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December 31st, 2010
Graf & Sons is running an end-of-the-year “Blow-out Sale” with deep discounts on many products. Prices on many Close-Out items have been slashed by 50% or more. And, if you order $50.00 (or more) worth of merchandise, Grafs waves its customary $4.95 handling free. Grafs already gives free shipping on most products they sell (but hazmat fees and ‘heavy item’ fees may apply to some items).
Deals on Hornady Ammo, Components, and Gear
Graf’s has also knocked down the price on select Hornady items including the versatile Hornady Case Prep Center. You can get this at Grafs.com for just $279.99. Elsewhere the Case Prep Center sells for up to $100.00 more. Below are two good UltimateReloader.com videos showing the features and functions of the Hornady Case Prep Center. Note: Skip to the 1:30 minute mark of Part One if you’re in a hurry. The first minute or so is just spent depriming cases. After that, both Part One and Part Two Videos are well worth watching.
Hornady Case Prep Center DEMO Video (Part One)
Hornady Case Prep Center DEMO Video (Part Two)
Thanks to Forum member EdLongRange for spotting this special sale.
December 30th, 2010
 RCBS Chargemaster 1500 Electronic Powder Dispensers are normally quite accurate. However, build-up of static electricity can cause some issues, such as kernels of powder clumping together. Nat Lambert found that reducing static charges can “cure” the clumping problem: “Discharge the static in your machine and you won’t have those clumps. Either use static wipes inside and out on your machine or use a Zerostat. It will make a huge diference. Walmart has the anti-static wipes in the computer section.”
Forum member J. Cummings reports: “My Chargemaster drifted due to static electricity after a thunderstorm. I contacted RCBS. They told me to turn it off, wipe it down with an anti-static cloth then try it. That was more than six months ago. It has worked fine ever since.” Forum member Harvey concurs: “As long as I use the static dryer sheets my Chargemaster VERY RARELY will drift. [If it drifts now] it’s usually me breathing hard or moving things like seating bullets or bumping the bench with my knees. I had problems until I used the sheets and ran pieces thru the tube on a pipe cleaner.”
Others have found that they can reduce the clumping problem by prepping the inside of the dispensing tube, by removing burrs and rough spots. Milanuk has a very simple solution: “Stick a one-inch piece of drinking straw in the discharge tube; tape it in place. Clumping problem solved.” Below is a commercial anti-static cloth. You can also use the “anti-cling” fabric pieces used with clothes dryers.
December 15th, 2010
Many folks have been anxiously awaiting the release of Hodgdon’s new Superformance and LeveRevolution powders, high-velocity blended propellants originally developed by Hornady. For select cartridge types, Hornady claims, these new blended spherical powders can deliver 80 to 150 FPS more velocity than other powders on the market.
 Well wait no more — Superformance and LeveRevolution powders are both IN STOCK at Grafs.com now. Both 1-lb and 8-lb containers are in stock. If you’ve been wanting to experiment with either of these new powders — get yours before it’s gone. Supplies are limited.
Here are the options:
Superformance 1LB, Item # HDHSP1, Price: $21.99
Superformance 8LBs, Item # HDHSP8, Price:$153.99
LEVERevolution 1LB, Item # HDHLR1, Price: $21.99
LEVERevolution 8LBs, Item # HDHLR8, Price: $153.99
December 14th, 2010
Every shooter can use a spare set of calipers. Stow them in your range bag, or just keep a back-up set at your loading bench. Right now Amazon.com offers a great deal on SE 6″ Digital Metric/SAE Calipers with large LCD Display. The calipers, including battery and storage case, are just $10.50. Shipping is FREE with a $25.00 minimum order. So if you combine this set of calipers with another qualifying item over $14.50, you’ll get free shipping.
