It’s Official

[SVT28]

I've loaded my first batch of ammunition. For years I've wanted to get into the hobby but for whatever reason I was intimidated and mostly satisfied with factory loaded ammunition. Fast forward to over a decade of shooting wheel guns, and I've accumulated quite a bit of brass.

Slowly but surely I've been depriming my collection of brass over the last year or so, and for Christmas I received a micro FART, and a Lee Hand press from my wife. I also bought an FA priming tool, Lee dippers, Lee balance scale and a Hornady G-3 digital scale.

Last week I finished my 2021 Lee Reloading Manual and got some components to kick things off! After wet tumbling my deprimed brass, I sorted about 500 Perfecta 38 special cases.

Then tonight I picked out 50 of the best after inspection, and sorted through some of my 500 qty Magnus 125 grain lead RNFP I got. 50 weighed to 1% of the advertised weight, good to go. Took out my new 4 piece Lee carbide die set and carefully reviewed the instructions for all 4 dies in the hand press. After sizing and priming, I was ready to run with it. My beginning load was

3.8 gn W231, 125 grain lead RNFP, Federal SPP, Perfecta once fired brass, 1.460" OAL, light roll crimp.

The Lee manual states this is a great starting load with the W231 pushing a lead 125 grain bullet, I can't wait to get these out to the range with one of my beater 38/44 Heavy Duty's to see how they shoot out of a big N Frame. I suspect they will be quite mild and pleasant to shoot!

I'll be playing with some plated bullets and Ramshot Zip here in the coming weeks, and will start on 45 acp reloading in the summer for my 625s. As always, if there are any secrets of the trade for reloading 38 spl or using any of the components or tools mentioned, please let me know. Range report in the works.

Cheers everyone
SVT28

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Nevada Ed]

Glad to see that you finally got your feet wet and enjoy those loads
and welcome to reloading.

Good luck on those first loads and if you want a heavier crimp, you might want to seat the bullet a little deeper and use the cannelure on the bullet.

Tight groups.

 

[SweetMK]

Your tools will be perfect,, until you rip off 450 rounds per weekend,,

THEN,, you will be looking at a Dillon 550,,
Heck, you can look at the Dillon anyways,,
it is sort of like looking at that Smith wheel gun that you have no intention in buying,,
THEN, the Smith appears in the gun safe!! LOL!!

 

[Sevens]

Tips for a new handloader, and tips specific to .38 Special:

--the .38 case is cavernous which can be a pitfall for a brand new loader because a double or triple dose can fit. The best method for combating this when loading single stage is to charge EVERY case in your loading block before you set a single bullet on any case. This gives you a chance to look at your entire tray of charged cases and ensure they all show a similar charge level. If all are the same, spot-check one to make sure you have the charge you need

--many love Titegroup because it is versatile, uses low charge weights and is economical, but I have forever banished it from .38 Special at my bench because it's high nitro content makes every cylinder of every revolver I shoot them in too damn hot to touch. I realize you are using W231, and that's great, but my Titegroup warning still stands for anyone else or for you when powder shopping

--when you move to plated bullets in .38 Special, do not baby them, and I'm as serious as a heart attack. Plated bullets offer a LOT more resistance down the bore than lead bullets or coated bullets, and this is a another pitfall for anyone who is over-cautious with them. Remember that every revolver has a flash gap and pressure bleeds out of this gap. If you make a load that sends a plated bullet too slowly, it can and it will -STOP- in your bore and the pressure that you needed to send it out will bleed out of the flash gap. It is my strong position with well in excess of 100k plated bullets down range that if you are using them in a REVOLVER, it is better and far better to start fast and work your way down rather than starting too slow. Sticking a bullet really sucks -- but if you stick one and don't realize that you've done so, the NEXT shot could destroy your revolver

--most common failure for new handloaders is being soft-handed in the priming step, and being over cautious when seating primers. A suggestion I like to make is to get a bath towel handy -- set a case in your press or whatever tool you use to prime, drape the towel over the press for protection, and then use STRENGTH to prime that case, prime it harder, MUCH harder than you might ever think anyone ought to. You will find that you did not need the towel, the primer did not go bang and -NO-, you don't need this much muscle to prime... but the exercise teaches you that it is not unsafe to very surely prime so that you never find yourself with high primers and FTF's.

--last tip for this post... start a spreadsheet and literally every time you make ammo, record what you have made. Keeping records allows you to refer back to what worked well and just as importantly, don't make a lousy load more than once. If the first part of your entry is the date, a box of ammo is often extremely easy to look up in your log simply by the date that you made it.

Good luck and ask specific questions! Handloaders, by and large, love to help.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

I have had a Lee Hand Press (like a giant nutcracker!) for about 25 years. They are fine for handgun length cases, but forget FL rifle cases.

