No, but that would be an explanation.

Not sure what you mean.

Steel is hard. Harder than brass but can still be considered "soft". Steel used for cutting can be hardened or tempered even more than normal in order to make the cutting surface last longer. Or carbide steel can be used.

Here is Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardened_steel and see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tungsten_carbide

So if your trimmer wore out quickly then I would think that the cutting surface and the part that goes through the flash hole was not hardened/tempered or not done very well. And probably was not carbide steel.

Gotcha. I'll continue to work with the cutter I have and if that fails also, I'll switch to the other ones. Thanks guys.

The Giraud TriWay has a carbide blade with 3 surfaces so while the initial investment is relatively high you may not order another again.

We went to a stream clean up at Queen Liliuokalani Gardens before heading out to the range today. We removed almost 1,000 pounds of opala from the stream. Fortunately, someone dumped a shopping cart into the stream so we could use it to transport the heavy items to the garbage pile.



The weather at the range was sporadic. Light breeze with the occasional strong gust. Probably didn’t help the rescue helicopter as it pulled a hiker off Kokohead and dropped them in the baseball field. The chrono was working well with a couple bean bags to weigh it down, but a strong gust knocked the chrono over. I set it up again with the large sand bag and worked again until another gust tried to blow it over. Unfortunately, the top of the mount tipped over. I'm not sure why it's built like that. I guess it's time to tape it down. My friend, Larry suggested bringing an empty water bottle that can be filled to weigh down the stand so will try that next time.



AR: I set up the targets and the chrono, then shot my plinker rounds until I realized I installed the wrong targets on the frame. Shit! After adjusting the chrono, the SD were great but still not able to go past the 3200fps I’m reaching for. I used my new RCBS seating/crimp die that creates a tapered crimp (instead of distinct line) which works better but only for cannelure bullets.

300BLK: I moved the Vortex scope ring from the AK to the 300BLK upper and used the plinking rounds to zero the scope. The initial shots were about 7 feet to the right. The velocities match the published data if you consider it’s for a slightly lighter bullet. For the loads, I created ten sets with 12 to 16.5 gr CFEBLK. The Nosler data shows the light loads and the Hornady shows the heavier loads, so I compromised just to see what happens. The 12 and 12.5 gr went subsonic which was a surprise. The first shot was ten inches low so had to adjust. For every 0.5gr increment, I had to lower the scope 1 MOA to keep it close to the target sticker.



There were two nodes at 14 and 16.5 gr, so I’ll try these later plus perhaps investigate the subsonic loads. For the 16.5gr, I excluded the outlier but still had a relatively nice group.

It was a gorgeous day at the range today. About 84F and 29.95Hg. This was a continuation of my previous trip on Saturday when I ran out of time and only shot half of the AR plinking rounds. There were some interesting results. The chrono was working well despite the sunshade popping off twice. I could hear Larry laughing at me with his Labradar.



AR: The table below compares the plinking rounds I shot today with the ones (in grey) I shot on Saturday. Overall, they matched well. I started with the TAC 25.8gr with Hornady 55gr FMJ and broke the 3200 FPS barrier I’ve been up against. Interestingly, they shot 50 FPS slower after shooting the 77HP bullets. The accuracy was pretty good but the SD were not so good. The Varget 26.4gr was another max charge (aka kick ass) round. These were created from the left over powder in the bottle, and the purpose is to see how fast I can choot em. The Varget were not as accurate as the TAC rounds, but the SD were pretty good. The 1.872” listed is the best group out of four. I also shot the last of the 300BLK rounds from the converted brass. I'm perfecting my conversion technique except for a FTF at the end.



AR: I ran a patch down the barrel and shot 50 rounds of Varget 22.9gr with the Nosler 77gr from previous trips. I shot five rounds to zero the scope, then shot one per target. I then started over again with the remaining 20 rounds. I usually would not include the extreme flyers except for the strange phenomenon that I seemed to shoot the same flyers at the same target despite not being consecutive.



As a result, there was a low mean radius of .348” and an extreme spread of 1.275” or 3.7 times greater. Weird.



