reloading

[GypsmJim]

I always set my powder measure like this:

Say you want a 10 grain load of XYZ powder. First, set your scale on zero and calibrate it if necessary. Throw a charge and weigh it. Repeat until you get the weight of gun powder you want. THEN, change the scale to ten times the weight you're wanting. Throw TEN loads into the scale pan and weigh it. Let's say it weighs 99 grains when you were expecting 100. That means it averaged 9.9 grains. What I like to do is throw another ten and see if it repeats. If it does, you can either bump it up and repeat or leave it alone, If it doesn't repeat, lighten it up a little bit and trickle feed a little bit more to each powder charge until it weighs exactly 10 grains.

That could be a dangerous approach. All you learn is an average, but you really want to know the STD.

Say you get seven 10.0, two 9.0 and one 11.0. The total is 99, but you actually got 3 loads that were very bad.

My approach is to drop 10 charges and weigh each one. That will tell you whether your equipment is capable or not. If you are loading for a match, and you weigh each bullet and case, a trickle charger might be the way to go to weigh each powder charge as well. But I hate the idea of weighing each charge because of the extra time it takes. If my dispenser does not meet my requirements I would sooner buy a new one. Fortunately, I never encountered that problem.

 

[GypsmJim]

like I said, I use a Little Dandy powder drop, fixed, always the same, never any adjustment. for pistols, an I've been doing it for YEARS

I had to look up Little Dandy. With fixed cavities it's basically the same as the Lee Auto Disc that is not equipped with the digital attachment. All powder dispensers use a volumetric approach. I do, however see an advantage to the LD in that it can be hand held.

With a calibration curve of your equipment, it takes less than a minute to dial it in. The important thing is repeatability. Variation happens because of varying density of the powder, and/or mechanical agitation. You need to keep a constant head above the powder (that's why they are equipped with a baffle) and avoid rattling the work bench.

 

[jerrywmalcolm]

I had to look up Little Dandy. With fixed cavities it's basically the same as the Lee Auto Disc that is not equipped with the digital attachment. All powder dispensers use a volumetric approach. I do, however see an advantage to the LD in that it can be hand held.

With a calibration curve of your equipment, it takes less than a minute to dial it in. The important thing is repeatability. Variation happens because of varying density of the powder, and/or mechanical agitation. You need to keep a constant head above the powder (that's why they are equipped with a baffle) and avoid rattling the work

 

[jerrywmalcolm]

what I like about the little dandy is. its a fixed powder drop, using a turrret press, each handle an head movement gives the powder enough shock or movement to fill the powder measure the sam,e, when you want 3.0, thats what you get, .1's not going to hurt, unless of course your in the high 2600's, an then you probly buy your ammo, match only my 2 cents

 

[cp1969]

That could be a dangerous approach.

Never has been yet. The only time I had an overload was with a progressive reloader and I took apart all the rest of the lot, expecting to find a round with no powder. There wasn't one. So, it's back to checking all powder levels as they sit on a loading block.

 

['79 Magnum GT]

like I said, I use a Little Dandy powder drop, fixed, always the same, never any adjustment. for pistols, an I've been doing it for YEARS

I use the Little Dandy for my light 44 Mag and Spl loads. And my RCBS Uniflow Powder Measure for my heavy 44 Mag loads for my rifles. I check each casing with a flashlight afterwards so there aren't any improper powder levels. My system works really well for me.

Rick

 

[RMFnLA]

I’ve reloaded off and on since the early ‘70s, at first to save $, but found I enjoy it almost as much as shooting.

Just picked up a Model 58 so now I’m rolling my own because .41 Mag is hard to find and absurdly spendy when you can.

 

[Bayou52]

Started out with Whack-A-Mole Lee loaders in the early 70"s. Graduated to a RCBS RC in 1978 or so. Still happily using it for all of my reloading needs. Friends have pleaded with me to try a turret or progressive press but why change when all of my needs are met with the RC? Simply a matter of personal preference, as in most things!

