Hornady recently unveiled a variety of new products for 2023. There are new ammo and bullet types, new firearms storage products, a new ammo storage locker, and an impressive new Precision Lab Scale with a 0.01 grain readout and hi/lo sensitivity settings. Among Hornady’s new ammo products, the new 7mm PRC is the most notable. This new 7mm magnum cartridge will initially be offered with three bullet types: 160gr CX Outfitter, 175gr ELD-X Precision Hunter, and 180gr ELD Match.
The new ammunition, bullet, reloading and security products will be available from stocking dealers, major retail sporting goods stores and their websites.
Ruger has created a helpful set of online resources for new Firearm owners. The New Firearm Owner Resources site features a Fundamentals of Firearms Ownership Video Series, Industry Resources for local “hands-on” training, as well as information on safe storage. In addition, this online Resource Center offers a full library of product instruction manuals along with suggestions for recommended safety equipment.
There are a variety of informative videos, hosted by Mark Gurney, Ruger Director of Product Management. These short (2 min. on average) videos provide key information for new gun owners. If you have friends or family members who are new gun owners, they should watch these videos.
Introduction for New Firearms Owners
Safety Rules — The FOUR Fundamental Safety Rules
Range Safety Equipment — What You Need
This video reviews essential Eye and Ear Protection for shooters.
At the request of our readers, we provide select “Deals of the Week”. Every Sunday afternoon or Monday morning we offer our Best Bargain selections. Here are some of the best deals on firearms, hardware, reloading components, optics, and shooting accessories. Be aware that sale prices are subject to change, and once clearance inventory is sold, it’s gone for good. You snooze you lose.
NOTE: All listed products are for sale to persons 18 years of age or older. No products are intended for use by minors.
1. KYGUNCO — Hunting Sale with Norma Ammo and Rifle Deals
⏺ Good Norma hunting ammo plus Weatherby and Savage on sale
Need ammo for that fall hunt? It’s cheaper to buy good factory ammo than invest in dies and components. Right now quality Norma Whitetail ammo (20rd box) is available in many popular cartridge types for just $26.97 (or $35.36 for .300 WinMag). If you need a deer rifle, consider the Weatherby Mark V Hunter for $1278.31 — $150 Off the regular price. Or if you have a limited budget, grab a Savage Axis II XP for just $429.99 complete with installed 3-9x40mm Bushnell riflescope.
2. MidwayUSA — Vortex Riflescope Sale, Save up to 50%
⏺ Scopes for hunting, PRS, and more at huge discounts
If you need an affordable optic for the fall hunt, or need a rugged scope for an NRL/PRS match, head over to MidwayUSA, which is running a major Vortex sale with discounts up to 50%. Yes that’s right — some Vortex scopes are HALF OFF this week, while others are discounted by 30%-44%. If you need a good, low-cost scope for a deer rifle, check out the Vortex 3-9x40mm Vanquish. On SALE now for just $99.99 (50% off), this Vanquish scope has a 3X zoom ratio and handy BDC (bullet-drop compensating) reticle.
3. Palmetto SA — AR Lower PLUS Pistol Lower Bundle, $99.99
⏺ Incredible deal on AR15 lower plus Glock-compatible PSA pistol frame
Here’s a great way to get key components for two firearms before the scoundrels in Washington DC pass further draconian restrictions. Right now you can get a stripped PSA AR-15 Lower PLUS a PSA Dagger Pistol Polymer Frame (with complete trigger system) for the super low of price of $99.99. Choose one of two $99.99 bundles: Sniper Green Pistol Lower plus AR-15 Lower or Black Pistol Lower plus Blem AR-15 lower.
NOTE: The polymer pistol frame is considered the serialized firearm for ATF purposes. Like an AR lower receiver, the PSA pistol frame must go through an FFL for purchase. The pistol can be completed with aftermarket Gen 3 Glock-type barrel and complete slide assembly.
4. Sportsman’s WH — Hundreds of Rifles & Shotguns under $500
⏺ Sportsman’s Warehouse has big inventories of under $500 firearms.
If you’re looking for a deer rifle for hunting season, or a rimfire rig for plinking and NRL22 matches, head over to Sportsman’s Warehouse. Likewise you’ll find a vast inventory of shotguns for hunting or trap/skeet shooting. Right now Sportsman’s Warehouse is running an “Under $500″ promotion. You find 140+ in-stock Rifles under $500 and 150+ in-stock Shotguns under $500. This is a good opportunity to get a rimfire or centerfire rifle at a good price.
