Omega

May not be too far from the truth, how many big cats are out there in private hands? When stationed at Ft Bragg, a lady that ran a local pet shop had a black panther as a pet. I'm pretty sure there are more like her that have them as pets. With all the storms, financial ups and downs is it so hard to believe that a few may be on the loose? Like this from a few years ago: http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/wild-animals-escape-ohio-private-zoo-loose-14767621 I could also swear I seen a video from a lady that kept reporting a sighting of a large black cat and was not believed until she caught the cat at her back door on video. Funny thing is I can't find it now, but plenty of standard catamount videos from across the country.

The auto index part just means that the die will rotate to the next stage on its own when you pull the handle. A progressive press is much faster than say a turret press but as you see, you must pay for the extra speed. I reload my pistol ammo on a Lee turret press and my rifle ammo on a single stage except for 300Blk and 5.56. To save space use a docking station where you can lock in the press you are using and the rest have put away. I have a dedicated reloading bench but still use that method.

I'm cheap, I always go Lee if I buy new.  Of course I don't pass up any good deals on used/new equipment which is why I got these.  I have never really had any issues with Lee that they didn't fix, with any Mfg for that matter.  I am not really a brand name kind of guy, as long as it does what it says, they are available when I want them, and they are priced decently.  I got these because they are carbide which is an upgrade to the ones I have now, and while it did not state it in the ad, these are practically new, the bullet seating stems are still in a sealed bag.   I guess if I shot for a living or was at least shooting competition I would spend a bit more, but all I do is make holes in paper, hit some steel  and drop a few deer a year so Lee does fine by me.

They are pests for sure, farmers loose quite a bit.  Many states with a wild hog problem now allow the collection of wild hogs to give to food programs.  They differ on how, either live or just harvested; here in TN you can't transport them live.  Some people do just let them lay where they drop but most people I know take care to drop them humanely.  I won't even shoot a coyote without trying to take a humane shot, I am not trying to punish them.

I mentioned to the wife that if I was on guard duty, I would of dropped Salazar first for bringing all the walkers to the gates. Hell, I may of even knee capped him to slow the walkers down.

Figured I would update here, seems their service is as good as you say. This is the response I got today: "I just order a new decap unit in the mail no charge. Have a great day. John Thor Technical Service" So, props to RCBS.

I purchased a welder off a guy just past Cadiz a few years ago, he had a some large cat tracks out back of his place. He was told by TWRA it was not a panther, and not to start such rumors. They had walked all over the tracks but I could still make them out. I lived out in Colorado until I was 18, and still go out there once in awhile and they sure looked like the ones I seen there.

6.5 CM is nice, if I didn't have my .270 I would jump on it.  As it is I am now wrestling with the decision of going .308 or 6.5 CM in a Rugger Precision Rifle. Right now the .308 is winning due to the amount of brass I have and bullet choices for reloading but since I have a Rem 700 in .308 the 6.5 would add a new caliber which is how I lean when looking at new guns so the wrestling match continues. 

As stated above, some unethical hunters imported them so they could hunt them not realizing or not caring what they would do in the wild.  That is why it's a two edged sword if they approve them as a game animal.  Eradication is the only way to manage them, but those that want to keep them around to hunt will always want them here no matter what.  That is why I stated that I would like to drop one or two a year, but do not want them in the area. 

Yea, I use a .270, have done so for the past 30 years.  But I do not use it beyond zeroing and hunting.  The rounds are just too expensive and components like brass are hard (expensive) to come by, I have plenty but only because I have saved mine for the past 30 years.  If you can easily get reloading components then no problem for just about any caliber; that was one reason why I got my 300Blk, components were easily acquired so reloading costs were minimal.  One of the best things about my .270 is that around here if my crosshairs are on a deer, it will hit it.  In Colorado I have to hold over a bit, but due to the flat trajectory I am usually still able to see the animal in the scope.  With a .308 or 30/06 sometimes you have to put the crosshairs just above the animal on some longer range shots.  Myself, I limit my shots to no more than 400 yards max and have only taken such shots a couple of times due to terrain.  Most of my shots were within 200 yards in Colorado and 100 yards here.