 

[Rust E. Badge]

My turn...I started around 1986 on a Dillon RL550B loading. 223 so that I could "save money". Today I use the same press and load for 17 cartridges. I have no estimate of the quantity of cartridges I have loaded. Not as much as many here since much of my shooting was with ammo that "followed me home" from my police agency and pallets purchased to feed the machine gun habit. I have learned a great deal about internal, external and terminal ballistics (which helped in my 14 years as a detective), patience and consistency. I am a shooter not a reloader. I don't shoot to load, I load to shoot. And when loading I don't wear gloves, eye protection, ear protection, post a sign on my loading room door, notify family and friends, update my will, place the local fire department on stand-by, catalog all powders and primers for storage with individual safety barriers between each, hand check each primer for proper seating, visually check each case for proper powder throw, lift lead bullets with metal implements, clean each primer pocket, weigh every case, separate each case by headstamp, weight or length, or lose sleep dreaming about how I might reduce group size by another .001". My PRC friends shoot only 20 or so rounds each session, write a lot of notes, and struggle to keep rounds in a group the size of a thumbnail. I won't take a gun out of my safe unless I'm shooting a few hundred cartridges through it. And usually I take multiple guns on an outing. And I can equal or outperform these PRC friends using their own equipment most of the time. Their firearms world is reloading, mine is shooting. My professional and casual world has not been developing the smallest possible group but to win gunfights and enjoy the pleasure of shooting. Again, I don't shoot to load. I load to shoot.

The beauty and pleasure of this tremendous American right is that its large enough for all of us to have a lifetime of enjoyment. Time is fleeting - enjoy now and share it with next caretakers of liberty.

Good shooting and keep your powder dry.

 

['79 Magnum GT]

My turn...I started around 1986 on a Dillon RL550B loading. 223 so that I could "save money". Today I use the same press and load for 17 cartridges. I have no estimate of the quantity of cartridges I have loaded. Not as much as many here since much of my shooting was with ammo that "followed me home" from my police agency and pallets purchased to feed the machine gun habit. I have learned a great deal about internal, external and terminal ballistics (which helped in my 14 years as a detective), patience and consistency. I am a shooter not a reloader. I don't shoot to load, I load to shoot. And when loading I don't wear gloves, eye protection, ear protection, post a sign on my loading room door, notify family and friends, update my will, place the local fire department on stand-by, catalog all powders and primers for storage with individual safety barriers between each, hand check each primer for proper seating, visually check each case for proper powder throw, lift lead bullets with metal implements, clean each primer pocket, weigh every case, separate each case by headstamp, weight or length, or lose sleep dreaming about how I might reduce group size by another .001". My PRC friends shoot only 20 or so rounds each session, write a lot of notes, and struggle to keep rounds in a group the size of a thumbnail. I won't take a gun out of my safe unless I'm shooting a few hundred cartridges through it. And usually I take multiple guns on an outing. And I can equal or outperform these PRC friends using their own equipment most of the time. Their firearms world is reloading, mine is shooting. My professional and casual world has not been developing the smallest possible group but to win gunfights and enjoy the pleasure of shooting. Again, I don't shoot to load. I load to shoot.

The beauty and pleasure of this tremendous American right is that its large enough for all of us to have a lifetime of enjoyment. Time is fleeting - enjoy now and share it with next caretakers of liberty.

Good shooting and keep your powder dry.

But more importantly, do you use your turn signals?

Rick

 

[Rick H.]

Good Lord Rust E. Badge, I hope you wear clean underwear and at LEAST use your seat belt!! I had to laugh reading your confession, that's the first step to recovery you know.. I don't do a lot of the so-called requirements either when I reload, like wear gloves, but I do wash my hands after each session.

I try to always wear glasses when I reload especially when I am messing with primers. Several years ago I was using a name brand priming tool where it stacks primers in a tube waiting to be placed via a lever into a case. The stored primers are held directly above the one being pressed into the case. To this day I don't know exactly what happened, but the entire tube of 75 or more primers lit off. It was like the 4th of July in my basement with flames shooting up to the floor joists and my face was just inches away! I don't scare easy, but that scared me, so now I use a priming tool that does not keep the primers in-line with the one being seated.

While I have the traditional presses such as a Redding Turret press and a Hornady LNL progressive press, I do several steps individually such as seating primers. No longer do I use the Hornady for seating primers. That job is done on an RCBS benchtop priming tool. I do all my rifle reloading on the turret press and use an Auto-Trickler for dropping powder case by case. The Auto-Trickler is a terrific tool if you can afford it and its accuracy is outstanding.

