When he measures his loads or sorts bullets by weight, Forum Member Boyd Allen often employs his trusty RCBS 10-10 balance beam scale (although he does have handy digital scales as well). He finds that the balance beam scale works predictably, time after time, and it doesn’t suffer from the drift and calibration issues that plague some of the less expensive electronic scales on the market.
To make it easier to see the balance point, Boyd has adapted a magnifying glass with a mirror. This makes the end of his balance beam easier to view from his normal position on the bench. Boyd explains: “This set-up uses a cheap magnifier with positioning arms that was probably designed to hold and magnify small objects while soldering them. I think that it came from Harbor Freight many years ago. The mirror lets you look at the scale as if is was at eye level, and of course the magnifier makes the image easier to see.”
If you have a balance beam scale, we suggest you try this simple enhancement. We predict you’ll find the magnifier speeds up the process with enhanced assurance of your load weight.
Are you planning to purchase or sell a gun? Or perhaps you want to give one to a family member. Maybe you want to transfer a gun to a friend out of state. These are all situations that demand you understand the law before you buy, sell, or transfer a gun. Thankfully the NRA Blog has a series of helpful articles that can guide you through firearms transfers and transactions.
Do note that laws on private transfers vary from state to state. Also, some of these articles are a few years old. Laws do change, typically becoming more restrictive. You should carefully review current laws in your state before buying/selling any firearm. For a summary of state gun laws, we recommend Legal Heat’s 50 State Guide to Firearms Laws and Regulations reference book. Even this reference was released in 2023, so you should still check for recent changes in state laws.
Here are five articles providing key facts you need to know.
Click each title to read the specific article.
IMPORTANT: All five of these articles reference general rules that apply nationally and in MOST states. However, some states, such as California, New Jersey, and New York (and others) have very special rules and regulations on gun transfers. If you have ANY questions about gun transfers in your state/region, you should consult an attorney familiar the laws of YOUR state and municipality.
The Where To Shoot Mobile App quickly locates shooting ranges near you, drawing on North America’s most comprehensive directory of shooting ranges. Users can search by current location, state, or zip code. Once you locate a range, you can view activities offered along with a summary of range facilities. You can even get driving directions. If you don’t want to install an App, you can also access the NSSF shooting range database and maps via the NSSF WheretoShoot webpage.
The app is modeled after NSSF’s popular WhereToShoot.org® website and is updated frequently with range information for every U.S. state and Canadian province. Once you’ve located a place to shoot, the App can provide directions to the range. The App also includes video tips for shooters, news, and firearm-safety information.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) has prepared tips for gun owners transporting firearms in their vehicles. Whenever you are driving with guns (of any kind), the firearms should be transported securely. In some states, the firearms must be in locked cases inside the vehicle. And, with the rise of break-ins on parked vehicles, it’s important to keep gun cases out of sight if possible. This article has tips on safe and secure gun transport.
HERE Are Key Guidelines for Safe, Secure Handling of Firearms in Vehicles:
• Take note of and safely control the muzzle direction of firearms in vehicles. This is one of the main rules of gun safety and applies to the inside of vehicles as well as any other location.
• When finished using your firearm outside your vehicle, unload it before you re-enter your vehicle.
• Even after a long hunt or a day in the sun at the range, always check, and then double check, that guns are unloaded before placing them in a car or truck.
• Be very careful if you must unload a firearm in the confined space of a vehicle so as not to have an accidental discharge. If your location allows, it is safer and easier to unload the firearm outside the vehicle.
• Never leave firearms in parts of the vehicle accessible to children or pets.
• Keep firearms and ammunition out of sight to avoid tempting thieves.
• Use secure temporary storage for firearms in vehicles.
• A lockable gun case or a lock box may be the most practical choice to securely store a gun in a vehicle. These come in a range of prices and models.
• If you’re concerned about quick access to your firearm, many types of lockable safes allow for extremely fast access of your gun while at the same time helping to prevent unauthorized access.
• Secure the lock box to the vehicle, if possible. Some companies make custom concealed compartments for specific model vehicles.
Storing Firearms in Vehicles to Prevent Theft and Misuse
Unfortunately, thefts of firearms from vehicles are on the rise. Thieves commonly steal cars and trucks even when they don’t obviously contain firearms — a reminder that vehicle door locks are not totally secure. And there are major issues now with the electronic key fobs — criminals have ways to detect and copy the key fob signal, allowing them to open your vehicle, start the motor, and then drive away.