One cool feature of these 6″ SE calipers is that you can instantly switch between Metric and SAE (English) display. These asian-made calipers are hardly Mitutoyo quality, but we’ve used them and they work fine for most tasks: measuring neck diameters, Cartridge OAL, bullet diameters, and even the group sizes on your targets. Click the link below to get the $10.50 price:
BUY IT HERE: SE Caliper, Electronic Stainless Steel Body
Note: The vast majority of customers who have purchased these calipers have rated them highly for the price. However a few buyers complained that the display was faulty. The unit we used worked fine and measurements were consistent with a $25.00 Lyman dial caliper. But if you want a serious “last a lifetime” set of calipers, you’ll want to spend more than $10.50 obviously. We see these as an inexpensive alternative for a “back-up” set to be kept in a vehicle or tool kit.
December 12th, 2010
Many of the most popular powders sold under the Hodgdon brand in the USA (including Varget and H4350) are actually made by Thales Australia Ltd. (formerly ADI, Ltd.) in Australia. Some load manuals list Thales (ADI) data, but not Hodgdon data, or vice-versa, so we’ve compiled this list of equivalent powders. If you can’t find a recommended load for a particular Hodgdon powder in your caliber, download the latest ADI Smokeless Powders Handloaders Guide (2010, 5th Edition), a 5-megabyte Acrobat file.
Here’s a list of ADI to Hodgdon Powder equivalents:
AS30N=Clays
AP50N = (No Hodgdon)
AS50N = International
AP70N = Universal
AP100 = (No Hodgdon)
AR2205 = H4227
AR2207 = H4198
AR2219 = H322
Bench Mark1 = (No Hodgdon)
Bench Mark2 = BenchMark |
AR2206 = (No Hodgdon)
AR2206H = H4895
AR2208 = Varget
AR2209 = H4350
AR2213 = (Discontinued)
AR2213SC = H4831
AR2217 = H1000
AR2225 = Retumbo
AR2218 = H50BMG |
About IMR 8208 XBR
NOTE: Although new IMR 8208 XBR is made by Thales (ADI), Hodgdon has not published an ADI-equivalent product code. Thales has loaded some of the 8208 XBR into military ammo. However, Thales Australia Ltd. tells us: “[We] have yet to release the IMR 8208 XBR propellant in Australia to the sporting shooters market; thus it does not have an equivalent Thales (ADI) name”.
December 9th, 2010
 Most reloaders have used a powder trickler at one time or another. However, they can be frustrating to use for a variety of reasons — e.g. the tube is too short, or the trickler is too low, or the unit isn’t stable enough, or the powder volume isn’t adequate. Well, the inventors of the Omega Powered Powder Trickler have considered all those practical shortcomings in existing tricklers, and built a superior product — a “better mouse trap.”
Every aspect of the new $55.00 Omega powered trickler (from Dandy Products LLC) shows smart thinking. First, hopper height can be adjusted from 1/2″ to 5.5″ high. The tube is long enough to reach the middle of large-footprint scales such as the Denver Instrument MXX-123. And the outer end of the tube is cut at an angle, so you can see the powder kernels as they flow out — no more surprise clumps that raise your charge 0.2 grains. The powder hopper itself is bigger than most, holding a full 1000 grains. That lets you load all afternoon without having to constantly replenish your trickler.
In practice, the Omega trickler is easy to use. It is reasonably fast, while being as precise as anything on the market. The unit is controlled by a two-button control pad, with a black button for slow feed and red button for fast feed. You can use the fast button to load the bulk of reloading powder and then use the slow button to maximize the accuracy of your load. The control pad is connected to the dispenser by a 24″ cable. That two-foot cable run allows plenty of trickler placement options on your bench. Watch the video below to see the Omega Trickler in use.
Omega User Comments
Posting on 24HourCampfire.com, JasonK gave the Omega Trickler high marks: “This thing rocks! It can trickle fast, it can trickle slow, it can drop a kernel or two at a time. After ordering my Omega I quickly shopped for an Acculab VIC-123 scale, accurate to within .02 grains.”