Knock on wood I have only had one or two low powder issues both of which I caught before anything bad happened. I also physically check all my rifle cases for correct powder drops with a flashlight and I run a low/high powder stop in my progressive press. I enjoy reloading and the accompanying benefits it brings with custom loads and loads for somewhat rare cartridges. One last benefit is never being out of a certain cartridge when the supply at the store runs out. I just roll my own when that happens. My only irritation is loading 9mm rounds because I use a lot of them and it has become quite boring doing those. I can only stand doing about 200 9mm rounds in a session and then I have to take a break.

I would never give up reloading even if the cost is a break even event such as it is with 9mm ammo now. Stay safe and have fun.

Rick H.

 

[Beemer-mark]

I had the old Lee Precision primer tool and one day I had about 30 primers go off together. Lee no longer makes that particular primer tool. I tore a lot of skin off my left thumb, burned my hands pretty well, exploding primer shell and plastic tore thru my t-shirt and left me deaf for 2 or 3 hours. Went a bought that the RCBS primer tool that mounts on the bench, you load a tube of primers that tip away from the one in the carrier and you press down on a lever to insert the primer. Always wear glasses and stand somewhat at arms length. Years ago I bought one of the RCBS automatic dispenser and weigh machines. Life was great until one round was 2x kaboom. No harm done brought the rest of the ammo home, pulled the bullets, and measure the charges. 8 out of 10 were spot on, 2 out of 10 were 25% over. I still use it but weigh each load on my Lyman scale after being dispensed.

 

[Kimberpross]

Started out with Whack-A-Mole Lee loaders in the early 70"s. Graduated to a RCBS RC in 1978 or so. Still happily using it for all of my reloading needs. Friends have pleaded with me to try a turret or progressive press but why change when all of my needs are met with the RC? Simply a matter of personal preference, as in most things!

Sounds just like my story. My wack- a- mole was in 1973 and the RCBS Rockchucker was about 1975. Still use it.

 

[Rust E. Badge]

But more importantly, do you use your turn

But more importantly, do you use your turn signals?

Rick

Turn signals on the Dillon are burned out. Need to get them fixed. Thanks for the reminder. (Brake lights and cup holders are fine).

 

[Timothy2700]

No longer do I use the Hornady for seating primers. That job is done on an RCBS benchtop priming tool.

Interesting Rick. I use my Hornady LNL progressive for my pistol reloading but do have the RCBS benchtop priming tool I use for rifle cartridges. So if I was to follow you correctly, I would prime my pistol brass first on the RCBS tool and then move to the LNL: would the first die be the resizer (without the de-capper pin), leave the primer stage empty, and continue with powder fill, seating etc? Or do you resize, then prime before going to the LNL?

 

[billybob44]

I started out in 1972 with a 9mm LEE "pounder" loader and a 1 cavity 9mm LEE bullet mold that my DAD gave me after I bought myself a Browning P35 for high school graduation.......Now I have small ammunition factory for bullet cartridges and shot shells.....I have 4 Mecs in 4 guages setup.......4 Dillons with multiple caliber changes setup......Plus and old RCBS Jr......I pour my own #6-7 1/2-8-9 shot.....I have a mold for every caliber I shoot.......
Last few times when ammo got scarce on the store shelves.......I had plenty and I plan to keep it that way.

71 or 72 With a "Wack a Mole" in .30 Carbine and .38SPL. for me..A LOT of WORK...HA.HA...Bill.

 

[zodraz]

Loading up a batch of 38's this weekend, but am running out of 148 gr wadcutters. I'll get more!
View attachment 821924

Why is that gear so clean?!

 

[mwbaldwin05]

“I've been reloading since the 60's, can you imagine the money it would have cost me to shoot all those years in bullseye an 2700 matches?”

@jerrywmalcolm , I just happened to catch your post right up top, and realizing that you had been reloading for so long and speaking on the amount of money you could have saved if you would have been shooting in competition….and I had to ask a question which may get moved to its own Post in “Reloading”. I don’t want to overtake your post, but I wanted to reach out to you and other members like yourself.
I wanted to get started in reloading, I have several different calibers that I would be reloading. I’m highly interested in adding this as an extension to my hobby with firearms and building many different kinds.

