musicman

Every guitar player around the world is having a sad day due to the loss of such a great man. Every engineer also owes him big-time. Music would not be what it is today without his contributions through the years. I never met Les, but have a lot of friends who have worked with him and they all said he was something special.

okey dokey... my Lee manual shows a max of 7.0gr of HP38 for a generic 125gr jhp for 27200cup and 1319fps. for a 125grXTP it shows a max of 8.5gr for 42700cup and 1622fps. That XTP load sounds crazy hot, and there are much better powders for max mag loads in .357. Hodgon's site shows a max of 7.3gr HP38 witha Hornady 125gr XTP for 1335 fps at 33,800cup. That sounds a lot more reasonable. Winchester 231 is also the same exact powder, just in a different bottle. (Go ahead and call Winche/Hodgdon if you, like me,are dubious of this. 913-362-9455) My Lee manual shows a max of 8.1gr for W231 and a 125gr jhp at 1460fps and 42500 cup, and no data for a 125gr XTP. As you can see, Lee's manual is all over the place. Hodgdon's site shows exactly the same data for both powders and a 125gr XTP. All of that probably didn't help... but I feel better! Anyways, I wouldn't feel bad at all throwing 7.0 gr in this case... maybe working up a bit more if the load shows no pressure signs. However, as I have stated elsewhere, don't take my word or anyone else's for it, and don't consider anything posted on a forum as reliable. What load were you thinking about using?

HP38 loads for .357 are usually not near max and have lots of extra case volume in them. Are you loading at the max listed charge weights for this bullet? If not, I'd just use any ol' jacketed 125gr bullet. Also, in my Lee manual there are usually some specfic loads for Hornady XTP bullets in that weight..... hang on... lemme get my manual...

Wow! Great shooting, and great loading!

IME the dryer sheets just made one more thing in the tumbler that got in the way when I separated my media from my brass. I don't buy the over-priced "tumbling media" from the gunshops, but I get the exact same thing sold as blasting media (corn cob) or pet bedding (walnut) for literally 10% or so of the price by volume. I use car polish because I like really shiny brass and it seems to slick up the cases as they go through my dies. (especially resizing-depriming!) When my media seems to stop working so well or gets really nasty... I throw it out! That's usually once or twice a year. I figure I've got about a buck... maybe a buck and a quarter in that media. I figure that much over about 5,000 cases equals out to be next to nothing, so I just don't sweat it.

Lee Turret kit. Depending on how you want to stage your loading, you can get a 3-hole or a 4-hole kit. I hand prime and do all of my de-priming in large batches, so I get by with a 3-hole turret just fine. The turret press allows for super-fast caliber changeovers. once you have your stuff set up for that caliber all you have to do is snap in the shellholder plate and then set your powder measure and you're off to the races. If you are changing bullet styles, then you will also adjust the bullet seating die. I have made up "dummy" reference cartridges to make it all quick and easy. I think the Deluxe Turret kit is like $130-$150 or something like that these days, and most Lee Deluxe 4-die sets are like $30. You'll save over a grand going this way vs Dillon! Since you aren't try to set any world speed records and you want to enjoy the process as a hobby, I think that would be a great solution for you. Whatever you choose, have fun!

I also got the same form letter in return. I think the Demo's corporate office is still there behind the Mboro location. Maybe it's time for a drop by?

That's about right at a store these days. Actually, probably pretty good. You can get them just a little cheaper with a C&R FFL. They're great guns and you should love yours! Good looking example you have there.

Dear Demos Family, I want you to know that your restaurants have been a big part of the history of my life since moving to TN in 2001. My wife and I had our first date in your downtown Nashville location and it has remained our favorite restaurant since then. We have been visiting your restaurants over 20 times a year for the past 8 years. For the last 3 years I have owned an insurance agency and have also had many client lunches at your Murfreesboro location. Unfortunately, you have now made a decision which will deprive me of my favorite steak and chicken soup. It is with much sadness that I am writing to inform you that my family and I will not be patronizing your locations until your choice to ignore the rights of Tennessee's Handgun Carry Permit holders is reversed. I know you have already received similar letters from friends of mine, and that they have already covered the reasons why we have chosen our stance. However, I don't quite understand your stance. You state that you are a "big believer in 2nd amendment rights", yet you have chosen to side with those who would continue to make us helpless victims. What is really the resoning behind your decision? Have you gotten dozens to hundreds of letters from those who are afraid of law-abiding citizens who have passed background checks and taken state-required courses to carry a firearm? Have they told you that they will stop visiting your establishment if those horrible men and women who are carrying guns with every respect for the law are there also? I am very interested to see how this plays out. I know you have just lost roughly $1,200-$1,500 per year in business from my family. I also know of at least 4 other families in my immediate sphere of influence who have made this same decision, and some of these families have been bringing more business to your chain than I have. I will also continue to share this information with the rest of my HCP-holding friends. They do not take kindly to this kind of attack on them either. Do you forsee an influx of business from folks who are afraid of the rest of us law-abiding Americans? I see you have recently opened a store in Alabama. That's wonderful! Your restaurants do truly offer a dining experience right up there with the best of them, and for an unbelievable value! I also love that my drinking glass never seems to go empty when dining with you. The servers always top them off or bring another full glass when I'm just down to the halfway mark! You may have read a few dozen comment cards from me over the years sharing my delight with this trait of your servers. Again, I am very sad that you have decided to ban me and my wife from your restaurants, for a ban on guns where they are legal is a ban on me. For your sake, I would love to be proven wrong and see your stores continue to grow their business. However, I feel that you may see the reverse in the coming months. I sincerely hope you'll reconsider, because I'm really going to miss my Demos'. Sincerely, James Kleppinger Ph# Email

