The Creedmoor Forum

Back in the day, the pro move was to buy the 8" Mitutoyo digital calipers with carbide tipped jaws.  There were not too many alternatives in the late 90s, all were expensive and you cried if you dropped them.

Now there are lots of alternatives and cheap digital is cheaper than a cheap dial caliper.

Of course the genuine Mitutoyo calipers are very nice but expensive.

Several years ago I bought a set of two "partners in precision" digital calipers from MSC.  Those were actually quite nice.  They worked straight out of the box, they were pretty repeatable to 0.001" although they read to 0.0005".  At the time, pretty hard to beat.

My last set got borrowed and not returned so needing calipers for a Hornady bullet comparator and headspace gauge, I went to Harbor Freight to buy a cheapo.  I went for the 8" because 6" is great untill you need to measure something 7" and with the accessory jaws I figured 8" was a little cheap insurance.

It was a bad move, I should have checked them more thouroughly before buying.  They were dirty, had sharp raised burrs on the corners, the movement was very rough and the measurements seem to be barely ±0.002".

After a little deburring I shouldn't have to do, flushing out a lot of dirt with gun oil and working them open and closed to wear them in a bit, they went from awful to mediocre.  Measurement did improve, probably ±0.001" now.

I knew that there are cheap digital calipers out there that don't suck, like my old missing MSC calipers so I looked on YouTube to see what other people are having luck with.

I saw one video that looked nice, a cheap set with a large digit display, IP54, a battery cover that doesn't look like it will come loose and get lost easily and even a port for connecting to a computer.  The video showed smooth movement, the 0.0005" mark wasn't bouncing around like crazy and the price was right.

While I couldn't find the exact brand on Amazon, I did find identical looking calipers from Clockwise and lots of good reviews.  I ordered and waited.

I got them last night and they blow away the Harbor Freight calipers.  They are easily better than my MSC calipers (which were fine) and they even have IP54 which might be better than those late 90s Mitutoyo calipers.

Until I see some difference, I think they might be all around nicer than the Mitutoyos.  The good thing about Mitutoyo is that they worked and they felt like a precision tool.  The Clockwise matches the feel and has a large display, fraction mode, data port on the low cost model, etc.  If they keep working, they are better.  Oh, I can zero the calipers and then open-close several times and it always closes at 0.0000" (0.0005" resolution), it holds zero better than any Mitutoyo I've tried.

I bought the 6" model to try, thinking I'll keep the HF 8" calipers for those 7" measurements but I'm regretting that a little, the 8" Clockwise was about 60% more expensive than the 6" but if it is as nice it is definitely worth the price.

If I could go back and buy both Clockwise I would be happier with the purchase but the HF calipers did give me some valuable education.

For a reloading tool, the Clockwise calipers seem like a very good choice.

The Harbor Freight is a very poor choice if they are all as bad as the set I got.

Mitutoyo is still nice and if you need something with more features like legitimate coolant proof construction or carbide jaws, they are a very professional choice but you pay for it.

A friend of mine got an A&D scale so I bought an Auto-trickler to complete the setup.

I will probably set it up this weekend.

After reading the manual and watching videos, I was not too pleased with the way the target weight is set.  It just seems like a hassle to set it every time so I started to think about how I could create nice precision standards for load recipe charge weights.

At first I was looking for tiny glass jars with screw tops but they are expensive and breakable.

Eventually I settled on micro-centrifuge tubes.  They are plastic, cheap, have attached snap closed lids and you can get little boxes for racking up saved recipes.

For weight I got a tin of Gammo .177" lead balls.  They weigh about 8 grains each and should be fairly consistent, making it easy to get close and then add sand or another innert powder to get up to weight.

I have a label maker that can print on heat shrink tube so I can make ~permanent labels and I might steal some construction paper from my niece to hole punch and insert in the tube for color coding common loads.

