What did you do at your reloading bench today?

trickg · Mar 3, 2021

lazarus said:
Yeah I’ve been having issues getting coated lead sized right for my Colt OP. Chambers are tight. Finally got a Lee FCD and it was like a F-ing revelation. About 3 minutes messing with it to get the crimp just right and every single round just plunks in the chambers. No having to push them in.

I originally bought Lee dies because they were cheap - a carbide 4 die set was below anything from RCBS, my Dad's preferred brand of dies. When I got my Dillon I ordered it with a set of Dillon 45 ACP dies. From day 1, I had feed issues using the Dillon. I pulled my Dillon dies from the tool head, Cleaned up and installed my older Lee dies, ran my reloads through the Factory Crimp Die, and the problems magically vanished.

So yeah - I've got a set of Dillon 45 ACP Dies I'd probably be willing to part with.

I know there are a lot of naysayers when it comes to Lee reloading equipment, but I'm sold on their pistols dies.

John from MD said:
Imagine, Francis Marion only had a mold and a camp fire to make bullets with.

Not to mention little cast lead soldiers that belonged to his dead son.

Archeryrob · Mar 3, 2021

I was being a damn knuckle head the other day. I had made up over a 100 paper rolls for paper cartridges. It is BP so i was using the tried and true Pendersoli flask to pour the charges. I did about 15 and looked across my work bench and saw the Lee Perfect powder measure siting there empty and thought "am I stupid" and Dumped American Pioneer Powder in it and screwed out the measurer and adjusted until i got 21 grains on the scale. Little open ended cones slide right on the end. Flip flip and 5 minutes all were filled.

Might be old school cartridges, but new school tool still make it easier.

how did Francis measure his powder?

lazarus · Mar 3, 2021

GuitarmanNick said:
Converting some 9mm cases to Makarov and prepping some brass from Sunday's trip to Cindy's.

Finally did a spreadsheet last week to track all of my ammo and supplies so, I will probably spend some time entering data this evening. This is something that I have been meaning to do for years, and finally got it done. A few odds and ends to count up and enter, and it will be up to date.

Now I just have to develop the discipline to maintain it!

Your that person that I worry about.

PS as in collecting a bunch of “9x19” brass and going to reload it only to find out it is cut down And resized for a Makarov. At least it shouldn’t result in boom. Or I should say it should be pretty obvious something is badly wrong with the cut down and resized brass.

Melnic · Mar 3, 2021

as mentioned earlier, if you cut down 9x19 to mak, take a sharpie to the base after you drop them into a 50 count box. Wide sharpie works well.
Easy to identify on the ground and tips off another reloader that may pick it up if you leave a few.
When flairing 9x19 and you get a mak brass in the mix by accident, it will feel and look different.

John from MD · Mar 3, 2021

Melnic said:
as mentioned earlier, if you cut down 9x19 to mak, take a sharpie to the base after you drop them into a 50 count box. Wide sharpie works well.
Easy to identify on the ground and tips off another reloader that may pick it up if you leave a few.
When flairing 9x19 and you get a mak brass in the mix by accident, it will feel and look different.

When I brought mine back in '73, I made brass for it since no one sold ammo for it. However, I didn't worry about somebody picking it up to load a 9x19 since NOBODY RELOADED 9x19 back then.

Melnic · Mar 3, 2021

John from MD said:
When I brought mine back in '73, I made brass for it since no one sold ammo for it. However, I didn't worry about somebody picking it up to load a 9x19 since NOBODY RELOADED 9x19 back then.

I bet they would have been mad when finding it inside their 45 cases in the tumbling bin.

Are you going now tell us how Enfields were $18 and sold in barrels at the hardware store

John from MD · Mar 3, 2021

Melnic said:
I bet they would have been mad when finding it inside their 45 cases in the tumbling bin.

Are you going now tell us how Enfields were $18 and sold in barrels at the hardware store

No, I probably already told that one. :lol:

lazarus · Mar 3, 2021

Melnic said:
I bet they would have been mad when finding it inside their 45 cases in the tumbling bin.

Are you going now tell us how Enfields were $18 and sold in barrels at the hardware store

Stop already.

The shops sold them as buy one get one SS K98 free. Come on, you know this one. :-D

GuitarmanNick · Mar 4, 2021

lazarus said:
Your that person that I worry about.

PS as in collecting a bunch of “9x19” brass and going to reload it only to find out it is cut down And resized for a Makarov. At least it shouldn’t result in boom. Or I should say it should be pretty obvious something is badly wrong with the cut down and resized brass.

Cases that I modify are marked with a Sharpie to make them easier to retrieve for me, and identify them to others as not normal. This has been mentioned by others in the thread, and an accepted practice among those that make their own Makarov cases from 9x19mm.

