Considering getting into Reloading
- Thread starter Depick
- Start date
Might be worth a try...don't let one bad experience dissuade you from the hobby, or the brand...I started with Lee, and have easily fifty sets of Lee Dies, and that many more of all the other brands...only complaints about any stem from my own ignorance or stupidity.
Depick
.308 Win
Too stubborn to quit. I will say it was pretty cool to see those 10 rounds come together. I figured there would be some waste and a bit of trial and error but I will get things dialed in.
Acer-m14
20×102mm Vulcan
in that video of the round he made with no prime and powder ..
is now a short cut to setting up the seating die if needed again ..
put the round in the shell holder ..
rise the ram and adjust till it hits the bullet head ..
saves a lot of time
is now a short cut to setting up the seating die if needed again ..
put the round in the shell holder ..
rise the ram and adjust till it hits the bullet head ..
saves a lot of time
Milt Farrow
22lr
Been loading mostly pistol and some rifle since 1981. There's a LOT of great advice here in these responses. For what it's worth, I have accumulated numerous used Lyman and Redding powder measures. They are a slight pain to adjust and dial in the exact charge you require BUT once they are adjusted for your load, they're reliable with most powders I use. I hate adjusting a measure each time I reload a different cartridge, but this way, I hardly ever have to adjust a measure. Maybe it's just me, but I like those older Lyman measures and the green Redding measures, I haunt eBay, Gunbroker, and gun shows till I find what I want at the price I want. And they don't require batteries.
Depick
.308 Win
Not yet. It’s on my list.
Depick
.308 Win
Well I had 7 of 10 rounds that would chamber in my 92 so I went and shot them. It was a little nerve racking but extremely satisfying. They felt a little light in the beretta but I had no cycling issues whatsoever. The brass looked fine afterwards, no bulging or cracks. Primers looked like they were still appropriately seated. I’ll post some pics of the brass when I get home. I got 6 out of 7 rounds on target. My hands were a little shaky.
Depick
.308 Win
All the brass had this scratch on them. Possibly something from the pistol? I’m going to make up some more rounds tomorrow and I’ll see if any of those have these scratches.
True, you can't fault the mechanical scales; the basic design has been around for centuries and is utterly reliable, but also requires calibration, and time to use that's why I use a powder throw checked with a digital scale.... I have two electronic powder dispenser/scales but haven't used either.Been loading mostly pistol and some rifle since 1981. There's a LOT of great advice here in these responses. For what it's worth, I have accumulated numerous used Lyman and Redding powder measures. They are a slight pain to adjust and dial in the exact charge you require BUT once they are adjusted for your load, they're reliable with most powders I use. I hate adjusting a measure each time I reload a different cartridge, but this way, I hardly ever have to adjust a measure. Maybe it's just me, but I like those older Lyman measures and the green Redding measures, I haunt eBay, Gunbroker, and gun shows till I find what I want at the price I want. And they don't require batteries.
I realize that gains in accuracy are made and lost with sometimes as little as a half grain, but even for one of my Precision Rifles, I'm not that anal retentive to futz with 1/10th a grain when dumping a hundred grain charge UNLESS it's something I truly want the absolute best accuracy possible, and then the charge weight is but one small detail in the overall production... lots of little details...lots of them.
kev74
20×102mm Vulcan
Those cases all look fine.
If they didn't have the scratch before they went bang, it's the gun making them. I wouldn't worry about it.
This is the Lee carbide factory crimp die. It's got a little carbide sizer ring that resizes the finished cartridge while you're crimping it. It will fix your plunk- test fails. Well worth $20.
If they didn't have the scratch before they went bang, it's the gun making them. I wouldn't worry about it.
This is the Lee carbide factory crimp die. It's got a little carbide sizer ring that resizes the finished cartridge while you're crimping it. It will fix your plunk- test fails. Well worth $20.
long striations of Scratching can be attributed to magazine feed-lips. nothing to worry about.
Now not knowing whether the Brass you're loading is once fired from your Gun, the condition/chamber/headspace of said gun, and it's idiosyncrasy, as causality for bulges at the base which can cause chambering issues, trim length is also a factor, but not so much with 9mm unless it's been loaded super-hot and/or had multiple firings...
