How to Fireform 303 Brass into 410 Shells

 

Fireform 410 Brass
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This post on how to fireform 410 brass shells from .303 British cases is pretty neat.

I don’t know how timely this article is now that you can buy your own brass .410 hulls from midway.  However, it is a project I have wanted to do for a long time.  I even had some new unfired .303 brass.  So I felt it was time to experiment with my old cases.

If you have reloaded shotshells, then you probably know that when using a brass case and normal powder loads the case will last “forever”.  Which makes up for the added skill and effort in loading them.

What we will be doing today is to show how we made .410 brass from a .303 British case.

.444 marlin and 9.3x74R brass can also be used.

I will admit, I got this idea from the End Times Report.  This was not the easiest project I have attempted.  It was harder than it seemed when I read it.

They did briefly mention that while the dies used to form the cases were the same, the heads are a different size.

The .303 brass did fit in the chamber.  However, the chamber did not close properly (without slamming it shut).  Additionally, the brass did not extract properly.

I did find another resource at Surplusfrearm.com that explained what I needed to do to remedy that problem.  Later, I will cut the heads down before I go shoot these shotshells.

But the endtimes report system did work, and it really wasn’t that hard.

First Your Should Take a .303 British Case and Anneal it.

Annealing brass is different than annealing steel. Brass gets work hardened.  The more it is used the harder it gets.  Annealing it by heating it makes it soft and easy to work.  This is the opposite of steel,

To anneal I took a drill and using a screw and a socket I made a small fixture to hold the head of the cartridge. As the drill turned the case I heated the neck of the case using a torch. I heated the case up but took care not to heat the case head (for safety purpose you do not want to anneal the head). Once the case was annealed, I simply thumped it into a container of water.

Next I primed the cases.

At the range I used 11 grains of shotshell powder (blue dot, but I should have used red dot).

Then I added yellow grits (most use cream of wheat, but I had grits on hand.

I added a little bit of toilet paper to keep the grits from falling out (but I did not pack it).

After firing the cases were fire formed to the shotgun chamber and are ready to be cleaned and loaded as shot-shells.

It could have went better, and the video shows that not all the cases formed equally well.

Personally, I like knowing that this can work, but I think I will stick with the actual .410 brass cases.

 

Magazine Wear Tip

Magazine Wear Tip
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Firearm magazines are the weakest link in the gun reliability formula. Watch for magazine wear and when you see it you know they need to be replaced.

In the video below we take a set of calipers to show how a magazine flexes as it is loaded and unloaded. This shows that there is a potential for fatigue.

I know that as I started in firearms I was taught that spring wear meant that I should not keep magazines fully loaded for long term. This translated to my having two sets of magazines and quarterly I would rotate my mags.

However, after talking to people that make magazines for a living, I was told that it is not the compression that causes magazine wear, but the repeated compression and decompression of the springs. I have heard of 1911 mags being found loaded, and that after 40 years of loaded storage functioning properly.

Just something to think about, and you may want to consider having some new mags stored or at least some new springs and followers because if the mags do not function then all you have is an awkwardly loading single shot.

*Update:  At the current time, the rush to buy guns is low because we have a R in the White House.  Now is the time to buy all the gun stuff.  Buy now, stack deep.

Dillon Precision Warranty Review

 

Gear Review: Dillon Precision Warranty
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Gear Review: Dillon Precision WarrantyThe other day while reloading, I broke a part in my press, I knew better, but I was in a hurry and pulled the lever down to force my way past an obstruction.

What I did was break off a spacer pin and rounded out the hole in the press so that a new pin would not fit.

I called Dillon precision, and they responded just as they promised on their site.  They have a no “BS” policy, and simply gave me a return authorization number and I sent them the machine – this lived up to the famous Dillon Precision Warranty.

Dillon presses may be more expensive than other companies, but they have the best customer service.
I have used their warranty twice on the same machine, both times they worked with me to solve my problems, while they can be a little slow, I have to say they do honor their word – at least in my experience.

I have cheaper presses like the lee brand, and am happy with them, but nothing beats the Dillon progressives for pure joy of kicking out a lot of rounds in a short amount of time.  Add in the dillion precision warranty and they can’t be beat.

How to Build a DIY Handgun Rack

How to Build a DIY Handgun Rack

 

How to Build a DIY Handgun Rack
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I first saw this on YouTube, from a user called fubarprotocol  and I had to try make a DIY Handgun rack myself.

Basically this project is a strip of hardwood with ¼ metal rods inserted in it and covered with heat shrink tube so that you can hand your pistols up by their bore.

