Edward R S Canby, SASS#59971

Part 2: Nickel cases. I use nickel cases for my handgun loads when shooting APP or real black powder. I use plain brass cartridges for smokeless loads. This helps me keep my ammo sorted out. However, I do not use nickel-plated ammo in my rifles as it splits much sooner than unplated brass. Corrosion: APP is gentle on steel but will leave a dark brown tarnish on unwashed plain brass. Nickel-plating prevents this tarnish but will develop a light frosty surface if unwashed. APP Loading Instructions

I read the report. The first paragraph is a good summary: Responsive Management research indicates that the incentives with the highest likelihood of encouraging participation in the shooting sports focus on creating opportunities for hands-on, tangible experiences with the shooting sports. When introducing someone to shooting, it is important to provide a physical, tangible opportunity to experience the activity first-hand. Less active mechanisms of initiation to an activity, such as reading about the activity or watching others do the activity, are not nearly as effective at providing meaningful opportunities for persons to become involved in the shooting sports. Responsive Management research indicates that the most important reasons for participating in any of the shooting sports (other than hunting) typically include honing skills, having fun, and being with family and/or friends. A shooting club where I am a board member is doing a good job in this respect. We allow our ranges to be used by young shooters preparing for the Junior Olympics. Every year some are selected for the Junior Olympics. We partially fund their travel expenses. Our indoor .22 range is used by 4-H shooters and scouts to earn merit badges. Recently we made the indoor .22 range handicap-accessible so disabled veterans could compete under a Veterans Administration recreation program. One of our members runs the program for the VA. At a recent tournament our veterans brought home many of the top prizes. Finally, we restarted a .22 action activity loosely based on NSSF Rimfire. I run the activity. About a third of the shooters are youngsters brought by the families. My experienced adult shooters are proving good at reinforcing basic firearms safety and coaching youngsters how to engage target arrays efficiently. Our hope is some youngsters will continue in the shooting sports as they grow up. However, all get a positive shooting experience to help counter the anti-gun teaching they get in public schools. Sidebar: the scouts that have the most difficulty are those that spent endless hours playing shootem-up video games. We teach them how to shoot a rifle, but they revert to video gaming when shooting for their merit badge and have so many misses that they fail the course. The other scouts earn their merit badges. When they come back for another try next year we teach them fundamentals again. They put aside their video game methods and earn their merit badge. They discover that shooting a rifle is quite different than manipulating a game-controller.

I reload black powder shotgun shells because they are unavailable to me otherwise. My low-recoil loads cost me $6 less a box than new AA low noise, low recoil shells. I reload them for that cost saving and because the low noise, low recoil shells are not always available. Loading for shooting clays only saves me ~$1/box. I buy promo ammo but am glad I have components on hand for the times when shotgun shells disappear from retailer's shelves. I load some shells for clays just to use up old stock reloading supplies.

I too remove primers in a press using a universal decapping die. Besides eye and ear protection I remove any powder on or near the press.

Perhaps an established reloading company like RCBS or Dillon Precision could buy Magma Engineering and incorporate its products into its business.

Note that a 7x57 Mauser cartridge is rimless and therefore not legal for SASS long range matches.

First thing to consider is whether they are chambered in a legal caliber.

You can often pick up once-fired Gun Club hulls at clays ranges for free. At CAS matches some shooters who do not reload might hand you once-fired AA hulls. Once-fired STS and Nitro hulls can be bought on online auction sites. Cabelas and Sportsmans Warehouse often have shot and wads. Wads are light and can be ordered online. Hodgdon's Perfect Pattern and Alliant's Extra-Lite are two powders particularly suited for light loads though other fast-burning powder will work. Check Alliant's and Hodgdon's online reloading sites for 3/4 oz and 7/8 or loads. I load 7/8 oz of shot with the minimum amount of Extra-Lite recommended. Some load a grain or two less of powder. Just look for loads using Cheddite primers for they are the most available currently. I'll be shooting Shootin Foxes shot at EOT in a few weeks. It knock plates down just fine.

OP: good choice of bullets. My caster is dropping plain cast bullets from his inventory because he sells five times more coated bullets than plain cast bullets. I'm loading Alliant Sport Pistol under Hi-Tek bullets. Sport Pistol is specifically designed for Hi-Tek coated bullets. However, the other powders mentioned in this thread will give you satisfactory CAS ammo. Distributors are telling us that gunpowder will be scarce this year. You will be able to sell the CFE if you choose.

