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Brass, Barrels, and Bureaucracy #14

This week is the official full week of fall, and we’ve already had our first frost warning. Last we had a few days that spiked up into the high seventies/low eighties, but the evenings have all been cool. This is my favorite time of year. Perfect weather and if it was like this year-round, I would have little reason to complain.

We had some successes this week. The 3D SLA printer I’ve been working on has finally come to life. I put enough warranty parts in it that I feel like it’s about 50% a new machine. Any Cubic was surprisingly good to work with and when I ran into an issue they would send a new part, no questions asked. I’ve spent the rest of the week dialing in resins and printing off both prototypes and figurines for the kids.

At the end of the day it is a cheap SLA printer, I did not have high hopes, but now that it’s working prototyping has moved along much faster.

As you might have noticed, we skipped a week. This was not intentional, to be honest, the week got away from me a bit and I was not able to get all of the editing and formatting done.

Website Updates

Last post we posted a question asked by a subscriber, as a reminder here is the question.

Jay
I’m reloading for a 505 Gibbs with Hornady 525 both solids and softs.
I settled on 142 gr H1000 for 2150fps.

I have two questions one seems to turn the way I understand physics on its head.
First the simpler one would a faster powder loaded to same 2150 fps kick less? This 11.5lb gun kicks the snot out of me now.

The more interesting question is how can a .458 caliber 500 gr bullet be propelled at the same 2150 fps with roughly half the powder charge and half the recoil as the larger caliber similar weighted projectile?
Thanks

Mark B.

Here is my answer.

Good Evening Mark,

Thanks for subscribing, and thanks for the question.

For your first question, yes, in theory, a faster powder can reduce recoil. Powder weight counts as part of the mass being ejected from the barrel, so less powder means less ejecta. If you achieve the same velocity with a smaller charge of faster powder, recoil energy on paper will be slightly lower. The trick is that “felt recoil” isn’t just math. Recoil has an impulse curve: a short, sharp impulse can feel harsher than a longer, slower push, even if the energy is identical. That’s why one load may be technically lighter on recoil but still feel worse at the shoulder.

For your second question, the difference comes down to case design and pressure. The .505 Gibbs is a very large, low-pressure cartridge. It isn’t standardized by SAAMI, but CIP lists its maximum average pressure at about 39,000 psi. By comparison, the .458 Winchester Magnum runs at 53,000 psi, and the .458 Lott at 62,000 psi. Those higher pressures make the .458 cartridges more efficient; I.E you can drive the same 500 gr bullet to 2,150 fps with much less powder.

Powder charge directly affects recoil because the gases are part of what the rifle reacts against. In recoil calculations, the bullet mass is added to about 1.5 times the powder charge to get the “effective ejecta mass.” That means your Gibbs load with a 500–525 gr bullet and 120–150 gr of powder reacts like launching a 620–650 gr bullet. By contrast, a .458 with the same bullet weight and only 70–80 gr of powder behaves more like 570–580 gr. The Gibbs hits harder at both ends not because it’s more powerful, but because it’s burning almost twice the powder at lower efficiency.

I had to think a little bit on that second question, on the face of it, it didn’t make a lot of sense to me either until I did a little digging. I learned a little tonight about the 505 Gibbs, not a cartridge I have had much experience with.

Thanks,

Jay

What do you think, did we get it right? Did we leave anything out? How would you have responded?

Time at the Bench

338 Spectre Primed

Majority of my time was spent priming 338 Spectre brass. I had hoped to get a little further along than I have gotten but, my plan is to prime everything I’ve got so I can focus on loading. Nothing groundbreakingly exciting about this, it is just one of the many menial tasks that must be done.

I also spent a good amount of time trying to clean and organize my bench. Things just kind of got carried away. Lots of little projects combined with little time and I have found myself a little messier than usual. When this happens I always find a random primer, or a random screw, or something and I am immediately like “Jeesh I hope that wasn’t important.” I’ve got a few projects coming up and I wanted to read to go.

Industry and Legislative News

Normally this would fall into our “New Guns and Gear” section but this has become an “Interesting New Release” into a huge flub on Franklin Armory’s part. Sometimes bold actions do not always turn out how we might expect. To understand this we need to roll back time into another one of Franklin Armory’s releases, the Reformation.

Franklin Armory Reformation

For those who can remember the Reformation was an attempt to skirt the NFA laws regarding Short Barrel Rifles by offering a firearm that was not classified as a rifle and could not be classified as a shotgun. This made it classified simply as a “Firearm”, meaning it was not subject to either the $200 tax stamp for Short Barrel Shotguns or for Short Barrel Rifles.

I applaud Franklin Armory for pushing the NFA boundary, even if it is will a gun that is less then effective at distances beyond 50 yards.

The way they did this was to manufacture a barrel with straight grooves that imparted no twist on the projectile whatsoever. Obviously, there were issues, the twist imparts a spin on the bullet which prevents the bullet from tumbling and keeps it from wandering all over the range.  So, to counter these issues Franklin Armory has what can only be described as a Nerf-Football-style projectile. The drag stabilized concept is not as ludicrous as might seem, smooth bore cannons shooting fin stabilized projectiles have been the staple of the M1 Abrams design for nearly a quarter century.

If you have one, I’d love to add it to my collection

The Reformation hit the market in 2018 under this premise. However, the ATF did what the ATF commonly does and decided to reverse their classification in 2019 and determined that it was indeed a Short-Barrel Shot Gun (SBS). This ended up tying up the legality of the Reformation for some time. So, let’s now fast forward to 2025, the ATF decided to backtrack again, this time under the likely direction of the Department of Justice under Pam Bondi.

ATF Backtracks on Reformation

In a letter dated August 29, 2025 the ATF again decided that the Reformation was not classified as a rifle or a shotgun, but simply as a firearm, and thus could be sold to the public without the burden of NFA restrictions.

The letter went on to address the Antithesis firearm, another submission to the ATF’s Technology Division, which under its letter’s description, was designed to fire (This is important) “Antithesis is a type of firearm that utilizes a 14.5-inch rifled barrel to fire .410 bore shotshells and slugs, in addition to .45 Colt cartridges”. At the time ATF had classified it as a Short Barrel Rifle but was also rescinding this decision.

Under this letter dated August 29, 2025 the ATF was basically green lighting Franklin Arsenal to sell the Reformation which was introduced in 2018, and a new gun the Antithesis which, to my knowledge, had not been released. Classifying both as a “Firearm” for the purposes of the NFA. Thus neither required the NFA restrictions.

Where Franklin Armory went wrong.

The Antithesis launched on September 19th, 2025. I got texts and messages from friends, and it was a big to do. Folks were excited to see what looked like an SBR being offered as a “Firearm”. There was not one model being offered in .410/45 Colt, rather their offerings were in 5.56x45MM and 300 Blackout. My immediate question was “How are they getting around the SBR requirement?”

The answer was surprisingly novel; they had developed a shot shell that could be loaded into a 223 Rem/5.56 NATO case and fired. Each payload had essentially what was 3 balls of buck shot partially encased in a sabot or polymer shell. Duplex and Triplex loads are not new, they have been played with before, but I don’t think anyone has claim that loading a rifle with “buckshot” load was effectively turning it into a shotgun.  This was Franklin Armories attempt to push what the ATF considered a “Firearm” and you can see how they got there from the decision that a rifle that could fire both a .410 Shotshell and a 45 Colt, was a firearm and not a “rifle” or a “shotgun”.

Neat, but is it $10/projectile neat?

The ATF was quick to shut that down. Not even three days into it and Franklin Armory yanked pretty much everything to do with the Antithesis from their website. Issued an apology letter and a full refund for all those who bought the rifle.

My Takeaway

I think this is a clear attempt by Franklin Armory to pull a bait-and-switch on the ATF. So, it’s hard for me to get upset over this. You do not magically develop a “shotshell” that can be loaded into a rifle cartridge overnight. The looks of it, there was some serious R&D that went into it, including what is likely injection molding costs and what not. However, it was pretty darn clear it was a ploy. The list price for the projectiles was $40/10. This is not loaded ammo, this is just the payload, and it tells you tips and tricks on how to load it.

So what Franklin Armory did was challenge the NFA’s firearm definition with what was probably a legitimate product, an AR that could shoot both 45 Colt and .410 shotshells. Get the “Firearm” classification and then in effect say, “Here’s an AR in .223 Rem that shoots both regular 223 Rem and these special shells that shoot multiple rounds like a shotgun, thus it’s identical to the .410/45 Colt example that you ruled on an said was ok”. There is little doubt that Franklin Arsenal was also counting on recent change in administration and the legislation zeroing out the NFA Tax to be on their side.

The ATF called their bluff, and I can only assume it was called hard, as quickly as Franklin Armory yanked everything. What most people don’t realize is the gamble that Franklin Arsenal made and then lost. They wanted to be ahead of the market with a non-NFA SBR. They designed a whole product line around it, paid for marketing, and obviously put some R&D money behind it. They would have set a precedent in the market, in order to have a legitimate Non NFA “SBR” it had to be able to shoot shotgun like shells. “Wink, Wink, Nod, Nod”

Every Tom, Dick and Jerry who put together ARs would have quickly pointed at that and said “Same Rule applied to us” and launched their own lines. This would have continued to pound nails into the NFA coffin. Which many of us knew on seeing the launch of the Antithesis, including the ATF. Which is why I am sure the ATF quickly squashed it.

Is there someone who is right or someone who is wrong? Is there a reason to be outraged here?

No, not really. In my opinion, Franklin Arsenal attempted to pull bait and switch over on the ATF banking on the Administration’s friendly attitude towards the 2A Community, the recent passage of the revisions to the NFA Tax, to carry them through. A gamble which clearly pushed the line too much. (They pulled out all the stops offering the guns fully kitted with binary triggers and angled fore-grips). We have a long history of doing this, pushing the line of what is legal, trigger cranks, forced reset triggers, bump stocks, binary triggers, angled for grips, arm braces, solvent traps, 80% Lowers, this list goes on and on. Sometimes we get away with it, but usually someone gets burned. Whether it is the company that produces them, or the unwitting consumer that buys them.

Which is why I have played the game “wait and see” with all of these products. The last thing I want to do is dump money on a $500 trigger and then get a letter a few months, or years later after the ATF has changed it’s mind and have to forfeit my property. Yes you can argue illegal confiscation, but at the end of the day, giving up $500 is far cheaper then the lawyer and years of legal fees to keep what is, at the end of the day, a gimmick.

Editor’s Note and ATF follow up

When I originally wrote this, the ATF had not publicly come out and offered their side of the story. On September 25, 2025 they published this letter which pretty much confirmed what I suspected. The original authorization was for a .410/.45 Colt rifle, and that was what had been submitted. Franklin Armory took that and ran with it, and while they submitted the new version to the ATF, they did not wait for the ATF to make a ruling on whether it was legal.

New Guns and Gear

So, for new releases that have not pushed the legal boundaries,

Area 419 Zero Press Gen 2

Area 419 has released the 2nd Generation of its ZERO reloading press.  They have updated the linkage, added a few creature comforts like a ball detent to the primer tray smoothing out the stroke, and small tweaks to ergonomics.  The ZERO press’s claim to fame is a lock-up so consistent that you can expect the position of the turret to repeat within .0005in. It’s a beast of a press at 70+lbs, so there is no doubt you’re getting $1400 worth of precision machined aluminum.

Both Marc and I have opinions over the ZERO press, neither of us are big fans. Mainly because no one has yet to demonstrate the incremental gain you would get from spending $500 on a Redding T7, or spending (in this case) $1400 on a ZERO Gen 2 press. By incremental gain, we mean, when you develop a load on a Redding T7 press and it shoots a group size of 1.54 inches at 100 yards, does the ZERO press shrink that 1.54-inch group down to 0.54 inches, or only to 1.44 inches?  This is not to knock on the quality of the press; it is a very sturdy and well-built machine that will last a lifetime. It is a press that looks great on Instagram, in the background of YouTube Videos and will impress all your friends when they see it.

Rossi RS22 Pistol

Rossi announced a pistol configuration for their 22LR Semi-automatic action. This is the same basic action of their RS22 Rifle released a few years ago. I am not sure there is a lot to comment on here, but if we see the NFA get completely wiped off the books I think this becomes a cheap and affordable  SBR Host.  MSRP on this is $199

Rideout Arsenal – Dragon

Rideout Arsenal, a new company, has a new gun that is on preorder for $5,200. Their claim to fame here is an ultralow bore axis. For those who are not familiar with the concept, the lower the bore axis the less muzzle flip you tend to experience. This is due to the bore being more in line with your wrist, a higher bore axis acts as a lever and will push your wrist back and up. The gun is an all-metal frame, 5in barrel, and it is set up to be optic-ready. The package will ship with a Trijicon SRO optic. Reportedly it uses Springfield Armory Echelon Magazines.

