Dolomite_supafly

+1 It is illegal for anyone to carry any firearm in Tennessee, even HCP holders. It is illegal to carry a pistol, rifle or shotgun. What keeps us out of trouble is the exceptions and defenses to the law. A HCP that is armed with a pistol is still guilty of unlawful carrying or possession of a firearm but because of the exception they cannot be charged. It isn't that a HCP makes it legal to carry, because it is still illegal, the HCP just makes it so you cannot be charged with the crime of unlawful carrying or possession of a firearm. There is a difference between something being legal and something being illegal with an exception. The HCP gives exception to handguns only, not rifles or shotguns. So it remains illegal to carry a firearm, including rifles, by everyone without regard to their HCP status. By default the only type of firearm excepted is a handgun. And because a rifle is not mentioned in the exception it is illegal to be in possession of it. Dolomite Dolomite

I posted this in another thread and thought I would repost it here. Ok here is a quick run down of what I feel it takes to have an accurate 10/22. First, a quality trigger. Whether you buy a complete trigger (Kidd is the best) or buy parts to replace or modify the factory parts the one thing you need is a predictable trigger. A heavy predictable trigger is still better than a lightweight unpredictable trigger. I would even say a decent trigger is the most important part of any 10/22 build. You also want a trigger that has the minimum amount of pretravel as well as the minimal amount of overtravel but most importantly you want a reliable trigger. I use factory parts in all of my guns so I add my own overtravel screw. I also use shims to remove as much of the side travel as I can. It is impossible to get a quality homebrew trigger without removing the side to side movement found in ALL factory 10/22 triggers. I replace springs with lighter weight ones but I also change sear angles and polish various parts. It has taken me a long time to figure out what works and what doesn't. I will not go into it here as there is too much liability if someone doesn't get it right. It can also lead to a gun that is illegal. Second, a quality barrel. There are several makers of 10/22 barrels that would fill this need. The chamber is what makes or breaks a barrels accuracy in most cases. You need to make sure the chamber is a Bentz spec or a modified Bentz for a semi auto. Another option is to have the factory barrel setback. I have set mine back ~.165. This puts the bullet into the rifling like a match barrel but because the ID is larger than a Bentz chamber it tends to be more reliable. They tend to be a lot more accurate than a factory barrel but not quite as accurate as a Bentz chambered barrel. The Bentz chamber also keeps the bullet from just falling into the chamber and the force of bolt is what is used to seat the bullet to a precise headspace to the same every time. Barrel contour can have an impact on accuracy as well as the length. All things being equal a short, fat barrel will be more accurate than a long thin barrel. The reason is harmonics tend to be less with those short, fat barrels. And because they have less harmonics they tend to be accurate with a wider range of ammunition. You might see muzzle devices on the end of barrels. These are only used to tweak the barrel harmonics. And finally, make sure the barrel is either completely free floated or completely bedded. I will say that a completely free floated barrel tends to be accurate with a smaller variety of ammunition but it will be very accurate. One the flip side a completely bedded barrel will be more accurate with a wider variety of ammuntion but will generally not be able to be as accurate as a completely free floated barrel. This is because of harmonics. A bedded barrel has less harmonics so it is more accurate with differnt ammunition but you can't tune it like you can a free floated barrel. Make sure the barrel fits properly in the receiver and does not droop. If it does there is an adjustable "V" block that is available to address the issue. Most aftermarket barrels have a very tight fit so this may not be an issue. And when installing a tight barrel you can put the receiver in boiling water to expand it to allow the barrel to drop in. You might even need to freeze the barrel. When installing the barrel make sure the extractor is centered in the extractor groove in the barrel. Most cycling issues are a result of the extractor not being properly centered. Third, a properly prepared bolt. The factory bolt is built for one thing and one thing only, reliability. And because of this accuracy suffers greatly. With a .22 headspace is critical and the factory bolt is so loose it is not wonder they are not accurate especially when combined with the loose factory barrel. The rim on a average .22 round is ~.041"-~.042" thick, depending on brand. The factory bolt is set for a rim that is ~.045" and sometimes larger. That leaves ~.002-~.003" of slop and although it doesn't sound like a lot this can cause inconsistent shot to shot accuracy. How do you fix it? Well you machine the front of the bolt until the recess is .0425", this eleminates most of the slop without affecting reliability. Next, if you look at the firing pin the tip can move around quite a bit. This means the tip can strike the round on the edge or farther in and this can also effect consistent ignition. So how do you fix that? You drill and pin the firing pin in place to keep if from moving up in its channel. Looking at the firing pin you see the tip is square. Although it works it is not ideal. It needs to be slightly angled so that it strikes the outer edge of the rim first. This does two things. First it hits the rim with more force creating a more reliable ignition. It also changes the flame front of the priming compound so it doesn't travel along the case wall. It is angled down and into the bulk of the powder. As the round is chambered the powder is on the botton of the case and without a profiled firing pin the flame front tends to stay along the top of the case. This means the powder may be ignited at the back, middle or front and each one has it's own velocity range, believe it or not. To test this take your rifle and cahmber a round, point it up so all the powder is against the primer. Do this for say 5 rounds. Next do the same thing except take the gun and point it down so the powder is more forward in the case. You will see a distinctive difference in shot placement. And finally, champfer the rear of the bolt. This doesn't affect accuracy so much as reliability with standard and subsonic velocity rounds. And for those of you who can;t machine the bolt