During a firefight near the Cambodian border on June 6, 1968, a 1st Infantry Division soldier got a pleasant surprise as he watched a North Vietnamese Army infantryman aim his rifle, pull the trigger and explode in a cloud of black smoke. American troops later examined the remains of the NVA soldier and his exploded Chinese Type 56 rifle, removing some of its parts from the … [Read more...]
In my previous article, I indicated the generally accepted preference for roll crimps in revolver ammunition and taper crimps in semi-auto ammunition, and briefly mentioned the potential problems that can be caused by incorrectly crimped ammunition in both types of handguns. But why is there a difference? n a word: “headspace.” I don’t want to get into a detailed discussion … [Read more...]
One of my favorite parts of teaching defensive firearms (or even firearms in general) is dispelling some of the many myths surrounding firearms. A lot of these myths are transferred from person to person without any actual personal knowledge. They grow until many in the firearms industry accept them as given facts when they are complete falsehoods. I wanted to take a moment … [Read more...]
I have covered some general issues as well as some specific issues relating to semi-automatics and revolvers. In this article, I’ll be looking at some different types of projectiles, and their related crimping considerations. Crimping Considerations for Projectiles When I discussed projectiles, I identified some basic variations on projectile types, but omitted … [Read more...]
Okay. You go to your local gun show and purchase your first firearm. Now what? You need ammo and see a lot of ammunition on display. What do you do now?Before you purchase any ammunition for your weapon it is important to know the size of your weapon and how you plan to use your weapon. Handguns, shotguns and rifles are the various weapons for purchase and use. Ask yourself how … [Read more...]
Some time back I raised the topic of crimping as part of a discussion on reloading dies, and promised to address the issue more fully at a later date—which is now. What is Crimping? During reloading, cases are resized and the case mouth is expanded (belled) to accommodate a new projectile. Crimping is the final task which presses the case mouth back around the projectile. … [Read more...]
