The anniversary AR-50A1 rifle includes a custom powder coating color process in silver-black crackle finish. The anniversary dates are laser etched on the upper receiver.
Each Anniversary AR-50 is part of a special package including an ArmaLite 30mm scope mount; Armalite 15, 30, and 50 minute scope rails; a bipod, a monopod; 100 rounds of spent GI brass; and a certificate of authenticity.
See your ArmaLite dealer for details. The anniversary AR-50 isn’t just a pretty rifle… it’s one of the finest high-powered rifles in the world. The heart of the AR-50A1 is its metallic stock to action interface. The patented V-block stock and bedding wedge assure absolute strength and repeatability for superb accuracy.
The aluminum stock reinforces the receiver almost like a bench-rest sleeve. Independent testing has proven the AR-50A1 muzzle brake to be the best in the industry for both recoil control and accuracy. It scrapes away turbulent muzzle gasses and lets the bullet break into clean air for amazing accuracy. Strength, accuracy, and stability make the AR-50A1 stunningly durable and accurate for decades of hard use.
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The FBI released its 2009 report on Crime in the United States, showing that murder declined 7.3 percent, robberies fell 8 percent, aggravated assault dropped by 4.2 percent and forcible rape has declined 2.6 percent. Meanwhile, the National Shooting Sports Foundation notes that gun sales in 2009 were up dramatically.
“What the data tells us is exactly the opposite of what the gun ban lobby has predicted for several years,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “Their dire predictions that America’s streets would run red have been shown up as a fraudulent sales pitch for public disarmament.
“No matter how gun prohibitionists try to spin this,” he continued, “the bottom line is that they have been consistently and demonstrably wrong, and they know it.” Read more
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– Stevens 107B Gun Review – Precision Reloading – Gunsmithing the Beretta Storm – Trends of values for rifles, shotguns and handguns – Guns for sale: Extensive classified listings
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The sparrow slayer of the author’s youth gets a second look with the eyes of experience. M.D. Johnson reviews the Remington Model 514, a sweet little .22 LR rifle.
WHEN I WAS 13 or 14 – NOTE: For you mathematicians, the years would have been 1977 or ’78 – my Slovak grandparents moved from the family farm, which like many in northeastern Ohio had been swallowed by progress, onto a much smaller parcel some 10 miles to the north and west. Always the farmer, Dzedo, Slovak for grandfather, put the back 14 acres into sweet corn, with a huge family garden on the side. “M.D.,” he told me often, “you’re in charge of keeping the birds out of the corn, especially those damned sparrows.”
I took my avian eradication responsibilities very seriously, a task made much simpler due to the fact that thanks to my father, Mick, I had access to quite the arsenal of English sparrow-sized firearms, including such fine pieces as a Harrington & Richardson .410 single-shot, a similar single in 20-gauge, and a Fox B Grade, also in 20-gauge.
But despite this wealth of wonderful weaponry, all of which performed quite admirably on sparrows, as well as the occasional starling, crow, and passing pigeon, I had quite the unusual favorite field gun; unusual, at least many would think, for the task at hand.
On permanent loan from my Mother’s brother, Neal, the little single-shot .22 caliber bolt action seemed a tad out of place along the edges of Dzedo’s cornfield. However, when primed with CCI’s .22 Long Rifle shotshells, each tiny blue-tipped cartridge containing 31 grains, or 0.07 ounces, of #12 shot, the rimfire became quite the sparrow eliminator – all at understandably close range, to be sure.
This need for proximity, however, did, I believe, assist in my education and improvement as a hunter; that is, I soon learned the importance of stealth, patience, timing, and other qualities vital for success afield. Was I stalking a full-curl Dall sheep on a shale slope at 5,500 feet elevation? Literally, no. Still, to a 13-year-old charged with protecting the whole of northeastern Ohio’s sweet corn supply, my adventures were no less exciting.
Technically Speaking
Although at my then-young age only moderately interested in variables such as make and model, I was aware the little bolt action was a Remington product. Today, I, along with the sporting community, recognize the piece as a Remington Model 514. According to the Firearms History on the company’s website – NOTE – If you haven’t discovered these pages, I highly recommend them – this particular piece was manufactured from 1948 through 1970, during which time approximately 757,000 were made.
The rifle, as mentioned earlier, is a single-shot bolt action of .22 rimfire, capable of handling Shorts, Longs, and Long Rifle rounds. Here, and at great risk of offending fans of the piece, I’ll say the M514 might best be described as extremely basic; however, that was Remington’s intent, as the rifle was brought into play to compete with similarly elemental and inexpensive rimfires from Stevens, Savage, and others. At introduction, the M514 set the buyer back the princely sum of $14. Today, the same model can range from $75 to $150, depending, of course, on condition.
In keeping, I’m assuming, with the budget-mindedness surrounding this particular rifle, the M514 features a one-piece walnut stock, Old School though adjustable iron sights, solitary extractor, and a single takedown screw nicely recessed 2.5 inches ahead of the trigger guard. A rotating safety is located at the rear of the bolt. With the bolt closed, twisting a knurled end-piece clockwise swings a black stud to the 10 o’clock, or SAFE, position; counterclockwise, and a red stud at 4 o’clock indicates the OFF SAFE condition.
Again, I’m sure, for the frugal, the M514’s receiver is non-grooved, and thus wasn’t out-of-the-box ready for glass optics. Some owners had the receiver drilled and tapped for readily available Weaver-style mounts; others, not wishing to modify the gun as such and perhaps lower its collector value, opted to stay with the standard iron sights.
My Personal Report Card
As I wandered through my teenage years, corn-nibbling English sparrows were eventually replaced by fox squirrels. And here, the M514 proved outstanding, a status it holds to this very day. Light at just a smidge over 4.5 pounds, the little rimfire was a joy to carry as I stalked among the towering hardwoods of my native Ohio. Certainly, it would have been a simple matter to drill the stock for sling swivels; however, like adding a scope, such an act of customization seemed rather sacrilegious. Or at least it did to me.
Overall, I’m quite pleased with the M514, particularly given the fact Grandpa Verity probably gave less than $20 for the rifle back in the early 1950s. The iron sights, earlier described as Old School, are indeed just that; however, I had no problem printing a .875-inch (horizontal) by 1.375-inch (vertical) 10-round group at 25 yards with Winchester’s Wildcat 40-grain cartridges – and this from a man who’s been sporting full-time prescription glasses for less than a month now. Aesthetically, the rifle, at least to me, epitomizes the traditional affordable .22 rimfire in a package combining basic beauty, simplicity, and more than acceptable accuracy.
Are there negatives? Myself, I don’t cotton much to the bolt-mounted rotating safety. It’s – and I may be nitpicking here – a bit inconvenient in terms of ease of operation; not impossible, but not nearly as handy as either the cross-bolt or right-receiver thumb styles.
And as for the trigger, while the pull itself isn’t atrocious, the amount of creep is, to stay kind, extraordinarily significant. Still, shooters have somehow managed to squeeze satisfactory groups out of their M514s for the past 62 years, and Lord knows how many bushytails have been harvested by hunters packing this popular Remington rimfire. Oh, and lest we forget, English sparrows, too.
This article appeared in the August 30, 2010 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Remington Model 514 Specs
Caliber – .22 Short, Long, and Long Rifle Action – Bolt Magazine type – None Overall length – 41.5 inches Weight – 4.13 pounds Barrel length – 23.625 inches Stock length – One-piece; 27.75 inches Trigger – 5.13 pounds (average of three) Pad – Thin (.375) hard plastic, black; checkered; circled Remington logo Sights – Step-style (ramp) adjustable for elevation rear; dovetailed blade/bead front Wood–Walnut
Today’s old gun markets have almost everything for the gun collector.
We collect because it is fun to learn about and possess these old firearms, whether they are the Guns that Won the West or the sidearm grandpa carried at Belleau Wood. Good collecting, the most satisfying kind of hunting and gathering or “accumulating,” becomes more than simple acquisition, more than decoration; it becomes a life-long passion that involves more than hiding artifacts in a safe.
The deeper we get into antique firearms, for instance, the more questions we ask: Did Remington manufacture .38 rimfi re Vest Pocket Pistols, its “Saw-Handle Deringer,” or were these simply mis-gauged .41s? And how many .30- and .32- caliber models were made? Are these versions quite rare or simply odd?
Probably less than 1,000 of the Remington Revolving Percussion Rifl e were made from about 1866-79 in .36- and .44 caliber. Larger cylinder and extra-long loading lever help identify authentic specimens. Although few were made, slight demand causes sales below $2,000 if in good condition. (This is a recreation from Traditions/Pietta.)
“Collecting, as opposed to gathering, can be an intellectual pursuit as well as a way to be with other people of a similar interest. In my experience, [fi shing] lure collectors, in particular are the some of more fun loving bunch of people I’ve encountered. How much fun is it to collect in front of your video screen? On the other hand, where else can you legally have this much fun and maybe make some money on your indulgences in the long run? Bottom line: collect what you really like and wait on those boomers to show up about the time you want to buy a house in Montana, but don’t quit the hobby just because it’s hard to find a five dollar Heddon.” – Michael Echols, originally written in 1998 and since updated for Gabby Talkington’s www.antiquelures.com. Used with permission.)
It is a challenge to dig into the unknown. There are so many peculiar and unanswered questions in every facet of firearms as to boggle the mind, and trying to decipher these puzzles keeps us on a learning curve when our human brains, by some medical and sociological accounts, have long since fossilized. Does it matter to the human race whether Remington manufactured .38 rimfire Deringers?
Probably not, but it may matter to us, personally. The mental stimulation of learning about any technology such as guns – the arguing, debating and researching – is sufficient reason, quite apart from actually owning them, to collect.
It is really no different than a medieval monk laboriously transcribing an ancient parchment scroll. It is brain health. But actually owning the old guns, turning them over in one’s gloved hands, poring over them with a magnifying glass is also important.
There is a story about an old duck hunter who has taken his grandson into the marsh. The old man calls and the cold wind blows and the boy shivers. Finally, the ducks swoop in and the old man points out the mallards and the blue wing teal and shows the boy how to tell them apart from the wood ducks, the drakes from the hens, and coaches him about lead, but the old man does not shoot.
