Crashbox

The M&P .40 would have been one of my first picks for an autoloader if the gun shop I frequent had them in stock when I was looking for a CC firearm. Maybe when my finances rebound I will consider the purchase of one again even though I'm a wheelgun man at heart... For what it's worth, the Washington State Patrol (WSP) recently switched to this exact model, apparently due to problems with parts availability from Heckler & Koch. I figure WSP knows their stuff; our agency works fairly closely with them so that may color my viewpoint...

It may be a bit more complex than tumbling but the insides of the cases and the primer pockets get cleaned in addition to the outside. Besides, the ultrasonic cleaner was something I had in stock. I've spent well over a grand on this new, extremely habit-forming hobby so far and a tumbler for me- at least for now- is something I can live without. As for allowing the solids in the solution to settle out, it may help but I believe that having too much gunk on the bottom of the cleaner would reduce its efficiency as it would tend to absorb the output from the transducer(s). Since mine does not have a drain spout (too small capacity to warrant one), keeping the solution just ain't worth it IMO; the cost of the Kafko Oil Eater is minimal to me.

Even though I began with a progressive, I can see a few advantages to a single-stage setup. I think they are superior to a progressive for producing dimensionally consistent ammo, a plus if you are out to achieve maximum accuracy. There are times I will use my progressive as a single-stage, mainly for working up new loads and other times when I don't want 100 rounds of a certain type. In fact, I am strongly considering a single-stage for this very reason. There are fewer things to break and otherwise go haywire on a single-stage as compared to a progressive, and much fewer items you have to simultaneously pay careful attention to. And the cost for a single-stage is less as you mention. There may be others as well but that's my take on it. I'm fairly new to this extremely addicting hobby so my viewpoint is likely affected by it. Just my pair of Lincoln coins, your mileage may vary.

I've used it almost exclusively for my .357 Magnum since I took up reloading a couple of months ago. It meters very well (after the first few charges thrown when you load the hopper) and the muzzle flash isn't bad, either (comparing to 2400). I found it is very clean-burning as well which would be a notable plus for an autoloader. About the only drawback is that charge weights are smallish, therefore you do need to keep a very close eye out for double-charging. If you can afford it I would buy a pound of it and try it out. Just my observation.

Okay, you got me on that one- I read too much into your statement. I apologize.

Found a good one, right on Ruger's website. The PDF of the Owner's Manual works great!

Ah, yes, the exploded diagram- thank you for the reminder. I had trouble finding a decent legible copy of it on-line but maybe I just need to look harder... Someone suggested taking the thing apart inside a clear plastic bag to minimize the possibility of losing one or more parts if/when the thing lets go... think I'll try it.

I just purchased a Wolff Spring Kit for my Ruger GP100 as the factory trigger has a pull of about 14 lbs., with all the feel of a garage door spring. Now it's a matter of figuring out how to disassemble the trigger assembly without jettisoning numerous parts. I've read through the GP100 Book of Knowledge on-line and it does give a very good written detail but no photos for this particular operation... Just wondering if anyone else here has had experience with the GP100's trigger assembly and the disassembly of same- any advice would be much appreciated, thanks in advance.

Well, I reckon it is time for an update on my usage of Kafko Oil Eater in my ultrasonic cleaner for cleaning my brass. I loaded about 60-75 cases at a time in the little half-gallon wonder's wire basket and ran them for about 25 minutes with a 3:64 solution at about 120 degrees Fahrenheit. The degree of cleaning- though not perfect- was very good indeed in my opinion. The cases were not glittery by any means but they were clean, especially on the outside. My first couple of batches were ran with spent primers in and the cleaning was not as good as when I decapped them first using my just-obtained Lee Universal Decapping Die. Decapping first made a notable difference, and the primer pockets got cleaned as well of course. I cleaned about 300-350 cases before the solution was excessively dirty. In sum, I am quite satisfied with the Kafko Oil Eater and its performance in this application. Costco used to sell gallons of it at about $9 a pop so it is economical (I bought a five-gallon pail a couple of years ago at the Costco Business Center for about $37.99 or so- I should be set for a while). As I mentioned earlier, it appears to be non-ammoniated which is a plus for this application; the MSDS says the two main goodies are sodium metasilicate and 2-butoxyethanol, aka butyl cellosolve and ethylene glycol monobutyl ether. Now to find an economical way to quickly dry the little buggers...

Buying a Hornady a mistake? Nah, I don't think so... just like anything mechanical, there's bound to be various issues here and there... I think that people have as fierce of loyalties to their reloading equipment brands as they do their automobiles! Such is life.