Another Omega user, In2Deep, writes: “You can actually tap the low-speed button and drop kernels while watching the scale. After a little practice it only takes a few seconds to trickle up a load. Using an Acculab 123 scale, it can drop charges that repeatedly read down to around 4 one-hundredth’s of a grain. It turned out to be a tool that really works and saves time. There are rubber feet on the unit and surprisingly it does not cause interference with the digital scale which is often mentioned as a problem with most of the vibratory tricklers. Not many products are even worth the time to do a testimonial but this is a winner[.]”
Forum member Barry O (aka TheBlueEyedBear) has been using an Omega Trickler for a while, and he currently has a second-generation (upgraded) unit on his bench. Barry likes the unit, with some reservations. Barry tells us: “it took me some time to get used to it. One main gripe is the length of time it takes to get the thing primed and ready to dispense powder. But after that, not too bad. I still use my trusty tweezers for fine tuning loads.”
 Handy View Prism for Beam Scale Viewing
For reloders using balance-beam scales, Omega offers a clever portable prism that makes it much easier to see the tip of the balance beam, when the scale is on the benchtop. Omega’s Handy View accessory mounts a prism in a plastic stand. The prism changes the sightline so you can easily monitor the beam tip without having to bend down to see the beam alignment marks.
The prism slides up/down and swivels (around horizontal axis) to allow adjustment of viewing angle. It is a simple set-up, but it really works, allowing you to monitor scale beam movement with greater precision (and less neck strain). The Handy View costs $17.95, and is offered with either a yellow stand or clear plastic stand. You can see how the Handy View works in the video below.
Thanks to Boyd Allen for suggesting this product for review.
December 3rd, 2010
Now here’s something for the serious reloader — powder by the pallet. Looking to stock up on powder for your .50 cal or .338 Lapua Magnum? Here’s a deal for you big boomer shooters out there. You can’t beat the price: $3.85 per pound. But here’s the catch — you have to buy at least one full pallet.
Ballistic Solutions, Inc. is selling bulk pallets of milspec smokeless powder for .50 caliber reloaders. The $3.85/lb pallet price is 60% off the average retail price for comparable powders, such as Hodgdon H870. The powder, demilled by a military contractor, is palletted and ready for shipping. Quantities still available are:
- 665 lbs of WC867 (95 lbs. per barrel) (6 barrels per pallet); weight per pallet is 570 lbs.
- 44,383 lbs of WC872 (two 30-lb bags per box, with 36 DOT-approved boxes per pallet); weight per pallet is 2,160 lbs.
These particular powders have multiple applications. The burn charts show them to be ideal for .50-caliber reloading, as they are in the same range as H860, H870, 5010 & 50 BMG (872 is replacing 5010 by many reloaders.) The powders can be loaded in cartridges as small as .338 Lapua Magnum.
We can’t think of anyone who really needs this much powder, but perhaps a shooting club or .50 BMG shooters’ association might be interested in a group buy. This bulk powder could be ideal for someone planning to start an ammo-loading business. It is 1.3 tag-listed and legal for export.
The mil-surp powder, originally manufactured for Winchester by St. Marks, was vacuum-extracted by automated machines. Marc Coury of Ballistic Solutions told us: “This is super-clean powder with no contaminants and no moisture as is common with other pull-down methods, so the powder does not need to be filtered.” Ballistics Solutions’ price, for the remaining powder inventories, is $3.85 per pound with a minimum order of one pallet. The cost does not include shipping. Call (949) 645-3815 or email marc@ballisticsolutionsinc.com to order.
November 19th, 2010
Here’s a great deal on bulk Russian primers from Powder Valley. If you buy at least two (2) cases of TulAmmo primers (5,000 primers/case), Powder Valley will absorb the shipping cost AND the Hazmat fee. So if you buy at least 10,000 TulAmmo primers you get FREE Shipping with no Hazmat charge.