As the next flight swings around the decoys, the boy does not raise his gun to shoot, either. “Why didn’t you shoot?” the old man asks and the boy says, “I just want to be like you, grandpa.” And the old man pats him on the back and says, “I’ve shot plenty of ducks in my time. Now it’s your turn. You have to shoot ‘em.”
It is the same way with antique firearms. Beyond the biofeedback, the hand-to-brain hypothesis suggests that it is the stimulation of our restless hands and fingers that encourages our brain to learn:
“You have to own them.” Learning about old guns is wonderful and some might say a sufficient reason to be interested. That coin has another side, however, and that is actually making a purchase; taking home your first gun. And that thrill – and it is a thrill – is absolutely necessary to fully participate in and enjoy this antique field, whether or not it is ultimately a meaningless activity and whether our kids follow in our collecting footsteps.
Investing vs. the True Collector
It was a myth, perhaps one that fans of Old West stories want to believe, but dime novelist Ned Buntline never had these guns built for the Earps…or what was left of the Earps after the fallout from the OK Corral incident. Legend has it that Buntline presented special order Colt revolvers with 12-inch barrels and detachable shoulder stocks to Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson and other noted Old West celebrities. Based on this story, the long-barreled Peacemakers came to be called “Buntline Specials.” Uberti makes them now, with incredible 18-inch barrels, but are they really “reproductions?” Buntline wrote the sort of turn-of-the-century Dime Novel that popularized the gun as a method for settling arguments and made heroes – famous and infamous – out of many of the cutthroats, neer-do-wells and rascals who flooded west toward America’s frontier. (Courtesy Autry National Center) It was a myth, perhaps one that fans of Old West stories want to believe, but dime novelist Ned Buntline never had these guns built for the Earps…or what was left of the Earps after the fallout from the OK Corral incident. Legend has it that Buntline presented special order Colt revolvers with 12-inch barrels and detachable shoulder stocks to Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson and other noted Old West celebrities. Based on this story, the long-barreled Peacemakers came to be called “Buntline Specials.” Uberti makes them now, with incredible 18-inch barrels, but are they really “reproductions?” Buntline wrote the sort of turn-of-the-century Dime Novel that popularized the gun as a method for settling arguments and made heroes – famous and infamous – out of many of the cutthroats, neer-do-wells and rascals who flooded west toward America’s frontier. (Courtesy Autry National Center)
According to Gabby Talkington of AntiqueLures.com, “The person who gets into collecting because he or she enjoys it is going to come out ahead, no matter what happens to the market. If they have fun studying old lures or whatever, then when a barrel of oil reaches $200 and the bottom drops out of the stock and collectible markets, they won’t be hitting their head against the wall like they would if collecting was just some investment. If they’re collecting because its fun to fi nd and have this old stuff around and the prices go up…then that’s kind of a double bonus.
“There is the risk that the bottom [of the collector market] will fall out tomorrow. The collectible decoy prices fell. Gold coins fell. Baseball cards fell. Think about it again. You didn’t sell that lure for $1,000 last week…and the very next week the market crashes and we are back to the $5 lure! Don’t laugh, it could happen. It has happened before.
“In 1988-89 the prices went through the ceiling and crashed the next year as the rolling recession of the 1990- 93 period started. With the Asian and Russian economies crashing in 1998 [and ultimately rebounding] we may see the same results sooner than later.
“Collecting is a mind game. Without the perception, in your mind, that something has value then there is none. What is the intrinsic value of a wood fi shing lure? Well, we’re back to the $5 lure.” – Michael Echols, writing for Gabby Talkington’s www.antiquelures.com With permission.)
Perhaps it is the same in every collecting field. A group gets together for a beer and talk turns to “what Dad did in the war.” The next time they have a neighborhood Bar-B-Q someone brings an old Nazi battle pennant and soon, someone else brings the Luger that his father smuggled home from Germany. Then someone buys a book such as the annual Standard Catalog of Firearms or does an Internet search for “gun collecting” and a whole new pod of collectors springs to life.
The men and women in this hypothetical neighborhood group illustrate an excellent way to get started in collecting – start or become part of a group. One person’s interest feeds that of another and enthusiasm, stories, good purchases and even screw-ups become a commonly shared experience. A quiet competitiveness is naturally awakened within the group.
While joining a club or hanging out with other collectors is a great way to get started, there is really no “wrong” way to begin (unless it is to rush out and buy something impulsively). Nevertheless, most collectors, writers and gun experts suggest that to get involved in collecting with the objective to make money buying and selling guns as investments is close to the wrong way.
Becoming a “gun trader” involves an entirely different motivation and methodology, one that is strictly mercantile, commodity oriented. While collecting values tend to be stable to gradually increasing – after all, as Mark Twain is supposed to have quipped about land, they are not making any more Model 1, First Type Smith & Wes- son .22s, for example (Or are they? Does one count a reproduction?) – those same values can be volatile and swings in the marketplace are as notorious as swings in the stock market. (Former Hoyt-USA president Joe Johnston recalls that the archery company got a terrific, although temporary boost when Sylvester Stallone used their product in his first Rambo movie in 1882.)
On the one hand, Nevada Colt collector Ed Cox warns, nothing is assured in the world of collecting. The generation of kids who grew up playing cowboys and Indians, the ones who are especially in love with cowboy action shooting and collecting antique Colt SAAs, are getting “along in years” now and whether the next generation wants these old guns is anyone’s guess. (When members of the next generation arrive at their 50s, they may collect vintage iPods!)
But on the other hand Cox notes that, “If I had put my dollar in a savings account in the bank, it would never be worth $1,300. By buying the antique gun, though, it would surely go up in value. If I’d bought an antique gun when I was a kid the value would be $1,800- $2,500 now.”
Florida’s Norm Flayderman believes that gun collecting has so far been isolated from dramatic market swings because it has not attracted hordes of “investors,” people hoping literally to get rich quick, the Warren Buffets trying to corner the market on silver, for instance. What has given the antique or collectible gun market its continuing viability is that collectors know the guns and have an interest in them other than strictly their monetary value.
Thus, as the economy swings, the gun market tends to remain steady to increasing – again, because the field is saturated with true collectors rather than investors who, Flayderman notes, “purchase only for the sake of financial gain with no appreciation for the arms themselves.” Previous Page Next Page
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The Six Rules Of Smart Collecting
After World War II, there was an awakening to the quality of Japanese arms when returning soldiers brought thousands of them home as souvenirs. Today, they are highly collectible. This Type-14 Nambu was manufactured at the Nagoya Army Arsenal in February 1927. Rock Island Auction valued it between $950 and $1,100 (Lot 169) and said that “while the magazine is nickel and mismatched, the gun is in excellent condition. It retains approximately 90 percent original blue finish and 75 percent straw colors. The grips are very good with small chip out of left grip on bottom, the usual gouge from the safety lever and minor handling marks….the right side grip screw is locked up and the head is slightly marred.”
After World War II, there was an awakening to the quality of Japanese arms when returning soldiers brought thousands of them home as souvenirs. Today, they are highly collectible. This Type-14 Nambu was manufactured at the Nagoya Army Arsenal in February 1927. Rock Island Auction valued it between $950 and $1,100 (Lot 169) and said that “while the magazine is nickel and mismatched, the gun is in excellent condition. It retains approximately 90 percent original blue finish and 75 percent straw colors. The grips are very good with small chip out of left grip on bottom, the usual gouge from the safety lever and minor handling marks….the right side grip screw is locked up and the head is slightly marred.”
1) Read and Learn. The rules of satisfying collecting are perhaps everywhere the same. They begin with identifying your interest and – before collecting any firearms – collecting information, building a storehouse of knowledge. If you are enticed into the field by the romance of the American Frontier era and enjoy looking at old Colt firearms, your fi rst purchase might be Doc O’Meara’s book on the Colt SAA.2 O’Meara’s book will both inspire you to collect and alert you to some of the nuances of the field, Bisleys to Buntlines.
The more you read and learn, the easier it will be to narrow your interest and objective when you get that itch to write out a check. And the more secure you will feel when you return home without that sulkingly familiar “buyer’s remorse.” Every bookstore has an outdoor section that contains a sample of gun books, but the best references for these invaluable collector’s aids can be found online with a minimum of searching.
2) Find People with Similar Interests. A second rule of good collecting is to affi liate with others and learn from them…or allow them to learn from you. While any group can exhibit a “flock mentality” and carry you over the edge to a disastrous purchase (the lemming mentality of group-think), there is strength in numbers. Within a group, the new collector can find a mentor and can, in turn, become a mentor. There are quite a few gun-collecting associations and we provide a brief listing of national groups in an Appendix at the end of this book.
3) Attend Gun Shows. At an early stage, it is a wonderful use of your time to visit local gun shows. Unless they are so designated, local shows will not have many antique firearms, although many curio and relic (C&R) guns and a ton of reproductions will be on view and on sale. Gun shows are a great place to make contacts, to pick up business cards of men and women who may take time with a newcomer, to learn about organizations that provide contacts and information.
They are not necessarily good places to make a purchase for a collection, however, because there is simply not time – and there are rarely facilities – to study and to thoroughly examine a gun. For that, one needs reference books, a good magnifying glass, good light and some peace and quiet, time without interruption to look and think; time to just sit and stare at the gun….
4) Avoid Impulse Buys. The fourth rule of good collecting is to avoid the rush to make a purchase. Everyone is, on occasion, struck with the craving to buy now, as in “right now.” It is a strain of impatience that runs deep in the male species, men generally possessing the pro-buying, anti-shopping gene. Generally speaking, if something looks too good to be true, it probably is. Today, the field of American firearms holds many questions, but few surprises.
Still, every serious gun collector has a story about making an impulse decision to buy a firearm without thoroughly examining it or questioning its owner. It happens when one is distracted and can happen to an expert as well as a newbie. The field is littered – some say heavily – with altered and even downright faked firearms, and so when the impulse rises to make a snap decision that will cost hundreds or perhaps thousands of dollars, your best course of action is to walk away.
