Guns and Blowin Shit Up!

[richkrt99]

Yeah....one of the reasons I altered the colors so there's no mixing this gun up with others.  Also labeling the mags exclusively for 300BO use.  And they are kept separately.  Have the same process with my "AR-47", but those mags LOOK and are different anyway.


I noticed the stubby hexmag (shown in picture) is very tight in this gun.  All my metal Duramag and even the PMAGs fall right out, but I have a couple of these Hexmag stubby mags that you have to pull them out.  I stuck one in another receiver and its snug but will fall out of it's own weight, but not in this gun.


What's your 30 carbine look like?  Is it an M1 Carbine and how old is it?

[alta]

Ruger revolver. I had an M1 many years ago, and the stupidity of youth sold it.

[richkrt99]

Updated pic with the fore grip painted.


Gonna paint fill in the logo/etc on the red lower with either black or white paint.  I think maybe white since there is a "ghost" logo on it.

[richkrt99]

Whelp, since nunya other rednecks are holding up your end here....I guess I will post again..


Shot some this weekend... put a red dot on the shorty Blackout pistol and dialed it in.  Pretty happy with it.  Certainly thumps the steel a hell of a lot more than the 5.56.


Shot some of my hand loads of 5.56; 62gBT bullet and Accurate 2230 powder.  Very accurate.  I was just playing around with this load, but it was very accurate in my "target" AR...(18" stainless barrel, Vortex Eagle 1-6x scope).  10+ rounds in less than an inch group easily.....but I'm only shooting at 40yds
We had 1" square shoot-n-see target squares and with about 15-18 rounds you could totally eliminate the entire square by stitching shots along the 4 perimeter sides.  WOOT.  Pretty satisfied with these being reloaded brass and 62gr bullet....little surprised actually.  This shot better than some 69gr factory loads I have shot.  Maybe it was just a good match for this particular gun.  Also kind of hard to tell at 40yds, but he groups were really damn tight.
I have 69 and 75 grain bullets I was planning for my accurate loads, but haven't loaded any yet. 


Although, when I cleaned the gun after, it was WAY dirtier than it should be with only 120 rounds through it.  I'm hoping I just maybe forgot to clean the gun last time, but I don't think so.  I'm pretty good about cleaning them before putting them away.  Don't have any experience with accurate 2230 powder before now, but I wouldn't think it would be on the dirty side.

[alta]

What 62gr bullets are you using? 62 the lightest I normally shoot. I have a bunch of 55gr ammo but that’s primarily for indoor range use.

[richkrt99]

IMI 62gr FMJ BT with cannelure.
Got it from a guy in Hawaii who was selling a bunch of reload stuff to increase his honey bee business.
I bought them just for plinking really, but I lucked out....I was lookin at his stuff on GunBroker (this is way back when I first got the bench and could not find any materials), and I made an inquiry to him and he reached out and told me what he had and I bought a shit TON of stuff from him.

He paid for all the shipping - I asked how he could afford to ship it from HI and apparently the USPS honors their priority mail nationwide including HI, so he uses priority mail and the weight didn't matter.  I think the damn boxes weighed like 40-50 pounds each. I bought tons of stuff, and it was pretty cheap:
500 rounds IMI 62gr FMJ BT + 500pcs .223 brass $105  ($.21 for brass and bullet)
500 rounds IMI 62gr FMJ BT + 500pcs .223 brass $112  ($.22 each with brass and bullet)
(I bought the first two items on GB then during email contact he said he had a bunch of other stuff and I just bought the rest direct from him)
1000 rounds IMI 55gr + 1000pcs .223 brass $180 (.18 total for both brass and bullet)
1500 .45ACP 230gr + Brass $380  (.25 for brass and bullet)
1500 NEW 45 ACP Federal/Speer PRIMED brass for $315  (.21/pc each for primed new brass)  (I had totally forgotten about this till I looked at the list today - I've yet to even load my first .45ACP round.  I don't even shoot it much.  I don't know if it is small or large primer, but I'm guessing small, but the damn primers alone cost more than twice that now.
2000 cleaned 1x brass - 5.56 mixed stamp for .08 each (not processed, but very clean)
500 9mm brass + 124gr bullets, plus the 9mm DIES all for $150  ( I couldn't find 9mm dies anywhere)
Even bought 3000 9mm 1x Brass -(cleaned, not processed) for .04 each
2000 pcs .38 spcl NICKEL cases for $140... .07/each
I spent over $1600 with the guy, but he basically inventoried my entire reloading setup.
Dude even sent me two quart sized jars of his fresh Hawaii Honey.  It was definitely different than our local stuff...a bit darker in color.  Not a big honey guy myself (No..not the whiskey, the regular honey), but my wife uses it in her tea, etc.  Gave one to a girl in the office who was big honey freak, and we'd never go through a full quart of it.

Anyway, that was EARLY in my reloading world, but I got a bunch of stuff from the guy.  I only know the pricing cause I started a spreadsheet at a time to track what everything was costing me to produce finished rounds. (don't want to look at the SUM column)

BY the way - if you ever get tired of sizing/processing your brass....I've used this guy for both processing some of mine as well as purchased some processed once fired brass.
He occasionally has some oddball stuff like 6.5CM and such.  I bought some 5.56 and even some 7.62x39 last year, and have had him process my 5.56 one time (about 1200 rounds)  He's down by Roanoke somewheres.


https://blueridgebrass.com/
Anyway, nothing like a very long winded explanation to your simple question. 