yourself there are several smiths out there that can do it for you. The best is Randy at CPC. http://community-2.w...work/index.html He also pins the firing pin in place as well champfer the bolt. He also reworks the extractor but a VQ extractor will help a stock bolt that is having cycling issues. Third, decent optic mounts. Although the factory mounts work they are rarely square and true. And when there is pent up energy in the form uneven clamping forces they can squirm around affecting harmonics of the gun as well as zero. The scope adds to the guns overall harmonics and if it is under uneven clamping forces it too can affect harmoincs. A decent mount as well as decent rings are a must. And make sure to use blue Loctite on any screws because a 22 is notorious for working screws loose. When considering mounts choose something with the least amount of junctions. That is don;t have a mount on the receiver, then a riser block on that, then the rings on that. If you need additional height for a comfortable sight picture use higher rings. Each of the junctions can, and often do, affect harmonics. There is also a greater chance that one of the many screws will loosen. Fourth, a comfortable stock. Without a comfortable stock you are not going to keep the same consistent position. You will find yourself always adjusting your firing postition looking for a comfortable position. Every time you break your position it changes the impact of the bullet, the guns harmonics as well as your concentration. Along with you fitting the stock well you need to make sure your gun is comfortable in the stock. Because if it is not sitting comfortably in the stock it will squirm and move with every shot. The way to ensure there are no pressure points is to bed the receiver and/or the barrel. You also need to torque the action screw to a consistent amount. Having a loose, then tight screw will also affect the harmonics of the gun. A decent in.lbs wrench can be had for under $50. While that is not needed for most it isn't a lot in the overall scheme of cost in making a 10/22 shoot. Fifth, ammunition. All ammunition is not created equal and more importantly each gun reacts differently with each kind of ammunition or even lot numbers. The ammunition that works well in your buddy's Savage may not work well in your Savage. The reason is barrel harmonics as well as the overall harmonics of the gun can affect accuracy. Ideally you want the bullet to exit the barrel at exactly the same point on the harminic node and that node is different between every single gun. Think of it like harmonic DNA. This is were accuracy testing is key in determining what your particular ammunition likes. I have a 22 that absolutely hates Eley match EPS. Unfortunately I found this out after buying plenty. I still used it for testing other guns but in the end it was too expensive for my needs. When testing you need to clean the barrel between brands because the lube used on one brand might affect the accuracy of the next brand. When testing I do this. I run a bore snake down the bore a few times. I fire 25, yes 25, fouling shots. Then I fire five 5 shot groups. Record the results then I start over with the bore snake. You will generally have a couple of brands that stand out. And with these brands you begin the tuning process that I will go into below. Sixth, tuning. Now that you have you gun set up and have a few candidates for ammunition it is time to tune the gun to the ammunition. If you haven't bedded the barrel, which I generally do not recommend, do this. Take the action out of the stock and place foam pressure pad about an inch from the end of the stock. I generally use a foam ear plug I cut in half. Then fire five 5 shot groups with a brand of ammunition. Record the results. Then I move the foam pressure pad back and additional inch. Shoot five more 5 shot groups. I continue to do this until I reach the "V" block. You will have a place where the groups seem to shrink substantially. This is the ideal spot for that particular brand of ammunition. If you change brands or even lot numbers you might need to test again. The foam should not raise the barrel but just dampen the microscopic vibrations in the barrel. Another part of tuning is the in.lbs that are applied to the action screw. For this I suggest leaving it at one setting but it might be what is needed to get to the next level of accuracy. I also suggest shooting off a solid platform like soft bags or something similar. Bipods can affect harmonics as well. If you need to use a bipod make sure to load them to prevent as much harmincs as possible. And finally avoid hard surfaces. For some reason when firing off a hard surface it has a negative affect on accuracy. I use rice filled bags or even my shooting bag laying on its side. Both work well for me. And finally. Just a few tips from someone who has shot rimfires consistently for over 35 years. Never clean unless you see a significant degradationin accuracy with a known performer. The barrels need a build up of lube to work well in most cases. And leaving the barrels dirtly actually give a decent amount of protection. This is why most older, delapidated rimfires have nicer barrels than similar centerfire barrels. Another note on cleaning. Do not clean from the muzzle end. This can damage the crown which is the last thing a bullet touches before leaving the gun. A damaged crown can have a major impact on accuracy. On guns that can't have a rod run down the bore from the breech use a bore snake. And clean your bore snake often. The cloth can get imbedded with carbon and other materials that can scratch or damage the bore and crown. I am also a firm believer in glasses. Not just for safety but to reduce eye strain behind a scope. It helps you see the target and reticle better which in turn helps you shoot better. There are even optometrists out there who are familiar with the shooting sports and can adjust a prescription to help. There is nothing wrong with shooting glasses, you should be wearing them anyways so why not get some additional benefits. Keep a written record of weather conditions. All of the tweaks as well as the ammunitions performance changes with weather conditions and altitude. And now on to the most important aspect of getting a 10/22, or any gun for that matter, to shoot well, you. You need to practice and practice a lot. Even if you can't afford the best equipment, the best gun or the best optics practice is the common factor in all winners. So practice and practice often and you will be a better shooter. I welcome any questions and I am sure I am missing a few things. If I did please add to the discussion because it will help me as well as many other shooters who might read this. Dolomite

