lancetkenyon

I have seen them in nasal cavities before. I think both fly larva? They probably started migrating down into the trachea heading towards the remaining body heat?

Vias brakes are loud. Any brake is loud. What I do not like about Vias, like my old KDF, is the ports on the bottom kick up sand/dirt/rocks when shooting prone. Big time. But they work well.

With a lighter weight .300 WM, I don't know of any brakes that will: 1. Kill recoil enough to watch impact on target every time. Depend a lot of shooting position, form, target distance, etc. 2. Not ring your ears. Muzzle brakes are loud. There are some that are clamp on models that work OK, but are usually quite a bit bigger. They will change POI and barrel harmonics. Like the Witt Machine brand. www.wittmachine.net I like thread-on brakes that are threaded onto the barrel, and are tapered down to barrel dimensions in the back or turned to match barrel dimensions. Nothing to catch on scabbards or in a pack. I like brakes that have NO ports on the bottom. When shooting prone, they kick up dust/dirt/rocks in your face. I have/had a few different brakes. Badger Ordinance "Thruster" works great. On two rifles I currently have, a 6.5 SLR that kicks like my .223, and a .300RUM that kicks like my .25-06 Ackley. APA Micro Bastard is what I am putting on my current build. A lighter weight 7RM. Hope to keep it about 9-9.5# complete. I have shot a 7RM with one installed, and it was a huge difference than a similar rifle with no brake. KDF (has ports 360° Like a Vias) was on my old .300RUM barrel and a .270 WIN that I sold. Worked great except when shooting prone. They did not work quite as well as the Badger or APA, but made a noticeable difference. Read a very in depth report on muzzle brakes here. http://precisionrifleblog.com/2015/08/21/muzzle-brake-summary-of-field-test-results/ It gives reports and ratings for recoil reduction, increase in DB, etc. Be sure to check all of the different tests.

Level rifle in vice using Wheeler level on bolt slide rails inside action. Level Picatinny rail and leave small level in place on both action and Picatinny. Install bottom half of rings, torque to spec on base, and check level across top of half rings to verify level with Picatinny rail and rifle action. Install scope and top of rings and place level on top of elevation turret. Hang plumb bob out on back fence and align vertical crosshair of reticle and check against level on turret. Snug down scope caps using cross or "X" pattern (like lug nuts), only about 1/4 turn each until snug, then torque to spec in 1/8 turn increments in same pattern. Triple check all levels, reticle, and plumb bob through scope. Final check of torque on scope ring halves.

CJ sent me these to paint for his matching builds. Got them prepped and primed with 3 light coats of primer (2 coats in this photo) Here are the base coats started And the base coats completed (darker colors still wet)