I have a metal case for a tap and die set, I keep it in along with some other basic loading tools. I try to load 50 on the Lee and 50 on a Lyman every winter just to remind me how much I enjoy my Dillon. When I had a camper, there was a loading kit in it every trip for whatever I took along for plinking!

Many of the 310 kits have bullet molds to match. Things like 45-70 & a 400 grain RNFP or a 38 with a 158 SWC Some I just pan lube, others get sized.

Ivam

 

[Rlg#17]

Excellent! The way I started out so long ago. A 2" Colt cobra. However, it's a rabbit hole. Two Dillon 650's, one Dillon 450, and a Rockchucker currently mounted and used at this time.

I still have several of the Lee kits including the 38 caliber one. I keep them around as a reminder of how it was!

Nice results, keep at it!

Regards, Rick Gibbs

 

[SVT28]

I guess the one question I did have was the seating depth on these RNFP bullets. If I seated and crimped them at the cannelure, the OAL was going to be shorter than what the min OAL published in my Lee data. (1.445")

Though from what I've read, it seems that min OAL is really only applicable to shorter cased non revolver cartridges like 45 acp and 9mm, where pressures and feeding issues can come up without the right length. Then with max OAL, that's mainly to ensure the bullet is seated far enough, with crimp, and the bullet is not extending past the end of the chamber in a revolver cylinder.

So with these bullets, I could theoretically seat them deeper as mentioned in this thread and roll crimp at the cannelure without concerns about pressure or minimum OAL correct?

The other thing that I found interesting is while I was weighing my Magnus 500 ct bullet pack, I was seeing 123.0-124.3 grain weights. Is this deviation normal for cast lead cowboy loads like the ones I'm using? The pack of eXtreme copper plated 185 grain SWC 45 bullets I got are much more consistent and closer to the advertised bullet weight.

Thanks in advance and for those who have already contributed to my thread!

SVT28

 

[Smithboomer]

Go right ahead and seat those bullets deeper and crimp on the groove. No problem.

 

[glenwolde]

Yes, that bullet design is meant to be seated and crimped in the crimp groove. OAL in revolvers applies more to fitting in the cylinder. Most 125gr .38 bullets are LRN that are no doubt a tad longer than your flat-nosed design. But hey, shoot them. You never know. Try loading six, shoot five, and then take your calipers and measure the sixth to see if you have any bullet creep. I don't think you will with that load but there's not a whole lot of bullet in the case for it to hold on too.

 

[gwpercle]

Seat the bullets to and then ROLL crimp into the crimp groove ...

That is why it is on the bullet ... it Tells you where to seat them .

Book OAL be hanged ... you loading revolver and you loading cast with a crimp groove ... That Feature trumps a book OAL number every time .

You load revolver way different than semi-auto rounds .

A cannelure is a circle of tiny ridges on a Jacketed Bullet , it is where you lightly crimp a jacketed bullet and is sorta a Jacketed bullets crimp groove but handloading terminology has to be all confusing or it wouldn't be any fun !

You're doing fine ...Keep On Keeping On ...

Now ...get out there and CHOOT'EM !
Gary

 

[dmy]

Consistent with the prior posts, my suggestion is to have good lighting. Many use a flashlight to check the cases after charging to see if you missed one or if you double-charged one. Good overhead lighting eliminates the need for a flashlight.

Another word of advice on primer seating. Some brands of primers and some brand of cases take more pressure to properly seat primers. After seating a primer and when removing the case from the shell holder, I run my finger over the primer. If I feel that the primer sits proud of the case head, then I look at it from the side to see if it needs to be seated deeper. Some think it is over-kill, but I use FA primer pocket bits (uniformer and de-crimper) chucked in a drill to make all of my primer pockets consistent. You only have to do it once per case. With the cost of primers today, it has probably paid for itself by not wasting primers.

You did not mention anything about deburring and chamfering the case mouths. Again, it may not be necessary, but you only have to do it once per case. It may prevent shaving lead bullets when seating.

While it is not as important for a 625, if you also plan to use .45 acp reloads for a semi-auto, learn how to do a plunk test. When reloading .45 acps for a revolver, you can use a roll crimp, taper crimp, or any other type of crimp. However, if you plan to use the same .45 acp reload in a semi-auto, then you will need to use a taper crimp. I just use a taper crimp for my 625 to avoid confusion. I shoot light loads and have not experienced any bullet creep.

Welcome to the rabbit hole. Good luck, be safe, and enjoy.

 

[elpac3]

To a new hand loader I would offer:

Once you have your cases primed, remove one case from the block, drop your powder charge then move directly to the seat/crimp die.

By charging one case at a time then immediately seating the bullet you will not run into the issue of a double charge in the case. While I would endorse double checking cases with a light if you are charging the whole case block at one time, sometimes with small charges it is hard to tell a double from a single depending on the viewing angle.

I would also second the use of the crimp grove on the bullet rather than using C.O.A..L. data for revolver loads. If you are looking at trying plated bullets, do not look past coated bullets as they shoot "clean" and are generally cheaper than plated.


