leroy

lester:_____________ Some good thoughts contained above. My main worry is a double charge with the progressives. I believe you can see them pretty easy. Try it and weigh out a couple of charges of your faborite load and dump them into two empty cases. A "good" charge on one, and a "double" on the other. I load for 380 acp (...on a single stage press...). My load is 4.0 grains of 231. I can easily see a double charge. When ya get down in the 3 and less grain loadings it might get a bit hard to see; but your eye is a pretty good judge of like type things (...like powder charges in casings...); so i dont worry too much. Havin said all that, i like to use loads where a double charge will spill out of or almost completely fill up the case. You can see them pretty easy. As to the 'little bit" overcharged thing; (...5.0 vs 6.o grain sort of thing....) ive got an interesting story. When i first started reloading in the mid 70's, we shot tons of hot loads out of ruger blackhawks. One of my favorite 41 mag. loads was a maximum load of Winchester 630 ball powder and the old 210 grain speer 3/4 jacket hollow points. I used an old sierra loading manual that listed the maximum load of the PREDECESSOR to Winchester 630, called 630P. My pet load was a pretty good overload. Lots of time, the cases would stick in the ruger and i would peck the spent cases out, swab the cylinder with denatured alcohol to clean up oil (...which i thought was the problem...) and keep on shooting. It was great to shoot these loads. They were accurate and plenty powerful. We used a pretty good sized black pine tree for a backstop and the 41 mag loads would tear big chunks out of the tree from time to time. I FINALLY NOTICED in the reloading manual what was goin on. It turns out that my regular shootin load (...that i had shot hundreds if not a thousand rounds of....) was about a 20 or so % overload. The brass was fine and the gun was fine; the brass just stuck in the cylinder. After i discovered what i had done, i took a good look at the cylinder. No bulges, it looked (...and still looks...) like a million dollars. I still have that old 41 mag blackhawk and it is still one of our best shooters despite the beating i gave it. The point of all this rambling is that todays stuff is pretty tough. A proof load for a handgun is twice what a "normal' load is. I dont advocate anyone doing what i did; it was foolish. My point is that other things may well point to an overload. Pay attention when ya see 'em. leroy

I dont think so. Especially for pistol calibers. Some of the rifle guys might wince a bit, but i dont think it matters. leroy

wcsc:_______________ When ya have time, run over to Predator Custom Shop and talk to Jim. They are open on wednesday thru saturday (...i think...). Website here:Predator Custom Shop . They will probably have some stuff layin around that you can try. By the way, they are on vacation this week. Will be back on Jan. 3 per their note on the webpage. As to your question: i've got two ars. They have stock (...but worked on a bit...) triggers and hammers in them. They work pretty well for me. leroy

I wouldnt cancel my order, dillon is a good machine. RE: Your question on the powder check die. I think ya can. I looked at the 550, it's a 4 station press. I would put a powder checker die (....like this one by Hornady: Powder Cop Die ...) in the third station and set the fourth one up to both seat the bullet and apply the crimp. I also like Lester's solution of using a head lamp to look directly into the cases (...see post #25...). You may also have to order a combination seating/crimping die as the dillon uses two separate dies for that. Just pick out an RCBS, Lyman, Lee, or Hornady seating/crimping die when ya order the powder check die. Here is one i found at midway too: Taper Crimp Seater Die 9mm Luger . My guess is that all this "extra stuff" will cost about $70 or so dollars and fix ya right up. Have fun and enjoy reloading for your stuff!! leroy

