Quoteme2 The Speer gold dot projectiles heavier than 55 grains have started showing up again. Those seem like a good option provided the barrels like them. Yeah the bonded bullets in .223 are a pretty solid option, even the relatively light 55 grain ones. More damage than a typical FMJ but more penetration than a varmint bullet like the V-Max. They strike a nice balance in performance. The homby Ryan Nafe - Firearms
Quoteme2 Do the 308 match bullets behave the same way as the FMJ terminally? It depends on impact velocity and how much, if any, bone or equipment is hit. At closer ranges and when heavy bone is hit, they can produce wounds up to about 3” wide. At longer ranges when no bone is hit, they’re just caliber-sized like the FMJ would be. In the middle of that, with light bone and moderate impact velby Ryan Nafe - Firearms
Also, in re-reading a few sections of Nathan’s book, it would appear that the 60 grain V-Max from a 16” carbine would be perfectly acceptable out to 200 yards, the only downside would be that it’s not very lethal after barriers are encountered. So something like a Windham or Rock River 1/9 twist carbine, launching the 60 grain V-Max, would be an option too. As long as the accuracy is good enough.by Ryan Nafe - Firearms
QuoteRyan Nafe But it’s gotta be something more substantial than a measly little FMJ. Even the .308 is weaksauce with FMJs. To substantiate that a little bit, the .308 with the typical M80 ball ammo people use for plinking or (please don’t) defense/combat, the wounding is typically less severe than you’d get from a basic handgun JHP. It’s pathetic, caliber-sized holes with some bruising aroundby Ryan Nafe - Firearms
Quoteme2 What is the smallest target you want to be able to consistently hit out to 300 yards without holdover or windage correction? An 8” circle. I don’t want more than about 3 inches of either drop or drift out to 200 yards. A 3 inch circle from the ballistics, adding in the actual accuracy of the rifle itself, and my ability to shoot it, should mean that as long as there’s no more than 3by Ryan Nafe - Firearms
For a long time now I’ve been of the opinion that the 5.56x45mm/.223 cartridge is underpowered and overrated as a combat/utility rifle cartridge. However, with the relatively recent introduction of the ~75 grain hollow points and other similar bullets, in combination with the undeniable advantages of ammo availability, many rifles to choose from, and the generally adequate accuracy of the AR1by Ryan Nafe - Firearms
Yeah if you’re just plinking with it then there’s no need to get anything like a JHP. Quoteme2 … I did see some 180 grain XTPs at Cabelas today. They’d have a 22 like trajectory but they’d hit like a wrecking ball. … The 180s seem like a great 357 lever action rifle. A few years back I picked up several boxes of Buffalo Bore’s 180 grain XTP load for my grandpa’s .357 Henry. For deerby Ryan Nafe - Firearms
Despite the really excellent performance of the 125 grain JHPs, a 158 grain JHP can be a better all-around option just because of the more uniform performance across different body weights and through barriers. The wounds won’t be quite as wide or explosive as the 125’s but it’s a very solid option nonetheless. When I had 4” and 6” .357’s I preferred to stoke them with the Federal 158 grain Hby Ryan Nafe - Firearms
Now that I actually have my own garage, I’m really looking for a decent 1x30 for major re-shaping of edges as well as putting an edge on machetes. I still have a machete that’s basically as-boxed from Imacasa, for example, it’s an excellent bolo design but there’s simply not an edge on it. I gave up after not making any real progress with a file for 10 minutes. A 1x30 would make it a simpby Ryan Nafe - General
Yeah fair enough, I would count this as tech in the sense that it’s about one of the largest websites in the world making a significant change to its operation or layout, but I’ll leave it alone. No worries.by Ryan Nafe - Computers and Tech
QuotecKc (Kyley Harris) i like that angle on the blade to handle. that should create a lot of sweeping power even though the blade is straight Yes it’s really comfortable to use. Much more natural feeling and intuitive than a straight grip, at least for chopping. And yeah you get a slight shearing effect I think, good for green vegetation.by Ryan Nafe - New Knives, and New to You Knives
To illustrate my point about how YouTube is overtly favoring the corporate press over independent sources and analysis: There’s been a livestream of the Rittenhouse trial going on for the last week, commentary and analysis provided by several lawyers in real-time. This livestream has been getting more viewership than most or all of the corporate press coverage. This morning, mysteriously, theyby Ryan Nafe - Computers and Tech
QuoteOlder Spice I think you are reading into to much. That’s entirely possible, I merely have a hypothesis at this point. Arguments, a little circumstantial evidence, and guesses based on that. But the timing of it seems very suggestive of the motive. YouTube has been prioritizing the corporate press, celebrities, and other MSM sources over small independent people or groups for years, anby Ryan Nafe - Computers and Tech
In case some of you haven’t noticed or heard, YouTube has now removed the dislike counter on all videos. In my view this was almost certainly done as a result of political pressure from the current American executive branch administration, who’s videos are/were almost universally disliked more than liked, as well as pressure from the corporate press who are/were in much the same position.by Ryan Nafe - Computers and Tech