Hopefully this will take some of the human element out of my reloading so I can reserve my concentration for not screwing up.

I just spent $1,000+ on a pretty nice scope which I'm going to put on a pretty nice rifle but I have this AR upper that I want to put a good scope on and I would like the controls to be similar so I can practice dialing, holds, ranging, etc.

My budget is hopefully under $400.

I think Athlon has one that's kind of like a Falcon.

I want good enough glass.  I want fairly positive clicks.  Zero stop would be nice but not required.

I could get a Bushnell LRHSi for $750 but that's more than I want to spend.

The Nikon Black FX1000 sounds ok but a bit expensive and Philippino.

Then there are the Falcon/Athlon.

Is there anything else I should look at?

I've been looking at PRS style gear, not that I'm thinking of competing, just to see if any of the ways they enhance their capabilities can be something I use.

One thing I see a lot are tripod setups, generally with some sort of ball head and an Arca Swiss rail clamp or some type of clamping saddle.

They allow you to position the gun and then wait for a shot.

They do that but I see a few issues.   The ball heads are invariably mounted below the CG of the rifle so the weight of the rifle is always trying to flop over in some direction.  The fix people seem to use is buying a massive ball head for big $$$.  They also mount under the barrel of the rifle which kind of kills the possibility of having a smooth bottom forend on your stock.

Instead of buying a big $$$ ball head and tripod, I want to use a Bogen tripod I already own (Craigslist find) and then add a gimbal mount like one of these:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IGOSBOE/ref=sspa_mw_detail_0?psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MTUXX3W/ref=sspa_mw_detail_4?psc=1&th=1

I bought the first one, didn't see the second until today.  They seem similar, all of these cheap gimbals are copies of copies of copies of Wimberly gimbal mounts.

These two seem special because they seem to have less offset in the gimbal arm.  Probably bad for a camera but a rifle is narrower so hopefully it just makes the whole thing more compact and with less cantilever.

One thing I want to do when this comes is mount the Arca rail on the side of my chassis (when it comes) so that the bottom of the forend stays clear and modify the rail clamp on the gimbal to mount on the side but maintain the elevation adjustment.

Changing that "L" section to an "I" should make it a bit more ridgid also.

What I'm going for is a neutral balance mount where I'm not going to have to clamp it tightly to prevent movement and also a constrained mount that won't allow the gun to kant after the tripod is properly levelled.

I plan to use my Bogen Manfrotto 2011 tripod with the gimbal head.

I might shorten and adapt a set of legs from a (slightly broken) 2001 to lighten the load and make it more compact (at the expense of reducing my Max height).

Any thoughts or suggestions appreciated.

I'll update once I've got my gimbal and chassis in hand.

I was looking at YouTube and saw a review of a Tract Optics Toric 30mm 4-20x50 FFP MRAD scope.

It has a multi-turn zero stop and turrets similar to the Weaver Super Slam (and my Nitrex TR2).  The turrets can not rotate unless the cap is pulled out.  Once you've dialed to where you need to be, pop the caps back down and the setting will remain the same unless the cap gets pulled out and twisted.

I really like the turrets on my Nitrex TR2 so the Toric 30mm intrigues me if only for the turrets and zero stop.  I used their website chat and asked if their multi-turn zero stop is what it sounds like, they said it does not limit the adjustment to one turn beyond the zero point.  Sounds great to me.

Now for the meat and potatoes, it's Japanese made but uses Schott high transmission glass and an ED lens.  The reviews I have seen say that the scopes track nearly perfectly.  It's FFP which I've never had.  The reticle is illuminated but it seems to be a fairly plain cross hair with various MRAD hashes for range estimation, no Christmas tree.

I've been thinking about getting a really nice scope for my Nucleus action but this one has a ton of features with a less than $1,200 asking price.  It's making me want to take a chance on it in ways that an Athlon Chronus and Vortex Razor HD do not.

