Badges and vacation time has been approved-5 Days PTO
Hotel reserved-$250
Drive to Vegas-12hrs, $200
Attending SHOT show for the first time - Priceless
Just wanted to let everyone out in blogland know that we'll bring all the cool stuff pertaining to Long Range and accuracy from SHOT show in Jan.
-Steven Kipp
Monday, December 14, 2009
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Reloading Part 4: Inspecting
After cleaning is a great time to inspect all(and I do mean every single one) cases to make sure they'll be safe to fire.
Inspecting brass is one of the most important steps that you will do while reloading.
Inspecting brass is one of the most important steps that you will do while reloading.
That was so important it needed to be said twice. Remember that you are first setting off an explosion and then burning a highly flammable substance in an enclosed space between both of your hands and in very close proximity to your face with the intent to send a a very hard metal object flying away from you at up to speeds of up to 4000 fps which is about Mach 3.5 EVERY time you pull the trigger.
If you question whether a case is good or not throw it out. Do you want to bet your life on case that is worth a few cents? Remember how close to your face you'll be setting this off in the near future?
Things to look for:
-Cracking of the case -- look at the top and bottom (Shoulder and Rim)
-Excessive bulging of the case -- If the case is bulged it probably means a weak case and has reached its limit.
-Bright rings near bottom -- Also a sign of a weak case, discard it.
-separation of the rim from the rest of the case
-Dings, nicks, cracks or major deformation
These are just a few things to watch out for, remember if there is a question it is always good to try to find an answer, but don't shoot anything unless you are confident of it.
This is one of the most important steps for safety(there are a couple more). You can always buy more brass, more ammo and more tools. I haven't found a store to get another hand or eye yet.
When in doubt, chuck it.
-Steven Kipp
Inspecting brass is one of the most important steps that you will do while reloading.
Inspecting brass is one of the most important steps that you will do while reloading.
That was so important it needed to be said twice. Remember that you are first setting off an explosion and then burning a highly flammable substance in an enclosed space between both of your hands and in very close proximity to your face with the intent to send a a very hard metal object flying away from you at up to speeds of up to 4000 fps which is about Mach 3.5 EVERY time you pull the trigger.
If you question whether a case is good or not throw it out. Do you want to bet your life on case that is worth a few cents? Remember how close to your face you'll be setting this off in the near future?
Things to look for:
-Cracking of the case -- look at the top and bottom (Shoulder and Rim)
-Excessive bulging of the case -- If the case is bulged it probably means a weak case and has reached its limit.
-Bright rings near bottom -- Also a sign of a weak case, discard it.
-separation of the rim from the rest of the case
-Dings, nicks, cracks or major deformation
These are just a few things to watch out for, remember if there is a question it is always good to try to find an answer, but don't shoot anything unless you are confident of it.
This is one of the most important steps for safety(there are a couple more). You can always buy more brass, more ammo and more tools. I haven't found a store to get another hand or eye yet.
When in doubt, chuck it.
-Steven Kipp
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Airports and Firearms
While this post is also about pistols it can be applied to long guns as well.
Much to my wife's dismay I insisted on taking a handgun with me on our recent trip to carry concealed. She thought (and I thought so too) that taking it with us and flying would be a great big hassle.
It turns out that it was relatively painless.
Obviously it had to be checked. I placed the suitcase it was in on the check in counter and said "I need to declare a firearm." After that the person behind the counter instructed me on what to do, and all was well. Then taking it over the X-ray machine with the TSA personel, I told them "I have a firearm in the bag." The asked if it was unloaded, locked and declared. I said yes, as I had just done this at the counter. The TSA had me wait while the bag passed through so I could open the case if need be, but had no further problem.
So here's what you need if you want to take a firearm with on a trip that you'll be flying:
A) The Gun(s) must be in a hard sided case that cannot be easily pried open.
B) You need a lock on the case. It cannot be a small TSA approved lock, get a pad lock. You, and only you, keep the key to the lock.
C)THE GUN MUST BE UNLOADED -- make no mistake, check it, check it again, and look a third time. THE GUN MUST BE UNLOADED.
D)Ammo can be in the case, but again, not in the gun. It can, however be in the magazines provided it meets other restrictions. Ammo also must be either the manufactures original container or be completely encased--check the website for rules.
E)You can also have more than one gun in a case.
Check the TSA website and the Airline web site(s) to see the specific rules. Do not take these as the rules you need to pack by. Get, Read and Understand the actual rules. These were for informational purposes only, and are not complete.
One more disclaimer: Make sure where you are going allows what you are bringing. Each state is different and the rules change with the state (and sometimes city, county or regional) lines. If you are leaving the country, do your homework. I don't know much more than that about international travel.
Here's hoping you have a safe holiday season of travel.
-Steven Kipp
Much to my wife's dismay I insisted on taking a handgun with me on our recent trip to carry concealed. She thought (and I thought so too) that taking it with us and flying would be a great big hassle.
It turns out that it was relatively painless.
Obviously it had to be checked. I placed the suitcase it was in on the check in counter and said "I need to declare a firearm." After that the person behind the counter instructed me on what to do, and all was well. Then taking it over the X-ray machine with the TSA personel, I told them "I have a firearm in the bag." The asked if it was unloaded, locked and declared. I said yes, as I had just done this at the counter. The TSA had me wait while the bag passed through so I could open the case if need be, but had no further problem.
So here's what you need if you want to take a firearm with on a trip that you'll be flying:
A) The Gun(s) must be in a hard sided case that cannot be easily pried open.
B) You need a lock on the case. It cannot be a small TSA approved lock, get a pad lock. You, and only you, keep the key to the lock.
C)THE GUN MUST BE UNLOADED -- make no mistake, check it, check it again, and look a third time. THE GUN MUST BE UNLOADED.
D)Ammo can be in the case, but again, not in the gun. It can, however be in the magazines provided it meets other restrictions. Ammo also must be either the manufactures original container or be completely encased--check the website for rules.
E)You can also have more than one gun in a case.
Check the TSA website and the Airline web site(s) to see the specific rules. Do not take these as the rules you need to pack by. Get, Read and Understand the actual rules. These were for informational purposes only, and are not complete.
One more disclaimer: Make sure where you are going allows what you are bringing. Each state is different and the rules change with the state (and sometimes city, county or regional) lines. If you are leaving the country, do your homework. I don't know much more than that about international travel.
Here's hoping you have a safe holiday season of travel.
-Steven Kipp
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