Spring is here, its time to go to the range but the ammunition is still not readily available. Ammunition is returning in dribs and drabs. Most obviously absent yet still is High Velocity 22 LR ammo and no one had any at all. I did find Riley’s in Hooksett with some primers and new bullet heads for reloading. Remain on the lookout my shooting friends, I expect ammo is coming soon.

Senator Ayotte’s action’s are not in keeping with New Hampshire’s Motto. Live Free or Die!  She is thus far supporting S 649 -Safe Schools Act of 2013 which would criminalize the private transfer of firearms by law-abiding citizens, requiring friends, neighbors and many family members to get government permission to exercise a fundamental right or face prosecution.   It is expected that a number of amendments will be offered to S. 649, including a ban on commonly and lawfully-owned firearms and magazines and language to criminalize the private transfer of firearms through an expansion of background checks.  This includes the misguided “compromise” proposal drafted by Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV), Pat Toomey (R-PA) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY).

Please contact Senator Ayotte today and tell her not to support this bill. http://www.ayotte.senate.gov/?p=offices

From my friends at GrasstopsUSA

We need to keep the pressure on against Obama, Feinstein Reid and all the other lefties. Go to the website below and send your Blast Fax to Congress.

http://www.grasstopsusa.com/ObamaGunGrabII.html

Make no mistake, Reid’s pushing a vote because patriotic Americans, like you, have been flooding the Senate with Blast Faxes and phone calls… and you’re rapidly changing a lot of hearts and minds.

       Fourteen Senators have publicly cally stated that they’re going to join the Paul-Lee-Cruz-Rubio filibuster and by the time you read this urgent alert, more will certainly come on board.

       Reid thinks he can bring the Gun Grab to the floor BEFORE you have the chance to change more hearts and minds… but what he fails to realize is that GrassTopsUSA members are a rapid-response force.

From NRA- ILA

http://www.nraila.org/get-involved-locally/grassroots/write-your-reps.aspx

Quote of the day!

Firearms are second only to the Constitution in importance; they are the peoples’ liberty’s teeth.
George Washington 

Recently I have been reloading for my Pro Crimson Carry II (4 inch barrel) which shoots my reloads exceptionally well.   The word Crimson (Red) comes from Crimson Trace Laser that is part of the Double Diamond Rosewood Handle.  I can see the red laser in bright daylight too and can switch it on and off. For home protection it is simply the best. The laser has a button built into the grip that you can barely feel. When you squeeze the grip the laser is there and on your target. I have never owned a finer 1911 Model 45 ACP than this KImber. The bottom grip and base are made of aircraft aluminum. The slide is steel and the barrel is Match Grade steel.  Yes you pay and boy do you get! http://www.kimberamerica.com/1911/crimson-carry-ii

The brass casings are big and round, they are picked up and saved  from my shooting sessions at my Club. In one of my shooting bags I drop the brass cases to be worked on later at home, some of the brass I pick up are from other shooters too. My shooting bag gathered maybe 150 casings with some mixed head stamps and a few 9 and 10 mm picked up in error. So I sort and clean my brass to remove the 9mm and 10mm odd stuff that came with the brass I picked. You know, I have shot with some mixed head stamps in the past and they worked ok but prefer to shoot only one head stamp brand at a time if at all possible for serious consistency.

Ideally, brass should be all one brand head stamp and treated in batches but these days things are often not ideal. Just finding components such as bullets, primers and powder is a nightmare but I planned ahead.  Some of my recently purchased Blaser Brand 45 ACP ammo has small primers instead of large pistol primers. Nice brass, but in my sorting cleaning process I tossed them out with the trash so the would not be confused with large pistol primer pockets. These small pistol primer pockets can be a pain, so I recommend tossing them. By shooting in batches you can monitor the length of your brass too, so as not to exceed case length without case trimming. I clean my cases in a case cleaning machine using peanut shells mixed with liquid brass cleaner and takes a couple of hours for the machine to do the work. Cases of any kind that have not been trimmed at or below max can create variation in pressures so check them to be sure and have the correct reloading manual for the bullets you intend to load. An ounce of prevention they say is worth a pound of cure. The priming process is critical in that the primer must be flush with the case head or the round will not finish chambering.  By feeling the newly inserted case primer with your finger you can ensure that it is flush in the pocket.  It took me awhile with my single stage RCBS rock chucker press but I managed to pump out 200 finished rounds in a couple of sessions using Hornady’s new XTP hollow points that expand up to 1.5 times across a wide range of velocities. http://www.hornady.com/store/45-Cal-.451-200-gr-HP-XTP/

I cleaned and sized and flared much more than the 200 cases. I use Hodgdon TiteGroup Powder.

It works very well and meters in a volumetric powder measurer consistently and is verifiable by weight!  In 45 ACP the crimping process is called a taper crimp and does not roll a crimp in the traditional sense into a bullet cannelure but does the crimp along the body of the cartridge, snugging it to the bullet. I like the fact that you can disassemble the Kimber Pro Carry in moments and use the barrel separately to drop your finished round in, to see that it goes in easily and is flush. In the Navy during the  Vietnam era, I stood topside-watch on a Nuclear Sub with the Model 1911 45 ACP.  It was never as good as the Kimber but always worked smoothly. Have fun and be safe!

