: “It’s a misnomer that you’re going to save money reloading.”  He then backs up and punts with: “There are cost savings involved… over time you will definitely recover that cost.”

Dan says he started reloading to create more accurate ammunition.  Rob points out that even reloading for precision ammo is still saving money compared to similar commercial ammunition.  Dan gives us a specific example of how a hunter shooting just 200 rounds can still save money reloading.  He also notes that with less common calibers, commercial ammunition is much more expensive and he probably wouldn’t be able to shoot his .45-70 if he didn’t reload.

James goes into the specific numbers of reloading .45 ACP.  He currently reloads 50 rounds of .45 ACP for less that $2 with range brass and cast bullets.  Rob gives an example of loading .308 WIN.  James recommends buying factory second bullets.

Dan reminds us to extrapolate the cost of brass over several loadings to get the true cost.  Dan also talks about the hobby aspect of reloading and the satisfaction, etc. “If I can’t be shooting, I’d rather be reloading.”

James also brings up the fact that reloading helps you have the ammunition you need even during shortages or times when ammo is unavailable.

James show off his .40 S&W jacketed hollow-point bullets made from 9mm cast bullets jacketed with 9mm cases:

Call (660) 207-1239 and leave questions on the voicemail or e-mail me.

From KZTV.com:

Bend, OR – An explosion and fire rocked a portion of the Nosler Inc. bullet manufacturing plant in southwest Bend Wednesday afternoon, prompting evacuation and closure of streets in the area; despite a blast felt for several blocks, all 100 workers were accounted for.

 I’m glad to hear that there were no injuries.  I guess that is what happens when you let the engineers play.  I always laughed at their ads showing the mushroom cloud, but maybe there is some truth to it.  Who would’ve guessed?

From their website:

Seriously though, I hope they make a quick recovery.  I have some good loads worked up with their bullets and I don’t feel like changing components and doing more load development.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:06:24 — 45.6MB)

Memorial Day tribute music.  Lyrics

Brent and Lorna, the owners of ReadyShotcome on the show to discuss their new product.

Rob also discusses his experiences with two brass catchers:
CTK Precision Universal Brass Catcher
Graco Models Pistol Brass Catcher

I think that Graco has one of the most innovative brass catcher products on the market.  When it comes to brass catchers, there are several designs that are copied and vary only slightly between manufacturers.  Not so with the Graco Model’s “Catch It.”  I haven’t seen anything remotely like it:

They took an entirely different approach in the placement of the catching apparatus.  The “net” is not really a net, but rather black cloth on a frame the size of a small fish-tank net.  This catch bag is is mounted to a plastic strip that mounts to the back of your hand by means of an elastic palm band that wraps around the right hand(or ejection port side).  The elastic band keeps the plastic strip from moving around on the back of the hand and keeps the catch bag in the same upright position.

The frame of the catch bag can be bent and adjusted to the optimal position in relation to the ejecting brass.  I had mine set up properly after 4 shots.  The catcher stayed in position and didn’t slide around my hand like I originally expected.  Because of the elastic that wraps around the palm and the bulk of the net, I don’t use it for timed draws.  Also, beware of how you move your hand with a full load of brass in the catch bag.  If you aren’t careful, you can easily dump your brass.  Be sure to empty the catch bag after each magazine.  If it gets too heavy, the brass can bounce off the fabric that is pulled taut.

When making adjustments, the tendency will be to move the frame as close to the pistol as possible, but you will notice that it can block out a large portion of your downrange vision.  Try to keep the catch bag back just a little bit, and you will appreciate it when aiming and shooting.

 

In conclusion, I love this product because it works.  Yes, it looks goofy, but it works.  When it is adjusted properly, it easily catches every piece of brass.  This is my go-to catcher when shooting pistols.

You can purchase it on their website for $19.

Disclosure: This brass catcher was provided free of charge by Graco Models for review.

I just came across this great video.  This is about as much action as you can pack into 2 minutes.  Sure, the bad guys cover themselves, but who cares?  They’re bad guys!  The “hero” nearly drops his gun, but he exercises decent muzzle discipline and keeps his finger outside the trigger guard(:43) when he’s not shooting.

