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I bought 5 boxes of 20 rounds of Tula "White Box" .223 Remington at a gun show a few months ago and shot them through my 16" LMT M4, tax stamp LMT 10.5", and Bushmaster ACR. Those, I had no problems with. So, I purchased a 500 round spam can of TulAmmo "Black Box" .223 Remington sealed up in a "spam can." Working the coupons and deals for The Sportsmans's Guide, I got a pretty good price on the can.
Today I took a bagful of loaded mags, and the 10.5" LMT and the ACR, out to the indoor range. I put a few mags through the ACR, including a couple mags of Tula, with no issues before switching over to the LMT shorty. I loaded up the LMT with a Troy Battlemag full of Tula, dropped the bolt, and flipped off the safety. BANG! Dead trigger. After the first round, the bolt came back and ejected the steel case, pushed the next round maybe a half inch, and stopped. I thought that was weird, because I had no problem with the "White Box" ammo. I haven't run the Troy mags much, so I grabbed a PMag full of Tula. The exact same thing happened. I pulled back the bolt, and let it fly, chambering a round. BANG! Dead trigger. Short-stroking.
Fortunately, I had brought a couple mags full of PMC Bronze .223 to try, and I had a few mags of my almost 5.56mm NATO spec ammo to shoot through the LMT, and the ACR chewed through the mags full of Tula. Although I keep a few different recoil buffers in the rifle bag, the one in the LMT 10.5" carbine was already a standard carbine buffer, and I don't have anything lighter, if there even is anything lighter.
I know the problem isn't the steel-cases. They are Boxer-primed, and I've reloaded hundreds of Wolf and Tula steel-cases and run the reloads through the same LMT without issue. My loads were approaching 5.56mm NATO pressures though.
So, the ACR is proving to be capable of digesting anything I can fit into the magazines. But what does it say about the Tula ammo? Did I get a "vodka special" batch? The "White Box" ammo, and the "Black Box" ammo should be the same, but obviously what I got wasn't the same. I suppose this would explain the mixed reviews on Tula ammo. Luck of the draw? You get what you pay for, perhaps?
White Box Manufactured: 07/09 (I'm not sure if that's European for September, 2007, or if it's July, 2009)
Lot: 7Q5 4
I think this is the lot for the Black Box ammo, but I don't know how to read it.
All my reloading dies are LEE. Started loading .45ACP, and then 9mm for a race gun. Then ammo started getting more and more expensive, and I started using the 9mm dies a lot more. Loaded over 10,000 rounds with these LEE dies. When I really started shooting carbines, and working up precision loads, I didn't see any point in trying other brands and Lee was pretty commonly recommended for semi-auto rifles.
Initially, I tried using the decapping and resizing die with my Lee hand press while watching TV. Although this would work fine for two of my rifles, I have one rifle with short(er) headspace. Using the Lee shell-holder and sizing die that come with the kit, I can not get the brass resized down to factory spec, and the bolt of the one rifle would not fully lock. Using the sizing die on my progressive press with the shell-plate for that press, I can resize the brass to work with all my rifles. If I had a belt sander, or better yet a lathe, I could probably shave down the Lee shell-holder to make it work.
On the rifle dies, the lock-ring with the inset o-rings work nicely. Maybe it's my technique with the case lube, and lot-to-lot variations in cartridge cases, but I need to make fine adjustments to the resizing die to get consistent headspace dimensions on the casings, and the Lee lock-rings allow for easy adjustments, but they do stay put when set. It may well be that I'm just too picky about the headspace dimension of resized cases.
The Factory Crimp Die does work. When the round is raised up into the die, the shell-plate (or shell-holder) presses on the bottom of the die and the collet closes on the neck of the cartridge case and bullet. You can adjust the amount of crimp by turning the die in the press. You can also crimp with the bullet seating die, but I have not tried this. I don't crimp match bullets, as I have found that is not necessary. When I'm making bulk ammo for a semi-auto rifle, I'll crimp with the FCD, but when I'm loading ammo for bullseye shooting, I skip the crimp. I have gotten less than 1" 10-shot groups at 100 yards, and groups around 1 1/8" are fairly common, and I don't really have a .223Rem target rifle. These groups were shot though a LMT 16" M4 barrel with chrome lining.