I think this works really great, and makes it easy to get to my guns. Fubar bolted his in his safe, but I have mine in my workroom. I don’t store my guns on the rack, but keep them there when cleaning them after a range visit, or organizing my equipment for a class.

This homemade pistol rack works great with my wooden rifle rack.

Materials

  • Strip of hardwood, I used a 1 x 2 strip of hardwood from the hobby section at Lowes.
  • ¼ rod
  • ¼ heat shrink tubing
  • ¼ plastic end protectors (I found them in the metal drawers in the Lowes hardware section where you get odd shaped nuts and connectors.

Procedure

  • I marked and countersunk mounting holes one inch from the ends, and at the center
  • Starting 2 inches from the end I marked holes for the rod every 4 inches (you may want to space more or less depending on the size of your guns.
  • Drill the holes, I drilled them slightly smaller than the ¼ rod.
  • I countersunk the rod holes on the back of the board so that I could epoxy them in so they would not work loose.
  • Next cut the rods into 6 inch lengths and round one end with a grinder.
  • Pound the rods into the board, keeping everything flush and straight.
  • Fix the rods with epoxy.
  • Sand, paint, or stain board as you desire
  • Cut strips of heat shrink to fit rods.
  • Insert, trim, and heat the shrink tube so that they fit tightly on the rod.
  • Superglue rod tips to the metal rod.
  • Hang

I use this on a regular basis, and I find this was a very useful project. Maybe a smaller set up with a single rod may allow me to hand a firearm in a useful location. But that is up to your imagination.

Are You Capable of Using Deadly Force?

 

Are you capable of Using Deadly Force
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When looking at deadly force the trend tends to be looking at hardware, and having the best tools for the job, but hardware is not the most important. Training is more important than the gear. But what is more important than either is the proper mindset.

Quite often when talking with new shooters or people that don’t understand the martial mindset I hear people talk about how they are not sure if they could use a firearm to actually shoot someone.

I have put a lot of time into thinking about this, its entirely possible that I have thought more about when, if, and what would cause me to shoot someone than the how, and with what questions.

Mental Trigger Points

If my mental trigger points that would cause me to believe it was time to fight for my life then the gun I have at that time is irrelevant, I am going to use what I have, and if I am somewhere that my firearm is prohibited I am going to fight with whatever I have at hand, be it a stapler, a chair, or my teeth. A gun just makes me more effective and have a better chance of surviving without becoming seriously injured.

I cannot tell you what your trigger points should be, because I am not the one to live with the consequences of your actions. But I can tell you what my thought process is, and encourage you to spend some very serious time thinking the process through.

Moral Implications

The first thing I think about is the moral implications. As a religious person I do not want to win my life and lose my soul. I realize that the Bible was not written in English, so what I read is a translation. Some translations say “You should not kill”, others say “Thou shalt not commit murder”. Those are two entirely different meanings. Based upon the context, and looking at other passages in both the New and the Old Testaments, I believe don’t commit murder is a closer translation to the intended meaning.

When I pick up my gun it is because I want to ensure the safety of my family and myself. I pray that I don’t have to ever use it. If attacked my only concern is to protect my family and myself from that attack, I did not choose the situation, and would much rather retreat to safety than stand and fight (if tactically possible). The only person that choose to fight, who decided that someone would be hurt, is the criminal – so I feel it only fair that is SOMEONE has to be hurt, it should be the one that caused the fight.

I love everybody, but I love my family more. I have chosen the stance that if someone is trying to harm my family, I will do my best to stop them using whatever means possible. That is my number one trigger point. Its also pretty much the only reason I would ever actually shoot someone.

Stuff Can be Replaced.  Life Cannot

I have made the decision, (which is also happens to be the law in my state) that I won’t shoot somebody over “stuff”. If you want my wallet, or want my car, or my shoes – whatever, I will probably give them to you, but if I feel that your going to harm me no matter what then it is not about the wallet anymore…

It is very clear in our law that in order to be legally justified to use deadly force you have to be in immediate danger from someone with the ability to kill you and you have to believe they are going to kill you. Anything less, and my buddies over at the prison will serve you 3 meals a day and count you 8 times, you will very quickly tire at seeing their ugly faces, so don’t go to jail for being stupid.

Morality and legality are separate, but related topics. If you are going to own a defensive firearm then you have a duty to understand both equally well, and to decide upfront how far you are willing to go to protect yourself and your loved ones.

This is all very personal, and very serious. There is room for interpretation in many situations, and that is why the law contains the concept of reasonableness. I do not expect anyone to agree with me 100%, and I welcome other points of view. However, the decisions I have made in this area work the best for my family, and I expect respect for those decisions.