5. Amazon — BOG Deathgrip Aluminum Tripod, $155.18
⏺ Versatile tripod mounts quickly, securely — use for PRS/NRL or hunting.
This is a great tripod for long-range hunters and PRS/NRL competitors. The clamp-type head quickly secures to your rifle’s forearm for a secure shooting solution. The BOG Deathgrip Aluminum Tripod is on sale now on Amazon for $155.18. If weight is critical, there is also a lighter BOG carbon fiber tripod for $223.96 at Grafs.com. For the extra $69 (Graf’s price) you save a pound in total weight (7.5 lbs for carbon vs. 8.5 lbs for aluminum). The aluminum version is the top-rated hunting tripod on Amazon.
6. Midsouth — .45 ACP Ammo in Box, $47.99 for 100
⏺ Quality .45 ACP pistol ammo in plastic box at good price
We rarely see good quality .45 ACP pistol ammo with significant discounts. Here’s a very good deal. For $47.99 you get 100 rounds of Ammo Inc. .45 ACP rounds PLUS a handy Midsouth clear-top, plastic 100-ct ammo box. The ammo is loaded with 230gr TMC (Total Metal Coating) bullets.
7. Amazon — Frankford Arsenal Tumbler Lite, $81.49
⏺ Great price — save 19% on Wet Tumbler for brass
Wet tumbling works very effectively to get your brass “squeaky clean” inside and out. And right now you can get a good mid-sized tumbling system at huge savings. The Frankford Arsenal Lite Tumbler is just $81.49 at Amazon, 19% off the regular price. This direct-drive unit with 3.3L capacity holds up to 300 pieces of .223 Rem brass. We recommend adding Frankford’s Rotary Tumbler Straining Cap, sold separately.
8. Palmetto State Armory — Rossi RS22 Rimfire Rifle, $129.99
⏺ Reliable, with very impressive accuracy — awesome deal under $130!
Looking for a very affordable first rifle? Here’s one of the best low-cost options among .22 LR rimfire rigs. The Rossi RS22 is a reliable, semi-auto rifle that comes equipped with barrel-mounted iron/fiber optic sights. There are also dovetails on the receiver for mounting scope rings. The RS22 takes most Mossberg 702 magazines. The Rossi RS22 features an 18″ free-floating barrel, adjustable fiber optic sights and a synthetic Monte Carlo stock. For added accuracy, 3/8″ dovetail mounts allow the mounting of a scope or other optic. Overall weight, without scope, is 4.1 pounds.
9. Amazon — Motion-Sensor LED Interior Light, $16.99
⏺ Activates when door opens, Rechargeable, 3 LED Light Levels
Winter is coming, and that means guns are going into safes for many months. Here’s a great accessory for your Gun Safe. This rechargeable LED Lamp turns itself on when you open the door, and off when you close the door. Select three brightness levels: 10LED, 20LED, 30LED. With the supplied 3M adhesive magnetic strip you can easily attach the light to the inner walls of your gun safe. And then quickly remove the unit for charging with a standard USB cord (no batteries to replace!). It works, it’s handy, and it’s affordable — just $16.99 on Amazon. These motion-sensor LED lamps can also be used in garages, closets, or stairwells. There is also a twin-pack for $26.99 on Amazon.
10. Amazon — Jialitte Scope Bubble Level, $10.99
⏺ Great price for handy product every rifle shooter can use
All serious rifle shooters need a scope level. This nicely designed Jialitte Scope Bubble Level features a 30mm milled inside diameter, plus an inner insert ring so it will also fit 1″-diameter main tubes — that dual-diameter versatility is a nice feature. We also like the way the unit is nicely radiused, and has a low profile in the middle. Price is just $10.99 with free shipping. User reviews have been very positive. You could easily pay $35.00 or more for a 30mm scope level.
Hydro Press and Arbor Press from 21st Century Shooting
Gear Review by F-Class John
Inline dies, used with arbor presses, continue to dominate the world of precision reloading. While arbor presses have remained mostly unchanged, 21st Century Shooting offers the Hydro Bullet Seating Press, a radical departure from your average arbor press. If you are looking for improved “feel” and feedback on bullet seating pressure, you should definitely check out the Hydro Press. This design has been around for a while now but has remained unchallenged since its inception. The 21st Century Hydro Press still remains a category leader (and the choice of many top competitors) for good reason. It is offered for $300.00 or, with a variety of gauge options, for $367.00. You can add an extended base with loading block another $85.00. CLICK HERE for ordering options.
