Mega Rad Gun Thread

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hog cranking frog said:
Dillon looked sick especially with a case feeder. None of the guys I shoot with have them for shotshell oddly, even the wealthier guys skip Dillon and go for fancy shit like spolar and other brands I've never heard of.

Ended up snagging a lightly used MEC 9000GN and an inline fab quick change plate. Not a lot of room in my garage and have familiarity with MEC. My single stage is from the 70s and MEC sent me replacement parts.

I know the current meta says reloading isn't worth it but for me, this is hobby time, I want to be picky. Remington STS hulls, 1oz at 1150 fps. Nice and soft shooting for a couple hundred practice targets a week.
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And then I'm over here reloading shot shells with just a dowel and hammer.
 
hog cranking frog said:
I know the current meta says reloading isn't worth it but for me, this is hobby time, I want to be picky. Remington STS hulls, 1oz at 1150 fps. Nice and soft shooting for a couple hundred practice targets a week.
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Financially speaking, reloading isn't "worth it" in that you're not saving money on ammo the way folks once did. It's still very much worth the investment if one spends enough time to not only get good at it but also to create the rounds they want for specific firearms and applications they want. I shoot a whole lot more because I reload, and my precision rifles offer me better performance because I was able to tailor the rounds I use to them specifically. I also made a good amount of lower pressure .44 mag rounds that are hotter than specials but not quite at the magnum loads I wished my 29-2 could run.

Examples like that are why I think reloading is well worth the investment if one is so inclined.

A caveat: like many similar hobbies, the people that truly excel at reloading are fucking autistic as fuck. This means that parsing through information they make available online (and argue about) to get an answer you're seeking is always a headache.
 
Romulus augustulus said:
God, I despise the push for copper monolithic projectiles of all forms. Copper is not better than lead. full stop. in rifles it requires high velocity to perform on target, which is hampered by the fact that copper bullets are generally longer than a lead counterpart, which cuts back on powder capacity and thus velocity. Velocity that is required for the bullet to work.
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While jacketed lead projectiles undeniably perform better than copper, I'm still choosing to make the switch to lead free projectiles for the next hunting season. I've recently seen a fairly convincing article about how much microscopic lead fragmentation is really in shot game animals.
 
Boney said:
That is all.
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Do you intend to explain why beyond the arfcom larp?
Afaik, studies during WWII found 200m to be the typical maximum, studies on Vietnam found the same, and the only wars in which engagement distances were found to be longer more often was Iraq/Afghanistan, which is entirely expected in the very open and mountainous terrain those countries posses.
 
Among Us Gaming said:
Do you intend to explain why beyond the arfcom larp?
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Throwing out the training and application of the fundamental shooting skills you foresake with this ideology...

Your ability to effectively supress at range is what shapes the battlefield to win conditions. You only are effective if genuinely dangerous.

The way an actual firefight goes is that one team gains fire superiority/suppression and then maneuvers on the other. Once the losing side is boxed in at close range you use grenades from positions of cover methodically approach and eleminate. This is why your casualties and intese firefights happen so close. For a proper military you are shaping and suppressing with force multipling assets you as a civilian will struggle to attain.

Being accurate enough to present a real threat at distance is a critical skill for any team of armed Americans to acquire for disengagment, defense, or assualt regardless of whatever circumstances you choose to fantasize about or train for.
 
I took the restored S&W 19-3 out to the range today. Only shot .38 through it, may go back and try .357 later, but I've heard it's not particularly good for them even though they're rated for it. But can I just say.... holy shit.

It is by far my favorite revolver I've ever shot, and I think the most accurate I've ever been with a handgun period. Mind you, that's not a high bar, because I'm a terrible shot. But still. I think I'm in love.

Chyat, is this what guns used to be like?
 
Lord of the Large Pants said:
not particularly good for them even though they're rated for it.
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crackedm19forcingcone3yw0.webp
this is what happens with sustained hot .357 magnum loads in a old K frame. not dangerous to the shooter when it happens but the barrel is done for. S&W ran out of replacement barrels some time ago so repairs are not an option anymore. the barrel cracks because the forcing cone is flat (thus thinner) on the bottom to make room for the cylinder crane. The K frame was designed for police/military use where replacing barrels or whole guns were priced into the contract. it may happen in as few as a few hundred 125gr .357 mag loads or take over 1,000 but it will happen.

Unlimited use of .38 special and .38 special +P is not a problem. modern K Frames have normal forcing cones and are rated for unlimited .357mag in all proj. weights and velocities.
 
Romulus augustulus said:
View attachment 9096010
this is what happens with sustained hot .357 magnum loads in a old K frame. not dangerous to the shooter when it happens but the barrel is done for. S&W ran out of replacement barrels some time ago so repairs are not an option anymore. the barrel cracks because the forcing cone is flat (thus thinner) on the bottom to make room for the cylinder crane. The K frame was designed for police/military use where replacing barrels or whole guns were priced into the contract. it may happen in as few as a few hundred 125gr .357 mag loads or take over 1,000 but it will happen.

