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June 6th, 2019

Bryan Litz Wins Prestigious NDIA Hathcock Award

Bryan Litz Carlos hathcock NDIA National Defense Industrial Association award winner 2019

Applied Ballistics, LLC is proud to announce that its founder and owner Bryan Litz, has received the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) 2019 Carlos N. Hathcock II Award. Bryan was given this honor on June 4, 2019 at the NDIA Forum in Virginia.

The Hathcock Award honors an individual who, in the opinion of the Small Arms Committee Executive Board, has made significant contributions in operational employment and tactics of small arms weapons systems which have impacted the readiness and capabilities of the U.S. military or law enforcement.

Bryan Litz Carlos hathcock NDIA National Defense Industrial Association award winner 2019
Not just a brilliant ballistics expert, Bryan Litz is also a Championship-winning marksman.

Litz’s contributions to the U.S. Military include his numerous publications to help snipers understand complex external ballistic problems, promoting the advanced G7 ballistics model vs. the older G1 drag model, and developing Applied Ballistics solvers for Kestrel weather meters and other devices in widespread use by snipers for the U.S. Military and NATO allies. Bryan is also a frequent speaker at DoD forums and conducts ballistic seminars across the country.

Bryan Litz Carlos hathcock NDIA National Defense Industrial Association award winner 2019

Bryan stated: “It is truly humbling and deeply gratifying that my work has value to our nation’s Armed Forces. Being selected for the Hathcock award is the highest honor I’ve received in my career.”

Bryan received the award on June 4, at the NDIA 2019 Armament Systems Forum in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Past winners of the Hathcock Award include Todd Hodnett, Buford Boone, and SGM Pete Gould (U.S. Army Retired).

Bryan Litz Carlos hathcock NDIA National Defense Industrial Association award winner 2019

Bryan Litz helped develop global-leading ballistics solutions for civilian and military marksmen. Now Applied Ballistics solvers are integrated into Kestrel Weather Meters as well as advanced electro-optical devices. Bryan also helped create the successful Applied Ballistics APPs for iOS and Android smartphones.

Permalink News, Tactical 2 Comments »
June 6th, 2019

Neck-Turning Brass on Milling Machine with Erik Cortina

cartridge brass neck turn neck-turning milling machine Erik Cortina

Here’s the super-speedy way to turn case-necks. Our friend Erik Cortina figured out how to turn his match cartridge case-necks using his milling machine. Erik told us: “While in Raton, Mid Tompkins told me that he turns his brass on milling machine. He said he could do about 500 in two hours, so I decided to try it.”

Erik fitted a Don Nielson “Pumpkin” neck-turner to the mill, and he used a modified 21st Century case holder to secure the brass. As you can see from this video, Erik was very successful with the process. The tool spins at 1500 rpm, turning Lapua 6.5-284 cases that have been necked up to 7mm.

Video Shows Erik Cortina Neck-Turning Cases with Milling Machine:

Cartridge Brass: Lapua 6.5-284 necked up to 7mm
Lubricant: Lithium grease inside and outside of neck
Neck-Turner: Nielson Pumpkin running at 1500 RPM

It’s hard to argue with Erik’s results. Here are his turned Lapua cases, which have neck-wall thickness consistent to two ten-thousandths of an inch. Think you could do better turning manually?

cartridge brass neck turn neck-turning milling machine Erik Cortina

Some of Erik’s Facebook friends had questions about this process:

Q: Who makes the shell-holder?

Erik Cortina: I did! The shell-holder you can get from 21st Century. I Tig-welded a punch as a handle.

Q: I love the idea of working smarter not harder! Any galling issues? What are your mitigation techniques?

Erik Cortina: No issues. I use lithium grease in spray can. Makes a foam that I dip necks into.

Q: Shouldn’t either the case or the cutter be floating to allow most precise neck turning?

Erik Cortina: Up until [I tried this] I believed the same thing. I was going to build a floating case holder but decided to try rigid setup on a few cases before I built it. Results were great. Neck thickness doesn’t vary more than .0002″, which is same as when I was doing it with floating case holder on the lathe.

Q: Any problems with the Pumpkin changing the cut as it heats up?

Erik Cortina: No — there were no issues with that.