Add 40 lbs. of Other Items and Still Ship for Free
In addition — and this is important — if you buy at least two (2) cases of the TulAmmo primers, you can add additional hazmat items into the shipment, up to a total of 50 pounds net weight (that’s roughly 40 pounds of other products) and you still get free shipping with no hazmat fee. So if you need powder or other brands of primers, you can get big savings on shipping charges, as long as you purchase at least two cases of TulAmmo primers.
Special Promo Is Limited
This free shipping/free Hazmat promo is limited to the inventory of TulAmmo primers now on hand. Bryan, who runs Powder Valley, says he expects to offer the promotion through the end of November, and “possibly” into December. But once the current TulAmmo inventories are depleted, the deal is over.
TulAmmo primers (for rifle, pistol, and shotgun) are the exact same primers as Wolf. Both TulAmmo and Wolf primers are produced in the same Murom Apparatus Producing Plant in Russia and they have the same product codes. However, Murom wholesales TulAmmo primers at lower cost than Wolf primers.
November 8th, 2010
 In 2011, Hornady will be offering a new stainless-shell, heavy-duty Ultrasonic Cleaning machine, which fits nicely between the cheap, low-capacity machines sold on eBay, and the large industrial machines which can cost $1000.00 or more. Hornady’s new Lock-N-Load® Magnum Sonic Cleaner™, with a $317.08 MSRP, provides triple the size and twice the power of the original Lock-N-Load® Sonic Cleaner™.
 Dual Transducers for Faster Cleaning
The new machine, priced at $317.08 MSRP, features two transducers. This assuredly will improve cleaning performance and probably reduce processing time, compared to single-transducer machines in the same size range. The new Magnum Sonic Cleaner also has a heat-setting control, allowing users to set the correct temperature for best cleaning efficiency. Cheaper machines just have an “on/off” switch. The new machine comes standard with a durable metal-mesh basket.
SPECIFICATIONS
Magnum Sonic Cleaner Machine
3L Tank (3.2 qt)
Tank dimensions: 9.4″ x 5.5″ x 3.9″.
MSRP: $317.08
November 5th, 2010
 Big Volume Offers Nearly 1100 Pages of Info
With its massive new 8th Edition, Hornady has compiled its most comprehensive Cartridge Reloading Handbook ever. The 8th Ed. Handbook has data for many new propellants, including Superformance, LEVERevolution, Reloder 17, 4007SSC, 8208XBR, Hybrid 100V and more. The new Handbook also features the latest information for the newest Hornady bullets including: FTX, GMX, DGS, DGX, and favorites like V-MAX, InterBond, SST, InterLock and XTP.
New Cartridges Included in 8th Edition
Hornady’s Reloading Handbook now covers many of the popular new accuracy and hunting cartridges. New cartridge additions include the 6.5 Grendel, 6.5 Creedmoor, 30 TC, 300 RCM, 338 RCM, 308 Marlin Express, 338 Marlin Express, 375 Ruger, 416 Ruger, 450 Nitro Express, 470 Nitro Express, 500 Nitro Express and more.
Hornady’s New Reloading Handbook (item #99238) ships in December — just in time for Christmas. It will be sold through shooting gear vendors, such as MidwayUSA, as well as through book-sellers such as Amazon.com.
Online Ballistics Guide Offered
Supplementing the information in its new Loading Handbook, Hornady offers a web-based Ballistics resource, with an interactive Ballistics Calculator. Use this to plot your ammo’s trajectory and determine the terminal energy of your rounds. In addition, the Ballistics resource has easy-to-understand, authoritative explanations of internal, external and terminal ballistics. Check out the features of Hornady’s Ballistics Resource below:
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Click the above link to learn what physically occurs inside the gun barrel when a projectile is fired.
Click the above link to learn what happens to a projectile after it leaves the barrel.
Click the above link to learn how a projectile acts when it encounters the target.
Calculate trajectory and wind drift using Hornady’s interactive Ballistics calculator. Just click the graphic above and then fill in your cartridge information.
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