When you are not in your vehicle, all firearms should be placed in locked storage and out of sight. Locking the doors on your vehicle does not constitute secure firearm storage. As one writer put it: “Cars and trucks aren’t safes. And they’re not holsters. They’re not storage containers.”
Useful reloading gear does not have to be costly. Here are ten handy (and very inexpensive) items that belong on your loading bench or in your range kit.
• Magnifying Glass – We use a flat, 2″x2″ pocket 4x-8x magnifier. This folds up on itself. Very handy, we use it to inspect bullets and brass. Use this to check your flash holes for burrs, and check the meplats of your bullets before loading.
• Clear 35mm Film Cannister – Use this to transfer the thrown powder charge to the little measuring cup that sits on your scale. That way you don’t get any kernel splash. Also if the charge weight is obviously off, it’s easy to dump back in the measure. A film canister works pretty well as a trickler too.
• Compressed Air in a Can -- Get these at office supply stores. Use the can (with tube attached) to blow crud out of cases after cleaning the neck with a brush, and blast loose debris out of primer pockets.
• Pin Vise – A simple pin vise with a #53 bit is perfect for deburring small PPC and BR flash holes without reaming the flash-holes any larger. The Lapua PPC/BR flash-hole diameter is 1.5 mm, or 0.059″. Amazon.com sells a handy $8.29 pin vise kit with 10 bits, including the ideal 1.5mm bit. Other vendors offer a #53 pin vise bit that measures .0595″ or .060″ (depending or source). You can find pin vises and bits at hobby stores — here’s an example below with ten bits including 1.5mm. Pin vise sets can be found from $7 to $15.
• Bounce Dryer Sheets – The common dryer sheets eliminate “static cling” on your plastic reloading parts such as powder measure cylinders, powder funnels, and reloading press plastic bins. Thanks to Doc76251 for this tip.
• Ballistol Aerosol – Try using this versatile lubricant/solvent for full-length sizing. Spray some on a patch and you can wipe the carbon off your case necks. Then, continue to apply a very small amount of Ballistol on the case bodies — just thin sheen is all you need. Ballistol is super slippery, and easy to remove. For general full-length sizing (on small cases) it works great and doesn’t leave a gooey, waxy, or chalky residue. For heavier case-forming jobs, we recommend Imperial Die Wax.
• Shotgun Mop – Stick this in the chamber when using Wipe-Out foaming bore cleaner. This will seal off the chamber so the foam doesn’t flow into your action. For long chambers screw on one section of cleaning rod to aid extraction.
• Colored Sharpie Marking Pens – Mark your bullets ahead of the bearing surface, and the color transfers to the target. This way you can shoot multiple loads at the same point of aim and discern which load shoots the tightest. (Recommended for 300 yards and beyond). With colored bullet tips you can test multiple loads “round robin” to equalize wind effects. When testing seating depths for example, you can mark the longer-seated set of bullets red and the shorter-seated set green and shoot them during the same sequence. Just look at the colored marks on the target to see which grouped better.
• Thin Latex Gloves – You should keep a box of inexpensive, disposable latex gloves (the kind doctors use) in your loading room. These will prevent contamination of primers or powder kernels that you handle directly. Also, use the gloves when handling fine blued tools or firearms to prevent transfering body oils and salts that promote rust.
• Plastic Washers for Neck Mic – If you use a Sinclair Neck-wall Micrometer Gauge with integral stand, you can use thin plastic washers to adjust the height of the case on the mandrel. This makes it much easier to measure the same point on the case neck every time. Thanks to MikeCR for this tip (and photo).
For many riflemen, reading the wind is the toughest challenge in long-range shooting. Wind speeds and directions can change rapidly, mirage can be misleading, and terrain features can cause hard-to-predict effects. To become a competent wind reader, you need range-time and expert mentoring. In the latter department, Frank Galli, founder of Sniper’s Hide, offers a detailed digital resource: Wind Reading Basics for the Tactical Shooter.
Wind Reading Basics is much more than a 47-page eBook — it has charts, instructions for ballistic calculators, and even embedded videos. Galli explains: “We break down the formulas, walk you through using a ballistic computer, and give you all the information in one place. From videos, to useful charts, we make it simple to get started. It’s all about having a plan, and we give you that plan.”
Galli’s Wind Reading Basics, priced at $7.99, can be downloaded from iTunes for iPads, iPhones and iOS compatible devices. Here are sample sections from the eBook (which includes videos):
NOTE: If you prefer drying your brass in an oven we recommend a temp setting no higher than 200° F. Better yet, use a dedicated case dryer that cannot possibly over-cook your cases.
