YAGT: OMG I love guns

[gorcorps]

Just bought an xds 9mm yesterday. I've been eyeing it since it came out, but it was 20 bucks less at the gun show compared to the local shops so I bit. Got 100 rounds through it yesterday and it's everything I've wanted in a carry gun.

 

[velillen]

Just bought an xds 9mm yesterday. I've been eyeing it since it came out, but it was 20 bucks less at the gun show compared to the local shops so I bit. Got 100 rounds through it yesterday and it's everything I've wanted in a carry gun.

Nice! Been thinking of buying one myself since i already have the 45. The 9 is the same gun as the 45 dimension wise so the holsters and stuff are the same. Only real difference (besides obvious) is the barrel is almost like a bull barrel vs the 45 version. Same size barrel but smaller hole on the 9 one

 

[Tiamat]

Just bought an xds 9mm yesterday. I've been eyeing it since it came out, but it was 20 bucks less at the gun show compared to the local shops so I bit. Got 100 rounds through it yesterday and it's everything I've wanted in a carry gun.

Nice! I've been having quite a bit of luck finding the good but somewhat scarce guns at shows lately. I have the 45 version and it has been 100%

 

[pontifex]

Bought my first AR-15 stripped lower today. Just ordered a lower parts kit from Rock River Arms. Any recommendations on tools to make assembling the lower easier?

I still need to pick a stock/buffer and upper. It seems like assembling the upper can be a pain and requires a bunch of tools and knowledge, so I'm probably just going to buy a complete upper. Any recommendations for a stock and upper for an AR noob? I think I'd prefer a multi-position/collapsible stock. Not sure about the A1-A4 style of upper I want. I'd eventually like to mount some optics for longer range shooting, but I'll try out iron sights for now.

I assembled a lower and bought an upper. didn't feel like buying extra tools to put together the upper.

All I bought was a castle nut wrench. I had screwdrivers and punches and hammers already.



I thought magpul PTS stuff was real magpul stuff, just made for airsoft, not real rifles?

 

[IEC]

Bought my first AR-15 stripped lower today. Just ordered a lower parts kit from Rock River Arms. Any recommendations on tools to make assembling the lower easier?

I still need to pick a stock/buffer and upper. It seems like assembling the upper can be a pain and requires a bunch of tools and knowledge, so I'm probably just going to buy a complete upper. Any recommendations for a stock and upper for an AR noob? I think I'd prefer a multi-position/collapsible stock. Not sure about the A1-A4 style of upper I want. I'd eventually like to mount some optics for longer range shooting, but I'll try out iron sights for now.

Tools: You'll want a set of pin punches and vise grips or needle nose pliers for the small parts. Taping up the lower to prevent scratches is good (I have thus far managed to avoid any scratches at the bolt catch).

Assembling an upper requires about $50-100 more in tools and a little bit more knowledge - but it's not terribly difficult unless you've got out of spec or oddball parts. For an AR noob I'd recommend A3/A4 (flattop) style of upper to allow for optics.

Source: Built half a dozen lowers and probably a dozen uppers. Swapping out a handguard for a friend later today. My advice would be to find someone knowledgeable in your area as they are generally willing to help out and teach you how to do it.

 

[Merad]

Finally got some .223 rounds loaded this weekend. Still haven't found any good .223 powder, so I just found something workable using H380. Also, getting primers to seat correctly in .223 is the bane of my existence

 

[velillen]

Finally got some .223 rounds loaded this weekend. Still haven't found any good .223 powder, so I just found something workable using H380. Also, getting primers to seat correctly in .223 is the bane of my existence

How are the primers being a bane? They shouldnt be any different than loading up the pistol rounds....

Just remember if its military (and some commercial) itll have crimped primer pockets which wont really allow a new primer to be seated. So those you have to swag the primer pocket before priming it.

 

[coxmaster]

I also picked up 100 rounds of "Moly bullets" as I had never heard of them before and was intrigued enough to give them a whirl... The claim on them is they shoot as well as normal bullets but save the wear and tear on the barrel. YMMV on that, but they look cool with the black tips I should note that I still haven't fire them to know if they do anything other than look interesting, and honestly don't know when I'll get to them. If they turn out to be junk that I should touch my guns with someone please let me know.