FCD collet closed on a round from a recent batch
A micrometer adjustable bullet seating die would be handy, but I nearly passed out when I saw the price for one. The Lee bullet seating die is easy to adjust with just your fingers, and the micrometer die costs more than double the price of the whole Lee die set. The LEE seating die gives reasonably consistent overall length when using good bullets. If you are using cheap bullets your overall length may well be a little inconsistent, but that may be the least of your problems.
The collet-held decapping rod has saved me a couple times. Even with .223 cases, you can still get pebbles into the neck, and sometimes a Berdan-primed case will make it past my visual inspection. I have broken a decapping pin, but it was my fault for not using enough case lube to start with, and then I manhandled the pin trying to remove it from the case. Because the case mouth expander and decapper are all one piece with the Lee dies, you may have to cut the case in half around the pin to remove. You can buy spare decapper/expander pins direct from LEE, and the current price of $3 is pretty reasonable.
The box I got with the dies is a rectangular one that stacks with my other Lee die boxes.
The only thing, practically speaking, that I would like to see, is an option to have the steel parts plated or otherwise treated to prevent rusting, for an added fee.
I have fired over 2500 rounds of reloads. The only issues I've had, have been my own fault, with the exception of the rounds that didn't fit the one rifle due to the Lee shell-holder.
When I heard their version of Star Spangled Banner playing from a SUV at the rifle range. I had to go and find out who it was (Thanks John!!). Check out "Madison Rises" on Youtube, or Spotify. It is sadly very rare that I can endorse performers without adding the caveat, ". . . but they are a bunch of douchebags."
I haven't done too much Glock stuff in recent years.
I found, in the gunmartblog Daily Firearms News page, a link to a video posted on the jerkingthetrigger.com site. Youtube user TWANGnBANG discusses what the Glock maritime spring cups are, their uses, and the urban myths surrounding them. TWANGnBANG also gets in his tactical kiddie pool to take some video of shooting a Glock underwater at ballistics gel, and later analyses the results in the gel.
Kinda neat if you've got about 15 minutes to kill.
I've actually got a set of the maritime cups in my box o' Glock parts, but never bothered to mess with them.
And, yes, I think maybe it was a little silly to use SCUBA gear when a snorkel probably would've gotten the job done.
I'm kind of going all the way back to the beginning of the blog here. My primary mode of carry is IWB with a Crossbreed Holsters Super-Tuck IWB holster. I wrote the initial review in 2007. Then later in the year, the first one I bought cracked, so I sent it in, and they made me a new one. In 2009, I got tired of breaking the Crossbreed belt loops, so I made my own. In 2010 the new Super-Tuck cracked, but I kept it, becuase the crack was only about an inch long.
Well, as I was just about to head off to work on Monday, I heard a crack, and discovered that the Kydex holster body had broken in two.
So now I've got a(nother) weekend project. I formed a new holster body from thicker Kydex sheet. I need to try to drill out the rivets, without making the holes in the leather any bigger. The copper rivets and tool that I ordered should come in on Tuesday. Hopefully then I will have the perfect concealment holster.
If you thought the origional PMag test videos were a little crazy, you haven't seen nothin' yet. Green and tan follower G.I. mags, PMags, Tapco mags, Troy Blattlemags, Tango Down ARC mags, and Lancer AWM. The magazines get soaked in various cleaners overnight, run in the dishwasher, heated with MRE warmers (I dunno either), dropped multiple times. . .
There were some mag body cracks, rounds popping loose, one mag rusted, one badly rusted spring, some discoloration, one floorplate melted some, a floorplate came loose, a couple dented magazine bodies, an explosive disassembly, and even a cracked follower.