Folks:_____________ As a practical and pragmatic observation. The USA has been fighting in the middle east for about 10 years now. We (...at the beginning, at least...) completely over-run and made a vassal state of two countries. In the face of all this; I would dare say that they have not rounded up all the "rustic militants and abrigional good ole boys" who shoot at our military and blow things up as yet. What would make you think that this same US gubmt who is meddling in and directing this exercise could suddenly identify you, round you up, and pitch you into an interment camp in a matter of days? I simply cant buy it. Havin said all that, i think folks like Alex Jones serve a very important purpose in our society and culture. They dare to think and speak the thoughts that some of the bureaucrats among us love to think, but are constrained from doing. That alone is a very valuable commodity. I like the conspiracy nuts. They are not only entertaining, they are thought-provoking. I say:"....Keep up the good work Alex!!!....". leroy

I'll give you all somethin to think about. It came to me from a guy in the radiation detection business right after 9/11. The gubmt placed an emergency order for several thousand low level radiation detectors with a specialty company for which this guy worked which i'll not name. Their specialty was detection of low levels of alpha and beta particles; typically the stuff that enriched uranium gives off. These detectors are portable and will work from a relatively long distance from the source of the radiation. They are evidently much more sensitive and advanced than the ordinary radiation survey meter. The company said it would take several years, not months to build these detectors. The gubmt guys became appoplexic at all this; they said "...but we need 'em now!!!....". All this tells me is that there is a real fear out there amongst the bureaucratic and "bugger behind every tree class" that there is a very real possibility that a dirty bomb or a suitcase nuke that could be smuggled into the good ole USA and transported via truck, donkey, rattle trap, scooter, you name it, to somewhere and set off. That's the rationale (...i think, anyway...) that the TSA is usin to do all this stuff. On a personal level, i think it's foolish to look for this stuff randomly on the highways; but i think that's what they are doin. I suspect that they are usin new tools (....like the one mentioned above...) for all this that the folks (...like the THP...) simply do not have. In this same conversation, the quiet, erudite guy who passed on the story about the low level radiation detector order also said that the Russians owned up to havin (...and securing...) about 125 suitcase nukes. There are those who believe that there were really about 1100. I wonder where the other 975 or so are at?? Interestin to think about aint it? Please bear in mind that this little blurb in no way is intended to justify or give "approval" to what this bunch of bureaucratic clowns are doin. It is simply meant to inform. I would classify this latest TSA thing as a typical statist bureaucratic bungle that tramples on folks rights while purporting to keep us all safer; all for "...the Collective Good...." as the old soviets would say. I firmly that Providence alone has kept a suitcase nuke or dirty bomb from goin off here in the good ole USA. Let us all hope and pray that the Hand of Providence continues to protect us all in spite of our idiotic and blinded ways. leroy

This may stir up a pretty big hornet's nest; but i just cant help myself. I'm old enough to remember the time when there was one 1911 type pistol. It was a colt. All mine, from the first norwegan, to an old military, to the latter colt series 70 pistols would shoot reliably and would meet the 4" standard (...2"' from aiming point...) at 25 yards that the military uses today. The only one of them that was ever worked on was the military, which had the frame peened (...by me....) to tighten up the slide/frame fit. It still had the old military barrel in it. In those distant days, the way you got a "custom" gun that shot better than that 4 inch thing was to wrap your government model in several hundred bucks and send it off to a "custom gunsmith". You waited about 6 or so months and the pistol returned, tuned up and prettied up of course (....to the extent of the dollars ya sent down...) and would generally shoot into 2 inches at 25 yards. I dont know about most of you all; but i cant hold much better than 2 to 4 inches at 25 yards. I understand that some of the bullseye guys can; but i (...and i believe, lots of other dedicated shooters...) simply cant do it. Today things are different. You can buy most any off the shelf 1911 by most any maker and get in the 2" or so range at 25 yards range pretty easy. This is due (...i think...) to the CNC machining revolution. The new 1911's are tighter and shoot better because the parts are made on better machine tooling. I think that the greatest secret that has been kept in the 1911 cottage industry is that the tooling is better, and that makes the pistols better. We can quibble about the assembly by a good gunsmith that brings you into the 2" at 50 yards range. That's a bunch better than i can hold; and i am confident that it's better than the other 95+% of pistoleros can hold as well. My advice to anyone who would like a nice 1911 (...and who wouldnt...) is to take a good look at any of the 1911 folks (...i like STI--The Spartan...) and pick the one you like off the shelf. If you absolutely have to have a "custom" 1911; save your money up, get the pile big enough, and go buy what ya can afford. I'm like Ebenezer Schrooge at heart; i simply cannot bring myself to buy a 1911 that costs over about 600 bucks or so; but that's just me. I remember when a colt government model cost $300 and a Colt Gold Cup cost $500. The reason that a Gold Cup cost $500 was that it had target sights (...which are the best thing you can do to a 1911 in my opinion. Sights are worth the money....) and that the colt factory assemblers matched slides to frames by trying them and gettin the best fit in the pile of slides and frames they were working on at the time. I know alot of this sounds like "custom gun" hating and bashing; but that aint what im trying to do here. I am a genuine Laze Faire Capitalist and i firmly believe that you should be free to buy what ever you want to buy at the price you are willing to pay. All im sayin is that there has been a quiet revolution in the firearms industry that has made firearms a bunch better and no one has said much about it. That revolution was the use of CNC tooling to build parts. Most off the shelf stuff is better today than lots of custom stuff was 40 or so years ago, and it requires far less "hand fitting". The guys that have built their rep on "custom" products wont volunteer this kind of stuff to you; but make no mistake, it is the heart of the new 1911 (...and AR...) revolution in quality and performance. leroy