I wish everyone a very blessed 2010 as well.

It really IS addicting, Wayne. No doubt about it. I have yet to figure out what they put in that powder to make it so habit-forming, though!

...I'd just thought I would share some of my observations with using both Hodgdon TiteGroup and Alliant 2400 in my Ruger GP100 .357 Magnum, Your mileage may vary. I found that TiteGroup in general has low muzzle flash, burns cleanly (at least it does for me) and is economical to use for target practice; as they say, "a little goes a long way" and Hodgdon is correct. I may well continue to use 7.2 grains behind a 125 JHP for average practice because of its qualities. On the other hand, Alliant's 2400 in the .357 seems to be the most flexible powder to use. I tried 13.5 grains behind a 125 JHP and found it to be quite docile WRT recoil and flash whereas the 17.0-grain loads had more recoil and the muzzle flash was about as dim as a No. 3 flashbulb but still a lot of fun. I now understand why so many people like using 2400 in the .357 Magnum. For the record, I've been lighting these rounds with Federal Small Pistol Magnum primers. I think reloading is the most fun hobby I've taken up in many years!!!

What's a "Grammer Knottzy"? I've heard of a George Grammer who was an avid ham radio operator in the 1930's or so...

+0.99. I started with a progressive myself. I think there are some folks, however, who would be better off starting with a single-stage press; namely, people who are not mechanically inclined. My Lock-n-Load AP was out-of-time when I received it, as well as the primer shuttle needing some minor tweaking. I could see where someone who had trouble grasping the indexing concept used on the LNL AP would get highly frustrated and either damage their press or give up on reloading altogether because they bit off more than they could chew. There are several very important items that one must simultaneously and continually pay attention to when using a progressive, and because of this they may not be for everyone. However, I was determined to start with one. I read, read, and read some more on reloading and various types of presses. Then I read more and more until I figured out I could probably start with an LNL AP as long as I was willing to be patient and all-attentive to what was going on and what I was doing. I guess if there was one thing I could tell noobs to reloading such as myself I would say never, EVER be in a hurry to set up your press and reload because reloading is one hobby where impatience can get you killed. But now that I started with and use a progressive I ain't looking back, either except maybe to get a single-stage to use for depriming and other miscellaneous items where they can in fact be more convenient.

Alliant 2400: Hodgdon TiteGroup: Alliant Unique:

Thank you for the link! That's a great tune indeed.

Merry Christmas to all of the Practically Shooting family.

It's the only digital camera I've got- almost seven years old now... five megapixels and the lens is not really designed for macro use.

Crest also makes a model HG575 cleaner sold under a different name which would be great for handguns- they run about $625 +/- or so. I'm cerebrally designing a shell holder for my little half-gallon wonder this morning- think I've got it!

I have a Crest 175HT which is a mechanical-timer version but it is heated and industrial strength. It was the smallest one of that brand they made and I think it still is. I worked a lot of overtime in 2006 so I decided to buy one just for kicks; it was a great purchase IMO. I now wish I had a much larger cleaner. I've heard of folks using them for guns as well and it is probably an excellent application for ultrasonic cleaning. The only drawback is making sure the gun is lubed immediately after tanking it.

...anyone else use or try it? I've got a small half-gallon one I've had for about three years or so and I love it. Works fantastic on items that are otherwise very difficult to clean thoroughly. If you have one, I'm curious as to what cleaning solution you use in it. I'm trying Kafko Oil Eater at about a 1:25 dilution for my brass to see how it works. Nothing ammoniated in it as far as my nose and the MSDS can tell...

UPDATE: today I shot a dozen 6.8-grain rounds of TiteGroup/125gn JHP's and the primers come out looking identical to the 7.2-7.4 ones. I think I do not have an issue now. I was just too lazy I guess to start at 6.8 grains; I got the micrometer to meter 7.1 grains and I didn't bother to adjust it downward the FIRST time WHICH IS WHAT I WAS SUPPOSED TO DO!!! SHAME ON ME! One thing I must say about TiteGroup: I have found it to be VERY clean-burning compared to some of the factory stuff I've used.

I have never sold a gun nor do I ever intend to...!

Thank you for the advice, JSharp. I will try to remember to mic the factory cases I have and reload/re-mic to see. Yeah, primer appearance alteration is but one possible indicator; as I mentioned, the cases extracted quite smoothly, perhaps even more so than factory loads! I might add the recoil wasn't bad at all, either. The muzzle flash, however, was very bright.