If you watch closely, you will see that there is no flying brass and the red-dot sight disappears from the M-4 as it is picked up.  I found myself watching this several times to look at the guns.  One of the bad guys has what looks like an MP-5.  What are the other guns?  Also, don’t miss the awesome transition at 1:10.

You will not regret watching this:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 38:59 — 26.8MB)

Dan and James of Ammosmith.com come on the show to answer a listener question and finish discussing the basic reloading equipment list.

Universal Reloading Tray

At my request, CTK Precision sent me their universal brass catcher for review.

Those that follow this blog will notice that I am reviewing several different types of brass catchers for different uses.  When I first requested this product, I was hoping this would work for collecting pistol brass.  I already had brass catchers that attach to my most commonly used rifles and work well, but I hadn’t found anything that  worked well for collecting handgun brass.

The CTK precision universal brass catcher arrived in a box roughly the size and  shape of a large pizza box.  Assembly was very simple.  I had to attach the net frame to the base and add some rubber end caps.  You also have to attach the net to a pin at the rear of the base to keep the net pulled back and open.  The entire unboxing and assembly took all of two minutes.  The entire unit is very sturdy and well made.  The frame is steel and the base has a durable coating.  I have been using it for more than a month now and the unit is basically in the same condition as it arrived.

The net measures 16″x16″ and makes it easy to position your firearm to eject the brass into the catcher.

One feature that I was looking forward to using/testing is the base’s ability to be attached to a standard 1/4″-20TPI camera tripod.  This means that the unit  is not limited to sitting next to you on a shooting bench or on the ground when you are shooting prone.

I started out with catching .22lr brass from a semi-auto rifle from prone.  No, I don’t reload them, but it is nice to clean up after yourself.  If I didn’t, I probably wouldn’t be able to see the grass!  The lighter casings present their own unique challenges to some brass catchers.  Often, the .22lr cases are too light and bounce off the fabric or netting used in most brass catchers.  This was not the case with the CTK universal brass catcher.  Because the net is held open by it’s attachment to the back of the base, it never kept the cases from entering and staying in the catcher.

Next, I moved the catcher to the tripod and shot from a standing position.  Both positions had a recovery rate greater than 95%.  Those shells that weren’t recovered by the catcher were mostly due to inconsistent ejection.

I then went to a centerfire semi-auto and had a 100% recovery rate from all positions.  The net seemed to suck up the cases.  No bounce outs or misses.

Here’s where it gets a little complicated.  I brought out the centerfire pistols and had the catcher mounted on the tripod.  Because the pistols eject with an added upward angle, they hit the back of the net at an almost perpendicular angle.  To keep the cases from bouncing out, I canted the catcher forward.  This seemed to help.

There is also the complication of each ejection being slightly different probably partly due to my motion and grip, etc.  After I canted the catcher and stood at the proper distance(too close and the bounce out, too far and they miss), I was getting an 80% recovery rate.  I took some stiff wire and used it to hold the netting as wide open as possible.  This improved the recovery rate only slightly(~5%) as the wire held the net taut and caused brass to sometimes bounce out of the deepest recesses of the catcher.  I know that 85% is still a good recovery rate, but I was spoiled by using it with the rifles.  I was now having to pick up more than three times as many cases.  I had to remind myself that before the CTK Precision brass catcher, I had been searching the grass for every single piece of brass.  That usually calmed me down.

The beauty in the CTK Precision Universal Brasscatcher is in it’s versatility.  Most catchers are tailored to a specific firearm, system, or shooting style.  The CTK model is able to be used effectively with many different firearms and shooting positions.  This unit will save you much time on your knees as well as keep your brass from collecting dirt and grass on the ground.

 You can purchase the unit here.($60)

My feedreader just told me that Magpul uploaded a new 30-second video of their Ronin motorcycle in action.  Check it out:

Hit this link for more cool photos

While at the NRAAM, I talked with Charles Brown(not from the peanuts strip), the President of Chiappa Firearms(and Charter Arms and Hi-point).  He started out by correcting my pronunciation.  He said that Chiappa is pronounced key-AHH-puh.  At that time, Chiappa Firearms was still waiting on the ATF approval to import the first batch of rhino revolvers from Italy.  The first batch will only be something like 200 guns, but they will be bringing more in later. 

