What did you do at your reloading bench today?

[Sticky]

Worked on some 308 brass prep. Sure is nice to be able to use a case feeder and a progressive for the mundane chores!

 

[steves1911]

Got a few hundred 308 loaded up with varget and 168 amax.

 

[trickg]

I've got a winter camping trip coming up where we basically go out to the woods on a piece of private property for a long weekend and shoot, so with that in mind I've started to make a list of guns I plan to take along with an inventory of my ammo - I want to be able to take enough so that I can shoot as much as I want without really running out of anything.

I'll probably have to pick up some bullets, but I have powder, primers, and a progressive press - it shouldn't take me long to bring everything up to speed.

 

[85MikeTPI]

I've got a winter camping trip coming up where we basically go out to the woods on a piece of private property for a long weekend and shoot, so with that in mind I've started to make a list of guns I plan to take along with an inventory of my ammo - I want to be able to take enough so that I can shoot as much as I want without really running out of anything.

I'll probably have to pick up some bullets, but I have powder, primers, and a progressive press - it shouldn't take me long to bring everything up to speed.

It’s a great time.. I do it every month at my PA property (here now actually).

- Look into AR500 targets if you don’t normally get to shoot them. Shooting steel is tons of fun

- Look into tannerite if you’re going to a free state.

- Homemade ballistic gel is fun if you have rounds to test expansions on..

Cans, pumpkins, clays, etc all add some fun and competitive shoots.

Take some large trash bags to bring home everything so you get invited back :thumbs:

 

[skooter525]

Getting ready to reload some 45 Colt, wondering how much of an effect Magnum primers will have on some subsonic loads?

 

[Harrys]

Getting ready to reload 9mm, new Kimber MICRO 9 RAPIDE SCORPIUS on the way. Ordered dies from Brownells, 1000 9MM+P cases from Starline, 1000 124 gr HP bullets from Berrys. and 1500 SPP from Diamond K Brass. Have some Blue Dot and HP-38 to start with.

 

[steves1911]

Putting the Rcbs hand primer through a workout.

 

[erwos]

Getting into the NV game, and converted my 300AAC SBR over to 2.26" sight height using a (knockoff) Unity riser. Then I realized I have no actual reliable 300AAC ammo to zero it (my current sub loads are a little too weaksauce for semi-auto usage, alas), and started making some progress towards fixing that.

Step 1: wet tumble and dry my bag of 300 brass. No pins, no problem. Shiny enough on the other side.

Step 2: get my 300AAC processing toolhead setup. OK, more exciting. It's been forever since I did any brass prep, and there were some delightful moments of getting brass stuck while I remembered that you really gotta run the brass wet when using a trim die. Power trim xpress was used as the trimmer, and since this was the first time I was using it, I had to do some tweaks. No big deal. The reality is that none of my brass needed trimming anyways (so far), and the one time the trimmer did touch one, it was well under the max trim length (but also over minimum). Everything gauged very nicely at the end, and the primer pocket gauge seemed to indicate I was good to go on the brass I tested. Once I get the vacuum connector I ordered off Amazon, I'll run off the rest and get them ready to load. I may also do a little experimentation to see whether the trimmer can deal with converting 223 to 300, which would really free up my 300AAC supply chain.

Also bought some brass off a dude on Discord, since I was out of 9mm brass (and questionable on 45 Auto, but that wasn't as pressing, really).

 

[ToolAA]

Getting into the NV game, and converted my 300AAC SBR over to 2.26" sight height using a (knockoff) Unity riser. Then I realized I have no actual reliable 300AAC ammo to zero it (my current sub loads are a little too weaksauce for semi-auto usage, alas), and started making some progress towards fixing that.

Step 1: wet tumble and dry my bag of 300 brass. No pins, no problem. Shiny enough on the other side.

Step 2: get my 300AAC processing toolhead setup. OK, more exciting. It's been forever since I did any brass prep, and there were some delightful moments of getting brass stuck while I remembered that you really gotta run the brass wet when using a trim die. Power trim xpress was used as the trimmer, and since this was the first time I was using it, I had to do some tweaks. No big deal. The reality is that none of my brass needed trimming anyways (so far), and the one time the trimmer did touch one, it was well under the max trim length (but also over minimum). Everything gauged very nicely at the end, and the primer pocket gauge seemed to indicate I was good to go on the brass I tested. Once I get the vacuum connector I ordered off Amazon, I'll run off the rest and get them ready to load. I may also do a little experimentation to see whether the trimmer can deal with converting 223 to 300, which would really free up my 300AAC supply chain.

