MY Reloading Adventure

[Acer-m14]

nice gift .. I got the lee ultimate dies for 6.5 and .243 for my bud and his wife .. we still haven't used them yet .. now she works at at a FFL and re-man ammo maker shop .. so are fun time reloading has been cut down as a group .. we all get the free rejects now thou lol .. dings in cases and stuff .. all cosmetic .. LOL ..

 

[thegatman]

Dont listen to the reload snobs either, I have used LEE products with great results.

#Metoo

 

[Carlos Hathcock]

Back in the garage for a better part of the afternoon, after some plowing of course. Loaded up another 50 or so 6.5 Grendel. Learning some of the details along the way.



Quick question though. On a resize die theres adjustment in the spindle to bring the resize "bullet" up or down. What position is that supposed to be in? I never really saw anyone get into that in videos I've been watching.

 

[squib]

Many resizing dies have a depriming pin. Are you refrencing a seating die?

 

[Carlos Hathcock]

No, it's the depriming pin but has the little case neck expander. Like 2nd from the left....

 

[kev74]

If you set it far enough down that it deprimes the case properly you should be good.

Ideally, that button should expand the case mouth to the proper size after the body of the die squeezes it down. As long as you have good neck tension on the bullet you're ok.

 

[squib]

That style expander works on the upstroke of the sizing process. As shown in the cutaway the expander will size the entire neck when it exits the case. Normally the expanded will be screwed tight to hold the depriming pin and the depriming pin should protrude about 3/16 below the die.

 

[Carlos Hathcock]

I wasnt looking at it that way, I guess because I deprime, clean, and brush the primer pocket before I resize. That being said, I guess if it was up a little higher it shouldn't really matter, at least in my case.

 

[ManrisFrack]

Correct. It should be completely past the neck before the end of the stroke. It's not something you can see but with most cases there's more than enough leeway to take a decent guess and be okay.

 

[Carlos Hathcock]

Banged out 100 rounds of .243. This should do it for awhile as I'm out of powder and running low on bullets.



My first order of Black Rifle Coffee came yesterday too. My wife is asking too many questions.



I may have to find away to reload these too.

 

[Tisto]

Oh, yeah....you'll save money.....NOT !! After a while you'll be just like the rest of us. Six different presses all mounted to a nice countertop in a dedicated reloading room with special lighting, shelving, specialized tools, powder, dies, bullets, tumbling equipment, ultrasonic tank, friggin brass everywhere, 60,000 rounds of ammo, and that thought that " I really should load another couple thousand rounds of .308, because 8000 might not be enough, and I already have the brass..."

You'll save money.......SURE YOU WILL !






It really is enjoyable though. Just dont think that you can ever "dabble" in it. You will buy stuff you never thought you needed in a very short time.

You can, however, load exactly what you want, and that's the best part.

 

[Carlos Hathcock]

Oh, yeah....you'll save money.....NOT !! After a while you'll be just like the rest of us. Six different presses all mounted to a nice countertop in a dedicated reloading room with special lighting, shelving, specialized tools, powder, dies, bullets, tumbling equipment, ultrasonic tank, friggin brass everywhere, 60,000 rounds of ammo, and that thought that " I really should load another couple thousand rounds of .308, because 8000 might not be enough, and I already have the brass..."

You'll save money.......SURE YOU WILL !






It really is enjoyable though. Just dont think that you can ever "dabble" in it. You will buy stuff you never thought you needed in a very short time.

You can, however, load exactly what you want, and that's the best part.

Shhhhhh!! That's the story I'm using with my wife! Every time I buy something new I'm actually saving money. Don't ruin it for me!

On a side note, I learned a valuable lesson on case neck die bushings. Couldn't figure out why I could seat .243's with zero neck tension issues but my .223's wouldn't crimp properly. Match grade dies make you buy the bushing so you can determine the neck tension for yourself. Non-match grade dies come with whatever tension they give you. Mystery solved.

 

[Tisto]

Yeah, just wait....

Pretty soon you will have 3 or 4 sets of dies all for the same caliber just because you have each one set for a different load.

You will have batches of brass in various stages of preperation.

You will have 80 pounds of powder, 30,000 primers, bullets of all make, diameter, and weight , shot, wads, and after a while you will find yourself with components you don't have a gun for !

Trimmers, scales, loading blocks, priming tools, de-priming tools, tools to take rounds apart that somehow got messed up, dies, funnels, lube, etc., etc., etc. ....

Oh, yeah.... this is about saving money.


Remember to buy her a nice sparkley on her birthday with some of that money you saved on ammunition, or she might not enjoy your hobby too much.

 

[HighlandLofts]

I forgot to swap shell holders when switching from 38spl to 223.
Of coarsei got a stuck 223 shell in y 223 resized die. I bent the inside sizer that holds the recapping pin. So I was done ungil.i got a new one from RCBS.
So I went right put and bought another used RBCS 223 dies so i could get my cartridges done before my new piece came in.

So after that little spout i bought double sets of dies for every caliber i have and there are a lot of them.
I am working on getting enough Lok n Load. Bushings so I can have all of my dies set up to go if I need an extra die for some reason or I can have a friend over and we can both load the came caliber if need be.

I have two complete single stage Lock n Load presses set up with two powder measures, I have two case trimmers, two sets of scales. Three dial calipers. Crimp dies. A shit load of powders. I need to stock up on primers and bullets.

I have a shit load of prepped brass as well as getting more as it comes to me.
Once you get hooked you become a bullet whore.

 

[Tisto]

See ? Highland knows that of which I speak.....

 

[HighlandLofts]

I just ordered set of rcbs 300 win mag dies yesterday just to have them incase some one wants to load for that caliber. I dont have a 300 win mag and dont have any plans to buy one.

