SmallCaliberCentral

Warning - opinion ahead! I been splatting ground squirrels for forty years :shock: (OMG, forty four years actually). Took my home built .204 Ruger out yesterday for its maiden hunt. At the range it delivered .250" groups at 100 yards very consistently, with the 26 grain Barnes Varmint Grenade a...

My friend just called me yesterday to report he picked up two XR-100's languishing at the Sportsman's Warehouse in Bend, Oregon, a .204 Ruger and .223 Remington. They are built on the single shot 40-X action without the extra steps from the custom shop. They can still be found in some stockrooms. If...

Many years ago, when I was suffering from blast damage and concussion caused by IHMSA Silhouette shooting, I used a Contender pistol in .30-30. Loved the 130 grain Speer's and 150 grain Sierra's driven by H322 or H4895, Ball C2 also worked exceptionally, but the muzzle blast would raise the dead. Be...

Hey, don't sell the .204 Ruger short! Why my little home made screw together Savage action and Shilen barrel rifle finally started delivering good groups with the Barnes Varmint Grenade! :eek: Varmint Grenades - can you believe it? (dang lead-free area here in California.) Problem was I seated them ...

Yep, just about every powder results in carbon fouling - just the way burning gasoline or diesel oil builds up carbon deposits in engines. Get some Bore Tech C4 Carbon Remover and follow the directions. I clean for copper fouling then clean again with the C4, it's amazing how much it removes and how...

Yeah, and after you get the copper out, go after the carbon. I use Bore Tech's C4 Carbon Remover after cleaning for copper, and the brown/black gunk that comes out is quite surprising. During break-in a good bore lube such as Witches Brew Break-in Fluid from http://www.hollandsguns.com will reduce t...

I've been using the same RCBS Rockchucker since about 1973 - :D Keep the ram and frame free from fired primer residue, keep it lubricated, and they last a long time. I used an RCBS Jr press from 1964 to 1973 and it worked just as well, but the Rockchucker is better with my big hands. I also use the ...

Here's how a bump die is set up, a FL die can work the same. Take a fired unsized case and measure the shoulder to body junction with a dial caliper, then lock the caliper. FL size a case with the die the way it is now set up. See how far that locked caliper will slide down the sized case body. Set ...

I use Hornady and Winchester interchangeably with no adverse effects. Any normal published load within SAAMI specifications should be alright, but it is always a good idea to reduce a little when using maximum loads and work back up. If your rifle is finicky it may require an adjustment in the charg...

My experience is that uniforming primer pockets in new brass is the most productive operation one can perform. In my case, I chuck up a Sinclair uniformer in a hand drill and uniform away. Primer seating depth is critical to maximize accuracy, and primer pockets can vary +/- .006", some cases i...

Here is what I discovered this week: I've been working with the 26 grain Barnes Varmint Grenades in a .204 Ruger on a Savage PTA with a Shilen barrel. Thinking that the Barnes recommendation that VG's work best seated .020" off the lands that's where they were seated. RL 10x produced fair but i...

Bayou City Boy is correct. There are two Witches Brew products currently sold by Holland's Shooter's Supply; Witches Brew Break-in Fluid and Witches Brew Copper Remover. I have been using an older product Witches Brew Bore Lube, this may not be available now, or may just be repackaged. It isn't real...

...I am thinking about building my first rifle....... a .243 AI.....but I think I might be using a Savage Precision Action, that way I can do most of the smithing myself... =Dan All my new rifles will be built on Savage actions too! They allow swap barrels, setting your own (tight) headspace dimens...

Does this window cleaner contain ammonia? Yes, Windex does or did contain ammonia. Glass Plus does not and is clearly labeled as ammonia free. I learned this by cleaning my glasses with Windex, only to find it stripped anti-glare coating off the lenses due to the ammonia. My optician scolded me! I ...

What you are seeing is the variance between two modalities of measuring. This is quite common in laboratory and process controls. For example, a sonar flow meter that uses a Parshall or Palmer Bowlus flume for determining flow by depth (head) measurement will give a different measurement than an ult...