Guns

IMR 8208 XBR – wow

/ hsoi / 5 Comments

Any reloaders out there worked with IMR 8208 XBR powder?

It’s a relatively new powder, but all the stuff I’m reading online seems very promising and positive. Excellent velocity, high accuracy, extruded yet short-cut so it should meter very well, temperature insensitive, and made for all sorts of cartridges. Loading it for .223 Rem, .308 Win or even 6.8 SPC seems like it could do very well. Seems like a dream powder.

I’m curious if any readers have used it and what your experiences are. If I can find some locally, I’m thinking about picking some up.

I am a waffle

/ hsoi / 5 Comments

I’m almost done with reloading .38 Special. The last of the Titegroup is in the powder drop, just a few hundred rounds to go. I’ll get to it eventually… no big rush right now as vacationing is more important. 🙂

As you know, I’ve been trying to figure out what to do next. I was thinking to work on .308 Win loads because I was dreaming of an elk hunt with my Dad — I’d want to have the skills to nail a target at 500 yards on demand if I was going elk hunting. But after some talking with Dad, I don’t think that will happen (schedules, cost, physical demands and Dad’s getting up there in age; I also think he’d rather go fishing than hunting). So if an elk hunt isn’t in the near future, that lessens motivation to work in that area.

Then there’s my recent work with the Aimpoint CompM4s and just loving how well it works. I can’t help but think about the recent hog hunt, as I think the reason I missed was due to placement of cheek on gun and not getting the right sight angle, thus my point of aim was not the intended point of impact. But gosh, that parallax-free Aimpoint would render that moot. Furthermore, I see how Aimpoint markets towards hunters and I always was skeptical of how well that would work, especially lacking magnification and using a 4 MOA dot. But you know, the more I think about it, the more I think it could work. Sure I wouldn’t take a mountain goat at 500 yards, but a deer or hog up to 200 yards? Maybe… but I need to take the AR out to the range and try it and see how well I and my eyes can do it. Point is, the thought has recently perked my interest. The kicker is the Aimpoint is mounted on a .223 AR so… I’d need a substantial load, which means something like 62 grain Barnes TSX (or maybe the forthcoming .224″ TTSX!).

And when I think about that? it brings me all the way back to my first rifle handloading attempts… which had a lot of problems and failure to get a good load. I spent some time the other day re-reading all my blog posts on the topic. There’s a part of me that’s motivated to go back and solve that problem. I don’t want to leave that unfinished and unknown… but is that reason enough to bother? I have kinda moved on from exploring .223 as a hunting load since I bought the 6.8 SPC.

So I’m back to waffling.

But while I’ve been thinking about all of this stuff I’ve been reading and researching, trying to figure out what components I want to use. The biggest of which is what powder to use, because I want something that will not cause me headaches on the Lock-n-Load progressive press. What just hit me was reading about IMR 8208 XBR. That powder has perked my interest. It apparently meters well. It’s supposed to be resistant to temperature changes. It’s purpose-built for rounds like .223/5.56 and .308/7.62NATO, with an eye towards high velocity and high accuracy. I mean, that sounds like the perfect powder! What things I can find by Googling on the powder sound very positive and promising — everyone trying out the powder is impressed by the performance. There even seems to be a few people dabbling with it in 6.8 SPC loads, but there’s certainly not much information here (tho what there is is promising). So gosh… could that be the powder to try?  I got a Cabela’s gift card for Christmas. I’m thinking if the local store has a 1# jug that I’ll pick it up.

I hate that I’m waffling so much about what to do next. I think it’s because I need a tangible goal to work towards, instead of just reloading for the sake of reloading. When the elk hunt seemed possible, .308 was appealing. I think about the Aimpoint and hogs, so the .223 returns to being appealing, but not enough. Finishing what I started before? That has an appeal too. And I can always use more trigger time with the AR. Geez. Am I leaning that way now?

The Art of the Dynamic Nerf Blaster

/ hsoi / 3 Comments

(title props to Magpul)

Oldest got a Nerf N-Strike Stampede Blaster ECS-50 from Santa.

It’s fully-automatic, battery operated. Runs on 18-round “clips” (I hate that they call them “clips”… they’re magazines). I LOVE that it has a vertical fore-grip with integrated bi-pod; the design is a 100% nod to the Grip Pod. It fires at a fairly good rate, functions well (no malfs yet, and I love the nod to the AR with the selector switch), and is pretty accurate for what it is… tho with that “blast shield” you can’t really get down to do precision aiming. Still, for what it is, it’s good.

And of course… you burn a “clip” of darts and as TXGunGeek would say, it just tips your giggle box. 🙂

Even better? I have a couple of the 35-round drum “dart clips”. We slapped those bad-boys in and it’s nearly-endless full-auto fun!!

