Sometimes It Is Rough Being A Gadget Junkie - Am I Alone?

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Load Master

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Gadgets for evaluating my reloads has increased. Granted, I am a gadget junkie. Yes, I have a chronograph that takes an amazing amount of data on each round and it has helped considerably in my load development. Sometimes I wonder if I shoot just so I can reload. I really like doing both.

Am I alone here, or are others in tune with my addiction? If you are similar with this gadget for reloading issue, what new gadget have you recently acquired?

This is my latest. One of my shooting buddies that does about every type of competitive shooting our local club provides showed me his MantisX Training unit. That's all it took. I am feeling a little guilty as I ordered one this morning. Yeah, I know it isn't directly related to reloading, but it was the excuse I used to convince myself to order it. If I'm lucky, maybe I can improve my shooting some too.
 
Sometimes I wonder if I shoot just so I can reload.
Ha! I know that sometimes I shoot just so I can reload. Heck, I've gone even further than that - I've actually bought guns just because I thought they'd be fun to load for.:D
That said, you have me way beat as a "gadget junkie" Load Master. I can't even imagine myself having a use for one of those MantisX things. Not that I'm saying anything against you or anyone else having one. Gadgets like that just aren't my thing. For that matter, if I got one of those MantisX things, I'd have to borrow my wife's smart phone because I don't have one of them either.:D
 
Yes, I shoot to support my reloading habit.

No, I am not interested in every little gadget that comes along. I am a reloading Luddite; working off a single stage (non-compound leverage) press, not trimming any brass other than bottleneck cases (and then only once), no case gauge, no comparator, non-electronic vernier caliper and standard micrometer.
 
Been reloading for a long time and have pretty much everything I want and need. Years ago I used to try out new gadgets and almost all of them got put away in a box that I don't even know where it is. But than again I consider myself to be old fashioned. And like .308 Norma I don't have a smart phone.
 
Kind of a cool gadget. Could work well for training, being able to show the newbie what they are doing.
 
Yeah, I got into 5.7x28 and 22tcm so I could reload them. I don't have a smart phone and never will. I DO have a lot of "gadgets" though, even a cannelure tool which I used once.
 
Load Master, you are definitely not alone as many of us OCD reloaders are fussy about details of reloading and want verification.

Check weights - After using Lyman check weight set that went down to .5 gr for years, in the digital myth busting thread, I bought Ohaus ASTM Class 6 check weight set that went down to .015 gr to verify my scales. I even used 1/4"x1/4" 20 lb copy paper pieces (weighing around .05 gr) to test sensitivity of scales. It was good to verify sensitivity of Ohaus 10-10 beam scales that detected one piece of paper consistently and to know that Frankford Arsenal (owned by S&W) DS-750 digital scale was accurate enough with .1 gr resolution for bench use to verify powder charges - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/revisited-myth-busting-digital-scales.821449/

Now I can comfortably post sub .05 gr variance of new Alliant Sport Pistol from my Pro Auto Disk and know that sub .05 gr variance is accurate - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/new-alliant-sport-pistol.816514/page-5#post-10598431

Pin gauges - When I started the comparison thread of 9mm bullet diameters, question was raised if calipers I was using had been verified. Walkalong suggested a good recommendation of using pin gauges to verify the accuracy of my calipers so I ordered them in 9mm (.355"), 40S&W (.400") and 45ACP (.451"). I tried to order all minus or plus gauges but due to availability, had to mix them up. When they arrived, my Frankford Arsenal dial calipers were verified accurate to all pin gauges with minus/plus variations - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...re-sized-the-same.818806/page-2#post-10523549

Now I can comfortably post consistency of taper crimps I use with .001" accuracy from Lee dies and sub .005" OAL/COL variance from Pro 1000 using resized brass and more consistent projectiles like RMR 115/124 gr jacketed bullets.

I had considered buying a micrometer and measuring blocks but I am quite content with my calipers and pin gauges. Who knows, that could change.

Chronograph with Android app - When I was looking for a chrono, I chose the Caldwell (owned by S&W) model mainly because of the available Android app that worked with my LG/Samsung cell phones and Acer tablet. Being able to type in load details, capture picture of target and post right from the shooting bench is a nice convenience.

I don't think you can have enough gadgets for reloading. For reloading .308, powder trickler and bullet comparator are essential and I am considering concentricity gauge next to measure bullet runout.
 
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Kinda know what ya mean. Latest acquisition: Ransom Rest. Of course, you can't set up a Ransom Rest on just any 'ol shooting bench. No, you've got to have a solid concrete table to mount it on so there is no movement at all. The concrete is drying as we speak.

Don
 
Load Master, you are definitely not alone as many of us OCD reloaders are fussy about details of reloading and want verification.

Check weights - After using Lyman check weight set that went down to .5 gr for years, in the digital myth busting thread, I bought Ohaus ASTM Class 6 check weight set that went down to .015 gr to verify my scales. I even used 1/4"x1/4" 20 lb copy paper pieces (weighing around .05 gr) to test sensitivity of scales. It was good to verify sensitivity of Ohaus 10-10 beam scales that detected one piece of paper consistently and to know that Frankford Arsenal (owned by S&W) DS-750 digital scale was accurate enough with .1 gr resolution for bench use to verify powder charges - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/revisited-myth-busting-digital-scales.821449/

Now I can comfortably post sub .05 gr variance of new Alliant Sport Pistol from my Pro Auto Disk and know that sub .05 gr variance is accurate - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/new-alliant-sport-pistol.816514/page-5#post-10598431

Pin gauges - When I started the comparison thread of 9mm bullet diameters, question was raised if calipers I was using had been verified. Walkalong suggested a good recommendation of using pin gauges to verify the accuracy of my calipers so I ordered them in 9mm (.355"), 40S&W (.400") and 45ACP (.451"). I tried to order all minus or plus gauges but due to availability, had to mix them up. When they arrived, my Frankford Arsenal dial calipers were verified accurate to all pin gauges with minus/plus variations - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...re-sized-the-same.818806/page-2#post-10523549

Now I can comfortably post consistency of taper crimps I use with .001" accuracy from Lee dies and sub .005" OAL/COL variance from Pro 1000 using resized brass and more consistent projectiles like RMR 115/124 gr jacketed bullets.