Brownell's has M&P recoil spring assemblies in stock for 9mm/40S&W/357SIG pistols. They've been backordered at Brownells and Midway for as long as I can remember. Midway shows that they'll be backordered until 12/29/2012.
The stainless steel guide rods are compatible with 2nd and 3rd generation Glock full-size 9mm/40S&W/357SIG pistols. The 19lb. recoil spring isn't, unless maybe you run +P+ or 9mm Major ammo without a compensator. Direct Link to recoil spring assembly at Brownells
The NBC Sports channel is airing new episodes of FNH's 3 Gun Nation and Guns & Gear.
Phil Labonte of the metal band All That Remains will be appearing on 3 Gun Nation this season for the shoot technique segments. They have spiced up the show's soundtrack quite a bit. The 1st new episode will be on again this Sunday at 7:30 a.m. EST.
The next episode of Guns & Gear is on Monday at 12:30 p.m. EST. Honestly, the show is a little bit hit or miss (no pun intended). A lot of the show is the hosts talking up products sold by the sponsors. Sometimes they have Rob Leatham, or another top shooter, on the show to give shooting tips. At least it gives you something to watch if you don't get The Outdoor Channel.
I was interested in reading about the Chiappa Rhinos, with their low bore axis and innovative design, but the initial offerings were all snubbies with fixed sights, and I've already got a couple of those. What I was waiting for was one with a 4" barrel and adjustable sights. Well, they are out now in that configuration, but I don't think I could bring myself to buy one. They're just too ugly.
I've looked at Ruger GP100s in gunshops and at gun shows, but they just don't look quite right with that push button cylinder release. Not nearly as ugly as the Rhino, but nonetheless aesthetically unacceptable.
Do looks matter with firearms? Normally, I'd say no, but this would be a BBQ gun and range toy. I'm not sure that I could settle for anything less than a Smith & Wesson 586 or 686.
Add regular price, in-stock products to your cart totaling: $10 off $50 - Promo Code AR15710 $15 off $100 - Promo Code AR15715 $25 off $200 - Promo Code AR15725 $35 off $300 - Promo Code AR15735
Enter the promotion code into the box title, "Promotion Code" on the Shopping Cart page.
See the discount applied in the Order Summary on the right hand side of the Checkout pages.
•Offer expires at 11:59 p.m. CT on July 31, 2012. Hurry! •Can only be used once. •Sale, clearance, out-of-stock, Nightforce, Sitka Gear and FNH products do not count towards the total. •Gift certificates do not count towards the total. •Can only be used on midwayusa.com. No phone, fax or mail orders please. •Cannot be used with any other promotion code, or combined with Dealer, Birthday or Special pricing.
Even with our troops pulling out of Iraq and Afganistan, there seems to be shortages and price hikes on .223 Remington and 5.56mm ammo. Aim Surplus still has PMC Bronze .223 Remington for $310/1000 (before shipping), but that's the cheapest I can find at the moment for brass-cased ammo. Widener's upped the prices for IMI ammo, and they're sold out anyway. PMC seems to be the cheapest that Natchez has, and they're pricing it quite a bit higher than Aim. No great deals from Ammoman, and I would't buy from them unless you can pickup yourself in New Jersey, becuase their customer service sucks, and they have a pretty strict no returns policy. No great deals at Luckygunner or Bulkammo.
I'm hearing that black rifles are also getting both hard to find, and expensive. I see Ranier Arms has LMT M4s for $1273, but that seems like an aweful lot of money for an entry-level rifle from a decent company. There are some lower-end rifles in the $700, but I don't see much from the top brands for less than the LMT.
Bravo Company is backordered on all complete rifles, although they do have some uppers, starting at $500 for 16" uppers without handguards, $420 for 11.5" uppers if you're allowed to build a short barreled rifle.