Ninety-nine percent of the time this will be the correct long-term decision.
5) Make a Test Purchase. While avoiding the impulse buy, it ultimately becomes important to buy…something. As a youngster I wanted a telescope to look at the moon and stars. My father insisted that I read about telescopes first, learn the principles by which the mirrors worked and then once I knew what I was talking about, he said, we would buy a great telescope.
Learning somewhat in a vacuum with only pictures and nothing to actually handle, manipulate, enjoy, I found words about objectives lenses and diopters and image stabilization to be terribly frustrating. I never got a telescope and eventually lost interest. I did not want an expensive motor-driven refracting telescope anyway…just something to play around with. The recollection of that experience, and others since then, have led me to believe that nothing quite beats handling the real thing to stimulate interest. You must have something to “play around with.” Only by investing in more than moving our eyes and perhaps our brain, only by making a real purchase can we extend the learning and enjoying experience.
Perhaps it is a version of the “build it and they will come” philosophy. Your fi rst purchase does not have to be expensive; it probably should not be expensive, in fact, but it has to excite you. Stimulate you to want to learn more, see more and, yes, possess more. (Hint: For your first purchase, buy down in desirability, but up in quality or grade.)
6) Build Relationships. Finally, when one has read and looked at pictures as much as one can stand, when one has narrowed one’s interest and visited gun shows and even made an initial “test purchase,” it is time to establish a relationship with a seller. One of the best ways to avoid being stuck with a turkey is to know the person who is selling to you; know where they will be two weeks after your check has cleared. By developing a long term relationship with a seller – whether it is an auction house or a private gun trader, 3 one begins to develop trust.
A serious caution is in order here, however. Even though you may be collecting for fun, money is changing hands and that makes some aspect of collecting a business. If it isn’t a business for you, it almost certainly will be for the person who is selling to you and in a business relationship you must, in the words of Ronald Regan, “Trust, but verify.” The first time your new best friend approaches with a Confederate Colt, show your interest and ask for the paperwork, the provenance, and for any independent evaluations that might be reasonable. If the seller is legitimate and the product is legitimate as well, your questions and requests for independent authentication will not be offensive. You might also ask for a written, 90-day money-back guarantee. If you are afraid to speak up, you lose.
The 2015 Standard Catalog of Firearms, 25th Edition is the preferred desk reference guide to the realm of antique, vintage, and modern firearms from around the world, and is now in its Silver Anniversary, 25th edition with more than 26,000 listings of collectible and modern firearms. This industry-leading reference on firearms valuation and pricing has everything you need, whether you’re looking to buy, sell, or collect firearms.
Matched pair of presentation, engraved, ivory-grip MANHATTAN 36-caliber percussion, 5 shot-revolvers with 6 1/2-inch barrels. Each handsomely inscribed along their backstraps: “to G. W. France Acting Assistant Surgeon, U.S.A. / from Attendants of U.S. Gen. Hospital No. 11.” Illustrated here with a Civil War Army issue Hospital Steward’s (Corpsman) medicine case as worn on a waist belt. Dr. France served as a surgeon at a Prisoner-of-War camp outside Nashville during the Civil War; following cessation of hostilities he continued duty 1865 to June, 1866 at Army posts in Oregon Territory.
Appetites for gun collecting are often whetted by mechanical ingenuity, artistic features or historic associations. The possibilities and potential in collecting antique American arms are virtually unlimited; but these must be matched to both one’s pocketbook and the amount of time one can devote to what can become a possessive mistress.
Probably the best approach to beginning a collection is to assemble a basic arms library and read those books thoroughly. But, alas, years of stressing this point and offering the same advice many times over has found it to be the least often accepted counsel.
Whether time is too precious or gun money tends to burn a large hole in one’s pocket, it seems the neophyte collector just cannot visualize that book hanging on two hooks on the wall! This note of sarcasm is well intended, if the collector- to-be can persevere and acquire a few recommended basic primers, he will find his money very well spent indeed.
Larger city libraries are bound to have a good shelf of gun books as do many of the larger book stores; a few dealers specialize in arms books and issue catalogs, or, a visit to a gun show will usually find dealers with a wide variety of titles on hand. The Bibliography, Chapter IV, should be found helpful as a guide to basic works. Thoroughly digesting such primers will provide a good cursory knowledge of what gun collecting is all about. Recommended as a basic starter is the recently published “331 Essential Tips and Tricks for the Gun Collector” by S.C. Mowbray (2006). Chapter IV.
Armed with the basics, the next order of progression should be some astute travel—to a museum featuring a well-rounded or specialized collection (quite a few of these will be found throughout the country), to a gun collector’s home, to a dealer specializing in antique arms, or to a nearby gun show; (none of these need be in any special order). New horizons will quickly be opened, especially at that visit to the first show where anywhere from a hundred to a thousand (or more!) tables may be seen displaying and offering for sale thousands of antique guns; a fascinating and unforgettable experience.
Probably on display will be more guns than can be seen in most individual museums, plus a variety of accessories, parts and literature. The shows also offer an excellent forum for meeting with a very wide crosssection of collectors and dealers. On the assumption the aspiring collector was able to attend that first gun show and not purchase anything (but some books), the next logical step should be to subscribe to a few of the regularly issued periodicals devoted to or featuring articles on collectors’ arms.
The importance of belonging to the National Rifle Association cannot be over-emphasized. Their highly respected and widely circulated publication The American Rifleman contains a great many informative articles for the gun collector, and the Association offers services to collectors who are members. Other periodicals devoted entirely to antique arms are of great value to the collector and should be subscribed to (see details in Bibliography). A host of other magazines covering modern weapons is readily available, and most of these carry some articles on antique and collectors’ firearms.
The importance of all these periodicals to the neophyte is not only their wealth of informative articles, but the profusion of advertisements of dealers and collectors nationwide who are offering their services or their lists or their items for sale. One of the best mediums of exchanges in the antique arms business is mail order. Advertisements and listings for all the regularly scheduled gun shows throughout the country will also be found in these publications.
Before money is laid down for that first gun, it would be wise to have selected a general area in which to confine one’s collecting activities. Likely a choice was made by reading and by studying museum and private collections; at least some general guidelines should have been established, and the search for specimens can be confined to within a given category. A key asset for the neophyte is a mentor whose opinion is valued (and who is not trying to sell one of his own guns!); an outside impartial opinion as to the wisdom of the first choice will do much to start the collector on the right foot when making that first selection at a gun show or at a dealer’s shop; it is also a great aid in building self-confidence.
If on his own, then good common sense and judgment of human nature should take precedence when assessing circumstances surrounding the purchase of that first piece. Checking the reputation of a dealer or collector source is a worthy step, and remember that a guarantee, either verbal or written, is only as good as the party giving it.
The matter of GUARANTEES is worth dwelling on for a moment. Regardless of what one might be told about a gun, and even if said data is committed to writing, there are so many vagaries involved that unless the party making the guarantee is reputable, it will be found worthless.
Proving an item is not what it is stated to be in a court of law is a highly involved process and a costly one as well. Courts and (most) lawyers know nothing about antique guns, so it is a matter of hiring witnesses (an expensive matter) and trying to educate judge and possibly jury as well!
Unless a gun is worth many thousands of dollars, there is little likelihood that the aggrieved owner will ever get satisfaction if the seller does not choose to honor a complaint. In only the most flagrant violations does a collector have a chance to get together a consensus from the seller’s peers and coerce him into making a disgruntled refund.
This discussion is not intended to lessen the importance of acquiring a detailed bill of sale, which in some cases may deter the seller from passing off a spurious piece. A general observation in some five decades of dealing has shown that those highly detailed, multi-part bills are rarely asked for or offered, nor are they necessarily what they appear to be if the seller had larceny in his heart from the beginning!
The entire subject has very broad legal and ethical implications not within the realm of discussion for this book, other than to bring them to the readers’ attention and strongly stress the extreme importance of knowing the party from whom the purchase was made. It is very much a matter of a man’s word being his bond. A source of satisfaction for the majority of those active in gun collecting is that such a statement stands not merely as a hackneyed cliche, but a standard of one’s ethical code. Undoubtedly the best rule-of-thumb on purchasing antique guns, and one that is heard repeatedly, is to limit one’s buying as much as possible to quality and condition.
Far better it is to have one good piece than a dozen “dogs.” This is one of the most difficult points to get across to new collectors, especially when they are itching to buy that first piece! From studying human nature and collecting habits, it may be broadly stated that the new collector most often commits all the sins that he has been pointedly warned to avoid and that he ultimately comes to the realization that those were not such bad warnings after all. Those seeming bargains just are not bargains and are so damned hard to pass by!
The mere fact that a gun bears a price tag and is being sold by a dealer or collector in his shop or at a show is not necessarily a measure of actual or accurate worth. That tag does not always indicate the actual price a seller is willing to accept. In some instances it may even be purposefully inflated, outlandishly so; a rather crafty device to tempt the prospective buyer to make an offer, after which the trap closes quickly on the unwary!
The buyer must be prepared to analyze not only the weapon, but the person selling it, including their knowledge in that particular area, their method of doing business, their standing and reputation as a collector or dealer.
On auction buying: The final rule-of-thumb on bargains is worth remembering when it comes to attending an auction. Under no circumstances ever bid on any gun (or any other item for that matter) unless it has been very closely examined at the exhibition preceding the auction by yourself (preferably) or someone representing the collector and whose opinion is valued.
This is a time-honored, unwritten rule equally applicable to neophyte as well as expert. The novice, with no idea of gun values, has no business bidding at an auction and is gently cautioned to possess his soul with patience and wait until he has some collecting experience under his belt before entering bidding competition. Common sense dictates that when one stands toe to toe and slugs it out price-wise—and that is what auctions are all about—he should at the very least know what he is doing.
Swivel-breech, double-barrel (over/under) percussion Kentucky rifle by Peter Smith of Pennsylvania; c. 1840. Exceptional use of eagle and dove motifs, along with extensive silver and brass inlays and mountings. (As illustrated in Steel Canvas; The Art of American Arms, with permission of the author)
In the early 1970s the greatest, often record-setting price increases were noted. Momentum remained high through the entire 70s and right on into the early 80s. True, there was a leveling off and a readjustment in the deep recession in the early 80s but prices (except in a few isolated instances) never slid backwards at any time and demand never slackened; overpriced mediocre merchandise merely stagnated much as it always had.