Suhweet. My M&P40 is getting closer and closer to reality. I need to come check out your 9. I will probably end up doing something similar once I get my M&P. Glad you like it so much!

Cool! Let us know how you like it. I love their stuff!

OK, I'll do that. I didn't know if that actually went to him or not, so that's why I asked for an e-mail addy.

Change it when you feel like it, but it usually lasts a LLLOOOOOONNNNNNGGGGGGGG time! I don't buy the expensive "tumbling media" that they want to sell you or $15/gallon. You can get a 5lb bag or so of crushed walnut at WalMart (sold a cage liner) for a couple dollars, and if you look around some of the shops that sell media-blasting stuff you can find the right size corn cob media for just a few dollars as well. I like to add some car wax (whatever was cheapest that day) to the mix and let it run for about 5 minutes before adding my brass. I do that every 3rd or 4th tumble. I really hate dusty media. Adding the polish helps keep it down a little by bonding the dust to the media, but in my opinion that reduces the efficiency of the media over time. For that reason , I actually change my media pretty often compared to most. (Like somewhere on the order of every 8-12 months) BUT, since I buy my stuff on the cheap, I only have like $2-3 worth of media in my tumbler at a time. Not $10-12 like the gun shop media.

Would you mind sharing Mr. Demo's email address? I would like to offer a similar letter to him to encourage him to rethink his stance. My wife and I have eaten at his restaurants at least 150 times in the last 8 years, but that is now coming to an abrupt end. They are (were) our favorite restaurant. Thanks!

Freakin' awesome. I've been crazy busy the last couple weeks and today was actually the first time I've turned on a television in nearly a month! I'm trying to catch up on all the latest and this story is awesome! I may be in the position to buy a new car in the next 8-12 months, and I'm curious to see how much extra trouble/work/$ it would be to get one from this guy. He may be getting a call from me in the spring.

Wow, TDR, fine points you make there! I just really think that both are fine guns of basically the same platform. (except the Smith doesn't have a backstrap safety, and I think that the XD is the only one of the two with an indicator for the striker position) There were sme reports that te early M&Ps were having some feeding problems, but that seems to have been cleared up. My guess is that they will both have similar and excellent functioning characteristics. This leads us back to the same old thing. Buy whatever you want, and screw what everybody else says. It's your gun and you're the only one that has to live with it. Hope you buy the one you like the best!

I'm biased. I love the M&P. Anything I saw will skew heavily toward the Smith, though I think the XD is a fine gun and probably just as reliable or accurate. I just likes me my Smiths!

Do you think a judge should stop the guns-in-restaurants bill from going into effect Tuesday, July 14, 2009? Yes No Other Thank you for participating in our poll. Here are the results so far. Yes 34% No 66% Other 0%

Could we PLEASE do one NOT on the 3rd Saturday? I have a standing monthly obligation that I don't want to miss every 3rd Saturday, and I'd love to make another shoot. Plus, I've had the chance to make a bunch of ammo since the last time I made it to the range, so I've got a lot to burn up!

OK, so that video was awesome, but what cracked me up even more was this video which was availabl at the end of that one: For some reason that kid had me laughing out loud. Awesome.

That Mosin in #14 sure looks like one of the rare Chinese made models in the 7.62 caliber!!! But seriously, looks like ya'll had a great day! Hope I can show up for the next one!

Love the '88! I want a Z28 of that era one day.

worked for me, still at 93/7

It was the Jag X type on that platform, but with crappy motors. a 2.4l or a 3.0l, with awd as an option. I actually had my deposit put down on an '03 Xtype 3.0, but the numbnuts at the dealership were taking forever to get things sorted. It ended up being the best thing ever! After two weeks I told them to kiss off and give me back my check, which they did. That day I found the LS! Best decision I ever made! Oh, and when I do have money to blow on an Audi S5, Porsche 911, or Jag XKR one day, I'm going to buy it somewhere else, then drive to Thoroghbred Motors in Berry Hill and tell them that they treated me lke crap when I just had a little money, so when I have a lot, I'll make sure to always spend it somewhere else. It's got the same motor as in the Jag XK, with some minor changes. You're exactly right, too. The LS was a great car and got no love other than winning MT's Car of the Year when it came out. I look at it as the poor man's BMW 540i. And yes, the Catera blows! Thanks for the kind words.

Nope. Let's keep it that way by not bringing attention to that fact!