Palmetto State Armory has some rifle kits, starting at $580, but the cheapest AR complete rifle they have is $830 for an S&W with no sights, and 1 in 9" twist barrel.
I'm getting tired of this. Every time there's a presidential election, prices go up, and inventory goes down.
The pocket holster I made for my Kahr PM9 is holding up well. . . the pockets it goes into less so. I had rounded off the corners, but I guess not enough. After wearing holes in the pockets of some of my jeans, I decided that it was time to modify the holster. So out came the Dremel and coarse file.
Having run out my small supply of .38 Special factory ammo, I started to
reload 38s. I have noticed that my hands and forearms aren't getting
peppered with bits of carbon or unburnt powder when shooting the
TiteGroup reloads, like I was getting with the factory ammo. I like
that. The garbage that was coming out from between the cylinder and
forcing cone was HOT. 4" service revolver or 2" snubby, it doesn't seem
to matter.
Unfortunately, when you load TiteGroup under a cast lead bullet, you get
a lot of foul-smelling grey smoke. I don't like that so much, and it's
probably not very good for your health. I bought some Clays powder for
use with lead bullets, and I'm not getting as much smoke.
Here's something different for ya. Eagle grips is making these sort of pearl and marble lookin' grips out of something called Kirinite. They have them in a variety of colors for 1911s and J-Frame Smith & Wesson revolvers, and just in blue and pink for Ruger Mk.II and Mk.III pistols. Now, they are expensive, but damn (!), they are pretty!
You can check them out at the Eagle Grips website. I expect that you'll find them at other vendors pretty soon.
5.45x39mm caliber stamping, SS is for stainless steel
The only dedicated 5.45mm AR-15 magazines that I know of are the C-Products/ASC/Stoner 5.45mm mags. Except for cosmetic batch-to-batch changes, they all seem to be more or less the same. Finishes vary from a sort of matte grey, like the Fusil AR mags that I have, to a glossy black. The followers, springs, and stainless magazine bodies all seem to be essentially identical in form.
The finish on the magazines, by the way, kind of sucks. After a few uses, you’ll notice that the finish is wearing off, maybe flaking off, around the edges, especially where the mag fits into the rifle.
Although, I’ve heard that some shooters are having better luck with the new ASC (Ammuntion Storage Components) magazines, the three that I bought from AIM Surplus all gave me the same problems that I had with the C-Products magazines. C-Products closed down shop, but rumor has it that ASC is the same people, making the same parts, off the same tooling and machinery. The product line is essentially identical.
The Stoner magazines from Midway are rebranded C-Products/ASC magazines. There may be some 5.45mm AR-15 magazines with Smith & Wesson stamped on the floorplates, for the M&P15R rifles and uppers – same deal as with the Stoner mags, rebranded C-Products/ASC.
Followers
The C-Products 5.45mm followers are similar to a no-tilt follower, but with no anti-tilt leg at the front.
5.45mm followers are missing the front leg
There may be some magazines out on the used market with skeletonized white plastic followers. There was a guy selling these followers on a few gun-related message board classifieds as improved. 5.45mm AR-15 followers. Last I heard, Spike’s Tactical had the tooling to produce these “improved” followers. At least one batch of Spike’s 5.45mm uppers came with a magazine with the white follower already installed. They had stopped this by the time I bought my Spike’s upper.
I’ve read that the “improved” followers only work with the earlier C-Products magazines. I can’t confirm this because I can’t get hold of one of the followers, and besides that, all my magazines seem to be structurally identical.
"Improved follower" video I found on YouTube
Magpul followers can be modified to fit the 5.45mm magazine bodies. When you try to put one in, you’ll see that ribs on side of the Magpul follower interfere with the floorplate tabs on the bottom of the magazine body. If you cut away the ribs on the follower that get in the way, they seem to work fine. One of the magazines that’s been working really well for me has a Gen.III yellow Magpul follower. Unfortunately, the Magpul follower is not a cure-all, and will probably not fix a finicky magazine all on it’s own. The anti-tilt legs of the Magpul follower may cost you a few rounds of magazine capacity over the standard black 5.45mm follower.
