Tag: shooting

Reloading Consumable Storage Fridge – Part 2

I added the Gun Saver Dehumidifier to the bottom front of the fridge.

You can see the temperature rise and rise ….

Room Stats:

Temp: ~76

Humid: 73-75

The Humidity is dropping:

The Temperature got to almost 90 degrees! I was not comfortable with that. I moved the rod to the freezer area. You can see the temperature drop.

Room Stats:

Temp: ~76

Humid: 73-75

 

The humidity went up a bit. We will see how it looks in a day or so.

Room Stats:

Temp: ~76

Humid: 73-75

The outside and inside temperature dropped a bit, but inside the fridge it looks pretty stable:

Looks like the humidity is pretty stable too. Within ~1%

Will keep an eye on it and post major changes.

Reloading Consumable Storage Fridge – Part 1

With the Covid-19 thing wrapped in an election year, reloading supply consumables have disappeared. To better store what I have I decided to make a storage environment. AKA the ammo/reloading fridge:

First thing I did was gut an old fridge I had:

Then using paint I had on hand I painted it up and put it back together.

Then I ran electric through the ice maker hole. Added a power strip and hooked up a Raspberry Pi to take and record Temperature and Humidity:

Next I will add a Gun Saver Dehumidifier and take some readings.

Reloading Steps – Rifle

Caliber:______

De-prime                                                                                                   

Clean in Ultrasonic

Primer pocket go / no-go

Swager (if Necessary)

Anneal (if necessary)

Lube/Resize

De-Bur flash hole (if Necessary)

Trim/Chamfer

            223/5.56 trim to 1.750*

            224 Val trim to 1.590**

            300 AAC Blackout 1.358***

            6.5 Creedmoor 1.190****

Clean in wet tumbler

Load

*  223 REM The 2015 standard is 1.760″-0.030″, so 1.730″-1.760″ is the current range and the middle value is 1.745″, which should, by tradition, be the trim-too length.

** 224 VAL The 2018 standard is  1.600″-0.020″, so 1.580″-1.600″ is the current range and the middle value is 1.590″, which should, by tradition, be the trim-too length.

*** 300 BLK The 2015 standard is 1.368″-0.020″, so 1.348″-1.368″ is the current range and the middle value is 1.358″, which should, by tradition, be the trim-too length.

**** 6.5 CREED The 2015 standard is 1.920″-0.020″, so 1.900″-1.920″ is the current range and the middle value is 1.910″, which should, by tradition, be the trim-too length

 

PDF / Print Version

Cleaning Solutions and Ideas

Brass Tumbler:

In each tumbler drum I put:

  • Distilled Water
  • Lemi-Shine (1/4 teaspoon)
  • Squirt of Dawn (1/4 teaspoon)
  • 15 Minutes

Ultrasonic RCBS Gun Cleaning Solution:

  • 30:1 Ratio
  • 60oz water
  • 2oz cleaner
  • Degas (only first time solution is mixed)
  • Set to ~120 degrees F
  • 5 min for tools
  • 15 min for gun parts

 Ballistol Ultrasonic Cleaning Solutuon:

10% per one gallon = 12.8 Ounces (oz)

From <https://calculate-this.com/percent-solution-calculator-gallons>

I will round up to 13 Ounces and top off to a gallon. 6.5 Ounces for a half gallon

2 x 16 oz Ballistol $29

32 oz RCBS $23

Ultrasonic Brass Cleaning:

  • Distilled Water
  • Lemi-Shine (1/4 teaspoon)
  • Squirt of Dawn (1/4 teaspoon)
  • 15 Minutes

Ultrasonic RCBS Gun Cleaning Solution:

  • 30:1 Ratio
  • 60oz water
  • 2oz cleaner
  • Degas (only first time solution is mixed)
  • Set to ~120 degrees F
  • 5 min for tools
  • 15 min for gun parts

 Ballistol Ultrasonic Cleaning Solutuon:

10% per one gallon = 12.8 Ounces (oz)

From <https://calculate-this.com/percent-solution-calculator-gallons>

I will round up to 13 Ounces and top off to a gallon. 6.5 Ounces for a half gallon

2 x 16 oz Ballistol $29

32 oz RCBS $23

  • 1 ½ lb of stainless steel media (at the most)
  • About 1 lb of brass
  • Water up to the lip or just below
  • Lemi-shine (1/4 teaspoon)
  • Squirt of Dawn (enough that when you open the drum you see soap suds)
  • Tumble for 2 hours.