NOTE: Erik Cortina is a very skilled machinist who custom-crafted fittings used for this process. This kind of neck-turning with a milling machine may not be for the everyday hand-loader!

cartridge brass neck turn neck-turning milling machine Erik Cortina

Nielson “Pumpkin” Neck-Turner

Don Nielson Pumpkin neck turning toolThe circular orange cutting fixture on Erik’s Milling Machine is a Don Nielson “Pumpkin” neck-turning tool. Don designed this tool to be used by hand or with power. The Pumpkin boasts an eccentric mandrel that allows the cut to be adjusted easily in precise .0001″ increments. Benchresters like this as it allows for very precise control of cut depth and neck-wall thickness.

Jason C., commenting on Erik’s YouTube video stated: “I have a couple of those too. Nothing cuts like a Pumpkin. [Don Nielson] made the best cutter tool ever.” These are still available if you ask around. The photo shows Don with a case-holder mounted to a power assembly. A talented machinist and tool-maker, Don has also been a successful short- and long-range benchrest shooter, who has won NBRSA 600-Yard Championships. CLICK HERE to read about Don’s success with the 6.5×47 Lapua.

cartridge brass neck turn neck-turning milling machine Erik Cortina
Nielson Neck Turner with carbide mandrel. Photo Courtesy Butch’s Reloading.

Permalink - Videos, Bullets, Brass, Ammo, Reloading 2 Comments »
June 6th, 2019

Vietnam Vet Kicked Out of Restaurant Because of Reloading Shirt

Imagine if a man was asked to leave a restaurant for wearing a Gay Pride shirt. Or if a women was refused service because she was wearing a headband with a #MeToo message. The mainstream media would be in a frenzy. The incident would make national news. Liberal politicians would be holding angry press conferences, and CNN talking heads would be loudly demanding new legislation.

But guess what, there is another kind of discrimination in our society, a form of intolerance that the mainstream media actually emboldens — hatred towards gun owners. Intolerance towards those who support the Second Amendment — even those who have served their country in uniform.

Recently in Maui, HI, a restaurant manager demanded that disabled Vietnam veteran Jimmy Barber and his wife leave the establishment solely because Jimmy was wearing a shirt that said “Ultimate Reloader” and included a logo with the outline of a cartridge between the letters U and R.

Jimmy Barber served in Vietnam as a Navy Seabee “in-country” from 1970-71. He now suffers from heart disease because of exposure to agent orange. And the Maui eatery demanded that he (and his wife) leave the premises simply because his shirt said “Ultimate Reloader”. That’s despicable.

Jimmy Barber Maui Ultimate Reloader Shirt discrimination bigot

Isn’t it ironic that this intolerance occurred in Hawaii? Were it not for the sacrifice of American service men and women in the Pacific during WWII there is a good chance that the Hawaiian islands would no longer be part of the United States.

In a letter to Gavin Gear of UltimateReloader.com, Jimmy revealed: “My wife and I are in Maui. We were asked to leave a restaurant because I was wearing one of your t-shirts. I did not make a scene and I was very proud to leave.” Jimmy, by the way, is a dedicated pistol and rifle shooter who reloads a dozen cartridge types.

After learning of this incident, Gavin Gear contacted Starline Brass. Starline has decided to send Jimmy 250 new brass cases — just a way of saying “thanks” to Jimmy for his service to his country.

How to Stand Up for Your Rights

We all need to do our part to preserve our gun rights. Gavin Gear has collaborated with The Gun Collective on YouTube to explain what we can do to preserve our gun rights. Gavin states: “I do appreciate everyone out there in the gun community that is fighting for our rights. We need to stand together! And thanks Jimmy for ‘representing’ Ultimate Reloader!”

Permalink News, Reloading 6 Comments »
June 6th, 2019

Use Pin Vise for Lapua 1.5mm Small Flash Holes

Pin vises Lapua Flash hole

Folks have asked if there is a tool that can remove obstructions from a Lapua small, BR-sized flash hole without opening the hole size. The Lapua PPC/BR flash hole is spec’d at 1.5mm, which works out to 0.059055″. Most of the PPC/BR flash-hole uniforming tools on the market use a 1/16″ bit which is nominally 0.0625″, but these often run oversize — up to 0.066″.

If you want to just clear out any obstructions in the flash hole, without increasing the flash hole diameter, you can use an inexpensive, five-dollar “pin vise” with an appropriate drill bit. For $1.00, eHobbyTools.com sells a 1.5mm pin vise bit, item 79186, that matches the Lapua flash hole exactly. Other vendors offer a #53 pin vise bit that measures .0595″ or .060″ (depending or source). An 0.0595″ bit is close enough. You can find pin vises and bits at hobby stores, and eHobbyTools sells pin vises for $4.99 to $7.99.

Permalink Bullets, Brass, Ammo, Gear Review, Reloading 1 Comment »