.40sw factory load issues.... if you shoot a .40 you must read this..

Guys, I'm grateful for all the views this article is getting please enjoy all of them, feel free to comment, ask questions make suggestions, I have also launched a google community and would love to have you. Again thanks for stopping by.

Point shooting vs Sighted fire.

Point Shooting vs. Sighted Fire, a Historical

Perspective, by Tom Givens

"Copyrighted Material.

Reprinted by permission of

S.W.A.T. Magazine."

http://swatmag.com

Among those who train in the defensive use of the handgun several debates have raged on for years. These include the “9mm vs .45” arguments, the “revolver vs autopistol” debate, and the “point shooting vs sighted fire” disagreement. In debates on any subject, one side often resorts to what is known as an “appeal to authority”, especially if they don’t have any factual basis for their

argument. An “appeal to authority” typically goes like this, “My side is right, because (insert name here) said so, or that’s the way he did it”. One of the most commonly used appeals to authority among point shooting proponents is that “William Fairbairn used point shooting and taught it to his men in Shanghai in the 1920’s and 1930’s, and during WWII taught it to American OSS operatives”. All that is true. One needs to know a bit more about the back story, however, to understand why Fairbairn used this method and why his reasons are no longer valid. First, perhaps a bit of history will help put matters into the proper perspective, so here goes. Shanghai is a port city on the coast of China. At the turn of the 20th century, European powers forced the government of China to give them control over certain ports, including Shanghai, where the Europeans built modern enclaves for their personnel, who oversaw vast trade empires with the Chinese. In addition to legitimate trade, these ports became centers for the opium trade and human trafficking. In 1936, Shanghai was one

Shanghai Municipal Police markings

on Colt 1911 pistol made in 1927

of the largest cities in the world, with a total population in excess of 3 million. Of those, only about 35,000 were European, but they controlled the city and lived in a modern settlement with race track, schools, and all the cultural amenities they desired. To keep order and protect the Europeans (mostly British, French and German) the Shanghai Municipal Police were organized and run by the British. During the period of the 1920’s and 1930’s, there was a great deal of criminal violence, fueled by opium gangs and other smugglers, gangs that specialized in prostitution and gambling, communist party organizers, and regular criminal thugs. These groups were in constant combat with the members of the Shanghai Municipal Police (SMP). William E. Fairbairn joined the Royal Marines Light Infantry in 1901. A few years later he joined the Shanghai Municipal Police, where he eventually rose to the rank of Assistant Commissioner. For many years during the period of the 1920’s and 1930’s, he was in charge of all firearms training for the SMP, and also routinely went on dangerous raids and other operations. This resulted in his personal involvement in literally scores

of gunfights during his career. Working with his associate, Eric Sykes, they devised a hand to hand system known as “Defendu”, as well as a firearms training program for all SMP personnel. As World War Two loomed in the immediate future, both Fairbairn and Sykes left Shanghai and returned to England. For the duration of the war, Sykes remained in England, teaching British Commandoes and members of the Special Operations Executive (SOE), the British equivalent of our OSS. Fairbairn was sent here to train US and Canadian Commando forces and operatives from the Office of Strategic Services

(OSS), the forebear of the modern CIA. Together, Fairbairn and Sykes wrote a

book called Shooting to Live , first published in 1942. Paladin Press now offers a re-print of this excellent book, and it should be in the library of every history conscious gunman. One of Fairbairn’s students in the OSS was Colonel Rex

Applegate, who wrote extensively about Fairbairn’s methods, and was largely responsible for propagating Fairbairn’s teachings in the United States. Usually, if a point shooting proponent uses an appeal to authority, he will be referencing either Fairbairn, or Applegate. When one delves a bit deeper into Fairbairn’s experience in Shanghai, including reading Shooting to Live with a bit more critical eye, a number of disturbing tidbits of information emerge. First, Fairbairn had a very large force of officers who were unfamiliar with handguns when they joined the SMP and for whom he had an extremely limited amount of time and ammunition for training. Initial training was very brief, and by today’s standards

Colt 1908 Model, showing the pathetic

little sights on guns of the era.

completely and utterly inadequate. After initial training, each officer was allotted 36 rounds of ammunition per year for training and requalification, a pitiful amount by any modern standard. Initial recruit training was conducted at 2 yards and 4 yards, and the “qualification” standard was 50% or more hits anywhere on a life-size silhouette target! Not too impressive. So, how did this training regimen work on the mean streets of Shanghai? During the period 1929 through 1938, SMP officers fired a total of 3,329 pistol rounds in actual engagements with criminals. These 3,329 rounds accounted for 159 suspects killed and an additional 149 suspects wounded. Thus, the SMP officers fired 10.8 rounds for every criminal casualty they produced. The completely untrained Chinese bandits, during the

exact same period, fired 789 rounds at SMP officers, resulting in 19 officers killed and an additional 67 officers wounded. Thus, the thugs fired 9.2 rounds for every casualty produced. So, the officers trained in Fairbairn’s point shooting methods were actually less effective than their untrained criminal foes. This begs the

question, “Why did Fairbairn persist with such an ineffective technique?” I believe the answer is quite simple, and can be readily illustrated. The SMP issued all sidearms used by its officers, and because they had both European (mostly British) officers and smaller stat-1911’s in .45 and the Oriental officers, who were much smaller, were issued Colt 1908 pocket Autos in .380. All of these handguns were made by Colt in the 1920’s and early 1930’s. Fairbairn did not personally care much for the .380 Colts, but he thought they were the best he could do for Oriental men with hands far too small to operate a 1911 well. I happen to have one of the SMP’s 1911 pistols, SMP number 233. This is a commercial

Colt Government Model, manufactured in 1928. It has the “Shanghai Municipal Police” roll mark on the frame, and the Number 233 mark on the frame, slide and barrel. This is a “transitional model” 1911, with some features of the 1911 and some of the 1911-A1. The changes from 1911 to 1911-A1 configuration started in 1927 but many guns built in the next couple of years were assembled from parts on hand at the factory, and these transitional models are seen from time to time. I also have a Colt 1908 Pocket Model like the ones issued by the SMP, although this one did not belong to them. Both pistols have sights that are abysmal from a shooting point of view. The front sight is tiny- low and very narrow. The rear sight has a very small notch, on both the 1911 and 1908 pistols. These sights are all but impossible to see in anything other than perfect lighting, and it is

very difficult to line them up at any kind of speed. Contrast the sights on the 1911 and the 1908 with those on my current carry handgun, a Glock 35. Fairbairn taught point shooting because the sights on his guns were useless. No further explanation is needed. If you have sights you cannot see, you learn to point

the gun. Now that modern high visibility sights are industry standard, it’s time to leave the 1930’s behind.

The sights on the 1927 Shanghai Colt are too small to see in anything but perfect light, and are useless for fast shooting. Modern sights are bigger, blockier, and offer more contrast, allowing a flash sight picture.

Preparing brass for competition shooting

-preparing brass for competition shooting
First we need to address the type of shooting we will be doing to select the brass.
Tactical, this sport you will lose brass, and tiny groups are not what we are after so I would stick with good ol Winchester brass, it's cheap enough you won't cry when you lose a few pieces in the field.
Bench shooting, we want small, tiny groups for this Lapua is the only way to go.
Let's talk about the process, we will break it down into steps for connivence sake. Also if you're on a budget and can't afford Lapua winchester is still good, you just need to be a little more thorough that's all.
1. Full length size your brass, we want them as uniformed as possible to start with.
2.  Trim your cases so they are all the same length, you will want an adjustable trimmer, not a one size trimmer like Lee makes.
3. You will notice the case mouths are rough from the trimming so chamfer then to remove burrs.
4. Turn the case necks, uniforming them, there are several companies making tools that do this just pick one. I magic marker the necks prior to turning when all the marker is gone, your good, now turn all the necks to this depth. Also lube the mandrel on the tool for smoother operation. (If you had a gunsmith chamber your barrel barrel with a tight neck reamer, you will need to remove more brass, consult your gunsmith or reamer manufacturer for specs) also some people expand the neck before turning, your choice.
(Steps 5&6 the order does not matter)(with Lapua the primer pocket and flash hole are usually good but lightly touch them to uniform)
5. Ream primer pocket, for this I marker the pocket, turn till most the marker is gone, the marker around the flash hole will most likely not be removed, but a good amount around the outer edge will be gone, use this depth setting to do all the pockets.
6. Ream the flash hole, don't enlarge the hole, just clean it up, again with Lapua brass this really isn't an issue, but I touch them anyway.