I had considered buying a micrometer and measuring blocks but I am quite content with my calipers and pin gauges. Who knows, that could change.

Chronograph with Android app - When I was looking for a chrono, I chose the Caldwell (owned by S&W) model mainly because of the available Android app that worked with my LG/Samsung cell phones and Acer tablet. Being able to type in load details, capture picture of target and post right from the shooting bench is a nice convenience.

I don't think you can have enough gadgets for reloading. For reloading .308, powder trickler and bullet comparator are essential and I am considering concentricity gauge next to measure bullet runout.

The concentricity gauge is a must it will tighten up your groups and help you learn to make straighter ammo.
 
At the moment the only gadgets I can afford are what I can make with materials on hand. I'm think I'm getting jmorris envy.
I am also a member of the I shoot so I can experiment with reloading group.
 
I'm kind of a caveman. Most of my loading equipment is from the mid to late 70s, and I'm good with it. I did get a set of check weights....
I had a chrony until a friend shot it. That was early this summer, and I haven't replaced it yet. It lived long enough to confirm pretty much what I'd already guesstimated, with very few surprises.

I test for concentricity on a table top. Does it wobble? No? Good. I'm not really after chasing down the last bits of accuracy. Minute of cantaloupe @ 300 yds is all I ask of a rifle, or myself. (Still working on the myself part)

Most of my cars still have carburetors, and I have a flip phone
 
Seems to me like reloading, in general, is gadget-a-go-go. Case trimmers, de-burrers, bullet
pullers, calipers, it just goes on and on, and it seems the more you get, the more you need.

So, Load Master, either you're not alone, or I am...
 
you can't set up a Ransom Rest on just any 'ol shooting bench. No, you've got to have a solid concrete table to mount it on so there is no movement at all.
That's been my dilemma. I have been working on a hard pistol/carbine rest but the folding plastic table is the weak link in the chain. I considered doing a hard mount in the back of the Suburban but with the suspension, it's still not "concrete solid".

So I have been working on a "stable" 3-point welded bench design to use with bipod and hard rest with my body weight providing additional stability. I guess you can consider the 3-point bench with incorporated hard rest a big "gadget". :eek:

Am I a gadget junkie? I am afraid so. I am currently trying to justify to wife buying a Tig welder so I can weld on a back deck with rotating mount for kicker on the 21' aluminum Starcraft jet boat ... :oops: ... shame ... shame ... but it will be a nice looking deck like this :p - https://www.outlaweagle.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=15061&sid=ccd20e94dfd9d5b3c34b173073c8541e
No. No, you are not alone. Admitting your problem is the first step. We have meetings in the reloading room every Thursday evening. Do you like coffee?
I love coffee. Extra cream and Sweet-N-Low please. :D
 
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Gadget junkie not so, Tool Junkie most definitely. :D I would rather buy tools that allow me to make things. My last edition was a lathe and end mill. That I added some good DRO's to to make them easier to use. That seam to be the lower cost compared to all the tooling needed to use them. Kind of like they should just give you the printer since you will spin a small fortune feeding ink cartridges to it.
 
That's been my dilemma. I have been working on a hard pistol/carbine rest but the folding plastic table is the weak link in the chain. I considered doing a hard mount in the back of the Suburban but with the suspension, it's still not "concrete solid".
A pair of stands under the rear and put the jack under the front taking the weight off the springs will stiffen things. And make your stand to fit the hitch receiver. Just don't leave the truck parked like that or Foxworthy will be telling jokes about you!
 
Can you see .005 wobble?

I bet I.....might. Yeah I bet I could. And yes, I understand how tiny .005" is. I can sort drill bits or pin gauges by size without measuring, or segregate a coffee can full of 380 from 9mm at a glance. Eyeballs are amazingly precise if you give them a chance. And besides, I don't want to drive myself mad, chasing "perfection", when my loads already outperform what my rifle handling skills can pull off.

I'm okay with my standards. YMMV
 
A pair of stands under the rear and put the jack under the front taking the weight off the springs will stiffen things. And make your stand to fit the hitch receiver.
Only thing is all my shooting areas are in BLM land with soft dirt. So unless I use some hefty plates under the jack stands, they will dig into the dirt.

Just don't leave the truck parked like that or Foxworthy will be telling jokes about you!
Shortly after we got married, we saw Jeff Foxworthy doing "You might be a redneck if ..." joke on TV and wife rolled on the floor laughing when I qualified EVERY SINGLE one except I did not have transmission in the bathtub! :eek:

Me, a redneck? That can't be! I mean I was just a young guy in twenties working on my house eating off Black and Decker work bench as dining table, parked my truck on the front yard for quicker access to lumber and stuff ... :oops:

At least she didn't complain when I fixed the roof leak by stripping off the 3 old layers of roofing, replaced 8 sheets of plywood and put down new roof with a roofing permit under 5 days. :neener: But when she realized how handy I was, she started giving me a project list on a post it note every Friday for the weekend ... Damn! :cuss:
 
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