vujade

You never forget your first one!  I think I weighted it 3 times and when it was time to fire it...I wanted to use a string to pull the trigger.    and then when you get your first group that's a single hole!  You feel so proud.   Good luck; let us know how it goes!

I happened to pass by and check Walmart.  (Nolensville Rd/Bell).   As of 30 minutes ago  - They have about 20 boxes of American Eagle 223. 50 grains.  Varmint.  $11 or $12/box.  Limit 3.    I didn't get any; I don't have a 223 gun. Hopefully someone can use it.   Nothing else in the shelves except 22 shotshells and shotgun shells.

Has anyone been there recently?  How are the lines?  I wonder how early does one need to be there I wonder to get a ticket...   Hate to drive all the way there and not get anything.

how much damage does it cause to the equipment?   to self?   I'm a chicken and don't use my Dillon's primer - I hand primer each one so that I can control the force. 

  I wonder... will the 2013 models of guns be 'not as good' ?  I just imagined seeing a metal worker on this 18th hour of grinding metal be a little tired.  If they are pushing that stuff as fast as they can... it's got to hurt quality somewhere right?!

Common advice for the "What gun should I get" thread... give a few a try before you buy.  For example, I was oggling an FN boltie for weeks and then I finally saw one at the range and tried it.  I didn't like it.  I mean, it's a good rifle and serves a lot of folks but it just didn't 'fit me'.    I think we gun guys love to show off/talk about their gear. =)  I bet if you hang out at the range and ask nicely, folks will let you try.    (Start with... "That's a really nice rifle.... what caliber is that?"  will soon get you a response like this, "It's got a great trigger; Do you want to give it a try?")

I frequent Charlie's range on Saturday mornings.  If you ever want to try out my Savage and/or Howa, you're welcome to. 

I use the crates to store my reloading supplies (except powder/primers).  and then I put gun cleaning stuff, accessories/etc. on top on it. 

Savage fan here.  I have a  old 10FP.  Pre-accutrigger.  20 inch bull barrel.  Honest .75 groups with factory ammo.  Under half an inch all day with handloads.  Savages can be had in the $600 range; most folks like me will prefer/change the stocks. Gosh, even their $250 Edge/Axis rifles can be sub moa.     I like the Howa/Weatherby 1500.  Something like $400-$500.  Right at an inch at 100 yards with factory ammo.  .50-.75 all day with handloads.

Thanks for the comments guys.  If I get this, I (and the rifle) won't eat for weeks. 

I'm assuming here and I know a lot of things can happen...   I know the AWB will fail and I'm already starting to see prices on 'basic ARs' go down.  I'm starting to see DPMSs now for  $1300-$1500 with words like, "cash only, never fired, OBO"... that tells me there will be deals to be had.    Are DDm4 rifles/uppers more price stable? If I buy this and complete my rifle for say $1500, I won't be seeing complete DDm4 rifles for $1200 next month will I?

Hi guys,   I was going to wait until the mania subsided to get into ARs (funny how when folks say you can't have something, you suddenly want one; and I've been dreaming about ARs since December).    I was going to keep an eye out for a $1000-ish factory bushmaster, dpms, etc.   (when prices normalize of course... i know it may take months and it is a gamble like all things but I can be patient (or maybe not with gun stuff)).  I ran into someone that will sell an Daniel Defense Upper (low round count; probably in the hundreds) for a pretty decent build (he already has the parts.  It includes magpul and knights armament trigger).  It will up my total price for an AR to be closer to $1500 vs the $1000 I wanted to spend.    I'm new to the platform and I have been googling so much I dreamt about this last night.  I'm looking for some 'real person' and local advise.  Are DDm4 complete uppers worth the extra $500?    I'm coming from a handloading/rifle background where if it's not one hole, it's a bad day (at 100) so I'd like accuracy to be top notch and reliability good second (I was an AK snob and didn't look at ARs until like I said, last month).   I'm debating just waiting a few months and just buying a new factory gun (looking at the Sig m400, dpms, etc.) but if you think this is a good deal, I'll jump on it.

Walmart on Murfreesboro rd, Antioch TN has at least 6 boxes of 9mm and a a BUNCH of 7.62x39 ammo (Tula and brass ones too) as of yesterday afternoon.  I didn't pick up any, I just need 22lr!   And careful with the shotgun bulk packs; I got excited when I thought I saw some in 12guage...it was 20. =(   (Ops!  sorry guys. I'm in Nashville.  I didn't realize you guys were talking about Chattanooga!)

another than hasn't been mentioned yet are the Howa 1500 rifles.  (308).  I got mine for $400 (new in box/not fired) last year (I believe they are more than that; I just got a little lucky).  It's my hunting gun (or right now, just sit up there and hold it).  The hogue stock is comfy/warm to hold too when sitting for a LONG time not doing anything.    It's the same rifle (I believe) as the weatherby.  It'll also do about an inch to 1.5 inches at 100 yards with factory rounds.  Better accuracy (for me) than the savage.     I'd pick it over the savage unless you can't find one; and they aren't as popular/easy to find as the savage. (but if you find one, I wouldn't hesitate).  It's got a really smooth action; it doesn't feel like a cheap stock.