On top of that, oldest also got one of the N-Strike Tactical Vests, which holds loads of spare ammo. As well, it has a sheath on the back of the vest to hold a Nerf Sword. Yup, we’ve got a couple of those. We like Nerf around here. 🙂

Where did I really geek out? There’s a spot on the back of hte ECS-50 that looks like it could allow attachment of a single-point clip sling. Oldest also has some “handgun” Nerf blasters. I start talking to him about how he just needs a sling, he can run the full-auto, reload, reload, reload, then when he’s out of ammo just let go of the ECS-50 and transition to his hand-blaster. Of course while I’m describing this I’m showing the kids the movements… and they’re all just looking at me like I’m taking it way too seriously. But hey, tactics is tactics. 🙂

So look out neighborhood kids. Oldest is armed to the teeth! You shall not survive the Nerf onslaught!

Barnes Bullets in 2011

/ hsoi

Just got an email from Barnes Bullets about what’s coming from them in 2011.

I’m excited!

A few highlights that stand out to me:

  • Match Burner bullets. A new line of bullets made specifically for competition.
  • Barnes LRX – Long-Range hunting bullets.
  • 22 caliber TTSX!! Finally! 55 grain and 62 grain BT’s. Oo… could this make for a light but effective hog round?
  • They are announcing the 6.8mm 95 gr BT TTSX’s, but those have been around… maybe this is just officially announcing it?
  • I think it’s interesting they’re making a 165 grain BT 30 cal TTSX… they said “mid-range weight with a shorter, secant ogive designed specifically for 30 caliber magnums; note: Barnes 168 grain bullets have a longer, tangent ogive designed for 308 Winchester and 30-06).
  • The “Tactical Handloading Manual”. Says this load data and trajectories for popular tactical rifle and handgun cartridges (5.56, 6.8 SPC, 7.62, 380 Auto, 9mm, 45 Auto, etc.).
    • I recall hearing about this some time ago. I had contacted Barnes during my trials to load their .224″ 62 gr TSX’s in .223 Remington and I was told that 5.56 data was in the works but not yet available. I was starting to wonder if it was ever going to see the light of day… and finally it is!

This is pretty cool!

Here’s the PDF with full details.

Geez. This really opens up a slew of possibilities now. I mean, I have been thinking about using a red-dot scope for hog hunting, and right now that’d probably mean using a .223 Remington chambered AR… which means I’d need to use Barnes bullets. And being able to now use TTSX’s… oo, that’s sweet. Plus having “tactical” load data will be pretty cool, including more specific stuff for the 6.8 SPC.

Man… I can’t wait!

Back from the range

/ hsoi

Just returned from the local indoor gun range.

I’ve been wanting to rework my AR’s, so I’ve been swapping parts, buying a few new things, putting a few old things on the shelf. Still not at my 100% ideal setup, but close enough for now… especially since more changes require money, and right now I’m drained.

So the range trip was for two things:

  1. Re-validate the 6.8 SPC to ensure it was still holding zero.
  2. Zero the rebuilt Bushmaster

The Wilson Combat 6.8 SPC upper now rests atop a Rock River Arms lower, still with the RRA 2-stage match trigger. Shooting the Silver State Armory 6.8 SPC 85 grain Barnes TSX tac-load, shot just fine. If anything, it’s evident that I am the weakest link. 🙂

The main focus was to work on the Bushmaster. I wanted a lighter gun, so this is a minimal setup. I started zeroing it at 50 yards with some Georgia Arms “canned heat” 55 grain FMJ, just to get things on paper. A lot of twisting of knobs and adjusting the front sight post, and things were looking good. I switched to Hornady TAP FPD .223 Rem 75 grain. A slight tweaking to the sights and things were good. Then I got to the real meat of it all: the Aimpoint Comp M4s. A bit of adjusting, a bunch of playing and oh… what a sweet sweet optic.

The thing is? I can’t tell you much about it here. I received the Aimpoint on T&E for TacticalGunReview.com. So my experiences and results are going to be written up there, not here. I’m working on the write-up, but I have a little more field work to do before I publish it. When I do have it all up, I’ll of course link to it from here. I’ll just say that yeah, I dig that Aimpoint. 🙂

And… if you could guess by my previous post, going to the local indoor gun range is always an adventure. I prefer to go mid-week first thing in the morning: i.e. about as dead as it can be. But due to schedules, I had to go in the afternoon. The place was busy and I had to wait for a lane. Once I got one… boy, it was noisy in there (this is why you wear both ear plugs and ear muffs). It was also a continued reaffirmation as to why I generally try to surround myself with competent shooters. While most of the folks there weren’t bad, there was much room for improvement. Folks, this is why it’s essential to get good training. If you really want to tighten up those groups, if you want to stop throwing all your shots low-left, find a good teacher… I happen to know one.