I finally got out this weekend to do a ladder test to start actual load development. Even though the rifle was shooting a 210 HVLD @ 2956fps tremendously, I wanted a bit more speed (why build a RUM if you are not going to hot rod it, right?). I want to state that the difference in the Berger book and the Hodgdon book starting and max charge weight is 2-3 grains lighter in the Berger book. So I started just below middle charge weights for my work up. Conditions were as follows: 608 yards, 55°F, 27.07 baro, 2° uphill, light winds (2-5mph L to R from about 10:00), shooting due south. Set up a target at 608 yards, and dialed up my original starting/sighting in load w. a 210 HVLD @ 2956fps to 2.8MIL to make sure I was on paper. It hit a touch higher than I wanted (about 3" high of POA on center of target & 1.5" right, due to wind), so I noted a change in dial to 2.7MIL (approximately 2" @ 600 yards) and proceeded to shoot my ladder test on that target, marking the target after each shot. Wind calcs showed a drift of about 1.5" to 4.5", but I just held center of target, as I was not worried about drift for my ladder test. Across 12 shots of 1 round each with a change of charge weight of .5 grains between loads, I had a velocity change from 2960 to 3115fps. I had just a touch of sticky bolt lift on shot #12, but no signs on brass or primers that I noted, so I stopped there. Meaning shot #11 @ 3099 might be about max load for my rifle. Might be able to go up just a touch, maybe .2 grains, but that will be determined on my next round of testing of group size. Seems like my node of choice to continue load development on will be #9/10/11 charge weights, with a total group size of .679" @ 600 yards. Velocities were 3055/3076/3099 fps respectively. See group at top right of target, right at the white border edge (6" high, 3.25" right). Shots 1/2/3 have a vertical dispersion of about 1" as well (with moving the first shot down 1/10th of a mil: 2"). Shot #3 (3.25" left of center) I tried to dial .2 mil left and the wind lulled, so I just went back to zero on windage. Stupid me to try and outguess Mother Nature. 600 yard ladder test w. 210 HVLD. (note shot #1 and take off about 2" in elevation). Next was the 215 Hybrid ladder test. I started these out just a bit hotter (1.5 grains) than the mild HVLD starting load, as I already knew how light of a charge weight it was at my starting charge weight, yet still well under book max. I dialed down .1MIL from the HVLD hold to 2.6MIL to try and keep the shots in the black, hoping the change to an unknown bullet would not effect POI too much, and let the starting load rip. Winds were fluctuating from calm to slight breeze L to R, with an occasional change in direction by now. I was really trying to play the wind and feel the lulls for holds at first. Shots 1 through 4 have a vertical dispersion of about 1.25" @ 2975 to 3031fps. Shots 7/8/9/10 (top right again) have vertical dispersion of about 1.5" at velocities from 3070 to 3115fps. Not terrible, and gives me a good starting point to continue load development. I possibly had a touch of sticky bolt lift on shot 10, so I stopped there. No pressure signs noted on brass though. No flattened, extruded, crated or pierced primers, no soot ring around primer, no extractor marks or case head swipes, etc. Lastly, I broke out my 6.5 SLR to shoot a couple groups with various loads I have worked up. Four 3 shot groups @ 608 yards. Man I love this rifle. I hope the .300 RUM ends up this good. Group #1 is my light target load w. a 140 Berger HVLD @ 2815fps. 1.1" .183 MOA Group #2 is my hunting load w. a 140 Berger HVLD @ 2925fps. 1.5" .25 MOA Group #3 is a load of 142 SMKs using out of spec cases that did not make the cut when weight sorting brass @ 2910fps. 2.2" .366 MOA Group #4 is a 140 Hybrid at my hunting load charge weight @ 2931fps. 1.7" .283 MOA

My opinion. 10x42s on a GOOD shoulder harness so you don't have the weight hanging off your neck. You can glass from 10-12' to 1.5 miles with QUALITY 10s. I also keep a set of 15s in my pack at all times. But I might not grab the pack all the time either. A quick hike after a bunny or covey of quail, sneaking up to a tank to check for ducks, calling for coyotes, heading to a treestand, etc. finds my big pack in the back seat of the truck. But the 10s on a harness are on my chest 99% of the time. I think glassing experience trumps an additional 80' FOV @ 1000 yards for seeing more game. The additional magnification helps in picking out antler tips, an ear or tail flick, a patch of hair, etc. @ 1000+ yards too. It just takes an extra pass or four to cover a hillside with 10s over 8s. Any bino magnification range (8 to 15X) can pick out a deer or elk standing in the open out to 1.5 miles. It is finding them bedded, unmoving or behind brush that is needed more often. 10s help with the details. Also, a tripod, whether using 8x or 10x helps tremendously when glassing past a few hundred yards. Even a cheap $50 camera tripod is better than nothing. Bino shake negates seeing most minor movement of game at distance. How can you see an ear move if the whole earth appears to be moving? A rock steady bino lets you pick up very minor movement at long distance. No joke, I can see chipmunks and small birds moving at 1000+ easily when glassing off my tripod with my 10s. Even at a mile. Very eye catching seeing any sort of movement. Under 600-800 yards is preference. 8s or 10s don't make a big difference at the closer ranges. Under 100 yards, target acquisition experience helps with the 10x over the 8x a bit. I think 15s are WAY overkill for your only bino. Way too much for glassing under 500-800 unless you have seen it already and are taking a close look. But phenomenal for glassing from 1000 yards out to 2-3 miles.