+1 on the Savage Edge/Axis. My dad has one. 1-1.5 MOA with factory ammo. Sub Moa with handloads. I'll get .5-.75 on them easily (have to let the barrel cool a bit and no more than 3 'quick shots' or else you do get some stringing with the thin barrel. I know you don't want to reload (yet. =) ) but it'll do an inch at 100 yards if you give it GOOD factory ammo. (Federal Gold, Hornady) I developed some loads for him. This is what I finally settled on:

Ok, when i started reloading I came upon some old powder in a trade and of course, I didn't trust it .  I was told to just throw it on the lawn for turn it green (I ended up not taking it; now I should have).  I didn't quite get it until I started to read that they make a pretty good fertilizer!   Anyway, my mom is an AVID plant and flower person.  She always makes fun of me that my plants and roses (that she gave me/helped me plant) are just pitiful.    Has anyone tried gunpowder in plants before?  I know this is expensive stuff but sometimes I'll have gunpowder residue on my reloading table and I just toss them, I wonder if I start to collect them.  I also mixed some reloaded rounds once and so I pulled the projectors and dumped the powder into a litle can.  My mistake, I had just mixed a bunch of Unique,Blue dot and Bullseye.   Anyway know a good load for a pot plant and a rose bush?     

How I play poker (and I always seem to lose):   When I win, I keep half, gamble/invest the other half.   So with ammo; I happened to buy some 22lr a few months ago.  I sold about half to someone at a gunshow; used that money to essentially pay for my original purchase.  Now I have a few bricks of 22 ammo for keeps that is essentially 'free to me'.

  Great advice Jonnin; and I've learned a lot by reading your posts.   It is very intimidating when you start out.  I remember looking at my press before I started and my mind just froze; i didn't even know where to start.  So I started small.   I remember my first tasks (and I wrote all over my reloading manual with notes) was to find out what happens in each stage of the process.    And then pick one area and find out what you can do to learn more about and improve the process.  During the brass preperation phase, I would read about how to find out if a case is done, deburring the case after cutting, flash hole cleaning, etc.  Pick one very detailed item and just learn more about it and then move on to the next one.   Soon you'll be doing optimal charge tests and measuring OAL to the lands and that's when you find those 1 hole groups.

I'm fairly new at this (I started about 6 months ago) but I'll share my experience.   I had the reloading stuff for a good month or 2 before I loaded my first round.  I'm just careful like that and I didn't see a rush.  I watched a ton of youtube videos.  Read at least 2 manuals.  Read stuff in each bullet/powder company's website. and of course, the good (there are bad ones too) in posts in gun forums.    Ask a lot of questions but before you ask, research it first (and then I ask almost as a last step/sanity check). (you learn a lot from just reading what others have posted).   I load them SLOW.  I have a dillon 550 but I might as well have a single stage press (but that's ok, I like to handload, why rush it?)   I may process brass in bulk (clean, flash hole prep, prime, etc.) but I load them one at a time.  I hand weigh each round and then put a bullet in there (instead of charge each round, put them in a tray and then load them with bullets all together).  I know many will see this as inefficient but this makes it so that I never will double charge a case.  Sometimes why wife will call me to take out the trash but I'll say, "hold on" and make sure I finish what I'm doing before I leave the bench.    I also got some mailing labels and label everything!  I have little baggies where I sort brass even by weight and how many times I've used them and label that.  I reload for several of my rifles, I segregate brass and bullets and use colored labels on them.  When I have the brass on my loading trays to get ready for loading, I even put a label there so that I know exactly for which rifle that goes to, how much powder to put,what bullet to use, etc.  I then take that label and put on my ammo box with the finished ammo so that when I'm shooting them, i know it's exactly for that rifle and doesn't get shot in another rifle (they likely won't fit anyway since I neck size mine).   I'm always reading the next little process improvement as well.  i have found a GREAT load using Varget, I then went to look for a great load for Re loader 15 (so that if i can't find Varget, i now have a back up).    Always be teachable.  Man, I've learned a lot of things from these guys here (and other forums and websites and books), but there is always something to make your loads better.  And when you have that 1 hole group, you can still improve it.  And that's the fun part.       I guess my main advise is to NOT RUSH.  It's great hobby, enjoy it!   (and when you go slow, you're safer too)

    +1 on starting them off a 22.  I love seeing my friends try out a mosin nagant their first day at on the range BUT only after we work our way up as Bob describes.    I don't think it's funny at all when a newbie is taken out and handed a 44 magnum as their first shot for the 'reaction'.  Yeah...you've just given them a flinch!

...and if it's a semi-auto, have them hold the gun in a way so that the slide doesn't cut the web of their hands.   http://gunnuts.net/2011/11/28/what-is-wrong-with-this-photo/   and how many times have we seen this one:    http://forums.gunsandammo.com/showthread.php?2723-Handgun-grip-%28not-the-stocks-but-how-you-hold-it%29

  ...and patience! (which most folks don't have.)  Most of my gun buddies who are reloaders think I'm wasting my time when "I could be pumping out 500 rounds an hour!"    I agree with the comment; it's my therapy as well.

then I'm a handloader.  My friends keep telling me I'm wasting my progressive press because I weigh each charge and always doing a load test. =)   I guess that's another question to add:   Of the x amount of gunowners, how many are reloaders, of those reloaders, how many are handloaders?

I'm wondering, how many handloaders are there?  There is data that about 1 in 4 Americans is a gunowner (that may be old news).  How many handloaders are there in every gun owner?    I assume our numbers are pretty small (but yet all the primers are selling out!) but I'd like to know some numbers out of sheer curiosity.

I was thinking of just this while i was driving home from work today.   If the SeNUTors and Legislators only new that handloading even existed, I would think they would be attacking it like (insert Rosanne Barr and Chinese buffet joke here).  They would comment how easy it is to buy gun powder and primers; they don't even ask you if it's for a "handgun or rifle"!