That will work for the first one asked, and maybe even the second if both gave differing answers.  But when you KNOW what the outcome will be if you answer in a certain way you have to be real naïve (to put it kindly) to answer that way.  Of course it has not been put out what the last to be shot answers were so who knows if he even continued asking after the first one.    See, this is where I get real confused.  Some take such a stance on something like this but are willing to break all kinds of commandments taking their chance that all will be forgiven.  I follow no entity that deals in B&W because life is not that way.  What happens if in the act of self defense you take a life? In a B&W view you have broken a commandment.   Or what happens when you accidentally kill a bystander, in case someone wants to enter a plea of self defense on the last one?  No, I believe there are shades of grey in everything.  I am sure a God that wants to protect the innocent would want you to do everything in your power to survive no matter what a few old guys wrote in some book a couple of thousand years ago.

There was a reg that allowed them to be taken when hunting big game but I haven't hunted FTCKY in years.  Then, they were around area 9 but were so few I never seen sign of them.  I don't mind registering my weapons I use on post, but unless they changed, center fired was far and few between.

I say the best rifle round is one which you can afford to shoot the most of.  In this case, the 5.56 and .308 will be the best bet depending what you want to happen on the receiving end of things.  Both can take down any wildlife in TN, and both can be had in bolt action; but it sounds like you would be better served by the .308.  Plenty of surplus ammo, reloading components and will reach out and touch at 600 yards easily.

As a follow up, does anyone have an idea of the spread of these guys?  Last I heard there were small populations in Montgomery county, but it seems they are just multiplying worse than rabbits.

Don't take it as being called out, take it as someone trying to look out for you.   

Nice!  While I wouldn't mind dropping one, I don't want them in my area.  Those things will tear up more than they eat.

I always look at it as a worst case scenario, so I would rather have too many rounds than not enough.  I train to end the fight with the first three, but like having enough to engage accomplices or keep their heads down long enough for me to extricate me and mine from the area.  Of course having a revolver is better than nothing and they do have pluses that a semi does not but I will stick to my semis just the same. 

That's what I did, I bought my upper without BCG or charging handle then got a couple of BCGs from PSA.  Its the nitride versions they had on sale awhile ago, so far they function without issue.

Good dies but read the setup instructions, specially the seating die. On my set, the decapping pin wobbles when loose, and when tightened it is off center even though the pin is not bent.  I wrote RCBS to see if it was normal or not, on my other brand dies they are dead center when tightened.

For pistol, I have never trimmed them but I also don't crimp them much; just take the bell out.  If you want to crimp, then having all your cases the same length gives a more consistent crimp, specially if using a seat/crimp die.  Again, I don't compete so having an inconsistent crimp makes little difference.

Nickel cases are reloadable, but they are harder than brass and may flake.  I don't reload enough nickel cases to of had a problem with them but others have had flakes get imbedded inside the die scratching other cases and some have said that nickel wears their cutters when they trim them.  While it may be isolated incidents, I have plenty of brass cases to take chances with too many nickel ones.

For 9mm, or most any straight wall cartridges most any brass is OK.  The only thing to look out for is berdan primed, steel, and maybe nickel cases, otherwise they are all pretty much the same.  At least that has been my experience, but I don't compete so maybe some competition guys can chime in on that side of things.

Meh, if it's like getting across a gorge I would launch a light line across first to pull the heavy one across.  Also if I remember right, hasn't something like this been done again?  I could swear I seen some story about crossing a ravine or something.  I'm really not trying to talk his feat down, it's just not my kind of movie.

I am not a fan of movies like this, or even that mountain climbing one that just came out.  Granted, it's dangerous walking a tightrope like that; but in the end that is all it is.  I like movies with a storyline, twists, plots etc.  To me its like watching a rerun of a football game, I know the outcome.

I have always known they can trace a weapon to the point of sale.  They start with the Mfg, Distributor, then LGS.  That is one reason they give when they try and pass legislation to force FFL transfers on all gun purchases; once a person to person sale occurs, they lose track.