The Swiss K31 Part 2
The intention was to shoot a few rounds of factory ammo to baseline accuracy, but that turned into a few boxes of factory ammo while I got a better feel for the rifle and thought about an approach to take with handloads. Recoil was light, accuracy was decent, cycling was […] [Read More]
The 17-357 RG - Real Guns Project Cartridge Part I
I was staring at a couple of 17 HMR and 357 SIG cartridges, while trying to scrape some recently fallen tuna and mayo off of my keyboard, when my brain merged the images of the two rounds into what looked like a miniature WSM. I opened RCBS.Load and QuickLOAD, working […] [Read More]
The AR 15 & AR 10 - The Case for Vacuous Beauties?
Every so often, I dredge up the idea of a project based on the AR 15 or the AR 10. The hardware appears to be more fun than any other firearm I can think of, accessories and performance pieces are numerous and owner installable to a great degree, and these […] [Read More]
How Many Internet Users Actually Own Guns?
I have not been able to determine if, just like country western performers, the politics and views of gun owners have changed dramatically, taking a giant step left. If various forms of Internet communication are a realistic indication, I would have to assume this is so, but I keep thinking […] [Read More]
Gauging Success - Minimum Headspace and Maximum COL
So a chamber reamer, a cartridge case, a sizing die and a barrel walk into a bar….. I know, you’ve probably heard this one before, but I thought I might tell it again for the folks who haven’t. If you’d like to optimize your handloads for your specific rifle, and […] [Read More]
Real Guns Email
If you haven’t noticed yet, a new rev of Spam Hippo has been installed on the Real Guns email servers. If you’ve registered to access closed portions of Real Guns, you received a Real Guns domain email account, including Spam Hippo protection against spam and viruses. The email service may be […] [Read More]
Goodwill Can Be So Hard To Find
I know we live in Maine because we now own a Chevy truck. Nothing fancy, no leather bucket seats or 20″ low profile tires on trick rims, just a Silverado 4×4 work truck with a larger engine, 4.10 locking rear and vinyl mat instead of carpets so we can just […] [Read More]
Hyper .45 ACP Loads and the .45 Thuper Revisited Part II
An update and interim article – I wanted to select bullets that would function properly in feed and ejection cycles and expand properly at elevated velocity. A week into the process I realized I had no way to make that determination prior to completing the project, so I did what […] [Read More]
The Last Shadow - America's Legacy
This morning my wife and I headed to the range. I needed to fire form some 17-357 RGI brass for a new die set I am having made, everything I had on hand had been loaded or at least had already been sized and wouldn’t reflect true chamber dimensions. I […] [Read More]
Hyper .45 ACP Loads and the .45 Thuper Revisited Part I
I like writing about higher than SAAMI pressure cartridge loads. The response always begins with knee jerk reactions, then immediately deteriorates into an emotional issue, rife with illogical arguments and lots of insults cast from afar. I don’t know why. It’s sort of like when people are ordinarily great drivers, […] [Read More]