USMCJG

That is amazing. Hundreds of millions of guns in the US, and probably 99+% of them are defective. All of mine are defective as well. Handguns, shotguns, rifles, even BB guns. Not a single one of them has ever killed, or even wounded, anyone. Unless they're sneaking out by themselves in the middle of the night after I'm asleep, as some in the media and politics would have us believe. But I'm pretty sure they can't because they're all(almost) locked in the safe and you can't get to the lock from the inside. And besides that they don't have thumbs.

"There's absolutely no reason under the sun, no rational reason that we should allow people to legally possess these types of semi- automatic assault weapons. They're made for one purpose. They're not used in a duck line for hunting. They're not used in the Olympics for target shooting. They're used to kill and maim people, and most often it's police officers," Mr. Rendell said. What a load of crap! I have an "assault rifle". I have owned it for years and shot it many times. It has never, EVER, been used to hurt ANYONE. EVER. Of course, I've never shot a duck with it either. But I have read the Constitution numerous times looking for the word "hunting" anywhere in it. I've come up empty so far.

I don't know if you are allowed to carry in national forests, but I do know that they have a shooting range INSIDE the Cherokee National Forest in Unicoi County. I've been there many times. I would think that carry is okay in national forests within Tennessee, but I'm not 100% sure. I haven't gotten my HCP yet, but plan to soon, so I haven't checked the regs. Cliff

I haven't used it, but I'm going to check it out now. I've been using Lyman and Sierra manuals and data available on the powder manufacturers websites that I made copies of and put in a binder to this point. But I'm still pretty new to reloading. Always looking for something new. Thanks!Cliff

That's the same kit I have. It's a really good kit to get started with. I like it because it got me started reloading cheap and I can add and replace items at my leisure as funds allow. In addition to that kit you would need:1- Dies for the caliber(s) you want to reload(I recommend Hornady because of the free bullet deal I mentioned earlier, other dies will work just fine though) 2- Shellholder(s) for the caliber(s) you want to load(Unless you get Lee dies which include a shellholder) 3- Lee case length gauge(s)(include shellholder, this shellholder will not work with the press- only with the lock stud) for use with the Lock Stud and Cutter that come with the kit. These are for length trimming cases. Straight walled pistol cases rarely need length trimming, bottlenecked cases typically need to be trimmed after each firing. It's not the most convenient system, but it works and is pretty much foolproof. 4- Reloading manual(Lee, Hornady, Lyman, etc.- I started with the Lyman manual which I would consider to be a good choice for the beginner) 5- Powder Trickler. This is optional but nice to have. I have the RCBS trickler which works fine for me, especially after I added lead to the base to make it heavier. If I had it to do over I'd probably just spend the couple extra bucks for the heavier Redding trickler. 6- Extra Breech Lock Quick Change Bushings(Optional) Ideally you would want one bushing for each individual die you will be using. The kit comes with three bushings. 7- Calipers. Use these to measure COAL(cartridge overall length) and case length. I'm using the Frankford Arsenal electronic calipers from Midway and they work very well(and they're cheap). 8- Case loading trays. I use and like the Hornady universal case trays. You'll want at least two. 9- Case tumbler and tumbling media(optional). If you're loading new brass you won't need a tumbler, but if you're loading used brass you will want one. 10- Case lube pad(optional). The kit includes Lee's case lube which is very good. Lee recommends you apply the lube to your cases by hand, but I use a case lube pad because it speeds thing up a bit. You do not need to lube straight walled cases if you are using carbide(nitride for Hornady) dies. 11- Supplies(brass, bullets, powder, and primers) Those are all of the necessities(along with some optional items) that I can think of at the moment. You can watch a pretty good video by RCBS here- RCBS - Precisioneered Shooting Products - Videos The video is the last one called "RCBS Loading Techniques(streaming)". It shows you all of the basics, and, of course, advertises RCBS products pretty heavily. Good luck, be safe, and have fun. Cliff

I hope you have better luck finding small rifle primers than I did. I had my .223 brass, bullets, powder,and dies for over a month before I finally found small rifle primers for a whopping $50+tax/1,000(Remington 7-1/2). I guess it could be worse though, I've seen small rifle primers on GunBroker going for well over $100/1,000.I really like the Hornady dies for the free bullet deal as mentioned before, but there is a limited selection of free bullets available, you have to pay shipping charges(~$7), and it took about two and a half months for me to get my free bullets. The best thing to me about the Hornady dies is the availability of the micrometer seating stem MidwayUSA - Hornady Microjust Seating Stem add-on. For about $20-$25 you can add the micrometer seating stem to any Hornady seater die and basically have a competition seater die for cheap. I have one that I use on several dies and it makes COAL adjustments much easier. Eventually I'll have one for each of my Hornady die sets. I should mention that Hornady dies are the only ones I have used so far so I can't compare them to others, but I've had very good luck with them and see no reason to change. Good luck and enjoy! Cliff

