mineralman55

I finally got to the range yesterday. First time in over three months. Just too busy and preoccupied. I did try out some new-to-me powder, AA4064. Not my first choice, but I haven't seen AA2520 in over two years. Found AA4064 on sale several months ago and figured I'd buy some and try it, as it will work in all my rifle calibers. Loaded up 10 rounds each with 42, 42.5, 43, 43.5 and 44 grains under a 168 BTHP Sierra, LC 1x-fired cases, Win LR primers, 2.800" +-0.002". AA4064 is a short stick and it flows through an RCBS Uniflo well. All the loads were compressed. It was hot, partly cloudy and the wind was a gusty 10-15 mph. Not bad, perfect functioning, threw all the cases to 3 o'clock. Primers were all the same, maybe just slightly flattened, cases were bright and clean, rifle clean up was minimal, not too much residue, not bad at all. Accuracy was not as good as I'd like but it was acceptable. Most 10-shot groups were 2.5-3MOA, but they were symmetrical, not strung out. Perhaps this powder needs more work (or perhaps I was rusty, yeah, that's it). Until AA2520 and TAC become available again, this will do for plinking and load development. Pics included. Scores would have been good, but the groups aren't acceptable for me yet.

SI-Defense told me earlier this year they had something new and really cool coming out this summer for AR308s. Anyone heard what? Perhaps Memorial Day they'll break the story?

A big congrats to you and your family. Another miracle.!

Already happened. Technology is a useful tool, but it has become a substitute for brain power to too many people.

I tried that one. The scrapers are quite small and really don't do a good job cleaning out the pockets. but it is inexpensive, so you might get better results out of it.

The current batch of 308 cases had exceptionally dirty/sooty primer holes, so I got an RCBS brush to clean them out. I put it into a battery-powered hand drill, and did 500 cases in about 50 minutes. The bristle end could have a little more flare in it to get deeper into the corners, or perhaps be slightly larger in diameter, but it worked well. And for $8 this was a handy little device.

This is the ammo the CMP sold for a while, but it's no longer on their sales page. Theirs was reloaded ammo but your box label says the brass is new. No one on the CMP board to my knowledge has made negative comments regarding it. Looking forward to your review.

Robo and Mag, glad you chimed in. I've got the 15" Apex on mine and it's rock solid.Four screws hold it onto the clamps around the barrel nut. Just another reason to check everything you read on the web, at least twice.

I have a Lyman Universal Case Trimmer mini lathe (that's what it is) except I also got the adapter shaft to run it off a drill or electric screwdriver. I built a little jig to hold the lathe and a carriage to hold the drill. I love the universal case holder on the Lyman. It is ingenious. When I get moving I can do 6-10 cases a minute.

Is that for sure?

Finished sizing, tumbled clean, then swaged all 500 cases. It didn't take too long. Batch processing isn't so bad. Just need to primer pocket clean (easy, do it once) and trim (not as easy but not too bad either). If you need them, Widener's 1x-fired .308 is really good stuff.

To get moving again, I decided to order new 308 dies while waiting for RCBS to get me a new decapper pin. Midway had Lee dies for cheap (I like Lee dies) so I ordered some. Began using them yesterday. Third case "POP"! the decapper stuck in the case and pulled the decapper pin down through the collet :wtf: Sometimes you can't win for losing. Okay, got it unstuck (I shouldn't say those words, they're not nice) and lubed the daylights out of the cases. I don't like doing that because it usually dents the case shoulders, but after a few dozen cases everything seemed to be working out just fine. I think the dies come a bit "dry", and need some breaking in. Anyway, all is working now with the Lee dies. Just need a few evenings to finish the other 500 1x-fired cases. "Sweat investments" are sometimes worth it.

You don't need Chantix or anything else to create that situation. There are far too many people walking around not on prescription meds who are completely delusional.