I took this photo with the sun glare in the back. The first set of TAC rounds is on the right and the second somewhat group is on the left.



I had one almost squib round. I pulled the bullet and sure enough, no powder which is shocking because I’m meticulous about checking the cases before seating the bullets. Fortunately, I used the new seating/crimp die that creates a tapered crimp to the top of the cannelure and prevented the bullet from exiting the chamber. I was probably too distracted with the new die procedure while charging the cases.

Spent last Saturday at the range with the HPU vet students. They were shooting the AK Tulammo x39 until I ran out of the box then shot the A1680 23.5gr ammo I loaded. I previously cut off more of the dust cover to keep the bullet from colliding the edge. This inadvertently bounced the case against the charging handle and caused dents in the neck. I’ll try to cut more off to see if it improves.

It was a sporadically windy day at the range. It went from 30 mph gusts to dead stop to gusts again, so I decided not to bother with the chrono. From the beginning, the range was half full. I decided not to bring the metal targets because it's difficult to line up the 50 yard line and the 100 yard line through the chrono but regretted my decision.

MN: Started with 15 of the .312” 170gr Beartooth cast boolits with 12.5gr 700x. I didn’t bother to adjust the scope and just ran them where they were. It’s taken quite a bit of work to find a load that will work with this boolit. I haven’t yet bought a powder that won’t spare me the ire of Inspector, but it’s on my Christmas list. In addition, I ran a few of the Xtreme .312" bullets using the range listed in the Lyman book. I used up the last of the RL15 powder in the bottle from 47 to 51 gr. The 49.0 and 49.5 were somewhat near the center. The rounds sure do pack a wallop. It woulda been nice to have velocities. I also made kick-ass 48.5 gr with the Hornady bullet but decided to save those until I can use the chrono again. After all, what's the point of shooting kick-ass rounds if you can't measure the velocities?



I next had the best results so far with the Russian rifle. I’ve used Reloader 15 before but don’t remember having this much success. These are 37 to 39 gr with the 150gr Hornady SP .312” bullet. What’s unique about this set is that each group is about the same. I wish I had velocities to help me decided. I guess it’s time to move it out to 100 yards now that I’m using the 7x scope instead of the reddot before.



AK: I had pretty much the same results as I had last time where I liked the warm up/follow up groups but not the load set groups. I feel like I’m spraying all over the paper at 50 yards with the H335 25.8 to 27.8 gr and Hornady .310 PT. As I mentioned before, I cut more off of the dust cover to keep the brass from deflecting off the edge. However like before, the tip of the cases are hitting (I’m guessing) the charging handle and denting the necks. I’ll have to see how they straighten out during resizing. Otherwise, I’ll have to buy a new dust cover and be happy with cases bouncing off the plastic buffer I glue to the edge.



In the meantime, I’ve already loaded up the AR rounds over Thanksgiving, so hopefully I can pick a less windy day to use my chrono.

It was a gorgeous day at the range with a mild 78F and 30.05Hg. The chrono worked great until the magical 2 pm timeframe. I think it occurs when the sun peaks over the shed and lights up the sunshades but not the chrono. I could move the chrono back into the sun which would require a readjustment during the break. I was having trouble with the 300BLK scope and I started to make a mess of the target, so I decided to call it a day. Except for the 300BLK rounds, the velocities were about 100 FPS below the published velocities.



AR: I shot two sets of CFE223 25 to 27 gr with Nosler 62HP at 100 yards. I also shot the kick ass rounds I made of H4198 21.0 gr before, between, and after. These shot well and performed great. The first set of CFE223 shot really well and I got a fantastic result with the 26gr and an extreme spread of 0.766”. The second set were not as tight as the first set and slightly to the left. There was a break between the middle kick ass rounds and the second set. I wanted to run a patch through but forgot the rod at home.

I experimented with using an air pump and rubber hose between each 10 round load. I ran the air pump for about 30 seconds but not sure how much it impacted the barrel temperature. I’ll try again and see if it repeats. For the photo below, the first set of CFE223 26gr is on the left and second set on the right. Needless to say, I choked with the second set. In the table above, I didn't include the five shots outside of the target circle, so the results are not conclusive. My next attempt will be 25.6 to 26.4 gr.