Silence.

I don't smoke weed. Or drink. But I do have a thing for high horse power RWD....and 4WD vehicles. They take up a lot of my funds, so I cannot afford to smoke weed.

I wonder how many others thought, "Rear Wheel Drive Angus Beef Cow".......

He CJ.....I have the base coats done on both of your new .300RUM stocks.... It is funny, CJ is building a .300RUM and stepping up from 7RM, and I am building a 7RM and already have a .300RUM. Each round has their place and advantages.

I love this quote, "instantaneous incapacitation!"

Quick request. I need as many prayers as possible. My father-in-law for the last 29 years has been in the hospital since Monday and is not expected to pull through. I need comfort for the family and father-in-law, and strength for me, because I am the one who has to talk to him this afternoon to discuss quality of life, last wishes, medical wishes, etc. Not sure I can do it without losing it. Might be days, might be a week, might be a couple weeks, but he will never leave the hospital again.

I do. They cool very quickly.

So it would only take me 200 minutes to do a normal batch of 100 cases. Great example of "ya its possible" vs "practical use of time". Exactly. It CAN be done, but is in no way efficient. 3 1/2 hours or 15 minutes. You decide. Plus, my results are better and more consistent as evidenced in the photo.

A lot....

Sure. Super easy and fast. Maybe Saturday? I am shooting/hunting all day Sunday, weather permitting.

Deer and elk out to 1000, you should be looking at a 7mm or .308" caliber cartridge in my opinion. If I had to have ONE rifle to do it all and I did not reload, it would either be a .300WM or 7RM. Factory loads available EVERYWHERE, and lots of choices. You can get a lighter rifle for carrying in the mountains without punishing recoil. My other options would be .300RUM or 7RUM/7STW. More power, but at additional costs/recoil/less choices of factory loads.

www.stockystocks.com has their own line of composite stocks for $199. I don't know how good they are though. You can almost get a Bell & Carlson for $200 if you shop around. Usually $250 or so.

OK, my apologies to forepaw first and foremost. A candle can definitely anneal brass. But.....I burned the crap out of my fingers while trying with a .223, .25-06, 7mmRM and .300RUM case. It took about 30 seconds for the .223 to burn my fingers, with no annealing achieved. In a vice grip, I held it at the point of the flame for 1:00 with no color change visible. At 1:30, a very slight color change appeared on the neck (probably annealed at the neck only). At 2:00, neck and shoulder annealed. For a 7mmRM case: I could hold it for 55 seconds before it burned my fingers. No annealing visible. In a vice grip, @ 1:30, neck looks annealed. At 2:00, neck ad shoulder annealed like my torch does at 6 seconds. I only had one .300RUM case that was not annealed, so I had to use the same case for all the tests. I could hold it for 1:15 before I burned my fingers. No visible color change or annealing. At 2:00, neck and shoulder annealed to my liking. .25-06 burned my fingers at 50 seconds. No visible annealing. 1:30 showed signs of neck annealing. 2:00 shows neck/shoulders annealed like my others. So a candle CAN anneal brass. I still stand by my response that I cannot hold case with my fingers and get proper annealing. And the efficiency is not there at all. I can do a case in an average of 6 seconds, vs.2 minutes with a candle. Bottom to top: 0:30, 1:00, 1:30, 2:00, 2:30 Here are some 7RM cases. Top is 1:30 seconds over a candle. 3 on the bottom are 6 seconds in a MAPP gas torch.

Annealing a brass case is temperature AND time sensitive. I don't think I personally could hold a case long enough to get the neck to 900° before the base got to 480° and burned my fingers with an 1850° flame. Plus, it would take forever. Again, I have never heard of someone doing it before forepaw. Candle flame: 800-1000°C (1480-1850°F) dependent on oxygen, humidity, wax, etc. MAPP gas: 2925°C (5300°F) Propane gas: 1980°C (3600°F) While I have tried propane gas torches, it takes about double the time to get the necks annealed correctly, 9-14 seconds from my observations. That is a forced consistent temp flame @ 1980°C. The base gets WAY too hot to hold before the neck starts to glow or flame change. I only tried this a few times before I lost some fingerprints. I will go try it right now though. Keep up the discussion though. Good info, and I learn stuff every day.