Now we move onto weighing the cases, again Lapua is usually pretty close, Winchester usually has a larger weight spread.
Group cases by one grain increments. Ex. 96.2/96.9/96.6/96.4, all go into one lot, for that example 96.0-96.9 all goes into one lot then 97.0-97.9 another lot. Or however you want to arrange it, just keep the groups within one grain increments.

Let me also add I prefer the lee collet die for seating the bullets, this die will not cause the dreaded doughnut that we all hate so much.

Discussion on bullet selection will be coming soon, stay tuned.

Updates about our blog.. Please read. Thank you all so much!!!

Hello,
Thank you so much to my readers seeing those page views climb get me motivated to get more info posted. Right from the start we had 90-115 views per day, and I was completely content with that. My goal with this blog is to get useful information and unbiased reviews out to you guys, no one pays me to speak about them, actually I seek out people with knowledge, classes, products, etc, that I believe may be of use to us. We have a few people that are knowledge contributors to this blog and I am grateful to them
We'll the last several days we have broken through the 200 views mark, and today....300 and counting... And I'll post updates about the views per day.
I have had a couple of offers to pay to be advertised, which to me is funny because I do reviews on products and mention distributors, gunsmiths and instructors without getting paid anyway, but some people think having "contributor" or "sponsor" on their reviews look better and want links to their site posted, as of right now I won't be doing this, if I get 1000+ views per day and decide to have less hours at my job in order to supply information faster to my readers than I may.
If you have a product you would like to see mentioned email me with pictures and price of product and contact information. IF YOU WANT A REVIEW OF YOUR PRODUCT (not just mentioned) you need to email me and mail the product to me, after reviewing the product it will be sent back to you (or purchased, if you allow).

I would love feed back from you guys, what would you like to see posted, what changes may be beneficial, would you like to write a post, also I'm new to blogging so any advice on better layouts, formats, whatever let me know.

Also guys please comment, this blog is for all of us, I want to hear from you, YOU ARE THE REASON FOR THIS BLOG.

I'll make updates to this post so occasionally re-read it.
Thank you to all the readers, you are my inspiration!!!..

Update he hit 500!!!! Spread the word guys, share, like, tell your friends. I know I'm not the best at putting thoughts to paper (that's why I have guest writers..lol) but you guys keep reading. Thank you all so much!!!!!

Well I was excited about 500 views before, we are at 2500 views!!!  The word about this blog has finally started to really spread, thank you all of you!

Tom Givens, contact info and up coming events

Rangemaster

2611 S. Mendenhall Rd

Memphis, TN, 38115

901-370-5600

www.rangemaster.com 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/234643425923/

2014 Event Calendar

Jan 14-17   SHOT Show   Las Vegas

Jan 25-26   Two-Day Defensive Shotgun, Memphis

Feb 21-23   Tactical Conference    Memphis

Mar 8-9    Combative Pistol 1   Tucson, AZ 

Mar 20-23    AG&AG Conference, Waco, TX

Mar 29-30   Advanced Pistol Skills/Defensive Shotgun    Florence, SC

April 5-6      Combative Pistol       Athens, GA

April 12-13   KR Training, Austin, TX  Combative Pistol 1

April 26-27    Advanced Pistol Skills/Defensive Shotgun   Ft Meade, Florida

May 11           Mother’s day

May 17-18    Advanced Pistol Skills/Defensive Shotgun       Culpeper, VA

May 26    Memorial Day   ATSA Camp

May 31-June 1   Advanced Instructor Course  Memphis

June 6-8    Firearms Instructor  Course   West Elkton, Ohio

June 15      Father’s day

June 21-22  Advanced Pistol Skills/Defensive Shotgun  Nappanee, Indiana

July 4     Fri, Sat, Sun holiday  4^th is Friday

July 18-21  Combative Pistol 1/Defensive Shotgun    FAS, Seattle, WA

Aug 1-3     Firearms Instructor Course   Memphis, TN

Sept 1        Labor Day

Sept  6    One Day Pistol Skills   Eustace, TEX

Sept 7     One Day Pistol Skills    ETRPC, Longview, TX

Sept 13-14     Combative Pistol 1   Americus, Georgia

Sept 19-21 Firearms Instructor Development Course   Chandler, OK

Oct 3-5    Firearms Instructor Course   DPC   Dallas, Texas

Oct  18-19     Combative Pistol II     KR Training    Austin, TX

Tom Givens; You Stopped Shooting,Now What?

You Stopped Shooting,Now What? by Tom Givens You have drawn your holstered sidearm and fired shots. The fight appears to be over or the practice drill has been completed. What should we do next? Ideally, in your practice routines you should be deeply ingraining habits that will carry over into proper performance in an emergency. Anything you do in practice the same way, over and over, will tend to be what you do under high levels of stress. This applies equally to good habits and bad habits. As an example of bad habits, there are documented cases of police officers in gunfights taking the time to place fired brass in their pants pockets before reloading an empty revolver, sometimes getting killed in the process. This was what they did on the range, and it carried over to the street. An example of good habits is a shooter who brings a handgun to eye level, in both hands, and gets good hits in a fight, because that is the way he practices religiously. We want to structure our practice in such a way that we constantly reinforce good habits, while avoiding the formation of bad habits. For this article, we’ll concentrate on just one topic, that of what to do once we stop shooting. If we develop a standard procedure and practice it every time we finish a drill on the range, we are building a sound tactical habit. A side benefit of this approach is increased personal safety on the practice range. Many people think drawing a handgun from a holster quickly is dangerous. It is, if done incorrectly, but with just a small amount of proper training in the modern four-count draw stroke we can just about eliminate the risk. Oddly, most shooters who are injured while engaged in practicing working from the holster are not shot on the draw, but while attempting to re-holster the handgun at the completion of a drill. Most of the major schools have had students who accidentally shot themselves during training, and darn near 100% of those shootings occurred while holstering. This is typically caused by what we call “speed holstering”. The student fires the last shot of the drill, and while brass is still in the air tries to quickly stuff the gun back into the holster. Whether the trigger finger did not get clear of the trigger guard soon enough, or clothing or some other item entered the trigger guard, the shooter jams the gun into the holster and it goes “Bang”. This usually results in a bullet burrowing down the leg lengthwise, exiting around the ankle. Ouch! That is the training risk created by “speed holstering”. The tactical risk this habit engenders is that of putting the gun away too soon, only to find someone still needs to be shot! In a real fight, we really don’t want to have to draw that gun but once.