I think my best question to you and others like yourself, would be; How do I get started? Where do I get started? As sad as this may sound, are their good videos on YouTube, or other websites that might guide me on how to get started and how to begin slowly, but correctly?

 

[CajunBass]

I'm another graduate of the "Wack-A-Mole school of reloading. I used them for years and still have a couple of them. I was in no hurry, and they seemed to work well. Eventually graduated to a Lee Turret press for a few years but got bit by the bass fishing bug, and all but stopped shooting at all. Reloading equipment got sold to buy "stuff" for the bass boat.

Came back to shooting in the early 2000's I guess it was. I didn't have room to set up a reloading operation, so I went with a Lee hand press this time. This setup was less than $100 at the time and I'm still using it. I guess I've gotten my money's worth. It fits in a drawer of my wife's old sewing machine that I use for a desk and comes out when needed.

I've added a few small items, like a little digital scale, a loading block, and such, but I'm pretty satisfied with this outfit. I'm still in no hurry. I'll load up a hundred or wadcutters over the week, then shoot them up at the range the next weekend. Rinse and repeat. It's just a quieter "Wack-A-Mole" really.

I wore the primer tool out and had to replace it with one of the new and improved models. Well, it works, but it's not much of an improvement.

The biggest, most radical change for me has been switching to Berry's Bullets over plain lead. The indoor range banned plain lead and I was ticked but I found out Berry's didn't cost much more for their plated ones, so I started using them and wouldn't switch back if I could. Plated bullets are much cleaner.

 

[jerrywmalcolm]

@jerrywmalcolm , I just happened to catch your post right up top, and realizing that you had been reloading for so long and speaking on the amount of money you could have saved if you would have been shooting in competition….and I had to ask a question which may get moved to its own Post in “Reloading”. I don’t want to overtake your post, but I wanted to reach out to you and other members like yourself.
I wanted to get started in reloading, I have several different calibers that I would be reloading. I’m highly interested in adding this as an extension to my hobby with firearms and building many different kinds.

I think my best question to you and others like yourself, would be; How do I get started? Where do I get started? As sad as this may sound, are their good videos on YouTube, or other websites that might guide me on how to get started and how to begin slowly, but correctly?

this might take awhile to explain. first there are many diff ways, presses etc. I started with a single stage press, but went to a turrel head, depends on how much you want to spend, , if your going to join a club, pistol competition or just plink every once in a while. right now what I have is a RCBS tuirret head press, , RCBS pistol dies, an a handy fixed dandy powder drop, I use the sizer decaper in first die, 2nd die is a flanging die to bell top for putting in lead in last stage, , 3rd stage I use the powder drop, an last is for final stage, putting in lead an maybe a crimp. after all these years I have tried diff presses, they have some presses that for every handle pull comes a finished bullet. it just takes time see what you want to do, load alot or just a few. hope that helps some, jerry

 

[jerrywmalcolm]

I'm another graduate of the "Wack-A-Mole school of reloading. I used them for years and still have a couple of them. I was in no hurry, and they seemed to work well. Eventually graduated to a Lee Turret press for a few years but got bit by the bass fishing bug, and all but stopped shooting at all. Reloading equipment got sold to buy "stuff" for the bass boat.

Came back to shooting in the early 2000's I guess it was. I didn't have room to set up a reloading operation, so I went with a Lee hand press this time. This setup was less than $100 at the time and I'm still using it. I guess I've gotten my money's worth. It fits in a drawer of my wife's old sewing machine that I use for a desk and comes out when needed.

I've added a few small items, like a little digital scale, a loading block, and such, but I'm pretty satisfied with this outfit. I'm still in no hurry. I'll load up a hundred or wadcutters over the week, then shoot them up at the range the next weekend. Rinse and repeat. It's just a quieter "Wack-A-Mole" really.

I wore the primer tool out and had to replace it with one of the new and improved models. Well, it works, but it's not much of an improvement.

The biggest, most radical change for me has been switching to Berry's Bullets over plain lead. The indoor range banned plain lead and I was ticked but I found out Berry's didn't cost much more for their plated ones, so I started using them and wouldn't switch back if I could. Plated bullets are much cleaner.