Ok here is a quick run down of what I feel it takes to have an accurate 10/22. First, a quality trigger. Whether you buy a complete trigger (Kidd is the best) or buy parts to replace or modify the factory parts the one thing you need is a predictable trigger. A heavy predictable trigger is still better than a lightweight unpredictable trigger. I would even say a decent trigger is the most important part of any 10/22 build. You also want a trigger that has the minimum amount of pretravel as well as the minimal amount of overtravel but most importantly you want a reliable trigger. I use factory parts in all of my guns so I add my own overtravel screw. I also use shims to remove as much of the side travel as I can. It is impossible to get a quality homebrew trigger without removing the side to side movement found in ALL factory 10/22 triggers. I replace springs with lighter weight ones but I also change sear angles and polish various parts. It has taken me a long time to figure out what works and what doesn't. I will not go into it here as there is too much liability if someone doesn't get it right. It can also lead to a gun that is illegal. Second, a quality barrel. There are several makers of 10/22 barrels that would fill this need. The chamber is what makes or breaks a barrels accuracy in most cases. You need to make sure the chamber is a Bentz spec or a modified Bentz for a semi auto. Another option is to have the factory barrel setback. I have set mine back ~.165. This puts the bullet into the rifling like a match barrel but because the ID is larger than a Bentz chamber it tends to be more reliable. They tend to be a lot more accurate than a factory barrel but not quite as accurate as a Bentz chambered barrel. The Bentz chamber also keeps the bullet from just falling into the chamber and the force of bolt is what is used to seat the bullet to a precise headspace to the same every time. Barrel contour can have an impact on accuracy as well as the length. All things being equal a short, fat barrel will be more accurate than a long thin barrel. The reason is harmonics tend to be less with those short, fat barrels. And because they have less harmonics they tend to be accurate with a wider range of ammunition. You might see muzzle devices on the end of barrels. These are only used to tweak the barrel harmonics. And finally, make sure the barrel is either completely free floated or completely bedded. I will say that a completely free floated barrel tends to be accurate with a smaller variety of ammunition but it will be very accurate. One the flip side a completely bedded barrel will be more accurate with a wider variety of ammuntion but will generally not be able to be as accurate as a completely free floated barrel. This is because of harmonics. A bedded barrel has less harmonics so it is more accurate with differnt ammunition but you can't tune it like you can a free floated barrel. Make sure the barrel fits properly in the receiver and does not droop. If it does there is an adjustable "V" block that is available to address the issue. Most aftermarket barrels have a very tight fit so this may not be an issue. And when installing a tight barrel you can put the receiver in boiling water to expand it to allow the barrel to drop in. You might even need to freeze the barrel. When installing the barrel make sure the extractor is centered in the extractor groove in the barrel. Most cycling issues are a result of the extractor not being properly centered. Third, a properly prepared bolt. The factory bolt is built for one thing and one thing only, reliability. And because of this accuracy suffers greatly. With a .22 headspace is critical and the factory bolt is so loose it is not wonder they are not accurate especially when combined with the loose factory barrel. The rim on a average .22 round is ~.041"-~.042" thick, depending on brand. The factory bolt is set for a rim that is ~.045" and sometimes larger. That leaves ~.002-~.003" of slop and although it doesn't sound like a lot this can cause inconsistent shot to shot accuracy. How do you fix it? Well you machine the front of the bolt until the recess is .0425", this eleminates most of the slop without affecting reliability. Next, if you look at the firing pin the tip can move around quite a bit. This means the tip can strike the round on the edge or farther in and this can also effect consistent ignition. So how do you fix that? You drill and pin the firing pin in place to keep if from moving up in its channel. Looking at the firing pin you see the tip is square. Although it works it is not ideal. It needs to be slightly angled so that it strikes the outer edge of the rim first. This does two things. First it hits the rim with more force creating a more reliable ignition. It also changes the flame front of the priming compound so it doesn't travel along the case wall. It is angled down and into the bulk of the powder. As the round is chambered the powder is on the botton of the case and without a profiled firing pin the flame front tends to stay along the top of the case. This means the powder may be ignited at the back, middle or front and each one has it's own velocity range, believe it or not. To test this take your rifle and cahmber a round, point it up so all the powder is against the primer. Do this for say 5 rounds. Next do the same thing except take the gun and point it down so the powder is more forward in the case. You will see a distinctive difference in shot placement. And finally, champfer the rear of the bolt. This doesn't affect accuracy so much as reliability with standard and subsonic velocity rounds. And for those of you who can;t machine the bolt yourself there are several smiths out there that can do it for you. The best is Randy at CPC. http://community-2.webtv.net/RandyAtCPC/CPC1022BoltRework/index.html He also pins the firing pin in place as well champfer the bolt. He also reworks the extractor but a VQ extractor will help a stock bolt that is having cycling issues. Third, decent optic mounts. Although the factory mounts work they are rarely square and true. And when there is pent up energy in the form uneven clamping forces they can squirm around affecting harmonics of the gun as well