To prevent this issue, I suggest you use a brief ritual each time you stop shooting, to prevent speed holstering and its attendant risks. In its most elemental form, the sequence might go like this:
Come down to a “hard ready”. You simply lower the gun enough to be certain you can see the hands and waistline of anyone downrange. The instant the gun breaks the eye/target line, the trigger finger goes out of the trigger guard to its “register” position along the pistol’s slide.
Look at the target(s) you just engaged, then scan to left and right for any additional targets/threats.
Bring your support hand off the gun and back to your chest, to avoid flagging that hand with the muzzle when you bring the gun back.
Bring the gun hand back to your body and holster the pistol, slowly and deliberately.
Different schools have different methods for teaching this skill to new students. The NRA Law Enforcement Training Division, for instance, has shooters come down to Ready and scan, then they give the command to “Holster, reluctantly”. The word “reluctantly” rein- forces in the student’s mind that they do not want to put the gun away prematurely. Make sure the fight is over, then holster.
Andy Stanford has for years taught “The Wyatt Protocol”, named after California shooter Lyle Wyatt. It was codified by Andy Stanford and has been taught, in some form or fash- ion, since the early 90s. It began as a series of steps following an encounter: “Fight! Do I need to Fight anymore? Do I need to fight anyone else? Get Ready to fight again!” Trainers at Tactical Response took the Wyatt Protocol and evolved it into the acronym FAST, or “Fight, Assess, Scan, Top-off”. Adding “top-off” indicated the need to reload your pistol, to return it to full capacity. Recently, Tactical Response added another T, making it FASTT, or “Fight, Assess, Scan, Top-off, Treat”, with “Treat” referring to treat- ing injuries to self or companions. As far back as the 1970’s, I was taught the same thing by the venerable Chuck Taylor, as a series of questions,” Did I hit him? Is he down? Is he out of the fight? Where are his friends?”.
The main point is to get out of the mindset that you “fired a few shots, it’s all over, stuff the gun back in the holster”. Whether in training or on the street, when you stop shoot- ing, come to a solid ready position and evaluate the threat you just engaged. Then look for other threats. If desirable, reload your pistol in case things go bad again. Only then, safely and deliberately holster your pistol. This is one range habit that will serve you well on the street. 

Defensive ammo ballistic gel results

Pics and write up coming soon, both commercial and hand loaded defensive ammo

kel-Tec P3AT disassembly

Video/pics coming soon

Ruger P-95 disassembly

Video/ pics coming soon

Ar 15 disassembly and reassembly.

Coming soon, with pictures/video
It will show complete stripping of lower receiver and stripping of the Ar upper

Rifle stock options for budget shooters.

In today's economy we all want to save money, people will get a rifle and when there expectations of accuracy aren't meet they think without a trip to the gunsmith and several hundred dollars there stuck.
Let me tell you a rifle stock may have the greatest effect on accuracy, I have seen rifles shooting 2" groups and with a new stock and a bedding/pillar job that same rifle shoot sub MOA!..

So now there's the question of cost, we'll the work you can do yourself, it's truly not that hard, and you can practice on the factory stock first. So now we are down to stock selection, and we don't want to spend $400+, my answer has always been and will always be hogue or bell and carlson, they have gotten more expensive over the years, but there still the best value (aside from ordering an old 40xb from numrich).
I get people asking for something light that they can carry all day then those same people want benchrest accuracy........not going to happen, it's a trade off the heavier the stock the more consistently accurate, the lighter the easy to carry, but fret not, are you really going to notice 1/8" difference? Probably not, for people that will hunt and still want impressive groups I would go with hogue over mold.
Let me  discuss a few more things pertaining to these stocks.
With bell and Carlson, you will pay more than a hogue, but they have more options in design, and there tactical stocks are awesome and still $300 less than the competitors, the forend will be rigid, but as with any stock, for the best accuracy you must glass bed.

With the hogue you can go pillar (about $99) or full length bedding block(about $190) if you go pillar you will want to stiffen the forend by filling it (which will add weight) or buy an arrow cut it in half and using bedding compound glue it in after you have cut channels for them in the forend ribs.

With bell and Carlson depending on application I would recommend the light tactical (if you're going to be walking a lot) or m40 tactical (varmint or matches) either will run you about $290.

No matter which stock you go with you will want to skim it with bedding compound to ensure a tight fit, from the factory all stocks have tolerances (slop) that allow a drop in fit, this slop also allows the action to shift within the stock negatively affecting accuracy.

One last option, I've mentioned this in an earlier post. You can order a Remington 40xb stock from numrich parts, if you are mounting a Remington onto this stock and using it for comp shooting where loading one round at a time is all you'll do, then it's perfect in stock form with a bedding job. If you are mounting a diff action, or want bottom metal or mag, you need to work on it and you will need some skills and tools, let's go down the list.
Dremel, helpful not necessary though.
Wood chisels
Sanding paper
Wood rasps
Drill gun.
With these items you can modify the stock to accept mags, different rifle actions, change the forend design, hollow (skeletonize) the butt to lighten it. I strongly recommend coating the stock with rubberized paint, or bedliner to prevent wood swelling.
I will be posting a video in the future on modifying a 40xb stock as well as glass/pillar bedding.
Stay tuned..

Nebraska firearms owners association on Facebook

If you are a Nebraskan resident and a firearms owner you really should belong to this group. The Facebook page is more interactive and has important information on current and upcoming events and issues impacting the firearm owner community. It's also a great rallying place, the new Nebraska outlet mall was against concealed carry, NFOA rallied their members and the barrage of emails and calls has them reconsidering.
https://www.facebook.com/NebraskaFirearmsOwnersAssociation?ref=notif&notif_t=fbpage_fan_invite

Trigger control, by Tom Givens

Learning Trigger Control
By Tom Givens

As an aspiring handgun shooter, you will soon learn that one of the hardest things to learn for new shooters, yet one of the most important skills, is trigger control. The shooter must learn to keep the sights on the target while smoothly moving the trigger to the rear until the gun discharges. Even in high speed defensive shooting, this process occurs, although the time it takes to complete the process is compressed. With a handgun, yanking and cranking on the trigger is the root cause of almost all misses, if the gun was even roughly aligned on the target when the decision to fire was made.
Larry Vickers, retired Special Operations soldier, former Delta operator, and world class firearms instructor once said, “Why is the rifle so much easier to shoot than a pistol? Easy. The rifle weighs more than its trigger pull, while the handgun weighs less than the weight of the trigger pull.” That is a truly brilliant summation of the whole problem. If you have an eight pound rifle with a two pound trigger, it’s easy to shoot it well. Unfortunately, we often have a two pound pistol with an eight pound trigger pull, hence the difficulty. Thus, proper trigger technique becomes vital.
First let’s look at the different phases of trigger operation. Manipulation of the semiautomatic pistol’s trigger actually consists of four separate and distinct phases, and each impacts our accuracy. These phases, in sequence, are:
CONTACT: The “pad”, or fingerprint, of the shooter’s index finger should contact the center of the face of the trigger. The trigger finger should not touch the frame of the gun. Ideally, the only place the trigger finger should contact the pistol is on the face of the trigger. (That’s why we call it a trigger finger!)
SLACK: Semi-auto pistols have “slack” or “pre-engagement travel” built into the action. This is a bit of rearward movement in the trigger, prior to the actual trigger pull. The shooter can feel a distinct difference in the amount of finger pressure needed to take up the slack as opposed to that pressure needed to fire the piece. Some designs have significantly more slack than do others. As the gun is brought to bear on the target, the slack is taken up, so that the trigger finger feels the resistance of the trigger pull. As the gun goes on target, the trigger finger contacts the trigger and removes the “slack”. When the gun goes on the target, the trigger finger goes on the trigger.
PRESS: Beware of semantics. The words you use form images in your subconscious, and this drives your actions. For instance, if you think “squeeze” the trigger, you will likely squeeze your entire hand while moving the trigger. We call this “milking the trigger”. This results inlow misses. As the lower fingers tighten their grip, the barrel is pulled downward as the gun fires. Instead, we want to “press” the trigger, with steady rearward pressure. We hold the gun with our hand; we fire the gun with our trigger finger. The student must learn to use the trigger finger independently, while maintaining a constant, consistent, unchanging grip on the pistol with the rest of the hand. When enough pressure to the trigger is applied to disengage the sear, the gun fires.
It may help to think of the trigger as the pistol’s “gas pedal”. Using the analogy of a car, which all shooters are familiar with, the magazine is the gas tank, the front sight is the green light, and the trigger is the accelerator. When you see the green light, you apply steady, increasing pressure to the accelerator until the bullet takes off smoothly. If you stomp the gas pedal, the car takes off jerkily and under less control. Same with the bullet. It won’t matter if the sights are on the target if you smash the trigger and knock the sights off the target as the gun fires.
RE-SET: Once the gun fires, the shooter must maintain contact with the trigger. Many newbies will have the tendency to take their finger completely off the trigger the instant the gun fires, and this must be corrected. As soon as the shooter sees the front sight begin to lift, that bullet has exited the barrel and is in flight. The shooter can no longer do anything to affect that shot, so he should forget it and start concentrating on the next shot! The first step is to relax the trigger finger’s pressure just enough to let the trigger return forward to its re-set point. That is normally a really short distance, and there is usually an audible and tactile “click” when the trigger re-sets. There is no need to let the trigger go any further forward than that. Once the trigger is re-set, the shooter can begin working on the delivery of the next shot.
Double-action revolver triggers do not have slack in them, otherwise the process is the same. It is important with the revolver to move the trigger all the way to the rear to fire the gun, then let it roll back all the way out before starting on the next trigger pull. The revolver trigger must go all the way forward or you can skip a chamber or even lock up the action, a process called “short stroking”. The double- action trigger should be pressed all the way through in one smooth motion.
All one needs to do to play a concerto on a piano is to hit the right keys, in the right order, at the right time. It’s a simple process, but it takes practice. All one needs to do to hit anything with a pistol is to keep the sights aligned on the intended point of impact while you work the trigger smoothly to the
rear. Again, a simple concept, but it takes practice.

