Project Ralph - 01/27/20
I posted this earlier today on the 'Campfire, and it fell off the front page. I'll try here.
In honor of Virginia's Governor, Ralph Northam, I've decided to put together a .223 Semi-Auto project. Part of it involved trolling the lake bottom for all those rifles y'all say got lost in a boating accident. With that part complete, I'm now getting on to the next step: ammunition.
The goals of Project Ralph are as follows:
1) Put together a well-regulated semi-auto rifle for the well-regulated post-militia-aged fatman (me). It should be as handy and serviceable as said fatman's M1 Garand, but updated to modern contingencies.
2) Assemble a reasonable stash of 223 Rem/556 NATO ammo that shoots well out of #1
3) Have it all stashed away and forgotten until somebody says I need to hand it over for the good of Society.
As I said, step #1 is complete. I'm now onto the second part of the challenge. For this, I would like to ask for the help of the Campfire.
1) I have a progressive reloader that is set up to load 223 REM.
2) I have some, but not all of the components at hand
Given all that, I have a bunch of questions:
1) Help me define "reasonable stash." I'm figuring 500 rounds ought to be sufficient. I've got more. I'll get more. This is just a first step. By the time I use up 500 rounds, I'll either have made my point or be dead.
2) Purchase or mfg? I see cheap steel-cased blasting ammo for $120/500 right now.
3) FMJ or. . ? To me, FMJ is not necessarily the way I want to go. It's fine for punching paper, and taking on nation states while holding to the Hague Convention, but I'm not thinking of either right now. I'm looking for suggestions. I'm currently leaning towards a 62 grain SP load. It would be enough to take on all manner of vermin, 2-legged or 4. However, there are a lot of good deals out there on 55 grain FMJ.
4) Steel or brass? If I buy ammo, should I figure on reloading brass cases or shooting disposables?
I've got 5 30-round magazines on order along with a pile of stripper clips. My goal is to load everything up, stick it in a bag with a shoulder strap and then seal it all up and wait for a bright shiny day.
In honor of Virginia's Governor, Ralph Northam, I've decided to put together a .223 Semi-Auto project. Part of it involved trolling the lake bottom for all those rifles y'all say got lost in a boating accident. With that part complete, I'm now getting on to the next step: ammunition.
The goals of Project Ralph are as follows:
1) Put together a well-regulated semi-auto rifle for the well-regulated post-militia-aged fatman (me). It should be as handy and serviceable as said fatman's M1 Garand, but updated to modern contingencies.
2) Assemble a reasonable stash of 223 Rem/556 NATO ammo that shoots well out of #1
3) Have it all stashed away and forgotten until somebody says I need to hand it over for the good of Society.
As I said, step #1 is complete. I'm now onto the second part of the challenge. For this, I would like to ask for the help of the Campfire.
1) I have a progressive reloader that is set up to load 223 REM.
2) I have some, but not all of the components at hand
Given all that, I have a bunch of questions:
1) Help me define "reasonable stash." I'm figuring 500 rounds ought to be sufficient. I've got more. I'll get more. This is just a first step. By the time I use up 500 rounds, I'll either have made my point or be dead.
2) Purchase or mfg? I see cheap steel-cased blasting ammo for $120/500 right now.
3) FMJ or. . ? To me, FMJ is not necessarily the way I want to go. It's fine for punching paper, and taking on nation states while holding to the Hague Convention, but I'm not thinking of either right now. I'm looking for suggestions. I'm currently leaning towards a 62 grain SP load. It would be enough to take on all manner of vermin, 2-legged or 4. However, there are a lot of good deals out there on 55 grain FMJ.
4) Steel or brass? If I buy ammo, should I figure on reloading brass cases or shooting disposables?
I've got 5 30-round magazines on order along with a pile of stripper clips. My goal is to load everything up, stick it in a bag with a shoulder strap and then seal it all up and wait for a bright shiny day.