Ultrasonic Brass Cleaning:

  • Distilled Water
  • Lemi-Shine (1/4 teaspoon)
  • Squirt of Dawn (1/4 teaspoon)
  • 15 Minutes

Ultrasonic RCBS Gun Cleaning Solution:

  • 30:1 Ratio
  • 60oz water
  • 2oz cleaner
  • Degas (only first time solution is mixed)
  • Set to ~120 degrees F
  • 5 min for tools
  • 15 min for gun parts

 Ballistol Ultrasonic Cleaning Solutuon:

10% per one gallon = 12.8 Ounces (oz)

From <https://calculate-this.com/percent-solution-calculator-gallons>

I will round up to 13 Ounces and top off to a gallon. 6.5 Ounces for a half gallon

2 x 16 oz Ballistol $29

32 oz RCBS $23

  • 1 ½ lb of stainless steel media (at the most)
  • About 1 lb of brass
  • Water up to the lip or just below
  • Lemi-shine (1/4 teaspoon)
  • Squirt of Dawn (enough that when you open the drum you see soap suds)
  • Tumble for 2 hours.

Ultrasonic Brass Cleaning:

  • Distilled Water
  • Lemi-Shine (1/4 teaspoon)
  • Squirt of Dawn (1/4 teaspoon)
  • 15 Minutes

Ultrasonic RCBS Gun Cleaning Solution:

  • 30:1 Ratio
  • 60oz water
  • 2oz cleaner
  • Degas (only first time solution is mixed)
  • Set to ~120 degrees F
  • 5 min for tools
  • 15 min for gun parts

 Ballistol Ultrasonic Cleaning Solutuon:

10% per one gallon = 12.8 Ounces (oz)

From <https://calculate-this.com/percent-solution-calculator-gallons>

I will round up to 13 Ounces and top off to a gallon. 6.5 Ounces for a half gallon

2 x 16 oz Ballistol $29

32 oz RCBS $23

Bald Eagle 9 Liter Ultrasonic Cleaner

I just got the Bald Eagle 9 Liter Ultrasonic Cleaner, BE1167 for $375.00 without shipping. Regular list price is $650.00. I have been wanting a large ultrasonic cleaner for a while. I was looking at the Hornady Lock-N-Load Hot Tub for Sonic Cleaner 043310 as it has a great feature set, it is just above my budget.

The Bald Eagle comes with the same features and accessories including the hanging cords:

All closed up:

I will post updates as I start using it more.

REF:

Bald Eagle (Grizzly) Web Site

Hornady Lock-N-Load Web Site

Bald Eagle 9 Liter Ultrasonic Cleaner, BE1167 User Manual (I scanned it)

AR-15 Upper Quick Fixes: Match Bolt Carriers

If you want an accurate rifle, don’t leave a lot of front/back bolt play (keep it .003″ but no more than .005″). Factory rifles run .012″ to .015″ play, which is OK if you need to leave room for dirt and grime in a military or field application. However, that amount of play is not ideal for a high-accuracy AR build. A lot of front/back bolt play allows rounds to be hammered into the chamber and actually re-formed in a non-consistent way, as they are loaded into the chamber.

The bolt affects accuracy in an AR-15 more than the carrier group. To get the most accuracy, the bolt and barrel have to be machined so that the headspacing is optimal when the round is chambered and the bolt locked. That is why if one orders a match-grade barrel for an AR-15 either the barrel comes with a bolt, the barrel manufacturer requires you to send in your bolt (prior to machining the barrel you’ve ordered), or the manufacturer requires you to send dimensions from your bolt.

The best accuracy usually comes from the bearing surface of the bullet nearly touching the rifling. Having the bullet jump any significant distance to the rifling tends to negatively affect accuracy. This is true in any rifle, not just the AR-15.

In addition to the above, you will want to keep the chamber, barrel extension, and carrier assembly clean to help insure consistent bolt lock ups critical to accuracy. You will also want to occasionally apply lube directly to bolt rings during shooting sessions.

Carrier key staking is also mentioned in the article. Young Manufacturing does not stake their carrier keys. “There has been a lot of talk about the pros and cons of staking the gas key on the carrier. Here is our opinion and why Young Manufacturing will not stake keys. We have been making carriers since 1991. The US Mil Spec. assembly drawing requires the carrier key to be staked. Contrary to some popular opinions staking does not SEAL the gas key. Staking keeps the screws from backing out Period. If you do not properly torque the screws to 56 inch pounds you will be staking a screw that is loose or one that is over torqued and prone to breakage.” Not sure how I fell about that, for me, a staked key is the only way to go. Something just does not feel right about it not being staked.

REFS:
http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/2015/05/what-makes-an-ar-accurate-whitley-offers-answers/

Staking the gas key on the AR-15 and M-16 carrier.