A link to raider applied training and tactics and their YouTube channel

Lane Gries, has served our country in the greatest fighting force the us military has, the Marine corps.
So when a man like this offers his knowledge I listen, and I want my readers to listen. On his YouTube channel you will find information that could very well save your life, you owe it to your self to take a few minutes and watch his videos, again this is knowledge from a combat veteran Marine, how much more authentic can you get?
I appreciate his service to our country, and making these videos that he has allowed me to share with you guys.

http://m.youtube.com/channel/UCHuwc9VESIqSNQzkCwVePdQ

These videos cover general knowledge, tactics, shooting drills,  and much more..

Here is a link to his Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Raider-Applied-Training-Tactics/583248001721264?ref=ts&fref=ts

9mm vs 45, a simplified explanation

Thanks to Lane of raider applied training and tactics for a good explanation of this old debate.
Here is a link to his YouTube video.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ebz0jdDnrR4&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DEbz0jdDnrR4

Find him here https://www.facebook.com/pages/Raider-Applied-Training-Tactics/583248001721264

Scope review post. Continually updated. (Scope dealers or manufacturers wanting to help let me know)

I will continuously update this post. I have spoken with a few scope manufacturers about reviewing there scopes considering we are at over 100 (update 400) visitors per day (and the fact that results will be posted on friends sites totaling over 60,000 people- A LIST OF THESE PLACES CAN BE PROVIDED UPON REQUEST), I'm sure we will hear from them soon. What im currently working on are reviews of "mid-price/mid-grade" less commen scopes. I will post a list of the companies contacted. Some may ask what qualifies me to judge optics, others that know me know just how qualified I am. Here is a little background. I have shot mid and long range since 2002, I currently own, have owned, or used everything from a Simmons to a march to a Swarovski. So now you may wonder " can't you just tell us which is the best at the best price" for the most part yes I can, but I want to target those companies that are new or less common, then perform optical resolution chart tests and low light tests. Anyone can say go buy this or that, but I want something a little more comprehensive.
Here is the list of contacted companies.

Alpen optics.
Falcon optics.
Vector scopes.
Hawke optics
Konus.
Bresser optics.
Cabelas (really a Meopta)

I will email them all a link to this blog and will let everyone know what they say when I hear from them, Stay tuned.

Update; Vickie from Alpen optics has contacted me, very nice woman. I am currently working on getting a scope for review, and she seems genuinely eager to be a part of this. I look forward to reviewing it and posting my findings..

Bull's eyes don't shoot back, a firearms training center in Andersonville Ga

This is a pretty impressive facebook page, its for their training center if you're down south check them out. Compared to the prices up here by me, they are excellent...
 https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bulls-Eyes-Dont-Shoot-Back-Firearms-Training/382134601869210
If you dont have facebook you can reach them here seacapn2005@yahoo.com or call 229-337-7123

a facebook page dedicated to tactical firearms

If you own a tactical weapon or want to go check this page out. Its well thought out, and is heavily moderated to prevent the drama you get on some pages, I really enjoy the way its ran.. 

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/tacticalequipment/ 

ammo jewelry made by Joshua Hansen

I saw this when I was looking through a face book group I frequent https://www.facebook.com/groups/tacticalequipment/

I thought they looked cool, and I would pass along his info and his post from the page, there are more but I just posted 2.
Here is a link to his key chain page. https://www.facebook.com/cartridgekeychains?notif_t=fbpage_fan_invite

https://www.facebook.com/joshua.hansen.54?hc_location=stream

CHRISTMAS IS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER AND THESE MAKE GREAT GIFTS! I make pistol and rifle cartridge keychains ranging from .22lr up to 50 caliber. Prices range from $4 to $10 on the keychains. I also now offer necklaces and bracelets. This isn't some big company with product coming from China. We hand make them right here in the Midwest. Check out some of my handy work on Facebook at Cartridge Keychains (Sioux City, IA - CHEAP shipping)

Ladder test, for creating competition handloads.

The quest for the perfect load.
Ok today I'm going to talk about how to find the perfect powder charge utilizing the ladder test method.
First start with published loads never use a load you find on the internet or a buddies load, it could be catastrophic in your particular rifle.
Ok so what we are looking for is a good node, an area in which a few bullets group well.
Here's how we do it, first find a load for your cartridge, for this example lets say 50gr of powder, what we will do is load cases with the particular bullet and primer you will be using, and set to saami coal specs, we will then charge bullets as follows.
48/48.5/49/49.5/50/50.5/51/51.5/52/52.5/53/53.5/54/54.5/55
You can start lower and go higher, but this is a good reference, as you start getting into higher powder charges remember to check for pressure signs. Now take some magic markers and paint the bullets because the paint will transfer to the target letting you know which bullet hit where on the target (log what charge with what color and keep it in proper order. Very important) for this many bullets I would use black, blue, purple, green, red, yellow.
Now there will be more than one bullet with the same color so we repeat the colors in order so if 48gr is black then 51gr will be black again, we need this space in powder loads so not to be confused later.
Ok now set a target preferably 18"+ in height no closer than 200yds, 300 is better, steady your gun in a shooting rest (this is important, it has to remain steady) center your scope on the target (I prefer a piece of cardboard 24-36" tall with a 1" black dot in the middle) load the bullets one a time allowing 15-30sec between shots. What will happen is the holes will form a vertical string (don't worry bout side to side as this is caused by the wind and is not important) what you will notice is gaps between the holes going up, but there will be a group of 2-3 holes very close together and perhaps more than one grouping. So now you say " well there is a black hole at the bottom but up here there is also a black hole next to blue and purple, what charge is it" as the powder increases the bullets climb, it's the second black hole so it is the second cartridge that had a black bullet (make sense?).
Ok so let's say charges of 53/53.5/54 grouped the tightest.
( I take it this far you may not, your decision if you want to break it down to .1gr increments) now do the same test again but this time break it down by .1gr increments, look for the tightest group. Let's say 53.4/53.5/53.6.
Then load up 3-5 rounds in each load and see which produces the best group, I'll take that load and move to the next stage.
Now you're wondering about seating depth, refer to an older post (budget oal gauge) I find the oal for my chamber and load 3-5 cartridges per oal using this method .020 short of oal (jumping.), exactly at oal (often called kissing) and .015 longer than oal (called jamming).
Then I see which group is tightest, let's say jumping had the best group then I will load 3-5 rounds at .025/.020/.015/.010 shorter than oal.
After that you should have the most accurate powder/primer/bullet/case combo for that rifle, if you change something, different brass, bullet, etc you will need to tune it again, but not as extensively.
It will take approximately 75 cartridges, but you will be producing excellent groups.
Comment with any questions you may have. Thank you.