This one just made my head turn. We see stuff like this from time to time in the gun industry. A radical new take on something and you always ask yourself if it’s going to be something or if it will die on the vine. When Glock came out with their “Tupperware” Glock 17 design few were aware of the explosion it would kick off.  On the flip side of that there are many, many examples of radical designs not paying off, only the most recent is the Hudson H9.  With the price tag this high, expectations for performance will be equally high. If it fails to meet them, it will likely end up a boutique curiosity just like my beloved chimera the MK36 by Overmatch Precision Arms.

I think everyone has that one gun, that they wish they could have bought. This is one of mine, for not other reason then its a marriage of the old and the new.

If you have questions, comments, or ideas, we’d love to hear from you.

Jay – jay@theballisticassistant.com

Marc – Marc@theballisticassistant.com

If you’d like to support this website, please use the affiliate links. We get a small commission whenever you purchase something through a link regardless of if it is the product that was linked or not. This is at no additional cost to you. 

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Brass, Barrels, and Bureaucracy #13

I know the equinox is around the corner, but the trees are already turning. With how dry New England has been, I doubt we’ll see much vibrant foliage this year, which probably means fewer leaf peepers, and that’s fine by me.

To folks who haven’t seen it before, I suppose it is still cool, but it’s not as bold and vibrant as it can be. It’s just been too dry of a summer.

Recent political events have left many of us feeling buried. I’ll admit, I’m worn out. This is one of those moments you will remember exactly where you were when you first heard the news. It is a tragedy any way you slice it, and my heart goes out to Charlie Kirk’s family. While it is of no consolation, they caught the suspect and charged him with aggravated murder. Prosecutors are pursuing the death penalty.

It has also made me reassess my everyday carry. For years I kept a firearm in my backpack, mostly because of workplaces that did not allow firearms on the property. It worked, but I recognize it was far from ideal. Now I have returned to carrying on the hip, which forced me to reevaluate both gear and wardrobe. At thirty, with my metabolism in the rearview, I have found OWB much more comfortable than IWB.

I have been very happy with this holster produced by Craft Holsters. Very comfortable if you like Out Side the Waistband Carry

After Aurora, I decided that a Ruger LCP was not enough for daily carry, and I needed to move toward a compact. This led me to the CZ-2075 RAMI-P and eventually to my current HK 45CT. I am making similar changes again. A button-down shirt over a T-shirt conceals well enough here in rural Vermont. I carry my HK in a Craft Holster OWB thumb-break leather holster on a Bigfoot Gun Belt. It is bulkier than I would like, but I enjoy shooting that pistol, which is a criterion for me when choosing a carry gun. I have also been considering an HK P2000SK, which would keep the fire controls similar to the larger HK pistols while slimming everything down.

Bigfoot Gunbelts is another company that made a really good product but has gone out of business. I am in the market for a new belt, not due to wearing out my old one, but rather a waist that has unfortunately outgrown it’s current belt.

My kids recently learned that both my wife and I carry. When my son saw my holstered pistol for the first time, it sparked a conversation about why I carry and why it is not something to mention in public. It was not a talk I expected to have so soon, but it turned out to be necessary.

Like many of you, I am uneasy about where this country is headed. Nothing we could have done would have changed the outcome of recent events, but they serve as a reminder that the world is unpredictable. The best thing we can do is stay trained, stay equipped, and keep our families prepared.

Website Updates

Nothing new on the website this week, we have been chipping away on a few projects to stay tuned.

We did have a new subscriber ask a really good question, that I think everyone will enjoy. It’s one of those questions that can really make you think. I used to have a “Mail Bag” section but to be honest, I didn’t have a lot to put into it and I wasn’t sure if it was just cluttering up the webpage, so I moved it to the archive.

Anyway here’s the question.

Jay
I’m reloading for a 505 Gibbs with Hornady 525 both solids and softs.
I settled on 142 gr H1000 for 2150fps.

I have two questions one seems to turn the way I understand physics on its head.
First the simpler one would a faster powder loaded to same 2150 fps kick less? This 11.5lb gun kicks the snot out of me now.

The more interesting question is how can a .458 caliber 500 gr bullet be propelled at the same 2150 fps with roughly half the powder charge and half the recoil as the larger caliber similar weighted projectile?
Thanks

Mark B.

I’ve already provided an answer, but what would your answer be?  I’ll post my response next week, and if anyone else has a question lay it on us. Marc and I would love to take a shot at it.

Time at the Bench

Finally some 338 Spectre

I am working on 338 Spectre, finally circling back around to that cartridge. Looking at developing a few test loads. 300gr Sierra Matchkings, Barnes 225gr TTSX (minus the tip), some Hornady 225gr SST, and I think I have a few other random 338 Bullets I might work a load up in.

I still need to mount an optic on the rifle, and figure out the range situation here in Vermont, but at least I’ll have the ammo loaded and that’s half the battle. I am queuing up to have a bunch of loads that need testing.

40 S&W Missing Barrel

So about 18 months ago I bought an H&K VP40 with the intent to use it as a host platform to do some tinkering with 357 Sig. Yes, I really like my H&K pistols, no I don’t consider it a “problem”. I bought a threaded 357 Sig barrel from Rim Country Manufacturing, and I have proceeded to do nothing with it besides installing the new barrel in the gun. At which point I decided I needed to put the old 40 S&W barrel for that gun in a place that must have only made sense to me at that moment in time. Two moves, later and I cannot for the life of me figure out where I put it. So, I am now sitting on a bunch of 40 S&W ammo I have loaded, and I don’t have a gun to test it in.

I’ve bought a few HK related parts from Rim Country Manufacturing. Have always had a good experience and I’ll likely pick up the replacement .40 S&W barrel from them. Bonus, it’s a standard thread, no metric weirdness.

There is a bittersweet side to this: I get to have an excuse to buy a new barrel. I’ll pick up a 40 S&W barrel, either made by H&K or from an after-market manufacturer like RCM. It’ll be threaded so if I ever decide to pick up a .40-cal suppressor, I’ll have something to put on. In my sleuthing of looking for a replacement barrel I came across the fact you can purchase a conversion barrel that will take your H&K VP40 and effectively turn it into a 9mm. No new recoil spring, no new mags, just a new barrel.

A VP40 to 9mm Conversation Barrel is a VP40 barrel that has the outside dimensions of a VP40 barrel but has a 9mm bore and chamber. A VP9 barrel has a slimmer profile and will not work in a VP40 Slide.

The VP40 slide is beefier than the VP9 slide, so it may result in a softer shooting 9mm? I don’t know. Either way, that is now on my “to buy list”.   Sometimes losing a barrel leads you down unexpected paths.

Lights for Everywhere

This has been a fantastic addition to my 550, only issue I have had if if I am using standard lock rings on the die, sometimes they are a bit too thick for the light to slide in.

I have discovered the joy of having more light on the bench. It started with a lighting kit for my Dillion 550 press and now has moved to two different adjustable lamps at both benches and even has moved to a small ring light around the quill on my drill press. I do not know if it’s just that I have gotten older and my eyes appreciate having things lit up like a Christmas tree.

I’ve clamped one of these to a shelf that sits above my bench. I can position it so I have the light right where I want it, and if I need to pull it down to get a closer view it’s right there. Not a bad deal for $50.

LED Desk lamps really make a difference, and they don’t act like light heaters, like the old incandescent, or halogen bulbs. For checking to see how high the powder charge is, or for just inspecting cases, I have found that a well-lit work bench really does make it a bit more enjoyable to reload.

Industry and Legislative News

NOE Closing Shop

Credit goes to Mark K. to bring this to my attention. (As a side note, I have an abundance of Mark’s who subscribe or who contribute in some way to this site, I would like to thank all of them but also recognize the statistical anomaly for what it is.)

For those who are not familiar with NOE, they are, or rather were, an awesome bullet mold making company located in Provo, Utah.  They had probably the largest selection of bullet molds, and configurations of molds of any bullet mold maker out there. They also took suggestions from hobby guys like me, and their minimum run quantity was low. If you could get ten people on board purchasing a mold they would likely run it. It is how myself and one other guy go the cast bullet mold for the 300gr 338 Mold designed specifically for the 338 Spectre into production.

315gr 338 Cal mold for the 338 Spectre, the bullet I helped design, and NOE brought to life. That’s almost 10yrs ago

They have announced they are closing up shop and they are blowing out the rest of the inventory. I don’t have any insight on why they are closing their doors, if it was a retirement of Al Nelson, or if they are the victim of the poor economy. Either way we are losing a great company that really made some fantastic products for the casting and reloading hobby. NOE’s closing is only the latest casualty of what is presently endemic in the industry.

Industry Slowing

To put it bluntly, the industry continues to slow. Year over year revenue is down 9.6% on average across all shooting related companies and product lines, with firearms being down 11.5%. This is also born out in NICS data which has shown a marked decline.  For most of us this is not news, we have been feeling the effects of it if not being direct contributors to the decline.

I know I have bought less hobby related things this year than I have in years past and that is not because I am any less engaged. We just have less room in the budget to spend. Rising housing and food costs, rising energy costs, without appreciable increases in pay, and honestly the cost of powder and bullets has gone up. Primers have come down in price some but nowhere near what they were pre-COVID.

A few more companies have recently closed shop. SSCY Industries, makers of affordable subcompact pistols, closed in May. Anderson Manufacturing closed its doors early this summer. The Fiocchi of America is now fully owned by the Czechoslovak Group (CSG). CSG and Vista Outdoors are now consolidated under the Kinetic Group.

You got to hand it to them, they really pulled out all the stops on the engraving. Very nice, a bit over the top for my taste though.

Ruger has recently gone through a restructuring and the headcount at Ruger has dropped by about 5%.

These are normal responses to a soft market. Companies that are unable to weather the storm close up shop or get bought out. Larger companies look to cut costs, sometimes that means cutting workforce, as unfortunate as that is, and other companies are looking to diversify their product offerings. Trying to find niches of the market segment that might be seeing growth.  I.E the double stack 1911 market.

I would not read too much into it, other than a soft market means there will be change. While some might be referring this as the Trump slump 2.0, I don’t think it’s near as bad. Plus, on the bright side it may force the market to be more competitive, I may be optimistic, but I’d really love to see primers drop below $50 a brick of 1000. I need some large pistol primers.

Open Carry is Now Legal in Florida

The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals has struck down Florida’s ban on open carrying of firearms. I think the surprise, for many of us, is that it was not already legal. Either way it looks like the state’s Attorney General is not going to appeal this ruling, saying “It is now the law of the land”.

If you choose to open carry in Florida or anywhere else, please do so in a dignified manner and professional manner, that does not paint everyone else as complete dufus.

New Jersey Upheld “Sensitive Places” Restrictions

In the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals, a three-judge panel ruled that the New Jersey Legislature can define so called “sensitive places” and prohibit open and concealed carry within those places. As anyone who carries regularly knows, these “sensitive places” are almost always areas where it ends up being very inconvenient for those who choose to carry.

You want to pick up the mail at the post office? That’s felony to carry inside a post office.

You need to drop by an see your relative in a nursing home, or in a hospital. That’s a sensitive area, you can’t carry it there.

Libraries, Museums, parks, beaches, zoos, the list goes on. These all end up being “no carry zones”. So, you are left with 2 choices, obey the law and leave the firearm in a vehicle. Or break the law and carry regardless. Concealed is concealed right? That is a very personal decision, and I do not advocate for either.  The point is, lawmakers are finding any excuse they can to make lives difficult for those who wish to exercise their constitutional right to self-defense. This court ruling upheld the lawmakers’ intent to do that.

New Guns and Gear

MDT Timber Core – Rifle Stock

I am a sucker for a traditional looking wood and metal gun. I like the WOOX stocks, I like some of the wooden stocks and grips you can find on AR’s, and this MDT stock caught my eye.  It’s maybe a little less traditional in style, more akin to a mashup of their chassis and traditional wood stock, but I can get behind it. It offers many of the same features you might get in a chassis gun, v-block bedding, free floated barrel, and a bottom metal that works with magazines.

I have at least one bolt action rifle that I might consider refinishing and using a stock like this on. That is a someday project.

Steyr ATd and ATc Pistols

Steyr has announced a new line of pistols the ATd which is focused on self-defense and the ATc which is focused on competition.  I have to admit the competition guns are handsome looking. They are hammer fired which is a departure from the norm with Steyr. A lot of people have speculated these are a rebranding of Slovenija arms maker AREX. I see the similarities and both companies are now owned by Czech Republic’s RSBC Investment Group.

Steyr has an import facility in Alabama so it would make sense if AREX guns are imported that they come in under the Steyr name which is a more recognized brand in the US Market. The MSRP is said to start around $1,170, and I am sure they will go up steeply for some of the competition models. Specs are about what you’d expect for a 9mm. 18rnd magazines, DA/SA trigger, and optics ready. They do advertise that the system is easy to tune, and that there is some modularity of parts. It is also noteworthy that it is an all-metal frame.

An all-metal frame gun in 9mm is usually a recipe for a good time at the range.  

If you have questions, comments, or ideas, we’d love to hear from you.

Jay – jay@theballisticassistant.com

Marc – Marc@theballisticassistant.com

If you’d like to support this website, please use the affiliate links. We get a small commission whenever you purchase something through a link regardless of if it is the product that was linked or not. This is at no additional cost to you. 