Both demand and prices had increased almost on the same scale as the runaway inflationary trend common throughout most of the world in the late 70s. When inflation eased so too did the general price rise. The demand factor continued to reign supreme.
Reviewing the “Introductions” of the preceding eight editions of this Guide offers a credible means to get a handle on what has taken place in this hobby in the past 30 years; a practical and reasonably accurate barometer. The general trend certainly affects ever-increasing values and also recognizes the added emphasis focused upon detail and manufacturing minutiae which continue to dominate many areas of specialty collecting.
Those same preceding years have seen greater significance, justly deserved, accorded to antique arms directly associated with specific eras and events in American history and the individuals that may have personally owned and carried them.
An interesting and influencing factor in changing the American antique arms market had been the entrance into the picture of the European buyer. Until the late 1960s, the European antique arms market, especially as it existed for the sale of American arms, played no role of any consequence. In fact, up to the 1960s Americans had been able to purchase large quantities of antique arms in Europe (both American made pieces as well as European arms) for import and sale throughout the United States.
In the late 1960s this trend was completely reversed. Rising European affluence and a great influx of new collectors there caused rather meteoric rises in prices for arms in Europe, making it practically impossible for an American to purchase over there and import. European buyers (dealers and collectors) came to American shores to gather up great quantities of their own arms as well as American manufactured pieces to export for sale in their own countries.
This situation was quite volatile and very much subject to the economy of the several countries involved as well as their currency restrictions (often subject to unpredictable fluctuations).
The European factor caused considerable change in the American market beginning in the early 1970s and was especially noticeable in affecting prices of American made guns of the Civil War and Indian War eras, mainly pieces in poor and mediocre condition. Quite a few Europeans have a great fascination with those periods of American history, and a heavy demand was created for weapons of those eras, partly influenced by a proliferation of television and movie Westerns.
However, the European collector is generally not as discriminating a buyer condition-wise as is his American counterpart. Hence, the demand was much greater for lower quality pieces, and prices for those arms shot up disproportionately. Demand and sale of American arms oscillates in direct ratio to the fluctuations of the economies (and money restrictions imposed) of individual European countries.
In the early 1980s the European buyer, once here in prodigious numbers, had, like the passenger pigeon and the buffalo … or even the dodo bird … become an almost extinct species!
Although he no longer directly affected the American market, he left behind a very wide following of lovers forsaken who, like the mariner’s wife, look forlornly to sea waiting for the ship to return! Those same “lovers scorned” continued their lonely vigil with many sitting on piles of mediocrity they had accumulated for the foreign market; one which had merely been a temporary aberration on the collecting scene!
The hysteria those dealers created in their frenzy to accumulate hoards of ordinary merchandise for Europe, left a trail of carnage behind them in the many unknowing collectors and small-time dealers who thought their mediocre guns were suddenly turning into gold all over America … never realizing that it was only the temporary, short-lived European market that kindled, and ultimately doused the demand!
The late 1980s and early 1990s saw a slow return of European and a few Scandinavian buyers to the American market searching for antique American arms as well as those of their respective countries. By the mid 90s even that sporadic trend slackened. Their impact has been much more modest than it was with the earlier wave.
Restrictive gun laws in a few countries have caused some to limit the scope of their purchases here. While generally adding to the collectors’ market, they have not generated the volatility attendant to their earlier entry.
Another interesting observation and reality of the antique arms business in America, and one for which no explanation is offered, is the changing pattern of the professional full-time antique arms dealer. In the 1940s and 1950s there were quite a few full-time dealers issuing catalogs on a regularly scheduled basis.
The number of such dealers today has dwindled to the point that less than a handful regularly issue sales catalogs. Very possibly this number may dwindle to nil, since there are but the slightest signs of dealers coming into the field who intend to regularly catalog their merchandise.
Likewise, there is an apparent decreasing number of full-time dealers who have retail establishments open to the public at regular hours and to which the collector may freely visit. The trend, with increasing frequency these past years, has shown a great influx of new and full-time dealers in the field, but their manner of conducting business is completely at contrast to the time-honored approach standard in almost every other collecting field. As a matter of fact, the modus operandi is peculiar to this antique arms business and offers an interesting insight into it.
The general antique arms dealer of today—and most likely those of the future—normally conducts business along four parallel lines: he travels to the better known and larger gun shows throughout the country; he advertises some of his best pieces in one or two of the better known and widely circulated antique arms publications; he has a small gun room or showroom associated with his home and will allow visits by appointment only; and, with ever-increasing frequency maintains a Web site on the Internet.
In the early 1970s the greatest, often record-setting price increases were noted. Momentum remained high through the entire 70s and right on into the early 80s. True, there was a leveling off and a readjustment in the deep recession in the early 80s but prices (except in a few isolated instances) never slid backwards at any time and demand never slackened; overpriced mediocre merchandise merely stagnated much as it always had.
Both demand and prices had increased almost on the same scale as the runaway inflationary trend common throughout most of the world in the late 70s. When inflation eased so too did the general price rise. The demand factor continued to reign supreme.
Reviewing the “Introductions” of the preceding eight editions of this Guide offers a credible means to get a handle on what has taken place in this hobby in the past 30 years; a practical and reasonably accurate barometer. The general trend certainly affects ever-increasing values and also recognizes the added emphasis focused upon detail and manufacturing minutiae which continue to dominate many areas of specialty collecting.
Those same preceding years have seen greater significance, justly deserved, accorded to antique arms directly associated with specific eras and events in American history and the individuals that may have personally owned and carried them.
An interesting and influencing factor in changing the American antique arms market had been the entrance into the picture of the European buyer. Until the late 1960s, the European antique arms market, especially as it existed for the sale of American arms, played no role of any consequence. In fact, up to the 1960s Americans had been able to purchase large quantities of antique arms in Europe (both American made pieces as well as European arms) for import and sale throughout the United States.
In the late 1960s this trend was completely reversed. Rising European affluence and a great influx of new collectors there caused rather meteoric rises in prices for arms in Europe, making it practically impossible for an American to purchase over there and import. European buyers (dealers and collectors) came to American shores to gather up great quantities of their own arms as well as American manufactured pieces to export for sale in their own countries.
This situation was quite volatile and very much subject to the economy of the several countries involved as well as their currency restrictions (often subject to unpredictable fluctuations).
The European factor caused considerable change in the American market beginning in the early 1970s and was especially noticeable in affecting prices of American made guns of the Civil War and Indian War eras, mainly pieces in poor and mediocre condition. Quite a few Europeans have a great fascination with those periods of American history, and a heavy demand was created for weapons of those eras, partly influenced by a proliferation of television and movie Westerns.
However, the European collector is generally not as discriminating a buyer condition-wise as is his American counterpart. Hence, the demand was much greater for lower quality pieces, and prices for those arms shot up disproportionately. Demand and sale of American arms oscillates in direct ratio to the fluctuations of the economies (and money restrictions imposed) of individual European countries.
In the early 1980s the European buyer, once here in prodigious numbers, had, like the passenger pigeon and the buffalo … or even the dodo bird … become an almost extinct species!
Although he no longer directly affected the American market, he left behind a very wide following of lovers forsaken who, like the mariner’s wife, look forlornly to sea waiting for the ship to return! Those same “lovers scorned” continued their lonely vigil with many sitting on piles of mediocrity they had accumulated for the foreign market; one which had merely been a temporary aberration on the collecting scene!
The hysteria those dealers created in their frenzy to accumulate hoards of ordinary merchandise for Europe, left a trail of carnage behind them in the many unknowing collectors and small-time dealers who thought their mediocre guns were suddenly turning into gold all over America … never realizing that it was only the temporary, short-lived European market that kindled, and ultimately doused the demand!
The late 1980s and early 1990s saw a slow return of European and a few Scandinavian buyers to the American market searching for antique American arms as well as those of their respective countries. By the mid 90s even that sporadic trend slackened. Their impact has been much more modest than it was with the earlier wave.
Restrictive gun laws in a few countries have caused some to limit the scope of their purchases here. While generally adding to the collectors’ market, they have not generated the volatility attendant to their earlier entry.
Another interesting observation and reality of the antique arms business in America, and one for which no explanation is offered, is the changing pattern of the professional full-time antique arms dealer. In the 1940s and 1950s there were quite a few full-time dealers issuing catalogs on a regularly scheduled basis.
The number of such dealers today has dwindled to the point that less than a handful regularly issue sales catalogs. Very possibly this number may dwindle to nil, since there are but the slightest signs of dealers coming into the field who intend to regularly catalog their merchandise.
Likewise, there is an apparent decreasing number of full-time dealers who have retail establishments open to the public at regular hours and to which the collector may freely visit. The trend, with increasing frequency these past years, has shown a great influx of new and full-time dealers in the field, but their manner of conducting business is completely at contrast to the time-honored approach standard in almost every other collecting field. As a matter of fact, the modus operandi is peculiar to this antique arms business and offers an interesting insight into it.
The general antique arms dealer of today—and most likely those of the future—normally conducts business along four parallel lines: he travels to the better known and larger gun shows throughout the country; he advertises some of his best pieces in one or two of the better known and widely circulated antique arms publications; he has a small gun room or showroom associated with his home and will allow visits by appointment only; and, with ever-increasing frequency maintains a Web site on the Internet.
This article is an excerpt from Flayderman's Guide to Antique American Firearms. Click here to learn more.
The 2015 Standard Catalog of Firearms is the preferred desk reference guide to the realm of antique, vintage, and modern firearms from around the world, and is now in its Silver Anniversary, 25th edition with more than 26,000 listings of collectible and modern firearms. This industry-leading reference on firearms valuation and pricing has everything you need, whether you’re looking to buy, sell, or collect firearms.
North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue signed Executive Order No. 62, declaring a State of Emergency in advance of Hurricane Earl. In doing so, Perdue suspended the right of state residents to use or carry firearms outside their premises.