I also use a brass catcher which limits the lost cases, so not much of a problem for others. Still, I usually lose about 5% of the cases on each outing.

If you reload, taking time to inspect components should be part of your process. This is especially true if picking up range brass.

lazarus · Mar 4, 2021

GuitarmanNick said:
Cases that I modify are marked with a Sharpie to make them easier to retrieve for me, and identify them to others as not normal. This has been mentioned by others in the thread, and an accepted practice among those that make their own Makarov cases from 9x19mm.

I also use a brass catcher which limits the lost cases, so not much of a problem for others. Still, I usually lose about 5% of the cases on each outing.

If you reload, taking time to inspect components should be part of your process. This is especially true if picking up range brass.

Sorry I wasn’t trying to tag on you. More of an attempt and being funny.

The oddest one I’ve found was some “.308” cases in the brass bucket at the range. On closer inspection, the head stamp has been filed mostly off, they were berdan primed and as near as I can tell they were originally .30-06 brass.

So it very much looks like someone all the trouble of cutting down and resizing .30-06 brass WHILE PRIMED to get .308 primed brass to shoot.

Either that or it was a company that did it to convert and can handle berdan priming.

I guess it could have been a regular reloaded who is setup to handle berdan priming. Either way, crazy amount of work to get .308 brass.

danimalw · Mar 5, 2021

Loaded some 41 mag with 210gr noslers and 210gr hornadys.

lkenefic · Mar 6, 2021

...getting set to take down and box everything up for an impending move... new house! New to me anyway... ;-)

guzma393 · Mar 6, 2021

lazarus said:
Sorry I wasn’t trying to tag on you. More of an attempt and being funny.

The oddest one I’ve found was some “.308” cases in the brass bucket at the range. On closer inspection, the head stamp has been filed mostly off, they were berdan primed and as near as I can tell they were originally .30-06 brass.

So it very much looks like someone all the trouble of cutting down and resizing .30-06 brass WHILE PRIMED to get .308 primed brass to shoot.

Either that or it was a company that did it to convert and can handle berdan priming.

I guess it could have been a regular reloaded who is setup to handle berdan priming. Either way, crazy amount of work to get .308 brass.

This is why I started putting brass in ammo trays primer pocket side up after decapping and tumbling.

I've found modified cases with enlarged flash holes, cases trimmed too short, and other random anomalies that would otherwise be overlooked.

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JMV · Mar 6, 2021

Loaded about 250 300 BLK on the Hornady AP

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lazarus · Mar 6, 2021

Setup my lee Classic turret press I just got and played with all the thing. Lee auto-drum also. Found out you really need to use the lee powder through expanders, at least for shorter pistol cartridges. I was thinking the short powder die would work. Not, .86” shortest cartridge length. No issue with my Hornady 38spc dies. 9mm is going to be no go.

Fortunately those are the only two die sets I have that are Hornady. Rest are lee.

I did manage to track down a lee 9mm powder through expander. It’ll take a week or two to get. Wasn’t planning to load 9mm on the press for awhile, so no issues so long as the die shows. I also ordered a 38spc powder through expander because why not?

(All my rifle dies are Hornady). I also got the auto-primer for the press.

Anyway, once I figured that out and used my 9mm MAK powder through expander I got the auto drum dialed in. Fairly impressed with it. I measured the first 10 and last 2 drops. Set to 3.5gr of BE. Drop #6 was 3.4gr. Everything else was 3.5.

And most were barely 3.5gr.

Ran up 38 rounds of MBC 93gr coated LRN.

Really nice. Went slow of course with all this, but I was getting a decent rhythm by the end. I am really liking it.

85MikeTPI · Mar 6, 2021

Setup my Lee APP. Decapping and sizing 357sig brass initially. Some trial runs showed about 250 rounds in 15min, but the factory handle needs replaced with the roller handle coming this week before doing any more large scale. Have 15K 357sig brass to process and prime. Once I can get a swage kit, I'll switch over to 223 and start processing the 100K I have accumulated. First warm days of Spring I like to setup my 300bo conversion saw & jig, so I have a few weeks to get ready.

Leper Messiah · Mar 6, 2021

Loaded up 150 500gr 50 beowulf for squirrel season this year.

BUFF7MM · Mar 6, 2021

Trying to figure out my 20 gauge loads, 20 rounds with a MEC 22 bushing with 800-X powder is dropping anywhere from 15.7 to 17 grains. Load data calling for 16 grains, so I scratch my head and burn up brain cells.

guzma393 · Mar 6, 2021

Made some 9mm 125 grain casts. Filled up an empty Xtreme box to the brim with them

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85MikeTPI · Mar 6, 2021

Leper Messiah said:
Loaded up 150 500gr 50 beowulf for squirrel season this year.

poor squirrels.. :lol2:

What did you do at your reloading bench today?

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