Magpul No-Tilt-Follower modified to fit 5.45mm mag body
The ASC magazines that I fixed the feedlips of are working well with the black 5.45mm followers that came with them. I had originally tried the Magpul follower because I didn't know why the magazines were giving me trouble. I tried it again when I found one magazine that just refused to work, and I was getting desperate. Not a necessity, but if you want a high-visibility follower, or if it's something you think might help, then maybe it's worth a try.
Compatibility
Springs for standard AR-15 magazines will not fit the 5.45mm bodies. The 5.56mm AR-15 magazine springs are too wide to fit the 5.45mm bodies. AK-74 magazine springs will fit, but nobody sells just the springs. You’d have to scrap an AK-74 magazine to get the spring, and they aren’t that cheap at $13+ each for surplus magazine. AK-47 magazine springs will not fit either. (EDIT, no longer true, scroll down for note on Wolff magazine springs)
Magpul PMag spring top, C-Products 5.45mm spring bottom
The C-Products 5.45mm magazines are, unfortunately, a little bit on the short side, and don't have enough power to trip my extended bolt catch consistently. You may even have trouble getting them to feed reliably without spraying some dry lube into the magazine tube, because the spring has a hard time pushing up the ammo fast enough before the bolt carrier returns forward.
Width and length of the 5.45mm AR-15 magazines are standard G.I. size, so they’ll fit most any mag pouch that will work for a 5.56mm AR/M-16 mag.
The LULA AR-15 magazine loaders don't work with the 5.45mm magazines. The Pro-Mag loader that crams 5 rounds at a time into the magazine at once, and works well with 5.45mm magazine, as well as with 5.56mm mags. I got my Pro-Mag loader from Bravo Company USA (they call it "AR15 Personal Magazine Loader 5.56mm"), but they are available from other places too.
Magpul Ranger plates will fit the 5.45mm magazines, but again will require modifications. Just for kicks, I spent maybe 10 minutes cutting the lockplate with a hacksaw and round file. I don't have any of the Magpul L-Plates, but I would imagine they would work with the same modification.
C-Products 5.45mm magazine with Magpul Ranger plate
Ranger lockplate modified for 5.45mm magazine
Oh, I guess I wasn't the first to try.
PMags with 5.45mm ammo
With the front leg of a new Magpul PMag Maglevel follower cut off, 5.45mm rounds will feed well, and the magazine holds 29 rounds of 5.45mm. The mag, modified like this will not trip my extended bolt catch when it runs empty though. The LULA 5.56mm AR-15 loader sort of works with the modified Maglevel, but not as well as with 5.56mm ammo.
The older Maglevel magazines without the dust cover that clips onto the bottom, or round count markings, will jam up when you try to load them with 5.45mm ammo, even with a modified follower.
PMag Maglevel follower chopped for use with 5.45mm
Modified follower will stick out through the feedlips
Other Magazines with 5.45mm ammo
I'll spare you going through all the different kinds of magazines I have individually. D&H aluminum with Magpul follower, standard 30-round PMags with no window, PMag 20s, and 30-round Troy Battle mags will generally work okay if you don’t load more than 12 or 15 rounds. If you try to cram in more than 15 rounds, the ammo or the followers will jam in the tube, and the magazine won’t feed properly.
I tried a 30-round Lancer L5 magazine, but it jammed up when loaded with 12-15 rounds. The magazine body bowed out, making it difficult to insert into the rifle, and it definitely didn’t drop free when the mag catch button was pressed. I believe that there are multiple generations of the L5 magazines. There are reports of some working better than others.
EDIT: 9/28/2014 - Extra Power Magazine Springs
Wolff Gun Springs has started selling AK-74 magazine springs. They are longer than you need, but I think they have fixed my problem child magazines. At $5.60 each (when you buy 10) they are a little expensive though.