Unlimited use of .38 special and .38 special +P is not a problem. modern K Frames have normal forcing cones and are rated for unlimited .357mag in all proj. weights and velocities.
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So noted. I may fire a couple magnums just to get a feel for it, but I'll stick to .38 otherwise.
 
Smoke Manmuscle said:
Technically TSS is the best. It has a higher density allowing for smaller pellets to perform the same as larger lead ones while the higher hardness also allows it to resist setback allowing you to get higher pattern efficiency. The problem is always cost. In the current market you are looking at $1300-2000 a case of 200 rounds for tungsten waterfowl.

Second best would be tungsten matrix which is tungsten powder in a polymer matrix to replicate the malleability and density of lead. Unfortunately it has the same cost issue as TSS and Kent has discontinued it.

Bismuth has fracturing issues as it’s soft but brittle. Its density is approximately halfway between steel and lead but its cost has tripled in the past year due to tariffs and it being used in the semiconductor manufacturing process.

Copper has the benefit of not suffering from the fracturing issue of bismuth but its density is half way between steel and bismuth. It’s also about 2x the price of steel. Other issue right now is that the only approved shot is under patent by Federal.

Steel is ok as long as you don’t take any shots beyond 40yds. The reason it got adopted was that a bunch of double blind studies in the 70s and 80s found that no matter if a hunter was shooting lead or steel beyond 35yds cripple numbers were the same. Turns out most hunters are bad shots.

TLDR: every shot type has issues and it’s a question of what tradeoffs you want to make.
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I just like whatever shot doesn't piss lead into the water

Same reason I'm ok with bismuth alloy solid rounds/ steel cored stuff
 
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Lord of the Large Pants said:
I took the restored S&W 19-3 out to the range today. Only shot .38 through it, may go back and try .357 later, but I've heard it's not particularly good for them even though they're rated for it. But can I just say.... holy shit.

It is by far my favorite revolver I've ever shot, and I think the most accurate I've ever been with a handgun period. Mind you, that's not a high bar, because I'm a terrible shot. But still. I think I'm in love.

Chyat, is this what guns used to be like?
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I’ve not a big fan of running .357 mag through my revolvers. I shoot standard pressure .38 through mine unless I’m introducing a new person to guns or testing ammo.
 
Taser Confetti said:
I’ve not a big fan of running .357 mag through my revolvers.
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in S&W L and N frame and Colt I frame .357 Mag is very tame. I enjoy shooting magnums in my 3 inch Python.
Magnums in a J Frame S&W or D frame Colt are not very fun. it's tolerable in steel framed pocket guns, enough for practice, but in aluminum and scandium it's too harsh for practice which disqualifies it IMO.
 
Romulus augustulus said:
in S&W L and N frame and Colt I frame .357 Mag is very tame. I enjoy shooting magnums in my 3 inch Python.
Magnums in a J Frame S&W or D frame Colt are not very fun. it's tolerable in steel framed pocket guns, enough for practice, but in aluminum and scandium it's too harsh for practice which disqualifies it IMO.
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It’s not about the recoil. My revolvers aren’t even close to my primary carry pieces and I don’t feel like placing unnecessary strain on them.
 
Romulus augustulus said:
in S&W L and N frame and Colt I frame .357 Mag is very tame. I enjoy shooting magnums in my 3 inch Python.
Magnums in a J Frame S&W or D frame Colt are not very fun. it's tolerable in steel framed pocket guns, enough for practice, but in aluminum and scandium it's too harsh for practice which disqualifies it IMO.
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.357 through my 6" 586 is stout, but not unpleasant. .38's feel like a heavy .22.

I got to run a cylinder of .357 mag through a scandium revolver once. No thanks, it felt a lot like smashing my hand with a ball peen hammer 5 times in a row. .38s sucked, too, but were "tolerable". I don't really shoot a whole lot of guns, but that little bastard was the least fun. At least a Dessert Eagle in .50 AE is a fun huge push.
 
BikeLock said:
I don't really shoot a whole lot of guns, but that little bastard was the least fun
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They're not really meant to be shot much. at higher round counts they wear out, and in extreme cases, the frames fail and pieces of revolver go flying. In the little pocket revolver world, go with steel if you can manage the weight. a Steel J frame/D frame will last forever.
 
Romulus augustulus said:
They're not really meant to be shot much. at higher round counts they wear out, and in extreme cases, the frames fail and pieces of revolver go flying. In the little pocket revolver world, go with steel if you can manage the weight. a Steel J frame/D frame will last forever.
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I haven't had the chance to shoot a traditional J frame, but I imagine they shoot much better due to the extra weight.
 
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