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Brass, Barrels, and Bureaucracy #12

This week was a whirlwind. Work was especially busy, and I got hit by the migraine freight train one day and a cramped up back the next. It’s been exciting, on the bright side, fall weather is setting in, which is much appreciated. Despite the cooler weather, the leaves haven’t begun to turn yet. At least I haven’t seen any trees with yellow leaves yet. We can expect that to begin at any day now.

I took my daughter out to fly her airplane and that did not go as well as I would have liked. I think I finally understand what it means to be tail heavy and why it is so devastating to fly a plane that is tail heavy. It seems like a simple concept but for some reason I couldn’t quite grasp it, until I launched her plane and it kind of just clicked, about two seconds before it completed a flip and nosed dived into the ground.  

I’ve always gotta be careful going to events like these, as I might end up as an attraction, right there in between the goats and the sheep.

My wife and I plan to visit the Tunbridge World’s Fair, I enjoy watching the horse and oxen pulls along with seeing the old engines and machinery. It’s been awhile since I have had the chance to go to that fair but I am looking forward to  it.

Website Updates

When Marc wrote his article on the chronographs it got me thinking about how people generally use their chronographs. I often do not hear much about Standard Deviation, or discussion around how shooters apply that to their loads to figure out if “good enough” is “good enough”. Statistics can be a deep and dark well to dive into especially if you don’t have a background in math or engineering. So, I thought it might be useful to try and explain it in the simplest terms I could muster so folks might get the benefit of using their Chronograph not only to measure what is, but also “what might be”.  See the article below and let me know your thoughts.

A Handloaders Guide to Standard Deviation

Time at the Bench

I opted to switch my Dillon 550 over to rerun that .223 Remington where the COAL was a touch too long. It turned out better than I had thought it would be. Most of the rounds were fine, it was just a couple of lots that I needed to go through. It’s a pretty darn quick process. One die to set the bullet back about .025 and a second die to reapply the crimp.

So close, the tips would just catch on the inside of the mag.

You could argue that I shouldn’t need to reapply the crimp, especially since I am not crimping especially hard. However, I felt it helped the rounds gauge a little better, as does just tuck in the case mouth and prevent it from hanging up. It’s not much, but it’s noticeable.

New Cartridge (for me) 7.62x39mm

Some steel cased Wolf 7.62x39mm I bought several years ago. I have no idea how it got wet, but the box on the left was so corroded it’s probably not worth saving. The two boxes on the right survived unscathed. A personal reminded not to store ammo without some moisture protection.

This is a new cartridge for me. I have been collecting components for a while with the intent of loading ammo for that VZ-58 I built a few years ago. I had some left-over components from some experimentation I did with the .303 British. Both cartridges have a bore diameter that can range from .310 to .312. The bullets I had were some Sierra 125gr Soft Points measuring .311in.

About 8 years ago I was playing with extremely light loads in my .303 British. I still have an assortment of 90gr and 85gr .32 cal bullets that I never used up. The loads worked, velocities were impressive but the accuracy wasn’t there.

I had a few different powders I could have used for this load, but I decided to use H335 as I have an abundance of it at the moment. This powder is on the slow side for what will work, but I don’t mind that. Case fill will always be 100% and I don’t run the risk of overtopping the service pressure.  My big holdback on getting the rifle sighted in will be the trigger, it’s horrendous. I’ve got to figure out how to fix that.

Industry and Legislative News

Rest in Peace Charlie Kirk

This is a news story that has hit closer to home than usual. I lived in and around Orem, Utah for 10 years, and I went to school at Utah Valley University. So, to see the tragedy happen not only in a city I knew well, but at the college campus I knew well, it’s hard to watch. Charlie Kirk was not someone I had in my regular rotation of podcasts but I have heard him speak on a few occasions and I have always appreciated his wit and stalwart defense of the Constitution and of Christian values. It has been absolutely heart breaking to see this unfold.

To those who are not familiar with the area, Orem and Provo Utah are basically one city with two major colleges. Utah Valley University (UVU), and Brigham Young University. Like much of Utah, the community is between 30 to 50% members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In the interest of full disclosure, I am part of that community, having been a member of the church all my life. The crime rate for both cities is lower than the national average.

Utah is unique in that if a school receives state funding, then they must also allow individuals with Conceal Carry Permits to carry on campus. That is true for colleges as well as grade schools. Many people, including myself, regularly carried a firearm while attending UVU. No doubt many of the attendees at Charlie Kirk’s tour were also carrying. It is of no surprise to me that security could be considered “lax”. Charlie was speaking to a large but very friendly crowd, and even the people protesting were tame when it comes to university protests.

Charlie Kirk was standing immediately behind the enclosed walk way that is behind the reflection pools. This is known on campus as the “Hall of Flags” as every flags from every country around the world is hanging.

The campus is set up, like many modern campuses, with large outdoor spaces. However, you could get pretty much anywhere you wanted to go through long corridors. Many of these corridors were also terraces on top and served as additional walkways. Elevated positions, and lots of open spaces, it is everything a sharpshooter could ask for. I wish very much I was not having to write about this, as it is a true tragedy. I suspect it will not be long before the culprit is apprehended. A surplus Mauser .30-06 has already been recovered, and investigators have released pictures of a suspect who remains at large. Whoever the shooter is, the death penalty will likely be on the table.

 Even still, Charlie left behind a wife and two young children, and a conservative movement that happens once in a generation. Whatever punishment or justice is granted it will not replace the truly a good man we lost, and it makes me genuinely concerned about the future of our country. If we can no longer have discourse about ideas, even those which may be unpalatable to some on the left, right or center, then we have lost the Republic.

DOJ Considering Restricting Gun Rights to Trans individuals

With the shooting two weeks ago, and with the recent assassination of Charlie Kirk. The discussion around gun control and gun rights is still very much in the forefront of the public discussion. Reports indicate the Department of Justice is internally deliberating whether or not individuals suffering from Gender Dysphoria should be stripped of their gun rights. This stems from the fact that several of the most recent mass shooters claimed to be suffering from gender dysphoria.

I am somewhat upset that I have to be put in the position of “If you do it to them, then you’ll do it to us.” Literally millions of Americans struggle with mental health issues, including Anxiety, Depression, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD). Many of our veteran struggle with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) which go hand in hand with depression and anxiety.  So, if we begin to strip rights from individuals with mental health issues, where does that line get drawn? Are we putting our rights into the hands of the American Medical Association, who have been vehemently antigun?

I find it unlikely that any such restriction is going to be held up in court. There are processes to adjudicate individuals as mentally ill, and there are legitimate arguments over that process, and how the Rights are restored to that individual when they recover. This whole “Transgender” issue has irked me in more ways than one, and it irks me a bit more that I am put into a position of “Yes, they are mentally ill, but no you cannot strip their gun rights from them”. If the shoe was on the other foot, I have little doubt that I would be thrown wholesale to the wolves.

Delaware Judge Strikes Down Age Requirement

The minimum age to purchase a handgun was moved to 21 as a response to the Columbine shooting. Since then, there have been many arguments that this was unconstitutional, as the age of majority in the country is 18. Why should we give some people the majority of rights at 18 but withhold the remaining rights at 21?

There have been several lawsuits and verdicts upholding this requirement but now we have at least one instance where a judge found it was unconstitutional, from Delaware of all States. Expect this ruling to be appealed. There are other courts cases in the works dealing with the same thing, and there has been a push in some states to include so called “assault weapons” under the 21 or older requirement.

Steps Towards Conceal Carry National Reciprocity

We have had at least one pending ruling that has the potential to erode the barriers towards the goal of National Reciprocity. At the end of August, it was ruled in Higbie v. James that New York must allow nonresidents to apply for concealed carry permits. This does not exempt them from the state’s extensive requirements, but it’s a step in the right direction. The more concealed carry is normalized, and the more restrictions that are struck down in court the closer we are to getting national reciprocity.

To that end, New Hampshire has joined 24 other states in asking the U.S Supreme Court to review Massachusetts’ onerous permitting requirements. To highlight the severity of the issue, gun owners have to be hyper vigilant when crossing state lines. An arbitrary line on the map is the difference between being law abiding and being a felon. It is not theoretical, in many areas you can go for a walk on a street at the beginning of your walk you are perfectly legal, by the middle of the walk you are a felon. Given the Right to self-defense is a National Right, and not a State Right, then that right should apply regardless of State lines.

Tennessee Mandating Gun Safety Classes in All Grades

One of my biggest frustrations about school is that they do not teach skills that transfer into the real world.  Skills such as:

  • Managing money, what is a credit score, what and how to manage debt, how to file for taxes
  • How Insurance works, what is a deductible, and what it means to be in-network
  • How to vote in local, state and national elections, how to be engaged civilly
  • How to rent an apartment, what tent rights are, how to read a lease, what is a security deposit.
  • First aid and basic health literacy, CPR, when to go to the ER vs. Urgent care,
  • How to write a resume, interview for a job, negotiate a salary, and avoid the pitfalls of internships

This list is probably a mile long, but it’s things we as adults have to figure out on our own. Well in Tennessee, they are going to be teaching gun safety, something that used to be taught nationally through programs like the NRA’s Eddie Eagle.

This guy is still around, it’s really a decent program, but most schools don’t want to touch anything with the NRA’s name attached to it. Which is too bad.

New Guns and Gear

Taurus 66 Combat

Taurus recently announced a new 7 shot 357 Magnum Revolver. This is a medium framed revolver with a double action only hammer. Clearly this is targeting the folks who like to conceal carry a revolver, as the hammer has been bobbed and the barrel is a short 3in. This all but guarantees that the flash is going to be extraordinary and blinding when shot in low light conditions. It does come predrilled and tapped for an optics plate if you’d like to mount a red dot, that is handy.

Wilson Combat SFT9

While not a “New” product it is something Marc was able to put his hands on this week. Wilson Combat announced and released this pistol back in August of 2022. I would deem it a modernized 1911, eliminating the grip safety, as well as offering it in a double stack 9mm. Marc reports that it feels very comfortable in his hands and over all he was impressed with the fit and finish of the handgun. The only thing I would change is the front barrel bushing, while it is iconic 1911, a reverse plug like found on a double stack in 1911 just makes servicing these guns a bit easier.

Hi-Point HP-15

A new addition to the entry level AR-15’s, the HP-15. Honestly, I am like everyone else, when we see a new MSR hit the market, apathetic. Most of us know Hi-Point for their very inexpensive and ugly as sin pistols. Yes, they work, yes they will never win a beauty pageant, even if they are the last contestant standing. Apparently, they have seen a hole in their line up and have decided to make the bold move of offering a budget AR-15. Now to be completely fair, the specs read to be just fine. 1:8 Twist 16in Nitrided barrel, 15in Free Floating M-LOK handguard, M16 Full Profile Bolt Carrier, etc.

The price tag is fair, at $499.99 you’re not going to break the bank. It’s probably just fine for someone looking for their first AR. It’s just a very crowded market right now. AR’s are a dime a dozen, Andro Corp Industries AR-15’s are regularly on sale for $369.99, which is about as low as I have seen an AR go for.  So I am not sure why a company would be looking to launch budget ARs in this market. Yet here we are.

If you have questions, comments, or ideas, we’d love to hear from you.

Jay – jay@theballisticassistant.com

Marc – Marc@theballisticassistant.com

If you’d like to support this website, please use the affiliate links. We get a small commission whenever you purchase something through a link regardless of if it is the product that was linked or not. This is at no additional cost to you. 

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Brass, Barrels, and Bureaucracy #11

The kids went back to school this week and at weeks end the school is still standing so all is well. The weather this week has been wonderful with the air almost turning a bit nippy at night. We have seen our fair share of rain over the last two days. The leaves aren’t turning yet, but I suspect we will start seeing the maples get a bit of a golden tinge here in the next week or two.

3D printers have become so cheap and so good that it really is not cost effective to build your own, unless you are a sadist. I have long since abandoned my own project to build one.

Along with my many other projects I have been working on trying to fix an SLA printer. I have torn it apart and put it back together more times than I can count. I fixed one issue and then another cropped up. Some people might think it’s more trouble than it’s worth, but at the end of the day it’s a $600 machine rescued from the dumpster. My expectations are low, but I think I’ve got the issue narrowed down, and since the machine is still under warranty, the manufacturer has been willing to send me the replacement parts, though shipping will take 7-20 days.

Website Updates

This week Marc had the opportunity to test out the Athlon Chronograph. He took some time to put together a survey for those folks who might be looking at purchasing one.

Understanding Chronographs: A Guide for Reloaders

Time at the Bench

40 S&W Returning to My Roots

Everyone has their first pistol, this was mine, somewhere I have some old pictures of it. The M&P 2.0 look way cooler, but function more or less the same.

I’ve been loading several lots of .40 S&W lately, which takes me back to when I first started reloading. My first pistol was a Smith & Wesson M&P in .40 S&W. At the time, the cartridge was still being promoted as the “man stopper.” The Utah Highway Patrol officer who taught my concealed carry class swore it was the only caliber where he never saw an assailant get back up. Today, the myth of a one-shot man stopper is well behind us.