I cut off 5 coils, and bent the end of the spring to hook onto the 5.45mm AR follower. Not really a big deal. You could probably cut off more, but I figure that it's easier to cut off more later, than to try and add coils back on. I intend to buy more and replace the springs in all of my 5.45mm AR magazines.
This article is an attempt to compile all the knowledge of the 57 pages of the M4Carbine.net thread, other sources, and my own personal experiences. Thanks to Neckbreaker for finding the PMag modification thread on XDTalk. Thanks to thisguy41487 for having the balls to hack up PMags. Thanks to whoever figured out the Magpul follower mod - I can't find the thread, or your username, sorry.
I bought a used Aimpoint M2 a few years ago for my LMT M4. In September 2009, I replaced the battery that came in it with a new one. I've left the Aimpoint on, turned to the 2nd highest setting, since then. I just noticed last night that the dot wasn't as bright as it used to be. The dot was still there. . . I just couldn't get full brightness out of it.
Aimpoint has upgraded the electronics in it's sights since they made my M2. The new circuitry is supposed to make a battery last about 5 years. I'm not going to rush to replace the "old" M2, as the battery only cost me a couple dollars a year, and the battery I put in I picked up from Amazon for just $4 shipped, a couple dollars cheaper.
A few years ago I bought a couple of BlackJack buffers.
I put one in my WASR-10, and the red dot sight shook loose. Yes, I did use thread-locker. No problem with function though.
When the spacer broke off the recoil spring guide for the TWS scope mount, I put the buffer from the WASR-10 into the Tantal. All the stock screws and the buffer tube castle nut shook loose. Again, I had used thread locker on the screws and the nut. The buffer didn't affect function though.
Thinking that, with the variety of 12 gauge ammo, a buffer would probably be a good thing in the Saiga-12 to protect the stock trunnion from impact, and keep the rivet holes in the receiver from egging out. I had intermittent stovepipe jams. I tried turning the gas plug to open up the gas flow, and I still had the stovepipes, and the shotgun beat up my shoulder pretty good.
Without the stupid buffers, the Saiga-12 has been running 100% with the high-brass gas setting (not beating me up as much) and the carbines are holding together, and not shaking loose anymore. The buffers are going into my bag o' AK junk with the crappy Tapco folding stock, the stock Saiga-12 trigger, the heavy gritty Century Arms trigger and unfinished wood stock set, and the foreign-made parts that I'm not allowed to use. I don't need the buffer for the TWS scope mount anymore since they sent me the proper recoil spring guide, the Saiga 12 doesn't work properly with one, and there didn't seem to be any benefit to having the buffer in the WASR-10.
I realized that I had a collection of reviews, and just maybe some wisdom to share. I hope to keep the information as unbiased as humanly possible.
Why do I bother writing all this stuff? When I buy something, I want it to work the way I want it to. I hope that what goes around, comes around, and that I'll find the reviews or advice that I need when I go looking for information.
The items reviewed on the blog are, almost without exception, purchased or rented by myself, with real money.
I am also kind of hoping that maybe someone in the right position may see some glimmer of genious in my ramblings, and help get me a paying gig at a gun magazine or website.
I hope that some of this nonsense in the blog is helpful to someone.
Don't be afraid to post comments!
About Me
Some of you may wonder what the deal with the nickname is.It’s short for Suburban Commando, a nick I picked up in high school.A few companions that were a little left of center though it was quite funny, I accepted it out of spite.
In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a bit of a Glocker.I really can’t have nice things, so the basic black pistols work just fine for me.
I’ve also shot rimfire benchrest.I even managed to win a local match.My best score to date was shot with a completely rebuilt Ruger 10/22 with a KID trigger and barrel, although my Remington 40XRBR is more consistant.
I started shooting rimfire benchrest in 2004, I think.I got into action pistol competitions in 2006.
