Dolomite_supafly

With a SS Sparrow you can also add gel to get rid of the first round pop as well as quiet it down. I know I have tried all kinds of lubricants, wire pulling gel, water and hand sanitizer. Believe it or not but the hand sanitizer works the best and it is really cheap too.   Not sure if I would use it with a aluminum or anything other than SS though.

Are they lubed? It doesn't look like it. If they are not lubed they will lead the bore.   I have shot these as well and like them.   I have started powder caoting bullets. You can use acetone and powder coating powder. You mix the two and tumble lube the bullets like you would using Lee Alox. Then you bake but I am not 100% convinced they even need to be baked. I have pushed them to over 2K fps and I have read reports of pwople getting to 2,800 fps with the powder coating. Next time I do a batch I will be taking pictures and posting a how to.

I trim my cases to 1.745". I used to trim at 1.755"-1.760" and I had to trim every time. I use a Lee trimmer and used a grinder to knock .015" off the stem. With the collet and body die trimming the cases is not happening anywhere near as often. Having a case too short is never a problem as long as it holds the bullet. Too long can cause serious issues with pressure because the case mouth is held closed by the throat. And the bullet is not released until pressures are dangerous.

And the end gives us a clue why she huffs that stuff and why she probably already has a few kids and why she is supporting her aerosol habit through her strip club job.

Another option that might be cheaper is do a complete rear end swap. The gears aren't that expensive but the labor to set them  but you can go to a Pull a Part and pick up a complete rear end for under $100. And in a afternoon you can have a completely differen't rear end installed. Some of the explorers came with 3.55's and 3.73's and from what I have seen looking at tags most of those with the stepper rear gears were also posi. You could also upgrade to disks if you don't already have them. It would require a new proportioning valve but that is cheap.   A swap from 3.55 to 3.73 is very dramatic in the seat of the pants. A swap from 3.08 to 3.55 or 3.73 is going to be amazing. I have went from 3.08 to 3.55 and I never thought the felt difference would be so dramatic. The car would barely haze the tires from the line and after they would break loose all through first when I mashed the pedal.   That way you don't ruin the engines reliability. You won't ruin your economy either. The engine RPM at 55 will be the same as it is at 63 MPH now.

Setting up dies can be very frustrating but I have found a foolproof way to set them up 99% of the time. To set your seater die do this.   Loosen the seater die a few turns. Loosen the seater stem a few more turns. Take a piece of FACTORY ammo and place it in the shell holder. Place the handle of your press at the all the way down position. It should be resting on the presses hard stop. Slowly screw the seater die in until the die hits resistance and you start to see the handle move. It should not move up any significant amount but just kind of barely move. Lock the seater die down so it cannot move. Screw the seater pin in until the handle again starts to move.   Now when you load a round it should at least be the same as the factory ammo you used to setup your dies.   This will get you very. very close to where you want to be. 9 out of 10 times the seater die is good to go and the only adjustments from then on are with the seater pin. If you do have any issues or want to add a little more crimp only add a 1/8 turn at a time and remember to back the seater pin out the same amount you screw the seater die in.   I would also STRONGLY suggest a chamber gauge to check your loaded rounds before you get to the range. 

As pressure rises causes the powder to burn more completely and faster. Could be you are not using enough powder to get the pressures up enough to completely burn the powder. Might try increasing but DO NOT exceed published load data.   If the gun runs reliably and is accurate I wouldn't worry about it. I know my wife had a bunch of small tears in her target from HCP qualification. The instructors said they see it a lot with Federal ammunition.

I think the culprit is he was not sizing all the way. I have been guilty of it as well when I first started reloading. I never realized they had to touch until I had loaded about a 100. Fortunately I have a bolt gun in 223 that I could use them in so I didn't have to tear the rounds back down.   DO NOT ATTEMPT TO RESIZE THE LOADED ROUNDS. THE DIE IS LIKE A CHAMBER AND IF THE ROUND GOES OFF IT WILL BE VERY BAD.   You do not need to crimp, even for an AR. I have shot thousands without every applying a crimp. Neck tension holds the bullet just as good. I had had bullets that had only a crimp and the bullet would wiggle because the neck tension wasn't tight and after the crimp the neck sprang back some.   I have not had to use a small base die set EVER but I mention it as an option before I knew he was not sizing all the way.   I would get away from the "all-in-one" dies if you want your brass to last. I am talking about the single die that sizes the neck AND the body at the same time. They tend to really work harden the brass and I was only getting about 4 loadings per case unless I annealed the case necks. Annealing was too much of a pain. And when I do use the "all-in-one" I generally remove .002" from the expander ball so I have good neck tension and do not need to crimp. Another reason I do not crimp is because it work hardens the neck.   I use a Lee collet die to size the neck only followed by a Redding body die to do the body and bump the shoulder only. Then I am done. The brass doesn't grow as much and lasts so much longer. I have some that have to have at least 15 loadings on them now and you cannot tell. It is also easier physically when you seperate the steps. For a bolt gun you only need to neck size everytime. Then body size every 4th or 5th time when chambering gets a little hard.   I even take the collet dies mandrel and chuck it into a drill and remove .002" to increase the neck tension. Using the whole neck to hold the bullet is more secure than just a crimp. It also doesn't deform the bullet like a crimp can either.   Get a chamber brush to loosen all the crude then use a 45 caliber bore mop to clean the chamber. Scotch bright might actually roughen the chamber some, I know I use it on SS barrels to give the outside a nice matte finish. If I wanted a nice chamber I would take the 45 caliber bore mop and load it with Flitz or something similar. Then chuck it into a drill and spin it in the chamber for like 30 seconds. It will polish the chamber without removing metal. On locked breech guns there is nothing wrong with having a lisck chamber because the locking lugs are what holds everything in, not side wall pressure.