I put thousands of rounds through that pistol, most of them cast myself with a Lee 20-lb melting pot and a 145-grain SWC mold, then loaded on a Lee Pro 1000 progressive press. Eventually I sold the M&P, picked up a CZ 2075 RAMI P, and later traded that for an HK45CT. For me, the .40 S&W always felt snappy, and full-power loads were never as enjoyable as running .45 ACP through my HK Mark 23.

I actually purchased this gun without doing a ton of research. I saw it, I liked how it felt and look and I bought it. Shot it a few times, decided it wasn’t for me and sold it. If it had been the metal framed pistol I might have kept it.

As a caliber, .40 S&W is on the decline, especially since the FBI dropped it in 2014 in favor of the 9×19. .40 S&W will not disappear completely because there are probably hundreds of thousands of guns chambered in .40. However, I doubt we will see many new offerings. Shooters are now gravitating towards its bigger brother, the 10mm Auto, when they need something with more punch than a 9mm. The only reason I am loading .40 today is because I have brass, bullets, and an HK VP40 I bought with the intent of experimenting with .357 Sig.

While I do have the .357 Sig barrel, I have not built up a stockpile of brass and bullets. For now, I just load .40 S&W to have something on hand if I want to shoot the pistol. Since I have not done much loading with .40 in recent years, I was caught off guard when I started looking up data for 180-grain bullets with Vihtavuori N330. QuickLOAD showed surprisingly low pressure. I had been running 6.0 grains of N330 with 155-grain Hornady XTPs, and I expected to have to reduce nearly a full grain for the heavier bullet.

Thanks again Brian for the save here. Good Data.

Vihtavuori’s published data only covers N320 and N340. This is when it pays to have friends who can cross-check. After a few texts and photos of different manuals, I found Sierra listed the data I needed. QuickLOAD confirmed their numbers, so I picked a mid-range charge and started loading.

Trust but verify. QuickLOAD was right this time, but as Marc wrote a few months back, it is always best to check data against at least one other source, especially when you are relying on software.

Lee Precision 223 Remington Dies

I have some really nice dies I break out for special occasions, but honestly I have found that Lee Dies work fine for about 90% of of my reloading tasks.

When I started reloading, I used a lot of Lee Precision Reloading Dies and I must honestly say, beyond a few quirks, I still think they are good value for the money.  So, when I found out that I could not find my set of 223 Remington Dies to fix that batch of 223 Remington where the COAL was too long, I ordered a set of Lee Dies.

I am about 90% sure Lee uses 12L14 as their die material of choice, as it characteristically forms a very light rust on the exterior surfaces over time.  The decapping pins are a one-piece deal, and they are usually soft, to where the pin will bend quite a bit before it breaks right off. Those pins do not take the abuse like some of the other pins out there on the market. Sometimes you’ll get a die or a tool head that has some pretty rough chatter or ugly looking threads, but at the same time, I have not personally seen where a $400 sizing die improves accuracy much, if at all, over a $20 Lee sizing die.

Once I am done with loading the 40 S&W, I’ll switch everything over and drop in the Lee dies to run through those 223 Rem loads through my Dillon 550.

Industry and Legislative News

Much of the week’s industry news was overshadowed by tragedy. It is a grim reminder that evil exists in the world. Our hearts go out to all those affected. As a parent, I cannot imagine the pain and anger of going through something like that.

These moments always spark reflection on the balance of freedom and risk. The same tools that preserve liberty can also be misused. The freedom to travel means we endure car accidents and, at times, deliberate acts of violence with vehicles. A free financial system allows us to work and spend as we wish, but it also creates opportunities for criminals to exploit and drain the savings of others. No one, left, right, or center, has an easy answer.

With that weight acknowledged, the industry has still moved forward with several notable developments this week.

Air Force Clears the M18

“…SIG guys strut like they’re fresh of a SEAL team six op but really they are just trying not to ND in the parking lot…”

Sig Sauer announced that the Air Force has cleared its pistols to return to duty. The last update on this case involved an airman who was arrested for making a false statement. It seemed there was more to the story than an “uncommanded discharge,” but the Air Force’s decision to reinstate the pistols does not settle much.

I remain skeptical. Sig has too much at stake to be impartial, and with multiple lawsuits pending, dismissing the issue as poor gun handling feels hollow. Remington tried that same approach with its safety problems: deny everything, fight it in court, and only change course when forced by a judge. That path contributed to Remington’s bankruptcy. I hate to see Sig following in those footsteps. Time will tell.

Hanover Armory Loses Baltimore Lawsuit


Hanover Armory lost a case against Baltimore over sales of so-called “ghost guns.” In reality, these were unfinished receivers. I am not sure which type they sold, but it hardly matters. The company stopped selling them after Maryland’s ban took effect. The lawsuit claims Hanover failed to conduct background checks on 80% lowers before the ban, despite there being no legal requirement to do so.

The decision came from a jury, which in firearms cases often means prosecutors stack the deck by excluding jurors who know the subject. This case will likely be appealed, and I would not be surprised to see it overturned.

Tennessee Judge Tosses Gun Restrictions

If I don’t have a map to remind me where Tennessee is, I am liable to forget. It gets lost in that cluster of states that have a Buc-ee’s and the ones who don’t

A Tennessee judge struck down laws tied to the vague phrase “intent to go armed.” The wording was too ambiguous to have legal merit, and the court ruled that restrictions on carrying firearms in parks were unconstitutional.

The ruling does not affect permit holders directly, but Tennessee is already a constitutional carry state. That created a contradiction: citizens needed a permit to carry in parks but not to carry concealed elsewhere. The judge’s decision resolved that inconsistency, and it was the right call.

New Guns and Gear

The Glock Store GS 26X Frame

For those folks who like Glock pistols, The Glock Store has their 26X frame on preorder. This frame seeks to make the ultimate Glock conceal carry gun, it combines the G19 grip length, allowing the use of double stack magazines, while allowing you to pair it with a G26, 27, 28, and 33 slide. The front profile of the grip features a very similar profile to the G43X which allows the use of sub compact weapon lights and lasers.  

This is something that really caught Marc’s eye as it is something that the Glock community came up with. They saw a niche application and purposely designed a frame to fit. This is not an 80% grip, rather it’s a serialized frame so you’ll need to run it through your local FFL.

If you have questions, comments, or ideas, we’d love to hear from you.

Jay – jay@theballisticassistant.com

Marc – Marc@theballisticassistant.com

If you’d like to support this website, please use the affiliate links. We get a small commission whenever you purchase something through a link regardless of if it is the product that was linked or not. This is at no additional cost to you. 

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Brass, Barrels, and Bureaucracy #10

The kids head back to school this week. I’m not sure who’s more excited, my wife or my daughter. My son is definitely the least; he struggles with ADHD and what we believe is Oppositional Defiant Disorder. If you’re not familiar with ODD, it makes discipline nearly impossible, once he digs in, there’s no moving him.

It’s been tough on my wife and me as we try to keep order at home and some sanity for ourselves. We’re hoping school resources can help. For all of Vermont’s problems, the schools are well funded and offer solid support for kids who need it, so “back to school” might finally bring us a bit of relief.

Meanwhile, I’ve been working through the reloading backlog and realized I no longer have the time or patience to hand trim brass. I used to spend Sundays at the trimmer with a movie running, but those days are gone. With piles of brass needing attention, I’ve started looking into powered trimmers—more on that in this week’s Time at the Bench.

Website Updates

I mentioned that Marc had some new neighbors move in. That got him reevaluating what loads might be proper to be carrying in his revolver. He put his thoughts down on paper and we published them this week.

Mastering Handloading: Gear Up for Unexpected Wildlife

Time at the Bench

Annealing 7.62×39

If you’re dealing with hot brass from annealing, a tin bucket is a life saver

I’ve been using the AMP annealer for a while, and my latest batch of 7.62x39mm went smoothly with one exception: the Lee shell holder doesn’t let every case slip in and out cleanly. Rim sizes vary by brand, so some snap in—fine for sizing, but tricky when you’re pulling hot brass out during annealing. The Redding #12 Shell holder is said to be the best for this cartridge; I even have one sitting in my Midway cart. In the meantime, I used a .308 Win shell holder. It takes some finesse since cases can drop off if you’re not careful, but it worked well enough that only a few slipped into the annealer, and those were easy to fish out. Cases come out hot enough to melt plastic, so I drop them into a metal pail to cool before transferring them to a plastic one.

Trimming Brass, by hand no more

I really like this method for sorting cases, it beats trying to balance it on a pair of calipers. It’s overkill unless you have the stuff laying around

Anyone who knows me would say that I am a creature of habit. Unfortunately, my habits are taken to the extreme and I can be slow to change.  When I sat down to start sorting the 7.62×39 cases by case length into a “to trim bucket” and a “no trim bucket”, it dawned on me that I was going to be doing a lot of trimming. Most of the brass was as much as .020 longer than the max case length. Which was a bit shocking. That’s a lot of hand cranking on the manual trimmer and given I had done a bunch of hand trimming on 30-06 a few months ago, I was not keen on doing all this 7.62×39 brass.

As I was sorting this brass and realizing the sheer amount of work I was signing up for, I asked myself the question “Why? Am I doing this?”

Why am I sorting brass to trim? It would be far more efficient if I just assumed all of the brass needed to be trimmed and run it through a trimmer that trims it back a set amount. Of course, if I am hand trimming it makes sense to sort it, but if I have a power trimmer, well, problem solved.  

This old drill press was saved from the scrap yard. It was not OSHA complaint, and there was not a good way to make it OSHA Complaint, hence the LOCKOUT Tag

Thus I decided it was time to finish the drill press rebuild I had started months earlier. Rather than buy a dedicated brass trimmer, I put the Delta 220 drill press I’d been given to use. Built between the 1940s and 1960s, these machines are all-metal and far sturdier than today’s budget presses. Before putting it to work, I stripped it down, ran the parts through a washer, bead blasted them, replaced the spindle and pulley bearings, and gave everything a fresh coat of Ford Grey paint. I added a new Jacobs chuck, a ½-hp three-phase motor, a VFD, and I’m installing an RPM sensor and speed dial. I’ve poured far more time and effort into this press than it’s worth, but I expect it to last a lifetime and perform beautifully.

Not quite 100% but close

While it would seem like this is a tangent, it circles back to brass trimming as there are several purpose-built brass trimmers on the market that are designed to mount on the end of a drill or drill press. Probably the most well-known is the World’s Finest Trimmer or (WFT) by Little Crow Gunworks.

The original WFT pictured left is a cartridge specific trimmer, while the newer WFT2 uses inter changeable “Trim Chambers”. There are advantages and disadvantages to both .

However, Little Crow Gunworks is not the only participant in that party. There are at least a half dozen brands and designs of cast trimmers that follow a similar pattern. Here’s a short list.

Draco Engineering

I have not tried these personally however the price point is tempting to try at least one or two and see if they are as good as the WTF.

Frankford Arsenal Universal Precision Case Trimmer

I have messed with this one a bit, and found it was probably an ok entry level tool. Not something I was overly impressed with but at the same time, it was not a complete flop.

Giraud Tri-Way Trimmer

Honestly this is a logical step for Giraud, their all in one unit has been the “Standard” powered brass trimmers have been held to for sometime. The $120 price point is a little high but not unreasonable.

That list is not exhaustive. There are other companies, even some unknown brands that produce these. All of which are very similar in operation and concept.  Lyman has a dedicated trimmer that works like the old Gracey Trimmers. Frankford Arsenal recently released a similar unit. Of course, Giraud has their dedicated unit as well that is very popular among high volume shooters. If you think about it, all the trimmers I’ve mentioned so far are basically a Giraud, or Gracey trimmer without the motor.

The old Gracey Trimmer. I can’t say it was the first powered “3in1” case trimmer, but it has to be up there. Operationally this works almost identical to the WFT, and the Giraud Trimmer. The cutter is a PITA to adjust correctly.

The only thing I think some of the dedicated hand crank trimmers have, an advantage on the powered units, is the ability to do wildcats. The way my RCBS Trimmer clamps on to the back of the shell means I can trim just about any case out there. This is more of a challenge with trimmers that rely on the case body, or index off the shoulder.

9x19mm Processing

As I mentioned last week, I had a die loose and ended up seating a bunch of bullets longer than what would gauge in a cartridge checker. I debated on whether I should just sort through the rounds and separate out the rounds which were too long or if I should just run them through the press again and set the bullets back and reapply the crimp.

Gauging a round and then popping it out of the gauge takes more time then just running it through the press a second time. When you have 1.5k rounds to “fix” it’s little time savers like this that keep you sane.

I decided on the latter. It is quick enough to feed rounds into the bullet seating station on a 550 and run them through bullet seat and crimp. Probably faster to do it that way than to sit down and sort the whole batch. I have a tendency to load cartridges long.  Unless I am trying to line up the case mouth with a crimping groove, or loading solid copper, I like to keep the distance between the bullet and lands to a minimum, provided they will still feed.

These are a life saver to have on the bench, but they require you to use them to be effective. Something I forget to do.