Thanks to the NRA/ILA Alert System I have been informed that New Hampshire HB 135 has passed the House and moves for a Senate vote. If this passes the Senate key provisions will be gutted that:

1. Eliminates the provision that allows a person to use deadly force anywhere he or she has a legal right to be.  This limits an individual’s ability to defend themselves or a third party from assault to their own place of residence.
2. Amends the definition of non-deadly force by removing the provision that specifies the act of producing or displaying a weapon is considered non-deadly force.  Thus, drawing or exhibiting your firearm to intimidate a perpetrator could be considered deadly force.
3. Repeals the provision granting civil immunity for the use of force in certain circumstances.  The elimination of this provision removes legal protections for law-abiding citizens acting in self-defense.

By clicking on the HB 135 above you will see the NRA-ILA alert and how to Contact your New Hampshire Senator today. Don’t wait!

American Citizens, men, women and families are in waiting lines to join a Shooting Club these days. Shooters are coming out of the woodwork like ants coming to the sugar smell of Jelly at a picnic.

Why?

Fear!  Fear of losing their ability to protect themselves and their families from federal politicians that are blind to the Constitution of the United States of America.  The Sandy Hook Tragedy has the Obama Administration exploiting the tragedy e.g., Never let a Crisis go to waste.  It is highly unfortunate that the President wishes instead to support the UN Gun Ban Treaty (The Senate has put that on the back burner for now.) The Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association has an article you may read HERE.

The problem is we are in an Ammo crunch but we will get through it. There does not appear to be a sinister plot to buy all ammo. Yet! Though you’d think so! There is perhaps hoarding of ammo going on. I have seen orders that are due in May or June so take heart the ammo is coming. I am seeing restocking coming but beware of price gouging.

As an aside, at my club we had to limit the number of applications for membership to so many a month. This is repeating itself across the nation. Despite the ammo shortage there is a lot of shooting going on with semi-auto pistol and semi auto rifle in a variety of offshore calibers and with .223/5.56 ammo. More that I have seen in a long time, women are more frequent to the pistol range with husbands to use in self-defense. Schools and Shooting programs are cropping up everywhere to teach self-defense with guns so that law-abiding citizens can be authorized to carry.

It is the hunting ammo that is often still available such as 30-06, 257 Roberts, 243 Winchester and big bore 338 Win Mag, 375 calibers. What is slow coming in are 9mm,10mm/40 cal., .45 ACP Pistol, 22 ammo and the .223 for semi-auto rifles.

Even components for reloading are absent such as bullets and primers. Folks with time, I am confident that we will return closer to normal as long as the Federal Government pays attention to the Constitution and does not attempt to subjugate it.

As a follow-up check out The article on the BLAZE.com

George Washington said:

Firearms are second only to the Constitution in importance; they are the peoples’ liberty’s teeth.

and also

The very atmosphere of firearms anywhere and everywhere restrains evil interference – they deserve a place of honor with all that’s good.

GOD BLESS THE USA!

Friends,

Thank You! Our readership is growing steadily and just the recent visits to our site for the Savage Model 10 article shows it with hundreds of visits in a single day. My web site is an open door and my email is available (Contact Us)  for you to tell me what you want to see in the way of hunting New Hampshire or what ever is on your mind as sportsmen and women, not just on rifles but on shooting anything. The sky is the limit! Many thanks to assist me in opening goes to Ovide Lamontagne for the first deer article. What a buck!

And for the assistance from State Line Guns Ammo and Archery for being my FFL. Please shop there and tell them I sent you!

Thank you to My friends at Ruger, Savage Arms, Leupold, Nikon, Nosler and RCBS. These products are the finest and value priced for sportsmen and women. If you go to “Links” in the header above you can visit these sites and where to purchase these locally.

First and foremost we are hunters and shooters that believe in the Constitution of this great land. Thank you!

Ed Hale

If you shoot more than 20 rounds every other week of big game Rifle calibers and you want to maximize your accuracy and tailor the cartridge to the game or target you are shooting, then you are a great candidate to consider reloading your own ammunition, shotgun too. Pistol shooters often reload and save money too. Even better if you own the casing, powder, bullet and primer  in your shooting closet then you will always have ammo that you can shoot and when the store shelves are bare, you can still reload. You just have to invest in the components ahead of time.

If you don’t enjoy tinkering, don’t have the time,  or perhaps you are not mechanically inclined, then this article may not be for you.

For those who are inclined to tinker and like the hands on approach and have some time to reload…read on. Below is my Reloading Bench with an RCBS Rock Chucker single stage press. I have this one and love it still after 30 years.