Back to the reticle, this will be only my second Mil-Mil scope and I haven't used my first yet.

I want to learn how to range with Mils and how to figure wind hold off.

While I'm not going to wind up on the PRS circuit, I'm a bit intrigued by the Christmas tree reticles.

Memorization is not my strong suit unless I'm using the info very frequently (as in much more often than I shoot).  Is a Christmas tree reticles easy enough to learn and remember if you only shoot farther than 100 yards two or three times a year?

A Christmas tree reticle is not an option with the Tract scope.  I just want to make sure I don't need to hold out for one.

I've heard lots of good things about the Calvin Elite but I also heard great things about Triggertech and Bix & Andy.

I haven't run in to a trigger that was too light for me to get used to yet but I don't have much experience under 2lbs or so.

I like consistent with a clean break.  Not a huge fan of excessive pre-travel or creep.

I think I want to get an Anschutz Sensive trigger shoe to give it some bling and make it even more adjustable.  I think the Timney red trigger shoes are kind of ugly.

My use will be a 1,000 yard+ range toy mostly, it will be kept relatively clean and lubed.  I don't think I'll freeze it in a block of ice but it might have to deal with some fine dust.

Let me know if there is any reason why it's not a good pick or if there is a better alternative.

Thanks.

I was just thinking about what it would take to shoot a mile.

My short list was more B.C. and more MV.

I've shot a .338 Lapua Magnum and a .50 BMG and I'm pretty sure I don't want to go that big so I looked at 180 grain 7mm bullets and what kind of chambering to go for.

I started looking at 7mm .300WM wildcats but they use lots of powder and I don't think that is good for barrel life.

Then I read about straight .284 winning some F class competitions and I like it's combo of modest case capacity, good velocity and good barrel life.

I also read about 7mm Shehane which is a .284 wildcat but should be easy to fire form or use a hydraulic forming die.  It should be even better.

Then, the bad news, I went to run the numbers in JBM ballistics and it looks like I need around 3,150 fps at the muzzle to stay supersonic at the mile.  That puts me right back to magnums or at the very least a 7mm SAUM (loaded pretty hot).

So are the big cases the way to go or can I get past the trans-sonic region by listening to my Kestrel (after I upgrade to Elite)?

7mm Shehane sounds really nice and fits in a short action but it sounds like 3050 fps is about Max and 2,950 is probably closer to where I would want to be.  At 2,950 it should go subsonic at around 1,600 yards.  3050 only gets around 1,700 yards...

I probably haven't been looking in the right place but I can't figure out how they work.

The reason why I ask is because I'm thinking about trying to put a New Ultra Lite Arms two position, three function safety on a Remington 700 clone action (American Rifle Company Nucleus).

It's a weird combination but I'm a little concerned about the safety issues Remington had and I don't want to have the bolt opening on safe issue someone here had with a Ruger American carried afield.

The feature I like about the New Ultra Lite Arms two position three function safety is that it is supposed to lock the bolt on safe but allow the bolt to be unlocked on safe by pushing further back on the safety lever.  That would allow me to unload the rifle in a safe manner by dropping the magazine and then unlocking the bolt to eject the chambered cartridge, nice and quick without ever disengaging the safety.

It claims to be compatible with Timney triggers but I don't know how to tell if that translates on the Nucleus action.  Also, I was looking at Bix 'n Andy triggers and their safety looks an awful lot like the Timney so I wonder if it's an option and I can have their really nice trigger with the functionality I want.

I'm not sure if this is true but I've heard that some newer Remington 700s don't lock the bolt on safe and I don't know what to look at to tell the difference so looking at the Nucleus I have no idea.

If this is too complicated to explain, I would appreciate it if someone familiar with the way the safety works could take a look to tell me if it looks like it would work, maybe or no way.

Thanks for the help, I'm going to look and see if Kuhnhausen made a book on the 700...

I was adding up weights to estimate how heavy my ARC Nucleus rifle should weigh and it's not looking great.