No clue. He wasn't banned.

Drop the corn cobb media and go with walnut. It you get the Kaytee Lizard Litter from the pet store it works a million times better than corn cob and is cheaper as well. The Lizard Litter is small enough that it falls through the primer holes. You can add some liquid car wax and it polishes as bright as any corn cob media I have tried. A 10+ pound bag costs about $7 and the car wax should already be in your garage.   I would get away from the "all in one dies" if you want your brass to last. I am talking about the single die that sizes the neck AND the body at the same time. They tend to really work harden the brass and I was only getting about 4 loadings per case unless I annealed the cases. Annealing was too much of a pain. And when I do use them I generally remove .002" from the expander ball so I have more neck tension and do not need to crimp. I do not crimp because it work hardens the neck as well.   I use a Lee collet die to size the neck only followed by a Redding body die to do the body and bump the shoulder. Then I am done. The brass doesn't grow as much and lasts so much longer. I have some that have to have at least 15 loadings on them now and you cannot tell. It is also easier physically when you seperate the steps. If this is for a bolt gun you only need to neck size everytime. Then body size every 4th or 5th sizing.   I even take the collet dies mandrel and chuck it into a drill and remove .002" to increase the neck tension. Using the whole neck to hold the bullet is more secure than just a crimp. It also doesn't deform the bullet like a crimp can either.   If all else fails you can use the universal decapping pin (then one without the expander ball) in the 223 die. It will leave your neck way undersized but the bullet will expand it as it is seated. I have ran into issues with a flat based bullet crushing the neck, and ruining the case, rather than going inside. Boat tails work most times. Another issue is sometime the bullets will not be concentric. But for blaster ammo it will work.

I would recommend going to silencer research and spending the $30 for a 12 month membership. He has in depth test results of every suppressor made up to about 2011. They are in a easily searchable format to determine what is quietest or cheapest. $30 is worth it to save yourself from getting a crappy can.   You can go there and see the layout with a few free reviews.   He tests all the cans using the same standard so you can actually compare apples to apples. Manufacturers jade the tests to make their cans seem better than they are. A lot do not use any standard so it is hard to compare two cans that were not tested the same way, John Titsworth does.

For a 22 the Silencerco Sparrow in stainless.

  There is your problem!!! The shell holder MUST touch the sizing die. If not you are not completely sizing the case. If you are using the same method with your other calibers that is why you are probably having issues there as well.   When setting up the sizing dies I put the handle all the way down. Then I screw the sizing die in until the handle moves up about a 1/2".   5.56 and 223 are identical when it comes to size. The only difference is in the chamber and the pressures the loaded rounds are.     Here is the rule for using a chronograph. First, NEVER shoot groups while using a chronograph. Second. If using a scope aim at the sky screen because the bore is a few inches low and you will never hit the sky screens. If you are using irons put a piece of tape between the uprights right below the sky screens and put a dot to aim at on the tape.

The tags normally have the date they were put out. At least some pawn shops put it on the tag. I have had some that will haggle on a new item and some that won't haggle on an item no matter how long they have been out.

I have a Chorny Alpha Master and it works great. I generally do not even put up the sky screens or even the goal posts. I just set it up and make sure to shoot over it within a foot and it works great. I recently had it at the range for everyone to use and they said it worked great as well.   They supposedly have issues with really blue skies but I don't recall ever having an issue. I have had issues from having it too close to the gun and having unburnt powder beat the bullet to the chrony.   I cannot imagine reloading without one. It is also good for diagnosing problems with semi autos that are having issues cycling. You can determine if it is the ammo or the gun pretty easy with a chronograph.   There are also the chronographs that are affixed to the end of the barrel. They are pricey but seem to work well from everything I have read.

I have some very nice, straight trees on my property. Not one or two but about a 1/2 dozen. Based on my experience working with a miller there is probably $10K worth of useable limber in those standing logs. I have had several people say they would not come put for such a small amount.   The small time sawmills are gone. You used to be able to find one every 10 miles but you would be hard pressed to find any that still do customer work within 25 miles.

