There seems to be some confusion about what remanufactured ammo really is.  A lot of the confusion results when people interchange the terms reloaded and remanufactured.  There are differences and the differences are significant.  I think the timing is right for this article as we are experiencing dramatic increases in the cost of ammunition and ammunition reloading components like we have never seen before.

Many people reload (me included) for their own use.  Some people reload for profit.  The single largest motivator or money saving advantage to the private reloader is the repeated use of the same (or fired) brass.  In fact, I routinely get 8 - 10 reloads out of my brass.  Of course this depends on the power of the load and many other factors.  I am not suggesting that any of you reload your brass 10 times.  I know people that do not get that many cycles and some who get many more than 10.

Looking at the dollars and cents, if you take away the multiple reloads per brass case it would be very difficult to reload your own ammo at a savings over the cheaper commercially available ammo.  However, if you can use the same case over again 8 times, you must now factor the cost of the brass as 1/8 of its original cost.  Get 10 reloads out of the brass and now the cost of the brass for that round is only 1/10 of its original cost.  This has a significant affect on the cost of your ammo.  However, it is this repeated use of the same piece of brass that creates one of the major differences between remanufactured ammo and reloaded.

Remanufacturers do use previously fired brass.  However, their loading, cleaning, component assembly and overall quality control measures tremendously out perform anything we can do on an individual basis.  One of the primary differences is in the inspection of the previously fired brass.  Most of us clean the brass and give it a quick visual inspection.  Some may even gauge it or weigh each case to check for consistency.  A commercial remanufacturing facility will inspect the brass many times and prior to the powder being loaded they pressure test each case with air.  If the case leaks air it is rejected as this is an indication of a compromised case.  They also use a special powder available only to manufacturers.  This is important because if a firearm fails and is sent back to the manufacturer they will check if their warranty has been voided due to using reloaded ammo.  The remanufactured ammo will not void the warranty and the chemical test performed on the gun by the gun manufacturer will support the warranty.

This brings us to our house ammo.  The Center Target Sports' ammo is remanufactured not reloaded.  In the past we used ammo manufactured by HSM in Montana.  We have recently switched manufacturers.  Many of you have noticed a difference and have passed along your very favorable comments.  Thanks for noticing.  We are constantly trying to keep affordable ammo available to our patrons.  The best way for us to do this is by recycling our brass and allowing a top notch remanufacturer to produce our house ammo.  The costs have been so volatile of late that even with our house ammo we are selling at less margin than ever before in an effort to stabilize your ammo costs.

I hope this sheds some light on the ammo issue.  If the ever increasing costs of ammo are causing you to consider getting into reloading, please help us out.  We are also at a crossroads on two important decisions.  We are considering carrying reloading components and equipment as well as offering reloading classes taught by an NRA certified reloading instructor.  If this is an important issue to you, please pass along your comments to us.  Let us know what calibers you are considering reloading and if the reloading class is something you would take advantage of.

This is a subject I believe deserves another look.  I wrote about Dry Fire practice 3 or 4 months/issues ago.  However, the readership of this newsletter has more than doubled since then and the Dry Fire (DF) question comes up at least once a day at our facility, so, let's visit this subject again.

I believe that dry fire drills are one of the most effective practice techniques you can do to improve your shooting skills.  I am talking "Biggest Bang for Your Buck" here, no pun intended, well maybe.The benefits are tremendous but if done recklessly or if safety is taken for granted the hazards can be tremendous as well.

First let's talk about dry fire and the damage to your gun concerns.  I would not recommend dry fire practice with any 22cal firearm.  The firing pin on the 22 cal is located on the rim, and therefore the firing pin could be damaged when allowed to strike the hardened steel area surrounding the chamber that is normally protected by the soft cartridge rim.   As for centerfire handguns, don't worry about dry firing unless you have an old collectable classic piece that has monetary or sentimental value.  My primary centerfire handguns all have thousands of dry fire cycles through them without any damage to them. 

Safety must be the primary concern.   I never dry fire practice in the same room with real ammunition.  I always dry fire practice when I am alone for maximum concentration.  Below are the Safety Procedures I follow every time I begin a dry fire practice session:

• Establish a practice area and make sure it is free of any live ammunition.
• Try to insure your privacy when selecting a practice area.  Possibly lock a door or post the area with a no ammunition allowed sign.
• Clear your firearm and all magazines of live ammunition.
• Establish an appropriate backstop for the caliber firearm in use.
• Double and triple check that your firearm is clear and safe.

As you begin to practice, make sure all your movements are realistic.  Train as you will fight.  Do not take any short cuts.  Make every effort to stay true to the techniques you are trying to master.  Wear your duty gear or carry your equipment as you normally would.   

The DF practice sequence should follow a natural progression.  Don't move to a new technique until you have mastered the skills you are currently working on.  For example, many people think DF is only a method of mastering trigger manipulation.  This is NOT the case.