W0lf:______________ As others have said so well, it's a pretty normal celebration in this area of the woods. It does another thing that i think is very important. It sends a message to any would-be miscreants and hooligans that you are armed and ready to shoot on a moment's notice. Especially in the more rural areas. Have fun and enjoy the tradition!! leroy

Hi Lester. Good to hear from ya. I hadnt thought of the headlamp thing. It is an excellent idea. As you have opined, lookin in the case is a "must do" to make sure the case is charged correctly. Keep up the good work! leroy

Thanks for all the info. I just finished reading a bit of Littlefield's bio. It would appear (...to me at least...) that he has never had a "real job". Planning and givin advice aint the same thing as being responsible for things. We are seein a similar trend in knoxville city politics as well. We have a former "community activist" turned republican (...think about that one a bit!!....) who has just been installed as mayor. I think that wherever you have a city run by "inner city" politics (.... i would count knoxville as about a 50/50 thing with the republicans generally getting their way....), you have the problem of electing life-long political operatives and bureaucrats that know how to game the system, and could care less about doing the "right thing". They are interested in governing and governing alone. As the great John Westley Hardin was heard to say: "....When i walk into a room i see lots of enemies and no friends...". I know exactly how he feels when i go to the courthouse or city hall of any reasonable size metro type city or county in tennessee. It's a problem everywhere. leroy

SHARP:____________ To add a bit to what the other posters have said; ya might want to think about these items: First, if ya are in the load development stage with your 9 mm, its real handy to have a single stage press handy to make up 'trial recipe" rounds in small batches to see if they work for you. It's a headache and aggravation (...for me at least...) to redo seating depth, crimp, etc on a progressive (...ive got a 650xl...). Once you have your load recipes worked out, a progressive cant be beat for ease of loading and consistency of ammo. I cant remember how a 550 works; but i believe that you can change the toolheads on them (...you can on the 650...). That allows you to set up a toolhead up with dies that are ready to start reloading with without fiddling with the crimp, belling die, seater die, etc... . That, to me at least, is the biggest selling point with the progressives. You set the dies up once and dont have to fool with them again. Also, while im at it, if you have an extra empty station, make sure you install a powder check die or figure out a positive, fool proof way to check the powder charge in each case. I would never operate a progressive without one. I also like to develop loads that fill the case pretty well to make double sure a round doesnt "double charge". The "double charge" will spill out of a case with the bulkier powders. The "double charge" thing is real easy to do if you dont pay 100% attention or get side-tracked and pull the handle on the reloader more than once without advancing the shell plate. I just looked at a picture of a 550, and it's a 4 hole tool head. I would consider settin up a powder checker die in the third hold and use a combination seater-crimper in the fourth. I may be a bit too cautious, but i simply dont like the somewhat limited way(s) to verify the powder charge on a progressive. I like to look into the case and see the powder or use a powder check die of some kind. Maybe some of our other reloading buddies will chime in on this. Double charges are the single most destructive problem you can have with reloading for pistols and revolvers. A double charge of powders like unique and especially bullseye and 231 will most likely blow up or at least wreck a 9 mm. I aint tryin to scare ya with this; but it is the root of why lots of folks recommend that new reloaders start out on a single stage press. That way ya learn each of the reloading steps thoroughly and its no big deal to look directly down in the cases after charging to verify the powder charge. This is, in fact, the most important step in the reloading process. Hope this helps leroy