Sounds like you are not getting enough velocity and pressures to cycle the gun.   For #3 the cases are not sized all the way. If they were once fired military you might need to get a small base sizing die because the 5.56 fired through machine guns can swell so much standard dies can't fix it. If these are the same cases as all the rest then you need to seat the bullet a bit deeper because it is likely jamming the bullet into the lands before locking up.   You need to invest in a chronograph. It will save you that much in trial and error between time and components

Most tree trimmers I have seen do not haul away logs. They cut the tree up in maneage pieces and hall it off.   I have done a lot of tree cutting with my family and friends and I heave never seen an oak larger than 2' in diameter that did not have some rot in the middle. And any amount of rot makes the log useless as they are not going to take the time to cut it so to avoid the rot.   I have also spent a lot of time on a sawmill and most will not do a single tree or even a dozen trees unless the person brings it to the mill and agrees to pay for every nail that is hit. And I can tell you the millers I knew would not even think about cutting up a tree that came out of a yard for that reason. I had a friend that took in about a hundred smaller trees about 12" in diameter. The person agreed to pay for the nail hits. Well after about the 4th band was ruined it was obvious the trees came off a fenced property line. My friend was out the cost of the blades when the guy refused to pay unless all the lumber was cut up. You would be surprized what people put in the crooks of trees when they are younger. We have found glass bottles, money, metal rods and even concrete.

This is a decent sight for all things related to hunting pistols. http://specialtypistols.infopop.cc/eve/forums   Here is a very active classifieds section dedicated to the Contender: http://www.encoreclassifieds.com/forum/index.php?t=thread&frm_id=4   I have always wanted a Contender but the cost of custom barrels has always swayed me. My next find will likely be a XP100.

I was walking through the woods in Alabama once and best we can figure I got into an area of newly hatched ticks. They were everywhere and I picked as many as I could off of me before grabbing the tape. Even after all the picking I had already did I still managed to pull several hundred off of me before jumping in the shower. Pretty much everyone in my squad had the same experience.   My wife and I were at Big Ridge State park and got into a bunch of tiny ticks. Not as many as I had gotten into but still enough to make you itch for the rest of the day thinking about it.   I can never recall getting chiggers as a kid or an adult. We used to call some white flowery weeds chigger plants and avoid them. Not sure if it is true but I doubt it.   I have had several serious esposures to poison ivy. Since then I do not get it very bad. One time when I was a kid we were burning brush piles and I got some in my lungs. It was pretty serious. My wife can roll around in the stuff and it doesn't bother her at all but she is not from here in the US so maybe that has something to do with it.

16 grains of Lil'Gun works great for me.   I shoot them in both an AR and bolt gun.

And the cost of a legally owned suppressor is less than the cost to get you out of jail for suspicion of having an illegal NFA item. And even if the judge throws the case out at your very first hearing you are still going to be out thousands of dollars in legal expenses. I know I would not show up to any type of criminal case, no matter how small, without a paid attorney and the last time I checked you could probably buy a legal machine gun for about the same cost as retaining one.   The supreme court has already ruled certain items, like NFA items, can be regulated without violating the Consitution.   And as much as I would love to walk out to my garage and make all my friends a suppressor I can't. I don't agree with the law and find it idiotic but it is the law. And I will not loose my freedom over something as stupid as trying to avoid paying taxes. It is a tax and the form is a protected tax document.

They are probably going to be viewed as suppressors in the eyes of the ATF. ANYTHING that alters or quietens a gunshot is a suppressor no matter what it is or what it is made out of. Even though the holes in the back are not covered it will still alter the shot.   There used to be a "solvent trap" that used a plastic adapter to screw a plastic Coke bottle onto the end of a barrel. The ATF jumped all over them, even though all the parts were plastic, stating it was a suppressor. These are no different and the ATF will eventually get involved, seize the sales records and make a lot of visits.   I would not trust anyone who sells these "solvent traps" unless they have a letter from the ATF saying they are legal without paperwork. I suspect the reason why they don't is because the manufacturer knows the ATF will say they are a suppressor.   People seem to want a suppressor but don't want to pay to be legal. The cost of a high end suppressor and the stamp is going to be less than the bond for having an illegal NFA item.

Absolutely. Depending on the powder and bullet you could probably fit two 357 powder charges in a 38 special case. Then with the smaller case and the resulting smaller capacity the pressures would be even higher.

I have said it before and repeat it often.   When meeting someone I don't know to buy or sell ANYTHING I do these things. I always speak to them on the phone and on the day of the meet I write their number on my hand with a sharpie. I also give them my vehicle information and get theirs to put on my hand. If they won't tell me what they are driving I pass on the deal. And then when I get to the meet location I drive past once to look them over as well as get a plate number and, you guessed it, that goes on my hand.   The meet location is never at their house or my house. It is somewhere in public unless it is something too big to hall.   And above all else if something doesn't seem or feel right walk away. There are always clues and instinct that tell you something is about to go south.