But I do have a dozen or two pieces of 300 win mag range brass I picked over the last year while out shooting in the gravel pits.

I just separated 45 pounds of range brass this weekend and got all of the 9mm tumbled.
Some of the calibers I can use, some I am way over stocked.

It's an addictive hobby.

 

[MoMan]

Dont listen to the reload snobs either, I have used LEE products with great results.

I agree with @redtail here. I have been using LEE products for decades, and they have served me fine. There may be "better" presses out there, but I have no need because my LEEs have served all of my needs. I load 1,000's of round at a time on my LEE pro 1,000, I couldn't be happier!!

Once you get hooked you become a bullet whore.

ABSOLUTELY!! I also find myself picking up range brass, even though I have 1,000's of brass in various stages of production. It just has become a habit, OR an addiction!!

It's an addictive hobby.

Sure is!!

 

[Carlos Hathcock]

Been spending so much time in the garage my wife thinks I'm having an affair or something like that. I've tried to explain it to her just she just doesnt understand it. Anyway, more reloading stuff......

Loaded up some 6.5 Creedmoor to ladder test powder in .5 grain increments. Think I'll sneak out to the range tomorrow.


Had an odd number of .243 cases laying around so loaded up some 65g VMax's with 39 grains of juice. Should send them out around 3600fps. I'll check with my chrono if I go tomorrow.



I was checking the Creedmoor's after seating for run out. Random choice of around 20% of the group and they measure no more than .001" with most being almost perfect. Please with the Lock N Load so far.

 

[Carlos Hathcock]

Finally prepped all my 6mm Creed cases and my 115DTAC's came yesterday. Loading up on powder and have multiple options for everything I need to load. Decided to make 50 of the 6mm.


38.0 grains H4350

Got some close ups of how I typically prep the necks of my cases. See anything wrong?



I know I have little to no exposure or experience so I can only report what I see. This LNL seats depth consistantly within .001. I random check run out and I can rarely find any seated more than .001-.002 out of center.

I was experiencing some random "powder dumps" and haven't put my finger on it. I can feel the powder sticks getting chopped by the dropper when I pull. Not every pull, but often.

 

[kev74]

Looks great! Those case necks look like they were honed.

 

[Carlos Hathcock]

Looks great! Those case necks look like they were honed.

Thanks. I was de-burring the outer rim, then chamfering, then running the brush inside. I got a close up pic and noticed the chamfering was leaving little "furries" so now I just touch the outer edge a second time before brushing.

 

[71velle]

Great set-up!! Love to see pics of the test targets.

 

[HighlandLofts]

Nice setup and I like the enthusiasm you have for detail. What was your greatest challenge on getting your progressive press set up?.
I should think about getting one.

 

[Carlos Hathcock]

Nice setup and I like the enthusiasm you have for detail. What was your greatest challenge on getting your progressive press set up?.
I should think about getting one.

Honestly I think the press was pretty straightforward, even for a beginner. I think my biggest issue was with the dies. Figuring out the difference between a match grade (bushing) and custom grade (non bushing) dies and how they work. The job now will be with testing and tweaking. I'm trying to load 5 different calibers (soon to be 6) and I think I need to focus on one. Liking the ride so far though.

 

[camper4lyfe]

Friend at work dropped me a handy little flashlight at work this morning. Decided I had the perfect use for it. I had looked at that nice LED setup that drops into the center hole and was mulling it over. This fits right between all the dies and somehow is exactly the same diameter as the first lip of a lock n load bushing.

View attachment 39559

Got a few hours of quiet time and put my first rounds together. About 25 rounds of 6.5 Creedmoor. I know these are my first but pretty impressed with the press thus far. Powder measure is within .1 grain consistantly, seating depths are completely repetitive, and run out on the bullets is pretty consistant at .001 right off the press.

I've never reloaded, but I'm going to recommend NOT smoking or lighting up while reloading.

 

[Carlos Hathcock]

I've never reloaded, but I'm going to recommend NOT smoking or lighting up while reloading.

I dont. Already noted.

 

[Carlos Hathcock]

Looking for a little advice / help on this one. Had my first stuck case. Not a biggie. Got it out.

So let me know if you can spot the issue. Let me know if I left anything out.

.243 brass (Hornady) Fired twice.
Resized (full length Hornady die) after factory load fired, no issue.
No annealing thus far.

Noticed they were a little "stiff" going in this time. Got through maybe 6 before I foolishly forced #7. Stuck to the rim.
I was using RCBS case lube spray in a ziploc, then hand coating with Hornady solid lube each case upon full length sizing. Typically reloaded my fingers every 5th case so not to overdo it.
This time I didnt do the RCBS spray. Figured the hand applied lube was enough.

Pics after removal of case:



Took the pic right above as it seemed like there was what looked to be rust, but could be brass. I cant imagine rust. I just ran close to 100 teo weeks ago with plenty of lube on the case. I didnt check the die before I started sizing.

Checked the ones that did make it out of the die and the bolt closes hard. Tried the ones I just fired (not sized) and bolt closes nicely. Fired ones are already within trim length specs.

Cleaned out the die, hand lubed a case, still seems to be going in hard. I stopped.

I'd like to think I shouldn't resize as the length us already good but I have no neck tension to seat. Should u go back to the spray lube and hand lube since it worked?

Thoughts?

 

[gun_slinger_boy]

Maybe just need more lube? Are you lubing the inside of the necks as well?

 

[kev74]

If it works one way but not the other, I think you know your answer.

If you go with the solid lube, it sounds like you're not using enough. If you use too much, you notice dents on the shoulder.

I think I would stick with the spray lube, and maybe give a little extra spray.

 

[Carlos Hathcock]

Shouldve figured this out myself, just never thought that little bit would make such a difference. Back to old process, back in business.