At issue is N.C. General Statute 14-288.7, which prohibits transporting a “dangerous weapon” during a state of emergency:
§ 14 288.7. Transporting dangerous weapon or substance during emergency; possessing off premises; exceptions. (a) Except as otherwise provided in this section, it is unlawful for any person to transport or possess off his own premises any dangerous weapon or substance in any area: (1) In which a declared state of emergency exists; or (2) Within the immediate vicinity of which a riot is occurring. (b) This section does not apply to persons exempted from the provisions of G.S. 14 269 with respect to any activities lawfully engaged in while carrying out their duties. (c) Any person who violates any provision of this section is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. (1969, c. 869, s. 1; 1993, c. 539, s. 192; 1994, Ex. Sess., c. 24, s. 14(c).)
According to § 14 288.1 (10), a state of emergency exists “whenever, during times of public crisis, disaster, rioting, catastrophe, or similar public emergency, public safety authorities are unable to maintain public order or afford adequate protection for lives or property, or whenever the occurrence of any such condition is imminent.”
Violation of the order is a Class I misdemeanor, punishable by up to 120 days in jail. Those impacted include concealed handgun permit-holders, sport-shooters, and anyone else carrying a firearm outside their home or business. Critics note that dove-hunting season begins on Saturday (September 4), potentially making criminals of thousands of hunters. Read more
Running Enspired Technology Inc., an information technology consulting firm, is no nine-to-five, and the 32-year-old Ontario resident can find himself on the job anytime, even during the wee hours of the morning.Wrye is working on obtaining a concealed weapons permit, but in the meantime he “open carries” his handgun, unconcealed, unloaded in a holster on one side of his waist, with a full magazine on the other side.
“It's the economic turmoil,” Wrye said. “I carry expensive equipment in my vehicles. I feel better protected having it with me. It makes me feel a lot safer, overall.”
Gun rights advocates such as Wrye dodged a bullet last week when a state bill that would have made it illegal to carry unconcealed firearms in California escaped consideration on the final day of this year's legislative session.
Fearing a Republican filibuster, Democrats decided to set the bill aside so others deemed more critical could be considered, officials say.
Assemblywoman Lori Salda a, D-San Diego, introduced the legislation known as Assembly Bill 1934. It's supported by the California Police Chiefs Association and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, she said. Read more
(Geneseo, IL) ArmaLite, Inc. has announced that a small batch of its AR-10 chambered in .338 Federal is ready for this year’s hunting season.
The first run of the big .338 in two years comes after repeated customer requests. This finely crafted firearm is both powerful and match accurate. The ArmaLite .338 is capable of taking any North American big game, including moose and bear.
The AR-10 in .338 features a match grade stainless steel barrel and a finely tuned National Match two stage trigger. The rugged one piece aluminum handguard allows custom mounting of bi-pods, sights and optional MIL-std 1913 rails. Click here for further details and specifications. About: ArmaLite has one of the broadest product lines in the firearms industry. We manufacture and sell semiautomatic rifles in a variety of calibers including 5.56mm and 7.62mm, long range super-accurate bolt action rifles in calibers including .308 Winchester, 300 Winchester, 338 Lapua, and 50 BMG, and classic 9mm pistols. Visit: www.armalite.com
In other words, while Glock continues to enjoy a banner year—the company is trying handle backorders of 70,000 units—firearm auctions tend to feature entirely different categories of firearms sales.
At Findlay, Ohio-based Old Barn Auctions, firearms consultant Larry Wells says they recently auctioned off a Winchester 94 Deluxe Sporting Rifle sold for $3,800, a Henry First Model for $20,000; and an engraved Gustav Young 1862 Colt Pocket Navy with ivory grips for $13,500.
Gunrunner Online Firearm Auctions recently offered at auction 30 unopened boxes of Model 12 trap guns from the 1960’s and 1970’s, including Super Pigeons, Pigeon, Skeet and Trap Grades. ”These beautiful and rare pieces created a nationwide sensation!” says owner Scott Weber, explaining that the company seems to do best with fine double shotguns and rare military firearms. “We have also done well with ‘famous guns,’ selling some of Elvis Presley’s personal firearms and the firearms of Winchester exhibition shooter Herb Parsons,” Weber says.
According to James D. Julia, his auction company’s recent sales included a Napolean-era pair of cased pistols by Boutet Arms (Versailles, France)—”the finest gunsmiths in history,” he says—that went for $438,000. In March 2009 Julia auctioned off the firearms collection of Dr. Joseph Murphy of Philadelphia, a collector of Colt pistols. “In terms of average quality, rarity, and number of firearms, Dr. Murphy’s collection arguably was one of the finest collections in history, if not the best,” says Julia. With this auction, he says, “the eyes of the gun fraternity were on me.”
Overall Julia says it was a fantastic sale: The first lot included engraved and cased #2 Paterson pistols with an expected sale range of $275,000 to $500,000. The final price was $517,500. Thirty lots later, says Julia, an engraved Colt Single Action estimated at $450,000 to $800,000 went for $747,500.
Finally, Curt Kramer of Kramer Auctions reports that Winchester rifles “are always a hit—those old lever actions really appeal to a wide range of buyers.” The most memorable and significant sale for Kramer, however, was a Sharps Berdan Rifle. “Aside from being a fantastic firearm,” says Kramer, “the family selling it had no idea what they had. So they were in shock when this ‘Civil War gun’ as they had described it topped the sale at over $12,000.” Not all the auctions, however, were marked by sales of rare or antique firearms. Kramer says he also noticed a big increase in the sale of quality new or used modern handguns. “I am sure the political environment had something to do with that,” he says.
It might be the ugliest gun on the market, but the Chiappa Rhino Revolver gives you a ton more control over violent .357 recoil…Check out this video of rapid fire with 125-grain rounds. You get all the muzzle flash and bark you would expect from a 2-inch .357 mag, but the clever design helps keep the gun on target. So there you have it, a .357 you can hide in a pocket and it won't jump off target when you fire it. Take a look. For more information on CCW topics, grab a copy of the Gun Digest Book of Concealed Carry. That's me on the cover. Click here to order the book:
In other words, while Glock continues to enjoy a banner year—the company is trying to handle backorders of 70,000 units—firearm auctions tend to feature entirely different categories of firearms sales.
At Findlay, Ohio-based Old Barn Auctions, firearms consultant Larry Wells says they recently auctioned off a Winchester 94 Deluxe Sporting Rifle sold for $3,800, a Henry First Model for $20,000; and an engraved Gustav Young 1862 Colt Pocket Navy with ivory grips for $13,500.
Gunrunner Online Firearm Auctions recently offered at auction 30 unopened boxes of Model 12 trap guns from the 1960’s and 1970’s, including Super Pigeons, Pigeon, Skeet and Trap Grades. ”These beautiful and rare pieces created a nationwide sensation!” says owner Scott Weber, explaining that the company seems to do best with fine double shotguns and rare military firearms. “We have also done well with ‘famous guns,’ selling some of Elvis Presley’s personal firearms and the firearms of Winchester exhibition shooter Herb Parsons,” Weber says.
According to James D. Julia, his auction company’s recent sales included a Napolean-era pair of cased pistols by Boutet Arms (Versailles, France)—”the finest gunsmiths in history,” he says—that went for $438,000. In March 2009 Julia auctioned off the firearms collection of Dr. Joseph Murphy of Philadelphia, a collector of Colt pistols. “In terms of average quality, rarity, and number of firearms, Dr. Murphy’s collection arguably was one of the finest collections in history, if not the best,” says Julia. With this auction, he says, “the eyes of the gun fraternity were on me.”
Overall Julia says it was a fantastic sale: The first lot included engraved and cased #2 Paterson pistols with an expected sale range of $275,000 to $500,000. The final price was $517,500. Thirty lots later, says Julia, an engraved Colt Single Action estimated at $450,000 to $800,000 went for $747,500.
Finally, Curt Kramer of Kramer Auctions reports that Winchester rifles “are always a hit—those old lever actions really appeal to a wide range of buyers.” The most memorable and significant sale for Kramer, however, was a Sharps Berdan Rifle. “Aside from being a fantastic firearm,” says Kramer, “the family selling it had no idea what they had. So they were in shock when this ‘Civil War gun’ as they had described it topped the sale at over $12,000.” Not all the auctions, however, were marked by sales of rare or antique firearms. Kramer says he also noticed a big increase in the sale of quality new or used modern handguns. “I am sure the political environment had something to do with that,” he says.
What Auctioneers Look for in a Consignor
Across the board, firearms auctioneers state that selling firearms at auction requires consignors who are motivated and realistic. For example, Weber says that he first looks for someone who listens to our appraisals/auction projections. ”All we do all day and night is sell guns, so if we have sold their guns hundreds of times, we know the value,” he says. ”If the consignor disagrees with our assessment, that can spell problems down the line.” So the best consignor, says Weber, is “the one who believes without qualification that we are going to give their firearm the same attention and promotion we would give our own firearm.”
Larry Wells states that it’s very helpful for consignors to “look at the bottom line” and not at the final auction prices of individual items. “I want a consignor to tell me something to the effect of, ‘I’d like to see about $50,000 for the lot,’” says Wells.
The best consignor, says Kramer, is someone who is ready to sell. “Some sellers will sell if they get a certain price for every item; that is a seller who is not ready to sell,” says Kramer, “and that is not a good auction client.” He says about 90% of the auctions are “unreserved,” meaning the items will sell regardless of price. “We spend a lot of time and money advertising these auctions and most items will bring what they are worth.”
When there is a reserve price, Kramer says he makes sure that the reserve is reasonable, “one that I think is fair, not some crazy price that this one guy who never saw the gun said it should be worth.” He adds that if his sellers are not happy with what he feels is a reasonable price, he simply won’t offer the item at auction. “No sense wasting my time and my buyers’ time on lots that have unreasonable reserves,” he says. With auctions, he says, sales and profits always seem to even out—some guns sell for a little less than they should and other guns seem to bring more that they should. Of course, says Kramer, “Everyone always seems to have a good story of some gun at an auction that brought way more than they expected. I like those stories especially when they are talking about my sales.”