as zero. The scope adds to the guns overall harmonics and if it is under uneven clamping forces it too can affect harmoincs. A decent mount as well as decent rings are a must. And make sure to use blue Loctite on any screws because a 22 is notorious for working screws loose. When considering mounts choose something with the least amount of junctions. That is don;t have a mount on the receiver, then a riser block on that, then the rings on that. If you need additional height for a comfortable sight picture use higher rings. Each of the junctions can, and often do, affect harmonics. There is also a greater chance that one of the many screws will loosen. Fourth, a comfortable stock. Without a comfortable stock you are not going to keep the same consistent position. You will find yourself always adjusting your firing postition looking for a comfortable position. Every time you break your position it changes the impact of the bullet, the guns harmonics as well as your concentration. Along with you fitting the stock well you need to make sure your gun is comfortable in the stock. Because if it is not sitting comfortably in the stock it will squirm and move with every shot. The way to ensure there are no pressure points is to bed the receiver and/or the barrel. You also need to torque the action screw to a consistent amount. Having a loose, then tight screw will also affect the harmonics of the gun. A decent in.lbs wrench can be had for under $50. While that is not needed for most it isn't a lot in the overall scheme of cost in making a 10/22 shoot. Fifth, ammunition. All ammunition is not created equal and more importantly each gun reacts differently with each kind of ammunition or even lot numbers. The ammunition that works well in your buddy's Savage may not work well in your Savage. The reason is barrel harmonics as well as the overall harmonics of the gun can affect accuracy. Ideally you want the bullet to exit the barrel at exactly the same point on the harminic node and that node is different between every single gun. Think of it like harmonic DNA. This is were accuracy testing is key in determining what your particular ammunition likes. I have a 22 that absolutely hates Eley match EPS. Unfortunately I found this out after buying plenty. I still used it for testing other guns but in the end it was too expensive for my needs. When testing you need to clean the barrel between brands because the lube used on one brand might affect the accuracy of the next brand. When testing I do this. I run a bore snake down the bore a few times. I fire 25, yes 25, fouling shots. Then I fire five 5 shot groups. Record the results then I start over with the bore snake. You will generally have a couple of brands that stand out. And with these brands you begin the tuning process that I will go into below. Sixth, tuning. Now that you have you gun set up and have a few candidates for ammunition it is time to tune the gun to the ammunition. If you haven't bedded the barrel, which I generally do not recommend, do this. Take the action out of the stock and place foam pressure pad about an inch from the end of the stock. I generally use a foam ear plug I cut in half. Then fire five 5 shot groups with a brand of ammunition. Record the results. Then I move the foam pressure pad back and additional inch. Shoot five more 5 shot groups. I continue to do this until I reach the "V" block. You will have a place where the groups seem to shrink substantially. This is the ideal spot for that particular brand of ammunition. If you change brands or even lot numbers you might need to test again. The foam should not raise the barrel but just dampen the microscopic vibrations in the barrel. Another part of tuning is the in.lbs that are applied to the action screw. For this I suggest leaving it at one setting but it might be what is needed to get to the next level of accuracy. I also suggest shooting off a solid platform like soft bags or something similar. Bipods can affect harmonics as well. If you need to use a bipod make sure to load them to prevent as much harmincs as possible. And finally avoid hard surfaces. For some reason when firing off a hard surface it has a negative affect on accuracy. I use rice filled bags or even my shooting bag laying on its side. Both work well for me. And finally. Just a few tips from someone who has shot rimfires consistently for over 35 years. Never clean unless you see a significant degradationin accuracy with a known performer. The barrels need a build up of lube to work well in most cases. And leaving the barrels dirtly actually give a decent amount of protection. This is why most older, delapidated rimfires have nicer barrels than similar centerfire barrels. Another note on cleaning. Do not clean from the muzzle end. This can damage the crown which is the last thing a bullet touches before leaving the gun. A damaged crown can have a major impact on accuracy. On guns that can't have a rod run down the bore from the breech use a bore snake. And clean your bore snake often. The cloth can get imbedded with carbon and other materials that can scratch or damage the bore and crown. I am also a firm believer in glasses. Not just for safety but to reduce eye strain behind a scope. It helps you see the target and reticle better which in turn helps you shoot better. There are even optometrists out there who are familiar with the shooting sports and can adjust a prescription to help. There is nothing wrong with shooting glasses, you should be wearing them anyways so why not get some additional benefits. Keep a written record of weather conditions. All of the tweaks as well as the ammunitions performance changes with weather conditions and altitude. And now on to the most important aspect of getting a 10/22, or any gun for that matter, to shoot well, you. You need to practice and practice a lot. Even if you can't afford the best equipment, the best gun or the best optics practice is the common factor in all winners. So practice and practice often and you will be a better shooter. I welcome any questions and I am sure I am missing a few things. If I did please add tot he discussion because it will help me as well as many other shooters who might read this. Dolomite

