Researching Rifles

Spike · Fri Dec 18, 2020 2:26 pm

So I decided to go with the 5.56. Picked up this Springfield Armory Saint Victor today at lunch. Can't wait to sight it in.

nomadh · Sun Dec 20, 2020 2:56 pm

I really need a 22 something or other seeing how I already have a 25 lb crate of 22. God bless Turners sale last year. It was quite a deal after how pricey it all was at the time.

nomadh · Sun Dec 20, 2020 2:57 pm

I should also be looking for a shotgun. Anyone know if reloading for shotguns is a thing? I'm thinking it's either so easy no one talks about it or so impractical it's never done

ID10t · Sun Dec 20, 2020 5:01 pm

nomadh wrote: ↑Sun Dec 20, 2020 2:57 pm I should also be looking for a shotgun. Anyone know if reloading for shotguns is a thing? I'm thinking it's either so easy no one talks about it or so impractical it's never done

Reloading shotgun is a thing, I haven't done it in 20 + years. It is it's own piece of equipment on the bench, not a die for your existing progressive reloader, though you can get multiple "shotgun dies" for 12 or 16 or 20 for that shotgun reloader. I didn't do it anymore because cost was net zero return after buying primer, powder, load, wad. I don't know the current math on it.

mozz · Sun Dec 20, 2020 7:01 pm

Same here, shotgun reloading was not saving much if any over buying trap loads. Maybe high brass or 3" you would save, but that was 30 years ago. Cost of components right now is crazy. Primers and powder you have to pay a hazmat fee for delivery. If you have a local place to buy supplies it might be worth it but doubt it. Magnum pistol and rifle was where you saved. I can't really even buy 38 special for less than $1 round which is insane. I just tried to buy primers, powder and figured i'd start reloading again, not going to happen.

Back maybe 5 years ago i figured i better get rid of all the powder i had here as it wasn't used since the 90's. Red dot, green dot, 700x, imr from 4064 30314350 h380 up to slow h4831 which my father had bought a small keg back in the 70's. If you remember Herters catalogs you know how old this stuff was. Powder starts to smell like vinegar when old which means it's breaking down.

Smart me, decides to dump about 15 pounds (maybe more) of smokeless powder into our 55 gallon drum burn barrel in the backyard. We usually burn paper or cardboard, etc. So i dump all this powder in, find a piece of paper, light it and toss it in. Turned my back and ran away, i didn't get too far when all i heard was this big slow WHOOSH and felt a lot of heat. It looked like a Saturn V5 rocket taking off for 20 seconds but pointed at the ground. I do have home security video of this somewhere. We had chickens at the time, they made a hell of a racket with feathers flying everywhere, i think they stopped laying eggs for life at that point.

bleys21 · Mon Dec 21, 2020 4:29 pm

I guess that's one way to get rid of old gunpowder... Boom!

nomadh · Thu Dec 24, 2020 12:24 pm

15 lbs at once? Holy crap!

slowhand84 · Thu Dec 24, 2020 12:27 pm

nomadh wrote: ↑Thu Dec 24, 2020 12:24 pm 15 lbs at once? Holy crap!

Just letting you know you're currently at 666 reactions on this forum.

nomadh · Thu Dec 24, 2020 9:49 pm

slowhand84 wrote: ↑Thu Dec 24, 2020 12:27 pm
nomadh wrote: ↑Thu Dec 24, 2020 12:24 pm 15 lbs at once? Holy crap!
Just letting you know you're currently at 666 reactions on this forum.

I show 597?

slowhand84 · Thu Dec 24, 2020 10:33 pm

nomadh wrote: ↑Thu Dec 24, 2020 9:49 pm
slowhand84 wrote: ↑Thu Dec 24, 2020 12:27 pm
nomadh wrote: ↑Thu Dec 24, 2020 12:24 pm 15 lbs at once? Holy crap!
Just letting you know you're currently at 666 reactions on this forum.
I show 597?

