Go West

"Best" is problematic at "best."

Remington hulls, Claybuster wad, 7/8 shot and 13.4 gr. of Clays. Perfect Pattern can be slightly less and American Select is a nice powder. Cheddite primers are available, don't know of others currently.

I'd go 12 ga. and yes, most reload light.

Ouch! $1,200 bucks, oh my! It's about time, but dang, that cost!

Good luck on the hunt and trip down under. Best wishes on the surgery. We'll miss you.

My latest dry tumbling additions are paint thinner and Nufinish car polish. An hour or so works great and you don't need to dry, rinse or deprime. Corn cob and walnut media are used depending on my inclination.

SASS supports waivers for physical impairments. I can't wear cowboy boots anymore, but Ariat lace ups worked well for a few years. I may have to give up the Ariats since I use a foot brace now. Some of my best enjoyment has been using the cheapest guns I own. My leather was $150 I found at a gun shop nearly 20 years ago. Pietta pistols for $700/pair, $399 Stoeger and a $300 Rossi 92. You can get a nice straw hat from Sunbody that works well in the heat or just to save money.

Look up the MEC powder bushing chart to get an idea which bushings to start with. There are several out there, but the newest one will list Perfect Pattern and High Gun.

I started with a Lee Pro over 20 years ago and went to a Dillon 650 after experiencing too many issues with the Lee. A Dillon 550 base machine is a viable starter and can be upgraded as you can afford it. It isn't progressive, yet is popular with many folks. I like Lee carbide dies with their Factory Crimp Die. Don't be in a rush to buy something since money is a big concern for you.

As noted by GJ, use Remington hulls and problem solved. You could also switch to a 97 or an 87, but switching shells is cheaper.

If you didn't have fun, there is something wrong with you. Just sayin'.

Thank you Johnny Meadows and Too Tall Bob for the stages you set, they were awesome. Please do it again for next year. Congratulations for the winners, the most famous gunfight next to the Gunfight at the Ok Corral!

and they rattle folks enough to jack rounds out.

Excuse me. I used the #16 die bushing in a MEC Sizemaster press.

We're shooting PP this week using a 16 powder die in a MEC. It's about 13.7 gr. with a grey Claybuster wad, Remington hulls and 7/8 oz. shot. The crimp is straight with a bit of a depression in the crimp. Takes down knockdowns fine with low recoil. A smaller powder die is not consistent from the few shells I've reloaded. I've just tapped the keg, so this is my first efforts. I would welcome other input.

It's great to be back again at BT. I hope you all are having a good time shooting and enjoying yourselves.

BT is our favorite match and look forward to it every year. If you like taco salad, the Crystal Palace has a good one.

I don't recall seeing a pistol grip rifle in TV or movies or for that matter a straight trigger.

I find Remington hulls both black and green generally do not require sizing while AA's do. If using a double, I use a mop treated with G96. I'm interested in the taper crimp die by Uniquetek, but haven't purchased one yet.

Doesn't matter the category, the woman wins. Just sayin'.

I don't care so much about .38 brass, but it pained me to lose a bunch of new Starline .45 Colt brass recently. As noted, it does depend on the pickers. OTOH, I like others tend to track down shooters who lost the odd calibers since they tend to be spendy and scarce when they do appear later on.

A notecard thumb tacked to the shelf above my reloading bench. Notes written in reloading books. Highlighted loads in reloading books. A spreadsheet sounds like a good idea in theory........... maybe too much for what I do.

A lot to talk about here, but I'll start with a few. Lee manual and Lyman Cast Bullet manual. .38 Special for CAS: 125 gr. coated bullets, loaded to feed in your rifle. Powder: Bullseye, Titegroup, 231, Clays, others will work. You don't want full power loads for CAS, save those for other purposes. Winchester, CCI, Federal or Remington SPP will work. Check for sales. Ruger pistols, '73 rifle, Stoeger double or better if you can afford it. Quality leather. If you don't have guns, don't buy until you attend a match and ask around. Buying used can save you some money.

The DVD is very helpful as is Marauder's gun tips site. I would caution you about doing things without understanding why. The ejector spring is the primary cause of stiffness, not the hammer spring. Do not touch the locking bolts. There are several videos out there for dis and reassembly as well as instruction articles.

You watch a Western and count shots and look for penalties.