 

[jerrywmalcolm]

I've tried ordering from Berrys, for some reason I can't get Michigan on the order form, I've emailed them to find out whats wrong, I like the 38 HBWC 38/357, wanted to try them.

 

[500hunter]

Loading up a batch of 38's this weekend, but am running out of 148 gr wadcutters. I'll get more!
View attachment 821924

That looks like a Lyman Tru line jr reloader and a # 55 powder measure.
On closer inspection I see that it is not a tru line jr.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

I always set my powder measure like this:

Say you want a 10 grain load of XYZ powder. First, set your scale on zero and calibrate it if necessary. Throw a charge and weigh it. Repeat until you get the weight of gun powder you want. THEN, change the scale to ten times the weight you're wanting. Throw TEN loads into the scale pan and weigh it. Let's say it weighs 99 grains when you were expecting 100. That means it averaged 9.9 grains. What I like to do is throw another ten and see if it repeats. If it does, you can either bump it up and repeat or leave it alone, If it doesn't repeat, lighten it up a little bit and trickle feed a little bit more to each powder charge until it weighs exactly 10 grains.

TOO much trouble........I set the press powder measure by the scale and maybe check 2 dumps..........Then I load-load-load...........Your method would make quit and go take a break before I even started.........OR........I could have 100 rounds loaded in that same space of time.

 

[Top Strap]

My turn...I started around 1986 on a Dillon RL550B loading. 223 so that I could "save money". Today I use the same press and load for 17 cartridges. I have no estimate of the quantity of cartridges I have loaded. Not as much as many here since much of my shooting was with ammo that "followed me home" from my police agency and pallets purchased to feed the machine gun habit. I have learned a great deal about internal, external and terminal ballistics (which helped in my 14 years as a detective), patience and consistency. I am a shooter not a reloader. I don't shoot to load, I load to shoot. And when loading I don't wear gloves, eye protection, ear protection, post a sign on my loading room door, notify family and friends, update my will, place the local fire department on stand-by, catalog all powders and primers for storage with individual safety barriers between each, hand check each primer for proper seating, visually check each case for proper powder throw, lift lead bullets with metal implements, clean each primer pocket, weigh every case, separate each case by headstamp, weight or length, or lose sleep dreaming about how I might reduce group size by another .001". My PRC friends shoot only 20 or so rounds each session, write a lot of notes, and struggle to keep rounds in a group the size of a thumbnail. I won't take a gun out of my safe unless I'm shooting a few hundred cartridges through it. And usually I take multiple guns on an outing. And I can equal or outperform these PRC friends using their own equipment most of the time. Their firearms world is reloading, mine is shooting. My professional and casual world has not been developing the smallest possible group but to win gunfights and enjoy the pleasure of shooting. Again, I don't shoot to load. I load to shoot.

The beauty and pleasure of this tremendous American right is that its large enough for all of us to have a lifetime of enjoyment. Time is fleeting - enjoy now and share it with next caretakers of liberty.

Good shooting and keep your powder dry.

It's never really about saving money; heck I could have bought tons of ammo with the cash I've spent on reloading components. It's mostly about being able to tailor your loads a certain way. It's not a Hobby but a terminal illness.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

My turn...I started around 1986 on a Dillon RL550B loading. 223 so that I could "save money". Today I use the same press and load for 17 cartridges. I have no estimate of the quantity of cartridges I have loaded. Not as much as many here since much of my shooting was with ammo that "followed me home" from my police agency and pallets purchased to feed the machine gun habit. I have learned a great deal about internal, external and terminal ballistics (which helped in my 14 years as a detective), patience and consistency. I am a shooter not a reloader. I don't shoot to load, I load to shoot. And when loading I don't wear gloves, eye protection, ear protection, post a sign on my loading room door, notify family and friends, update my will, place the local fire department on stand-by, catalog all powders and primers for storage with individual safety barriers between each, hand check each primer for proper seating, visually check each case for proper powder throw, lift lead bullets with metal implements, clean each primer pocket, weigh every case, separate each case by headstamp, weight or length, or lose sleep dreaming about how I might reduce group size by another .001". My PRC friends shoot only 20 or so rounds each session, write a lot of notes, and struggle to keep rounds in a group the size of a thumbnail. I won't take a gun out of my safe unless I'm shooting a few hundred cartridges through it. And usually I take multiple guns on an outing. And I can equal or outperform these PRC friends using their own equipment most of the time. Their firearms world is reloading, mine is shooting. My professional and casual world has not been developing the smallest possible group but to win gunfights and enjoy the pleasure of shooting. Again, I don't shoot to load. I load to shoot.