Arbor presses have traditionally worked by using a gear-driven ram operated with a rotating handle. This allows for a compact design but often lacks the tactile feel and smooth operation that many reloaders want. The 21st Century Hydro Bullet Seater works by using simple mechanical leverage coupled with a hydraulic pressure gauge to seat bullets in a smooth motion all while helping you keep track of seating pressures.
Editor: Many top shooters believe they can seat bullets with greater precision using the 21st Century Hydro Press. I personally get more consistent seating, which seems to improve accuracy and even help a bit with lowering ES. The Hydro Press gives you excellent feedback when seating bullets. That has helped me detect a case with too much neck tension, or a case that may have doughnut issues. When the gauge does something odd or spikes, you are alerted to a possible issue.
In this video, John Perkins of 21st Century Shooting Shows how the Hydro Seater functions.
You might be asking why or how simple a simple mechanical lever gives you an advantage over gear driven systems and the answer is simple, leverage. The Hydro Seater is equipped with a long arm that comes straight up and out from the front and uses a set of hinges that connect to the ram. This elongated arm provides lots of leverage allowing easy force modulation. This smoothly applies pressure to the seating die in one fluid motion. This transfer of power helps seat bullets smoothly in even the tightest of necks without any jerky or stuttering movements.
Working at the same time is a hydraulic pressure gauge using internal oil. I found this gauge was incredibly sensitive, accurate, and repeatable compared to spring-driven gauges. The Hydro gauge read-out really gives the user the chance to sort ammo by seating pressure should they choose. In my particular case I only use it to cull out noticeably high or low ones as “blow off” rounds and am perfectly happy if the rest fall within a given pressure range. The nice thing is that the press allows you to be as picky as you want.
Compact 21st Century Standard Arbor Press
Not to be outdone by its big brother, 21st Century offers a Standard Arbor Press as well, in both right-hand and left-hand versions. Affordably priced at $128.00, this small arbor press in made to the same exacting standards as the Hydro Seater and has some nice features of its own compared to other small arbors.
The large, knurled adjustment knob is one of my favorite features. It tightens securely, yet it allows for easy raising or lowering of the head unit without the need for hex wrenches. 21st Century’s basic arbor press also has a slightly canted lever arm which allows the user to apply pressure more easily and consistently compared to some other arbor presses. While this press is small enough to fit many range bags, it can be disassembled quickly with a single Allen wrench.
While I own the 21st Century Hydro Press for use at home, the Standard Arbor Press goes with me to out-of-town events, so I can adjust bullet seating depth at the match. I love using it for this purpose since the little press is so easy to transport, and then set up and use on the road. The seating action is smooth, and there is plenty of leverage.
Seating my bullets long before I travel gives me the ability to set them to adjust for any throat erosion that may occur. This also ensures my bullets are seated correctly, by eliminating any potential bullet weld or problems from the bullets accidentally bouncing in your luggage. I like the confidence of knowing that my bullets are properly seated before a big match, especially when it has been days or weeks since I loaded them.
New Generation Arbor Press from 21st Century
UPDATE: In addition to the Standard Arbor Press, 21st Century now offers a New Generation Arbor Press for $185. This features direct leverage action plus a light-weight return spring that provides enhanced “resistive feedback” when seating bullets. This Editor has used this New Generation Arbor Press and it does have improved seating “feel”. An extended base with loading block is available at extra cost.
21st Century explains: “Our New Generation Arbor Press is the perfect upgrade for shooters looking to get the most out of their hand dies. With many truly unique features… this press features a butter-smooth direct leverage action. The tight tolerances of this design and exclusion of friction-inducing gears ensures that the press exerts consistent pressure through its full range of motion with minimal effort. Leverage is increased through the incorporation of an extra-long press handle, reducing hand and arm fatigue. The return springs are strong enough to reset the press but do not diminish the operator’s ability to feel the resistive feedback generated by neck tension. Press head clearance is adjustable up to 9 inches.”