I do have some 69gr and 77gr bullets too - just haven't loaded any yet.

[alta]

I’ve got a program for inventory. It tracks guns/serial numbers, safes, ammo, powder, brass, primers, presses, anything you want enter. I got it just to keep a record of serial numbers, but have added more stuff over the years. One day I was playing around with it, and there was this button that said “report”. So i pressed it. It was summary of everything I entered, with a big column for cost. Boy oh boy, I wish I hadn’t seen that. Mind you that’s cumulative over many years, but still.

[richkrt99]

What kind of program?  I'd be interested in seeing it.

I basically just started one spreadsheet, then it turned into multiple pages/tabs...


Inventory - list of guns & serial numbers, and where stored  (I don't have as many safes as you so this one is pretty simple)
Builds - list of my builds with all the parts used:  Part / manufacturer /, Supplier /  Cost, and and all the extra spare parts inventory
Powders - this was early on when looking for stuff and it's mostly been superseded by the Supplies sheet
Reload Supplies - list of everything:  bullets / shells / primers /  cost / where purchased / date purchased / recaptured brass / total reloads / loads fired  (this one is very extensive and the $total is shocking like you said.
Reloads - list of all my reloads/formulas, notes, etc  (also have a separate hand written load log, but the spreadsheet is easier to see everything)
Ammo - separate sheets for factory ammo and all my hand loaded inventory.
Bench - list of everything I was looking for and have purchased / reload press / press parts / dies / meters / scales / prep tools / basically everything to do with the reloading process.

I started this mess originally to track stuff I needed for the reload bench (dies & such) to keep it straight what I had bought, and what I still needed/wanted, but then I added the gun inventory, then the reload stuff and on an on ....

[alta]

It’s an app called Gun Log, got it maybe 8-9 years ago. It seems secure, and I can print out stuff from it provided I have a printer that communicates with my ipad.

[Mickstix]

So I went to the range last month. 1st time in a few years. Fucking 9mm slide bit me. Never had that happen before. And Im on blood thinners, so that little nick bled like I'd lost an entire digit.    Something I'd never though about adding to a range bag. (medical supplies) The range hooked me up though. So, I bandaged it up and left in shame. 

[richkrt99]

I was excited to see someone else post here (Mick)...until I read his post. 


Meh - a little blood mixed into a range day....still beats a day wasted fishing 


or heaven forbid, a day watching rednecks drive in circles 

[richkrt99]

Had a little range day of my own Sunday.  Had an a real life German visiting and since their homeland forbids such things, we brought out a few funs for him to try.


He liked the AKV (9mm "pistol" in an AK platform) the best.  Red dot makes it easy and that gun is down right fun to shoot. (Even if it is a felony to own it now that braces are illegal)...for about another month until the court overturns that illegal overreach


Long guns:  AR15 5.56/18", AR in 7.62x39, Henry lever .357, 12ga semiauto, M&P 15-22, AKV 9mm, 300BO pistol
Pistols:  .357Mag, S&w 9mm, Taurus 9mm, PSA Dagger 9mm (Glock 19), Beretta Neos .22, Taurus .22, GSG Firefly .22, PSA Dagger 9mm


The AKV 9mm and the .300BO "pistol" are generally everybody's favorites.  I have to admit, I am liking the 300 BO pistol much more than I ever expected.  I kind of built just to build it, but it is one of the first that gets pulled out to shoot.  Although calling it a pistol seems silly, but I can't call it an SBR, so...


I am also a big fan of my "AR-47" - it thumps steel pretty good, and just a little different - built it originally cause the 7.62 ammo was cheap 

[Mickstix]

Good grief, you ARE a hillbilly redneck. 

[alta]

He ain’t got nothin, but I ain’t posting pics of my stuff. It ain’t wise these days.

[richkrt99]

Good grief, you ARE a hillbilly redneck. 

Yup, but I'm a modern "gray-collar" hillbilly redneck....otherwise it'd all be shotguns, deer rifles, squirrel guns and magnum revolvers - none of them "fancy" semi autos 

[Mickstix]

They may revoke my redneck card if they find out.. I don't even own a long gun anymore. 

[richkrt99]

Welp.  I did it.  Finally broke down and bought one of those fancy hearing protection devices.  Now the wait is on.

[Mickstix]

Welp.  I did it.  Finally broke down and bought one of those fancy hearing protection devices.  Now the wait is on.

Huh, what's that, can't hear ya??  
I left the battery in mine, in the range bag, for like 3 years.. Didn't expect they'd work anymore, but a little fiddlin around, cleaning, new battery and they sparked right back up!



So fellas, what's a good yet economic AR-15?

[alta]

for the majority of gun owners a PSA will do ..

https://palmettostatearmory.com/psa-pa15-16-nitride-m4-carbine-556-nato-classic-ar15-rifle-black.html

A range session for me will approach 2000 rounds, but that’s usually with at least 4 firearms. People that put 2000 rounds through one AR per range session will spend $1800-2500 on one. The difference between a $500 gun and a $2000 gun becomes apparent at that volume of use.

[Mickstix]

Thanks for the link! What happens after a bunch of rounds? It get hot and loose aim or stop firing?
And can you run .223 through it?
edit. Nevermind. Google says it fine, as long as it's .223 through a 5.56 barrel. I'd probably prefer 5.56 anyway, now that I see what they are.