Wow, I must be a lucky man. She tells me to buy what I want and I am the one who generally has second thoughts. She pushed me to spend the $200 for a suppressor. She has been pushing me to buy a MG for years but I haven't settled into that one yet because of the cost. And anytime I complain about something not being good she tells me to buy something better. It might be because she likes to shoot as well. She has several guns (actually she has almost as many as I do) and regularly shoots them. Seriously though, anytime I have been debating on whether to buy something she tells me to just buy it. I don't need her approval to do any buying but I don't need to hide it from her either. Dolomite

Unless you are using iron sights a shorter barrel will be more accurate. The shorter barrel has less harmonics than a longer barrel. And the only advantage a longer barrel has is a longer sights radius with irons. There is a lot that goes into making a 10/22 accurate. And accuracy and reliability are two different things. When you start building a high performance gun it is like a high performance car in that it requires more maintenance to be reliable. It is not impossible to have an accurate, reliable 10/22 but it does take some carefully chosen parts to do so. Dolomite

This is good for disinfecting but what about sediment and other debris in the water? I personally don't like leaf soup. Also, no need to boil to disinfect. Clear the water up then place it in a clear container. Place it the sun for a day and the natural UV light will kill all organisms in the bottle. This method is being used worldwide. Dolomite

I don't even own one but I have looked very closely at the specs as well as inspected every aspect of them very, very closely. I have looked and probably a dozen of them since they first came on my radar. And until that time I had discounted them as a budget AR to compete with DPMS's cheap crap and they do that as well as compete with guns costing hundreds more. S&W makes quality guns and has for a very, very long time. They are not gonig to risk their reputation on building a piece of junk no matter how cheap it might be. People love to hate cheap things no matter how good they are. A good example is those cheap UTG, NcStar (insert any other cheap maker) clamp on quad rails. For years people said they wouldn't last because they are lightweight pieces of junk, then after they began lasting people said they wouldn't last under hard abuse. Then when they began lasting under hard use haters began to say they were too heavy. Haters are going to hate no matter what and so far the few I have had are still holding up. One one gun we had over 6,000 HARD lived rounds fired and that cheap clamp on rail is no worse for wear other than some scratches. And recently there has been a MAJOR manufacturer that is making an exact copy of the cheap rail except charging 2x-3x as much. And that manufacturer is no doubt bringing them in from China. Now I will say there is a need for high end quality stuff but not all cheap stuff is total junk either. I have heard for years that anything Chinese is junk but a lot of the industrial machines coming into the country today are from China. Dolomite