As for some tips:

  • Again ladies, you may have nice boobs, but for your own well-being, cover them up. Hot brass down the shirt is no fun.
  • If you want to thumb-cock your revolver that’s fine, but there’s no need to point it up at the ceiling every time you do so.
  • When you (un)case your firearm, please do it on the benches so the muzzle points downrange… not on the floor behind the line so the muzzle points towards everyone on that side of the line.
  • We all know about ear/hearing protection, but eye protection is important too.
  • Wash your hands before you touch anything you care about: your eyes, mouth, food, etc.. Not that there was food on the line, but many people were handing guns and ammo, then just leaving. There’s a sink, use it.
  • If you want to borrow the extra benchrest that’s sitting unused next to me, all you need to do is ask.

 

Nice boobs, but….

/ hsoi / 21 Comments

Ladies. A friendly tip.

You may be blessed with an ample bosom. You may enjoy wearing clothing that shows off your cleavage.

That’s all well and good… unless you’re at the gun range.

Nothing says “poor wardrobe choice” like getting a hot piece of brass stuck between your boobs.

As well, it leaves a mark, it hurts, and you can’t do much to control the muzzle of that gun in your hands while you do the “hot brass dance.”

Wear a top that closes around your neck. Your boobs thank you… as well as the guy in the next stall (me) that doesn’t like loaded guns pointed at him.

No big rush

/ hsoi / 2 Comments

I’m on vacation for a little while.

That means, I’ll get around to things whenever I want to get around to them. Blogging included. 😉

Not going anywhere on vacation, just staying home and getting things done… including spending lots of time with Wife and Kiddos. But I do have to remember to unwind. I was going to reconfigure some AR’s on Saturday night, then go to the local indoor range to re-zero them on Sunday, then this morning to the local outdoor range to do some work with them. But alas… none of that happened. Things like naps, sleeping in, playing with doggie, cuddling with Wife… they took precedence.

But this morning I did get to reconfigure the AR’s. I’ll get to the range eventually. I’m excited to see how this all works out.

More later.

Things that make you go YES!!!

/ hsoi

11-year-old girl fends off 3 armed home invaders… with her pink .22 rifle. 🙂  (h/t to Chimera)

But but but… you say that children aren’t supposed to have access to guns. Well, you draw your own conclusions about what could have happened to this responsible and brave little girl if she didn’t have her rifle.

Julie Golob goes hunting

/ hsoi

This is a cool video showing Julie Golob‘s 2010 hunting season highlights

Two things stood out to me.

First, even for one of the best shooters in the world, she knew her limits and didn’t take a shot in the heavy wind. Actually, that she knows her limits is what helps make her one of the best shooters in the world.

Second, ah… those Barnes TTSX bullets, and in .308 Winchester. Is there anything that combination can’t do? 🙂

RCBS X-Sizer die

/ hsoi / 5 Comments

Most of my reloading efforts have been with pistol cartridges. My one set of .223 Rem trials just was not successful, but I’m going to try rifle again.

The one thing I don’t like about doing rifle is all the case prep work. There’s a lot of it, and it doesn’t really lend well to progressive presses. But I found something that, at least from doing Internet research, looks like it’s going to have a lot of potential: the RCBS X-die (RCBS refers to it as the “X die” and the “X-Sizer die”).  From their manual:

 

ABOUT THE X DIE

The X-Sizer die is a uniquely designed full length resizing die for bottleneck rifle cases. This die not only full length resizes the case, it also limits the growth of the case. This eliminates the need for repeated trimming after an initial trim is done to standardize the case. This die is not intended to shorten the length of the case, rather, as the case grows, the mandrel will reduce the normal rate of growth. This is the result of the case mouth coming in contact with the mandrel stop during resizing. Cases repeatedly sized in the X-Sizer die will grow a few thousandths of an inch initially, and will then stabilize below the maximum case length. Using the X-Sizer die eliminates the need to trim after each shot. X-Sizer dies can be used for full-length resizing with or without the X feature. Partial neck sizing can be done but only without the X feature.

 

 

Pretty neat. Google searching turns up good results, with people using it in progressive presses, getting longer case life, and still getting accurate results (perhaps not 100% as accurate as the most finicky of benchrest competition shooters would want, but far better than most of us will ever notice). Of course, there’s a lot of time-savings in subsequent reloads using then X-die, which is where the win is.

So I reckon once I start rifle reloading, I’ll just start with a lot of brass prep, doing initial casework on as many cases as I feel like dealing with on the old single-stage RCBS press (regular full-length resize, clean the primer pockets, debur the flash hole, trim the length according to the X-die instructions, and then mark these cases with a Sharpie so I know “this is a case prepped for the X-die”). It won’t be until the second go-round with these cases that I’ll actually try the X-die, so who knows how long it may be until that happens and then I see how results go. But, I picked up 2 X-Sizer dies, one small base .223 Rem and one small base .308 Win (I’d have gotten a 6.8 SPC if they had a die in that size). I’m curious to see how this will go.