James Julia prefers consignors who meet two key criteria: First, they must have quality goods to sell. Second, they are motivated, realistic, and conservative in estimating value. With that kind of consignor, he says, his auction company can then create a great marketing plan and establish a selling price or “put it at auction and let the market decide.” Consignors need to know that estimating low, says Julia, will sometimes cause a good to overperform in an auction.
Both auctioneers and sellers desire goods to sell well. “The more a seller makes, the more we make,” says Weber. “Once the seller understands that, the auction process is a beautiful thing!”
The 2015 Standard Catalog of Firearms is the preferred desk reference guide to the realm of antique, vintage, and modern firearms from around the world, and is now in its Silver Anniversary, 25th edition with more than 26,000 listings of collectible and modern firearms. This industry-leading reference on firearms valuation and pricing has everything you need, whether you’re looking to buy, sell, or collect firearms.
Today it is a fundamental, Constitutional right for the individual to carry a weapon for the purpose of self defense. Unfortunately, California government has chosen to ignore the Heller and McDonald decisions of the US Supreme Court. It will take a Federal Court order to force the State and local governments to comply with the two decisions. Which may be about to happen in the Peruta case.
San Diego, like Los Angeles, issues very few licences to carry a concealed weapon. Licenses issued by both jurisdictions are capricious and arbitrary. In the case of Peruta v San Diego, the Sheriff's department favored a private organization called the Honorable Deputy Sheriff's Association. Not a single member in good standing who has applied since 2006 has been denied a license.
On Friday, the attorneys for Peruta filed a motion for a partial summary judgment. If the court grants the motion it would immediately require that all issuing authorities in the Southern District of California issue licences to carry a concealed weapon to everyone who applies and meets the non-discretionary requirements of obtaining a license or, hopefully, everyone who is at least 18 years of age and legally entitled to own a firearm as was found in Heller and McDonald.
It took the Court two months from the date that San Diego County Sheriff Gore filed his motion to dismiss the case and Judge Gonzalez issued her denial of the motion, and that included breaks for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. The Court's denial of motion to dismiss was 18 pages long. Judge Gonzalez has already laid out the legal foundation for her decision. An order granting the partial summary judgement will most likely take less time.
So how does this affect those of us who don't live in the Southern District? It potentially affects everyone who lives in the 9th Circuit. Some more than others given that the only two states in the 9th Circuit which severely restricts carrying a loaded gun are Hawaii and California. Alaska and Arizona don't even require a license to carry a handgun, openly or concealed.
Assuming that there isn't something unusual in the summary judgement granted by the court it will provide a mechanism for everyone who lives in the 9th Circuit to obtain a CCW. Here is how. Once the judgement is granted, apply for a license to carry a concealed weapon and put “self-defense” as the reason. Read more
Running Enspired Technology Inc., an information technology consulting firm, is no nine-to-five, and the 32-year-old Ontario resident can find himself on the job anytime, even during the wee hours of the morning.
Wrye is working on obtaining a concealed weapons permit, but in the meantime he “open carries” his handgun, unconcealed, unloaded in a holster on one side of his waist, with a full magazine on the other side.
“It's the economic turmoil,” Wrye said. “I carry expensive equipment in my vehicles. I feel better protected having it with me. It makes me feel a lot safer, overall.”
Gun rights advocates such as Wrye dodged a bullet last week when a state bill that would have made it illegal to carry unconcealed firearms in California escaped consideration on the final day of this year's legislative session.
Fearing a Republican filibuster, Democrats decided to set the bill aside so others deemed more critical could be considered, officials say.
Assemblywoman Lori Salda a, D-San Diego, introduced the legislation known as Assembly Bill 1934. It's supported by the California Police Chiefs Association and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, she said. Read more
So you’re going to begin reloading. For $250 or perhaps even less, you can get set up with excellent new reloading equipment and buy all of the components you require to begin building your own shotshells. This article will help you get started.
Active sporting clays shooters use a lot of shells and are natural candidates to start reloading their empties. This shooter is using Winchester AA factory loads, which are fine for reloading. Handloaders can fine-tune load components for certain targets, too.
Before you purchase your reloading equipment you will need a place to set up, preferably one where you will not be continuously distracted and where you can be reasonably certain that other hands, especially those of children, will not meddle in the components.
It would also be very helpful if you had a buddy who was also a reloader, because you will have questions, you will make mistakes, and to call the retailer – who may direct you to the manufacturer – is time consuming and can be frustrating.
Begin with a single stage reloader, one that allows you to learn one shell at a time. Look for things that will make your handloading life easier and simpler. If you shoot both the 12 and sub-gauges, you will save more money per shell by concentrating your loading on the smaller guns.
Before you buy, then, verify that the press can be set up to load everything you want to shoot and that it will not cost you hundreds of dollars more to load your 20-gauge and 28-gauge shells, too. It helps to have a press that sizes shells automatically and automatically feeds primers, even if you have to pay a little extra for the primer feed. In short, look for some labor saving features up front. You could end up using this press for darn near forever because its serviceability will not decline with age.
At some time in your shotgunning life, you may become deeply involved with one of the clay sports. As an All American Trap Shooter, for example, you would want to speed up the loading process because you are experienced and you need to build more shells. At that time, you might buy a progressive press, i.e., one that automatically advances hulls through the basic reloading cycle with every pull of the lever.
Do not sell or junk your single stage, though, because it can usually be retrofit to load your hunting shells, which will usually be far fewer in number and different in load character than those required for a trap shooting.
It is better to spend a couple hundred dollars extra up front for the right machine than it is to suffer with years of irritation. Now, let’s go shopping for some reloading equipment.
MEC: MAYVILLE ENGINEERING
The introductory single stage press from MEC is the 600 Jr. Mark V. It can load eight to ten boxes per hour and can be upgraded with an automatic primer feed which eliminates the need to handle each primer individually.
Mayville Engineering (www.mecreloaders.com) has manufactured shotshell reloaders under the MEC name since 1956. Everything from the least expensive single stage machine to a fully automated progressive loader is available in the line. (MEC’s Internet site also gives information, prices and parts lists for a number of their discontinued models, thousands of which are still pumping out shells today.)
Beginning with what MEC considers “the world’s top selling reloader” and the very first machine many reloaders use, the 600 Jr. Mark 5 was introduced in 1985 and costs only $118. MEC says that once the operator gains a little experience, this single stage reloader can fill eight to ten boxes of shells an hour. In addition, it can be upgraded with the 285 CA Primer Feed, which eliminates the need to handle each primer individually. This press is adjustable for 3-inch shells and is available in all gauges, plus the .410. All MEC reloaders include one charge bar and three powder bushings: • 10-gauge (2-ounce bar with bushings 37, 40 and 44), • 12-gauge (1 1/8-ounce bar with bushings 29, 30 and 32), • 16-gauge (1-ounce bar with bushings 23, 25 and 29), • 20-gauge (7/8-ounce bar with bushings 20, 22 and 24), • 28-gauge (3/4-ounce bar with bushings 14, 16 and 21) • .410-bore (1/2-ounce bar with bushings 10, 11 and 12, or for a 3-inch shell, the 11/16-ounce bar with bushings 10, 11 and 12).
MEC believes that its Sizemaster reloader is an excellent choice for hunters. The built-in Power Ring Collet Resizer returns all types of shells – with brass or steel bases, high base or low – to factory specifications. The Sizemaster is adjustable for 3-inch shells and fills all gauges and the .410. Additional die sets cost $90 for any gauge except the 10, which is $105. Extra powder bushings are $2.20 and charge bars are $13. An automatic primer feed is standard on the $179 Sizemaster. It loads primers for all gauges, except the 410.
According to Mayville Engineering, the gauge-specific Steelmaster is the only shotshell reloader that is fully equipped to handle steel and lead. The resize head accepts any shell base and the press has an automatic primer feed. Separate presses are required for 10-gauge (1-1/2-ounce bar for BB through #2 with bushings 31, 34 and 37), 12-gauge (2-3/4- and 3-inch: 1-1/8-ounce bar for BB through #3 with bushings 25, 32 and 34) or 12-gauge (3-1/2-inch: 1-1/2-ounce for BB through #2 with bushings 36, 37 and 39A). In the 10- or standard 12-gauge expect to pay about $193 for the Steelmaster, but in the 3-1/2-inch 12-gauge size, the price jumps to $206. Die sets to change gauge cost $90 for any gauge except the 10, which is $105.
Extra powder bushings are $2.20 and charge bars, $15.
The MEC 650N is advertised as “maximum effect for minimum effort” – at the bargain price of just $240. Although it works on six shells at once and finishes a shell with each pull of the handle, the 650N does not resize hulls. If you buy this press, resizing becomes a separate operation. MEC says that the 650N is “the ideal press for the person who likes to resize and inspect their shells as a separate operation.” (MEC’s separate Super Sizer shell resizer costs $67. It is built-in to all “new generation” MEC reloaders. Separate parts must be purchased to resize different gauges.)
A good quality reloader like the MEC 650N will reload a lot of shells without giving you many maintenance hassles. The 650N has three crimp stations: beginning the crimp, folding and tapering.
The 650N press uses three crimping stations. The first one starts the crimp and the second closes it. The final station places a very slight taper on the shell, which allows it to feed easier through pumps and semi-autos.
Other features of the 650N however make it more attractive. The automatic primer feed is standard, for instance. This press is available in all gun sizes, but die sets to switch one machine between gauges are not available and the 650N does not load 10-gauge shells.
MEC’s progressive 8567 Grabber mechanically programs 10 operations at six stations. This $338 reloader has a fully automatic primer feed, auto-cycle charging and the three-stage crimp mentioned above. The built-in Power Ring resizer operates without interrupting the reloading sequence. The operator manually places hulls and wads in the proper place and a finished shell is subsequently produced with each pull of the handle. Optional kits are available to load 3-inch and steel shells. (The 8567 is not available in 10-gauge.)