Also bought some brass off a dude on Discord, since I was out of 9mm brass (and questionable on 45 Auto, but that wasn't as pressing, really).

My thumbs hurt just thinking about converting .223 to 300ACC.


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[erwos]

My thumbs hurt just thinking about converting .223 to 300ACC.

Mark7 Evo has a reasonable amount of compound leverage, I doubt it would be a huge deal. I have some bags of Winchester 223 brass I got when I bought some other stuff, so producing a little more 300 brass out of them would be high on my list.

 

[lazarus]

Getting ready to reload some 45 Colt, wondering how much of an effect Magnum primers will have on some subsonic loads?

Give it a try. Most of my experience is comparing regular and mag primers in rifle rounds. I've done a little in handgun rounds. I'd expect slightly higher velocities, maybe 5-15fps. Your accuracy and SD could be better or worse depending on what powder and what powder charge. Just the usual reminder, if you are close to max pressure, back off the powder charge for sure, as a mag primer WILL increase it.

In rifle rounds I found, for example, 6.5 Grendel and CFE 223 it seems to reduce SDs, but decrease accuracy. In 223, CFE 223 and mag primers seem to slightly increase SDs, but slightly increase accuracy. *shrug*.

 

[davsco]

yesterday and day before, loaded up some .223 69g. i splurged and am using new brass so about 49 steps have been removed...

 

[Raypa]

Sorting 223 brass by headstamp around 500pcs left.

 

[4g64loser]

Tumbling 6.5 sleazemoor/manbun. One of my coworkers pays me to do his brass prep because when he does it the extreme spreads are aweful.

I'll also be sorting out 45 brass (LP/SP) while the tumbler runs and chicken fat renders (making food to take to Christmas dinner with family).

 

[erwos]

Worked on step 3 over Friday, Sat night, and today: load some 300 AAC BLK. This batch is 125gr FMJ backed by Lil Gun

Good news is that things are working pretty well now. Bad news is that it took a complete tear-down of the press to do it. My first attempt at loading went fairly poorly - the usual problems with primers getting shredded, etc. At one point, things were so jammed up that I had to strip down the press to the priming system to clean things up. (I've had to do this once in a while with the 650s, so I don't take it personally, but it is annoying.)

While looking at the mess, I remembered that I had never actually installed the "priming fix kit" that Mark 7 had sent me once upon a time. Well, no problem... I swapped discs and the guide, and spent some extra time aligning things just right. I had a much better idea this time of what to look for due to a lot more hands-on experience with the disc priming system.

Well, wouldn't you know it, but it solved everything. Well, bad brass is still bad brass, but the loading process went immediately from "very unreliable" to "pretty smooth". Now I've got a couple hundred rounds of 300AAC BLK to enjoy, and they all gauged fine. I'm really hoping I see similar results when I get back to loading 223.

Next up: load up some more 45 for my 625, and not screw the OAL up this time.

 

[John from MD]

Just finished up powder coating about 1000 bullets for .380, 9x19, and .45 ACP. Will size them while watching Covert Affairs tonight.

 

[dbledoc]

Finished sizing, trimming, swaging 1500 pieces of 223 brass. All passed gages. Then hand primed them. I like the feel of priming that way.

Also started prepping 800 pieces of brass for Garand loads.

 

[Harrys]

Merry Christmas to me I received my not disapproved from MSP to pick up my Kimber micro Rapide Scorpius 9mm. So, I loaded up some 9mm with true blue. Have to wait until Wednesday to pick it up as the dealer is closed until then.

 

[Russ D]

Finished sizing, trimming, swaging 1500 pieces of 223 brass. All passed gages. Then hand primed them. I like the feel of priming that way.

Also started prepping 800 pieces of brass for Garand loads.

There is definitely something satisfying about feeling a perfectly seated primer find it’s way home.

 

[erwos]

Spent some quality time dialing in my 650 for loading 45 for my S&W 625. Had an issue with primers not fully seating flush or below flush; a little cranking on the primer seating ram seems to have resolved that, or at least enough for my revolver. Makes me wish for an Apex or 1100, since trying to seat large pistol primers below flush is a real PITA on the 650, and it's comparatively trivial with true primer adjustment functionality... then again, those cost twice as much as a 650+case feeder, too.