Specialty Tools

Because of the unique design of the “Flow Baffle,” the expanding gasses are slowed and routed radially, between the outer tube and the core to then exit out of vent holes at the muzzle. This high pressure flow carries with it a ton of lead and carbon into the open atmosphere, keeping the inside much cleaner than traditional cans.

The FLIR PTS736 Thermosight Pro delivers ultra long range thermal detection and comes loaded with new features.

Identifying which load or factory cartridge maintains the most consistent velocity is a key piece of information, and a reliable chronograph is the only way you’re going to get that info. If you’ve been suspicious that the $50 chrono you bought on Amazon isn’t throwing the right numbers, the Two-Box Chrono from Autotrickler might be just what you’ve been looking for.

What, exactly, is a Magneto Speed, you may be asking? Fair enough. The name says a lot about it, but more on that in a second. If you have ever seen someone shooting at the range with what appears to be a fiberglass bayonet strapped to the barrel, they weren’t roleplaying a Dough Boy with really sketchy props. That was a Magneto Speed, the chronograph that mounts to your barrel.

Scroll through any forum for ammunition reloaders, and you’ll often see the same advice for newbies: start small. Don’t buy an expensive die set until you know how to use a basic set from Lee or Hornady. This is good advice, generally speaking, but if you buy basic now and then decide to upgrade later, your final bill will be even higher. That’s why I was drawn to the Competition die set from RCBS.

In my journey into reloading as a cherry boy, I have done some things that are at the very least questionable, if not downright sketchy. I think we can all agree that a red Solo cup and a Gerber baby spoon are not proper powder-measuring tools, though they do work in a pinch.

Not far into my journey to reloading, it became obvious I was going to need some case prep tools. Never one to shy away from keeping Visa in business, I decided to go big from jump street rather than piecemeal the products along the way. I picked the biggest and baddest options available from Hornady.

The new Lyman Cyclone Rotary Case Tumbler has shown that you don’t have to trade one kind of mess for another, and you can achieve cleaner brass in far less time without all the noise and dust.

But the actual reason behind this sweeping change in guidelines may have a darker goal: to increase the cost of offering gunsmithing services. The changes were implemented without warning or input from the people and the industry.