The 9000-Series is MEC’s top-of-the-line progressive press with plenty of automatic features, such as primer feed. The $407 model #GN is hand-powered while the $958 #HN is hydraulic and operates via a foot pedal. These machines incorporate all of the 8567’s features including automatic resizing, automatic indexing and finished shell ejection after final crimping. The 9000-Series does not reload 10 gauge shells and die sets are not available.
MEC has a number of press accessories available such as a dust cover, larger capacity primer feed tray, jig fixture and intermediate bottle supports. Note that a steel shot kit and charge bar must normally be installed to reload steel shot.
PONSNESS/WARREN (P/W)
A charge bar determines the amount of shot that will be dropped, while the bushing determines the amount of powder. The ratio for powder is determined by the recipe you select and the brand of powder you use.
Ponsness/Warren (www.reloaders.com) has developed reloading gear for almost 40 years and its Platinum 2000 Series progressive reloading presses are state-of-the-art. The 2000s feature P/W’s typical cast frame and precision-machined parts. With eight shells in separate stations and various stages of completion, a 2000 automatically performs the following functions with each pull of the handle: indexes the shells, de-primes and re-primes, drops a precision volume of powder, inserts the wad, then drops a precision volume of shot, crimps the shells and finally ejects a completed shell.
The author of the previous edition of this venerable volume called P/W reloader’s full-length re-sizing dies their “very best feature.” With a P/W 2000, the shell is pressed into a sizing die at the very first station and it rides through the balance of the process contained within this steel ring. In this system, a hull rarely distorts, and as much pressure as necessary can be applied for proper crimp closure.
P/W is especially proud of the hopper and the primer feed on these machines. Their EZ-Fill Access Hopper holds more than 25 pounds of shot and up to a pound of powder in a high-impact plastic divided container. When you need to load several different recipes, special bushing-access holes allow quick shot and powder bushing changes without the usually laborious task of draining and removing hoppers. Purchased separately, it is $90.
The brass external primer feed allows an operator to easily adjust primer seating depth without taking the primer feed assembly out of the machine. Primers are held in a tray, approximately at eye level, and are fed downward through a sleeve into the feed assembly by gravity. Purchased separately, the primer feed is $100.
A Lifetime Warranty on the index system and P/W’s new Die Removal Cylinder come with this series of presses. P/W says the Die Removal Cylinder is built with 100 percent Grivory®, which it says is “a new compound that is stronger and more rigid than aluminum.” It allows you to easily remove and inspect shells during the reloading process to check powder or shot weights, by simply lifting a die pin and sliding out the shell. The 3-pound Die Removal System is also available to update many older P/W reloaders. It costs $170 and comes with the P/W shell extracting kit.
A 52-pound Platinum 2000 with sizing die system is available in 12-gauge (powder bushing H, shot bushing #6 for 1-1/8-ounce), 20-gauge (powder bushing D, shot bushing #4 for 7/8-ounce) and 28-gauge (powder bushing B, shot bushing #3 for 3/4-ounce), as well as the .410-bore (powder bushing 2A, shot bushing #1 for 1/2-ounce). They have a catalogued price of $699, although the factory’s 2004 Christmas Special flyer offered them for $649 and you can undoubtedly buy them for less through a reputable internet source. (Of course, if you buy through a local retailer, you may not pay the rock-bottom price. You will almost certainly, however, have access to friendly and helpful technical assistance when you run into difficulties or have questions that are not covered on the manufacturer’s Internet site. And you will have questions.)
The P/W 800 Plus was new for 2004. Built with full-length resizing dies and a gear-style index system, this progressive machine sounds an audible “click” when it is fully indexed. (Because I always worry about proper seating and positioning of mechanical elements, I like this small feature.) A die-removal cylinder allows for easy shell removal at any station. The 800 Plus uses the EZ-Fill Access Hopper and all other standard features of a 2000. Lacking a central shaft, 800 Plus tooling kits are installed in a tool head. This allows you to convert to another gauge in about five minutes without the need to readjust any of the crimping stages.
The 52-pound 800 Plus with sizing die system is available in 12-, 20- and 28-gauge as well as .410-bore with a catalogued price of $699 and the same powder and shot bushings as those listed for the 2000 Series. The 2004 Christmas Special flyer from the factory offered these reloaders for $649! Individual gauge-specific tooling kits cost an extra $295.
Close-up of MEC rig filling a clay load of 1-1/8-ounces of #7-1/2 shot.
P/W says their 53-pound L/S-1000 is the “only fully progressive reloader that loads lead, steel and bismuth shot without the need for any type of conversion kit.” This press features a silent indexing system and the company’s new Grivory Die Removal System. The precise Uni-Drop System on the L/S-1000 drops any shot size, up to and including BB. The 12-gauge model ($849) loads either 2-3/4- or 3-inch shells while the 10-gauge model ($895) loads only 3-1/2-inch.
The single stage reloader in P/W’s current press line-up is the Du-O-Matic 375C. Like the larger and more expensive L/S-1000, the Du-O-Matic will load lead, steel or bismuth without requiring a conversion kit. The dual tool head lets you install a second tooling set when you want to change gauge. Look for extra large shot and powder tubes, which include baffles and a positive-lock charge ring that prevents the accidental flow of powder. A positive, full-length resizing die contains the shell throughout the loading operation. Your shell always emerges bulge-free. A 31-pound Du-O-Matic is available in all gauges plus the 410 bore. Expect to pay around $300 if you purchase it direct from Ponsness/Warren, except for the 12-gauge/20-gauge model, which is $384.
Ponsness/Warren offers a large number of options and accessories for its reloading presses such as dust covers, shell counters, shovel handles, a new finished-shell Front Drop collection system and multiple types of conversion kits that allow older P/W presses to load non-toxic shot. Its top-mounted Automatic Shell Feed System is available for those who quickly tire of feeding shells manually, one by one. The Shell Feed holds 500 empty shells, and sends them brass-down onto the shell feed seating assembly. An electric motor, which turns the sorting disc in the hopper, is equipped with a micro-switch that stops the motor automatically when the feed tube is full (30 pounds, 12-gauge only, $395 0r thereabouts).
About the time your eyes glaze over and you’re sure that you will soon turn up three cherries from cycling the press handle, you will be willing to spend $899 for P/W’s Hydro-Multispeed, single cylinder hydraulic system. With a floor-mounted pedal, this 65-pound hydraulic system permits hands-free reloading. It has three speed settings and P/W guarantees that it will not damage your P/W reloader with high pressures. Extra-long hoses with quick-disconnect couplings allow for floor placement of the motor. An optional cylinder kit allows you to hook up your Hydro-Multispeed assembly to more than one press for loading multiple gauges or recipes at one time (9 pounds, $400).
LEE PRECISION
The Lee Load-All is inexpensive and it works for 12-, 16-, and 20-gauge shotshells.
The Lee reloading business took off from the home workshop of Richard Lee in 1958. In that year, Lee invented the famous Lee Loader. Additional Lee Loaders for rifle and pistol ammunition came along in the early sixties. Lee says that their “effective and economical tools have introduced more than one-and-a-half million shooters to reloading.” Then, in the mid-70s, the well-known Lee Load-All hit the market, establishing Lee as a household name in handloading circles. Lee equipment is unconditionally guaranteed for two years. In addition, any Lee loader of current manufacture, regardless of age or condition, can be returned to the factory for “like new” reconditioning, including a new guarantee, for half the current retail price.
The popular and inexpensive $49.98 Lee Load-All II single-stage press works for lead or steel shot in 12-, 16- and 20-gauge (www.leeprecision.com). The spent primer-catcher is built-in and conveniently empties in the front. Recesses at every station allow positive shell positioning. Gauge conversion is easy and economical by simply replacing the die carrier ($20). An optional primer feed ($10) means that you never have to touch the primer from the box to the shell. Each new purchase includes twenty-four red plastic shot and powder bushings. The bushings are visibly indexed and this keeps neophyte reloaders from confusing shot and powder charges.
What has given the Load-All II its reputation is the extreme ease with which it operates. Work your way from left to right and follow a pamphlet’s illustrated instructions. (I found the loading advice a little more abbreviated than I would have preferred, however.) Adjustments are simple – some would say primitive – but straightforward, which might confuse digital children. Nevertheless, you will understand the fundamentals of each step without having to muddle through much extraneous clutter.
If used with patience, the Load-All II can make excellent reloads for 2-3/4- and 3-inch shells, high or low brass bases with six- or eight-crimp closures. The Load-All II is not however sized to build 3-1/2-inch shells because the die set is not deep enough to reach the base of the loader with a shell that tall in the die set. Therefore, proper sizing on 3-1/2-inch shells cannot be accomplished. Of course, this press is not a racehorse and it can teach you to work methodically. If you do not push this machine beyond its limits, you will have a productive press that you can enjoy for many years. Lee does not build a progressive reloader, or a press that will handle the 10- or 28-gauge or the 410.
DILLON
Dillon’s SL 900 features case-activated powder and shot systems to help eliminate troublesome bushing changes along with spilled powder and shot. According to Dillon, the built-in adjustable powder measure is good to within one-tenth of a grain and the shot hopper holds 25 pounds! There are no bushings for shot or powder to deal with in this Dillon machine. That, in itself, is a hugely attractive feature.
Dillon writes that their SL 900 features “easily adjustable, case-activated powder and shot systems that eliminate troublesome bushing changes along with spilled powder and shot.” According to Dillon (www.dillonprecision.com), the built-in adjustable powder measure is good to within 1/10 of a grain and the shot hopper holds 25 pounds! There are no bushings for shot or powder to deal with in this Dillon machine. This, in itself, is a hugely attractive feature. The automatic indexing SL 900 loads 12-, 20- and 28-gauge shells and by switching tool-heads, you can switch gauges without having to reset your dies and measurements. The case feed and priming systems are automatic. The basic SL 900 is $646. You can spend another $174 for a case-feeder and $263 for the conversion package to load another size shell.
RCBS
RCBS is part of the ATK (Alliant Techsystems: (www.rcbs.com) Ammunition & Related Products Group with Federal Cartridge and Alliant Powder.