It was another windy day at the range, so no chrono. I tried out my new T/C 6.5 Creedmoor rifle. With the rebate that ends at the end of the month, the cost was $200 with $55 S/H. I mounted a cheap 9x scope which I’ll eventually upgrade. I shot 20 rounds of 125gr, but also bought the reloading supplies including Hornady dies so will be loading up Hornady ELD-M 140gr with RL15. The trigger is adjustable and was at 6#. It felt really smooth. I'll try adjusting it down to 3 or 4 pounds.

The 50 yard scope zero is on left and 100 on right. I can barely see the 100 yard with the cheap scope.



MN: Tried the RL15 37 to 39 gr for both 150gr SP and 174gr RN bullets at 100 yards. I didn’t get nearly the success that I got the previous week at 50 yards. The best I could get with 38gr RL15 was 1.28” ES with the 150gr and 1.50” ES with the 174gr. The rest of the loads are a complete mess. I guess I’ll go back to 50 yards and see if I can reproduce my previous results.

I finally picked up a bottle of RL7 for $40 and a bottle of Unique for $35 at WGS, the only store I've found on the island that stocks these powders. I find that SEC and HGS are cheaper for the common powders, and SEC especially for primers. Sheldon at the range was telling me that Unique and H4198 are not positional powders so no filler needed for reduced loads. He shoots 29gr of H4198 in his 30-06 with jacketed bullets.

The first 50 batch of 6.5 Creedmoor are complete. The Hornady dies are really nice. Can't wait to try it with a cannelure someday but don't plan on crimping anytime soon.



Using my special lubricant of eggnog and tequila.   Remember, don't drink and drive...

Merry Christmas everyone! It’s was a "chilly" day at the range yesterday at 74F with variable winds from three different directions. I didn’t feel like messing with the chrono today. Larry was there also and he didn’t bother with his Labradar either. As you can see below, problems with scopes again. I'm working on it...

6.5 CM: I bought a new scope for this rifle, so installed the Vortex 6x scope until it arrives. With the old scope, I was too ambitious and shot at 100 yards but discovered that I could barely see the 2” orange circles. The reticle was covering up the middle of the circles and had to line up with the other targets. I forgot to circle the targets with a black marker to make the circles easier to see which worked well last time. I made 50 rounds of RL15 33 to 37 gr with Hornady 140 gr ELD-M (5 x 10 rounds). Then for some inexplicable reason, I put the next target over this target and had to sort it out when I got home. I usually take a photo of the target at the range for just such an emergency, but not this time. In the end, the best groups were between 35 and 36 gr with an ES of 1.5". For Christmas, I bought myself 800 rounds of Nosler 140HPBT for 14 cents each and free shipping. I don't know when USPS delivered the package, but I looked outside my kitchen window and saw the box sitting on my lanai table. My muzzle break also arrived. Merry Christmas indeed.

AR: Continuation of the previous load using 25.6 to 26.4 gr CFE223 with the 62HP Nosler (5 x 10 rounds then repeat). Like before, the 26gr grouped best, mostly. However, about 1 out of 5 were a flyer and I excluded them from the table. It would have been nice to have a chrono to see if the flyers had off velocities. In addition, I received a free 16" barrel from Bear Creek Arsenal after sending them a copy of my DD214 as part of their Veterans Day promotion. It's a 4150 .223 Wylde 1:9 carbine length. I'm gradually putting together the upper parts. Not sure what I'll do with it after I take it out to the range to test.

300Blk: I lost confidence with the Barska scope after I switched it to the Vortex 30mm mount with the 1” ring adapters. I reinstalled the 1 inch rings and made 50 rounds of H110 14gr using the surplus bullets. I’m still not sure because I was again too ambitious with the 100 yards. I have another scope arriving soon and will try that.