About the gun itself:

The most distinctive feature of the Rhino is that it fires from the bottom cylinder. This means the Glock fans are going to have to stop bragging about having the best bore axis.  I was wondering how the trigger would feel because of the unusual action, but it was just as even and crisp as you would expect from a revolver, even with double action.  I was really surprised by how light the gun feels.  Maybe it’s because the Rhino looks like it outweighs a tank and I expected it to be heavy, but it did not feel overweight or awkward.  It handled well. 

It has an unusual hammer, that you really have to see.  It doesn’t pull back, but rather rotates back until the hammer is cocked.  Once it is cocked, it returns to the up/forward position.  Kind of weird.  To decock the gun, you just hold back the hammer and pull the trigger.

All the Rhino revolvers had nice adjustable rear sights:

I asked about holster availability because it is such an unusual design, and he said that each gun will come with a leather pancake holster specifically for the gun.  He had one of the holsters there and it felt well made.

I’m looking forward to shooting one of these revolvers once they make it to market.


MSRP is supposed to be about $800
All models are chambered in .357 magnum
 

If the gun doesn’t, maybe the music in the video will.  I envy the person that had enough time to convert this nerf gun into a halo weapon lookalike.  I’m not a Halo player, so I can’t attest to it’s authenticity, but it certainly looks cool.  In fact, it looks ready-made for some school’s zero-tolerance policy.

Before:

After:

More details here via Gizmodo

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 50:06 — 45.9MB)

Drew from Rangelog.com comes on the show to discuss their awesome gun data logging website.

Mayor Daley’s Threats
Afghan Muzzle Discipline – Or Not
Firearm Safety Infographic
Vltor Modstocks on Sale

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (35.8MB)

On today’s show James and Dan of Ammosmith.com discuss the NRA Annual Meeting, answer some comments and questions from listeners, and continue with the minimum equipment list.

Right click and save link as… to download .mp3
(39:09)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 39:48 — 36.6MB)

Mark Roth of Roth Concept Innovations comes on the show to discuss the XRail system.

Check out photos from the NRA Convention

I got to check out this Savage 110 BA chambered in .338 Lapua Magnum (also available in .300 Winchester Magnum) and talk with Steve Danneker, it’s designer about some of the details.

The oversized bolt handle:

The stock is the result of  a collaborative effort with Magpul and the thick recoil pad helps to soften the recoil considerably.

The scope rail has a 20 MOA slant for the long-range shooting and the detachable box magazine holds 5 rounds of .338 Lapua Magnum.

 For $2267(MSRP) you get quite a bit of bang for your buck with this firearm.(Get it?…Bang)

More details from Savage
A good writeup and video from Accurate Shooter Daily Bulletin

Seen at the NRA Convention: 

In .45-70.  The M1874 to be specific.  Only $45k.  The builder makes only two each year.  I’ll see if I can get them a T&E request, but don’t hold your breath.

I have to admit that I’m not too excited about this new firearm, but I took a few pics for those that are:

 More details…

The biggest news is that it uses the same magazines as the original XD 45.  The with is the same as the XD45, but the interchangeable backstraps make the grip adaptable.  The grip adaptability is the biggest plus in my opinion.  It also has the usual “M” accouterments.

Here’s what I saw when I stopped by the Springfield Armory Booth:

38 Special +P:

With the new boot grip and XS big dot:

The .357 Magnum up close and personal:

In hand:(the right hand is taking photos)

With the XS Big Dot Sight:

Comparison: .357 Mag on the right and the .38 Special +P on the left

I’ll  hurry to get the interview up discussing the new LCR .357 Mag.

Rob plays on the floor with big guns:

And pesters famous shooters:

And occasionally interviews people like:

• Ruger
• Berger Bullets
• Chiappa Firearms
• Hodgdon Powders
• Hornady
• Redding
• Winchester
• Surefire
• Lapua
• Majestic Arms
• Les Baer Custom
• Ready Shot

14 interviews today.  Looking forward to editing and sharing them!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 57:16 — 52.6MB)

Dan and James of ammosmith.com come on the show to discuss the minimum equipment list for reloading.

Pay $7 Shipping for a free XDm 45 T-shirt