SUMMARY — 21st Century Makes Great Bullet Seating Presses
Whether you need a premium bullet-seating Press such as the Hydro Bullet Seater or a basic, easy-to-transport Arbor Press, 21st Century Shooting has a excellent option for you. The Hydro Press offers outstanding bullet seating “feel” and consistency, with an ultra-smooth operation. The basic Arbor Press is well-made, compact, and also yields excellent results. Both these presses are built for a lifetime of use, using high-quality materials.
Here’s a very good deal for varminters, service rifle competitors, 3-gun aces, and any other gun guys who shoot large quantities of .223 Remington ammo. Right now Midsouth Shooters Supply is offering 100-count bags of quality, Starline .223 Rem brass for just $34.99 per 100 cases. That works out to just 35 cents per case — a very good deal these days for brand new, highly-consistent cartridge brass.
You may want to grab some of this Starline brass before it sells out. We expect to see high demand for this Starline .223 Rem brass at the bargain $34.99/100 price.
Popular .20 Caliber and 6mm Wildcats Based on .223 Remington
For those who prefer to neck-size their brass (rather than full-length-size), the LEE Collet Die is a popular, inexpensive option. It works by having collet tangs or “fingers” press the neck against a central mandrel. The benefit is that you get a very straight neck, which is sized consistently from top to bottom. Canadian shooter Jerry Teo explains: “LEE Collet Dies produce sized cases with very low runout (measured runout is under .001″ using a Sinclair concentricity gauge). You also don’t get the build-up of brass at the base of the neck, as can happen with bushing neck dies. The neck-shoulder junction stays nice and crisp.”
NOTE: For most handloading, we recommend FULL-LENGTH sizing of cases. You should always have a good Full-length sizing die for your brass. But there are some situations where neck-sizing may be useful. This article explains how to neck-size effectively with a LEE Collet Die.
Here’s a good video that explains how to use a Lee Collet Die to Neck-Size .243 Win brass:
TIP ONE — Adjusting Tension
LEE Collet dies don’t have a specific mechanical adjustment for neck tension. But you CAN easily modify the die to provide more or less tension. If you want to adjust the neck tension using a Lee Collet die, you can simply chuck the mandrel in a drill and reduce the diameter with some sand-paper (to increase neck tension) or you can order a mandrel the next caliber larger and turn it to whatever diameter you want (the larger the mandrel diameter, the less the neck tension). You can also order custom mandrels from Lee sized to any diameter you want.
Regarding neck tension, Boyd Allen makes an important point: “The only way to properly get more neck tension with collet dies is to either reduce the diameter of the mandrel, or order a smaller-diameter mandrel from Lee. I remind folks that adjusting the die position to have more toggle at the top of the ram stroke (not the factory recommended method), or leaning on the press handle with more force than recommended will NOT increase neck tension.”
TIP TWO — Polish and Tune for Easy Case Removal
Some users have complained that their Collet Dies grab the case-neck too firmly, making the case hard to remove. There are solutions to this problem. First inspect the collet fingers and smooth the inner surface up a bit with polishing compound or an extra-fine sanding pad. Second, you can open up the fingers a little bit. LEE recommends that if your Collet Die is sticking, take a steel punch and tap the fingers apart a little bit so that the natural “unloaded” position is wider. Lastly, you should lightly lubricate the outside of the collet fingers (see arrows) before you re-assemble the die. This will ensure they slide smoothly. Also, to prevent the collet fingers from closing too tight, never load up the die with your press without putting a case in place first. Without a case neck between the collet fingers and the mandrel, the collet can clamp itself too tight as you raise the ram.
TIP THREE — Always Have a Case Inside When Operating Collet Die
Our friend Boyd Allen tells us that you need to follow directions and NEVER operate the die without a case inside. Boyd explains: “This is because doing so will spring the quadrants of the collet inward so that they interfere with the insertion of a case, and the user will have to figure out how to undo the damage if the die is to operate properly. This advice would not be needed if everyone read the instructions before using the die…. but many times, they don’t. Another thing that I tell new users is to take the die apart so that they will have a better chance of understanding how it works.”
TIP FOUR — Size Twice and Spin Your Case 1/8th Turn
After reaching fully “down” on your press handle, withdraw the case about an inch and manually rotate it about 1/8th (NOT 1/4 or 1/2) turn while still in the shell-holder, then size again. This will place the die’s collet petals on the four “high spots” of the case neck and will result in a rounder, more evenly-sized neck with slightly more bullet tension. This takes only about one second more per case and is well worth the slight extra effort. (We thank reader Stonecreek for this smart tip).