Good lookin men and a great retriever there!! Now that is what i call a great christmas. These boys are very fortunate to have a dad who spends time with them and loves them enough to teach them the stuff they are obviously learning. Keep up the good work!!! leroy

current & strick:___________ Thanks for the info. I had forgotten about the territory around 26 ave. How are the voters takin to this mayor thing? I take it by what you all are sayin that things are pretty ratty everywhere except on the mountains (....signal and lookout...). How about the East Ridge, Bonny Oaks, and Hixon areas? Things used to be pretty calm in those areas. How are the downtown merchants and "real folks" that work downtown takin all this? As i remember, the old chattanooga police force used to be a pretty tough "law and order" bunch. Have they been neutered? leroy

This "chattanooga crime" thing interests me a bit. I've got family nearby. Why do you all think that the police are just standin around downtown? That is a bit out of character for them based on history. Do you all think that the "crackdown" thing in the "shady areas" are really runnin the rif-raf downtown or is it, in fact, a gang thing? I used to travel into downtown chattanooga years ago, and didnt see much but the usual bums and a few drunks; but no militant thug kids. There have always been places in chattanooga (...and most other places too...) where folks shouldnt go, but they were mostly north of earlanger in the old days. What do ya think is really goin on? leroy

Hate to hear it. My guess is that it is (...sadly....) kids. Kids now days generally fall into two groups. The good ones and the bad ones. It (...in our neck of the woods, anyway...) generally reflects the parenting (...or lack thereof...) thing. We had a couple of vehicles "lettered" in our neighborhood. Done on the windows with egg yoke or a real good, high quality washable white paint mix of some kind. I think high school girls did it because the writing was flawless and all the words (...even the bad ones...) were correctly spelled. Some of our LE folks may want to chime in on this; but it looks to me like in many places its the problem of delinquent parents and kids with time on their hands. leroy

Interesting news. As others have opined, Wisconsin is the "ground zero" of commie stupidity. It is interesting that the city fathers lost this battle so quickly, and without a whimper. leroy

I dont believe that this one will pass constitutional muster. It was ruled on in the early ninteen hundreds in the state and federal courts during the West Virginia coal mine union troubles in the early teens. The state (...and federal....) militia's tried the same thing; namely holding and trying people in military courts while there were functioning state and federal courts. By the way, for what it's worth, here is the text of an e-mail reply i recieved from Bob Corker's office RE: all this stuff (...Alexander didnt bother to respond. My guess is that he doesnt think he has to, after all he is the personification of "the best and brightest". He'll do the right thing for us "delightful but thoroughly ignorant rustics"....): leroy