The new, 7-station single-stage RCBS Mini-Grand is designed for entry level reloading of lead or steel (with the appropriate steel accessories) and its hopper holds 1/2-pound of powder and 12-1/2-pounds of shot. The Mini-Grand is available in a 12-gauge version to load 2-3/4-, 3- and 3-1/2-inch shells. The 20-gauge press will accommodate 2-3/4- and 3-inch shells. Using RCBS, Hornady or Ponsness-Warren powder and shot bushings, the Mini-Grand is capable of loading 200 hulls (8 boxes) per hour.
An optional taper crimp die is available for the Mini-Grand. This reloader comes with a Lifetime Warranty. At Christmas 2004, the Mini-Grand was $125 from RCBS or $100 from Graf & Sons at www.grafs.com. (An optional $18 dust cover is an excellent idea for a machine as complex as any shell press, especially if it is mounted in a room without constant temperature and humidity controls.)
The progressive shotshell loader in the RCBS line is The Grand. It is available for 12- or 20-gauge shells at $724. Conversion kits to switch between 12- and 20-gauge reloading cost $336. The 8-stage Grand is “intended for the shotgunner who requires accurate, precision shotshells for hunting or trap and skeet,” RCBS says. “The operator merely has to start a hull at station one and insert a wad in the wad guide at station four. All other functions are performed automatically. Once in full operation, a loaded shotshell is dispensed each time the handle is cycled through the full down-and-up strokes.”
The shot-drop and powder-drop systems are case-activated and will not drop shot or spill powder unless a hull is properly in place. With the powder-drop station at the front, it is easy to remove the hull to weigh powder if you suspect an error has been made. The powder charge bar also accepts Hornady bushings. The Grand’s powder hopper holds one pound; the shot hopper holds 25 pounds; and its steel resizer ring will work with either high- or low-base brass. Its cast aluminum frame is held together with steel rods and links.
A Hydraulic Conversion Kit to convert The Grand to full hydraulic operates with two foot switches, one for up and one for down. Releasing pressure on the switch automatically stops the operation of the press. The unit features quick-disconnect hoses and is capable of boosting operation to a whopping 660-shells (26+ boxes) per hour. RCBS says that complete installation only takes between 15 and 30 minutes. This unit costs $900.
SPOLAR POWER LOAD
The gold-anodized finish of the Spolar Gold Premier allows this superbly well-thought-of loader to look as good as its reputation. Its vibrating electronic shot, powder and primer settling system is just one of the Gold Premier’s features.
With a gold anodized finish and handsomely crafted construction, the Gold Premier is rated very high for workmanship. At $1,295 for a single gauge, the machined aluminum Spolar Gold progressive loader (www.spolargold.com), originally designed by the late trap shooting champion Frank Simpson, costs much more than other top shotshell presses and plenty of adequate shotguns, too. If you still have a few extra bucks after paying for your reloader, you can add a foot-operated hydraulic mechanism with quick-disconnect hoses for an additional $995. Spolar says its hydraulic operating system allows a completed shell to fall into your shooting box every three seconds and you can set up the hydraulics and hoses in 10 minutes or less. After this, you may still want to add $265 for gauge changing materials and $580 for a custom reloading table.
If quality construction is important, you will enjoy the fluid movement made possible by closely machined tolerances and sealed ball bearings in many of the moving parts. Left-handers will appreciate the ambidextrous nature of the Gold’s left- or right-side handles, too. An exceptional feature of the Gold Premier is that it can be disarmed and everything halted during a loading cycle. Dies are removable of course, and the charge bar can be unhooked without spilling shot and powder.
The Spolar Gold Premier is loaded with features. It has a vibrating electronic shot, powder and primer settling system. All four of the competition gauges – 12, 20, 28 and .410 – are available and they can be changed in less than five minutes without making extra adjustments to your settings. Shells can be removed at any station, and your wad and shot drop almost simultaneously. This machine has a locking system to prevent any unauthorized meddling. The Gold has a 25-pound shot capacity and comes with a shell counter. Spolar says they are the only manufacturer that loads “a minimum of 100 factory test rounds with your recipe prior to shipping” a unit to you.
HORNADY
You can buy a Hornady 366 progressive reloading press in 12-, 20-, 28-gauge or .410-bore for $430 from www.outdoorguides.com. Look for additional information on the Hornady site at www.hornady.com. Nevertheless, the 366 features full-length base and hull resizing, automatic primer feed, swing-out wad guide, three-stage crimping, automatic advance and automatic ejection of the finished shell. For $180, you can purchase die sets for additional 2-3/4-inch shells in other gauges. Additional lead shot bushings are $6.
LYMAN
In 1878, William Lyman invented the tang-mounted peep sight. That was the birth of Lyman Products and today, 125 years later, the company (www.lymanproducts.com) includes Pachmayr, Trius, TacStar and A-Zoom.
To be confident in your reloading, you must have an accurate scale and, in this area, cheap is inexcusable and contains the seeds of unhappiness. Of course, your shot bar and bushings should give you the confidence that they are correct, but what about that afternoon that the kids keep barging in to your reloading shrine or you have a grudge against your spouse? Are you certain you can proceed without being distracted? Did you double-check ingredient weights now and then for each recipe you loaded?
A 1,000-grain powder scale works extremely well, adds very little noticeable time to the overall loading procedure and permits greater accuracy of your weights and measures. You also use an accurate scale to give you peace of mind and keep your spouse from collecting on the insurance. Here is an example of why a precise scale is useful.
You must occasionally check the accuracy of your loads, especially if you switch loads or switch between lead and non-toxic shot or steel. The Lyman 1200 will work equally well for shotshells and cartridge reloading. Always recalibrate before you check weights; it takes less than a minute.
Steel shot bushings are available for most reloading presses, but they may be thought of as limited-application tools. Smaller pellets work as indicated and will flow through bushings well. Large steel pellets are often difficult to volumetrically meter through a bushing, however, as they seem to hang up wherever they can. Nobody makes so many hunting loads with large pellets that they should not be able to take the time to weigh each pellet charge.
The comparisons hunters often make to lead shot loads seem to compel them to overload steel. Hunters have, for years, assessed load application by payload weight and have associated certain weights with a lethal hunting load. For example, everyone knows that 1-1/8 ounces of lead is a target load, right! However, 1-1/8 ounces of steel is a magnum payload, the pellet equivalent of around 1-1/2 ounces of lead. For a 12-gauge, a 1-1/2-ounce load is a magnum, by anyone’s definition. (Actually, this misapplication of low velocity, high volume steel shot loads is somewhat to blame for steel shot’s poor image.)
So here are a couple of Lyman scales that are excellent for the reloading bench. The LE-1200 Electronic Scale has a 1,200-grain-weight capacity, powder pan, calibration weight and digital display. It will work equally well with shotshells and for rifle or pistol cartridge reloading. One touch converts it to metric (gram) mode and its compact size makes it almost inconspicuous on your loading bench. Power is available through a wall outlet or a 9-volt battery (not included). Order direct from Lyman and you will pay $265 for the LE-1200.
The LE-800 is a slight step down, although it actually measures up to 850 grains, not just 800. The LE-800 works on AAA batteries, and a set is included. The smaller scale is $183.
Lyman has several suggestions that will help you get accurate readings from their electronic scales. First, scales should always be used in an area free of air currents. Second, each time you use it in a new reloading session, go ahead and recalibrate. Because Lyman electronic scales operate at the touch of a finger, this only takes a few seconds.
Next, if you move your scale into a new room that may have a different temperature and/or humidity, the company suggests letting the scale stabilize for a half hour before zeroing and calibrating. Speaking of recalibrating, each scale comes with a set of instructions beginning, “Do not calibrate the scale with the powder pan on the platform, as this will cause incorrect programming.” The Lyman website includes detailed instructions for each model scale.
If you are of the old, pre-digital dinosaur order when batteries were not required to operate all of your toys at Christmas, you may want one of the Lyman Mechanical Beam Scales. The 2-pound Model 500 offers 505-grain capacity and is accurate to 1/10-grain. It offers “positive pan positioning and magnetic dampening” for $73. Step up to the Model 1000 mechanical and you can measure up to 1,005 grains with the included scale counterweight.
MISCELLANEOUS GEAR
Dicksie Spolar says that if you add a foot-operated hydraulic mechanism with quick-disconnect hoses – an additional $995 – a completed shell will fall into your shooting box every three seconds and the hydraulics set up in less than 10 minutes.
Hull Marker: Have you ever fished in your pocket and pulled out a reload and not really been certain what it was? Was it a #6 or is it an #8-1/2? This could be a problem on the skeet range and when bird hunting, too. You can avoid mixed up or mismarked shells with a hull identification stamp kit. You could also apply a color-coded sticker from an office products store (to the base perhaps, not on top of the crimp where a sticker might change the load’s pressure parameters) or you can just experiment with indelible inks to see which felt-tipped pen works best. Whatever you choose, marking your reloads is an excellent idea, especially if you load more than one type of shell and have trouble keeping things straightened out.
Hull Skiver: Hull skiving removes a thin layer of plastic from the mouth of the hull and tapers hull openings for easy component placement and better fold crimps. The aluminum oxide abrasive coating is long lasting. Buy the Skiver for $10 or simply or carefully use the fine-grit sandpaper from the garage.
Roll Crimping: Handloaders sometimes rely on a six- or eight-fold crimp when a roll crimp would be better, say the experts at Ballistic Products (www.ballisticproducts.com).
Factory ammo uses fold crimps because the process is dictated by high-speed machinery. As a reloader, you can choose based on performance rather than on someone else’s convenience. Roll crimped shells are especially excellent for buckshot and slugs or sabots, for heavy payloads and any custom hull lengths. They also give consistent closure resistance and deliver consistent chamber pressures.
With the right tools, roll crimps are easy to build and your shells look pretty darn good when they are finished. Roll crimps are made with a special bit that, through a combination of heat and pressure, turns over the final 1/4 inch of a hull inward and down, until the edge contacts the overshot card that sits on top of the payload. The roller that makes the crimp is about $30 and it is specific by gauge. A special hull vise to hold the shell is about $40 and, considering the aggravation in dropping or spilling, may be well worth the cost.
This article is an excerpt from Reloading for Shotgunners 5th Edition.
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