Jonnin

It will not have much recoil; the large frame gun, action type, and other factors will make it fairly gentle. It depends on what 44 mag using what bullets .... its impossible to say for sure but I would think a "typical" revolver in 44 mag would be worse than this gun. You can shoot it on any rifle range. I do not know what pistol ranges in your area would allow it.

It WORKS great. The trouble I was having was that lee disk device, while great for making ammo FAST, is not super precise. It varies by .25 grains (or, if you prefer, +- 0.125, which means the hottest and lightest are .25 apart). Look at the load for 380 using #2 and imagine a .25 difference between rounds. Its almost 10% or so! Now look at the data for #5. The same .25 is less than 5%, if memory serves. It makes a noticable difference. Using #7 in 45 acp for the most accurate loads, the disk variation is low enough that the ammo made using the device still counts as match ammo. Using the disk and #2 in the .45, it is not quite match grade. If you have a better scale and dispenser, I could see #2 giving really, really good results. It is a fine powder, its just difficult to use without solid equipment.

#5 is universal, it does well in most pistol calibers and I have had really accurate results with it in 9mm, 9x18, and 45. #7 for magnums or if you want to fill the case a little more for consistency, I use that for my .44 loads. I did not like #2 in the 380, that is exactly what I was talking about: its a tiny charge and difficult to control without precise equipment. I burnt out the #2 in bigger calibers and will not buy it again. Even in the .45 it was a fairly small charge. I also like the 2230 for 223 and it makes a good, light target load in bigger rifle calibers. It is not so good for making "real" loads for larger calibers.

you can try pliers, just try to loosen it then whap it again. Wrap the teeth in cloth, maybe, or be extra gentle anyway. Dunno about 357 but a 44 mag has enough recoil that a "real" load will pull the bullets inertially, inside your gun, if not crimped at least a tiny bit. I would think that most 357 had a light crimp (?). A light load won't do it, just a full magnum load and maybe only with heavier bullets (more inertia). Its a pain to deal with, they can pull out enough to stick, and you cant rotate the cylinder anymore... gotta get a dowel rod and push em back in, but not too far, or you can overpressure. Keep that in mind if you decide to make hefty loads. Thank goodness for autos, I dont crimp my 44s -- the magazine wont allow them to pull out.

the type of powder matters a lot. I like the fine grained stuff, like accurate, I think people call it "ball" powder? The more chunky stuff is more inconsistent. How inconsistent are they? Should be no more than +- .2 grains per measured charge for most volumetric systems. 380 is a bastid to load. All I got to say there is find a powder that fills the case, 4 grains or so. The hot powders that use 2 grains are hard, very hard, to use. With a hot powder and a sloppy dispenser, you can really have wildy varying loads. All that to say if any of the above are the issue (coarse powders, or hot 380 powder choice) you may be able to use what you have after some sort of adjustment.

I would be all about using our stockpile of bombs (we have plenty) to wipe out an annoying enemy. Not saying syria, today, is the best target (I do not think this is our best choice, and am not going into what would be). But ground troops went out in the 1950s. Does not even have to be a nuke, we have some amazing non-nuclear payloads now. A car bomb son? Terrorize THIS ... while your entire country burns... Yes, it lacks compassion for the handful of "innocent" folks. But, I value the lives of a city full of "innocent" people in some other country less than I do the life of one USA soldier. And I am tired of the mentality, methods, and stupidity of the terrorist countries.

I like my all steel lee press. The alum ones have a bad rep for wearing out. Sand is for a rock tumbler, and might work on brass in a setup like that (a barrel that spins). Most brass tumblers really just vibrate, and sand is inadequate, you need a lighter material (sand is too heavy!). Im sitting here at my press and the only other stuff I have are just handy type items. Containers for brass and bullets and finished rounds. Tweezers to deal with stray primers (but my priming is on the press type). Pliers to pull the occasional goofed up round. A disposal box for unsafe mistakes (found a crack in the brass after loading it sort of thing). A bad brass box. A strong magnet to pick off steel cases. So mostly just a number of boxes to keep stuff organized. I use an ebook but you might want a book or computer or something to record your efforts.

that ohio kid killed 3 and wounded 2 more with a .22, 10 shots so 50%. Got to respect the little 22s given the number of fatalities from them over the years.

Hmm that is an interesting thought... I would have had to draw, since mine is too small to see, there is no "see the holstered weapon & leave" option. +1 for having a big gun, I guess --- once you draw, there will be police and bystanders and aggravations, more likely than not. praise, +1 for being aware of him long before he could make a move. slap, -1 for not alerting walmart security while you got your check cashed. Probably should have told the cashier right away.

it seems to be a form of wax. I would think that if you put the ammo in a sieve over a heat source, somewhere below the melting point of lead and above the melting point of wax, it would melt and run off, leaving a very thin coat on each bullet (???). I could be wrong, but a match and an over-waxed bullet will tell you if that will work in about 30 seconds.

People are already buying stuff up. Primers were low in stock last weekend when I did my run. I bought several thousand primers and a big keg of powder, I should be able to outlast a 6 month panic. Ended up buying $500 in supplies, just to be really, really sure. The stuff never goes bad, so if nothing happens, I have supplies for a while. Yea I also had to get small pistol magnums. But that is fine, that means less powder per go, right ?

you may not put on a forend grip. You may not put on a stock. Those are the big 2 that require paperwork from the bafte. Last year the bafte lost ground on this (lost a case involving the forend grip) but its still not a good idea to do it -- the jury is still sorta out. Most other mods are "ok" ... what do you have in mind? sling is OK, laser is ok. You can use the magazine as a poor man's forend grip as well. I shoot my own reloaded ammo in my 223 pistol... no comment on the store bought stuff.