Link on someone talking about the Moly
http://www.6mmbr.com/normamoly.html

I've got 500 rounds of moly coated 9mm.. They're very attractive for reloading simply because they're just as cheap as cast bullets but they don't smoke. So far no issues with them

 

[coxmaster]

Finally got some .223 rounds loaded this weekend. Still haven't found any good .223 powder, so I just found something workable using H380. Also, getting primers to seat correctly in .223 is the bane of my existence

Like velillen said, they shouldn't really be difficult at all unless the primer pockets are crimped

 

[Merad]

Yeah... I got a primer pocket reamer. At first I was using it by hand when I made my test rounds but it was a bitch getting the primers to seat. So I put the reamer in a drill on low speed and went to town on the cases. I did 90 rounds though this morning and ended up having almost 20 where the primer didn't seat totally flush. Some of them are so bad (like the one on the left) I'm not sure if they're safe to shoot...

Edit: At first when I was doing the reaming by hand you could obviously feel in the press that the primers weren't seating. After I reamed the cases using the drill I didn't feel resistance in the press but some of the primers still weren't fully seated.

 

[Prong]

Do NOT shoot those. Bad things are likely to happen. You need a swaging tool. Lyman makes one for about $15.

 

[Merad]

Do NOT shoot those. Bad things are likely to happen. You need a swaging tool. Lyman makes one for about $15.

You mean one of these? http://www.midwayusa.com/product/643126/lyman-primer-pocket-reamer-tool-small

That's what I already have... the cheapest swaging tool I can find listed is the RCBS deal that you have to use in a press.

 

[velillen]

If you plan to do military brass I would personally just invest in the Dillon super swag 600. Bit expensive but it does the job quick and fast.

I'm not familiar with the hand tools so can't comment there. I do know I can feel when the primer seats correctly vs not enough crimp removed. Using a hand primer or my lee 1000 to prime.

Either way those aren't rounds I'd shoot so pop the primer, re do the swag/teaming and try again

 

[jpeyton]

I'm seeing a lot of popular calibers available online for relatively low prices.

Cabelas has Tula/Herter's 7.62x39 for 25 cents/round, and Federal 5.56 for 42 cents/round.

Ammunition Depot has PMC .308 for 69 cents/round.

Of course, all those prices don't include shipping (which adds about 2 cents per round when buying a case). And there are still no deals on bulk .22LR or 9mm.

Sportsman's Guide shipped two more backorders for me recently; 2 cases of Wolf 7.62x39 for 21 cents/round shipped. We might get back there in a few months. Demand for ammo locally has dropped off quite a bit, except for 9mm and .22LR.

BTW, why did kazaam change his name?

 

[exdeath]

Nato spec brass case .308 for more than .50 is going to be hard to swallow after getting those cases of pmc bronze from sportsmans guide at $250 a case shipped.

 

[jpeyton]

.308 for more than .50 is going to be hard to swallow after getting those cases from sportsmans guide at $250 a case shipped.

Even last year that wasn't typical. 60 cents/round was a good deal for new retail .308 ball from PPU, Magtech, and PMC. I bought an entire case of beloved patriot brass surplus 7.62x51 for 32 cents/round last spring, but that was a fluke.

 

[exdeath]

Got plenty of Magtech and PMC for the M1A, AR10, etc.

Mostly after Tula .308 now, my PTR91 eats it like candy.

 

[etrigan420]

Yeah... I got a primer pocket reamer. At first I was using it by hand when I made my test rounds but it was a bitch getting the primers to seat. So I put the reamer in a drill on low speed and went to town on the cases. I did 90 rounds though this morning and ended up having almost 20 where the primer didn't seat totally flush. Some of them are so bad (like the one on the left) I'm not sure if they're safe to shoot...