The advantage here is that since my nominal, non-screwed up COAL was long already, I could set up the seating and crimp die to knock everything back .020 and still have a safe load. For me the only reason to do this was to have a degree of consistency. Everything got pushed back to the same point and crimped in the same relative location.  I am just about through it all. I have the same chore to do with several lots of 223 Remington I loaded a while ago.

Speaking of Reloading Mistakes

I have a collection of quart, pint, and gallon containers I keep things in while sorting.

Pictured above is my reject bin from the marathon batch of 9x19mm I loaded. What do you do with your rejects, split necks, backwards primers, crushed case mouths? I set them aside with the intention of salvaging components, but more often than not they end up in a “live ammo” scrap bin.   

Industry and Legislative News

The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals Upholds Connecticut’s Assault Weapons Ban

This probably is not a surprise to anyone, the 2nd Circuit is a left-leaning Circuit court, and gun advocates were expecting a loss here. This case, NAGR v. Lamont, is very likely to be appealed to the Supreme Court. Right now, this is setting a stage for some serious questions to be asked at the Supreme Court as the lower courts seem to consistently uphold the constitutionality of Assault Weapons Bans despite these bans running directly in opposition to the Heller decision.

New Mexico’s 7 Day Waiting Period Blocked

The 10th Circuit Panel blocked the 7-day waiting period required for gun purchases, saying it violates the 2nd Amendment. You might as well say it violates logic as well, if I am a gun owner, and I have a gun, why should I have to wait seven days to take possession of another gun? That is the relatively benign consequence of such a law. The real consequence is a woman who may be legitimately in fear for her life is blocked from purchasing the very thing that could preserve her life. 

Since 2023 Vermont has a 3 Day “cool” down period on all handgun purchases. I have yet to find any meaningful data that indicates that a waiting period has had beneficial results.

Glock Switches in Illinois

We’ve talked about this before. Glock switches are a thing that turns pretty much any Glock on the market into a select fire pistol. They are very much not legal. In a testament to Glock’s design (I can admire the design even if I am not particularly fond of Glocks) the core components have changed very little, if at all, since its introductions. This means that most if not all the parts in a Gen 1 Glock fit and work in a Gen 4 Glock.  What is unfortunate for Glock is that this means illegal Glock switches will work in every generation of Glock.

The Glock Switch is about as simple as a device as it gets. It prevents the trigger bar from catching the striker and holding it until the trigger is released and is “reset”. Instead the striker is held by the sear and the sear trips automatically when the slide goes back into battery.

These Glock switches aren’t being churned out but the thousands in some dude’s basement machine shop. They were/are being imported from China, you could buy one on wish.com, when that website was popular a few years ago. So, they are not especially hard to get, they are easy to install, and no one seems to know what to do about it. This has fueled at least one lawsuit against Glock for not changing the design, and it is fueling a particularly concerning crime wave in Chicago. There have been more than 20 new cases in the last 18 months, and over the last four years seizures have skyrocketed.

Unfortunately, the picture that is being painted here is not what is happening. No one is pointing to China and saying, “Hey knock it off”. They are pointing their fingers at Glock, and gun owners. It’s not hard for those who have anti-gun tendencies to paint with a broad brush, and that’s exactly what’s happening here.  We are seeing a legislative push in California to ban Glocks outright as a consequence of this.  

New Guns and Gear

Shell Shock 308 Win Next Gen Cartridge Case

 Shell Shock Technologies has released their new nickel-stainless composite shell for the 308 Win. This joins their line up of 380 ACP, 9x19m, 5.56 NATO, and 300 AAC Blackout. The company’s claim to fame is their composite cases which use a thin-walled nickel alloy for the case body and either stainless or aluminum for the case head.

The nickel case body is thinner than brass which allows more case volume, and should deliver better performance when using slower burning powders. They are also lighter. However the rifle brass is not reloadable. The pistol brass can be reloaded and supposedly they have quite the long life cycle. However they require special dies to reload.

There are several companies who are working on composite cases, and this does seem to be the way of the future of cartridge case technology. Brass is heavy, expensive and soft, which limits the pressures it can handle. Composite cases can handle much higher pressures, tend to be lighter, and they also can have larger case volumes.

With the price of copper on the rise, and the market looking for the next generation of ammunition, do not be surprised if we see more stuff like this.

H&R Introduces an M-14                                               

H&R has announced they are bringing out an M-14 under the H&R Brand, and hinted that there may be an M1 Garand in the works as well. As a big fan of these old war horses, I am happy to see this. I really enjoy shooting my M1A and the few times I have shot an M1 Garand, I very much wish I had one of those as well.

H&R was a company that was basically put into a grave by Remington. During the 2020 Remington Bankruptcy the H&R Brand was purchased by Palmetto State Armory. So it is nice to see a legacy company essentially come back from the dead. Time will tell if these rifles are of a quality build or not, but it’s exciting to see something new to hit the market that isn’t a polymer Glock clone or another M4 / AR-15 build. 

That is all we have for this week.

The Ballistic Assistant is a website dedicated to the art of handloading and shooting. We aim to share tips on reloading and shooting, inform others on what’s going on in the firearms community, and provide our opinion and thoughts on firearm related news and events. If you like what you read, we only ask that you subscribe and share with a friend or two.

If you have questions, comments, or ideas, we’d love to hear from you.

Jay – jay@theballisticassistant.com

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Brass, Barrels, and Bureaucracy #9

I am seriously hoping this past week was the last gasp of summer. It felt like a normal day in Alabama, which is to say, hot, humid and miserable. Then suddenly the weather turned and this week feels like late September/Early October. It has been fantastic (Sorry Marc).

I got the R/C airplane patched up, I think I have narrowed down the issues to having a prop that was too small and improperly set up control horns. I got the replacement parts on order.

Most of my time has been spent trying to finish this batch of 9mm. This has been an ongoing project for the last couple of weeks, and I was glad to wrap it up last night.  About 2k rounds in the bank, it’ll last me a good while. It never fails that I always seem to have left over bullets. If it was one or two, I could probably get over it, but 10 is just annoying. It’s not enough to justify doing much of anything with. Next time I load 9mm, there’s a good chance I won’t even be able to find them.

Marc has also had a new set of neighbors move in, a mama bear and her cubs. He’s overjoyed at the development and sent me some screen shots. I have found it analogous to those back-to-school photos that seem to be all over social media lately. On a completely unrelated note, Marc has also been reevaluating whether his bear loads are ready to bear.  

Website Updates

No new updates this week.  I do have a bit of catch up to do there’s some editing that needs to happen before I can make a few articles live. Expect to see them this week.

Time at the Bench

Primer Woes

As I mentioned at the beginning, I have been working through this batch of 9mm loaded with a 124gr Berry Plated hollow point. This is the first time I have loaded any but 45 ACP on my Dillon 550. The Dillon 550 is a fine piece of machinery, and it really has not caused me that much trouble. Things tend to just work.

However, this week I’ve been having some issues with the primer pick up tubes. For some reason when dumping the primers into the primer feeding tube, I’ll get a primer sideways into the blue funnel tip. Once that primer flips sideways, it’s all over, it jams up the works. When this first happened it really bound up the tube and I spent the better part of 20 minutes trying to unjam the feed tube and not spill primers all over the place. I was successful in only one of those tasks.

The plastic on these things are brittle and they grip pretty tightly to the tube itself. Not sure why Dillion decided that was the best way to do things.

After cleaning up the primers off the floor, I noticed a few primers had some damage on the cup, I’ve taken a picture below.  The primers are a surprisingly tight fit in the primer pickup tube, and these dents may have been part of the culprit. At the same time, I’ve struggled with a few of the tubes since then. They always want to flip just as they transition from the end of the tube to the funnel. That’s where they get stuck.

Ultimately that was not the cause of the jams in the primer tubes, but it did not help any. These would jam up inside a tube, something to keep an eye out for if you’re suddenly having issues.

Being aware of the potential problem I have been careful when loading primers, and I have found a few of the tubes are more prone to it than others. I am suspecting it is more of a tube issue than it is a primer issue at this point. I have at least one tube that reliably dumps primers without an issue. You might think you could just replace the blue tip, but the only way to get one off seems to be breaking it, they are stuck on something fierce.

If I keep having these issues I may consider looking into Derraco Engineering’s pickup tubes for the Dillon Press.

Apparently they have redesigned the blue tips to eliminate the primer flipping issue and for the price they are worth a shot.

Speaking of Worn Out

When I first set up the Dillon 550 about seven or so months ago, I noticed it seemed a little stiff. I put a little oil on the ram and checked everything. I didn’t pay much attention to it and once I got to loading, I got used to it. Then it started to squeak. I hate it when it presses squeak. I spent about a half hour troubling shooting that.

I ended up spraying some WD-40 that was impregnated with PTFE on the upper and lower hinges. A few squirts and two things happened. 1st, the squeak was silenced and 2, the press felt like a brand-new press.

This was much to my chagrin. I try and keep my nice presses clean and lubricated but it was obvious to me at that point that I had failed to grease the pins on the press.  Dillon makes a special maintenance kit, which I have never used. Now that I am ready to tear the press down and switch over to 40 S&W I’ll probably take a look at cleaning and greasing the bottom end of the press.

Caution when Loading Large Batches

To be honest, I think the best advice I can give someone is never load too much in one sitting. I am the worse offender of that, I will spend the afternoon loading, as it is very cathartic. The danger in doing this is that you can really start getting complacent or take shortcuts that will later burn you. Especially when loading with progressive press.  Once everything is set up, you just get into the motion of things, and it is easy to dig yourself a big hole.

I have been reminded of this twice in the last two weeks. The first time I went to grab some 223 I had loaded about a year and a half ago and came across a note reminding me I needed to set back the bullet. That ammo was the product of a marathon loading session where I did not check to make sure the COAL would work in the magazines I was using. They gauge fine, they ran fine on the press, except now I have probably 3-4k of 223 that I need to knock the bullet back by about .025 so they will not drag the tip against the front of a standard AR-15 Mag.

“The facepalm” the universal sign for “Someone screwed up and created more work for everyone else involved”.

With the 9mm I was loading this past week, I had bullet seating die back off. I caught it when I went to drop a round in the ammo checker, and it would not sit all the way. I have no idea how many rounds I loaded with the COAL being too long. I made the corrections, but I will need to go back through the batch and sort out the rounds that will need to be seated a bit deeper.

Dillion 750XL

A few years ago Dillon Precision seemed to really make a push for first time reloaders to purchase the Dillon 750XL. I thought it was a misguided campaign by Dillon. I constantly had to remind people when they were looking at buying a Dillon 750 as their first press. “You are either going to load a bunch of good ammo, or a bunch of junk ammo” and “You’re better off figuring out how to make good ammo, before you try to load a bunch of it.”

Mystery Bullets

The mystery bullets we shared last week are still a partial mystery. Mark K. has memories of doing this back in the days when “Dirty Harry” was popular. They would stick a BB in the nose of the hollow point to make it more “Barrier Blind”. That was the going theory anyway, but there was no hard data to confirm the effect. Best explanation we’ve heard so far.

Thanks Mark for taking the time to provide that insight.

Industry and Legislative News

For the most part this past week has been quiet. I have not seen any major developments in any of the major stories we’ve been following.

There was one interesting news article that caught my eye, that was a reported sniper kill that was 4,000+ meters.  The article claimed that artificial intelligence and drone coordination were used to enable the shot. The rifle used was a Snipex Alligator chambered in 14.5x114mm.

This is a massive rifle, and the round is markedly larger than the .50 BMG.  Developed in 1939 the 14.5x114mm is effectively 58 Caliber, and the bullet weighs on average around 980 grains. Muzzle velocity from the Alligators 47in barrel is reportedly around 3,200fps.  The rifle weighs over 55lbs. The purpose of the rifle and the rounds are antimaterial, but obviously it can be used to be just about “anti” anything you want it to be.

The .50 BMG is on the far right of the image label by it’s NATO designation as 12.7x99mm. The 14.5×114 is directly to it’s left and you can clearly see it’s a monster.

I am a sucker for the big guns and have long been fascinated with .50 BMG, .460 Styer, .416 Barrett and the 20x138mmB fired in the Solothurn S18-1000. Of course, one of my personal favorite cartridges is the 30x173mm which is fired from the GAU-8 Avenger mounted in the Fairchild A-10.

I really do have a soft spot for this aircraft. I do not know why, but I just do.

As anyone knows, hitting a target out past 1760 yards is about 60% skill and 40% luck. There are just too many variables that you have no possible way of accounting for.  Even if your rifle could hold half MOA, the dispersion pattern is not linear, .5in at 100, and 1in at 200, does not equal 5in at 1000. The combined effects of wind, velocity variation, and little things like variation in jacket thickness, causes groups to open. Extreme Long-Range shooting is something that I love to participate in, and guys can pull off some truly incredible shots. Someday I would love to know what the shooter did to pull it off.

Artificial Intelligence in the Firearms Industry

Unless you have been living under a rock, you’ve heard about ChatGPT and other so called “Artificial Intelligences” which are more correctly referred to as large language models . They are everywhere, and it seems like there is a frenzy of “powered by AI” or “Integrated AI”. Marketing is having a field day, and I can only assume it is a matter of time before we see “AI Integration” in optics.   The aforementioned article of the record long distance shot mentioned it was accomplished in part with the aid of AI.