The action is 2.1 lbs (short action), the chassis is 2.9 lbs (KRG Bravo) and a really nice scope is going to be around 2 lbs, with probably another half pound for a muzzle brake, trigger and rings.

That's 7.5 lbs before the barrel.

PVA says their 26" Medium Palma barrel weighs 4.5 lbs to make an 12lb total.

Proof Research says their 28" carbon wrapped barrel weighs about 3.1 bringing the total to about 10.6 lbs.

Add a magazine and it's going to be heavy or heavier.

I do my shooting at a range but I would like to keep it portable enough that I could carry it in to the field without too much trouble.

I can't think of any place to take weight out of the rifle except for the barrel.  Maybe some day ARC will make a light weight Nucleus with lots of pockets milled out for weight reduction but that's not going to be my action.

So, what is the chance that I could get a barrel from Proof that shoots as well as a PVA Rock Creek?

Would a carbon wrapped barrel get shot out faster or slower than a traditional steel barrel?

If I can catch a sale when I buy, the Proof Research barrel would only be about $100 more expensive than a PVA barrel which is cheap for a 1.4 lb savings but I need to decide now if I want to look for a sale.

So far, I've heard very good things about the PVA Rock Creek barrels and  I've heard good things about Proof but not as universally.

I would hate to have a 10.6 lb rifle that doesn't shoot...

I just put down a deposit on a Remington 700 footprint action.  I know it will fit in a KRG Bravo because that combo is being offered as a complete rifle.

What I don't know is if there are any other similarly priced stock/chassis options I should look at?

The KRG has a great price point, $350 including the butt with adjustable LOP and comb.  It also has an aluminum receiver block so it shouldn't need bedding and it takes AICS mags.

When I look at the cheapest chassis like the MDT LSS, they are more expensive and lack the butt stock and pistol grip so you need to add another $100 or more on top of the base price.

There are less expensive stocks out there but they usually need expensive detachable magazine bottom metal to match the KRG Bravo feature set.

I guess the Magpul Hunter is an option but I think it looks kind of fugly.  I've heard of some people inletting Magpul bottom metal in to some less expensive composite stocks (Stocky's LRC) but I'm not convinced I would line up the bottom metal exactly right on the first shot.

Is there something I should look at or is the KRG Bravo in a class of it's own?

I want to develop my reloading technique.  I've done a little .45 acp a long time ago and I've kind of maybe helped my friend do a little .50BMG.  I have a background in fabrication so I think I have a bit better understanding of the techniques and feel needed for precision metal forming than a true beginner.

My plan is to start working on .223 using budget components and budget reloading gear but spending a little time and money in places that will give me the best improvement.

I have bought the Lee Ultimate die set, a Lee universal decapper die, Lee bench primer, both flavors of Lee case length trimmer, primer hole uniformer and a Hornady automatic powder dispenser and a bunch of Hornady 55 grain SP CANN bullets.

I already had a RCBS press, an RCBS 505 scale, CCI #41 primers and a pound of H355.

My plan is:

Start with once fired brass.

Decap with Lee die.

Clean either by ultrasonic which I have or buy a tumbler.

Anneal cases on my friend's Giraud machine.

Lube cases and inside necks.

Full length resize.

Trim to length.

Clean again to remove lube.

Prime with Lee bench primer.

Charge with powder thrown by Hornady automatic powder dispenser.

Seat bullet half way with Lee seating die.

Rotate case 90° and complete bullet seating.

Crimp lightly with Lee factory crimp die.

I think that should do it. The anneal might need to be moved up in that order.  Let me know if I'm missing anything.

I think I might try making a custom seater that bears mostly on the ogive of the bullet.  If my neck tension is off, I may try fooling with the expander size.