Edit: At first when I was doing the reaming by hand you could obviously feel in the press that the primers weren't seating. After I reamed the cases using the drill I didn't feel resistance in the press but some of the primers still weren't fully seated.

Whoa...something is *definitely* going awry.

What kind of primers are you using?

Are you *sure* that you're reaming the pockets deep enough? (Giggidy)

(I use this http://www.midwayusa.com/product/253550/hornady-primer-pocket-reamer-cutter-head-small mounted straight to a cordless drill.)

That primer on the left looks flattened...

Lee Turret press, right? You should feel a *little* resistance, then feel the primer seat.

I would suggest buying a low quantity of "fully processed" brass, and seeing how that goes. That would take any sort of remaining crimp problems out of the picture.

 

[Merad]

Whoa...something is *definitely* going awry.

What kind of primers are you using?

Are you *sure* that you're reaming the pockets deep enough? (Giggidy)

CCI 41's. General consensus on the interwebs seems to be that they are more difficult to seat for some reason.

I have the reamer in a drill and was going at the cases til it seemed like the reamer had bottomed out... I probably just need to be more aggressive on the lever when seating them.

 

[velillen]

CCI 41's. General consensus on the interwebs seems to be that they are more difficult to seat for some reason.

I have the reamer in a drill and was going at the cases til it seemed like the reamer had bottomed out... I probably just need to be more aggressive on the lever when seating them.

Whoa don't go more aggressive on the press trying to prime them! It seriously should take pretty much no force to seat the primers. Do a pistol round again to get the feel. That's how much it should take to do the 223 as well. More pressure on the press is just going to deform the primer to get it in. If its taking excessive force something isnt right and you should stop.

 

[BladeVenom]

Saw this on Imgur; have to post it.

Happiness is a warm gun!

 

[etrigan420]

CCI 41's. General consensus on the interwebs seems to be that they are more difficult to seat for some reason.

I have the reamer in a drill and was going at the cases til it seemed like the reamer had bottomed out... I probably just need to be more aggressive on the lever when seating them.

I'll second velillen. I don't think more aggressive is going to solve your problem...The primer on the left of your picture looks to have been crushed. If you're getting resistence, something's going on that shouldn't be.

After reaming, are you seeing a little "ledge" on the primer pocket?

Try over-reaming 4 or 5 cases and see how the primers seat/sit. I know with the Hornady bit that I have, it's virtually impossible to over-ream, as it bottoms out to the proper depth to give a nice bevel, but doesn't cause loose primers.

One of the issues with reaming as opposed to swaging is that you have to make sure that you're getting an even bite on the crimp for the full circumference of the shell or your bevel will be lopsided, resulting in an oval primer pocket opening. This could be something else to check...

 

[Merad]

Nah, you're seeing an optical illusion or something in the photo. The primer on the left was one of the ones protruding the farthest, probably close to 0.1".

I did 19 rounds today to replace the screw ups from yesterday. Had maybe 2 that didn't want to seat until I rotated the casing a bit (primer pocket off center, maybe?) but once I was able to seat them everything went in all the way the first time...

 

[velillen]

Well glad you seem to be figuring it out! I didnt read your edit of the original post till just now. Where it is possible you were "short stroking" the press handle and not coming all the way up (or is it down on the turret?) causing the primers to not seat fully in the reamed cases.

I've probably "wasted" 100 primers and 20 cases or so learning with primers. How much crimp has to be removed, that 9mm can be crimped too lol, and other things. Im probably closer ot 100 cases (out of all calibers) that have been destroyed due to learning. Its just part of the process and id rather just toss a case that is only slightly out of whatever than risk it.

 

[Zargon]

*snip*

NICE.

Today I bought the very new Walther PPX at the local gun show. For the $400 out the door price I paid for it, it's an amazing gun. The grip on it feels so much better than I though possible for a gun at the sub $500 price point, and it handles recoil so much better than my Beretta PX4. I have to say after the 200 rounds I threw down it this afternoon it was consistently on point round after round. I highly recommend it get at least a look.

ha that was on top shot last week

looks great on paper, especially for 400 OTD