It was a perfect conditions day at the range. Just right for using the chrono. Had only one error which was awesome considering that the sun was creeping past the sunshades between 11:30 and noon. Too bad the groups were ugly. With the gross SD velocities, I can conclude these are the wrong powders for the guns/bullets. What was also ugly was the traffic and crowds. Through the holidays, it takes 10 minutes up the hill to Hanauma Bay as visitors discover that the parking lot is full. When I got to the range at 10:30, I had to wait to find a parking space then a short wait for a table. Fortunately, I got one of my favorites at table 39 because it’s tall and not so steep in front for the chrono.



6.5 Creedmoor: I installed the new 18x scope and used the new Nosler 140gr RDF bullets that Santa left on my lanai for me to discover on Christmas morning. I zerod the scope with the previous Hornady ELD-M bullets. Although they are the same grain, I realized the published top load for the Hornady bullet is 39.5gr compared to 36.5gr for the Nosler bullet. At 35.5gr, the Hornady bullet shot slower than the Nosler bullet but had similar groups. I have lots of the Nosler bullets now so plan to obtain some H4350 or RL17 depending on what the LGS has available.

AK-47: I shot some left over A1680 rounds from before and had a great velocity SD with a typical 2” group (it’s not a precision rifle). I next compared the Hornady 123gr bullet to the Nosler 123gr bullet. Overall, the Hornady is a bit more accurate with a better SD. However, I decided the H335 was not good for the AK. Maybe I’ll get H322 next time. I then repeated the load from last time with 25.8 to 27.8 gr H335 and the Hornady 123gr Vmax. This time, the two highest charges grouped best with the 27.8gr having a better SD velocity.

The main reason for shooting the AK was to see how the extraction modification performs. I cut away enough of the dust cover so the brass does not hit the sides but was smacking against the charging handle cause deep gouges. I inserted a thick rubber hose piece over the charging handle and it mostly worked except a few that may have still hit the metal tip. I’ll use a bit longer hose next time. Most of the necks were slightly bent in, which is easily fixed with the resizing die.

At one point, I had to stop shooting and wait a couple minutes for the stupid egret that was interested in my sand splashes to pass by. Later, someone said there’s a dead egret a couple lanes over but not sure if the same one. Those birds are so stupid. At least the chickens know to stay close to the shelter and not wonder off into the fields of fire.

It was a sunny and squalish day at the range. This probably means the grass will grow a couple inches again. Despite the wind gusts, I decided to risk using the chrono using the water jug and bungee. It worked perfectly. The only error I got was when the rain may have covered the sensors. Fortunately, it appears to be water resistant. When I arrived at 9 am, I got the last parking spot and the last table. I left at noon to pick up my son from the airport. The chono data is attached below.



MN: I shot mostly the .312” cast boolit with gas checks today. This was the last batch from the box I bought from Beartooth Bullets. I ordered two more boxes but takes about two months to complete the order. I also shot some of the Missouri cast boolits but again, only 3 out of 11 hit paper. The Beartooth continue to be mostly successful with the Dacron filler. Sometimes, there would be fluff poofing out the barrel. It’s actually a bit comical.

I started with the left over RL15 48.2gr I had. I didn’t have time to set up the chrono until after my first round. Fortunately, there are so many taking their time with their targets that I had plenty of time to move the chrono. I shot 3 at the beginning then 3 afterwards to help clear out the filler residue from the barrel. I made a batch of Ed’s Red solvent (google it) which should help clean out the residue. The first 3 had an awesome group of 0.78”, but the other 3 were almost twice that with a bad SD. I also shot the Xtreme .312 bullets and only a few hit paper. They had an impressive velocity of 2968fps. It looks like they tumble by the looks of the holes.

I finally found a source of Unique powder at WGS. The 11 and 12 gr were terrible with awful SD, but the 12.5, 13, and 14 tightened up. The 14gr had an amazing 1 SD out of the 3 rounds. I didn't bother adjusting the scope and aimed for the target above because they have about a foot drop compared to the jacketed bullets.



I also got the RL7 at WGS. The problem is that I can’t remember where I got the load data for it. I guess I’ll update the chart when I figure it out. Most of the SD were meh so not sure if I’ll play around with it more or delegate the powder to the AK who loves it with the V-Max. There’s not much to see here so let’s move on.

