BrianK

OK, I just got back after checking my Dillon made ammo and giving the dog attention. We can't come back to fix things in a post after a short time and I wanted to make sure I was accurate. Hence the removal of the previous post. Re: the expander, first see what your dies come with by trying them. As I wrote the RCBS was correct right out of the green box. I didn't need to do anything. Good tip on the Lee crimper. I'll give that a try too, the ammo we make can't be too good. 🙂 I've been using my RCBS dies for over 50 years and they worked so I never changed anything about the process. It's time. The Lee crimper might actually also make the "shelf" obsolete, but I'll also keep using the old RCBS dies that I have for the single stage press. I couldn't remember a "shelf" being produced by my Dillon dies so I went to check. It's there and can be seen by the eye it's just not as pronounced. I also never turned down the expander ball on those dies. Maybe they are all designed to make the shelf? IDK. Just something to be aware of. FWIW, 231 is a good powder so is Power Pistol. You're in the correct burn rate, but I suspect we can go as fast as red dot (using far less) and it would still work. Yup, I just did a 'net search and turned up loads for Red Dot and bullets < or= 124gr. . I suspect with light bullets it would make some great light recoil, introductory plinking loads, esp' with a full size handgun or what I'm about to discuss, a PCC. OK, I'm going to muddy the waters a little bit and back up a whole lot. Sorry, but when someone "wants" a handgun I just have to ask what uses will it be put to. The reason for that are folks like my SIL who watches far too much TV and movies where every round fired hits the intended target showing that handguns are very easy to use. Except they aren't. They require regular practice and pro' training to learn the basics correctly doesn't hurt either. Every round fired has a lawyer attached and "gun control" should be a high priority. DustBuster, I don't think you are someone who would forgo the training and practice but I'm forced to ask anyway. FWIW, the reason I ask... my SIL and her idiot son... She doesn't know which end of the gun the bullets come out of, and her idiot son loaded it for her and put one in the chamber on a Glock. Glock triggers are part of the safety system and one keeps ones finger off the trigger until it's on target and you're wanting it to fire (Here mom, go shoot someone by accident!). She has no clue how to unload it so I'd wager she also doesn't know about the Glock trigger. Yeah, idiot son. To my knowledge she still hasn't taken any training and it's been 2 years. I hope she had her idiot son unload it for her as I suggested. So what uses does your girlfriend want a handgun for? Relax, we've all been there and nothing written will shock us. It's quite clear that you folks aren't ravening 2 legged animals out for blood. The more open you are the more help we can be. It could be that a handgun is precisely the best tool, or it might not be. If it's home defense, a perfectly valid use, today using the proper HD techniques and an anticipated LEO response once a 911 call is made I always suggest a PCC aka pistol caliber carbine. For HD anything a handgun can do a PCC can do better (except concealment), is easier to make hits with, has far less recoil, faster to learn, can take more bolt on accessories for safety and effectiveness, larger magazines, and on and on. Proper HD technique? Designate a room as the safe room (not panic room which is very different). Under the right key words spoken everyone enters the safe room where they hunker down and wait for the LEOs to clear the home after they are thrown the door keys so that they don't need to break in. There's more to it but that's it in a nutshell. No doubt more details and greater depth about safe rooms can be found online with a search if you're inclined. So let's back up. What uses will the firearm be put to? We know about the plinking use but is there more?

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I bet the 365 and the 938 feel entirely different in the hand even with the extended mag in the 938. Never tried it though. I'd love to have a Hellcat with a red dot mounted. But I have what I have. Maybe I'll get the M&P 9c milled for one and call it good. Dustbuster, we're all just playing with ourselves, or at least that's what it amounts to. You need to get the little miss out to fondle some and try some.

Correct on 9mm headspace. All straight wall cartridges that are rimless headspace there. It's not an issue though. Just turn down the expander ball (use extremely fine wet or dry paper and an electric drill but go very easy it's more polishing then metal removal) if needed, and just taper crimp enough to get rid of the bell used to get the bullet into the case. You don't want to do more than straighten the bell at the mouth. The bullet should, when properly loaded, have a "shelf" at the bottom to prevent it from going further into the case, that's why you need to fit the expander, and the bullet should have enough neck tension to prevent the bullet from moving out under recoil. It might sound difficult but it isn't. Once one buys dies they are "had" for life and I never needed to fit the expander to get it right. But that might be required. I'm trying to remember my 9mm die brand. I'd be very surprised if it isn't RCBS. That shelf that the bullet rests on... It's easily seen by eye. The case has been sized smaller so the shelf is easily seen. At least my 9mm reloads are. It's not huge, but it's there. I'd wager everyone here loads straight wall cartridges and a question about it will get a fast response. Trust me on this, it's easy.

DustB', FWIW, the 938 with the slightly extended mag allows 3 fingers on the grip. Despite me mentioning them earlier it's maybe too small for what you want. Smaller guns are quite a bit more difficult to use.

