4x4Wire

First, I knew I needed powder, primer, and bullets. The kit included a reloading book that provided data for reloads. My calibers are limited to four - .38 Special, .357 Magnum, 9mm, and 7mm Remington Magnum. The reloading charts provided the type and amount of powder and the type of primer for a given bullet weight.

Determining the combination for the 7mm Mag was easy. Finding the appropriate powder and primer was more challenging. Seems that with the scarcity of ammo there is a growing scarcity of reloading components.

Determining the combination for the .38/.357 and 9mm was more of a challenge. My criteria was to have a common powder and primer. The result was three types of powder and three types of primers. The .38 Special and 9mm can use the same primer and powder. The .357 Mag uses a different powder and primer. And, the 7mm Mag uses a different powder and primer.

That left me with two critical items before being able to reload - correct shell holders and reloading dies.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Lyle Laverty today announced that the Department of the Interior has finalized updated regulations governing the possession of firearms in national parks and wildlife refuges. The final rule, which updates existing regulations, would allow an individual to carry a concealed weapon in national parks and wildlife refuges if, and only if, the individual is authorized to carry a concealed weapon under state law in the state in which the national park or refuge is located.

The finish on my rifle was looking a little faded and there were a couple of rust spots starting to appear. I have used G96 Gun Blue Creme over the years for spot treatment. While they make a great product, I find the application process inconvenient. For small spots, it is easy to neutralize the treated area with water. For a larger job like the full length of the rifle barrel, neutralizing with water produces some logistic challenges.

There is an alternative that does not need water to neutralize - Brownells Oxpho-Blue. The liquid gun blue wipes on and wipes off. Quick and easy, without water.

Removing oil, grease, dirt and rust is a necessity for either product. However, the Brownells solution claims to work with the presence of a light oil. I did not opt for testing that claim.

After a complete cleaning of the barrel, I rubbed it with #00 steel wool to remove the hazy film. The rust spots needed a little more than steel wool. My Dremel with a fine wire wheel did a quick job of cleaning the rust spots to bear metal.

BELLEVUE, WA – Alan Gottlieb, chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms and founder of the Second Amendment Foundation will appear this Sunday, Jan. 26 on the nationally-syndicated “Gun Talk” with Tom Gresham to discuss the controversy surrounding California’s microstamping law that now has major gun companies essentially dropping off of the state’s approved handgun roster.

Really, I stopped by Discount Gun Mart to pick up some targets.  Sitting in the display case was a compact 9mm based on the 1911 frame - ParaUSA Para Carry 9.  The compact pistol caught my eye as filling a niche that I was looking for.  While I didn’t walk out with the semi-auto, I did place a down payment and filled out the necessary background check paperwork. After the 10-day California waiting period, I had the Para Carry 9 in my possession.  First things first was a good cleaning.  Then, it was finding the opportunity for some shooting time.  That is where life became interesting.