Robert:______________ Sorry to hear of your loss. Our condolences and prayers are with ya. I'm a bit older and i kinda see the same sort of thing. My dad was the person who started my love affair with shooting with a winchester hammer type slide action 22 rifle. He loved to shoot and taught me as a small boy; no older than 8 or 9. He also taught me about shotguns and bought me my first winchester single shot youth model 20 gage. I've still got that little shotgun. He's been gone since 1969. Another dear friend bought my first revolver for me in the early sixties and taught me about shooting, self-defense, and a lot about life in general. He is long gone too. I used to bird hunt with 5 dear buddies when i was in high school. We kept in touch over the years and regularly got together. We buried two of them in the last six months. A third one is a bit older and cant hardly get around anymore. It's kinda like we are livin in the fall of life and the leaves are falling. leroy

F. M. George Company, Knoxville. leroy

I keep one of these little guys in my pocket all the time: Inova Microlight 2 LED Micro Flashlight with Translucent Body .. Works like a charm, weighs nothin, and doesnt break the bank. leroy

I love the interest in the single actions!! Keep up the good work!!. Ya can't do better than the Ruger Single Actions. You can spend more money; but you simply cant find a better revolver. You guys need to get started reloading so you can really enjoy shooting the single actions with good lead bullets. Your ammo will beat any factory loadings hands down and allow you all to shoot a bunch more for the dollars invested. Tell santa to bring some reloading stuff so you all can get to work. By the way, i think (...i aint sure...) that the first centerfire revolver Bill Ruger built was a flattop 357. leroy

The Sig 238 is a locked breech design; as is the Kahr 380, the Ruger LCP, the Kel-Tek and several of the newer models of the 380 breed. The Walther ppk, pp, and all their variants are blowback designs. It's no problem to rack the slide on my SIG. leroy

The way i see things; the Death Angel has brought the world an early Christmas present. It's kinda like the line in the movie "Judge Roy Bean", after Roy shoots Bad Bob in the back. Folks are talking about the questionable shot, then a pragmatist says: "....Who cares, he's dead aint he....". That about sums up how i see this thing. I'm glad this totalitarian son of satan is dead. I've got some dear friends that are Korean. There is great concern and worry about family at home on both sides of the border. I would love to see things straighten up there. My guess is that it wont. Most likely the "kim Jong" juniors or whoever takes over will be just as bad as ole Kim was. leroy

Bad:___________ Congratulation on your Colt 32-20. The 32-20 was originally a black powder cartridge that both smith and colt built revolvers for. The 32-20 was (...and is...) a bottle neck rifle cartridge (...looks like a 44-40, only smaller...). Colt also built single action armies in 32-20 to go along with rifles. In the early days (...late 1800 to 1930's or so...) the 32-20 was quite popular. Loaded in both black powder and smokeless. They are accurate (...if the barrel is good...) and powerful. As others have said; the report is very loud. I would have a gunsmith buddy take a look at it, and if it is in good mechanical condition and the barrel is good, it will make a good shooter with sensible loads. I would check the S/N, but yours looks to be a later one; because it doesn't have the "dog leg' cylinder latch. Now days folks think you need a super deluxe large capacity multi shooter with a large caliber --- at least 9 mm. In the "old days" lots of folks carried and used 32 caliber handguns. The 32-20 was the most powerful of the lot. They evidently fell out of favor when the 38 special caught hold with the police and LE establishment. The 357 mag was introduced in 1935 (...i think...) along with the colt 38 super in the 1911; that finished off the 32 as a powerful "high velocity" loading. There was a time when colt and smith and wesson battled fiercely for police contracts. The Colt Police Positive was Colt's answer to the great Smith Military and Police models. By the way, smith also built the 32-20 on the military and police frame. There is probably some interesting reading on these colt models on the Colt Forum. Enjoy! leroy

Sonny:_____________ Lots of old time police and LE guys used to carry j frame smiths with the 158 grain LSWC or 148 grain full wad cutters. When i carry my model 36 that's what it is loaded with. I dont like light bullets in 38 specials. Lots of bad guys layin in the graveyard from both 38 special and 380 wounds. The main thing as others have said, practice with it and carry it all the time. leroy