The SIG 938 has the silver slide. As I already mentioned they make or at least made .22 rimfire slides for it. Normally it's a 9mm, but another version is made in .380. They're both SIGs. IWB= inside the waist band, a type of holster

It would be helpful if there was a ceiling to what the cost would be. MtnMike, you mentioned Canik. They make a full size competition gun that is absolutely fantastic. I don't remember the name. One of the best triggers out of the box that I've ever felt. And it fits my small hands, but I remember it being adjustable. Yeah, it looks cool too. There are just so many possibilities.

The mag release mentioned earlier arrived as predicted by USPS tracking. 2 minutes later the extended release was out and the OEM release installed. Take that unintended mag releases! Not as fast for a mag change but if I need a fast mag change after 13 rounds with my EDC gun I was definitely in the wrong place.

Well, the nice thing about a revolver is that they can use downloaded ammo. That .357 can also shoot .38 wadcutters. But have you considered a .327 Fed Mag? I think that's the cartridge I don't know if you reload, but if you do a wadcutter in .32 should be a pussycat. Since it's a revolver it can also shoot full power ammo, as well as many much older cartridges with shorter brass. A few years ago the Ruger LCR was chambered in it. Others also? IDK. There are semi autos that are EZ to chamber a round. One is the S&W EZ I think it's called. I think there are other semis that are also easy to operate. But one that's difficult, if it has an external hammer, the hammer can be manually cocked and that makes the slide much easier to operate. But all that is just background info. Shooterrex gave the best suggestion, find a range and rent some handguns and find out what works for her. I would also consider a semi-auto with 2 slides, one in 9mm and the other in .22. The Browning P35 is being made again and there was a .22 slide made for them. I have smallish hands and the P35 fits me fine. It's also the handgun whose hammer I need to cock because I'm older and what I could do easily 50 years ago is becoming a bit more difficult today and I'm looking ahead. Maybe they the .22 slides are still being made? I have a SIG 938 with 2 slides and while it's a compact handgun could that also work? I don't need answers, I'm just posing questions to think about.

I almost ordered the GM kit, but some of it I already have in my gun. Instead I ordered the action kit. In that I think the only part that is duplicated is the auto bolt return. I think that's what it's called. Frankly Ruger should make a design change and just make and add that part to every 10/22. What are they thinking? Or was it the extended mag release? Anyway, it was one of those. Anyway, what I ordered will decrease the lock time and do a few other good things. I like the overtravel trigger stop too. I'm sure I'll like the changes and your $ is quite safe. FWIW, excellent service! I placed the order and it wasn't an hour later that I got a notification that they printed the postage and it had shipped. Same with R&S Precision. I placed the order after noon, went shopping returning 2ish and the new barrel had shipped. That's the way I shipped stuff when I was in business and I was good. Glad to see that sort of service by others.

Nearly forgot. OK, I did forget. My EDC has an extended mag release so that my tiny fingers can reach it better. It has released the mag at least 2x that I can recall but that's 2x too many. I looked for the OEM release but can't find one, so I ordered another. It was supposed to be delivered last Tuesday. I'm assuming weather played a role but it's in Southern Maine now and I expect delivery tomorrow.

I can see that kit working its way into my 10/22.

Thanks. I'm moving slow on this SBR and trying, despite my tendency to buy stuff, to keep the cost down. One thing at a time and only if the parts "pay their way". I've been known, to the detriment of my wallet, to buy stuff, install and try them, and throw them into the parts box if they don't pay their way. If they don't add something they just don't stay in place. I'm sure I'm not the only person on a forum such as this who does that. Heck, it took me a year to decide to buy the new barrel and another 7 months to flip the middle finger to Vol'. Yeah, moving slow. Maybe I was a turtle in a former life. I'll look over that Power Custom site. Other than Steel Challenge, which to me is a game I use to stay sharp (same as USPSAs use by me), I really have no use for this gun today. Correction! It has also gone on walks with the wife and I since I can't move fast or very far and we do have the potential for aggressive rabid animals in our AO. But in that role I far prefer the CP33 with an arm brace since it's so light that I even forget it's slung.

Thanks for the story and everything that went with it. I suspect they gave those MGs to big Marines, what was it? 23# plus 100 rounds of ammo? Not for me to lug.