I started reloading about five months ago and went with the Lee Challenger kit(the one with the hand priming tool). I wanted to get started on the cheap and to make sure I was going to enjoy reloading and stick with it before I shelled out the big bucks. The worst case scenario was that I'd be out ~$100 for the kit if I didn't want to stick with reloading. I really expected to be disappointed with the Lee stuff, but I have been very happy that I went with the Lee kit to get started. The only other things you would need in addition to the kit are dies(I'm using Hornady dies because they have a deal where you get 100 free bullets with the purchase of their die sets), shellholders(Lee die sets come with shellholders, others don't), case loading trays, Lee case length gauges and shellholders for the calibers you will be loading, calipers, powder trickler(optional), and a good reloading manual. I will probably replace most of the tools, except for the press which I really like- the breech lock system is fantastic, that came with the kit at some point as I become more familiar with reloading and have a clear idea of what I want in specific tools. But as a way to get started cheaply and be able to pick and choose the equipment I want in the future without commiting to a more expensive kit and still wanting to replace some of the stuff, the Lee was the way to go for me. I have since added a Pact digital scale(only because of the low weight capacity of the included scale, the Lee scale works just fine), Hornady LNL powder measure(didn't need it, just wanted it, I still use the Lee measure as well), Lyman chamfering, deburring, and primer pocket tools(the included tools are fine, except the chamfering tool is not very good for smaller pistol cases, so I got the Lyman case prep kit designed for use with a drill which speeds up case prep significantly), and a Forster Original case trimmer kit(the Lee kit comes with a lock stud and cutter for use with Lee case length gauges and shellholders, they work fine but I much prefer the Forster tool). I don't know if this is the way you would want to go, but it has worked out great for me. Good luck with your reloading and I hope you enjoy it. I know I have. Cliff

I have an M&P 9C and really like it. The ergonomics are great and it's surprisingly accurate for a 3". The M&P's are my favorites of the polymer pistols. Now I want the .45.

My initials are CJG.

Thanks 323 ssplt. I'm sure my info is a little dated. I visited Scout/Sniper Instructor School at Quantico, VA in 1991 and this(800yds.) was the number I remembered being told at the time. Unfortunately, due to an injury, I never made it back there for training.Cliff

Sounds like you've got a plan. But no need to wait for the .338 to start shooting past 500. The .308 is easily up to the task of 800 meters(this is generally considered the maximum effective range for the .308 for military snipers, but shots in excess of 1,000 meters are not unheard of). It's more about the indian than the arrow anyway.Cliff

I agree with FroggyOne2, if you're just wanting a long range bench gun then I'd look into the 6.5mm offerings, like the 6.5x284 Norma(likely my next gun), 6.5 Creedmore, and even the .260 Rem.(or .260 AI). They shoot fast and flat with much better ballistics(less drop and drift) than the .308. And they do it all with less recoil too. And not everyone has a 6.5(except most competitive 1,000 yd. shooters), if you want to be different. Of course some of these, like the 6.5x284 Norma, are considered by some to be barrel burners(good for at least 1,250 rds. though, from everything I've seen). Like everyone else said there is a HUGE difference in recoil between the .308 and the .338(about 15ft-lb for .308 and 42ft-lb for .338:dropjaw:). A muzzle brake will reduce the recoil of the .338, but it's still going to kick hard. The .300 Win.Mag.(about 27ft-lb recoil energy), is a good compromise, as mentioned. It kicks quite a bit harder than the .308, but nothing like the .338. I would personally consider the .338 to be at a disadvantage to the .308 at anything less than 500yds., just because I don't want to flinch knowing my rifle is about to knock the crap out of me. But if you're wanting something that will kill a grizzly at 800 yds., then the .338 is definitely the way to go. Cliff P.S.- I got the approximate recoil numbers from- http://www.accuratereloading.com/recoil.html

Thanks a lot everyone!

Thanks guys!

Hello all. USMCJG here, but you can just call me Cliff. I was born and raised in East TN and have lived here my whole life except for my brief stint in the Marines(hence my user name). In the interest of full disclosure, I'm frequently a smart alleck and can sometimes be a huge pain in the rear end(seriously, ask anyone who knows me:D). I'm 36 and have been shooting for a little over 30 years. I just recently started reloading and am really enjoying it. I like shooting all kinds of firearms, but I mostly shoot .22LR and .45ACP. Lately though, I've been thinking about getting in to some long range shooting. I currently don't hunt and just shoot for fun. I also enjoy riding dirt bikes and playing the occasional round of golf. Well that's about it. Hopefully I can contribute to the forum in a meaningful way. But mostly I'll probably just complain about how the gubment is ruining the country and trampling the Constitution. Thanks for the great forum! Cliff