6.5 Creedmoor: I was anxious to try the new IMR4350 and Superformance powders I obtained. I started each with mid-load rounds to check the zero using the new Nosler 140gr RDF and the last of the Hornady ELD-M. With the I4350, the velocity SD was mostly great. The Hornady velocities were about 150fps slower than the manual says which matches my previous results. The Nosler velocities were about 60fps slower than the manual. The I4350 39.0gr with the Nosler 140gr RDF grouped best with a 6 SD so I’ll try between 38.5 and 39.5 gr next time.



Nosler doesn’t have load data for Superformance but Hornady does. The zero shots with the Superformance 42gr had an awesome 0.695 MOA group. The velocity SD were bad for all of the shots, and each group had an annoying tendency to have one flyer for each 5 round group which can be seen in the disparity between the Mean Radius and Extreme Spread measurements. I’ll try again between 41.5 and 42.5 gr with the Nosler 140gr RDF.

Here is the equipment I use in reloading. Most of the items I’ve bought through Amazon Prime. I’ve also bought many items used from the forum. I’m using the Hornady manual and Lyman manual in addition to what’s available on the manufacturer’s website. I estimate that this is over $1,000 of equipment I’ve collected over 2 years.

•   I started out with the Lee single stage kit. I’m still using the priming system with the kit. I also use the case cutter and lock stud for trimming with my electric drill. I check the case OAL with my digital caliper. The gauge/holder is purchased for each caliber. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00162RM3E

•   Lee Precision Decapping Die. I first decap the primers in the fired brass because I don’t like decapping and resizing the dirty brass at the same time. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002SF2ZXU

•   RCBS Ultrasonic Case Cleaner. I then ultrasonic clean the brass before resizing. I’m using the Hornady One Shot cleaning solution. I use a Qtip to clean the primer pockets. https://www.amazon.com/RCBS-87055-Ultrasonic-Case-Cleaner/dp/B00B4S9VDE

•   Lee Precision Pacesetter Dies. I’ve also bought the RCBS .223/5.56 S/B T/C set (11107), RCBS 7.62x54r Neck Sizer (29030), and Hornady 6.5 Creedmoor Die (546289). To lubricate the cases, I use either Dillon Case Lube or the Imperial Sizing Die Wax.

•   Lee Precision Breech Lock Bushings https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001GG8ET6

•   For .223, I’m now using the Worlds Finest Trimmer 2 because I was having consistency trouble with the Lee Gauge. I may add other chamber calibers later. https://www.amazon.com/Worlds-Finest-Trimmer-223-Rem/dp/B019EFSZSA

•   Lyman Case Prep Multi Tool to debur/chamfer the cases. https://www.amazon.com/Lyman-Case-Prep-Multi-Tool/dp/B004MCMCYE

•   To decrimp the LC brass, I attach the RCBS Trim Mate Military Crimp Remover-SM to my electric drill. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0063IDE6A

•   Lyman Small Rifle Ammo Checker to verify the rounds will chamber. I also have the Frankford Arsenal Impact Bullet Puller when things go wrong.   https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00URUE85G

•   Hornady Case Tumbler for about 3 hours with corn media and polish. I use a Frankford Arsenal Media Separator to separate the brass from the media and use a Qtip to clean the primer pockets. https://www.amazon.com/Hornady-M-1-Case-Tumbler-110V/dp/B06XFVYH9K

•   For extruded powders, I use the Lee Precision Perfect Powder Measurer that was in the Lee kit. For ball powders, I use the RCBS Uniflow Powder Measure. https://www.amazon.com/Whole-Family-9010-Uniflow-Measure/dp/B000N8LHDI

•   Hornady Electronic Scale to weigh the powder. This works for me because I always have to have a fan on me and the cover protects against the air flow. I’m confident with measuring down to 0.2gr. Even touching the table will deflect the scale by 0.1gr. https://www.amazon.com/Hornady-50108-Electronic-Scale-Grain/dp/B004EXPKJA

•   When measuring, I use the Lyman E-Zee Flow Universal Powder Trickler or I use a scoop from the Lee Powder Measure Kit. https://www.amazon.com/Lyman-Zee-Universal-Powder-Trickler/dp/B00162QGPO

•   I then have various MTM ammo boxes and use a Brother Labelizer to label the ammo boxes. I also track my results in an Excel spreadsheet.