Tech Tip by Craig Arnzen of Area419.com
As wet-tumbling brass has become more popular in recent years, guys have tried a LOT of ways to get their brass dry — towels, hair dryers, and even food dehydrators. (See Top Ten Brass Drying Methods). Another common method — albeit with some potential issues — is putting your wet brass in the oven to dry. Provided you monitor TEMP and TIME, this method is fast, effective, and easy (as long don’t use the wife’s favorite cooking pans — that’ll get you in trouble.)
With oven-drying, however, unexpected issues can arise, as illustrated by this worrisome story: “I put my brass in for an hour at 200° F and turned it off. Next thing I know I realize my wife has the oven pre-heating to 350° F. Is my brass ruined?”
If you search the AccurateShooter.com Shooters’ Forum, you’ll find at least three threads with stories like that (i.e. higher-than-expected oven temps when drying brass), and answers on both sides of the line. I know this, because it happened to me — I had some 6XC brass drying and the wife pre-heated the oven. Concerned about my cases, I consulted a genuine annealing expert, Andrew Rixon.
Andrew is the Director of Engineering and Manufacturing at Alpha Munitions, makers of premium-grade rifle brass. I had baked a batch of Alpha 6XC brass, which is exceptionally consistent and well-made. (This 6XC brass is currently out of production, but Alpha produces many other good 6mm cases including 6 PPC, 6mm ARC, 6mm BR, 6 Dasher, 6BRA, 6 GT, and 6mm Creedmoor).
Before Andrew would answer my question though, he gave me a little lesson on what really happens during annealing:
“Annealing is performed by heating the brass to specific temperatures. There are three phases of annealing: recovery, recrystallization, and grain growth. All of which have specific temperatures and or exposure times related to them. It is key for cartridge brass annealing processes to hit the recrystallization phase which allows for strain-free grains to grow. The growth of strain-free grains eliminate dislocations, drastically decreasing hardness and increasing ductility. For recrystallization to occur the material temperature must be within 600-1000 degrees Fahrenheit (F).”
He then got into really answering the question, and was (fortunately) definitive in his answer: “If the temps do not exceed 450 degrees F then there is nothing to worry about as it did not exceed the critical temperature for annealing to occur.” Editor: Caution — do NOT assume that the temperature marked on the oven knob is the actual temperature INSIDE the oven, particularly near the back. Some older ovens can be off as much as 75 degrees F. Be conservative!
Well, there you have it. If you’ve baked your brass, you’re probably OK. If you got it hotter than 450° F then there can start to be some changes to the metal.
The NSSF 2026 SHOT Show kicks off in one week. SHOT Show (aka “Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade Show”) is the largest event in the world for the shooting/hunting/firearms industry. This year’s event runs January 20-23 at the Caesars Forum and Venetian Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada, with range day on 1/19/26. The 2026 SHOT Show will feature over 2,700 exhibitors. This massive event covers more than 830,000 square feet, with attendees and exhibitors coming from over 100 countries. Over 52,000 industry professionals and 2200+ media representatives are expected to attend.
This annual event is the largest trade show on the planet for professionals in the firearms, ammunition, hunting, and law enforcement industries. A vast collection of firearms, optics, reloading tools, training gear and other products are on display. If you plan to attend SHOT Show 2026, you can organize your days with the Event Planner linked below:
SHOT Show, the major gun industry trade show, runs this month in Las Vegas at the Venetian Expo and Caesars Forum. The event starts off with the Industry Day at the Range on Monday, January 19, 2026, and the Supplier Showcase also opens on Monday. Then the main show begins Tuesday, January 20, and runs through Friday, January 23, 2024. VIEW Event Schedule.
SHOT Show Tracker
The SHOT Show Tracker website has a wide variety of special pages that help you plan events and identify exhibitors. Tracker features are listed in the Table of Contents.
Firearms News marks its 80th Anniversary with the release of its January 2026 issue. For eight decades, this magazine, originally “Shotgun News”, has served as a cornerstone for the firearms community. This 80th Annniversary edition is packed with exclusive reviews, historical deep dives, and cutting-edge commentary about modern gun issues. Firearms News is available now at newsstands, including Walmart, Barnes & Noble, and other major book retailers.
“For 80 years, from its beginnings as Shotgun News to its current standing as Firearms News, this publication has been an unwavering voice and an essential resource for the Second Amendment community,” said Vincent L. DeNiro, Editor-in-Chief. “This anniversary issue is more than just a magazine; it’s a testament to our enduring commitment to providing our readers with the most comprehensive reviews, in-depth historical content, and unfiltered industry news. We are immensely proud of this legacy and are excited to continue serving firearms enthusiasts for many years to come.”
