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I know, I know, this is a rifle forum. But I have a problem and this is my favorite go-to source for information about reloading, and I know that many of you have experience in both rifle and pistol reloading. For the last two or three years, I have been reloading for, and competing in F-T/R at...

For safety, I weight all completed rounds. Surprisingly, there is little variation since I sort my brass in .1gn lots and weight my charges with an SD503. When one of them looked suspicious (.7gn high, turns out the case dropped down from the bin above) I went to pull it apart. I placed the...

Wondering about the safety of using this brass. Not THAT big of a deal, it's 13% of a batch of 3000 range brass I bought to load plinkers with. It was in REALLY bad shape when I got it. I experimented with different ways to clean it up. I vibrated some in walnut shells, some I tumbled in...

I thought I knew how to use a bipod. I have been shooting F-TR for close to 2 years and have a 600-42X behind me at 200yd with a 5.56 black rifle. Then I heard or read someone saying something about if a person knew the right way to use a bipod. I didn't get to ask them to elaborate, but I...

I am trying to determine the best routine for cleaning cases. I will begin with the worst case, my plinking brass which starts its life for me as range brass. I start with a good rinsing to remove dirt and grass. I then soak them in water with a cup or so of vinegar (not an exact science.) then...

I had high hopes for my ladder test. Obviously I changed too many variables at one time, because my results didn't improve. They all went the other way. At 200 yd, my best vertical dispersion went from 0.71" to 1.55" today. The chrono numbers backed that up, I went from a spread of 19fps and...

I thought I had a good handle on OAL. I thought I was doing all the right things. NOPE! What I have been doing until now is pulling out my handy-dandy Hornady OAL gauge (straight one so far) Using one of the bullets I'm about to load, I make three measurements, lightly tapping the end of the...

I have seen benchrest shooters at the range using air mattress pumps to blow cooling air through their barrels between shots. Thinking of load development and also cooling the barrel between rounds of competition, I followed suit. It works ok, other than the heckling I get from Range Officers...

I just ordered an Annealing machine from Giraud Tool Co. GTC Home Apparently I have a 12 week wait before it arrives, so I have plenty of time to work out my question. Doug Giraud admits that there are several theories as to whether freshly annealed brass should drop into water or merely air...

I am developing a new load and am unsure whether to run a ladder test on charge weight first, or seating depth first. I usually end up alternating iteratively between the two for a few tests since each influences the other, probably wasting time and rounds, something that I cannot afford to do...

My son (22yo) is looking to upgrade from his inexpensive and difficult to accessorize Moisen Nagant (price is still a concern for him.) I initially recommended a Remington 700. At the 2013 NRA show, I spoke to a Remington rep who said that the availability of left handed 700s is pretty slim (he...

Some time back (within past year) I turned to this site for help in deciding on my first quality riflescope. I was leaning towards the NightForce 12-42x56 NXS and the responses varied between "What do you want such a powerful acope for?" and, "mirage will kill you", to, "If you can't see it...

My AR is chambered for 5.56, which I understand allows me to shoot either 5.56 or .223. My understanding had been that 5.56 cases were heavier duty allowing for a hotter load than .223. Here is where my confusion starts. I had been using LC 5.56 brass when I picked up a box of Lapua brass...

Half way through Glen Zediker's book, Handloading for Competition, I am now convinced that neckturning can be useful for accuracy. He says that Hornady found that a 13% variance in neck thickness greatly opened up groups. (Not a scientific test, but just now, I picked out a random Lapua case...

Half way through Glen Zediker's book, Handloading for Competition, I think I finally understand the need for neck turning. I initially thought it was only for benchresters who had very tight neck to chamber tolerances. Now I understand that variances in case neck thickness can have a very...

I was at the pistol metal plate range a month or so ago and this guy on the next lane had an unusual looking gun. I asked him about it and he offered to let me shoot it. It was quite accurate and not at all bad to shoot. This guy "claimed" that the last time he was in Afghanistan, he got to...

I plan on running my first Audette Ladder Test this weekend and I have some questions. So far, in preparation I have dragged out my brand spanking new Match Lapua .223 brass (they don't make 5.56, but considering that it is 8-10 gr heavier than my LC brass... My understanding has been that the...

I've been reloading for a few months, approximately 600 rounds, and just received a serious wake-up call. This is intended for fellow newbies as the rest of you know better. The situation I am about to describe nearly caused me to require an underwear change, and could have potentially cost me...

I finally saved up for my NightForce scope and am aiming at an 8-32x56 NXS Zerostop Mil-dot but cannot decide if I should get it in moa adjustments or mil. I realize that you will need to know more about me to help me make this decision. Alas, I have no military or law enforcement background...