Rifle Selection and Ammo Availability

Interesting peppercorn..I don't have a mic yet as I am building up my reload equipment. Maybe Christmas? 🙂
I noticed the Remington's twist but the CCI's don't so what you say makes total sense.
As far as consistency I'm curious if the ridgidity of the round when it has a tighter crimp factor accounts for it not jamming as readily as the ones that are not. IE: I have a barrel drum for my ruger 10/22 and it will not accept any loose rounds without jamming, where as the CCI rounds that have the tighter crimp fire and eject without fail. Funny, it is not recommended to use the CCI rounds in the barrel clip but they are the only consistent round that do not jam. Go figure. lol

Oh by the way everyone, I managed to get a couple o pounds of reloading powder when Cabela's opened last week. 🙂

... I'm curious if the ridgidity of the round when it has a tighter crimp factor accounts for it not jamming as readily as the ones that are not. IE: I have a barrel drum for my ruger 10/22 and it will not accept any loose rounds without jamming, where as the CCI rounds that have the tighter crimp fire and eject without fail. Funny, it is not recommended to use the CCI rounds in the barrel clip but they are the only consistent round that do not jam...

I'm impressed enough just that you found a barrel drum that actually works well with anything.
On the other hand, I'd try to find out why that magazine maker doesn't want you to use them before I kept shooting.

My 10/22s don't care what you feed them, as long as you use the BX-25 not a cheap knockoff banana mag.
The S&W 22A doesn't care what you feed it, either; its loading problems are wholly on the shoulders of the 2nd-worst magazines in the world.
One Ruger Mark II cares, one doesn't.
The revolvers eat things (like the CCI shorty subsonic) that won't even hand-feed into the pistol bores or that are so dirty I won't put them in my 10/22s (looking at you, Blazer and Eley Black-Box).

There's some difference in accuracy between brands and levels, but I've got good varmint ammo that will twist (twist, not wiggle) that's as accurate as some of the really, really nice ammo that won't.
And we've got semi-auto handguns on the range every month that will eat American Eagle and Winchester Super-X (50/50 on twist+wiggle) but can't cycle or feed blue-box or yellow-box Eley.
Semi .22LR handguns are just kind of persnickety (and sometimes rifles, but that seems far less common), and sometimes they need the perfect configuration of magazine and ammo to reliably cycle and shoot consistent groups.

MrsPrepwPets:

I have BX-25's and I can only get about 18 rounds in it without jamming, in my Savage .22 Long.
I know what you mean about the Blazer's ... They are pretty lame. I don't like the wax dip thing that they are doing either.
I see a lot of the knock off banana clips at Cabelas and they have not moved since opening day. Guess they rely on newbie suckers for sales.
All the 10/22 barrel clips are gone. I went back the other day to buy 2 more and there wasn't a one to be found.
I managed 800 rounds of .223 for 100.00 Not bad really so I asked the sales guy what the dif was between the 1000 rounds you could buy for 389.00 or the 800 for 480.00? ( They screwed up when they sold me the 800 for 100.00)
The sales guy said that one was bulk military (the 1000 round in the wooden case for 389.00) and the ones they had were not.(The 800 for 480.00) Looking at them though, they look identical. Both 55 grain. The only inconsistency was the odd primer cap looked like it was steel as opposed to brass.

I managed 800 rounds of .223 for 100.00 ... ( They screwed up when they sold me the 800 for 100.00)

That's the kind of luck I never have!!! 🙂

I have BX-25's and I can only get about 18 rounds in it without jamming, in my Savage .22 Long.

Very strange. We've been maxing them out in the 10/22s for years now, thousands of rounds, no problems. I need to pull them out and try to figure out how to get inside or at least use some canned air to spray them out at some point. The only thing they won't feed for me are the short subsonics that aren't supposed to be in a rifle with a tight groove, anyway. The 10-rnd blocks wouldn't, either. Bummer, since we were trying it with the 10/22 pistol, but such is life.

I know what you mean about the Blazer's ... They are pretty lame. I don't like the wax dip thing that they are doing either.

Eley and somebody else uses the crazy wax lube, too, but only one of the Eley's is all that dirty. The CCI mini-mags make it look like I've been burning leaves in my barrel, worse even than the blue box Federals. I actually clean pretty quickly after shooting when I go through blazers or mini mags. Usually. 😉

It's not rifle, but anybody up there noticing some store bought .45 ACPs that are using small pistol primers instead of large?
I've run into it with two different makers recently. Didn't affect shooting at all (FMJ plinker rounds). It does mean I have to pay attention and sort before I dump stuff in the tumbler.

How about this article I found on spiked ammo? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62Bi3RPz_2E

Seems that this has been a long time traditional tactic used since WWII to kill or maim the enemy. Can you imagine that this too could be a tactic used in the near future against preppers when buying bulk ammo? Or a delayed booby trap when ammo becomes hard to find as your luck in finding a few spare cartridges tucked away is really not so lucky a find after all! Man can a treacherous creature when he accepts the use of tactics aimed at indiscriminate random killing as a justified means. Not knowing that his victim may be some innocent that has never done another human harm is of no consequence as they simply conclude they are not responsible for another's bad luck!

How about this article I found on spiked ammo? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62Bi3RPz_2E

... Can you imagine that this too could be a tactic used in the near future against preppers when buying bulk ammo? ...