Get CUSTOM Lee Collet Dies for Your Brass
Yes LEE does make custom collet neck-sizing dies! LEE Precision currently offers Custom Collet Neck-Sizing Dies, made from two of your fired cases. LEE offers custom standard-thread (7/8×14) collet dies for $100.00 (plus S/H) and custom large-thread (1¼x12) collet dies for $300.00 (plus S/H). This is a good option if you run wildcats or have unusual chamber dimensions. CLICK HERE to ORDER.
We are now in the thick of the 2022 fall hunting season now. Here are two great books that can help make your fall hunt a success. If you are a serious hunter (or aspire to be) here are two resources you should definitely add to your library. These two excellent books are offered in both print and e-Book formats.
Written by a highly-skilled New Zealand hunter with decades of field experience, the Practical Guide to Hunting Cartridges tells you what you need to know about hunting cartridge performance. In no-nonsense terms, this book reveals how various rounds actually perform in a wide variety of game species. Nathan’s first book, The Practical Guide to Long Range Hunting Rifles, is a classic — one of the best books ever written on choosing and using a hunting rifle. We recommend both books highly. NOTE: You can also save 10% with a two-book bundle.
If you really want to learn about long-range hunting, listen to a pro like Nathan Foster who has spent decades in the wild, harvesting over 7500 head of game. His classic Guide to Hunting Rifles analyzes what you need in a hunting firearm and compares various action/stock/barrel/scope options. This book also provides some practical stalking and shooting tips for hunters. Nathan’s 415-page companion book on Hunting Cartridges guides you through the process of choosing cartridge and projectile(s) for your hunts. Nathan examines the pros and cons of various cartridges so that the reader can select the best cartridge and projectile to get the job done. This book represents years of first-hand research, testing scores of calibers/loads in the field.
Nathan is truly a hunting expert. Nathan has spent thousands of hours in the field and he knows the subject cold. Unlike some outdoor writers, Nathan doesn’t pull punches — he tells the unvarnished truth about what works and what doesn’t. Here’s what Nathan says about these two books:
For several years, I have received two types of email. The first question is which is the right rifle for me? The second question is which is the right cartridge? My first book dealt with the accurate rifle. This second book deals with long range hunting cartridge selection. I firmly believe that there has been a huge gap in education regarding optimal long range hunting cartridge performance. In many instances, both hunters and bullet manufacturers do not understand what’s required to achieve goals. Many times, the wrong tools are used for long range hunting. This book seeks to remedy these problems.
In the Practical Guide to Long Range Hunting Cartridges, I start with the fundamentals of game killing — but from the perspective of the long range hunter (also encountering close range shots). This section is not politically correct in any way, as after the study of anatomy, I explore worst case scenarios in as much depth as ideal shot placement.
The second section of the book is a study of projectile design. I wanted to get right down to the finer details of the long range hunting bullet in this section, exploring manufacturers, manufacturing techniques, and ways in which the end user can perform preliminary testing as well as bullet modifications.
The third section explains how to select a long range hunting cartridge. The system I have used here is based on a selection method I developed over the years to help clients worldwide. This method takes individual circumstances into consideration rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. It is a system that relies on plain common sense based on research. The fourth section of the book is the cartridge section. Cartridge information is presented in a set format with Pro/Con summary tables. In many instances I have included my own load notes.
About the Author: New Zealander Nathan Foster lives and breathes what he teaches. An expert in the field of terminal ballistics, Nathan has taken over 7500 head of game, and has field-tested a vast number of cartridges and projectiles. Nathan’s first book, The Practical Guide to Long Range Hunting Rifles, is widely recognized as one of the best books ever published on the subject. The new book goes into greater detail on specific cartridges. Nathan’s website includes an outstanding online cartridge knowledge base with over 100 detailed cartridge profiles. CLICK HERE for Cartridge INFO.
Nathan runs Terminal Ballistics Research, a small company in Taranaki, New Zealand, that conducts cartridge and projectile performance research. Nathan also operates a long-range shooting school. Nathan is also the creator of MatchGrade Bedding Products.
Have inflation (and supply chain shortages) affected the price of powder? You bet. Probably WAY more than you could imagine. Forum member “Two Time HM LR” posted this interesting photo (above) showing Hodgdon powder prices from 1978, as sold by O.K. Weber in Oregon.