I am reading this in a thick kentucky accent...

Here is the equipment I use in reloading. Most of the items I’ve bought through Amazon Prime. I’ve also bought many items used from the forum. I’m using the Hornady manual and Lyman manual in addition to what’s available on the manufacturer’s website. I estimate that this is over $1,000 of equipment I’ve collected over 2 years.

•   I started out with the Lee single stage kit. I’m still using the priming system with the kit. I also use the case cutter and lock stud for trimming with my electric drill. I check the case OAL with my digital caliper. The gauge/holder is purchased for each caliber. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00162RM3E

•   Lee Precision Decapping Die. I first decap the primers in the fired brass because I don’t like decapping and resizing the dirty brass at the same time. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002SF2ZXU

•   RCBS Ultrasonic Case Cleaner. I then ultrasonic clean the brass before resizing. I’m using the Hornady One Shot cleaning solution. I use a Qtip to clean the primer pockets. https://www.amazon.com/RCBS-87055-Ultrasonic-Case-Cleaner/dp/B00B4S9VDE

•   Lee Precision Pacesetter Dies. I’ve also bought the RCBS .223/5.56 S/B T/C set (11107), RCBS 7.62x54r Neck Sizer (29030), and Hornady 6.5 Creedmoor Die (546289). To lubricate the cases, I use either Dillon Case Lube or the Imperial Sizing Die Wax.

•   Lee Precision Breech Lock Bushings https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001GG8ET6

•   For .223, I’m now using the Worlds Finest Trimmer 2 because I was having consistency trouble with the Lee Gauge. I may add other chamber calibers later. https://www.amazon.com/Worlds-Finest-Trimmer-223-Rem/dp/B019EFSZSA

•   Lyman Case Prep Multi Tool to debur/chamfer the cases. https://www.amazon.com/Lyman-Case-Prep-Multi-Tool/dp/B004MCMCYE

•   To decrimp the LC brass, I attach the RCBS Trim Mate Military Crimp Remover-SM to my electric drill. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0063IDE6A

•   Lyman Small Rifle Ammo Checker to verify the rounds will chamber. I also have the Frankford Arsenal Impact Bullet Puller when things go wrong.   https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00URUE85G

•   Hornady Case Tumbler for about 3 hours with corn media and polish. I use a Frankford Arsenal Media Separator to separate the brass from the media and use a Qtip to clean the primer pockets. https://www.amazon.com/Hornady-M-1-Case-Tumbler-110V/dp/B06XFVYH9K

•   For extruded powders, I use the Lee Precision Perfect Powder Measurer that was in the Lee kit. For ball powders, I use the RCBS Uniflow Powder Measure. https://www.amazon.com/Whole-Family-9010-Uniflow-Measure/dp/B000N8LHDI

•   Hornady Electronic Scale to weigh the powder. This works for me because I always have to have a fan on me and the cover protects against the air flow. I’m confident with measuring down to 0.2gr. Even touching the table will deflect the scale by 0.1gr. https://www.amazon.com/Hornady-50108-Electronic-Scale-Grain/dp/B004EXPKJA

•   When measuring, I use the Lyman E-Zee Flow Universal Powder Trickler or I use a scoop from the Lee Powder Measure Kit. https://www.amazon.com/Lyman-Zee-Universal-Powder-Trickler/dp/B00162QGPO

•   I then have various MTM ammo boxes and use a Brother Labelizer to label the ammo boxes. I also track my results in an Excel spreadsheet.

I am reading this in a thick kentucky accent...

say boolits

Probably would give me more street cred...

Probably would give me more street cred...

Yup. As much as Barbara Streisand.

Why are you insulting me?

Why are you insulting me?

I guess he has kinfolk in Kentucky.