What did you do in the reloading room today?
- Thread starter Mike Overlay
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Finally got my #19 shell plate for the Lee Pro 1000, and went to work.
The project was to setup the press with a budget reloader case collator and a universal decamping die to decap 9mm brass before tumbling.
I learned that spent primer collection is a joke. I cut a hole in the bench and mounted an old medicine bottle to catch the primers. Worked great when the primers fell into the collection hole, which they did at least half the time.
I learned that the bottom of a bucket is really not sufficiently rigid for a collator, and that the collator plate has to be adjusted so that it is far enough off the bucket that the cases will stand in the slots, but not so far that they get under the plate. I’m probably going make a new bottom for the collator from corian.
I learned that the idea of using a z wire to drive the case feeder shuttle should have died in the design department.
I learned that the discharge chute from the press is not sufficiently wide or steep to facilitate ejection of brass. To be fair, it might work with ammo.
In concept this will be much faster than recapping with a universal hand press, but to ge that level of performance I may need to switch to a LNL.
The project was to setup the press with a budget reloader case collator and a universal decamping die to decap 9mm brass before tumbling.
I learned that spent primer collection is a joke. I cut a hole in the bench and mounted an old medicine bottle to catch the primers. Worked great when the primers fell into the collection hole, which they did at least half the time.
I learned that the bottom of a bucket is really not sufficiently rigid for a collator, and that the collator plate has to be adjusted so that it is far enough off the bucket that the cases will stand in the slots, but not so far that they get under the plate. I’m probably going make a new bottom for the collator from corian.
I learned that the idea of using a z wire to drive the case feeder shuttle should have died in the design department.
I learned that the discharge chute from the press is not sufficiently wide or steep to facilitate ejection of brass. To be fair, it might work with ammo.
In concept this will be much faster than recapping with a universal hand press, but to ge that level of performance I may need to switch to a LNL.
Wedding this Sunday and babysitting my son's dog so he doesn't eat mine. He can't move in his house fast enough. Got lots to shoot and test.....but no time. Plus who else would help you shoot your 460????
Combat Diver
Well-Known Member
Ikarus1
Avtomat Krishna-kov
Making .300 blackout from them. The chopsaw is a Harbor Freight one, and the jig is the "speedy" model from Squirrel Daddy (guntools on eBay). Think it was $15 shipped.
I contemplated buying 300 blackout cases made from blanks, but then we found a nice repository of ones leftover from Robin Sage locally so, free trumps costing money everytime. And I'm a sucker for new reloading tools.
This works incredibly well. I still wish blackout ammo would approach the price of 5.56
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backwoodsshooter
there’s always a method to the madness
I finally got my WTF trimmer set up and man I wish I bought something like that a long time ago.
Resized and trimmed 50 pieces in under 10 minutes. That would have taken a whole lot longer on my lee quick trim setup and even longer with the basic trimmer from lee.
Went ahead and tumbled more brass. Now I get to start working on my bulk loads.
Resized and trimmed 50 pieces in under 10 minutes. That would have taken a whole lot longer on my lee quick trim setup and even longer with the basic trimmer from lee.
Went ahead and tumbled more brass. Now I get to start working on my bulk loads.
Ikarus1
Avtomat Krishna-kov
Exactly. I find that cleaning them with stainless pins via wet tumbling chamfers the rough cut from the chop saw (and makes them shiny, woo!) So they dont grab my expander and pull out my expander ball. This way I can use Lee dies which have a better radius on the mouth of the die. Which helps with the edge of the rough cut case. Eliminates alot of forming issues. Plus they're shiny lol
I also use the Lee quick power trim die to trim them to final length with my $9 Harbor Freight power screwdriver. It ain't a WFT but for as low speed high drag as I am, it's great.
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I wet tumble as well. I've started using Wash-n-Wax instead of Dawn. It leaves a little wax behind that, besides keeping the brass from tarnishing later, also helps with the expander sticking in my pistol calibers.
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Ikarus1
Avtomat Krishna-kov
amen bro-ham. Armor All Wash n Wax is a wet tumbling godsend. I do clean especially dirty cases with a 'pre-wash' of dawn and citric acid first, then finish with the W&W for a final clean and shine.
Charlie R
You can't take ammo home!
If it weren't for this forum, I would be dumb as a brick. I will have to give the Wash & Wax a try. I had not picked up on that trick before. Only problem is the wife doesn't use wash and wax to do the dishes, so I guess my supply will be limited to my purchases only. At least it will eliminate one of her pet peeves, namely having to go to the loading room before she does the dishes.