Now the prices — $20 to $44 — may not get your attention at first. But take note that these numbers are for EIGHT pound jugs. Yep eight-pounders were all under $45! For example, H4895 was $44 for 8 pounds back in 1978, 44 years ago. And H335 was $20 for eight pounds — that’s just $2.50 per pound!
These days a single pound of a desirable powder such as H4831 might cost $65 at some stores IF you can find it at all. On Hodgdon’s web site, H4831 powder is priced at $60.99 per pound in October 2022. Using that current $60.99/lb figure, H4831 is now ELEVEN times higher than it was in 1978, when H4831 cost $44 for 8 pounds, i.e. $5.50 per pound.
Here are some comments from our Forum Members:
“Heck those prices are just about the same as current ones, just a little smaller container now.” — Joe
“I’ve got some H4831 in a can marked ‘WWII Surplus Powder’ with a price tag of $2.75. We’ll never see that again either.” Rick in Oregon
“1978 prices and 2022 income would be nice. Unfortunately that doesn’t work. If you compare prices and income, powder cost about the same. You also have to discount the temporary gouging that we are seeing.” — Tmwinds
“So I used to buy gas for 10 cents per gallon and they’d pump it, check the oil, and clean the windshield.” — Pirate Ammo
One comment suggests that the powder price hike actually tracks general U.S. currency inflation over the last four decades. So perhaps powder price increases are not as bad as they seem, when compared to how all prices have risen since 1978:
“Using H4895 as a comparison basis at $58.50 (list price) in 1978 calculates it to $246 in todays money. Looking at Powder Valley prices it looks like around $256 for the same item in todays money, so it really hasn’t gone up. Availability is another issue though and if someone is really needing powder they may well have to pay above suggested retail.” — Drover
The U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) has published a series of reloading “how-to” article on the USAMU Facebook page. In this article, the USAMU’s reloading gurus address a question frequently asked by prospective handloaders: “Should I buy a single-stage press, or a progressive?” The USAMU says the best answer is Solomon-esque in both its wisdom and simplicity: “Get BOTH!” However, there is definitely more to the issue, as the USAMU explains below.
Bottom line, the USAMU recommends that novice handloaders start with a single-stage press. That press will always be useful for many tasks, even if a multi-station progressive is later acquired.
Progressive Press Safety Considerationsby USAMU Staff
Many are the beginning handloaders who have asked a friend about their “setting up” a progressive press for them. The idea is that the newbie could then just feed in components and crank out buckets of practice ammo without needing to really learn much about handloading. Tempting though this might be, that’s simply not how it works. Such an approach might be ok if there were never a malfunction with either press or operator, but that’s unrealistic. Our hypothetical newbie would then lack the knowledge to problem-solve most situations.
Worse yet, several different handloading operations would be occurring at different stations on the progressive press at the same time. It takes an experienced operator to keep track of, and truly understand the significance of, all those potential mini-problems. Loading without this experience is a recipe for potential disaster — such as a double powder charge (especially with pistol cartridges) dropped while the loader was attending to some other function, etc. Progressives are an animal unto themselves, and while they offer many benefits, they do take some getting used to – even by experienced handloaders!
ILLUSTRATIVE HORROR STORY
Here, enter a 40-year veteran handloader who decided to jump onto the progressive bandwagon late in his career, having used only single-stage presses all his life. A High Master NRA High Power Rifle competitor, he had no background in competitive pistol shooting, where historically most progressive presses are found.
Experienced Action Pistol shooters have typically encountered multiple episodes in which shooters “skipped” a powder charge for some reason, leading to a squib round and a bullet possibly lodged in the bore. Thus, at matches, it’s reflexive for them to yell “STOP!” in unison if they see a shooter get a “click” vs. a “bang”, and rack the slide to keep firing. This writer has personally seen several pistols saved in just such scenarios over the years.
Better Safe Than Sorry — the RCBS Lock-Out Die
RCBS Makes a “Lock-Out Die” that senses the powder charge. This will halt the Progressive press if you have a double charge, or an undercharge. Your Editor has the Lock-Out Die on his RCBS Pro 2000. It has “saved his bacon” a half-dozen times over the years. It can be used on Dillon and Hornady progressives as well as RCBS machines.
