Reloading projects for retirement - Happy 4th of July (Independence from work?)

[LiveLife]

This is somewhat reloading related so bear with me.

I went to see my CPA for our tax return and we ended up chatting about coronavirus and impact on economy. I found out he's a shooter and we talked about reloading and compared notes on load development for pistol and AR loads.

Turns out he owns the local micro brewery and restaurant and really worried about lives of 40 employees as they are only doing take our orders due to coronavirus (Area stores sell his canned beers/ales). I told him wife and I like the place and would definitely increase support for the business that utilizes locally sourced supplies (local farms, dairy, bakery, cheese maker, etc.).

Wife and I have an ongoing "Pay It Forward" retirement fund and we now decided to aggressively use the fund to help support the local economy (I have a separate shooting/reloading budget and have supported local gun stores and various online manufacturers/vendors since retirement). After leaving his office, I stopped by the brewery/restaurant and placed lunch order for wife and I (Corned beef burger and cheese curds with sweet potato fries with blue cheese/ranch dressing) with a hefty tip even though it was a take out order while enjoying a pint of their limited special ale waiting for the food to cook (I was thirsty and ale was very refreshing).

My CPA stopped in for lunch and to check on the workers and I left with a 6 pack of blond ale.

So let's help our economy recover by supporting local businesses.

If you have any shooting/reloading related items on your bucket list, BUY THEM NOW because you know, life is short and we are all going to die and stuff.

 

[GW Staar]

My wife and I have a similar idea. Rather sitting around waiting for the toilet paper supply to run out, we've decided to take our minds off the virus and ourselves and find people who need help. They are all around us and there isn't anything more gratifying nor more fear disintegrating than turning outward and forgetting our own troubles. You have the right idea..... I've made my share of mistakes in my life.....and I need all the points I can find to right them, so as to not fear meeting my maker someday relatively soon (getting old you know). I will never feel even let alone ahead...and that's a good thing, I think. Keep it up.....you can't go wrong!

 

[LiveLife]

Continuing thread update from post #89 - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...endence-from-work.853305/page-4#post-11386385

Thread Update: Just spent 6 weeks building a "chicken house" with automatic doors for wife and getting back to reloading/shooting after picking up our retirement trailer from Missouri, buying third salt water fishing boat and spending half the year helping with my parents' house/property projects. Our daughter got promoted to department manager and moved into her own apartment and wife gave me the OK to use her room as temporary reloading room until we build an enclosed patio on the back of the house.

So adding bench build to project list and already gathered lumber/materials to build another 2'x3' (may be 2'x4' this time) castered portable bench to mount the Dillon 550/650 and plan to mount the C-H 3/4 station "H" type presses to the 2'x2' bench I already have.

While not reloading related, to save ammunition for testing for THR members/guests, continuing my 22LR testing with brand new 10/22 Collector #3 and T/CR22 capturing 10 shot groups at 25/50 yards for trigger/rifling wear (20,000+ rounds over 2 years now) and adding to retirement project list.

Continuing the project list, started the RMR 95 gr FMJ testing and added myth busting "Analytical" digital scale thread for resolving Varget down to single kernel.

I tell you, never imagined my retirement to be so ... BUSY.


BTW, here's a listing of updated myth busting threads and current retirement projects to improve reloading consistency/reduce reloading variance:

• Bullet sizing/diameter difference (keep in mind lot to lot variation exists) - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...re-sized-the-same.818806/page-2#post-10567453

• Neck tension and bullet setback - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...neck-tension-and-bullet-setback.830072/page-4

• Residual lube affect on neck tension/bullet setback - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...-tension-bullet-setback.834035/#post-10787026

• Accuracy of digital/beam scales verified by Ohaus ASTM Class 6 check weights - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/revisited-myth-busting-digital-scales.821449/

• Accuracy of calipers verified by Vermont Class ZZ +/- pin gages - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...ks-for-digital-calibers.821135/#post-10545265

• Accuracy of "analytical" digital scale and trickling Varget to single kernel resolution - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...les-1-mg-analytical-lab-scale-for-120.873830/

• Long vs short OAL (greater neck tension for more efficient powder burn/chamber pressure build vs gas leakage) - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...g-oal-col-long-vs-short.819257/#post-10511700

• Reducing OAL variance on progressive press (mixed range brass vs pre-resized brass) - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...progressive-press.833604/page-2#post-10779806

• Powder charge variance - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/c-h-502-micrometer-powder-measure-10-drops.834894/

• RMR 9mm 95 gr FMJ load development and pistol/carbine range testing - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...endence-from-work.853305/page-4#post-11387109

• 22LR accuracy comparison with 20+ brand/weight ammunition using brand new 10/22 Collector #3 and T/CR22 capturing every 10 shot groups at 25/50 yards - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...eeding-your-22lr-rifles.874713/#post-11635224

• Pending - N320 vs Sport Pistol testing

• Pending - W231/HP-38 vs W244 testing

• Pending - Titegroup vs IMR Target testing

• Pending - Primer performance (Which primer produces smallest groups?)

• Pending - Powder performance (Muzzle velocities/SD vs group size - The "holes on target", the end result I am working towards ... smallest group combination with mixed/sorted range brass)

• Pending - Hard mounted testing at 25/50/75/100 yards (To remove shooter input) - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/rifle-rest.458493/#post-5724026

• Pending - Accuracy comparison of 40-9mm conversion barrels (Adding BCA to KKM, Lone Wolf, Tactical Kinetics) - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...ck-22-40-9mm-conversion-barrel-review.860473/

 

[bikerdoc]

I wish I had your enthusiasm, energy and drive. If I clean a gun or sharpen a knife I call it a good day and declare nap time.

 

[LiveLife]

I wish I had your enthusiasm, energy and drive. If I clean a gun or sharpen a knife I call it a good day and declare nap time.

Oh, you haven't met my "whip cracking" wife of 26 years ... ... Actually, chick coop and chicken house needed to be built before the winter rain as we get 80"-100" annually.

Thankfully now that chickens are out of the pole barn, I could work on the boats and set up woodworking shop (I am planning to make cabinets for master bath remodel and maybe for the kitchen too) inside the barn during the wet winter (And I am warming my wife up to virtues of all-in-one Mig/Tig/Plasma cutter-welder because living at the coast where everything rusts, I NEED to weld aluminum)

But you know ... "Life is short and we are all going to die" and stuff. So wife and I constantly remind each other to enjoy life now before our bodies crap out.

Besides, I need to reach my goal of reloading 1,000,000 rounds before I die ... So I figure I have about 20 years to reload 400,000 rounds (about 1500 rounds a month).