Guns, Bows, Shooting Sports, and Hunting adventures in reloading

[HHhuntitall]

if nickel is as crappy as you say i will use what little i have sparingly and check the chamber often. i have faith in the remington though. it has a coating on all the metal parts that measures 80 on the rockwell hardness scale. D2 tool steel measures 62. your pocketknife is between 50 and 60. standard untreated barrels are between 30 and 35.

Careful presuming!!! MY pocketknife falls closer to 70 than 60 on the Rockwall scaling system, and around 1950 or so Brinell harness scaling... . but then, it doesn't exactly have the original blades in it, either... .



D2 steel falls anywhere from 55 to 65 HRC, and yes, most factory rifle barrels fall near 30 or 35, excluding older chrome vanadium barrels, mostly of European production. The barrels are softer to allow for flex and expansion, and not be brittle... . these wear faster, but give better machinability. Some Lothar-Walther barrels can be extremely hard, such as their Stellite . 50 bmg barrels..... designed for sustained rapid fire in machine guns.



Your Remington should have an exterior coating of 60-65 HRC, but not on the interior of the chamber or barrel. The rough coating is characteristic of nitrocarburizing, and accentuated by a final phosphate bluing finish. It would not exactly be ideal for a bore coating. It's done after the fact of hammer forging the barrel to a die shape and contouring. It's a great coating, and very similar to Tennifer coating, which Glock patented for their pistol finishes a good many years back. I believe Remington uses the vacuum nitrocarburizing method, of flooding the material in their respective gasses to displace carbon and nitrogen, after being evacuated of atmospheric contaminates in a vacuum. It's an extremely durable, yet thin, coating that actually penetrates the metal to a certain thickness, usually around . 002.



I forgot to mention, they don't do it on the internal section of the barrel or chamber, as that hardening would crack from the overlaying stress being put on it, and force stress cracks under it... . not to mention the lands would crack and break from repeated stress. A softer, more forgiving metal is needed there. And an even softer metal is needed to be used for projectiles... . which leaves us with copper and occasionally, bronze. Soft enough to mold to the lands without causing damage, yet tough enough to maintain integrity in high velocity, concentric flight.

 

[GHarman]

Greg

Weren't the first M 16 from Armalite dont know if that was Armalites designation. Lady Bird Johnson owned a bunch of stock in Armalite and HOW WOULD THAT LOOK to win a gov. contract. so it was sold to colt or bought by colt so they could make money off the POS.









ArmaLite M-15A4CB MidLength Upper Receiver ArmaLite Gas Block Sight USGI M16 ...

BIG, I believe you have the story straight on that one! Eugene Stoner worked for Armalite at one time. I dont recall the time frame or the relationships. The first AR's were made by Armalite. However, Colt had the military Contract for the M-16 during the Vietnam War. I dont know if we got the early Armalite manufactured stuff or genuine Colts? I do know we called them Matty Mattels because of the plastic stock and forend halves.

The ammo had issues, as well. The original propellant powder burned very dirty and deposited high levels of "calcium carbonates" into the gas tube and the interior of the receiver upon firing, with the original ammo, IIRC.

Improvements in ammo as well as the rifle itself brings us to what is issued, today.

GregH

 

[HHhuntitall]

ArmaLite sold its rights to the AR-15 to Colt in 1959. The AR-15 was first adopted in 1962 by the United States Air Force, ultimately receiving the designation M16. The U. S. Army began to field the XM16E1 en masse in 1965 with most of them going to the Republic of Vietnam, and the newly organized and experimental Airmobile Divisions, the 1st Air Cavalry Division in particular. The U. S. Marine Corps in South Vietnam also experimented with the M16 rifle in combat during this period. The XM16E1 was standardized as the M16A1 in 1967. This version remained the primary infantry rifle of U. S. forces in South Vietnam until the end of the war in 1973, and remained with all U. S. military ground forces after it had replaced the M14 service rifle in 1970 in CONUS, Europe (Germany), and South Korea; when it was supplemented by the M16A2. During the early 1980s a roughly standardized load for this ammunition was adopted throughout NATO

 

[KBurgoyne]

thanks for te information. ill stick to plain brass,its heaper anyway. im waiting for some 210 bergers and 208 amax bullets in the mail that will be put together with h1000 and imr 7828.



how do you measure free bore. ive loaded some 180 ballistic silvertips out to 2. 550, but the only way i can check them is to see if the cycle. the magazine can handle 3. 650.

 

[GHarman]

My method is to sacrifice a case and make a seating depth gage. Size a case. The split the neck 3 or 4 ways with a jewelers saw or an abrasive wheel on a dremel tool. That creates a collet effect on the bullet. It is reuseable and can be sized again if the tension is inadequate. Deburr the cuts and seat a bullet into the collet neck, just so the bullet is held into the neck. Then chamber it. Extract the gage cartridge carefully so it does not hit the floor and "wa la"! You have a freebore measurement. Understand that every bullet make will be different. Every lot of the same bullet can be different and an overall length is not a precise location of the leade of the rifling. You will need a comparator tool that will fit the ogive of the bullet. It is a reference measurement that you will then have that will allow you to precisely locate the edge of the bearing surface of the bullet in reference to the rifling leade. Sinclair sells one and there are others available. Thats how I do it. There are other methods.

