What did you do at your reloading bench today?

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  • GuitarmanNick

    Ultimate Member
    Jan 9, 2017
    2,221
    Laurel
    Did my first Berdan to Boxer conversions last night. Only did 10 so I can test them before doing more of my comblock rifle brass. Started with 7.62x54R which seemed to be the easiest.

    Looks like converting 7.62x25 pistol brass is going to require me to pick up a couple of things. Getting the primer pockets right can be done a couple of different ways.

    Used the conversion kit from 22Reloader.com and the large rings. They required more force to install than in their video, but are tight enough to ream after removing the anvils with a .204" drill bit(an end mill would be better). Finished with a primer pocket unifier.

    Primers installed and seated nicely.

    Honestly, it is more of a chore to get them right, than I had hoped. Still, I wanted the ability to do this if conditions warrant so,... down the rabbit hole I went.

    The good thing, is that it only needs to be done once. After that, reloading is the same as any Boxer primed brass.

    Today, I will load the converted cases with my favorite recipe and bullet in hopes of getting the M-44 to the range, soon.
     

    lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,678
    Started trying to process my 223/5.56 in bulk. Setup my Lee App and just had issues galore. Maybe someone can help on this. I kept ripping cases out of the shell holder. I am using hornady one shot lube and I am fairly sure I am lubricating the hell out of the cases. Waiting at least a minute, if not longer, then dropping them in to my case feeder and going to town. I improved over time on the feel, but still I am managing to get one stuck in the resizing die about every 30-40 cases. Which means I then have to take the depriming rod cap off, hammer out the case with my 16oz hammer, stick a regular shell holder in, thread the depriming rod cap back on to the rod and cinch down and than yank the case back out of the die. At least I am able to do that. Happened at least a dozen times to the point the decapping rod was starting to mushroom slightly and hard to get in to cap/collet for it. A minute with a flat file trimmed it and it is running better there.

    But not very effective if I have to stop every 30 or so cases to spend 5 minutes getting the case unstuck. I can process at least 10 cases a minute on a single stage or my lee classic turret through a resizing die and none of those issues getting cases stuck in the die. Sometimes when I notice the case might get stuck, I stop, lube up the case some more, wait till it dries and try again and it runs okay. Of course some cases that seem like they might get stuck, don't and some that seem like they might run fine, get stuck.

    I am thinking I'll try decapping all of the cases first, then try resizing. I think some of it are primers that are stuck in there really well is making some feel like they'll get stuck, but don't. Which throws off the feel. If all I have to worry about is feeling the resizing force I am hoping that helps.

    Any thoughts? Anyone resize a crap load of 223/5.56 on a Lee App with any help or suggestions? I've got at least 1000 cases to go and when it DOES work right, I can process cases at least 2x faster on the App (taking in to account the time it takes to load up a reloading block and spray all of the cases. If I could skip that and just pour in cases and work the handle like I can with most pistol cases, I could easily resize like 4x faster on the App).

    I managed to get through about 250 cases before I gave up and remounted my lee classic turret and went to town on a couple reloading blocks (50) worth of brass. All resized just fine. No needing to relube certain cases. Just needed to remind myself what it is like when everything works fine.

    If it helps any, I am running the x4 express shell holder on the Lee App, which is what they recommend for 223/5.56, hornady one shot lube. Following the directions on the can (each reloading block and all of the cases gets one pass, rotate 90 degrees and repeat till all sides have gotten a hit, holding the can at a 45 degree angle. Cases are sitting in the shallowest holder in the block, MTM reloading blocks, Lee 223 resizing die. In my Lee classic turret, I have a Hornady resizing die).
     

    Pinecone

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 4, 2013
    28,175
    I am not a fan of One Shot. Too many reports of stuck cases. I have heard that you need to let it fully dry.

    I use Dillon lube. Which is lanolin and alcohol. You can make it yourself. Using this, I have never had a stuck case.

    Also, the APP shell holder doesn't support much of the rim.

    Personally, I would not use an APP as a press. I use mine for what it was designed for, depriming and swaging.
     

    Harrys

    Short Round
    Jul 12, 2014
    3,362
    SOMD
    I use my own home made brew. Wire cable lubricant (yellow or clear, both work) and 90% iso alcohol. Mix until thin enough to spray. I ran tests with it to see if it affects powder, it doesn't.

    One shot has worked fine for me, if bottleneck cases are being resized you also have to lube the interior too for obvious reasons. I wear rubber gloves spray the cases liberally in a stoffers mac & cheese tray rub to ensure fully coated and then resize. Wire lube also works too when diluted with alcohol.
     

    Kirkster

    Active Member
    Jan 9, 2009
    329
    Severn, PRoMD
    Started my first ladder test for 9mm Major….

    7.5 grains to 8.2 grains pushing a delta precision 115 grain pellet…

    Will see how it goes to get me to 170PF…
     

    midnightSGT

    Active Member
    Oct 17, 2013
    756
    Calvert County
    I loaded up 35 rounds of .308 Remington for my sons rifle. (5 sighters @ 43.5 grains

    165 Grain Nosler partitions.

    5 rounds each from 43.5 grains to 46 grains of Varget @ .5 grain intervals.
     

    erwos

    The Hebrew Hammer
    MDS Supporter
    Mar 25, 2009
    13,866
    Rockville, MD
    Another downvote here for One-Shot, I had a couple stuck cases early on with it. Dillon lube has literally never failed me, and I've loaded probably 10x the volume with it.