I have a little ultrasonic cleaner that I got for free but I've never tried it.  I knew a guy that did stainless media tumbling in a cement mixer, thousands of pieces of brass at a time.  Does anyone know of a cheap way to do small batch tumbling?  I've heard that the Harbor Freight rock tumbler works but can break down quickly.

When I step up to 6.5 Creedmoor reloading, I'll probably try neck turning, maybe more expensive dies but I want to keep it simple, going for consistency and custom tailored for my gun, not full bench rest reloading technique.

I have been using a Tipton cleaning rod since I built my 6.5 Creedmoor LR308 pattern rifle.

As my first really accurate gun I wanted to clean it right so I got a bore guide and decided that a coated rod was better than stainless steel and carbon fiber was best of all so I got a Tipton rod which was fairly economical and has worked very well.

As many of you should know, with a 24" barrel and a pretty long bore guide as well, a .22 cal cleaning rod long enough to do the job can bend a whole lot when you're starting a patch in your bore.

Even so my Tipton rod worked very well, never took a permanent bend and by that measure it was a great value.

However, I've wanted a Tipton Max Force cleaning rod ever since I've seen them and a couple months ago when it was on sale and I had a discount coupon I bought it.

Short story, everything good about my old Tipton is good about the Max Force rod and I really like the movable handle feature because it makes starting a patch very easy with essentially zero bend in the rod.

But I'm always looking for better and I figured out how to get it.

A cleaning rod stop is a nice thing because it keeps your jags and brushes from going entirely out of the muzzle and then causing wear when they get pulled back in (before they center in the bore).

Adding a stop to a Max Force rod in the traditional way is silly because it negates the moving handle function of the rod.  My solution is to put it behind the handle so it only changes the maximum length of the rod, not the minimum.

I sent an email to Tipton asking if removing the rod from the handle would let bearings or springs go flying but they are on a holiday break so instead of chancing it, I made my own way of adding a stop to my cleaning rod.

Since I have two rods, both with 8-32 female threads on the end, I got a 1/2" 8-32 set screw from the hardware store (I would have bought 3/4" but they were out), then I screwed it about half way in to the Max Force rod and then I screwed the other rod on to the threads sticking out.  Once they were butted up (finger tight) I slid the Max Force handle on to the other rod, unscrewed the Max Force rod, installed the rod stop, screwed the Max Force rod back on (finger tight), moved the Max Force handle back on to the Max Force rod, unscrewed the rods, took out the set screw and I'm done.

There were no flying springs or dropped ball bearings, the operation was a success.

Now the best cleaning rod I have ever owned is better and I don't even have to tighten the rod stop too much because it is never resisting the force put on the rod.

There might be better 6.5mm specific cleaning rods that can be made the perfect length for any rifle but mine should clean all of my rifles (minus .177 pellet guns) and not bend, I don't think it gets better than that.

The price looks good, better to buy 5x1,000 than 5,000...

I think I am going to do most of my reloading in my kitchen but I can't really mount a press on the counter top.

Since it can't be permanent, I want to build a little tripod base reloading bench for my RCBS RS press with a spot to hold a reloading block and other essentials needed to throw charges and seat bullets in the field (or my kitchen).

I plan to try to do all my brass prep at home so there is no need to make everything portable.

So far I know it needs to be reasonably strong and I should be able to stand on the base so pulling the lever doesn't make it tip over.

If you were at the shooting range with an automatic powder dispenser, press, dies, bullets, powder, primed brass, comparator and a loading block, what else would you need and how would you try to arrange it?

If I am only seating, a short lever might be nice to reduce the swing.  If any one has done that, what height is comfortable?

I'll try to incorporate any feedback in my design and if you have seen something that looks like what I need, let me know.

Thanks.

I can get one for about $135.

I have an RCBS/Ohaus 505 something beam scale but with California's stupid new ammo law, I need to start reloading in earnest.

I imagine an auto trickling scale would speed things up.