I've got a question for you wood refinishers. I had to try and clean up some dried out window sills. I found a product called Watco Rejuvenating Oil. I rubbed it into the window sills which were basically bare knotty pine that had been exposed to repeated cycles of drying and condensation. It really made them come back. My question is, can this stuff work on a wooden front door? The door was refinished with Minwax Gel Stain two years ago. Would the Watco penetrate the Gel Stain, or is something else needed to rejuvenate the door?

Already borrowed the decapper from my 30-06 die due to an incident long ago. Stuff happens if you wait long enough. Thanks for the offer, but I'll just load up another caliber until I get the .308 stuff back. Hmmm. Hadn't thought of that. I rolled the pin on a granite plate to determine it was bent but didn't think of chucking it in the lathe. Oh well, I'd prefer a new decapper and pin anyway.

Yeah. Guess what. They're low stock or not available too. Man, the reprecussions of having libs in charge of the government SUCKS! :fawkdance:

I have their compensator on my 20" barrel. It is fantastic and written up elsewhere in these pages under S.I. Defense build.

I busted the decapper on my RCBS 308 die. The last couple resizings got progressively more difficult, then "POP". I pulled the die apart and saw not only was the pin broken, but the decapping rod was bent! Cases weren't deformed, can't figure out how that happened. It goes back to RCBS today. :unsure:

We're all green today. Only time I'll accept that label! :)) Happy St. Patrick's Day to everyone.

How many rounds? What are you shooting? Are they hot handloads or commercial rounds?

Oh, I get that my friend. And my point is look at what has been typically available from the normal sources for the last two years... H869, Reloader 33, Reloader 50, the 4350s, the 4831s, Leverevolution, Superformance. Yeah, there's a need for them, but there's also a reason they have been in supply and available for so long... demand for them was met long ago. The two most popular rifles in the world are ARs and the AKs. These take faster powders such as TAC, the 4895s, H335, AR-Comp, BLC-2 etc. It doesn't take two years for these manufacturers to realize there's an oversupply of one class of powder and an undersupply of what we are demanding. Is there hoarding going on? Yes. Is there gouging going on? Yes. But I also don't believe a handful of middlemen are buying up all the Varget, AA2520, 4895 and Rel15, repackaging it and selling it for outrageous profits. It's just not available. I don't have an answer (I ain't making my own. I like my hands ::) ). But as I said previously, something isn't adding up.

I don't doubt what he told you, but 50,000 lbs is only 6250 8lb kegs. That would be an average of 125 8lb kegs per state. Frankly, that isn't very much. Yes, I've heard all the plausible explanations of the shortage (hoarders, government buying up ammo supplies, etc.) I've even contacted Western who were very polite and said they were shipping powders every day. I believed it for a while, but there's no excuse for it now. There's been a surplus of many different but unsuitable powders for the last few years. Something is just not adding up. No, I don't wear a tin foil hat and there are no black helicopters circling overhead (they're olive drab), but I'm no longer satisfied with the explanations and excuses we're getting from the manufacturers.

Out of curiosity, are you using this in an AR308? IMR4320 is a little on the slow side of the spectrum, but I'm always interested in how different powders perform in our rifles. How is the accuracy? Cycling action? Etc.

Whatever useful powder was there didn't last long. In fact, I'm going to take this as an opportunity to rant. Normally I'm patient and will give the benefit of the doubt to the manufacturers when they say the demand is outstripping the supply. But enough is enough! For almost two years now we've put up with very little to no suitable powders for our rifles. Instead, there's tons of crappy, slow burning powder that is only suitable for 50 BMG and an occasional 1lb bottle of something we want. DAMN IT! Hodgdon, Accurate, Winchester, IMR, where the hell is our powder! Rant off.

Prepped 500 7.62x51 cases today. Got them from Wideners. Mostly LC but a fair number of WCC and TAA headstamps. These are really nice, A bit tarnished but they clean up in the tumbler beautifully to a bright, light yellow brass color. Sized, swaged, primer pocket cleaned, trimmed. I may have to get some more.