Owning firearms with children in the house

I want to share my thoughts on this as well as my own childhood experience to help people That own firearms and have children living with them.
When I was very young I was taking out into the backyard we set up a watermelon and coconut and we shot it,  Then it was explained to me that the same thing the gun did to those items, it would do to a person if you shot them. I was told that that person would be gone forever I would never get to see them again their parents and their family would never get to see them again, because of me that person would be gone forever. I was told never to touch or handle a gun unless An adult I knew was right there with me, one of my family members not a stranger, I was told that if I was at a friends house and I seen a gun, I was not to touch it and if one of my friends was playing with the gun I needed to come home or call home immediately and let them know.
If you do not take a Child and explain to them the dangers and the responsibility of a gun, Then when they see one they will think it's a toy they want to pick it up and play with it, point it and pull the trigger, not realizing what will happen. Who's at fault then is it the child, or the parents who was negligent in providing the proper information to that child, even if you don't own a firearm their friends might and your child needs to know about what to do if they see one.
Now let us discuss firearms with children ages 12 and up, In my opinion at about 12 years of age a child has enough strength and knowledge to be at the range with their father, mother or another selected adult getting in range time, Again we are discussing range time not the occasional trip to the range which I feel should start at about eight or 10 years old. If your son or daughter is at home alone after school and someone breaks into your house you want that child to be able to protect themself.
Again I cannot stress this enough SAFTEY Either take responsibility for your child and you take them out and continuously reassert the importance of safety or enroll them in a class that will do it for you.

A few more things I want to discuss with firearm owners especially if you have young children in the house with you. If you want to have a quick and easy access to your firearm have it in a holster on your person, Also there are several novelty items that hold guns for you that no one will know is really a gun case. For instants they sell a clock that you can hide enough on your wall that a child cannot reach but you can open the face of it and access firearm, There is also a book you can buy that you can keep on a high shelf that is really a gun case, There are several others these are just a few that I thought were kind of neat and I wanted to share.
Now I know what you're thinking "what if I'm sleeping in my bed Shouldn't I have my gun on my nightstand or under my pillow" Maybe is your bedroom door locked is there anyway your child can get in there while you're asleep and get to the gun or perhaps you might forget it leave the door open and your child gets a hold of your weapon, How about I give you a better option a safer option that may very well save your child's life, get a biometric safe, their small, they open extremely fast and it will keep your child from having access to your firearm.
All other firearms not being used personal safety keep them locked in the safe. The most important thing is the safety of your family and your children the key to that safety is making it impossible for a young child to get a hold of your firearm and being able to shoot someone or themselves.

Review of Thunder alley indoor range. Lincoln Nebraska

First let me start off with how I felt about the owner; When I came in he was very personable, He seems like he is one of the good guys and cares about his clientele. I really did enjoy speaking with him, he was very helpful and as you would expect very informed.
Okay now we're going to talk about the facility. It is located in Lincoln Nebraska At 4713 Hartley St. It is a decent size building offering five pistol lanes and one rifle lane. The type of bullet trap that they utilize makes splash back very unlikely. They carry a wide variety of supplies for firearm owners and at decent prices. AR 15 magazines are about $15, Glock magazines are also at a good price, in fact about everything they have there is less expensive than about anywhere else, which in today's market is a very good thing to find. They carry several different firearms from different manufacturers including Glock, Taurus, Ruger, Etc.. Also for those of you interested I noticed they had a Taurus Carbine. A few more items they carry are holster belts, holsters, Lula loaders, AR lowers, ammo, a good lineup of defender series laser sights and much more. They offer a few different classes which can be found on their website, But there are a few things I wanted to mention. First they hold international defensive pistol Association (IDPA) classes with certified officers, Also something else I found very respectable is that they are also a Glock blue label dealer.
Let me close this review with some final thoughts I really enjoyed going there seeing their facility and getting to speak with the owner, I would highly recommend this facility. Even if you are not a resident of Lincoln I would still suggest going there at least one time. I live 50 miles away from the place, and yes I will be going back out there again and spending some time on the range, I support places that give their customers good deals, especially if there privately owned by good people.
Here is the link. http://www.thunderalley.us/

David Matzen, gunsmith and FFL in Bellevue Nebraska

Ok, full disclosure, Dave is a member at omaha gun tech on facebook and I consider him a friend, which makes it harder to write about him in a way. First personally he is a good guy and he is fair.
Now that's out the way lets talk business, he does FFL transfers, he also finds products at good prices. Gunsmithing aspect, well in my opinion "everybody has one" triggers are a pain, to get a super crisp trigger requires stoning It just right to also keep it safe. I went to his house and he hands me a Couple of revolvers, I looked them over cocked the hammer bumped em a few times "hammer did not fall", and then started feeling on the trigger, incredible, it was like that old saying broke like glass. I would recommend to anyone with a revolver that wants a crisp trigger to give him a call.
last I want to say, he does more than just trigger jobs and he is a competent gunsmith.

402-630-2250. 

Matzen Gunworks

ar 15 lower, dirt cheap.

Go check this out guys. Also I will be posting an AR 15 build soon, I have done several from a kit And want to pass the knowledge on.

http://palmettostatearmory.com/index.php/catalog/product/view/id/15158/s/psa-lower-safe-fire/

kel-tec p3at Q target for CCW qualification.

So there are a lot of people that say “mouse guns” pocket pistols cant shoot good groups or are worthless past 10 feet, well I wanted to share my target with you guy’s. This group wash shot with a keltec p3at .380, we started at 3’ then worked out to 21’, there are approx 15 shots in the center of the target “the big hole in the middle” now let me say I had a guy firing a 357 mag about 3’ to my right which caused a few fliers. .lol.. 

Now you may be wondering  about those two shots at the top, well it was more of a “that lil gun cant double tap two rounds into the top of the pin” well as you can see it did. I lined up at the 21’ mark and double tapped the little gun, I was very happy with the results.

Let me say a few things since every CCW instructor reading this is cringing right now, in a defensive situation never-never-never aim for a persons head always aim center of mass “chest” and always to stop the attack, do not say you wanted to, tried to, or meant to kill your attacker, you shot to stop the threat, and felt your life was in immanent danger..

What I did there with the double tap was only and solely for the purpose of seeing how well I could place two shots using double tap on a clean and outlined section of the target.

about this blog, please everyone read...

This is for all of us, please feel free to contribute knowledge, comment, if you want to do a write up and see it posted here let me know, If you want me to review or comment on something let me know, if you provide services or products that are firearm Related and want it reviewed let me know. I am here for all my readers, I want you to enjoy the posts, help me make that happen. Thank you to all my readers you give me Inspiration to keep going....

weapons training, vip security escort, and security needs company

Greg is a member at omaha gun tech on facebook, here is a little write up on his company.
This company is a total security and training needs Company, local guy. They have Certified NRA instructors, women's only classes, and they offer one on one training.
They employ current and veteran military personal for security escorts. I cant tell you how much it pleases me to see a company employ vets and military members.
They also do security system installs, so this group covers a very broad range of needs.
Hopefully I can sit in at least partially on a class so I can give first hand details and would love to meet some of there team members.
http://patriotsecurityservices.us

interesting statistics on murder rate vs gun ownership

I can across this, figure I would post it here, just found it rather interesting.