A hand-loaded metallic rifle round when fitted to near or at the rifling in your rifle, and where several powders and loads are tested with different bullet heads and manufacturers does increase accuracy to tighten groups. Sometimes dramatically.  Sometimes not. Even changing the primer brand or even shooting primers made just for bench rest shooting can improve accuracy particularly when you have a good barrel that is bedded correctly.

But for general purpose hunting within 300 yards a 2 inch three shot benchrest group at 100 yards will suffice for cleanly killing game at distances out to three hundred yards with a 6 inch core kill zone.  So grandfather’s rifle that shoots the 2 inch groups at 100 yards is terrific for hunting. Heirlooms are great because they connect you to a family member like the article on Ovide’s Buck a while back.

For many, we have just purchased a new or used rifle and we want to shoot great groups. Commercial ammo is great but sometimes your rifle may not like this diet and shoot groups poorly. Changing brands will often help. Reloading is likely to help a lot more.

So why do I go to great pains to shoot Minute of Angle groups of one inch or better at 100 yards off the bench with 20 or 30 caliber rifle and ammo like the .270 Winchester or the 30-06 Springfield? I am just a stickler for shooting tight groups and won’t accept less.

Manufacturing processes that create rifles today allow a rifle to shoot a three shot, one inch group at minimum for deer size game with one or two loads at least at 100 yards.  We call this One Minute of Angle or MOA accurate. A new rifle needs breaking in, in many cases where there was no upfront guarantee of accuracy. Shoot 5 rounds and clean the barrel and repeat for 20 rounds. You may need to shoot an additional 20 rounds in this manner to see tightening. I use this process on occasion when initial groups are regularly more than 1 inch. Twist rate can greatly affect spread of heavier rounds and there isn’t a thing you can do about it. Some rifles shoot lighter bullets very well and heavier bullets not so well. In my Ruger M77 .375 Ruger all my bullets are heavy but they also shoot amazingly well for a Safari Rifle. Hand-loaded I can load down for small game or up for Cape Buffalo and with sub-MOA accuracy.

Commercial cartridge must fit all the rifles on the market, thus they adopt a standard so it fits all rifles. But your rifle is almost like a fingerprint, each rifle even of the same make and caliber can shoot differently in seemingly minor ways but if you are shooting long-range or for extremely tight groups then reloading is way to accurize your rifle once you have, like I said, a good barrel and bedded properly.

The combinations of load and bullets are so numerous that I would have to write a book to explain it. There are several reloading manuals and accuracy book already on the market and say pretty much what I have said in great detail. But for those like me who like to tinker with loads and bedding, powders and such, get energized and challenged to take a rifle that shoots ok, and make it shoot outstanding. It is just in my nature and gives me great joy.

The components of a metallic cartridge are simple. The brass case, primer, powder and bullet are the basic components but you need a reloading press to put them together. The Rockchucker Master Reloading kit from RCBS is a perfect starter kit shown on this utube video. This kit is so good that you may never need another kit or press unless you shoot high volume say 100 rounds a week or more.  I used it for loads on all my African game animals and my sons African Game animals, a 900 pound Bison and 800 pound Moose and every deer except my very first deer at the age of 16. The satisfaction for me is ultra personal like building your own cedar arrows with feathers from the Turkey you harvested in a previous year. Done that! It is the same feeling with creating your very own Cartridge.

The rifle reloading process using RCBS? Go here.

You need the press first. You do not need the mechanical deburring gee whiz   mechanized stuff. I like the manual process with hand-held tools. There are many manuals besides the Speer manual, such as Nosler, Hornady, Sierra and more. Another utube video for .45 ACP pistol Go here.

I hope this is helpful to you. You can go my header at the beginning and click on Reloading and now click on a manufacturer such as RCBS for prices of equipment to get you started. I recommend both the Nosler or Hornady reloading manuals. The new Hornady manual is terrific. © 2013 Ed

American’s are in training today for survival and self-defense like never before. To defend yourself you need a firearm and equally important–you need ammunition!  A gun with no bullets is just a hunk of metal. A hunk of metal won’t get you far if there is a bad  guy wanting to hurt your family.  But many shooters blew it! We did not purchase enough and now the shelves are bare in virtually every store in the nation.  Enter the .22 LR pistol and rifle in a whole new light. If a .22 cartridge could talk, it would say; “Do you miss me now!”

The diminutive, underrated, .22 Long Rifle bullet is a giant in survival settings and has little recoil, my wife can shoot it, children can shoot it and it is great fun for small game hunting and for training and  can be used in a self-defense situation and survival. Most  importantly you can purchase a 500 round brick of 22 LR for around 20 dollars.  For just 40 bucks you can have enough ammo to last a year of family plinking or for survival and defense.  Some say the .22 is not a self defense round. It is certainly not ideal but recent manufacture over the past 15 years has produced significant potency of this seemingly small cartridge. I believe another look will have you adding more 22LR ammo to your gun safe –when it becomes available again. I do have plenty of .22 LR Ammo so my friends come knockin’ at my door. Got any .22 LR ammo? I hope the lesson is not lost…