GregH

 

[KBurgoyne]

My method is to sacrifice a case and make a seating depth gage. Size a case. The split the neck 3 or 4 ways with a jewelers saw or an abrasive wheel on a dremel tool. That creates a collet effect on the bullet. It is reuseable and can be sized again if the tension is inadequate. Deburr the cuts and seat a bullet into the collet neck, just so the bullet is held into the neck. Then chamber it. Extract the gage cartridge carefully so it does not hit the floor and "wa la"! You have a freebore measurement. Understand that every bullet make will be different. Every lot of the same bullet can be different and an overall length is not a precise location of the leade of the rifling. You will need a comparator tool that will fit the ogive of the bullet. It is a reference measurement that you will then have that will allow you to precisely locate the edge of the bearing surface of the bullet in reference to the rifling leade. Sinclair sells one and there are others available. Thats how I do it. There are other methods.

GregH

sounds good. ill use one of the nickel cases:-laf

 

[KBurgoyne]

My method is to sacrifice a case and make a seating depth gage. Size a case. The split the neck 3 or 4 ways with a jewelers saw or an abrasive wheel on a dremel tool. That creates a collet effect on the bullet. It is reuseable and can be sized again if the tension is inadequate. Deburr the cuts and seat a bullet into the collet neck, just so the bullet is held into the neck. Then chamber it. Extract the gage cartridge carefully so it does not hit the floor and "wa la"! You have a freebore measurement. Understand that every bullet make will be different. Every lot of the same bullet can be different and an overall length is not a precise location of the leade of the rifling. You will need a comparator tool that will fit the ogive of the bullet. It is a reference measurement that you will then have that will allow you to precisely locate the edge of the bearing surface of the bullet in reference to the rifling leade. Sinclair sells one and there are others available. Thats how I do it. There are other methods.

GregH

sounds good. ill use one of the nickel cases:-laf

 

[HHhuntitall]

Also, if you do a lot of reloading, you can purchase a Hornady or Stoney Point, freebore or OAL measuring tool. It basically has a brass cartridge, drilled and tapped to fit the end of the tool, with a probe that goes up and into the cartridge to push the bullet through a drilled to diameter neck, up against the leads to the lands, or throat, with a set screw to hold the probe, which holds to bullet, which allows you to measure OAL. I make my own adapters out of my brass, but then, I'm using some wildcat rounds, too... . OVERALL LENGTH GAUGE - Brownells



It's a handy little tool, and I've even used it to calculate some reamer specs so they'll feed in specific rifle magazines..... IF you load enough to justify it..... GHarm's idea is still the original, in-expensive way to make your own, which I totally agree with and have done several times. Just thought I'd throw that option out there..... I have a many different calibers and cartridge choices.....



The 210 Berger Hybrids are a great bullet. I've never had any luck with them, but Dad just set the 300 yard F-class range record at Roswell, NM with his . 308. He shot 150-11x, I think it was. Not bad, you say, but you wonder, what's so special about that? Well, it was with 18-22mph crosswinds!! That range is brutal on your windage guesses..... Berger is finally getting it down. The last batch of 1,000 bullets came in, and using the bullet comparator, they're less than . 002 difference in length and ogive contact..... That's pretty darn good!!!

 

[GHarman]

Thats OUTSTANDING, HH! Your Dad is a Real DINGER!!!

GregH

 

[GHarman]

Made it to the range, today with my new shooting partner! MyStep Daughter has recently been bitten by the shooting bug:-laf. My Son was occupied with Youth activities and a free day at the Denver Nature and Science Museum. So "R" and I went to the range! This is only her second time firing a center fire rifle. The first was a month ago with an M-1 Garand. She had a clip of 8 rounds under her belt and a few rounds from a . 45 handgun! She was BIT Hard!:-laf

I have to tell you, "R" is a quick study and has learned precison quickly. She steered that wood stocked . 308 at 100 yards with her best group of the day that measured 7/16" tall by 1/8" wide. She helped load the ammo. This rifle has a . 335" neck diameter minimum chamber dimensions and requires hand prepped, neck turned cases. The load we were shooting was 44 Gr. of H-4895 and 125 Gr. Nosler ballistic tips seated to touch the rifling leade. Better optics would certainly help as the scope is a 1975 vintage 6X Lyman LWBR. I can barely see between floaters when shooting right handed, these days! However, she has no optical handicap! Heres a picture of her sweet smiling face. She is saying; "Shoot Like a Girl, If You CAN"!:-laf

Good JOB, Rachel!