Gun owners tend to be naturally suspicious of new technology, and of course new ways that Government and/or Corporations can take advantage of us via data harvesting. All of these concerns have proven to be real. With that said, about the worst thing we can do is to shy away from it. Like the internet, AI is not going away, it will become a more and more prevalent tool in everyday life.

I don’t know how AI was involved in the longest shot, anything I might say is pure speculation, but what I do know is that AI cannot replace the fundamentals. If there is a takeaway from this mini discussion, is it this: AI does not create, it regurgitates information. In many ways it is a magnifying glass, if you are already knowledgeable about the topic, you can use AI to expand your depth of knowledge. If you are ignorant, it is likely AI will make you look like a greater fool.  I have been on both sides of that coin when using AI as a research tool.  

New Guns and Gear

Springfield Armory Operator

Honestly as someone who likes 1911 pistols, it’s hard to get excited about a new 1911. It’s all be done before and it’s all the same just different dressing.

Springfield Armory recently announced a new 1911 build.  Honestly, I probably will not have much chance to mess with one. However if the build quality of the Springfield Prodigy (A 2011 pattern pistol) is any indication of what to expect in a Springfield Armory 1911, I probably will pass. Unless I plan on swapping out the sear, disconnector, hammer and safety for something that is a bit more quality.  These parts are all Metal Injection Molded (MIM), which makes sense, these are tricky parts to machine.

From a design standpoint, they can be tricky parts to model, I’ve done it a few times. From my experience MIM parts are designed to be massed-produced at a lower price. There are sacrifices to quality and durability, the metal in theory should be strong enough to handle everything you ask of it, but in practice they break. Especially along edges that need to be sharp, such as the sear and hammer hooks.  This results in a heavier trigger, or if you try and tune it to be a lighter trigger, the gun will hammer follow.

RCBS UPM-3 Competition Powder Measure

Traditional powder throwers do not seem to get much love anymore. Everyone seems to gravitate towards the automated powder dispensers. Which are cool but they are also often an investment, and unless you purchase a high dollar one, they are slow. For that reason,  I have gone the other way. When I first started loading I really wanted  an automated dispenser. I bought a Hornady one and it served me well for many years.  I have since fallen in love with a Harrell’s powder thrower. With most powders it is accurate to the .1 of a grain. Which, for loading rifle, is plenty accurate enough to get SD’s in the low teens to single digits.

I think new handloaders would almost be better off using a traditional powder thrower rather then trying to get sucked into the world of automated powder dispensers. This new thrower introduced by RCBS would be a good one to take a look at. It claims to have a meter tube that can dispense as little as .5gr up to 100gr per throw. For the cost, $200 you are going to throw charges that, for the money, are as accurate as a similarly priced powder dispenser in a tenth of the time.

It is still valuable to have a quality scale to set up the thrower, but once it’s set up, very little changes. At some point in time, I’d love to do a comparison between all the powder throwers on the market, but for right now the only one I can definitively say stay away from is the Lee Precision thrower, that is a miserable piece of junk.

That is all we have for this week.

The Ballistic Assistant is a website dedicated to the art of handloading and shooting. We aim to share tips on reloading and shooting, inform others on what’s going on in the firearms community, and provide our opinion and thoughts on firearm related news and events. If you like what you read, we only ask that you subscribe and share with a friend or two.

If you have questions, comments, or ideas, we’d love to hear from you.

Jay – jay@theballisticassistant.com

Marc – Marc@theballisticassistant.com

If you’d like to support this website, please use the affiliate links. We get a small commission whenever you purchase something through a link regardless of if it is the product that was linked or not. This is at no additional cost to you. 

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Brass, Barrels, and Bureaucracy #8

Another week has come and gone, and we are one more week closer to sending the kids off to school. In the Northeast school typically starts around the 25th of August. This week I spent a bit of time working on getting a model airplane ready to fly. The drone project that I started nearly six years ago finally took flight, albeit less of a drone and more of a park flyer.

I yanked out all the guts that made it automated and reconfigured it to fly like a normal R/C airplane. It was good thing I did, because fly, it did not.

At the end of the day, we had five launches and five crashes. The airframe needs a bit of patching up, and I think I need to redo the control surfaces and look at the center of gravity. Between fishing and R/C Airplanes so far I am 0/2 on picking up a new hobby. We’ll give it a few more attempts, I don’t think the kids will let me not try and fly the models they built.  

Website Updates

Marc found some mystery 44 cal 300gr cast bullets at an estate sale. He put in some time in trying to figure out what they were. This led to him writing up a piece on discussing the bullets and how to go about working up a load for a “unknown” bullet.

Estate Sale 300 Grain Mystery Bullets

In that spirit I have another buddy, Jeb I. who lives in Spanish Fork, Utah. He’s come across some interesting bullets Marc and I have never seen before.  According to him they are 125 grain .357 bullets with what looks to be a .177 caliber BB in the nose.  They were in loaded ammo, but since he didn’t know what the loads were, he pulled it all down with an inertia bullet puller. None of the BB’s came out, so they are in there good.

I’ve seen bullets with primers pressed into the nose, and I have seen pellets with copper BB’s pressed into the nose, but I have never seen 38 Special rounds with a embedded BB. My guess is they wanted it to expand faster?

It could totally be something someone home brewed, or it could be a commercially made bullet. To me it almost looks like a Glaser Safety Slug, but at the same time, the soft lead nose does not fall in line with anything I have seen. If you think you might know what it is, leave a comment or email myself or Marc.

If anyone else has a question on an unknown component or a reloading question in general email us and we would love to take the time to help a fellow handloader. We’d love to be able to feature a question and answer as part of our weekly newsletter.

Time at the Bench

I actually was able to spend a significant amount of time at the reloading bench this week. I have been trying to clear out the backlog of reloading. I hate having firearms sitting without ammo, so I will figure out a load I like and load until I run out of components. Right now, that has been 9mm.

When I am reloading, I usually keep my camera close. You will usually come across something that is noteworthy. Something that an experienced reloader is going to take in stride but it may not be something a new reloader has seen or has considered. The two images below are good examples.

The bullet on the left is a perfectly usable cartridge. It gauges just fine, but if you are a new handloader you may notice that that cartridge has a bit of a “wasp” waist. This is common in straight wall cartridges. When seated the bullet expands out the brass and creates a bulge. It’s a purely cosmetic feature that is perfectly normal to see, even in factory rounds. This is not the worst I have seen, and it’s not the best picture but it’s an example.

The picture on the right is a cracked case mouth. This is typical for the end of the life of a straight wall pistol case. I can be somewhat hard on case mouths because I tend to put a generous flare on the case mouth to prevent scoring or gouging of the bullet when seating. This flare gets tucked in a little while bullet seating but is then fully tucked in during crimping.

Of course, every time we bend or otherwise displace brass, the material gets a little bit harder and a little bit more brittle. The remedy for this is to anneal the cartridge on a regular basis so the case mouth returns to a dead soft state. I personally have not found it worthwhile to anneal 9x19mm brass. So, I let nature run its course and it will usually crack like this when flared.

If you’re loading a lot how often do you clean your progressive press? This is about as dirty as I let it get. Brass dust, and powder kernels can really build up overtime and start to create issues. Usually, the first thing I notice is dents on the primer; this happens when a piece of debris lands on the primer seating punch.

I know a lot of people will use compressed air to clean things off. Personally, I like to use a small paint brush with a long handle. Brushing it off prevents debris from being driven into every nook and cranny. I got one that came with my Hornady powder dispenser fifteen or so years ago, it’s probably the only part of that dispenser that still works reliably.

Industry and Legislative News

HPA and SHORT Act

Two more legal challenges to the legitimacy of the remaining parts of the Natio nal Firearms Act of 1934 were filed last week. One in Missouri Brown v. ATF and an appeal regarding the same issue to the 8th Circuit court.

The 8th Circuit appeal is happening in parallel with an appeal happening in the 5th Circuit which is also challenging the constitutionality of the NFA.                                   

California Ammo Background Check Law Struck Down

The laws requiring background checks prior to California residents purchasing ammunition at point of sale has been struck down. There is a temporary hold on the ruling going into effect, and an appeal is likely. This is a win for California gun owners in the short term. We will see if the ruling is upheld in the 9th circuit.

Washington State’s ban on Magazines Appealed to the Supreme Court

There are a lot of people who are watching this case very closely, including myself. Magazine capacity bans are widespread and affect millions of gunowners. There is no data that supports the notion that communities are safer if magazines are limited to some arbitrary number. However, it is one of the things that Anti-Gunners push for the hardest.

Vermont currently limits rifles to 10rnds and pistols to 15rnds. Magazines which were owned prior to the ban are grandfathered in. The Supreme Court has yet to take up a case regarding Magazine Bans, however, there have been indications that the court may weigh in soon. So, we will wait and see.

The Unintentional Consequences of Magazine Capacity Limits

In the world of “unintended consequences,” one reason the 9mm has become the go-to round is that it strikes a balance between capacity and terminal performance. Before the 2004 sunset of the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban, pistols were capped at 10 rounds. If you only had 10 shots for self-defense, it made sense to favor maximum stopping power, which is why debates like .45 ACP vs. 9mm actually mattered.

Back then, bigger or “magnum” rounds like 10mm Auto or .357 Sig could be a smart choice if you could handle them. Today, the emphasis has shifted to capacity. That’s the whole draw of rounds like 30 Super Carry or 5.7×28 mm. You can fit more in the mag, giving more chances to land an incapacitating hit. With modern bullets, performance differences between pistol calibers are close enough that capacity often wins out.

Let’s play the game, if you only had “10rnds” and a AR-15 what cartridge would you choose? (458 SOCOM, 223 Rem, 6.8 SPC)

If anti-gunners limit me to 10 rounds, why wouldn’t I choose 10 rounds of .458 SOCOM in an AR over .223 Remington? Or 10 rounds of .308 Winchester? 10-round cap for pistols? I might as well make 10 rounds of 10 mm Auto, after all it’s about 60-80% more muzzle energy than a 9mm load. (So 10rnds of 10, is like 18rnds of 9mm right?… We’re adding fuel to that fire one post at a time)

Someone has to keep feeding the caliber debate, otherwise we’re going to start debating things that really matter, like if whether mils or MOA make you shoot better or just buy more optics.

Criminals aren’t weighing ballistic charts before deciding what to use; they’ll take whatever they can get. It’s the lawful carriers who have to think about what caliber makes the most sense when capacity is restricted.

SIG Sauer and the P320/M18

Ok, this is the WRONG M18, but to be honest I am kind of sick of seeing pictures of the Sig M18/P320. Plus, this is a really good impact driver, it deserves a little love.

We’ve discussed the Sig P320 issues at length as it is something at the forefront of the firearms industry. Heckler and Koch (H&K) released a video lately reviewing the many safety features of its pistols. Glock recently announced it would be suspending the civilian sales of its COA Models to focus on LEO and Military Contracts. No doubt both companies see blood in the water.

The correct M18/P320 with a little bit more color then just a picture of a pistol

However, we would be remiss in not providing an update on the case of the Airman who was recently killed by an alleged incident of “Uncommanded” discharge of a Sig P320.  An airman was arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter, obstruction of justice, and making a false official statement. This would seem to cause a significant amount of shade on the theory that it was a malfunction of the M18 (P320) pistol. It seems likely this may be a case of negligent discharge.  

This does not absolve all of the incidents that the Sig P320 is implicated in, but it does seem this case may not be as clear cut as we initially thought.

New Guns and Gear

As I have been working the 9mm loads on my Dillion 550, I have had a few occasions breaking out the set of tweezers Marc and I put together with the reloader in mind. My large fingers sometimes have a hard time getting into the small spaces to pluck kernels of powder, or primers from the mechanisms of the press.

We had originally developed these for those guys looking to add a kernel of powder at a time for their precision loads. In our testing we really liked the tweezers with a ceramic tip. Ceramic is much stiffer than steel giving a better feeling when trying to pick up something like a powder kernel, or a primer. We also found that powder kernels did not stick to the tweezers as readily as steel or plastic tipped tweezers did. Be sure you don’t touch the ceramic of the tweezer as oil from your skin can contaminate the surface and cause things to stick. If you do, you can burn it off. Ceramic tweezers were designed to handle hot things, they are brittle so take care not to drop them on a hard floor or use them as a pry bar.

Unless you were in an industry that uses these, you’d never know they existed but they fit the bill for powder handling.

We put together a set of tweezers we felt were the most useful and they were launched on the market. The price that kit is now selling for made us both roll our eyes given how much it cost wholesale. We’ve found a very similar set of half the price.

Starline making ARC Family Brass

Starline has announced that they are making ARC Brass. This includes the 6mm ARC, the 22 ARC and the 338 ARC. If you are looking for a source of virgin brass for your handloads, there you have it.  If you’re looking for some wildcat brass it’s usually not a bad idea to check Starline as they have often have cartridges that you may not find anywhere else. This includes their “Basic” brass which is a straight wall case with the primer pocket and case head formed, but without the neck or body taper. This allows you to finish forming the case into whatever hotrod cartridge you might have dreamed up.