Grafs still has 1-lb bottles of Unique in stock with a purchase limit of ten bottles.

It is easier to learn how to shoot a self-cocking SxS fast than an external hammer SxS where you must cock the hammers manually. I have both kinds of SxS shotguns and shoot the ones that self-cock the fastest. I shoot my external hammer shotgun in Plainsman side matches where style is more important to me than speed. Regarding the availability of parts, I defer to our gunsmiths.

I have sold small quantities of powder, shot and primers to leaders (club officers and match directors) whom I wanted to keep shooting. This was only for supplies that were entirely unavailable otherwise at the time. When available locally or online I point them to retail sources. Most recently I sold a 25-lb bag of shot to our webmaster who lives in a remote community and was having trouble replenishing his supply.

Tightgroup is #17 on your chart. I've used Bullseye (a dirty powder) and currently load Sport Pistol (a newer, cleaner powder). A local shooter loads Clay Dot. Clays was the local favorite until it became unavailable. A commercial loader of CAS ammo used Red Dot. I load Extra-Lite for low recoil shotgun shells and Perfect Pattern is being loaded locally for these shells too. Here is Alliant's load data for Sport Pistol: You can contact the distributor (Hodgdon or Alliant) for load data for 105 grain bullets.

Stateside French-made Cheddite shotgun primers are available but no other shotgun primers are easy to buy. I'm loading BP shotgun shells this week with Cheddites for EOT. I appreciate that the French are still serving handloaders. Our manufacturers have abandoned us.

Some of the larger merchants have free HAZMAT and/or free shipping deals that last a day or two. Keep checking and you might get a deal. I bought my last batch from Nachezss.com.

These dies work well on a five-station progressive press. Some use them on a four-station press by seating and crimping on the final station. Loading is not terribly complicated, but there are consequences for errors. Two shooters at a match today had squib loads. They both finished at the bottom of the match. Alert TOs promptly stopped them and there were no injured shooters or damaged guns. Regarding powder for light shotgun loads: I prefer Alliant Extra-Lite. However, many faster burning shotgun powders work well too. Perfect Pattern is gaining favor with local shooters. I have no favorites for revolver loads, so many work well. I shot American Select today just because I have some. I load more black powder than anything else but those are not light loads. Reloading powders are available now but not everyone can buy their favorites. Load with what you can buy that will meet your needs. Trail Boss and Clays have not been available for months. Alliant warned reloaders that their powders would be scarce this year. Hodgdon and Shooters World powders may be the only choices for many months.

Use a powder Lock-out die like the RCBS model pictured. We all make mistakes. The lock-out die prevents both double- charges and squib loads.

I bought some RWS caps from Powder Valley a few months ago. They are currently out-of-stock. I have not tried the caps yet.

MidwayUSA.com shows 1-lb bottles of Super Handicap in stock. I use it for some 12-gauge loads. It meters well, is dense and burns clean. Many vendors have Cheddite 209s in stock including MidwayUSA.com. Cheddite 209s are the only shotgun primers widely available now so you should focus on loads that use them. Buy a case gauge for your reloads and gauge them before using them in a CAS match. Some may be oversize and best used for practice sessions. BTW, shot is frequently unavailable in local sporting goods stores. Stock up when you see some.

Alliant stated in writing that all their powders would be in short supply this year. If you can buy Unique today I'd buy some. (I already did.)

I load about half of what I shoot and buy mostly promo target loads (Federal, Winchester and Gun Clubs) for the other half. Tomorrow I'll be shooting Remington Clay & Field loads because I need the hulls for black powder rounds for EOT. A lady shooter that shoots with me buys Nobel target loads in bulk in Phoenix and shoots them. When I get good enough for registered matches I'll buy better ammo.

From a recent Bang and Clang e-mail: This caster is a sponsor of major SASS matches in the Southwest.

I crossed paths with Reb many times at major matches in the Southwest. Even though I'm not from his home state he remembered my alias and always greeted me by name. I always thought of him as a big man with an even bigger heart. He shot faster than most men half his age. He will be remembered.

This thread and the one about Wayne LaPierre's shrinking brain will last until snow cover retreats to the Canadian border.

Longhunter stated the following on January 12th on another thread: "I stopped selling and working on shotguns, black powder revolvers and 1911's as of last April."