I did, and feel like so less of a man now.......

Forepaw, forgive me for this response. Not trying to start an argument at all. Just a few clarifications. I do agree the shiny ring could very well be totally normal in most cases. My .25-06 Ackley and 6.5 SLR show this ring after resizing. Throw them in a vibratory cleaner/polisher and they all but disappear. I have never heard of a candle being used to "anneal" brass. Brass is not effected by heat less than 480°F. Most annealing starts out at 500°, and continues to 900°, or right when (or very slightly before) brass starts to turn orange or glow @ about 950°F. And since brass conducts heat VERY quickly, I would not recommend holding it in your fingers to anneal it. It must be heated uniformly around the neck, so it needs to be rotated or spun while being rapidly heated. I use a deep socket on a cordless drill to do this. It also acts as a heat sink, helping to draw heat from the case body before reaching the head. My annealing usually only lasts 4-7 seconds (depending on brass make) at the most with a MAP gas torch. Not long enough to conduct enough heat to the case head to reach 450°. I can usually pick them up within 60 seconds with my fingers as the heat dissipates very quickly as well. I also do my annealing in a dark room. Watch the flame, you will see a change of color in the flame from blue to orange behind the case right before the case neck starts to glow @ 950°F+/-. I anneal ever other firing myself. But I usually run hotter loads in my hunting rifles. But I would rather anneal too often than not often enough. Quickly cooing it in water does nothing to the annealing process. "Quenching" is used to harden steel. The only way to harden brass is by working it. Once the heat source is removed, brass releases heat very quickly, so no worry about the base getting annealed an softened if done properly and quickly with a high heat source to the neck of the case. One last comment. "Book max". Only your gun/cases can tell you what the max load is, not any publication or website, or friend who loads his own. It might be under book max (but I doubt it if you consider that manufacturers are notorious for have low pressures and charge weights to avoid potential lawsuits from morons who go right for a max load). And you will get conflicting information from various manufacturers anyway, with the same case/bullet/primer/powder combos. It might be several grains over book max as well. Seating depth of bullets, chamber dimensions, jump or jam to lands, bullet shape and bearing surface, lot variations in powder, primer flashes, neck tension, resizing techniques, brass prep....all make a difference in actual pressures. Seat a heavy bullet deep and it takes up usable case space, causing higher pressures with the same charge weight as seating a bullet out. But that I another topic of discussion.

Thanks everyone, for the prayers and condolences. It is with a heavy heart I say goodbye to a man who changed my life at the age of 16. Without this man, I would not have my wife and kids, the lights of my life. For the past 29 years I have known and loved this kind, generous, and funny man. We hunted together, fished together, laughed together, among many other great times. I thank God for giving us the last week together to say our goodbyes. It will be a while before the pain subsides, but seeing him in good spirits, and coming back to God over the last week, along with knowing he is in a better place with no more pain or sorrow helps ease the pain. We will meet again, and I know he will be up there watching over us, and laughing at all of the stupid stuff I do until it is my time to go meet him again. Just a quick mental picture of this man: 50% Uncle Sy from Duck Dynasty 25% Uncle Jed from the Beverly Hillbillies 25% Popeye 100% Elby "Bus" Robertson

Since a cartridge that is not a belted magnum spaces off the head, to maintain proper seating against the bolt face, you need to make sure you only set the shoulder back .001 or .002" back from your fired case length ato the shoulder. This lets it chamber easily, without seating too deep in the chamber, and stretching rearward towards the bolt face upon firing. Cases stretch a lot easier and safer to the front of the chamber rather than to the rear into the bolt face. When you push the shoulder back a bit too far, the brass stretches right where your ring indicates, and you will eventually have a case head separate from the body. It is a nuisance in the best case scenario with the body possibly getting stuck in the chamber, and dangerous in a worse case scenario, blowing hot gas back in your face.