Recent content by SRMohawk

The Lapua cases are filled to the shoulder with 76 grains of RL22, the RWS cases with only 73 grains. Though, I haven't completed and then gone to lighting loads with either of these respective charges. I have tried up to 75 grains even in the Lapua cases using 190-gr MatchKings and was...

I recently obtained 300 pieces of virgin RWS brass (at great pains to my wallet) for a new custom .300 WinMag rifle. But having no prior experience with this brand, I was shocked to discover just how incredibly heavy it is. Just to illustrate here, I took 100 pieces of this new Lapua brass...

Very good. Thanx, Onmilo. Thought I might have been doing myself a disservice there for a minute opting for a stock upgrade on my M4 that incorporates a mil-spec tube.

I know about the differences in terms of outside diameter and thread type, but are they the same length? I just received a Mil-Spec stock tube from Vltor and it's only a little over 7" long. Seems the commercial versions are at least an inch longer than this . . . a very desirable...

Roc, What brand of brass was this guy using? If it was Lapua or Norma, I'd be remiss not to heed your advice here. But if is was pretty much anything else, I still think just checking the cases with a size gauge would be enough. The brass those Scandanavians make is just that good, after all!

Wow! You're very much divided on the answer to my question, fellas. But given my past experiences with handloading for big, high-power bolt-guns, I'm gonna go with those of you who say 'neck size only' with new/virgin brass, even if we are talking about an AR platform. Nevertheless, for those...

Gentlemen, While I've ONLY burned my own handloads in my rifles and handguns for almost 15 years now, I've never approached the manufacture of ammunition for a rifle anything like the AR. This is my first gas-operated, self-loading rifle, after all! So I've got at least a few questions...

Gentlemen, When handloading for the AR, is it at all necessary to run VIRGIN .223 Remington brass (specifically, Lapua match brass) through a full-length sizing die before throwing charges and seating projectiles? Or, will running a neck-sizing die over it do?

Not that it really matters at this point, but I just wanted to submit something I just heard from a police officer friend up in the Dallas area (I'm in Houston) who worked for Triple Canopy in Iraq. He told me he ran into an Army Special Ops type over there who had mounted to his M4 an SN-4 +...

Gentlemen, Last March, I placed an order with Powder Valley, Inc in Kansas for an 8-lb keg of Vihta Vuori N140 and 2 1000-ct boxes of Federal #205M primers. Got to thinking I might not see it materialize for months and months. But I just got off the phone with those folks and they just...

Thank you, gentlemen. I'm much obliged for all your feedback. And I'm quite relieved at it, too, as I'm about to 'light this candle'. Again, this is my first venture into self-loading rifles and it's been FAR more anxiety-provoking than ANY of my bolt-rifle projects over the years -- so...

I've used the Sinclair setup for years now for determining OAL of my handloads. It's much more accurate than the Stoney Point tool. As for propellants, I've always burned Vihta Vuouri's stuff in my 6.5 x .284 Norma, .300 WSM, and .338 Lapua with superb results, so I'm gonna start out with...

Anybody load for their AR rifle using Sierra 69-gr MatchKings? And if so, do you have any trouble stacking such loads into 30-rd magazines and/or getting them to feed reliably? If not, how far off the lands are you by the time you've seated them far enough into the case necks that they will...

'Vortex Strikefire', eh? I'll definitely give it a look. Thank you. Again, gentlemen, I'm NOT trying to help this new M4 carbine keep up with the big long-range bolt guns I have. That's why I want a variable-power scope that can be turned down to no magnification and/or that doesn't dial...

Hasn't the term 'sniper rifle' been supplanted by the term 'tactical rifle'. And isn't a 'sniper rifle' or 'tactical rifle' generally distinguished by it's having; 1) a heavy, straight-taper barrel, 2) a heavy, repeating action (bolt or automatic), 3) a synthetic stock or 'chassis', 4) a...