I have loaded quite a bit of Starline brass in the past, and honestly you may have loaded it and not known it. Starline regularly makes brass for OEM with the buyer’s headstamp. I have found it to be of good quality and reasonably priced. Nothing to complain about but at the same time I do not typically considered it on the level as Lapua, ADG or Peterson.

That’s all we have for this week.

The Ballistic Assistant is a website dedicated to the art of handloading and shooting. We aim to share tips on reloading and shooting, inform others on what’s going on in the firearms community, and provide our opinion and thoughts on firearm related news and events. If you like what you read, we only ask that you subscribe and share with a friend or two.

If you have questions, comments, or ideas, we’d love to hear from you.

Jay – jay@theballisticassistant.com

Marc – Marc@theballisticassistant.com

If you’d like to support this website, please use the affiliate links. We get a small commission whenever you purchase something through a link regardless of if it is the product that was linked or not. This is at no additional cost to you. 

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Brass, Barrels, and Bureaucracy #7

Sometimes you start a week thinking it would be a normal week, and about halfway through you realize nothing is going quite as you had planned. That was my week last week.

This little guy is suppose to fly great, I never got to find out…

I have been working for the last few weeks to get some RC airplanes up and going for the kids. I finally got the last few components together and spent the better part of two evenings trying to get the radio communicating with the receiver. I am using an open-source radio and software so there was a learning curve that I had not anticipated. Friday night I finally got everything talking to each other and control surfaces moving in the right direction, and thought I was all set for that Saturday. Nope.

Couldn’t get the model to fly straight, couldn’t get things to trim out properly, and I ended up hitting the broad side of the barn at least once. By the time I thought I had maybe figured out a few things, one of the servos stripped a pair of gear, and my day was over. On the plus side, the kids thought it was great fun, watching it do loops, tight turns, and fly upside down.  So, I guess it did its job, despite my best efforts.

On a more pleasant note, a buddy of mine in Utah sent me a surprise loading block as a gift. Made it to hold 50rnds of 338 Lapua, which worth about one month’s mortgage. He really put a lot of time into it and I couldn’t help but show it off a little.

It was hard to get the picture just right. It really is a beautiful piece.

Website Updates

We’ve been working on quite a bit of background stuff, nothing new to hit the website this week. We do want to give a thank you to all those folks who are using the affiliate links to support the website. July was a record month for us; we were able to raise $20 for the website. While that does not seem like much, we really do appreciate the support, and it means a lot to Marc and I.

Time at the Bench

I should rename this section, to “Time Away from the Bench” as Time at the Bench has been fleeting lately. However, I will be spending some time at the bench to knock out some 124gr 9x19mm loads sitting on some N330. I’d like to get all of it loaded so I can swap the press over to 40 S&W, and then to 357 SIG. All in due time.

Rethinking My MRAD: From Long Range to Muzzle Energy

This week I’ve been thinking about what to do with my Barrett MRAD in .338 Lapua. I picked it up back in 2015, topped it with a Nightforce ATACR 5–25x, and eventually added a Surefire .338 suppressor. At the time, I was living in Utah;  where public land is plentiful and it’s easy to find places to stretch your shots well beyond 1,000 yards.

But now that I’m back east, those wide-open ranges are gone. Finding even 600 yards is tough, and most of my shooting opportunities are much closer. So, what’s the best use for a rifle like this in tight quarters?

Normally I would consider IMR 7828 too fast for a 338LM load but with the longer Barnes TSX 285gr bullets it is right there when it comes to burn speed. If I want to reduce signature, then I compare the muzzle pressure and the amount of propellent burnt. The lower the muzzle pressure and the higher the percentage of powder burn is going to provide a slightly quieter report.

I started playing with QuickLOAD, running a few “what ifs.” What if, instead of building for extreme range, I built for maximum muzzle energy? That changes things. Instead of a high-BC, heavy-for-caliber bullet, I’d want something lighter and faster, something that delivers a bigger punch at shorter distances.

I really like Reloder 33 as it is a temp stable high energy powder that really gets good velocity on 300gr SMK but it’s the completely wrong powder for the Barnes 285 TSX. It’s too slow burning, indicated by poor pressure and high load density. We would also expect a louder report as the powder is still burning at the muzzle generating higher muzzle pressures.

Then I added another layer: What if I also wanted the lowest possible muzzle signature? That means using a faster-burning powder optimized for 16 to 20-inch barrels and pairing it with a lighter bullet to reduce the gas load and blast. Instead of match-grade open tips, I’d run a solid copper projectile like the Barnes TSX for terminal performance.

Left to right, 300gr Hornady A-Max, Barnes 285gr TSX, 300gr Sierra Match King. Barnes 225gr TTSX with no-tip, something I was playing with in 338 Spectre.

This is what I love about reloading. You can rethink the entire equation based on your environment, your goals, or just your curiosity. It’s not always about squeezing out that last 20 fps or shrinking your group size by 0.25 MOA. Sometimes it’s about finding the right tradeoffs for your actual use case.

Out here, I’m not trying to hit steel at 1,400 yards. But I can build a suppressed load that hits like a hammer inside 300. That’s a useful tool, and a fun project.

Reloading gives us the freedom to tailor our ammo to our needs, not just what’s printed on the box. And sometimes, shifting your goalposts is exactly what makes the process fun again.

Industry and Legislative News

HPA and SHORT Act

No significant movement that I am aware of. There is one comment that should be made, the industry seems to be working together, whereas in the past it was often the NRA pitted against the GOA. It made sense, both groups are vying for a finite pool of money. However, we are seeing all of the groups, from the 2nd Amendment Foundation, GOA, NRA, and manufacturers all moving towards a common goal.  I would not say this is unprecedented, but it is a unique moment something I have not seen in my lifetime.

The Law Is the Law – Even When It’s Inconvenient

Colorado is finally starting to recognize what many in the gun community have been saying for years: lying on a Form 4473 is a felony. It always has been. Yet despite tens of thousands of denials each year, the prosecution rate for these offenses remains under 1%.

This issue hit the national spotlight when Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden’s son, was charged with lying on his 4473 by falsely denying his drug use. When the DOJ tried to quietly resolve the case through a plea deal, many of us cried foul. It looked like yet another case of politically connected playing by a different set of rules.

Now, Colorado appears poised to take enforcement more seriously. The state is reportedly working to track firearm purchase denials more carefully and dedicate resources to investigating them. Democrats supporting the effort argue that people who try to illegally purchase firearms are at a higher risk of later committing crimes with them. It’s not an unreasonable concern. Still, I’ll be honest; I worry this could be abused, particularly when enforcement is selective or politically motivated.

But here’s the rub: we can’t have it both ways.

We can’t advocate for law and order, then object to enforcement just because it feels inconvenient. If someone who is legally prohibited tries to buy a firearm, they should be held accountable. We need consistency. Either the law matters, or it doesn’t matter. Selective enforcement, whether to protect the President’s son or to avoid tough political optics, undermines the rule of law.

That said, I also fully acknowledge that some people are wrongly classified as “prohibited persons.” I agree with many of the arguments for restoring Second Amendment rights to individuals who’ve served their time, made amends, or were unjustly penalized. The DOJ stopped processing rights restoration requests years ago. That’s a fight we absolutely should be having. But that’s a legislative battle, not an excuse to ignore current laws in the books.

Right now, when someone who shouldn’t own a gun tries to buy one at a dealer, the system often works; they’re denied. But if they’re even moderately determined, they’ll just try to get one through a private sale. That puts the burden squarely on the rest of us.

If you’re selling a firearm privately, I strongly believe you should demand to see a valid CCW permit or have personal knowledge that the buyer is of sound moral character. If you sell to someone who’s prohibited, and that firearm ends up being used in a crime, guess who the feds are coming to see first? You. That’s a felony. That’s your name in the headlines.

Imagine a case where a person is denied at the gun store, but law enforcement follows up, intervenes, and stops a potential tragedy. Most of us would call that a win. We should want that to happen more often.

So yes, enforce the law. All of them. Even the ones that make us uncomfortable. And at the same time, let’s fight to fix the ones that need to be changed. In the end, I think this comes around to bite Democrats as they end up enforcing the laws the disproportionately affect their constituents the most, then all of this quietly goes away and we are back to where we were.

SIG Sauer and the P320/M18: A PR Nightmare in Progress

I’ll be honest, I’m not sure how SIG Sauer turns the ship around on the P320. What started as a promising striker-fired platform has become a full-blown PR disaster. Multiple major agencies, including the Denver Police Department, Milwaukee PD, ICE, and the Air Force Global Strike Command, have either pulled the pistol from service or severely limited its use. Even competitive shooting organizations like USPSA have banned it from competition. That’s a level of rejection that’s hard to bounce back from.

Since 2023, there have been over 100 reported incidents of the P320 discharging “uncommanded”; meaning without the trigger being pulled. Various videos have circulated online attempting to reproduce the issue. One popular method involves pressing the trigger to take out the pre-travel and then squeezing the slide and frame together, which can cause the striker to release. Technically, that’s an uncommanded discharge, but if the trigger is already nearly pulled, I’d argue it’s still a trigger-involved event. The more serious concern would be if compression of the slide and frame alone, without touching the trigger, caused the gun to fire. That’s the scenario SIG needs to disprove; or fix.

From a design standpoint, this is a nightmare. During my time at Barnes (then under Remington), we often discussed the idea that even a “one-in-a-million” failure rate wasn’t good enough. In a high-volume product line like .22LR, that meant you were still seeing 7–10 incidents a year. In the firearms world, rare doesn’t mean acceptable. If even a small fraction of P320s suffer from a tolerance stack, material flaw, or wear-induced failure, you’re still dealing with thousands of guns that might fail under the right circumstances.

SIG’s biggest misstep hasn’t been the design, it’s been the response. Instead of acknowledging the reports and launching a transparent investigation, they’ve stuck to the line that there’s no problem. That kind of stonewalling might work in court, but not in the public eye, especially when officers are being injured and departments are walking away from the platform. Sig doubled down on this on their statement issued on July 29, 2025

I won’t be surprised to see used P320s hitting shelves in large numbers, possibly at steep discounts. I also wouldn’t be surprised if SIG quietly phases out or rebrands the line altogether. Lawsuits are already stacking up, and while the gun may function flawlessly for 99.99% of users, perception is king, right now, that perception is crumbling. I personally believe that Sig has to double down, to admit otherwise will add fuel to the lawsuits.

Only time will tell how deep this issue runs. But if SIG doesn’t change course soon, the P320 could go from flagship product to cautionary tale.

Barrett MK22 “Uncommanded Fire”? Let’s Not Jump the Gun

There’s a YouTube video circulating that shows a Barrett MK22 seemingly firing without a trigger pull. In the clip, a soldier either has the rifle on safe or flips it to safe, presses the trigger (nothing happens), then taps the bolt or bumps the chassis, and the gun fires.

With the recent backlash over the SIG P320, people are quick to assume this is another firearm with a critical design flaw. But based on what’s out there, I don’t think we’re seeing a crisis, we’re seeing speculation without context.

So far, we’ve got a few short clips that may feature the same rifle, in similar conditions, with no details on maintenance, trigger pack adjustments, or prior issues. Yet everyone seems ready to assume the rifle is in “perfect working order.”

To dig deeper, I tested my own Barrett MRAD, an early civilian model with a serial number under 1800, purchased in 2015. The only modification is a left-hand safety swap, which matches the setup in the video. I tried everything shown: flipping the safety, pressing the trigger, bumping the bolt and chassis. Nothing happened. The rifle performed exactly as expected.

So, until we get more detailed reports, ideally from a range of unrelated users, I don’t think we should jump on the hate wagon just yet. Could there be a rare trigger issue? Possibly. But one or two unclear clips do not make for a systemic failure.

Let’s wait for facts, not just viral footage, before we throw Barrett under the bus.

New Guns and Gear

Lyman 6th Edition Shotshell Reloading Manual

Lyman has released an update loading manual for shotshell reloaders. I flipped through it the other day and it’s laid over very well and it’s got some really good information on shotshell reloading. It’s a beautifully laid out book with full color pictures and section views of cartridges.

If you are like me and you have dipped your toes into the world of shotshell reloading, you’ll know it’s a completely different landscape when compared to metallic cartridge reloading.  Most notably there is less “universality”. For example, a Remington 12-gauge low brass shot shell takes different wads, and recipes than a Fiocchi 12 Gauge low brass shot shell. I dabbled in it, but to be honest I am just not that big into shot guns, and hence I never got huge into shot gun reloading, even though I have Littleton Shotmaker and a slug mold.

This is a book I’d have on the shelf just to peruse.

The Ballistic Assistant is a website dedicated to the art of handloading and shooting. We aim to share tips on reloading and shooting, inform others on what’s going on in the firearms community, and provide our opinion and thoughts on firearm related news and events. If you like what you read, we only ask that you subscribe and share with a friend or two.