It is a heavy taper, not sporter taper. They are hard to find right now for some reason. I think because GM is trying to keep up with demand for AR barrels. From what I hear ER Shaw barrels are also decent low end target barrels. One good thing about ER Shaw barrels is they can be bought threaded for about the same as a GM barrel. Dolomite

Every forged upper I have looked at is like this. I will say I haven't looked at hundreds or even dozens but every one is like this. And just so you know the one in the picture above is a upper with the keyhole forge mark which is the same for probably 75% of the AR's on the market, including some high end guns. This is the one case in which billet is probably better although I have never checked a billet. I use a 1" OD tube then turn it down for the receiver hole which, if I remember correctly, is .995" ID. So I basically skim the tube and press the upper in place. The friction holds it in place enough to make a few SMALL passes. Make sure the tube goes all the way into the receiver. And for the average person this would not a concern and wouldn't warrant the time, effort or money to do. But for those who want to squeeze every possible ounce of accuracy out of their AR this could help. And just so everyone knows this was my dedicated 22lr AR. I did it because I had the gun apart and figured it wouldn't hurt. It also gave me a chance to take some pictures for others to see. Dolomite

Because they were on land, had they been in the water they would be seals. Seriously though this is one of the red flags of a phonie. I have ousted several over the years and have been 100% correct when my spidey sense kicks in. I absolutely hate those who cheapen the sacrifices of our heroes. And it seems like it is getting worse by the day. These people have helped me out as well: http://www.pownetwork.org/ Funny part is people brag about being SF, SEAL, snipers, rangers, etc but none ever brag about being a cook, truck driver or supply. I have always had more sympathy for support MOS's because they can be assigned to a HSLD unit. Most HSLD soldiers volunteered for their assignments while most support guys didn't volunteer for their HSLD assignment. And without those support soldiers the HSLD soldiers couldn't function. Dolomite

I posted this in another post and thought I would make its own thread. I generally do because the "flat" surface that the barrel mounts to is generally off by several thousandths. And think about it, being off by .001 equates to .1 off at 100 yards and creates additional harmonics when the surface isn't flat. This ensures the barrel is inline with the upper and mated squarely. Almost every custom bolt action builder squares the front of the receiver as well as the recoil lug. The same should be done to accurize a AR because they are rarely square. Squaring it puts the barrel inline with the receiver and hopefully settles down any additional harmonics. Here are pictures of one I did for myself: First I start out with a round tube that is cut to allow for a very tight fit into the receiver where the barrel goes. And I clearance it to allow my cutter to get a full width cut. I make sure to cut a new tube each time to make sure it is true. Next I start to surface the front portion: You can see where the imperfection starts to to be cut at the 12 o'clock position. And because this is the high spot it tilts the barrel down and you loose up on your scope, something important for those shooting longer ranges where every click counts. This is normal for the high area to be here first. This is about 1/2 way there and now the high spot is on the left of the receiver, pushing the barrel to the right: And finally all cleaned up: And the reason I do this is because when the gun fires the barrel shifts back against the receiver where it is supposed to be a flat. And in this case the first void is everything except at 12 o'clock forcing the barrel down and creating additional harmonics. Then is settles into the right side of the receiver because the left side has a high spot and again more harmonics. And it is all these varying harmonic frequencies that can cause a gun to seemingly never be accurate. After doing this the barrel doesn't shift or squirm around upon firing or at least not as much, it comes straight back squarely on the receiver. This reduces the harmonics to only what is inherently in the barrel. And this receiver had been properly torqued but still had high spots. And the 20 minutes to do this put me in bed for the rest of the day. Damn I hate my back. Questions are welcome. Dolomite