Ikarus1
Avtomat Krishna-kov
Fill the jug with tannerite and test some of your rifle loads. Much better celebration of the powderNot sad! When I get to the bottom, I simply take a moment to reflect on all the fun that jug gave me. Always leaves me with a smile.
Charlie R
You can't take ammo home!
You know, they aren't like women, you can have several in the cabinet at any given time and the others will not complain, and if you find one you like, you can always have a clone or two in the cabinet too.
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Did a little load development with clays, WST, E3, SR 7625, and Vec AO all under Acme 124gr new style coated lead. Found that 3.3gr clays at 126PF and 4.1gr WST at 132PF feel and shoot about the same, and everything else I loaded came in between the two and you would be hard pressed to tell any of them apart. Moral of the story, pick a load and go shoot it, aren't gonna reload your way into being a better shooter. Probably gonna do a bulk order of 6k more of the Acme's and have some fun shooting through them.
On a side note, not that I reloaded them, but my carry ammo, liberty civil defense averages 1996 FPS out of my Sig 938. Was curious and already had the chrono out, not too bad.
On a side note, not that I reloaded them, but my carry ammo, liberty civil defense averages 1996 FPS out of my Sig 938. Was curious and already had the chrono out, not too bad.
Charlie R
You can't take ammo home!
Exactly. Were they like women, that would be a harem!!!!!
Show off!
backwoodsshooter
there’s always a method to the madness
I shot my chronograph while working up some 120gr sst loads with CFE BLK
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DownInTheCounty
Happy to be here
Does shaving your head count? I did clean a couple of pistols, but spent more time shaving my head.
DownInTheCounty
Happy to be here
Loaded up 400 9mm 124 gr fmj RMR over CFE-pistol. Hopefully weather will hold and I can unload them today also!
I did it for the first time!!!!!!!!!!
Reload 6.5 Creedmoor rounds. Did 40 rounds using Hornady ELD 140 gn bullets. The only powder that I had was Varget and Winchester 748. Did 10 rounds of Varget using 34.1 gns (2500 f/sec) and 10 with 34.9 gns (2500 f/sec). The 10 with the 35.6 gns of 748 (2500 f/sec) and 10 with 36.5 gns (2500 f/sec). I did trickle the powder to those weights.
At the last gun show, someone had a 50 round box of 6.5 FMJ bullets for $50. I cannot believe I did not buy some. I have not bought factory bullets in over 4 years.
Now just need to test them when I get a gun.
Reload 6.5 Creedmoor rounds. Did 40 rounds using Hornady ELD 140 gn bullets. The only powder that I had was Varget and Winchester 748. Did 10 rounds of Varget using 34.1 gns (2500 f/sec) and 10 with 34.9 gns (2500 f/sec). The 10 with the 35.6 gns of 748 (2500 f/sec) and 10 with 36.5 gns (2500 f/sec). I did trickle the powder to those weights.
At the last gun show, someone had a 50 round box of 6.5 FMJ bullets for $50. I cannot believe I did not buy some. I have not bought factory bullets in over 4 years.
Now just need to test them when I get a gun.
Charlie R
You can't take ammo home!
Well there it is, a new skill acquired that demands proving. Well done. Your personal development makes acquisition of the equipment necessary to validate your new found skill set a moral imperative. If you don't have said equipment by the end of the week, shame on you.
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Combat Diver
Well-Known Member
Two types of chronograph owners, those that have shot theirs and those that will.
CD
backwoodsshooter
there’s always a method to the madness
Two types of chronograph owners, those that have shot theirs and those that will.
CD
Yea my wife looked at me and was like, ittle be ok don't get mad. I just started laughing as I thought back to how it looked when it went flying off it's perch lol. But I told her that I am pretty sure that everyone at one point or another have shot their chrono
Charlie R
You can't take ammo home!
I get it, but you can't leave all that potentially fine ammo sitting too long tarnishing on you.
I typically use one purchase to justify another to my wife and I use the term "moral imperative" also. She is a good sport and normally I get my way as long as there isn't a rug, sofa, or other furniture that I cannot live without.
Charlie R
You can't take ammo home!
That is the truth. I personally have shot mine 3 times, but fortunately only flesh wounds (sky screens and supports) so far. I have now purchased an extra set for the next time. No gut shots yet thankfully.
There actually is a writer that I read once who had a hat made that read, "Chrono Assassin" on it.
Nope....Have the Labradar!Two types of chronograph owners, those that have shot theirs and those that will.
CD