Just Saying..
The latest Murder Statistics for the world:
Murders per 100,000 citizens.

Honduras 91.6
El Salvador 69.2
Cote d'lvoire 56.9
Jamaica 52.2
Venezuela 45.1
Belize 41.4
US Virgin Islands 39.2
Guatemala 38.5
Saint Kits and Nevis 38.2
Zambia 38.0
Uganda 36.3
Malawi 36.0
Lesotho 35.2
Trinidad and Tobago 35.2
Colombia 33.4
South Africa 31.8
Congo 30.8
Central African Republic 29.3
Bahamas 27.4
Puerto Rico 26.2
Saint Lucia 25.2
Dominican Republic 25.0
Tanzania 24.5
Sudan 24.2
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 22.9
Ethiopia 22.5
Guinea 22.5
Dominica 22.1
Burundi 21.7
Democratic Republic of the Congo 21.7
Panama 21.6
Brazil 21.0
Equatorial Guinea 20.7
Guinea-Bissau 20.2
Kenya 20.1
Kyrgyzstan 20.1
Cameroon 19.7
Montserrat 19.7
Greenland 19.2
Angola 19.0
Guyana 18.6
Burkina Faso 18.0
Eritrea 17.8
Namibia 17.2
Rwanda 17.1
Mexico 16.9
Chad 15.8
Ghana 15.7
Ecuador 15.2
North Korea 15.2
Benin 15.1
Sierra Leone 14.9
Mauritania 14.7
Botswana 14.5
Zimbabwe 14.3
Gabon 13.8
Nicaragua 13.6
French Guiana 13.3
Papua New Guinea 13.0
Swaziland 12.9
Bermuda 12.3
Comoros 12.2
Nigeria 12.2
Cape Verde 11.6
Grenada 11.5
Paraguay 11.5
Barbados 11.3
Togo 10.9
Gambia 10.8
Peru 10.8
Myanmar 10.2
Russia 10.2
Liberia 10.1
Costa Rica 10.0
Nauru 9.8
Bolivia 8.9
Mozambique 8.8
Kazakhstan 8.8
Senegal 8.7
Turks and Caicos Islands 8.7
Mongolia 8.7
British Virgin Islands 8.6
Cayman Islands 8.4
Seychelles 8.3
Madagascar 8.1
Indonesia 8.1
Mali 8.0
Pakistan 7.8
Moldova 7.5
Kiribati 7.3
Guadeloupe 7.0
Haiti 6.9
Timor-Leste 6.9
Anguilla 6.8
Antigua and Barbuda 6.8
Lithuania 6.6
Uruguay 5.9
Philippines 5.4
Ukraine 5.2
Estonia 5.2
Cuba 5.0
Belarus 4.9
Thailand 4.8
Suriname .6
Laos 4.6
Georgia 4.3
Martinique 4.2
And ....The United States 4.2!

ALL of the 109 countries above America have 100% gun bans

It might be of interest to note that
SWITZERLAND (not shown on this list)
has NO MURDER OCCURRENCE!
However, SWITZERLAND'S Law requires that EVERYONE...
1. Own a Gun
2. Maintain Marksman qualifications regularly'

3. "Carry" a Weapon.

And we never hear about this from our lamestream media?

Concealed carry pistols and info on some of the pocket pistols "mouse guns".

I wanted to discuss some different options for concealed guns, we will have some stat's as well as a brief description for a few of the firearms.
personally for a dedicated carry I want a substantial caliber and load capacity, although sometimes we are wearing light clothes and decide to make a quick trip to the store. In those moments we dont want to belt up and strap on a holster, but you dont want to go unarmed, what do you do, get a light little pocket pistol, its better to carry something than nothing at all..
Also length of firearm isnt as important as height, hiding the barrel is easy its the grip that will print "be seen under clothes", also width is important. I have a few criteria I try to stick to but there is always give and take. I prefer a height of 5" or less, length of 7" or less, width of 1.25" or less, also weight (less is more) 20oz or less. Now those or for everyday belted up carry, for quick runs when I need something small, those numbers would be far to large.
Personally for a small pocket pistol, I like the keltec p3at, and other guns of that size. here is a brief write up on some of my preferred pocket pistols.

Kel-tec p3at "one of my favorites" pretty much the smallest lightest "mouse gun" you can get, 6rnd + 9rnd ext mag. Heavily textured grip "this gun wont slip" easy to rack, like most carry guns it has a long trigger, and the sights are molded into the slide and will catch on anything. I recommend every one have a tiny gun, if you're wearing light summer clothes these "mouse guns" will disappear in a pocket, just convenient to grab and go. 

Ruger lcp, typical mouse gun, but the grip is not as well textured, I prefer a gun with grips that "bite" into my hand for defensive pistols, dropping your gun could get you killed.

Taurus pt738, 6rnd mag, grip about the same as the ruger, but "to my suprise" a lighter feeling trigger, I liked it, some will say you need a heavy/long pull for defensive carry, my opinion is keep your finger off the trigger and use a good holster... Something called common sense..

Diamondback .380, think glock, but tiny, thats it, decent grip, decent trigger, if only it could be this small and hold more than 6rnds.

Sig p238, think mini 1911, not excited about the grip, good trigger but a little heavy, and almost to heavy to be a true pocket pistol. 6rnd mag

semi auto pocket pistol .380 stats, I know there's more out there, but these are the more common ones.
gun-----------------trigger pull wt-----length------height---width-----weight-----bbl length---mag cap
keltec p3at -------------5lb-------------5.2"-------3.5"-----.77------8.3oz------2.7---------6 or 9
sig p238 ---------------8lb-------------5.5"-------3.9"------1.1"----15.2oz-----2.7-----------6 diamondback .380------------------------------------------.75------8.8oz------2.80----------6
ruger lcp--------------------------------5.16"-----3.6"------.82"------9.4oz------2.75"---------6
taurus pt738----------------------------5.25"------------------------10.2oz------2.84"--------6
kahr p38-------------------------------4.9"-------3.9"---.75"/slide---9.97oz------2.53:-------6

semi auto 9mm stats, some are "pocket" size, but a holster on a belt would be better, again more common ones.

gun-----------------trigger pull wt-----length------height---width-----weight-----bbl length---mag cap
keltec pf9-----------5lb---------------5.85"-------4.3"-----.88"------12.7oz------3.1"-------7
keltec p11----------9lb---------------5.6"---------4.3"-----.1--------14oz--------3.1"-------10
ruger lc9------------------------------6"-----------4.5"-----.9--------17.1oz------3.12"-----7
kahr cm9-----------------------------5.42"--------4.0---.9"/slide-----14oz-------3"---------6
diamondback 9mm, dont use +p------5.6"----------4"-------.8"-------11oz--------3"---------6
SA xds--------------6.5lb------------6.3"---------4.4"---.9"/grip----23oz/w mag--3.3"------7-9
beretta nano---------------------------5.63"------4.17"----.9"-------19.97oz------3.07------6

I find it interesting that the keltec p11 holds more rounds "10" yet is lighter and smaller than the ruger lc9 which only holds 7 rounds.