Bipods can have a negative impact on accuracy. I didn't belive it the first time I was told that but it has proven true for me as well as almost every person I have told that to. I was told it has to do with it causing harmonics in the firearm, specifically the barrel. Now I make sure to shoot off of something other than a bipod. Nice looking rig. When you built it did you square the front of the upper receiver? I generally do because the "flat" surface that the barrel mounts to is generally off by several thousandths. And think about it, being off by .001 equates to .1 off at 100 yards and is only compounded by the additional harmonics when the surface isn't flat. Almost every custom bolt action builder squares the front of the receiver as well as the recoil lug. The same should be done to accurize a AR because they are rarely square. Here are pictures of a recent one I did for myself: First I start out with a round tube that is cut to allow for a very tight fit into the receiver where the barrel goes. And I clearance it to allow my cutter to get a full width cut. I make sure to cut a new tube each time to make sure it is true. Next I start to surface the front portion: You can see where it starts to cut at the 12 o'clock position. And because this is the high spot it tilts the barrel down and you loose up on your scope. This is normal for the high area to be here first. This is about 1/2 way there and now the high spot is on the left of the receiver, pushing the barrel to the right: And finally all cleaned up: And the reason I do this is because when the gun fires the barrel shifts back against the receiver against what is supposed to be a flat area. And the first void is everything except at 12 o'clock. This creates additional harmonics. Then is settles into the right side of the receiver because the left sight has a high spot and again more harmonics. And it is all these varying harmonic frequencies that can cause a gun to seemingly never be accurate. After doing this the barrel doesn't shift or squirm around upon firing or at least not as much, it comes straight back squarely on the receiver. This reduces the harmonics to only what is inherently in the barrel. And the 20 minutes to do this put me in bed for the rest of the day. Damn I hate my back. Questions are welcome. Dolomite

Wow, mine was given to me the same day they took my "current" picture. I have spoken to someone in the tech branch about all of it. He said they have had several retire with no new hires to replace them. He also said the funding isn't there to hire more. He said if there was one thing to do it would be to call your reps and demand they increase funding. Dolomite

GM barrels are great. I have owned a lot over the years. The best shooting GM barrels are the 17" heavy taper barrels. I am sure it helps with harmonics because of the taper and heavy profile. My most recent heavy taper barrel shoots under 1" at 100 yards with ammo it likes. 1" at 100 yards is the holy grail of rimfires and I question anyone who claims they can do it all day, everyday. Dolomite

And here I thought it was going to be an economic collapse that leads to country wide civil unrest. All those involved should be held accountable but the person who raped and killed the elderly woman should be tortured. I believe in the no unusual cruel and punishment clause but under certain circumstances it should be allowed. And it should be applied in a manner that is uniform but miserably painful. Perhaps tazings every single day of their incarceration. I got absolutely sick when I had to deal with Roger Broadway. He raped then killed Eskalene DeBorde here in Knoxville. He was one person who should have been removed from the gene pool but in the end he plead guilty and got life. But at least he will suffer for a lot longer than his victim did. Dolomite

Stag is a better gun than DPMS. I have never heard of a problem or compalaint with a Stag. I am sure they are out there but not in the same percentage as DPMS. If I were going to spend the $600 on a DPMS I would save and spend $650 on s S&W M&P Sport. You will get a gun that is leaps and bounds above DPMS. And other than the ejection port cover and forward assist it is much better than most guns costing hundreds more. I would pick a Sport over anything else in the under $1,100 category including Colt. The 5R rifling in the barrel makes for a better barrel than all but a few HIGH end guns. It is better than any conventionally rifled barrel. Google 5R rifling and see for yourself. The Melonite treatment of the barrel is better than any chrome lined and phosphate coated barrel. It is definitely more durable and more corrosion resistant. And finally, the 8 twist rate is perfect because it will shoot anything that can be fed from a magazine. 9 twist will not stabilize 80 grain bullets and 7 twist will blow 40 grain bullets apart with centrifugal force. The 8 twist barrel will fire both wieghts just fine as well as anything in between. It is a much better gun than the cost implies. Find another AR with a 5R barrel, melonite treatment as well as a hardened bolt and price it. It will likely cost you twice what the Sport costs. Dolomite

I have said it before and will say it again. I absolutely, positively, wear the pants in my family. And every morning she tells which pair it is she wants me to wear. Dolomite

Regardless of whether it is done on a Form 1 or transferred on a Form 4 the cost for approval is $200. But you may have to pay additional transfer fees from the FFL if the NFA item is being transferred in. There are no tranfer fees if building it on a Form 1. For me I debated on getting everything on a trust. For me the added cost and hassle of a trust was not warranted. We are a must sign state so that advantage is not needed. And when I die my wife will probably just turn the items in. I built my suppressor on a Form 1. I took my tube to a jewelery shop to be engraved before it was threaded and before the form was in my hand. After I had my form in hand I finished the build. Same thing will happen for any other NFA item I build. It will be on a form 1 and any engraving will be done before I have the form in hand to make life easier. The requirement for engraving is the lettering be .030" deep and 1/16th inch tall. Most jewelery shops can do that, especially on aluminum. And to give a reference if you can catch a fingernail on it the engraving it is generally deep enough. On most AR's the engraving is magnitudes deeper than it needs to be. And just to remind any of you that might use a jeweler to engrave. They must either have an FFL or you must stay with the serialized part. You cannot legally leave a serialized part with a jeweler to be engraved unless they have an FFL. And finally if you want the advantage of having a using a suppressor with a SBR without having to pay for it do what I did. Cut the barrel down 10" then add a 6.5" tube to the barrel bringing the length back to a legal 16.5". The tube is large enough in diameter for my suppressor to go inside so now I can use my suppressor with a minimal amount of additional length. Before the barrel with supprssor was 24" but now it is 18" with the suppressor because most of the suppressor is inside the tube. I did need to weld the tube the the barrel ot make it "permanent" in the eyes of the ATF. Dolomite