The wadcutter load is a good one for small game also, it could easily take the place of a .22LR as a survival tool for getting food. Hits significantly harder than any .22 would, but it’s still not as damaging to the meat as you might think. It just makes caliber-sized holes in critters. And there’s enough weight to the bullet to also easily handle larger varmints like raccoons, opossums, coyote,by Ryan Nafe - Firearms
Nice, I’ve never quite tried any kind of intentional trick shooting like that. I think it was a mistake to avoid owning the N-Frame S&W before just recently. The more I shoot, reload, and handle the gun, the more I realize that this large revolver frame is extremely well-suited to the size of my hand. Other revolvers in the past have felt quite cramped, especially with regards to triggeby Ryan Nafe - Firearms
It was a fun saw to use, and yeah sometimes the blades had to be used regardless.by Ryan Nafe - General
A bit off-topic and a bit of a rant into the void, but on the point of fabrication and worn abrasives or saw blades, I used to run a very large bandsaw. The blades were quite expensive and the saw provided quite a lot of control over the band speed and the feed rate of the blade through the material. It was a saw from HE&M, Hemsaw, almost exactly like this one: Now being all scientificby Ryan Nafe - General
It’s an interesting point Kyley makes about the steel type. Working with high-speed steels like M2 and M4 would indeed prevent much of the potential damage from grinding post-HT. That’s literally what they were intended to do, prevent the change of material properties that happen when the steel gets hot during machining. Probably part of why Alvin had so much success with making knives from M2 haby Ryan Nafe - General
QuoteCowan How much finish work do you tend to get out of a belt? I've been using blaze and hermes 466 belts and while decent, they lose aggression faster than I would expect. Firstly I’d consider what Older Spice said about cleaning them, dirty/loaded belts of any type are going to cut slowly and cause additional heat because of the friction/lack of cutting. Secondly, when I was workiby Ryan Nafe - General
A trigger is a huge part of the practical/real accuracy of a rifle. It really makes a massive difference to go from, say, a heavy and slightly creepy trigger like the one on my 1895 to the TriggerTech I have in my M700 that has literally no perceptible creep or overtravel and breaks at 1.5lbs. Mechanically speaking the gun and ammo is what it is, but in terms of the ability of the shooter to shooby Ryan Nafe - Firearms
Nice, I don’t know that I’ve ever shot a sub-MOA group with irons before. Just haven’t shot much of anything with iron sights. Right now I’m hovering around 1.5 to 2 with my 1895 .270 Winchester. It’s interesting that the rifle doesn’t like those 75 grain Hornady bullets, I’d like to find out why. It’s a curious thing. But on some level it doesn’t matter much because those Sierra bullets areby Ryan Nafe - Firearms
alkali, I think your points are correct, but it’s also possible that Jason was using the term coarse in the sense that an angle grinder is okay for rough/gross stock removal but it’s not really suited to actually shaping and sharpening an edge.by Ryan Nafe - General
Also, an update on the Mossberg 590 Retrograde: Not long into my testing I noticed two stress fractures in the wood stock. Contacted Mossberg with some good pictures of the cracks and said that considering how new the gun is, I think a replacement stock is a fair request. They reviewed the pictures, agreed with my assessment of them, and promptly shipped out a replacement stock for free. Quiteby Ryan Nafe - Firearms
Yeah concealment is one thing, I think that mostly depends on the gun and the clothing worn. But for driving, outdoor stuff, hunting, combat, etc. I’m really starting to like them. Gotta get one for the G27 soon.by Ryan Nafe - Firearms
Have any of you guys used shoulder holsters before? I’m really starting to like them because the gun and two reloads are all in one system. And it doesn’t matter what kind of clothing you have on, no need for a specific belt, etc.by Ryan Nafe - Firearms
Quoteme2 I’ve got all my categories covered now except one. For the moment I think I’m in the same boat as you. Every time I consider getting another auto pistol like a .45 or a 10mm, I start doing serious number crunching and re-reading of Nathan’s findings, and then I determine that, realistically, I can’t gain enough over the .40 S&W without handloads or custom ammo to make a diffeby Ryan Nafe - Firearms
Made a thread for all random gun stuff. General discussion. I’ve really been tempted to try another DA/SA gun and in .45 Auto specifically. Either a really heavy-duty polymer gun like a USP, or a steel frame gun like the Magnum Research Baby Eagle III. I can’t say it’s necessary but it’s very tempting. Especially the Baby Eagle III, they look very nice. The local shop has a used but good coby Ryan Nafe - Firearms
Which barrel length? Sounds like the 6.5” or 7.5” Here’s a couple pictures from Nathan’s book called Small Arms Wound Ballistics discussing and showing the results of those 125 grain JHP’s: Side note, if you do indeed have the 6.5” or 7.5” barrel length, you should have no trouble at all achieving 1,500 to 1,600 FPS using Alliant 2400. Which means you can expect the above perforby Ryan Nafe - Firearms