I had a Volquartsen carbon fiber barrel on order for my Ruger Charger Takedown 10/22 SBR . The short story is I cancelled the order. Now the longer story. I put it on order May 16 so it's been on order for over 7 months. I'm not privy to the inner workings of Vol' but they appeared to get a shipment in months ago, but none of them ever shipped or were found on the Vol' site. I'm guessing they weren't up to snuff. Then I was a given a 1/17/23 ship by date. I have the patience of Job, but my patience wore thin and here's why. I got to checking sites for barrels for my Ruger .22 Charger Takedown SBR and came across barrel reviews. It turned out that the Vol' barrel is a good one, but not as accurate as the Tac'Sol'. Or that's what I found. I was going to get a barrel, but whose? The design goal of my SBR was to make as small a .22 as I possibly could, hence the Takedown. I intend to sew a "tool roll" case and have the parts in it. Why? Just because it's America and I can. I was going to live with the Vol' barrel and it's attached sight mount even though it would no longer meet the design goal. Then I got to thinkin' about that and the Tac'Sol' barrel. It's 9" and pretty much the same weight, and no attached mount. It would actually be better (shorter) than the 10" OEM barrel while still being more accurate. There was no shortage of them in stock wherever I went. So the Vol' barrel was cancelled and the TacSol ordered after noon today. It was shipped before 3 so I could have it in my hot little hands maybe this week. Now I look for a bit of warmish weather so that I can sight it in. After I initially built the SBR I got to thinkin' what was I going to use it for? Maybe that was bass ackwards but that's exactly what happened. I shoot Steel Challenge and it has the right amount of muzzle mass (none) for that game. Since the TacSol is a bit shorter it should have microscopically less mass out at the muzzle. I saw everything as a win, win. Oh, and it was less money, yet another win. So I have a 9" TacSol barrel on order and it's on it's way to me.

Merry Christmas to you also, and everyone who reads this!

Back on subject... I'm not difficult to buy for if the person buying is loaded with cash. Heck, I'm easy to buy for! But the wife and I exchange gift lists (since we're not loaded) and this year I wanted a Makita 36v chainsaw. Sure I have 3 other gas saws but none are as light and carefree as the 36v Li-Ion battery saw. We exchanged lists months ago and I think she figured I'd give up the notion. No such luck. So she told me to order it since she doesn't know squat about it. What she doesn't know is that I'm not done ordering for it. Since it's not a surprise and I had a dead tree come down in the driveway a few days ago I used it for that already. Short story... It won't be my primary saw for felling and large tree trunks but for limbing it worked fine. Yesterday saw it cutting dry rock maple limbs up to 6" diameter and it did a fine job. The batteries (it takes 2 18v) don't show even one light down in charge state. I thought it might be an expensive toy despite reviews to the contrary. I'm wearing my happy face because it works fine for what I want it for.

There's a reason K&N makes no claims for filtering anything. Or they didn't years ago (20?) when I was comparing brands of reduced "drag" air filters.

Thanks gents!

Good question. I did a net search for it and couldn't find it. Or at least not at a site that looked like it was open for business.

Everybody has their personal favorite lube and there's a gazillion of them. I use a bunch but the killer for me is cold weather and many just fall down when encountering really cold weather. Yes, even some lubes that I liked in "normal" weather proved to thicken, despite saying they wouldn't, in the cold. I haven't tested it yet, but a friend did, in the cold and with full auto. His one oil that passed was Liberty Lube. Trusting him and his testing I adopted it. Warm weather? Just pick one. I still do that, but not in the really cold weather. https://libertygunlube.com/ Supposedly, DLC coatings also greatly reduce the requirement for lube, but I lube DLC coated parts anyway.

I wrote that the tool cleaned the firing pin. That was a senior moment. It cleaned the the "tail" of the bolt that gets carboned up. Sorry, I don't know what to call it. It gets cleaned by putting it lengthwise between the prongs of the CAT tool. Blems... $18 ... https://catoutdoors.com/product/cat-m4-tool-blemished/

Dodging the issue of whether or not the inside of the BCG should be cleaned... My CAT tool arrived the other day. BTW, prompt shipping. I saved a few bux and got a blem. Who needs a perfect finish on a tool that will get pooped on? OK, I couldn't see any blemish, and definitely none that affect performance. I have a Brownells tool that only does the inside (cylinder) portion of the BCG but it's much larger and looks sorta like a reamer on a screwdriver. That tool does one thing and is intended for use at the bench. The CAT tool is NOT that! It's smaller and flat, it could easily fit in a GI nylon M16 cleaning kit. My BCG was clean inside so the portion that cleans inside wasn't of much use and neither was the patch slot but clearly would do the job. I thought the firing pin was clean but that portion of the tool got down to the radius and I could feel the carbon coming off. That's all that I was able to test and it worked fine. IF one wants to clean the BCG I would buy this tool over the Brownells tool unless one has a gunsmith shop. Maybe even then. The CAT tool works fine. Is the tool worth $10 more for a perfect finish? I don't think so. My $ saved can be used for other things. I wouldn't even buy a pristine one as a gift, no one would ever know unless you told them or they figure out what the "B" means on UPC tag.

I agree that it'll be a good 100 yard gun. Esp' with supersonics. It'll simplify placing the shot for him and with the right sight in distance should result in point blank range out to 100 yards or close to it. Even if there are 3 ranges for proper bullet placement (close, mid, far) it'll still simplify things. But I don't think that'll be the case. When he gets his deer be sure to talk it up here to let us know. I was just on the BA site and saw that the 10.3" Hansen barrel is on sale for almost 1/2 price. But they can list them as free since they were out of stock. 🙂