    My primer pocket gauges finally came in, so I took the opportunity to tune the swager on my Evo this morning. Perfection! A little tweaking, and I got a perfect primer pocket that smoothly passes the GO part of the gauge, and fails the NOGO. Hoping this puts an end to the priming issues I was having. It was previously very tight on the GO and wouldn't let it all in, which I suspect was the problem. Strongly recommend these gauges for anyone who's doing swaging or reaming, they're totally worth it for the cheap price. Much better than trying to cut cases in half and eyeballing it.
     

    trickg

    Guns 'n Drums
    MDS Supporter
    Jul 22, 2008
    14,598
    Glen Burnie
    Question: When we're talking about stuck cases, we're specifically referring to rifle cases, right? I have never had a pistol case stuck, ever. Then again, I use carbide pistol dies. I didn't used to use any lubrication for pistol reloading, but I've found that Hornady One Shot just makes everything run really slick on my Dillon 550.
     

    erwos

    The Hebrew Hammer
    MDS Supporter
    Mar 25, 2009
    13,866
    Rockville, MD
    Question: When we're talking about stuck cases, we're specifically referring to rifle cases, right? I have never had a pistol case stuck, ever. Then again, I use carbide pistol dies. I didn't used to use any lubrication for pistol reloading, but I've found that Hornady One Shot just makes everything run really slick on my Dillon 550.
    Correct. I've never had a pistol case get stuck in carbide dies.

    I do use lube on my pistol cases with my 650 because the Dillon expander powder funnel tends to get "sticky" on them if I don't. (This is another reason I'm moving towards the Evo for loading 9mm, because I can use an M-die and not have to deal with an expander funnel.)
     

    John from MD

    American Patriot
    MDS Supporter
    May 12, 2005
    22,734
    Socialist State of Maryland
    Correct. I've never had a pistol case get stuck in carbide dies.

    I do use lube on my pistol cases with my 650 because the Dillon expander powder funnel tends to get "sticky" on them if I don't. (This is another reason I'm moving towards the Evo for loading 9mm, because I can use an M-die and not have to deal with an expander funnel.)

    There are two companies that make M die funnels for the Dillon press. They aren't cheap but what is these days.
     

    erwos

    The Hebrew Hammer
    MDS Supporter
    Mar 25, 2009
    13,866
    Rockville, MD
    There are two companies that make M die funnels for the Dillon press. They aren't cheap but what is these days.
    Fascinating. I'll have to explore that more when I convert over to 45 ACP. I'm using the DAA powder funnel for 9mm, which is an improvement to be sure.
     

    Rockzilla

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 6, 2010
    4,516
    55.751244 / 37.618423
    Question: When we're talking about stuck cases, we're specifically referring to rifle cases, right? I have never had a pistol case stuck, ever. Then again, I use carbide pistol dies. I didn't used to use any lubrication for pistol reloading, but I've found that Hornady One Shot just makes everything run really slick on my Dillon 550.

    Some of us have old "Steel Dies"..44Mag, 357 Mag, laying around:innocent0:innocent0:innocent0....only one case stuck here, 375 H&H Long
    ago..

    -Rock
     

    Kirkster

    Active Member
    Jan 9, 2009
    329
    Severn, PRoMD
    Ok, I can see why people like shooting Open compensated guns at Major power factors now. Time to crank out 200 rounds at 7.8 grains of powder to keep it under the AGC falling steel rules of 1500FPS…

    Damn that was fun…
     

    lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,678
    Another downvote here for One-Shot, I had a couple stuck cases early on with it. Dillon lube has literally never failed me, and I've loaded probably 10x the volume with it.

    My primer pocket gauges finally came in, so I took the opportunity to tune the swager on my Evo this morning. Perfection! A little tweaking, and I got a perfect primer pocket that smoothly passes the GO part of the gauge, and fails the NOGO. Hoping this puts an end to the priming issues I was having. It was previously very tight on the GO and wouldn't let it all in, which I suspect was the problem. Strongly recommend these gauges for anyone who's doing swaging or reaming, they're totally worth it for the cheap price. Much better than trying to cut cases in half and eyeballing it.

    Thanks. So far it hasn't failed me with traditional shell holders. Just on the App.

    That said, I finally got around to ordering isopropyl alcohol and lanolin to mix up my own. I've heard excellent things about using that as lube. Time (and not a lot) will tell. I tumbled the remainder of my 223/5.56 this afternoon and I'll start working on some of it this weekend. I got the remainder of my already tumbled brass resized this morning. So I am about 800 cases down, maybe 600 or so to go. I'll save off 100 or so to experiment both with decapping before resizing on the App as well as the new lube to see if it makes a difference.
     

    John from MD

    American Patriot
    MDS Supporter
    May 12, 2005
    22,734
    Socialist State of Maryland
    Thanks. So far it hasn't failed me with traditional shell holders. Just on the App.

    That said, I finally got around to ordering isopropyl alcohol and lanolin to mix up my own. I've heard excellent things about using that as lube. Time (and not a lot) will tell. I tumbled the remainder of my 223/5.56 this afternoon and I'll start working on some of it this weekend. I got the remainder of my already tumbled brass resized this morning. So I am about 800 cases down, maybe 600 or so to go. I'll save off 100 or so to experiment both with decapping before resizing on the App as well as the new lube to see if it makes a difference.

    I spray my brass in a large plastic Tupperware salad type bowl. I shake it up and then place it in front of a small fan which dries the alcohol really fast.
     

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