I used to have access to a lot Brass fired from Machineguns, and it was often a bastard to process back to minimal specs because the MG's wouldn't be head spaced properly let alone tight and the Brass would stretch.
Depick
.308 Win
I just purchased a set of Lee dies in 9mm for the next batch.
It's somewhat tedious to read, but the Lee Reloading Manual has a hell of a lot more in it than reloading data, and will answer questions you didn't know to ask.
Lee Modern Reloading 2nd Edition, Revised Reloading Manual
The Lee "Modern Reloading 2nd Edition, Revised" Reloading Manual contains everything you need to know about reloading in one manual. The...
ads.midwayusa.com
Depick
.308 Win
Well I switched to a set of Lee dies in 9mm and loaded up around 90 rounds today. I’m very happy with the results. All but 5 will drop right into the case gauge and all pass the plunk test in the G19 barrel.
What primer are you using?
What is your load?
May just be the picture but to me it looks like you have swelling around the firing pin.
Can you feel the primer after with your finger, after priming or are they just under the base of the case?
I don't know what the bolt face looks like on a Glock.
What is your load?
May just be the picture but to me it looks like you have swelling around the firing pin.
Can you feel the primer after with your finger, after priming or are they just under the base of the case?
I don't know what the bolt face looks like on a Glock.
Depick
.308 Win
I’m using CCI #500 small pistol primers. Those were loaded with 4.6 grains of Hodgdon HP-38. After priming the primers sat just under the base of the case. They were fired in a Beretta 92.
Beretta 92 isn't real fussy about what it eats, at least mine aren't.
Something I find with cartridge case gauges: Case rims get chewed up, pulled out of shape, and have burrs that will otherwise keep a cartridge from dropping right in, falling out. This doesn't mean the round won't work just fine.
Generally out of a hundred or so Rifle rounds, I'll have 10% that won't "gauge" because of this, or require a little bit of "snap" to fully gauge them...almost invariably they work just fine, but the gauge having very specific tolerances tell you something isn't 100% right. (semi/full autos are the worst about chewing rims)
Depick
.308 Win
I did a little bit of research and it seems that it is pretty common for ammo fired in a beretta to look like this because of the bolt face.
Acer-m14
20×102mm Vulcan
photos suck ...
if the lighting is off ..
you will never see the real issue
unless its a major issue ..
you need 360 degrees of photos .. up and down and sideways ..
one photo of a top down view is not going to help much . .
unless you see the bolt face imprinted on the brass ..
if the lighting is off ..
you will never see the real issue
unless its a major issue ..
you need 360 degrees of photos .. up and down and sideways ..
one photo of a top down view is not going to help much . .
unless you see the bolt face imprinted on the brass ..
I agree with people here in saying I do prefer the Lee dies compared to other companies.
@Depick Glad you are getting into the swing of things. I'd offer advice but I still consider myself a new reloader even after 3-4 years.
Best advice I can offer is get a nice powder dropper like the RBCS Chargemaster Supreme and bullet hammer if you don't already have one.
If you plan getting multiple presses I suggest looking into the universal mount stand by Inline Fabrications. It makes management of your various tools and presses much easier without taking up valuable bench space.
This mount stand allows me to reload on a bench I made that is no bigger than 40" in length. I have three different presses (Lee Loadmaster progressive press, Lee Classic cast, Lee Load-All II shotshell press) and also have my Lyman universal case trimmer on an adapter plate for the mount stand as well. I plan on buying another Lee Loadmaster so I can have one dedicated for rifle cartridges and pistol cartridges.
If you have the space, I'd suggest the Franklin Arsenal Pile driver bullet puller instead of the hammers. It's much faster and easier to deal with than hitting the hammer over and over.
Dan from Inline Fabrications was working on making a mount for the Pile driver. I'm not sure how the R&D is coming along.
@Depick Glad you are getting into the swing of things. I'd offer advice but I still consider myself a new reloader even after 3-4 years.
Best advice I can offer is get a nice powder dropper like the RBCS Chargemaster Supreme and bullet hammer if you don't already have one.
If you plan getting multiple presses I suggest looking into the universal mount stand by Inline Fabrications. It makes management of your various tools and presses much easier without taking up valuable bench space.