Wouldn't overly worry about this one just yet. You'd run an awful big risk of it ending up in the hands of small range owners, private trainers and gun schools, and even programs like Appleseed, intro clinics to HP vintage and modern matches and 3-gun, or junior CMP and NRA clubs by just sticking it in bulk ammo buys. We have private individuals who routinely make HUGE purchases associated with our club, with others buying in or when buying for programs where we're providing ammo for sale or as part of an event.
Only need a few people to lose fingers in those situations before you end up with a situation where you threw fuel on a fire, and I think the powers that be are just barely smart enough to realize it.

I know it would be a small risk each time one pulled the trigger, but if it were a real factor one had to consider in the future, it would have some minor influence on us as we squeezed the trigger, no matter.

The thing I do when I read such as this is try to imagine how the person who is making such a random killing device justifies their actions mentally while doing the dirty deed. The story that they'd have to concoct to sleep at night would have to be a doozy to silence the demons that would haunt them when they later heard a child died from their creation.

It seems that I best continue this thought in Psychology thread though!

Personally I like my SKS. Ya its not much after 300 yards as accuracy goes compared to the super hi quality US made fire arms. The thing is, for hunting reloads with non metal jackets they are cheap cheap cheap. Did I mention the word cheap? Sorry I don't shoot at anything unless I can see it with out a scope so 300 yards is good enough. Tactically most military's agree that combat is most often within 300 - 400 yards, enough said here. I got 4800 rounds of 7.62 x 39mm. for $365.00.
I think that was money well spent and if I want more there's lots available as the Ukraine is selling it as fast as they can as they need the money and there is no proposed embargo on Ukrainian goods in the foreseeable future. I also have a Chinese knockoff of the M14 in 308, Big hit power for hunting what ever. but cheap ammo is getting scarce. My Remington pump action is a great close in fire arm for most big game (bears, cougars zombies) encounters. Have my RPAL but don't own a hand weapon. (yet)

Be safe, be discreet, be friendly and most of all be ready.
Grumpy

My preference in fire arms is as follows.
#1 My SKS with updated tactical stock. Yes I know it's not accurate past 300 yards. Yes I know that full metal jacket ammo isn't legal for hunting. (reloads with non metal jackets are cheap cheap cheap) but if you drop your 300 savage in a mud hole will it fire? maybe but not so likely. Tried it out with the SKS not a problem kept on shooting no probs.
I was able to get 4800 rounds of non corrosive, ammo for $365.00. It also seems that there is lots of 7.62x39mm. out there as the Ukraine is selling it fast and furious at present.

#2 I have a Chinese knockoff of the M14 in 308. It's good for big game hunting. Ammo is creeping up in price.

#3 I have a Remington 3" x 12Ga.pump action for close up encounters with bears, cougars or zombies. There are some good deals to be had on ammo in the Fraser Valley.

I have my RPAL I do not own a hand gun (yet)

Cheers Grumpy

My preference in fire arms is as follows.
#1 My SKS with updated tactical stock. Yes I know it's not accurate past 300 yards. Yes I know that full metal jacket ammo isn't legal for hunting. (reloads with non metal jackets are cheap cheap cheap) but if you drop your 300 savage in a mud hole will it fire? maybe but not so likely. Tried it out with the SKS not a problem kept on shooting no probs.
I was able to get 4800 rounds of non corrosive, ammo for $365.00. It also seems that there is lots of 7.62x39mm. out there as the Ukraine is selling it fast and furious at present.

#2 I have a Chinese knockoff of the M14 in 308. It's good for big game hunting. Ammo is creeping up in price.

#3 I have a Remington 3" x 12Ga.pump action for close up encounters with bears, cougars or zombies. There are some good deals to be had on ammo in the Fraser Valley.

I have my RPAL I do not own a hand gun (yet)

Cheers Grumpy

And I'm betting Grumpy Bear is ex- military too 😯 😀

Maybe 😉

Nothing wrong with an SKS. Definitely happy with mine. People seem to be dumping 7.62x39 ammo lately. Just scored some Non-Corrosive from someone who didn't want it anymore. .223 is still not spiking in price. Hate the steel cased stuff, because i reload. Same with the .308, 9mm and .45.

I was very interesting to read a topic of weapons like this Rifle Selection and Ammo Availability, thanks for this topic now i know several tings about weapons,,

You might be interested in this one as well:
http://internationalpreppersnetwork.net/viewtopic.php?f=76&t=4936
Useful, inexpensive, usually belovedly ugly and why we like them, plus the conversation about air rifles.
Somebody did a good job a while ago (2013 is ages in a forum) breaking down some of the most common handgun and rifle choices with nice big read-ups that include the pro-cons. It's probably a good 2-3 pages back on the section page, and I'm pretty sure it was one of the "guns for beginners" threads.

Stopped in to Lever Arms in Vancouver on Burrard St. and 5th ave, on Thursday after noon.
Looking for a Military surplus fire arm? That's the place to go in Vancouver. Racks and racks full.
Ammo every where. Good knowledgeable staff. Check them out. I have days that I do the tour and go to several shops to talk, ask questions, see what's new is a fun type of Saturday. Some times I even take my visa card 😉
Oh if you are looking for 10 round feeder clips for the SKS they have lots. $1.50 each.

I am still in love with my smith and Wesson m15 sport. I added a quad rail with a scope and lower grip. It is easy to field strip and I can add differnt caliber barrels and change them quick as well. Mine is currently 5,56 nato... I posted for this gun as a couple of my buddies own them off base. The colt was double the price and basically the same gun.

I have several other rifles ranging back to wwi. They are all fun to shoot, but, none as fun as my m15.