The beauty and pleasure of this tremendous American right is that its large enough for all of us to have a lifetime of enjoyment. Time is fleeting - enjoy now and share it with next caretakers of liberty.

Good shooting and keep your powder dry.

YOU"RE MY KINDA GUY......................
.

 

[cp1969]

TOO much trouble........I set the press powder measure by the scale and maybe check 2 dumps..........Then I load-load-load...........Your method would make quit and go take a break before I even started.........OR........I could have 100 rounds loaded in that same space of time.

Then don't. My time isn't that PRECIOUS.

 

[Scooner]

I started reloading in 1963 with a Hollywood Senior press that I bought used from one of my college professors, and still have on my bench today. I started casting bullets in 1968. Fast forward to today and I load for 35 different calibers on five different presses. As near as I can figure, I've loaded somewhere around 850,000 rounds of various calibers, but that includes the loading I did when I was rangemaster for our Sheriff's Dept., when I was reloading roughly 60,000 rounds a year of .38's on a Loadamatic motor driven loader. I've listed my oddball calibers before, so I won't repeat them in this thread, but suffice to say that without reloading, some of my guns would be just dust collectors..

I consider my reloading like any other hobby. The return is in the enjoyment. After all, have you ever seen a butterfly collector try to breathe life back into one of his specimens, or a stamp collector lick a rare stamp and place it in the mail? The same goes for coin collectors, and on and on..........

Hope this helps.

Fred

My first reloads were with a Lee hand loader - no press - just a mallet to drive primers out and a flat metal surface and a dowel to drive the new one in - only paper shells - and a die that kept the case from swelling while filling, packing and crimping - that was back about 60yrs ago - then about 10yrs ago I got a Lee progressive to load 223 for my AR - and now load several calibers but no shotgun - loaded many 000 with Lee machines and with a little patience they do the job cast most of my bullets except the 223 - owned a 6-hole RCBS for a while but never used it -- Im satisfied with less than perfect as long as nothing blows up - so far so good.

 

[gwpercle]

Every Beginning Hanloader should start out with a Lee Whack-A-Mole ,Classic Loader ''' you get to see what every step is about and forces you to take your time and learn the process .
I realy believe starting with one in 1965 (45 acp_) actually helped me learn the process ... remember... No U-Tube , No interweb , No Mentor ... No one to explain Doodly-Squat to Me ...
I had the Lee Classic Loader instructions and Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook and that was ... all she wrote !
Gary

 

[GypsmJim]

Every Beginning Hanloader should start out with a Lee Whack-A-Mole ,Classic Loader ''' you get to see what every step is about and forces you to take your time and learn the process .
I realy believe starting with one in 1965 (45 acp_) actually helped me learn the process ... remember... No U-Tube , No interweb , No Mentor ... No one to explain Doodly-Squat to Me ...
I had the Lee Classic Loader instructions and Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook and that was ... all she wrote !
Gary

At my entry to reloading I was making hundreds of rounds, not thousands. Plus, I DID have a hammer, but as a College kid I didn't have a lot of money, so a Lee Loader was a good option. I ALSO learned, learned and learned.

Then, a second caliber, so bought another. On and On. I loaded for my Dad as well. I got up to about a dozen different calibers when Dad bought his Model 57 .41 Magnum. They didn't make a Lee Loader in .41, so I bought a single stage press and .41 dies.

At that time Midway USA was selling with free shipping, so every time I needed bullets or something I added another set of dies in the order. After a few years I had all my Whack-a-moles replaced. If it had not been for .41 I probably would still be using Lee Loader.

Of course, then as the years went by a second press, and a third. A lead melting pot and a .38 mold. Y'all know the drill.

The funny story is that a few years ago I decided to sell all my Lee Loaders. All good condition and in the original factory boxes. My selling price was about double what I paid for them in the first place.