What did you do at your reloading bench today?

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  • erwos

    The Hebrew Hammer
    MDS Supporter
    Mar 25, 2009
    13,866
    Rockville, MD
    Finished off my 9mm bullets this afternoon. Would say I've got about 1600 rounds in reserve now, which should get me through January and February depending on how many matches I do.

    Did the 357 Magnum conversion to the 650. Anyone who bitches that this is "hard" needs to get their head checked. It requires like one tool and takes maybe 20 minutes. I assume a primer system swap would have been more time-consuming, but you can also short-circuit that by flat-out replacing the entire assembly. Got through setting the sizing die, the powder die, and the bullet feeder die before running out of time. Will deal with the powder measure, seating die, and crimp die some other day. On the positive side, the 650's shell plate seems to do a way better job of lining up the brass with the die, so it's pretty smooth in operation.

    I THINK I am going to start using some Fed SPMPs for these. Not because of the magnum thing, but because they're supposedly just as soft as normal federal SPPs.
     

    HonestFool03

    Active Member
    Feb 24, 2009
    786
    The only thing harder than loading your first ten rounds is shooting your first ten rounds. You're terrified you're gonna asplode your gun (you're not). Then you load and shoot your first thousand, and you'll send damn near anything down your gun. "Won't explode... probably. Pretty sure there's no squibs." :)



    Anyways, I loaded up my first batch of 357 Mag the other night. Powderpuff target loads using 5.7gr Unique. First time loading for a revolver, and I have to admit that it's more different than loading 9mm than I thought. Those huge cases needed to be guided into the sizing die since there's no cartridge taper to guide them in, and they're pretty tight to boot. Plus, unlike my 9mm, crimp is something I've really got to pay attention to.
    Well, I got some time to finish up my ladders. Going to shoot em today. If I blow up you won't hear from me again.

    Sent from my SM-G988U using Tapatalk
     

    dbledoc

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Apr 8, 2013
    1,526
    Howard County
    I bought 2K of reloaded rounds of 40 from a member here who said they were not safe to shoot so I could pull the bullets and reuse the components for plinking ammo.
    I have finished pulling around 1200 of them. I am glad he decided not to shoot them.
    1) some are over crimped and almost impossible to pull without a lot of effort
    2) some the bullets came out without any effort at all
    3) some had no powder in them, others were overcharged.

    This is a PSA for everyone- take the time especially on a progressive press to check your powder dispenser for consistency.
    Even for handgun cartridges if you are going to crimp either trim them all to a uniform length or sort by length and adjust your crimp die so as to avoid over crimping.
     

    trickg

    Guns 'n Drums
    MDS Supporter
    Jul 22, 2008
    14,598
    Glen Burnie
    This isn't exactly "reloading" but it goes into the whole kit-and-kaboodle of guns. I got a Tipton Ultra Gun Vise for Christmas.

    I also had this rolling tool/work cart that had been given to me by a friend. I hadn't used it yet because it was taller than I thought it was going to be, and so it had just been sitting there in my workshop with this smallish piece of plywood bolted to it.

    I'm also that neighbor who when he sees something put out by the curb for the trash man that I think I can make use of, I grab it, and such was the case for several pieces of 1" thick MDF I had snagged when a neighbor was throwing out an old desk, so when I got the gun vise, a light bulb went off for a way to marry them all together, and this is what I came up with. The wheels on the work cart lock, so it allows me to leave the vise set up and rolled out of the way, but I can roll it to the middle of the shop for when I want to use it.

    I basically cut some recesses into the top to hold the feet with a 2" Forstner bit so that it won't slid off the top. Smaller holes would have been better, but it was either 1.5" or 2", and the rubber feet on the vise are exactly 1.5". It will move a bit, but it won't slide off.

    I like the integral AR magwell mount, and this is my budget-build AR in 556 built on a blem Delton HBAR 16" mid-length rifle kit I got a couple of years back for a stupidly low price. It's sporting the Midwest Industries hand guards I also got for Christmas. (The missus is a keeper) I'd like to get some rubber covers for those - the Knights Armament covers seem to be pretty available and fairly inexpensive on ebay.

    I have some time off this week, so hope to get some time pulling the handle too - I'll post about that when I do.
     

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    John from MD

    American Patriot
    MDS Supporter
    May 12, 2005
    22,734
    Socialist State of Maryland
    This isn't exactly "reloading" but it goes into the whole kit-and-kaboodle of guns. I got a Tipton Ultra Gun Vise for Christmas.

    I also had this rolling tool/work cart that had been given to me by a friend. I hadn't used it yet because it was taller than I thought it was going to be, and so it had just been sitting there in my workshop with this smallish piece of plywood bolted to it.