Back when I was in LE there was an arrest of two individuals, one white and one black. Both were involved in a bar fight and both were charged with assault. Nothing out of the ordinary until about a week later when the white criminal found himself on the wrong side of hate crime charges. I had spoke to him as well as the black inmate and it was indeed a mutual assault. Problem was the black man was screaming that the white man committed a hate crime because he was white and someone listened. I am not sure of the outcome because I quit before either of them went to court. I do know the black man bonded out rather quickly but the white man had a HUGE bond because of the hate crime charge. Hate crimes are foolish IMHO. Why would a person hurt another other than the fact they hate them. Viewing it that way all crimes against individuals are hate crimes which makes everything equal. But I do agree there may be aggravating circumstances like using racial slurs during the crime. And it should be up to the victim whether they felt the slurs were racial or not, not LE. I have heard from minorities that it isn't a hate crime if they harm a white person yet if a white person harms them it is. I heard it very often as well. Dolomite

Make sure the connection plug is clean. I wasted a week and a lot of money to find out there was some crud in the plug. Mud dobbers are really bad about putting dirt in places that drive you crazy. Dolomite

As long as you use small pistol primer you shouldn't have an issue. Even small pistol magnum should not be a problem. With certain guns small rifle it can cause problems. I have a friend who used CCI 400's for his striker fired 9mm Ruger and would have about 1 in 10 not ignite on the first strike. You could always load 10 and try them. Dolomite

As much as I hate to say it I can see another 4 years of Obama. Most liberals are still spouting their support for him and it is these same people who got him in office 3 years ago. And even if this does happen I have much bigger concerns. I am more concerned about the house and senate than who will be the next POTUS. Their actions can have more of an impact on the nation than the President. And honestly I would like to see the house and senate held by two different parties. At least that way nothing will happen, bad or good. I would rather have no new laws than a ton more passed to "help" us. And even if Romney did make it into office he is a follower that tries to please everyone so he will pretty much do what others want him to do rather than do what is right. And because of this he is probably going to sign off on anything that makes it past the house and senate. And either party are probably going to hurt us right now if they are in 100% control of both the house and senate. Dolomite

I pushed one of my "employers" that we needed to jump on the maritime security bandwagon when this first broke. Shipping companies were paying millions of dollars. Glad to see that these ships are finally able to protect themselves. You never know what the intentions of those approaching the ship might be these days. It could be a terrorist attack that sinks a tanker ship. The enviromental impact would be felt worldwide and would likely create a scare of a gas shortage in the US driving prices up. Personally I would love to see a minigun on each side of the ship. Or a few assault 12 full auto shotguns loaded with a mix of these and 00 buck: http://www.defensereview.com/1_31_2004/FRAG%2012.pdf Obligatory video: And on the missions where they actually get to board the pirate's ships they should wound all but one, dump the wounded overboard for shark bait. Then release the final one to go back and tell all the others. This is of course after all weapons are dumped overboard as well. Dolomite

You use the same load data. I have loaded thousands of 45 acp with about 1/2 being small primer. Never had a single issue using the same load data for large primers with small primers. I have also loaded them with CCI 400, CCI 41, Remington 6.5 and Remington 7.5 as well as Wolf Small Rifle Magnum. And I have never had an issue. I don't even change the load data between them but I do stay on the lower end of charge weights. My loads are generally what it takes to cycle the action. Rarely do I load them HOT. You are not going to find small primer load data in print because the data is the same for both large and small. 45 ACP is 45 ACP and the data is the same no matter what size the primer pocket is. The only difference might be magnum vs standard but that applies regardless of primer pocket size. If I were at or above max with standard primers I would not just swap in magnum primers without working up first. The times when I have used standard primers at or above max I do work up the loads then I do it again if switching to magnum primers. But realistically there is no real need to use magnum primers in 45 acp. I used small rifle primers when I do not have small pistol primers. I do this with 9mm as well. If I have standard primers that is what I will use but if I don't I use small rifle without worry. Dolomite

I compared a Bushmaster to the Windham and most parts appear to be the same. Word is they are a budget version the Bushmaster is making or maybe former employees are making. Dolomite