Click No Bang — What NOT to Do
Our High Master set up a popular progressive press and began turning out .223 Rem 100-yard practice ammo with abandon. He was using a moly-coated 52gr match bullet and an economical, fast-burning surplus powder that gave great accuracy. Once on the range, he began practicing strings of rapid-fire. All was well, until he heard “Click!” rather than “Boom”.
Lacking the above experience or onlookers to halt him, he reflexively operated the charging handle on his expensive, custom NM AR15 Service Rifle, and the next trigger squeeze reportedly registered on seismographs over at least a three-state radius. He sat, uninjured but bewildered, until the hail of expensive bits and pieces quit raining down around him.
When the smoke cleared, he immediately cursed the horrid, evil, demonically-possessed progressive press for this, his first-ever reloading mishap. His $1400 NM upper was ruined, but thankfully, his $800 pre-ban lower… and he had escaped injury.
This tale is told not to discourage the use of progressive presses, but to emphasize the need to EASILY and IMMEDIATELY KNOW what is happening with the press at each station, every time the handle is cranked. Not to do so is, as they say, “bad ju-ju.”
It illustrates why we at the USAMU Handloading Shop agree in recommending that new handloaders should begin with a single-stage press. Once one thoroughly learns the steps in each phase of handloading by repeated experience, then one will be qualified to move on to a progressive press.
The single-stage press will REMAIN virtually indispensable for one’s entire handloading career, even after having purchased a progressive press (or two). There are endless small projects that are best handled on a single-stage press, and a poll of USAMU’s Handloading staff reveals that not one would willingly be without his single-stage press, despite owning at least one progressive.
I have seen it time and time again, shooters on the line wrestling with their rifle trying to get the bolt closed while the wind is switching. They were too focused trying to get their bolt to close and getting their rifle settled back on the bags that they missed the wind switch. Bang… Eight! The straw that broke the camel’s back for me was at the 2017 Canadian Nationals. I was paired up with a young girl and she would try really hard to close the bolt on her rifle. The majority of the time she would get it to close, but often times she could not even get the round to chamber. She was focused on her rifle the entire time rather than on the conditions. When we completed our strings, she had five rounds that did not chamber our of 15! That is way too many!. I told her she needed to think about Full-length sizing with 0.002″ shoulder bump, or Controlled Full-length Sizing like I call it. I told her not to worry about losing accuracy. I told her that I full-length size all my rounds and asked if she noticed how smooth my bolt was and noticed my score. She said yes, they were both great!
Controlled Full-length Sizing Does NOT Harm Accuracy
I have found that Controlled Full-length Sizing does NOT hurt accuracy or shorten brass life. I find that I can focus much more on the conditions when I don’t have to think about chambering a round nor extracting it. It has become second nature. After firing, I keep my head welded to the stock, I open the bolt by placing my thumb on top of stock and rotating hand upwards. I reach in and retrieve spent case, place it back in ammo box, and pick up another loaded round and put in chamber. I verify conditions and when ready, I push the bolt in and close it with my index and middle finger.
With Controlled Full-length Sizing you “bump” the shoulder around .002″ for bolt guns.* Image courtesy Sinclair International which carries a variety of Full-length dies.
Whidden Full-Length Sizing Dies by AccurateShooter.com Editor
For proper Full-length sizing, you want a quality die that’s a very good match to your chamber. For our project rifles we usually turn to Whidden Gunworks which offers both bushing and non-bushing FL dies. And if you want the hot new option, check out Whidden’s patent-pending, click-adjustable FL-sizing die. This gives instant, precise control over shoulder bump. It works great.
*With gas guns, such as the AR10, you may want to increase shoulder bump to .003″ or more. With some benchrest cartridges, .0015″ bump may prove optimal. But .002″ is a good starting point.
TIP ONE — Adjusting Tension
TIP TWO — Polish and Tune for Easy Case Removal
For several years, I have received two types of email. The first question is which is the right rifle for me? The second question is which is the right cartridge? My first book dealt with the accurate rifle. This second book deals with long range hunting cartridge selection. I firmly believe that there has been a huge gap in education regarding optimal long range hunting cartridge performance. In many instances, both hunters and bullet manufacturers do not understand what’s required to achieve goals. Many times, the wrong tools are used for long range hunting. This book seeks to remedy these problems.
About the Author: New Zealander Nathan Foster lives and breathes what he teaches. An expert in the field of terminal ballistics, Nathan has taken over 7500 head of game, and has field-tested a vast number of cartridges and projectiles. Nathan’s first book, 
