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March 24th, 2007
TechShooter has been campaigning a 260 AI with great success. At the Cascade 600-yard range, he recently shot a 600-34X using the new 130-grain Bergers. However, like this editor before him, TechShooter has had signficant issues with doughnuts forming in necked-up Lapua .243 Win brass. In the hopes of avoiding the doughnut problem altogether, TechShooter has been testing Remington 260 brass. Chris reports: “I didn’t like the hassle of the inside neck-reaming the Lapua brass, as well as the possibility that this process could cause excessive runout. I measured the neck-wall thickness variation of Remington brass using the test fixture shown below. Only those cases that were under .0015″ total variation were selected, the rest were set aside. Only about 15 brass of the 500 were outside this tolerance, with the vast majority under .001″.” Chris concluded, and we agree, that the Rem brass is a viable alternative for .260 Rem or .260 AI shooters. Chris tells us: “I am using the Remington brass exclusively now. The Remington brass is of very good quality, at least the batch of 500 that I just got.”
March 22nd, 2007
 Folks, you should check this out. Lapua, maker of match ammo, Scenar bullets, and our favorite brass, has completely revamped its website. You’ll find detailed specs on .223 Rem, 6BR, 6.5×47, 6.5×55 and .308 Win Match Ammo. You can download a free Reloading Guide or the complete 2007 Lapua Brochure (A full megabyte but well worth the download). You can also leave feedback that will be read by the folks in Finland who actually build and test Lapua ammo, bullets and brass.
March 20th, 2007
Do you want the cleanest brass on the block? Hate tumbling cases for hours on end? Then you should try ultrasonic cleaning. Jason Baney, our 1000-yard Editor, spent many hours testing various solvents and methods, and came up with a system that really works. Ultrasonic cleaning removes built-up carbon residues that can alter case capacity. Jason’s methodology has been followed by reloaders around the country with great success. All you need is a small ultrasonic machine (under $75 on Ebay), some beakers, and inexpensive solvents. The results, as you can see below, can be spectacular. CLICK HERE for the full story.
March 20th, 2007
While researching our upcoming .223 Rem Cartridge Guide, we tested and measured various brands of brass. Recent Lake City brass shoots very well and offers the greatest case capacity (30.6 grains) of commonly available brass. MidwayUSA now offers Federal Lake City brass (item 197849) at $81.99 per 500. That works out to just $16.40 per hundred. Shooters report this brass is “very uniform” and shoots exceptionally well. Note, this is a discontinued item–so returns can only be made to Federal, not Midway.
 Wideners.com now has new IMG brass for the amazing price of $46/500 or $89/1000, item 556GUPB. IMG brass is quality stuff. This editor has personally put thousands of rounds of IMG ammo through ARs without no failures. IMG brass is made on American (Olin) machinery that was transported to Guatemala to provide ammunition for the military. This is a great choice for varminters who need large quantities of uniform, low-cost brass. The case mouths are even chamfered. Average case capacity of IMG brass is 30.1 grains, the same as Hornady and Winchester commercial. The IMG brass is brand new 5.56 NATO-spec brass (not seconds). However, please note the flash holes are slightly smaller than domestic brass. You should have no issues with ignition (since the flash hole is still larger than 220 Russian or 6BR brass), but you may have to adjust your load slightly.
March 10th, 2007
 MidwayUSA now has Ramshot TAC powder on sale for $9.99 per pound, item # 230803. Ramshot TAC is a quality ball powder that meters like sand and shoots very well in both .223s and .308s. Because it packs tightly, TAC offers excellent velocities in small cases like the .223 Rem.
March 9th, 2007
Many of the powders sold under the Hodgdon brand in the USA are made by ADI Ltd. in Australia. If you can’t find a recommended load for a particular Hodgdon powder in your caliber, download the latest ADI Smokeless Powders Handloaders Guide, a 2.8 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
Bench Mark1 = (No Hodgdon)
AR2219 = H322
Bench Mark2 = BenchMark |
AR2206 = (No Hodgdon)
AR2206H = H4895
AR2208 = Varget
AR2209 = H4350
AR2213 = (Discontinued)
AR2213SC = H4831
AR2217 = H1000
AR2225 = Retumbo
AR2218 = H50BMG |
March 7th, 2007
When we ran our blog item mentioning that David Tubb has forsaken Moly in favor of Boron Nitride, people took notice. Many folks asked how they could get their bullets coated. David told us that his company, Superior Shooting Systems, will offer bulk boron nitride bullet coating, if you send in a minimum of 1000 bullets. Price is not set yet, but David expects the cost to run about $50 per thousand. To order call (806) 323-9488. Please note, David is NOT selling boron nitride supplies or kits for do-it-yourselfers at this time.
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