667 now. Maybe you have a little smudge on your screen, haha.

peskypesky · Thu Dec 24, 2020 10:53 pm

Spike wrote: ↑Fri Dec 18, 2020 2:26 pm So I decided to go with the 5.56. Picked up this Springfield Armory Saint Victor today at lunch. Can't wait to sight it in.
AR.jpgAR_b.jpgAR_f.jpg

Jaymo · Sun Dec 27, 2020 12:54 am

I've noticed no improvement in expansion and/or penetration of any of the existing handgun cartridges since the mid 1990s.
Same goes for velocity. Physics do not allow for free lunches.
The Cor Bon 115 grain +P 9mm HP load may very well have been the pinnacle of 9mm load development.
The FBI and other LE agencies didn't drop the .40 S&W for the 9mm because of performance issues with the .40.
They did so because 9mm is easier to qualify with and cheaper to source.
If I was forced to use a handgun to defend myself, I'd much rather use a .45 Colt or ACP, or a .44 Special, or a .357 Mag.
However, If I was forced to do so, I'd rather not have one of my nice revolvers rusting away in an evidence locker.
A Tupperware 9mm just isn't nearly as nice as an old S&W 586, and wouldn't hurt my heart as much to have it sitting in an evidence locker while waiting for everything to be settled.

I tend to agree about getting a .357, .44, o4 .45 lever action carbine. I've been a fan of the Marlin 1894 in .44 mag since before I was old enough to own a handgun.
The two I've owned have been handy, reliable, and never failed to make meat.

For home defense, I prefer a shotgun.
If I'm being honest, I pray I never have to shoot anyone. I hear it's pretty traumatic.

Would I like to have a 9mm carbine? Yes, without a doubt. They are fun and relatively cheap to shoot.
I looked at an old Marlin Camp Carbine lately. Would have been great because it takes S&W 59 series magazines.
It was priced at $1,000 with a scope rail (no scope, and the iron sights were removed and missing).
Eh, no.

I always liked the .40, but not the snappy recoil. .45 ACP has a more pleasant recoil impulse.
Plus, .40 ammo costs the same as .45 ammo.
If I'm going to shoot a snappy round for SD, it would be a 125 grain .357 mag.

Too bad, I had to sell my guns during the Rona shutdowns, to pay bills.
If next years isn't any better than this year, the guitars and motorcycles will be on the chopping block, too.

Jaymo · Sun Dec 27, 2020 12:58 am

mozz wrote: ↑Sun Dec 20, 2020 7:01 pm Same here, shotgun reloading was not saving much if any over buying trap loads. Maybe high brass or 3" you would save, but that was 30 years ago. Cost of components right now is crazy. Primers and powder you have to pay a hazmat fee for delivery. If you have a local place to buy supplies it might be worth it but doubt it. Magnum pistol and rifle was where you saved. I can't really even buy 38 special for less than $1 round which is insane. I just tried to buy primers, powder and figured i'd start reloading again, not going to happen.

Back maybe 5 years ago i figured i better get rid of all the powder i had here as it wasn't used since the 90's. Red dot, green dot, 700x, imr from 4064 30314350 h380 up to slow h4831 which my father had bought a small keg back in the 70's. If you remember Herters catalogs you know how old this stuff was. Powder starts to smell like vinegar when old which means it's breaking down.

Smart me, decides to dump about 15 pounds (maybe more) of smokeless powder into our 55 gallon drum burn barrel in the backyard. We usually burn paper or cardboard, etc. So i dump all this powder in, find a piece of paper, light it and toss it in. Turned my back and ran away, i didn't get too far when all i heard was this big slow WHOOSH and felt a lot of heat. It looked like a Saturn V5 rocket taking off for 20 seconds but pointed at the ground. I do have home security video of this somewhere. We had chickens at the time, they made a hell of a racket with feathers flying everywhere, i think they stopped laying eggs for life at that point.

I've read that old smokeless propellant is a good fertilizer.