If you have questions, comments, or ideas, we’d love to hear from you.

Jay – jay@theballisticassistant.com

Marc – Marc@theballisticassistant.com

If you’d like to support this website, please use the affiliate links. We get a small commission whenever you purchase something through a link regardless of if it is the product that was linked or not. This is at no additional cost to you. 

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Brass, Barrels, and Bureaucracy #6

This week we have seen some unusual weather. We had days that reached the nineties followed by days that were mid-seventies. The kids seem like they are immune to it, they will go outside and run and play just as hard on a hot day as they seem to on cooler days. I try to remember my own youth, and frankly, the weather is not something I recall. I can remember the activity and the outcome, but whether it happened on a scorching or unseasonably cool day escapes me.

Something about getting older seems to trigger a change where the weather becomes an important attribute. Anyway, we are nearing the end of July, it won’t be long before we can enjoy cooler weather on a daily basis. I am looking forward to it.

Website Updates

The 5.7x28mm case is one of the few truly straight wall cases, having not taper to the case body to ease extraction

The update of the 5.7×28  vs 4.6x30mm has gone better than I expected, and I have turned my attention to working through some of the other articles on the website. I have also restructured the menu items on the website to make it a bit easier to navigate.

“Into the Rabbit Hole”

This is the page that is dedicated to the deep dives that we do sometimes. Right now, I have sorted the deep dive into the 8.6 Blackout, and the 5.7×28 vs 4.6×30 into that category. However, I have more articles planned that fall into that category. Expect these to be technical pieces where we dig up and share data and allow that data to drive the summary of the piece.

“Beginners Bench”

This is a page dedicated to providing basic information to the curious, or to the new handloader. Articles posted here are meant to share the basic info, terminology, and practices that everyone should know when getting started in the hobby.   Right now there is just one article I have linked to on this page, but we have plans for more.

Time at the Bench

Unfortunately, most of my time at the bench has been taking pictures for articles. Some of which I am sharing on this post.

10mm Auto Brass Sectioned to show case web and flash hole

Last week a buddy of mine introduced me to the AGS Brass Case Annealer 3.0. He continues to send me photos and videos of that thing running. I stand by what I said last week, for $300 that’s a hard to beat machine.

Industry and Legislative News

HPA and SHORT Act

There has been some news on this, but it’s not positive and it reinforces what many have been warning about. Senator Chris Murphy, a democrat from Connecticut, has proposed raising the tax from zero to $4,709 for SBR’s, Suppressors, and SBS’s, while only raising the tax stamp on AOW to $55. The move is largely seen as pandering to his base and stands little chance of making it through the Republican majority in congress. However it highlights the fact most everyone knew all along, the legislative process is a double edge sword, it can just as easily be used against us as it is used for us.

The astute among us might ask, “Why $4,709?” In the senator’s own words, it was intended ❝to symbolically charge gun buyers the average ‘cost to society’ per injury, rather than just a flat tax.❞ The figure comes from a 2022 study published in Trauma Surgery & Acute Care Open and is frequently cited by gun control groups. The study calculated the average direct cost of a gunshot wound using hospital billing data. It’s yet another example of how gun control is increasingly being framed as a public health crisis.

Sig P320 Woes

Sig P320 – 18 one of the many variants of the Sig P320

It is being reported that an airman was killed on Warren Airforce Base in Cheyenne, Wyoming. The exact details are not known; however, we do know that it involved the M18, otherwise known as a Sig 320. Anyone who has been following the industry for the last seven years knows Sig Sauer has constantly been under fire for unintentional discharges.

Sig has consistently denied that any issue exists. This comes despite a voluntary recall to update some of the trigger components. The exact details of what exactly happened have been elusive so most of what’s being said on social media remains pure speculation. That being said, the Air Force has joined a host of law enforcement agencies that have banned or otherwise limited its use.

I see Sig Sauer being stuck between a rock and a hard place. They have taken a hardline stance saying that there is not an issue, and under no circumstances will the gun fire without a trigger pull. However, the weight of the evidence seems to suggest otherwise. Both stances can’t be simultaneously true, we will likely figure out what is true via the courts.

Good Guy with a Gun

There is nothing that is good about the stabbing spree that happened over the weekend at a Walmart in Traverse City, Michigan. All indications suggest that it could have been much worse, had it not been for a group of shoppers which included at least one shopper with a concealed handgun. This is not getting the attention that it should, as it goes against the media narrative of “All people with guns are bad”. It should be noted, that the good guy did not fire a shot.

Stabbing sprees are not common in the United States but do happen with some regularity across other countries. We do not know a lot about the suspect, and have no motive yet, so anything currently being reported or discussed on social media is pure speculation.

New Guns and Gear

Forced Reset Trigger for MP5

Couldn’t find a picture of the MP5 Forced Reset Trigger, so this Zenith ZF5-P will have to suffice

If you have been online at all you have probably seen the buzz that the line of Forced Reset Triggers (FRT) is being extended to both the MP5 and the AK47. Obviously, this was the natural progression of these products. If you’d like to see one in action, Garand Thumb has one of the best videos showcasing the MP5 FRT.  If you’re not familiar with these triggers, it operates a little differently from a full-auto, in the sense it does not “hold and then release” the hammer via the sear, rather it forces the trigger to reset.

This reset happens despite you applying force to the trigger. If you continue to apply force the trigger will break, and the hammer will fall. If you let off the force, the trigger just resets and is ready for the next trigger pull. The difference between FRT and a full auto trigger pull is nuanced. Which is why it was involved in court battles with the ATF and was deemed to be illegal by the ATF, who in turn was sued.

In May 2025, Rare Breed Triggers reached a limited settlement with the ATF that resolved specific lawsuits and allowed them to resume sales of certain forced reset triggers, though the long-term legal challenges and regulatory uncertainty remain. It would not at all surprise me to see the ATF get back on their high horse and go after FRTs under a different administration, or if it is used in a mass shooting.

They are not a cheap trigger, but I am sorely tempted to get one. I’d toss it in a lower and use it for either a Pistol Caliber Carbine, or just a .300 Blackout build. Not sure my wallet can stomach the ammo bill that comes with owning one.

That’s all we have this week,

Jay & Marc

The Ballistic Assistant is a website dedicated to the art of handloading and shooting. We aim to share tips on reloading and shooting, inform others on what’s going on in the firearms community, and provide our opinion and thoughts on firearm related news and events. If you like what you read, we only ask that you subscribe and share with a friend or two.

If you have questions, comments, or ideas, we’d love to hear from you.

Jay – jay@theballisticassistant.com

Marc – Marc@theballisticassistant.com

If you’d like to support this website, please use the affiliate links. We get a small commission whenever you purchase something through a link regardless of if it is the product that was linked or not. This is at no additional cost to you. 

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Brass, Barrels, and Bureaucracy #5

This week flew by. For me it was all about work, trying to get projects wrapped up and meeting deadlines. Probably the most important thing is the kids have introduced me to the latest and greatest cultural sensation to grace our screens in the last month. I will spare you the agony of the details of what, where and who. However, it is worth mentioning that my kids and I use the same YouTube account on the TV, and when the kids watch things on YouTube, the algorithm picks up on their patterns.  As a result, my YouTube feed on my phone has been cluttered with K-Pop videos, and it’s largely drowned out my usual firearm- focused channels.

Learn from my misery, and if you have grandkids over, have them use a dedicated account, otherwise you’re going to sort through hours of junk.

Website Updates

I have been working on cleaning up some of the older articles on the website. Many articles are 5+ years old, and they were written when I was still figuring things out. They are replete with typos, grammatical mistakes and formatting inconsistencies. Also, things have changed in the gun world, and I’d like to update the information.

PDW Round Comparison 5.7x28mm vs 4.6x30mm

We have also updated the SAAMI Pistol Catalog. The additions are the 5.7x28mm and the 30 Super Carry.

SAAMI Pistol Cartridge Catalog

Time at the Bench

Fix-it Sticks

I spent more time gunsmithing this week than I did reloading. Mainly I was working on a few double stack 1911s.  I found a “new-to-me” favorite tool; the ratcheting T-Handle.  The specific brand is “Fix-it Sticks”, and I have seen them around for several years but have never really had an opportunity to mess with one.

The kits are expensive, just having the ratcheting T-Handle is enough for me.

It’s one of those tools you don’t think is going to be that big of a deal until you try it and it surprises you. I really liked the ergonomics of using it over a traditional L shaped wrench as it allows you to put a bit more pressure on the screw to make sure the bit is fully seated in the socket. It might save you from stripping a screw head.  It’s got a few more features that I haven’t really used yet. Honestly just having the T-Handle ratchet really won me over. Sometimes it’s the little things.  

Fix-it Sticks come in all sorts of preassembled kits that would work great in a “Go Bag”. Personally, I just picked up a couple of the handles, I have all the bits I need.

AGS Brass Annealer

If you haven’t gone down the rabbit hole that is brass annealing, now it is about as good as it gets. Especially if you do a lot of rifle reloading.  When I first got into reloading in 2009, annealing was around, but I don’t remember seeing as many purpose-built tools as we have today. People talked about it, but it always seems to involve some variation of a pan, some water and a torch.

I use the AMP Annealing machine, and it’s been fine. Honestly, I was impressed when a buddy of mine showed me a video of him running the AGS Brass Case Annealer 3.0, that he picked up from Amazon for about $300

AGS Brass Case Annealer 3.0

Obviously, this is made for all sorts of countries. His unit came with three different plugs and no torch head. Which, based on his experience, get the machine before you get the torch head to make sure it all goes together right.  However, once he had it all set up, it ran very well. It’s faster than the AMP machine, and I’m sure those case necks are every bit as soft as ones that were induction annealed. If you’re in the market for an annealing machine, this seems to be a pretty solid option.

Industry and Legislative News

HPA and SHORT Act

Lawsuits filed to challenge the legitimacy of the registration requirement for Suppressors, SBRs, SBSs and AOWs continued to be filed over the last week. What started as a deluge is now tapering off to a trickle. Expect things to move at a snail’s pace as it works its way through the courts.

Pistol Braces off the Chopping Block

Anyone who has been following the trend of pistol braces knows that the ATF has waffled back and forth on their legality. This has been going on for the better part of a decade. In 2021 they proposed a new set of criteria on evaluating whether a pistol brace was indeed a brace, or if it was a short barreled rifle. After legal challenges resulted in two court rulings (Mock v. Garland, Britto v. ATF) against the ATF, we have been waiting to see if the ATF would file an appeal.

The news broke last week that ATF has abandoned the case and will not file for an appeal leaving in place the previous court rulings.  

USPS and Handguns

The Gun Owners of America (GOA) and the Gun Owners Foundation are challenging the law prohibiting the shipping of pistols via the US Postal Service.  Currently it is a felony for private individuals to ship pistols using the USPS, though FFLs may do so under specific rules. Personally, I am not all that trustful of the US Postal Service when it comes to delivering mail period, let alone shipping a firearm. I find it more inconvenient that it is a felony to carry a firearm into a USPS facility.

“Ghost” Guns Liability

The last piece of news that caught my eye is a lawsuit from the five victims’ families of the 2023 Kingsessing Mass Shooting against Polymer80 and its parent company JSD Supply.  This is an attempt to hold the manufacturer liable for selling an “80% Lower” to an otherwise prohibited person. No doubt this will get into the minutia of what constitutes a “Firearm” and to what extent a company is protected by the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA).

These so called “Ghost” guns are privately manufactured firearms. Where the controversy has been is where companies have pushed the line to reduce the amount of work and skill needed to make a homemade firearm. It used to be you needed at least the patience of a monk and a file to manufacture something that might not blow up. Now you can make what is essentially a functional AR-15 receiver with a Dremel and a little luck. Capitalism at its finest.

This will be an interesting case as it will likely test the limits of the PLCAA, and if the courts rule in favor of the Plaintiffs we could see the “80% Market” take another serious blow.

New Guns and Gear

Tisas  PX-9 Duty Comp

Tisas announced on July 16, 2025, the release of their new competition variant of the PX-9 striker pistol. It features a large “scoop” style comp that is integral to the slide. This style of compensator has really become popular. Almost like the Mag-na-porting of the previous century. It also comes optics ready, and they claim an upgraded trigger.

Folks not familiar with the Tisas brand can be forgiven, they are a more recent brand to make their way State side.  Based in Turkey, they make a decent pistol for the price. Their 1911’s are everything you might expect a 1911 to be, and their double-stack 1911s are solid for the price. Right now, the firearms market is awash with Turkish firearms. Most are solid; some are not, so do your homework.

The Ballistic Assistant is a website dedicated to the art of handloading and shooting. We aim to share tips on reloading and shooting, inform others on what’s going on in the firearms community, and provide our opinion and thoughts on firearm related news and events. If you like what you read, we only ask that you subscribe and share with a friend or two.

If you have questions, comments, or ideas, we’d love to hear from you.

Jay – jay@theballisticassistant.com

Marc – Marc@theballisticassistant.com

If you’d like to support this website, please use the affiliate links. We get a small commission whenever you purchase something through a link regardless of if it is the product that was linked or not. This is at no additional cost to you.