Gun Tips by Lloyd "Duke" Hodges

There are available to the American shooter ammunition from many sources both foreign and domestic.  Decades of development have greatly improved the product.  However, caution should be exercised when purchasing.   Where did it come from, is it surplus ammo?  I can remember my military years when we qualified with our weapons the cleanup was hot soapy water because the rounds had corrosive primers and would cause damage to metal parts.  Humidity is a problem even now.  Storage in a dry place is good.  There is little need to polish the rounds and they are better left in the original carton.  With the many calibers on the market good judgement is paramount.  For example: .223 and .556 calibers are close but the higher .556 should not be used in the .223 engineered firearms but the .223 can be used in the .556. So, stick with the rolled caliber stamp on the barrel or the manual.   Some in the know say it does not make any difference and some say it does.  We shooters have another round available called the plus P or plus P plus. My thinking is simple in this area.  Ammo made now is so very much better that plus anything is not needed.  Another interesting caliber is the .357 magnum.  That caliber can handle anything in the .38 caliber class.  The .357 cannot be loaded into a .38 because the shell case is longer.  Hollywood has helped age some fine wheel guns when they are reloaded and the cylinder is shut with a flip of the wrist.  What happens is the cylinder sooner or later will get out of sync. Have you ever been hit with something hot at the range and wondered what it was? Likely it was some of the bullet being shaved and pushed by escaping gas.  With spring comes a good time to practice situational awareness when drilling with your firearm.  Pay attention for snakes since they are in spring fling mode.   

BE SAFE, BE ALERT, BE ALIVE.

Lloyd “Duke” Hodges