OK, I know I know, I stopped at 9mm, I wanted to stick with the small side of conceal for this write up, I will post another one later covering revolvers, .40, .45
Also I didnt post Glocks I know, and yes I love my Glocks. I will post up about them later dont worry.

review of Hornady Lock-N-Load Automatic Progressive Press

Dick Stokes a very respected member of Nebraska reloaders and Omaha gun tech on Facebook, did a write up for us on his press. He has many years of experience in this field and his opinions and knowledge are greatly valued and appreciated.

Here is what he says. 

  

User Review of Hornady Lock-N-Load Automatic Progressive Press

Lock-N-Load® AP™

“The Lock-N-Load AP with NEW EZject system loads at a rate of up to 500 rounds per hour, and features the quickest change-over of any progressive press.

The Lock-N-Load AP is a professional-grade, auto-indexing, 5-station progressive press that features Our patented Lock-N-Load bushing system as well as a host of other features -- detailed below -- that make it much more attractive than other, more expensive presses, such as the Dillon XL650.”

That is Hornady’s description of the LNL AP from their website.  I think that is what they refer to as a “puff piece” in the advertising world.  Before I start picking at it, I want the reader to know I have the press and use it.  It is a great tool and wouldn’t be without!  I also have an older RCBS Piggy Back progressive that I still use.  Hornady did an excellent job of taking the best parts of all the progressives and put it in one package at a reasonable price.  The package comes with a cartridge activated powder that is amazingly accurate consistently for something mechanical.

The LNL bushing system accepts all standard dies.  Once a die is set in the bushing and the die lock ring (if it has one) is set, a simple twist of the bushing makes quick work of inserting and/or removing of the dies from the head.  The press head is thick, sturdy and has enough room to insert/remove individual bushing containing dies or the case activated powder drop.

The ram that raises the shell plate to the dies is quite large in diameter which makes the up and down strokes very smooth.

The shell plate attaches to the ram head with a healthy size allen screw and has 5 case slots.  The cases are held in place on the shell plate with a circular stainless steel coiled retaining spring that rides in a half grove on the bottom of the shell plate and the other half grove in the ram head for alignment.

A simple description of the operation; with the handle in the upright position the ram head is at the lowered position.  Insert a case in the first slot of the shell plate, pull the handle down indexing the case up into the sizing and depriming die (the spent primer falls down a tube into a container).  Raising the handle back up the plate indexes to the priming position and pushing back on the handle seats the primer.  Pull the handle down again, the plate indexes and runs the case up into the neck expander die (if one is being used). If a station does not have a die in it, the casing simply goes up/down in an empty hole not being touched.  Raising the handle back up indexes the case into position so the next down stroke raises the casing up into the case activated powder dispenser and the preset charge is dropped into the case.  Raise the handle and the plate indexes so a bullet can be sat on top of the case.  Lower the handle and the case goes up into the seating die and seats the bullet.  Raising the handle indexes the shell plate so the next time the handle is pulled down the the case go up into the station 5 hole and when lowered the completed round is ejected into a removable tray that is mounted to the side of the press.  The station 5 hole could be used for a stand alone factory crimp die.  Seem like a lot of pulls on the handle?  Not so much!  Each time you pull the handle you are placing a case on the first slot of the shell plate, so by now all the slots have a case in them and is at one of the stages of being reloaded.    Once filled, every time you pull the handle a completed cartridge is ejected into the completed round tray.  Happy, Happy, Happy!!!

Their puff piece says you can produce 500 rounds an hour.  That means every 8.3 seconds you have to be placing a piece of brass in the starting slot and placing a bullet on a case at the next to last position to be seated while watching all 5 stations to see that everything is working properly and don’t forget the visual inspection of the case you are placing the bullet on to be seated to make sure there is powder in the case.  At that speed you probably don’t have any regard for safety or quality of what you are loading.  If you do care about safety and quality you will still load a lot more rounds per hour than on a single stage simply because you are not taking a case in and out of a shell holder multiple times.  With 5 stations in the head there is adequate room to incorporate other dies such as the Powder Cop.

Sometimes I use it like a single stage press.  If I have a bunch of cases I want to deprime and size so I can measure, do case prep, etc on I’ll use the AP because of the auto eject feature, I don’t have to physically remove the case and place it in a tray.  I just put the one die in the head and start pulling the handle, placing another case in the starting slot each time I pull the handle.  Once the shell plate is full, a sized and deprimed case is ejected in the tray and when done I’m ready to move onto case prep.

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT that you learn the sound of the shell plate indexing properly, the feel of the handle as the ram raises and lowers properly, the feel of the primer seating when you push the handle to the rear to seat a primer and train your eyes to scan the primer shuttle and powder drop movement. It is imperative that the shell plate head is kept clean.  A small piece of powder or other debris falling into the primer shuttle slow will prevent the shuttle from coming fully forward into position to seat a primer.  That is why you need to learn to feel of primer seating.  It’s obvious if it doesn’t look right then stop but some things you can’t see happening so sound and especially feel are important.  If  it sounds or feels off even the slightest STOP and check it out!  The manufacture tolerances are very precise so there is no slop or wobble.  Day dream or let your mind wonder and you will have a problem.  Likely you won’t know you have a problem until you notice loose powder in the finished cartridge tray, which is usually the case, when a primer doesn’t get seated and powder starts falling out the primer pocket as the shell plate indexes.  Then you get to disassemble to clean up the shell plate and practice your bullet pulling skills!  Or even more fun, you get a case stuck in the die.  Murphy’s Law is always in play in reloading and I’ve had all these things happen to me.  Don’t take these things negative towards the press, it’s all operator error!  The LNL AP is an AWESOME piece of reloading equipment.  Spend some time reloading with it and you will quickly become familiar with all the parts and their function.

Out of the box the press and all the parts might look a little intimidating but Hornady has some good videos on their web site, take the time to watch them.  Initial setup and mounting will take a little time but don’t rush it.  Mount it on the sturdiest part of your bench, it will help your ability to feel what is happening.

I got mine the first year they came out and they have improved on a couple of little parts that were plastic replacing them with metal due to wear.  I’ve called them twice for a part, once I had messed up the spring and told them it was my error.  On both occasions they immediately mailed 2 of the replacements parts under warranty so I had a spare if it happened again at no cost.

I have as much green RCBS equipment and I do red Hornady.  They both are excellent!  If I were to purchase another progressive press it would be the Hornady LNL AP without question!!!

There are more things I could talk about regarding the LNL AP but I have to stop somewhere.  Feel free to contact me though Facebook if you have any questions, I’ll be glad to try and help.

Be safe and enjoy the craft!

looking for ammo? 22lr, 380, 9mm, 357 mag, .40, .45, everything

Cant find ammo? The ammo shortage have you mad as hell? Check out this site I found and it lists ammo by price!
http://gun-deals.com/ammo.php

http://ammoseek.com/ammo/22lr

security systems in the midwest.

Ok, not directly "gun" related but they deal with security, So I wanted to pass the info along, the owner Greg is a member at omaha gun tech on facebook, so you can also find him there. Here's a link.
http://www.midwestintegrated.us/index.html

Custom gunsmithing on a higher level. Chambers custom

Simply put they are fantastic, these people make works of art, if you want a plain jane pistol that no one notices at the range, then don't go to this place. If you want a "work of art" something that people will want to see, hold, fire "and talk about for days" chambers custom is the place, I have seen there work, and they are next level. The looks is just the start, they rework the internals and the piece will function flawlessly..
http://www.chamberscustom.com

Chris Zeeb.. CCW instructor in nebraska. update..

I have many members on omaha gun tech on facebook that offers services here is another one, his name is Chris Zeeb, He offers CCW classes, and maybe closer to where you are. As I stated in another ccw write-up, I base my opinions off what I hear from others when discussing ccw classes "except one which I partook in" but I hear Chris is a good guy so I wanted to pass it along to my blog readers http://www.neccwtraining.com

Update: Chris Zeeb invited me to one of his classes in order to give first hand account of his class, this speaks Volumes to his confidence And I am eager to check it out and provide you all with an in-depth Review. Also I will be posting the date of this class and hopefully I will meet some of my readers.