    I'm also that neighbor who when he sees something put out by the curb for the trash man that I think I can make use of, I grab it, and such was the case for several pieces of 1" thick MDF I had snagged when a neighbor was throwing out an old desk, so when I got the gun vise, a light bulb went off for a way to marry them all together, and this is what I came up with. The wheels on the work cart lock, so it allows me to leave the vise set up and rolled out of the way, but I can roll it to the middle of the shop for when I want to use it.

    I basically cut some recesses into the top to hold the feet with a 2" Forstner bit so that it won't slid off the top. Smaller holes would have been better, but it was either 1.5" or 2", and the rubber feet on the vise are exactly 1.5". It will move a bit, but it won't slide off.

    I like the integral AR magwell mount, and this is my budget-build AR in 556 built on a blem Delton HBAR 16" mid-length rifle kit I got a couple of years back for a stupidly low price. It's sporting the Midwest Industries hand guards I also got for Christmas. (The missus is a keeper) I'd like to get some rubber covers for those - the Knights Armament covers seem to be pretty available and fairly inexpensive on ebay.

    I have some time off this week, so hope to get some time pulling the handle too - I'll post about that when I do.

    Nice job! I too raid the trash if I think there is something worth saving. It's my way of recycling. :D
     

    bigmancrisler

    2A Preacher
    Jun 4, 2020
    1,263
    Martinsburg, WV
    Last night I cleaned up the reloading room a bit and I tried slugging the bore of my Styer M95 as I am gathering everything to start casting. I learned the hard way not to use wooden dowel rods for tapping the slug as I had one split on me and jammed the slug up real bad. Finally got it unstuck but safe to say I’m not using wood dowel rods anymore.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     

    John from MD

    American Patriot
    MDS Supporter
    May 12, 2005
    22,734
    Socialist State of Maryland
    Last night I cleaned up the reloading room a bit and I tried slugging the bore of my Styer M95 as I am gathering everything to start casting. I learned the hard way not to use wooden dowel rods for tapping the slug as I had one split on me and jammed the slug up real bad. Finally got it unstuck but safe to say I’m not using wood dowel rods anymore.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

    You do know a Steyr M95 bullet needs to be about .330 right? Maybe more depending on if it was used a lot on not.
     

    steves1911

    Ultimate Member
    Dec 2, 2011
    3,026
    On a hill in Wv
    Loaded up some ladder tests with Ramshot magnum in 300 win mag with 220gr eldx and in 257 wby with 100gr ttsx. Never used this powder before so should be interesting compared to rl26 and h1000.
     

    KRC

    Active Member
    Sep 30, 2018
    615
    Cecil County MD
    Very cool - I was unaware of this machine.

    I'd be VERY interested in a real world test that measures output using a different scale (i.e. lab grade balance). Videos - at lest the ones I watched - seem to say thrown charges are "all within spec", but are not tested independently.

    I currently have a Chargemaster with the programming modified to run SLOWER than stock, with the dispensing tube modified (restricted) on both ends. Individual thrown charges are collected in glass vials and checked/adjusted using a laboratory grade scale. This process is VERY accurate (to the granule), but VERY time consuming (I read books on my tablet while throwing charges). The Autotrickler V4 device, while expensive, MIGHT be both accurate and fast??? - PostXmas gift to self? - But, it's all about the scale . . .

    The A&D FX-120i scale manual indicates there is a "zero tracking" feature and setting on this scale. If this is not set in the OFF setting, I would think that scale drift might be an issue, and if on one of the ON settings, scale drift would be masked by the software. I returned no fewer than three expensive Chinese scales that had "zero tracking" software that just hid an unacceptable level of drift. I am skeptical that this scale can be both fast and accurate to the +/- granule at the speeds shown, but would be a potential buyer if this really works, and is robust as a machine.
     

    Speed3

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 19, 2011
    7,816
    MD
    I went from 2 chargemasters to one of the auto trickier V3s. Its very accurate, and repeatable. The only issue I have is manually changing powder charges is an art. In theory you want the large drop to be around 1 gr short of desired weight and let it trickle up. It takes a few tries to get it right.

    Once set properly, throw a charge in 7-8 seconds that is within. 04 grains.
     

    Speed3

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 19, 2011
    7,816
    MD
    I went from 2 chargemasters to one of the auto trickier V3s. Its very accurate, and repeatable. The only issue I have is manually changing powder charges is an art. In theory you want the large drop to be around 1 gr short of desired weight and let it trickle up. It takes a few tries to get it right.

    Once set properly, throw a charge in 7-8 seconds that is within. 04 grains.
     

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