My wife and I have been very, very happy with the S&W M&P AR. It had a reasonable price and is well made, flawless, accurate. Not being a big tactical widgit guy, all we put on it was a bipod/grip and a scope and a sling; with those fairly inexpensive additions it has been great for 3-gun. If you do not have a lot to spend, you might consider alternatives as well. kel-tec makes a solid rifle (I have the pistol version, its been very very good and was inexpensive to boot, same thing with more plastic and barrel is the rifle), or you might pick up a used gun. A mini-14 can be found cheap sometimes as well, if you want a short range blaster. There are a number of other .223 guns that are not exactly AR's but are every bit as much fun.

I looked at it... its nice, but that begs the question "what are you getting for how much $$". I did not see anything in that demo that we *have* to have, just looks like a better layout (marginally). Does it have some feature (apart from layout/eye candy) that you were looking at that I missed or did not see as a big improvement??

The other issue that no one mentions... the rock bottom cheapest ammo is often pretty bad stuff. It is usually steel cased (hard on extractors, not reusable by any but the most frugal folks). It is often inconsistent, making large groups at any distance past point blank range. It has unknown coatings and chemistry in it, making very bad smells that I personally am afraid to inhale. It shoots sparklers out the end of your barrel (unburnt powder?). It is, by and large, junky (a few brands are half decent, but this can vary by caliber as to which ones). This is what you are comparing to equally priced handloads which have: reusable brass cases reasonably to highly consistent loading (we can only assume the reloader is doing it right) no harsh smell/sparks/etc The reloads made using materials that are the same price as the rock bottom cheap ammo are as good as the mid-grade factory ammo (pmc 223 for example) -- which is a bit more expensive than something like brown bear.

I do put a time value on reloading. Its fun sometimes, sure, but so is my job. Its tedious/boring at other times. Once you have a recipe worked out and its been tested and all, all that is left is pulling the handle over and over. If I did not limit it to 15 - 30 min per session I would get burnout pretty fast.

While some of your costs are a little high, the bullets are VERY high. I see $119 per 1k of the hornady bullets that I like, the 55 grain boat tails. And those are pretty darn good bullets. http://www.targetsportsusa.com/p-2484-hornady-bullets-22-caliber-224-diameter-55-grain-full-metal-jacket-boat-tail-bag-of-100.aspx for an example of these. You can get bullets for even less --- there are often deals on second quality and pulled bullets if you want ultra cheap, I have seen them as low as $75 per 1000 but you have to spend the time to find those deals and not care about the quality of the bullet very much (short range rapid fire ammo!). 190 per 1000 is insane for 223.

that may be a solid option. GA offers short duration (1-3 day???) hunting permits at a fairly reasonable rate, if you were only wanting to go once or twice. I am not sure what all is involved but they have a lot of liscense alternatives.

I would use my plr. Its small, suitable for short range combat, indoors or out, dealing with cover, etc. I would stick the (currently illegal, but in a situation, ask me if I care) forend grip/bipod on it, low power scope or red dot, load up the AR mags, and call it good. Any AR style pistol would be as good, point is I would keep it a small, light package to conserve weight & function in tight spaces. I do not think I would use the current pistol scope, I think a red dot would be better for combat.

If you have the money, it is a FINE gun. But sinking $2500+ into a gun that you are going to beat around (carry, so it WILL get a few dings, scratches, and wear spots eventually, and practice sessions as well) is to be done only if money is not a problem for you. Unless you are shooting for an accuracy competition or a race-gun competition where a light trigger and a finely tuned machine matter, there is nothing this gun can do that a well selected $750 pistol cannot. The trigger job, expensive barrel/bushing, hand fit gunsmithing, precision build and all the rest won't make the bad guy any more dead in a typical gunfight at 20 or so feet than they would be if shot by a loose tolerance, inaccurate $500 govt model with a rough trigger.

That was not the point, it would be idiotic to store the chem to make salt of course. The point was a couple of easily made/found things can be used. You can make or find both hcl and naoh from a variety of sources in a pinch. Purification? Thats another story... might be tough, I am not sure what the process would be or how you would know when it is pure enough.

Nice! Put what you want on it. My lever gun (308) has a massive nearly 30 power (max) adjustable every which way tactical scope and it looks stoopid but it shoots like I want it to and the price was right on the scope. I shot some of the powderless at a rat family that would not leave our house alone. It made a bullet deep dent in a 2x4 and bounced right back at me. I never did hit a rat with it, tried a couple of times but the little pests were awfully alert to movement and stuff. I am sure it would have worked, but out of my gun (mark II pistol) it certainly was not very powerful. Still quiet, about like someone dropping a book on the floor.

quail population seems, just from the lack of hearing their calls, to have really declined this past decade in this area. I am not sure what to say, but I live next to the bird sanctuary (NOT a hunting area!) and even here I have heard more owls than quail (and the owls are rare enough that we quiet down & listen to them when they are out). I would be interested to know of an area where they have thrived as well. Dove is quite common, and should be easier to hunt.

I only skimmed, but if no one said it... you can make salt from mixing an acid and a base. Here, you want table salt so a mixture of HCL and NAOH gives you pure salt water, which can be evaporated. There are a number of ways to make or obtain these two things. However, these compounds are dangerous so extreme care would need to be taken to ensure the resulting food product were not toxic in some way, either from contaminated ingredients or incorrect concentrations (you really want a 1 to 1 mixture here). Sugar is not an issue. First, we do not *need* sugar, unless diabetic. Second, grains, fruits, and many other things provide natural sugars that can either be refined to some extent (you won't be making pure white sugar at home, but that stuff is bad for you anyway) or just eaten as-is to provide what little sugar a body needs.

shotgun, you have a rifle, you have pistols, so a shotgun is what is missing. I cannot comment on which, I prefer autos.