Review of a local CCW instructor located in Wahoo Ne. Parry Siebenaler

Here's a link to the website http://www.ontargetfirearmsllc.com Ok, I attended his class today, good guy, answered all of our questions, gave us good information and we all learned something new. I felt like it was money well spent, which in today's economy is important. A little info about Parry "the instructor" he is a firefighter and an army national guardsman, he also offers defensive training classes, which is something all firearm owners should consider, there are biological and psychological factors that come into effect when being engaged by a person attempting to harm you, and you need to be prepared for it. In summary the price is excellent, you will look hard to beat it. The knowledge is excellent, he had a proper answer to every question. The important question is would I recommend him to friends absolutely.

Let me end this with a couple of statements. I have a few CCW instructors, and have only heard good about each of them, would I recommend them as well, yes but I would add "from what I have heard from others" at the end of it. With this particular gentleman I attending his class and saw first hand his teaching abilities, I would like to eventually sit through all my CCW instructors classes, but until then I can only base my reviews on what I actually partake in, such is the case with On target firearms since I have first hand knowledge I have confidence in him. Anyone with any questions please feel free to ask.

no need to buy an oal gauge, here is a home made oal guage.

Theres a lot of people that dont trust the oal gauge, and im one of em, so what do i use? An actual cartridge that i can chamber so I am getting an actual reading from the bolt face... You dont think it works, well i shoot groups at 300yds that look like clovers, consistantly. So how do I do it? I take a case NO PRIMER..DO NOT PUT A PRIMER OR POWDER IN IT.. I seat a bullet til the base of the bullet is past the neck inside the case, then I wiggle the bullet with pliers loosening the case neck tension and pull the bullet free, then if needed i will re insert the bullet by pushing it in with pliers or wood and keep going till desired neck tension. Desired neck tension is when if i push hard with thumb the bullet will slide into case, not loose enough that the bullet will slide under its own weight or light pressure. Well by now that bullet you used is mangled so DO NOT use it for the next step.... Ok, push a nice new un mangled bullet into the case "not very deep" we want the coal to be ridiculously long. coat the bullet with black marker "to see where lands are contacting it" put cartridge into chamber and close the bolt, SLOWLY open the bolt push on cartridge with your finger to minimize bullet chamber contact upon extraction which could skew results, "dont let the cartridge fly out, keep a hold of it" now measure cartridge, write that number down. Ok, wrap a piece of cloth around bullet grab with pliers extract bullet "if you damage, gouge the bullet get a new one". Repeat procedure starting with pushing bullet in and having ridiculously long coal. Do this 3-5 times, add the numbers and divide by number of measurements.. Example, 1) 2.811, 2.810, 2.809, 2.810 add those numbers= 11.24 divide that by 4 "because you took 4 measurements" = 2.810 so thats your number you use. Now if in that series of numbers we had a measurement of 2.815 or 2.804, we know something went wrong, the numbers should all be within .002-.003 if not somethings wrong and most likely you loosened the neck tension to much.. Well, now I know my coal what do I do.. Jump, jam, or touch? Well that depends on the bullet and something called ogive "o-jive" and I will be covering that later and what the pro's prefer for their particular bullet... Stay tuned..

Low budget rifle build for tactical or benchrest shooting

Im going to touch on scopes a little bit this post more to come on scopes in later posts, plus I have been talking with a few manufacturers to do some reviews on "middle priced" scopes. Ok, the rifle. We need something that shoots good out the box and we can improve at home without a gunsmith. The remington sps tactical is such a rifle and can be had in the $600 range, will it shoot tight groups at 1000 yds no, why? Because the short barrel will not allow the bullet to stay supersonic to that distance "however there are some bullets not as affected by the transonic barrier", but out to 600 it will be great, this gun shoots sub moa "mel at snipercentral achieved 3/8" groups". A big part of that is the short barrel, shorter barrel more rigidity also the B&C stock has pillars already installed from the factory "a good glass bedding job and stiffening of the forend will help tighten groups". Another rifle choice would be savage 10xp predator hunter and can be found in the $700 range. "tips on home accurizing a savage will be posted soon, watch for it"

What type of shooting are we going to do? bench or tactical? F-class is fun. Decide if you need a rest and bags or a bipod. If truly on a tight budget we must be cautious on scope selection, the chepo with all the tacti-cool options is going to hurt you, trust me, we need tried and true. For punching paper we want tight groups at long range, the weaver t series is great, 36 or 24x. For tight groups at long range i would not go below 20x. My variable power budget choices would be weaver grand slam 6-20 about $400, sightron s2 6-24 also about $400 and optically you wont notice any difference, both great scopes.

Tactical type matches you will want a ranging reticle for holdovers, stick with the mil-dot and a side focus scope. An easy rule of thumb is no less than 1x per hundred yards, so if you're shooting a max of 500yds you want at least 5x mag, I feel more is better to an extent, for this game, "and tac rifles can double as hunting rifles". You want low magnification "power" for wider field of view. I wouldn't go higher than 4.5x, a 4-16x or 3-12x are excellent compromises between field of view and magnification. For this i would chose nikon monarch 4-16x42 mil-dot about $480 though perhaps a little high for budget minded, weaver kaspa is a decent scope for the price, also hawke sidewinder tactical 4.5-14x42 about $450 it has more bells and whistles than the monarch, dual illuminated skeletonized reticle, the trade off however is less magnification range, and less optical quality, is the hawke far behind the monarch no not really, is it a noticeable difference, yes. You decide if the trade off is better. Quick side note, Mel at snipercentral used a swift 6-18 to get those tight groups on that rem 700 tactical, so they may also be an acceptable scope.

Ok back to the rifle, if you keep the factory stock, you need to glass bed minimally, pillar bed preferably "B&C stock already pillars", I will post pictures of this procedure at a later date, with some tricks Ive learned, for bedding material I use steel putty, excellent product...

Cheap stock option at numrich parts order a 40xb stock. For matches where you will load one cartridge by hand leave the stock alone and purchase a bench rest single shot follower, if you epoxy in place or solder "not weld" it will add rigidity to the action. If you wish a floor plate or magazine then you must cut out a channel in the wood to add it, since on the 40xb stock it is solid wood.

So, how much is this budget build going to cost well the stock will add about $70, so not counting the stock, remington set up $850-$1100, savage about $100 more. Check the used market, most scopes have a lifetime transferable warrenty, and used remingtons abound, so you could shave $100+ off the cost.

If you decide to tackle a build feel free to post questions here or message me, I honestly enjoy helping others in this sport and will do all I can to help..

Also, the people over at snipercentral have always been kind to me, even Mel "owner" has taken his time to answer questions for me. I am and have been a member there for a few years and enjoy reading Mel's reviews on products. Here is a link http://www.snipercentral.com

Also I want to state that I am not paid or receive any benefits from any one or any company for discussing their products, services, or company. I do this because I love this sport and helping others interested in it..

NFOA nebraska firearm owners need to check them out

I want to talk about an excellent forum dedicated to Nebraskans..
NFOA here is a link http://nebraskafirearms.org/
They are sticking up for us, fighting for our 2nd amendment right...
I strongly encourage everyone to vistit them.

I found NFOA a couple of years back, I figured hey I'll check em out.. I was impressed, these people care..
They are business owners, and average hard workers, they take the time to help people, and enjoy it..
They are the reason I started my facebook page, which lead to the creation of this blog..
If you need to buy or sell something, they have a forum for that.. Tech advice, they a forum for that.
political talk, general discussion, everything.
I think you'll be impressed with em..