This mount stand allows me to reload on a bench I made that is no bigger than 40" in length. I have three different presses (Lee Loadmaster progressive press, Lee Classic cast, Lee Load-All II shotshell press) and also have my Lyman universal case trimmer on an adapter plate for the mount stand as well. I plan on buying another Lee Loadmaster so I can have one dedicated for rifle cartridges and pistol cartridges.
If you have the space, I'd suggest the Franklin Arsenal Pile driver bullet puller instead of the hammers. It's much faster and easier to deal with than hitting the hammer over and over.
Dan from Inline Fabrications was working on making a mount for the Pile driver. I'm not sure how the R&D is coming along.
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Depick
.308 Win
I appreciate the advice! I have been looking at a few things to disassemble cartridges. I like the concept of what you suggested seems much more controlled than the typical bullet hammer.
gun_slinger_boy
.338 Win Mag
@Depick glad things are going well.
@RooftopKorean the load master has been discontinued. I couldn't believe it. If you really want another one I would jump on it immediately. They are still out there but for how long who knows. After that it's just parts and service.
@RooftopKorean the load master has been discontinued. I couldn't believe it. If you really want another one I would jump on it immediately. They are still out there but for how long who knows. After that it's just parts and service.
I hadn't heard about the "Pile Driver" from Franklin...
Since my reloading bench top is 3/4" Plywood, what I have done for ALL of my Presses is get a proper sized piece of 5/8" steel plate: Drill it where I can lag-screw it through the top and into the bench frame (allowing for extending away from the Bench for Ram clearance) then drilling & tapping for bolts to mount the Press to the plate, you can D&T multiple holes for different Presses, you can also make mounting holes for things like Powder Despenser stands. Metal Supply House, Fabrication Shops, Welding Shops, etc. will often have remnants of mild steel plate that they'll either give you or sell cheap, a new Drill bit and a little oil on a Drill Press will make short work of the drilling, Taps are cheap enough at the Hardware Store as are the Bolts...You won't be sorry and won't have to spend $75 on one of the fancy factory plates, and you won't tear the Press off the Table with a stubborn case.
Acer-m14
20×102mm Vulcan
this is the best image i can post since i do not have my 3d cad program on this new pc yet ..
just remove the spacer's between the 2x4's on the sitting bench ..
that is what is under my reloading bench .. all screwed together from the wall out ..
it was all scrap wood i got .. full 8 foot 2x4's from a construction site .. Score
and some 1/4 inch Lauan on the top for a nice look
i think the bench the old grinder is on is built the same with a bunch of 2x4 on edge
just remove the spacer's between the 2x4's on the sitting bench ..
that is what is under my reloading bench .. all screwed together from the wall out ..
it was all scrap wood i got .. full 8 foot 2x4's from a construction site .. Score
and some 1/4 inch Lauan on the top for a nice look
i think the bench the old grinder is on is built the same with a bunch of 2x4 on edge
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Depick
.308 Win
Any suggestions on storage of components? I’ve been considering picking up a gun or ammo cabinet to store components when not in use.
Depick
.308 Win
Well I am thinking about upgrading to a progressive press. I saw a few that interested me on EBay. One was a Lee Loadmaster for $250 and a RCBS pro Chucker for about $500. Anyone have any experience with either of those.
Progressive presses are awesome for loading pistol rounds, but not necessarily great for rifle rounds due to the extensive case prep needed. That being said, I happen to know someone that has a tricked out Dillon setup he would like to sell. If you're interested, PM me. I know you live close by.
I have an RCBS Ammomaster progressive press. It's 30-ish years old now. It has served well, and loaded tens of thousands of rounds. Very few things have ever broken on it, and all but one plastic tube was replaced by RCBS. The tube is no longer available, so I had to make my own.
Hochulsucks1234
.44 mag
I agree, progressive presses make reloading pistol rounds quick and easy. I don't like using the powder dropper with pistol dies though. I slow the process down slightly by throwing a charge with my Matchmaster, then filling the case. I found a funnel with a long neck works well for not needing to remove the case from the plate. If I did use the powder dropper I would add a Powder Cop to the press rotation. I just dont trust powder droppers when dealing with pistol rounds. So easy to over charge.