It is said to throw charges with 0.1 grain accuracy which I think is enough for my purposes.  I think that should be enough for better than factory ammo and if I ever decide I need ±0.02 grain I can throw short and trickle the last tenth or so.

Looking at reviews it sounds like set up might be a bit fiddly to ensure it doesn't throw heavy but most people seem to say it is pretty reliable.

For the price it sounds like it will do what I expect.

I would love to hear any supporting or conflicting experiences.

If I get it I think my first job will be .223 Hornady 55 grain soft point flat base bullets over W748 or CFE223.  They seem to be made in the same plant and share the same MSDS and some people speculate that they are the same powder.

From posts I have read on the internet that can make a nice sub-MOA 400 yard varmint ammo in an 18" Remington R15.  I just happen to have an 18" R15 barrel for my latest AR15 project so hopefully I'll get similar results.

The bullets are cheap and the small case doesn't take much powder so cost to shoot should be less than $0.20 a round plus brass and prep time.

When I get consistent (and good) at making the cheap stuff I'll pull out my jug of H4350 and Federal 210M primers to start reloading 6.5 Creedmoor.

How is the glass?

I'm looking for good resolution and hopefully decent light transmission.

The weight seems pretty reasonable in the 3-9x40 and 4.5-14x42.

My alternatives are Mueller or something else in the $200± range.

So Black Friday has arrived and I always look for a bargain.

I started looking at AR15s when JSE had fluted 18" Remington AR barrels for $50.  They are a bit oddball because they have a .223 chamber instead of Wylde or 5.56.  I missed that deal but I got one of the threaded muzzle versions with gas block for $75.

I added a $75 Delton BCG and an $8.50 mid length gas tube also from JSE.

For the upper I got the Aero Precision blem upper with blem ambidextrous charging handle for $99.

For the free float hand guard I got ambitious and ordered a discontinued 14.5" POF p415 handguard.  After the Cyber week 20% discount it was $51.99.  I called them up and ordered a P415 barrel nut to go with it for $20.

I expect a fluted barrel will be a bit better than bottom of the barrel when it comes to accuracy.  I want to do a really good job breaking it in to get the bore super smooth and easy to clean.  The upper is nothing too special but it has a fancy charging handle.  The rail is sexy and cheap but it is supposed to mate to a specific POF upper.

I think I can make a little steel piece to adapt my Aero upper to fit the POF rail, then add some helicoils in to the upper's rail, bolt it together and violà: poor man's POF 415 upper.

For more detail, the POF 415 seems to be a M4 style upper but without the slots cut in the pickatinny rail and an aluminum rib on top of that.  The handguard is reminiscent of an old Vltor which is like a really long rail riser with a tube under it to cover up the barrel but the POF version also clamps on to an extra long aluminum barrel nut for extra strength.

What I'm going to do is mill up a steel strip that I will bolt to the top of the upper (with helicoils) and it will act as a nut plate for the handguard fasteners.  I'll incorporate a recoil lug to keep things stable and might glass bed it to the upper to eliminate any slop so it can't wiggle loose.

I'm not terribly worried about a lack of strength, it should still be as strong as any M4 upper with a barrel nut mounted free float handguard and then some.

It should be a neat project but the handguard probably shouldn't be attempted by someone without a milling machine.  If that wasn't true, POF wouldn't be selling handguards for $72-$85.

I'll post update pics.

I've got a crazy idea of trying to install scope rings at the range as a side business.

Looking at light weight rings myself, the best are expensive and I imagine a lot of people don't want to mess with lapping and bore sighting.

Since I've got time and I like a project, I bought a few sets of cheap Chinese aluminum scope rings and a 6-40 helical thread repair kit.

The rings were B Square Sport Utility, NC Star VISM Hunter and VISM Tactical, all in 30mm low (for my rifle).

The B Square have the worst fit and finish by a large margin, the tops don't seem to sit straight on the bases and with quality control like that, I wouldn't want to waste helicoils on them.