To commemorate the publication’s history, Editor-in-Chief Vincent L. DeNiro wrote a special feature, “Happy 80th Anniversary Shotgun News/Firearms News!” This reflects on the magazine’s journey over the last 80 years. In this landmark issue DeNiro also provides an in-depth review of the MKE/Century AP51 pistol, which is based on the HK 51 rifle. In addition to hardware reviews, the January edition has important industry news and legal updates.
Other Feature Stories in the 80th Anniversary Firearms News Print Edition:
Product Showcase: New and exciting gun stuff (for 2026)
The Tokarev TT-12 Pro Shotgun
Springfield Armory Hellcat .380 Pistol
The L34A1 Sterling Suppressed Submachine Gun
Carrying Concealed: Aimpoint’s ACRO Handgun Optic
Through the Looking Glass: Five Reasons to Consider the PVS-14 Night Vision Optic
Remington Goes to War! From the Mexican Revolution to the Global War on Terror
Gemtech Neutron 762 Suppressor by Patrick Sweeney
Firearms News Website Has Tons of FREE Content
Firearms News also has a modern website with hundreds of articles and gun reviews — which you can read for FREE. Here are examples of current features online at www.FirearmNews.com:
For some applications, we prefer a non-bushing FL die over a bushing die. Shown here are three Forster full-length sizing dies, with necks honed to three different dimensions: 0.265″, 0.266″, and 0.267″.
The Honed Full-Length Sizing Die Option
There are many good options in full-length (FL) sizing dies. Most precision hand-loaders prefer FL dies with neck bushings. These let you adjust the “grip” on your bullet by using larger or smaller bushings. FL bushing dies are available from Whidden Gunworks, Forster, Redding and other makers.
Conventional, non-bushing full-length sizing dies can create ultra-accurate ammo with very low run-out. But many conventional non-bushing FL dies have an undersized neck diameter so you end up with excess neck tension, and you work the brass excessively.
There is another effective option, one that promises extremely low run-out. The honed FL die is a full-length sizing die that has the necked honed to provide a precise fit to the case-neck. When done right, honed FL dies produce extremely straight ammo — as there are no issues with bushing alignment (or bushings that are not perfectly concentric). This Editor owns honed dies from Forster, Redding, and Whidden Gunworks. They all perform extremely well, delivering match ammunition with extremely low run-out measured with a 21st Century Concentricity Gauge.
In one of the most popular articles we’ve ever published, Bugholes from Bipod, California shooter “Froggy” explained why he prefers honed dies for his tactical ammo.
Q: Do you FL size every time? Do you use custom dies?
Absolutely, I full length resize all of my brass every time I reload. And guess what? I’ve never had a feeding problem.
I do use a modified sizing die, without bushings. My FL resizing die has been custom-honed in the neck area to give .0015″ press fit on the bullet. I also put a slightly larger radius at the neck shoulder junction. I feel that this helps to seal the chamber. With this die, I get consistent neck tension every time–without bushings. Bushings are useful when you’re fishing around for a good load. But once you find the right amount of sizing for ideal neck tension, you can do this better with a customized FL die.
6.5 Guys Review Forster Honed Full-length Dies
The 6.5 Guys have reviewed honed FL sizing dies from Forster, explaining the pros and cons of this type of reloading die. They explained that, if you load a wide variety of bullets from different manufacturers, you many want to stick with a Bushing FL die. However, if you have settled on a particular bullet and found the “ideal” neck tension, then a honed die may make sense.
In this Gear Update, the 6.5 Guys discuss a service offered by Forster Products to custom hone the neck diameter of its full-length sizing dies to the customer’s specifications (to the thousandth). Whidden Gunworks has also crafted custom-honed FL dies for many customers, including this Editor.
• Magnifying Glass – We use a flat, 2″x2″ pocket 4x-8x magnifier. This folds up on itself. Very handy, we use it to inspect bullets and brass. Use this to check your flash holes for burrs, and check the meplats of your bullets before loading.
• Ballistol Aerosol – Try using this versatile lubricant/solvent for full-length sizing. Spray some on a patch and you can wipe the carbon off your case necks. Then, continue to apply a very small amount of Ballistol on the case bodies — just thin sheen is all you need. Ballistol is super slippery, and easy to remove. For general full-length sizing (on small cases) it works great and doesn’t leave a gooey, waxy, or chalky residue. For heavier case-forming jobs, we recommend Imperial Die Wax.
If you search the AccurateShooter.com 
