Questions from a newbie

[capewalk]

Hello all, Being new I have so many questions. I've looked for the answer to these and haven't found them. In one of the many youtube videos I viewed a poster stated that it was unlawful in his state to have his concealed firearm "print". Is that true in Massachusetts?

Also I don't understand the large capacity mag ban. When you get your LTC you can get it for large capacity. So if I'm purchasing a new handgun I have to get the model that comes with a ten round clip? And the only way I can have a larger capacity is to have a firearm/mag that was pre ban?

I also have a question regarding reloading. I'm sure there is a number of times the brass can be used to reload. How do you know when the brass isn't good enough to load?

I'll be applying for my LTC as soon as I have my "issue" cleared. That is in progress and I'm told will take about 60 days. Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[TWtommers]

AFAIK, there is no law on the books in MA that prohibits flashing/brandishing/printing your concealed firearm. That said, there are plenty of cases of police chief using incidents like that, when reported, as reason enough to deny an LTC holder based on suitability. Suitability is that magical, intangible thing that allows CLEOs to deny or allow someone an LTC. Very subjective. In short, printing is not illegal but it is also very unwise.

Your LTC-A allows you to posess a high capacity firearm, not necessarily the magazine. MA has a ban on magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition. This means that with an LTC-A you could own a Beretta 92FS that can hold 15 rounds in the magazine. However, you can't own a 15 round magazine unless it was lawfully possessed (made) prior to the assault weapons ban in 1994 (someone correct me if I screwed that date up). A high capacity handgun or long gun in Massachusetts is one that shipped from the factory (to anywhere, not just MA) with a magazine greater than 10 rounds.

An LTC-B will allow you to possess long guns and handguns that are not high capacity. Its a much more limited selection.

 

[center442]

There are folks here with far more knowledge on the legal stuff than I have, so I'll leave those questions alone.

As far as the brass goes.....it depends.

Bottle necked rifle cases, particularly with heavy loads, tend to "wear out" faster. What generally happens is that the brass gets stretched forward and you have to keep trimming it. The metal that you trim has to come from somewhere; that somewhere is the base of the case. After repeated reloadings, the brass near the case head (the base) becomes thinned. Sometimes you can see a little line running around the base. If you keep reloading a case like that you risk having the case separate at that line when you fire it... which is not a desired event.

Sometimes the primer pocket will become enlarged to the point where it won't hold the new primer tightly enough. Again, not a pleasant experience. Cases will also sometimes split along their axis, very often the neck will split. There are a lot of factors that will determine how many times you can reload a case, and I've only mentioned a couple.

With straight walled (or slightly tapered) cases, the situation changes quite a bit. If you're using light loads and a mild crimp, those cases are like the Energizer bunny. They seem to go on forever. I reload some .38sp cases that are probably 20 to 30 years old and have been reloaded numerous times, and they still function without a problem. I'm sure I've lost more .45acp and 9mm cases at the range than I've ever worn out. Again, there are a lot of variables that play into the question.

Hang out in the reloading section of the forum and you'll find that many of those issues get addressed from time to time.

ETA: Take a look here for an example and an explanation of case head separation.

 

[swampy]

In regard to your reloading question, brass lasts until it is no longer suitable to be reloaded. Pistol brass pretty much can be reloaded until it fails. I have many cases that have been reloaded more than a dozen times. As I am preparing the brass I inspect it for defects such as splits at the case mouth, signs of excessive thining at the case mouth, head sparations, dents that may have overstretched and weakened the case wall, creases, damage to the rim from ejectors etc. When looking for splits look from the outside in and also from the inside out. I also run a magnet over all my cases just in case I may have picked up a steel case. Some steel cases are brass plated so you cannot rely on case color alone.

Chrome or nickel plated cases can be reloaded as long as they pass the magnet test. People often say otherwise but I prefer to load the plated cases. They clean up easier than brass and the plating lasts through many loading cycles.

Rifle brass does not tend to last as long as pistol brass. If you can squeeze six reloads out of a case your doing pretty good. You can extend the life of some cases longer by annealing the case mouths which restores the workability of the brass. It isn't a task routinely done by inexperienced reloaders. It involves heating the case mouth to a desired temperature then cooling it quickly. Its typically done with calibers that are hard to find brass for or for forming cases from one caliber to another. Again with rifle brass, it is all about inspection. Some brands will tell you when they are done as the primer pockets become too loose to retain the primer. Case mouths tend to split, cases get dented, extractors damage rims, corrosion, creases, and deep scratches are all reasons to send cases to the scrap bucket. A problem I've found with some calibers is the case head is not always square to the casing. Stand the case on a level table and the case should stand straight. With 5.56 brass I've found this is not always the case. I've found some that lean to one side. I've reloaded some of these and found they do not always chamber properly so I discard them when I find them.

Aluminum and steel cases are never reloaded.

Berdan primed brass is almost never reloaded. You can identify berdan primers by looking inside the case at the bottom. There will be two small primer holes that are the tip off of a berdan primer. Reloadable brass with boxer primers have one single hole in the center of the case.

 

[Underwhere]

By the way it is not a "clip", it is a magazine.

You don't need to worry about "printing" but rather that the general public see's you as a "gunman" and calls the police.

My gun moves my clothing all the time and prints in particular ways but as long as no one notices or recognizes that it's a gun then it doesn't matter.

 

[MisterHappy]

If you've not applied for your LTC, have you taken a course yet? A competent course should answer most of the questions at the top (at Southborough Rod & Gun our instructor on the laws is a Club member, and a local Police Officer...can't get much closer to the right answer than that!)

As for reloading, I'd sugggest that you find a reloading clininc here on NES, or just an experienced reloader who's willing to share.... There are hard-and-fast rules (e.g., Don't mix powders) and some are what you'd call...guidelines. After a while, you'll be able to tell the difference.

 

[Kevlar]

In one of the many youtube videos I viewed a poster stated that it was unlawful in his state to have his concealed firearm "print". Is that true in Massachusetts?

Not illegal per se, but unwise for the reasons TWtommers mentioned.

So if I'm purchasing a new handgun I have to get the model that comes with a ten round clip? And the only way I can have a larger capacity is to have a firearm/mag that was pre ban?

Yes, a new large capacity firearm* purchased in MA will come with a non-large capacity (10 round) magazine.

Any large capacity magazines must have been manufactured on or prior to 9/13/94.

(*A large capacity firearm is any firearm shipped from the manufacturer, to any state, with a magazine capacity in excess of 10 rounds.)

AFAIK, there is no law on the books in MA that prohibits flashing/brandishing/printing your concealed firearm

There is no law prohibiting "printing", but "flashing/brandishing" would most likely result in an assault charge.

An LTC-B will allow you to possess long guns and handguns that are not high capacity.

A LTC-B allows the purchase and possession of both large capacity and non-large capacity long guns (and magazines therefor), and non-large capacity hand guns (and magazines therefor).

 

[TWtommers]

Not illegal per se, but unwise for the reasons TWtommers mentioned.

A LTC-B allows the purchase and possession of both large capacity and non-large capacity long guns (and magazines therefor), and non-large capacity hand guns (and magazines therefor).

Crap, you're right of course. Sorry for the confusion.