The VISM Tactical looks OK but the machining is what I would expect for the price and the 1" ring adapters were jammed in, I was really affraid that I would gouge in to the rings trying to get them out.

The VISM Hunter rings were the best of the lot, nice clean machining, the ring adapters were not stuck on at all and they are lighter than the Tactical rings.

I know a lot of people who prefer steel rings.  I understand it, they feel secure and they don't strip out their threads.  That's nice but scope tubes are almost always aluminum and often the rails are too.  You don't need steel for strength and lapping steel rings is a pain in the butt.

Aluminum should be OK except the threads are a question and cheap Chinese rings are mystery metal, they often will only claim "light weight alloy" and that's especially worrying for the threads.  For the rest of the ring, mystery metal isn't a huge deal unless it's some really sleazy pot metal.

I think NC Star is using their VISM brand like Leapers is using UTG, trying to improve their image with value and enough quality to be a decent alternative to good US made brands.

So what happens when I take the best of the cheap light weight scope rings and install helicoils with new cap screws?

I think I will be removing the one question remaining about their durability.

For those who do not know, helical thread repair is a well proven technology that works great in aluminum.  You essentially get the strength of a larger fastener and you eliminate the thread wear that aluminum suffers when you screw and unscrew a bolt in it.

My idea is to potentially stock a variety of VISM Hunter rings, tap the bases for helical thread inserts and then sell them at the range doing a mounting, lapping (with a ring reamer) and bore sighting (by laser) while you wait to avoid the need for an FFL.

Essentially I would be providing a service along with a custom product.

My materials cost would be about $20, there is a little overhead including getting to and from the range and all in the labor should be about an hour a pair (I think I can install, ream and bore sight in 1/2 hour).

I don't think I can provide much of a warranty but I don't think they would break either.

I've read that $35-40 is pretty reasonable for a professional scope mounting with lapping so I'm thinking if I do that and supply nice light weight rings, asking $60 won't be too much.

Let me know what you think.  I'm especially interested in the opinions of people who pay a gunsmith for scope mounting.

I would like to be able to spend a weekend at the range, do about three or four installs a day, get in some shooting and clear about $300.  I would rotate through a few ranges to serve a wider market.

It seems like high end light weight rings like Seekins or Warne cost around $100 not including mounting so I wanted a cheaper alternative for myself and thinking about economies of scale and an excuse to go to the range more often I started thinking about this plan.  If someone was selling light weight rings with steel thread inserts for $30 I probably would have bought them and forgot about it.  I don't think it would be a good business to sell modified rings for $30, not enough margin, no warranty and any Chinese manufacturer could get their factory to crank out the same product for $20 if they wanted to so the labor becomes the thing.

I would do my best to be up front about exactly what I'm doing and what I'm using because I want to sell service more than product and I don't mind being copied if someone else wants to do the same thing.

Thanks!

A friend of mine has a Serbu .50 and he is trying to reload.

I keep trying to tell him to do OCW method so he can actually find an accurate load but instead he is worried about temperature sensitivity and loading one round at each charge (making his data statistically questionable).

His excuse is that he can only shoot so much in one range trip and getting to the range is a 3 hour drive.

He is also fooling around with six different bullets and four different powders instead of working on one combo at a time.

He claims that he can't find .50BMG reloading info on the internet.

I will start searching myself but I thought I would ask here first because a lot of people know what they are doing over here.

Thanks for the help.

I have to modify a cheap brake I bought, the threads bottom before it gets to the crush washer and I want to drill out the back to create a place for the gasses to expand and turn before hitting the first baffle.

I just ordered a 5/8-24 tap and now I need a way to protect the steel I'm going to expose with the machining.

I could use cold blue but I'm not sure if that will stand up to a direct hit of muzzle blast.

So where can I get a black oxide or some other durable coating on just one muzzle brake?

I'm looking for cheap.

Thanks.