GregH

 

[KBurgoyne]

nice set-up. the last time i shot anything off a rest it was sitting crooked on dirt using a log for the rest.

 

[GHarman]

Hmmm, KBurgoyne, There are multiple disciplines and many way of doing things. I am using cheap, but workable accessories to teach a new shooter the basics.
Basics being trigger control, sight picture and alignment with an optic, breathing and the importance of position and repeatability. That rifle weighs close to 13 pounds. I doubt She would be interested very long if she had to do curls and presses with it all day!
BTW, that umbrella aint mine:-laf l That belongs to the Club range safety training officer, who normally occupies this bench. He wasnt present, today, so we got into the shade! It was quite hot!
There was a time when I could sit in the dirt and use my knee as a quite adequate rest. Those days are gone. Resting over a log or other natural position enhancement still works fine in many situations.
Lying in 2' deep snow with the rifle resting across the Y of a thick sage brush stalk is the ultimate long range hunting position!
GregH

 

[HHhuntitall]

Good job GHarm!!! Glad to see you are educating another subject on the subject of not being a subject!! A woman without a gun is an easy victim..... a woman with a gun is a hand grenade... . A woman with a gun that KNOWS HOW TO USE IT is a compliment to society. A polite society, at that.

nice set-up. the last time i shot anything off a rest it was sitting crooked on dirt using a log for the rest.

There are a plethora of fine shooting rests, both manufactured and homemade, that are excellent rests... ... I think I recall GHarm having a pants leg that was filled with sand or shot and sewn up to retain it... . That makes an excellent base for shooting off of. I personally, prefer bipods. The Harris pods are not cheap but tend to be pretty durable and, in my opinion, make you a better shot. BIPODS - Brownells I've been known to shoot F-class and win with a bipod. Dad shot that above group on a Sinclair bipod. Just a suggestion.

 

[GHarman]

HH, Yeah Buddy! Them home made sand bags(I have 3) work great:-laf, especially when sighting in rifles with two pieced stocks, like the Savage 99, Marlin 1895, Ruger #1's or 1885 Winchesters as I do not rest the forend directly on the bag. The forend is held in my hand and the back of the hand rests on the bag.
I also have 2 of the older Harris bipods that do not swivel, and do use them occasionally. I have to make a bipod adapter for the application above. I used an original forend rail and butt plate from a M-70 Marksman stock to build that replacement stock. It is a possibility, down the road!
That Caldwell Bench Rest shown in picture above, works just as well as some of the very expensive bench rests sold by well known suppliers. I think I paid $75 or $80 for that one, on sale!
I believe a Sinclair rest starts at more than 3X that amount!
GregH

 

[KBurgoyne]

i like the home made sand bag idea. ive got an 80 pound punching bag sitting around with small sand bags and cut up cloths inside that i could repackage in one of the pairs of jeans that ive been meaning to turn into rags.



its shamefull but i havent zero'd the scope yet. the spot in the boonies isnt 100 yards, and the idiots have scared me away from the range that i would normaly go to, so im looking for a new one most likely members only.

 

[KBurgoyne]

does anybody have any opinions on an early 80's vintage colt mark 4 series 70 government model. i know someone who just decided to sell theirs and am looking for feedback.

 

[HHhuntitall]

Not bad units. The locking lugs sometimes leave something to be desired... . but all in all, they are not bad. I don't think they're worth the premium the Rampant Pony often brings, but that's my opinion... ... I have a lot of those...



See if you can shoot it, and if it functions fine, shoots good, and you like it, then that all depends on you... . Price wise, I'd say they're in the $500-800 range in good shape... . Your area will probably dictate a little higher price.

 

[KBurgoyne]

Not bad units. The locking lugs sometimes leave something to be desired... . but all in all, they are not bad. I don't think they're worth the premium the Rampant Pony often brings, but that's my opinion... ... I have a lot of those...



See if you can shoot it, and if it functions fine, shoots good, and you like it, then that all depends on you... . Price wise, I'd say they're in the $500-800 range in good shape... . Your area will probably dictate a little higher price.

whats your favorite 1911

 

[KBurgoyne]

leverevolution powder

has anybody used this stuff yet. i broke open a factory leverevolution bullet. it had 51. 1 grains of powder. the powder is a factory mix made specifically for the flex tip bullets. because of the mix it tends to be a little smoky, but it can push the 325 grain flex tip bullets to slightly over 2000 fps with trapdoor loads(25000ish CUP).

 

[KBurgoyne]

i got the max COL measurement for my rifle. 168gr ballistic silvertip; 3. 565.
hornady 208gr bthp;3. 550. berger 210 vld 3. 570. i ordered 208 a-maxes but got hollows instead. whatever ill just set up a battle of the heavy hollows. i kinda hope hornady wins. they're 34 cents/shot the bergers are 52.