Dolomite_supafly

Old news. Not Chinese ammo.

  I have changed everything now. I have a bunch of bullets already cast so I will be shooting those in bolt guns mostly now rather than my AR, which is where I think I got most of it. I will be more judicious in wearing protective gear. And finally I will be powdercoating all new bullets that I cast.   Dolomite

It is their shop and they can make whatever rules they want. They could even make a rule that anyone entering has to wear a pink tutu. You either comply or do not enter. As long as the rule doesn't violate the law there is nothing anyone can do about it.   Now personally I see it as more dangerous to have people unload their guns before entering. I NEVER remove my gun from the holster unless there is a reason to and unloading is not a reason.

  The guy who did the shooting is the victim, the guy who got shot was the criminal.

I was serious about the leading issue.   Ask any caster or search any casting website as to whether a boat tail cast bullet will work. I took my Lee and cut the boat tail out of it and it worked a lot better. The only bullets from this mold that I have heard that work well are those that have been powder coated.

How about RCBS?

The boat tail doesn't work at all with cast bullets. It leads to significant leading. The other issue is the bullet drops at .309" and when it comes out of the case it is .308" or smaller. This, again, cases leading. And finally it cannot be seated deep enough to reliably feed from an AR magazine. Those that are giving reviews probably see the shiny new mold and basing the review on that. I literally shot hundreds of bullets cast using this mold and it was miserable. I tried it in several guns with the same results. But hey it is cheap. The Lee mold made me design my own. It is 31-240-E on Accurate Mold's website. I get nothing and gave the design away. It allows you to seat the bullet deep enough to use a magazine and at the same time doesn't expose the lube grooves. Accurate is pricey but you get a very, very nice mold. As a matter of fact I am going to be ordering again and probably designing another bullet soon.

Avoid like the plague! I have the mold and it has issues.

With most rifle bullets, yes.   Some HP bullets, pistol and rifle, can be partially closed by using the tapered side. And on those I use the flat side to prevent them from closing. RCBS has several different kinds of seaters in their 9mm dies because one size definitely does not fit all HP's.   I generally make my own seaters to better fit the bullet's ogive profile without touching the nose of the bullet. I use delrin because it is easy to machine and doesn't mar or scratch the bullet. Also, rather than use a thin rod that kind of floats in there I use more of a plug with a hole in the middle of it. This ensures, im my eyes, that the bullet is seated as straight as possible.   I can post pictures if someone wants to see how I made the Lee better.

Been there, done that.

Also, check the seater to make sure it is in the right way. There is a dished side and a flat side.

Take the seater out and drill a 1/8" hole in the center. I would chuck the seater in the drill and keep the drill bit stationary.

I trim my cases intially with a Harbor Freight mini chop saw. Then I size the cases and doa  finish trim using a Lee cutter and a trim rod I made from a modified 7.62x39 trim rod.   The best trimmer there is once the cases have been shopped and sized is a WFT trimmer. They are pricey but they are quick and more importantly easy. I made one of those as well but prefer to use the Lee.

Get whatever you can get right now. They will all work as well as the next one. I have used Lee for at least 2,000 rounds now without any issues. I do like the Hornady dies and would really like to find a set of RCBS. The reason is I shoot cast lead bullets and those two have replaceable expander balls of differeing sizes.   I do believe there are a few brands that will not work with the Dillon but I am not sure which ones.

They have been in business pretty much from the begining of buying "AR Kits". I can swear I remember shopping with them at least 10 years ago.

There is a reason why the RGuns uppers are still available.   A 9 twist is what you want. 9 twist will shoot anythign up to 77 grain bullets, including 40 grain varmint bullets. 7 twist will cause the jacket to seperate on anything under 50 grains. I know I have slung the jackets from 53 SMK's in a 7 twist barrel.   Too fast is worse for accuracy than just barely stable. Look at all the match shooters, in their 30 caliber guns they are using 17 and 18 twist barrels when most factory guns have a 10 or 11 twist. The original 5.56 had a 12 twist barrel and it was devastating but they went to 9 twist and performance began to suffer then they went to 7 twist and it became even worse. This is why we are hearing all the complaints from troops in the middle east.   You could probably build an upper cheaper than buying right now. I just did a quick search of parts and you can build one for a little over $500.   Another option is to give these people a call and get an idea of lead times: http://www.model1sales.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_ID=152 They have great prices and their uppers are decent quality. They are a real deal when you take into account the cost.

I ALWAYS have a baffle. I found that single item reduced my variation more than anything else.

What kind of shotgun?   Might be cheaper to buy a barrel that is already setup to accept chokes. I was looking at having this done to a Saiga shotgun and I want to say they were saying it would be $100+ to do it.

Before buying Lil'Gun I would try the H110.   The AR's with pistol length gas system should cycle fine. Carbine length gas system will never cycle with the lighter bullets at subsonic velocities.

Try a different powder. I used A1680 in the begining as well, because everyone said to use it, and had some pretty miserable results. I would hand weigh each charge and I was having the velocities vary by over 100 FPS with subsonic loads. There are also a lot of rumors about AA powders not being very consistent from lot to lot. I gave up on A1680 when I seen a lot of posts about people having miserable accuracy when using it as well.   I have tried every single powder that is recommended as well as some that are not and the best I have found is Lil'Gun. I would start out at 10 grains of Lil'Gun then adjust up or down depending on where you fall in your FPS. I am shooting cast bullets that are hitting within a few inches of each other out to 150 yards using Lil'Gun. With A1680 I was lucky to get 2" groups at 50 yards. H110, H4227 are better than A1680 as well. Not sure if you are shooting through a can but Lil'Gun, H4227 and H110 will all be quieter than A1680.   1,000 FPS in a 9" gun may not remain subsonic in a 16" bolt gun. I would load to high subsonic in your bolt gun then see if they will cycle your AR.

Send it in. They are dangerous without the upgrade. Even if the trigger is miserable when it comes back it is still better than a unsafe gun.   Here is the recall notice: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&ved=0CDkQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.berettasupport.com%2Fneos%2FRecallNotice.pdf&ei=mpePUdn6G5Ho8wSNjoCgBA&usg=AFQjCNFabIMCutxgOm2fvwMWJML9I7c7-A&sig2=beFFdKU5sgRlakIEziB6dg  

The physical difference between PTS and the "real" versions is the front PTS sight is approximately 1/8" shorter and the rear PTS sight is approximately 1/8" taller.  This helps to zero a airsoft rifle within its useable range but will never be able to zero on a real firearm without some major work.   Trust me on the not working on real firearms, I have made them work but the front sight post I had to make was as tall as the wings on the front sight. Did it work? Yes but it also was not ideal and looked goofy as hell.   As far as durability and overall quality the real versions and the PTS versions are the same but the physical differences make sure they do not interchange.   TDR is, and continues to be, a standup guy. I have dealt with him on several occasions and always a stand up guy.

I think it is something like 15 inches at 150 yards.

I have shot to 150 yards. I am in the process of building a Savage Striker in 300 Blackout.

I have thought I might receive a visit every time I order trash bags, a hack saw, some duct tape, a shovel, a tarp and a map of the nearest national forest. So far I haven't so I think we are safe.   Seriously though I guarantee there is a database somewhere that has a line by line list of what you purchase. I would be willing to bet Walmart can tell you the last time you bought hotdogs and what else was bought at the same time. Even places like PayPal keep records on what you purchase.