Have been using this method for 50 years now and never had a double charge.

Welcome to the club.

 

[Autonomous]

As pointed out above, seat those primers firmly.
The only problem I've had with my reloads was when my grandson helped me load some .45 ACP. A couple took two firing pin strikes to ignite.
I went back and re-set all the primers from that batch. On a couple I actually felt the primer seat a bit more. No more problems after that.

 

[Autonomous]

I want to encourage you to try Hi-Tek coated bullets.
They are very clean to shoot, handle and load. The only thing you have to watch for is making sure you get enough bell on the brass, so the coating does not get shaved off.

 

[toad67]

When I first looked at your picture, the first thing that came to mind was the lack of crimp on the bullets, but that has been discussed and it looks like you have that one figured out. My suggestion would be to look into a Lee FCD, or Factory Crimp Die. Sure it's an extra step, but I think it's a worthwhile one.

 

[Nevada Ed]

Go right ahead and seat those bullets deeper and crimp on the groove. No problem.

This is the correct way to crimp but

with a lead bullet you can crimp anywhere you want
as long as it fits the cylinder or does not fall into the case.

The 1.445" OAL was just ment for a different bullet design
and not the one you have.
You will learn about the "Apples & Oranges" thing as you buy more supplies.

To make things easy, most of us, just seat to the "Can" that is on the bullet,
for our testings, just in case we might want to crimp later on.

 

[glenwolde]

To a new hand loader I would offer:

Once you have your cases primed, remove one case from the block, drop your powder charge then move directly to the seat/crimp die.

By charging one case at a time then immediately seating the bullet you will not run into the issue of a double charge in the case. While I would endorse double checking cases with a light if you are charging the whole case block at one time, sometimes with small charges it is hard to tell a double from a single depending on the viewing angle.

I would also second the use of the crimp grove on the bullet rather than using C.O.A..L. data for revolver loads. If you are looking at trying plated bullets, do not look past coated bullets as they shoot "clean" and are generally cheaper than plated.


Have been using this method for 50 years now and never had a double charge.

Welcome to the club.

Except I know a guy that used the same process that got a double charge. He weighed each charge on an RCBS Chargemaster, mounted a bullet, and seated it. From the blown revolver it was clearly an overcharge. Top strap blown, cylinder separated along the axis, no bore obstruction. Fast powder. Classic textbook double charge.

Somehow, he double charged. After the fact it's hard to determine how that happened. My point is not to criticize your method as I don't see anything wrong with it. But any process has potential flaws. There is no foolproof method.

For a long time I inspected charges in the loading block until I got my Dillon 450 in the 80's. The Dillon makes inspection difficult and I have come to rely on process.

I've never had a double charge in 50 years either. Doesn't make my process better, or safer, than any other. What we have to guard against is complacency. This is an inherently dangerous hobby.

My theory, and to some extent I have experienced this myself, is that his mind wandered due to the boredom inherent in the process of loading on a single stage. It's a repetitive task and for some....boring. After the 200th repetition of the same simple task one can lose focus.

He decided that skipping the inspection in the loading block was a bad decision. His conclusion was you can't make the process safer by eliminating a double-check.

But then I don't inspect at all on the Dillon. I realize most would be uncomfortable with that. But I'm not. You pays your money, you takes your chances. I worry about it every time I load.

 

[SVT28]

When I first looked at your picture, the first thing that came to mind was the lack of crimp on the bullets, but that has been discussed and it looks like you have that one figured out. My suggestion would be to look into a Lee FCD, or Factory Crimp Die. Sure it's an extra step, but I think it's a worthwhile one.

The 4 piece Lee Carbide Die set I bought came with the Factory Crimp Die. I used the seating die first after charging and got the desired OAL on my first, then set the adjustment. Then worked back through the tray with the factory crimp die. It said half a turn on the adjustment for light roll crimp, a full turn for hard crimp. I did a half turn and a little extra.

SVT28

 

[glenwolde]

The 4 piece Lee Carbide Die set I bought came with the Factory Crimp Die. I used the seating die first after charging and got the desired OAL on my first, then set the adjustment. Then worked back through the tray with the factory crimp die. It said half a turn on the adjustment for light roll crimp, a full turn for hard crimp. I did a half turn and a little extra.

SVT28

Uh-oh....now you've done it! You opened up the "Lee Factory Crimp Die" and lead bullets can of worms.....someone (or 100) will be along with comments in 1..2..3..

I'm gonna sit this one out.

 

[Nevada Ed]

I have never been in a hurry to load ammo.

I am happy with my old single stage for ALL my metalic loading, since I
started back in the late 60's.

Nothing fancy but it keeps me in quality ammo for either target work or out hunting in the field.

Here is a picture of my 38 special die, that I use for crimping my lead and copper bullets.

The first mark is for my 148 lead bullets and the last mark is for my full loads, with a lead bullet.

Good loading.