peterk123
NES Member
Still plugging away at the 9mm. 200 rounds tonight. Cleaned a bunch more brass.
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What did you do in the reloading room recently?
- Thread starter DW357
- Start date
Last night I loaded all 175 of my 44 magnum 210gr Sierra JHC bullets with W296. Along with 25 JSPs, this reduced my stock of H110/W296 to just what is needed (with a small cushion) to load 500 .357 magnum 158 grain JHPs using the last 500 small magnum pistol primers I have. Actually, I'm planning on my son using these up and just paying me for the powder and primers as he goes (he stocks his own bullets), so I'm probably done with H110/W296 for the foreseeable future.
I've been loading like a maniac over the last few months. I'm down to just 4 powders: Shooter's World Ultimate Pistol, Shooters World Auto Pistol, 2400, and N110. Of these, I really only need two: Auto Pistol and either 2400 or N110. Ultimate Pistol is an interesting powder. It was developed for non-tox 9mm, specifically to be easily ignited by a non-tox primer. It's great to work with, but after some experimentation, the only use for it that I have is standard 38 special and light 44 magnum (240 grain HC traveling about 1000 fps out of my 4.25" revolver). I can do both of these things with Auto Pistol after the Ultimate Pistol is used up.
I've been loading like a maniac over the last few months. I'm down to just 4 powders: Shooter's World Ultimate Pistol, Shooters World Auto Pistol, 2400, and N110. Of these, I really only need two: Auto Pistol and either 2400 or N110. Ultimate Pistol is an interesting powder. It was developed for non-tox 9mm, specifically to be easily ignited by a non-tox primer. It's great to work with, but after some experimentation, the only use for it that I have is standard 38 special and light 44 magnum (240 grain HC traveling about 1000 fps out of my 4.25" revolver). I can do both of these things with Auto Pistol after the Ultimate Pistol is used up.
Fritz the Cat
NES Member
Sometimes when you're working diligently at the press[es] and you gotta go but if you head to the head, you'll get cornered by the wife, kids will need homework help, dog needs a walk, and next thing you know, no more bullets will be made today.
solution? Strap on a pampers and you'll be G2G for the rest of the night. 
Fritz the Cat
NES Member
"product may settle during shipment"Oh hey look what FedEx delivered today. This should hold me over for a little while in addition to the one pound containers I have. $160 shipped - not bad considering it was the only thing I bought.
And holy crap Alliant uses a big ass jug for their 8 pounders. I don’t even think it’s half full?
View attachment 329460
Water jug for scale
View attachment 329462
It's tempting to pour the powder into a smaller, stackable container, like Tupperware. Especially when there is only a few ozs left and yet that keg sits wasting space in the cabinet. The big jug also gives a false sense of security causing one to think "I have plenty of 2400. Look at the big keg on the shelf." when in reality there is less than an ounce left.
Usually one starts of with just a pound of a powder before going all in. I just save a one pound container and use it for staging. I think the 1 pound container for 2400 will probably hold in the neighborhood of 1.75 pounds of 2400.
What dies are you using for the 458 Socom? I started loading a few months ago for the 458. I started with new brass, went thru the motions and I couldn't keep the crimp correct. As I was crimping at the set length, the brass would always expand and the rounds wouldn't fit in a gauge. I think out of my first 10, I had 3 that passed inspection. That was with Hornady dies. I decided to try Redding dies from there. I had better results, but I still had 2 failures. I ended up putting that project to the side and haven't picked it up since.
1903Collector
NES Member
I'm using Hornandy dies but I crimp with a Lee factory crimp die. I don't crimp with the seater die.
I don't have a lot of faith in those finished cartridge gauges, I don't use them anymore. I had gauges where rounds would not go into but chambered just fine in my pistols. Did you try chambering the "failed rounds" in your rifle?
the only brass I have used so far is Starline and SBR and they both have good neck tension so I didn't use a heavy crimp. My next batch of loads will be 300gr Lehigh solids and CFEBLK powder and I have a pound of SBR Socom powder on order.
Crimping with the seater die is always where I fail, no matter how much I was adjusting it, I couldn't find a good sweet spot where my length was good, and my crimp was good.
I did try to chamber the rounds and failed. I actually didn't buy a gauge until I had the failure to chamber rifle. I wanted to see if it was my chamber that may have been out of spec. But both the gauge and chamber fail, so its definitely my rounds.
45collector
NES Member
Sometimes when you're working diligently at the press[es] and you gotta go but if you head to the head, you'll get cornered by the wife, kids will need homework help, dog needs a walk, and next thing you know, no more bullets will be made today.
I have been working on a batch of .308 for weeks now. Running a business and having two little ones at home, I’m lucky to get in a few 20 minute reloading sessions here and there any given week.
pastera
NES Member
I don't like crimping with the seater die, especially for cartridges with a roll crimp.
I also don't like spending the extra on a second die so I 3d print seating dies and seating stems specifically for each bullet profile. Makes getting things adjusted so that rounds gauge properly much easier.
I also don't like spending the extra on a second die so I 3d print seating dies and seating stems specifically for each bullet profile. Makes getting things adjusted so that rounds gauge properly much easier.
Fritz the Cat
NES Member
Soo.... are you saying you wear a Depends when you go to the reloading room?I have been working on a batch of .308 for weeks now. Running a business and having two little ones at home, I’m lucky to get in a few 20 minute reloading sessions here and there any given week.
In a few years the kiddos will be old enough to help out. Kids love case prep and sorting by headstamp. The family that reloads together stays together.
45collector
NES Member
Naw I'm just saying I know what it's like to be focused on reloading only to have to get up and walk away from it and probably not get back to it until days later.
But yes it will be nice to have someone help sort the piles of pistol brass. I don't sort any of that by headstamp though.
peterk123
NES Member
50 rounds of 405 grain plinking loads for the 45-70. 24 grains of 2400.
Pirty
I had a box of 3,000 9mm brass show up today. Haven’t had a chance to continue cranking out 9mm though. Hopefully this weekend.
peterk123
NES Member
Are you using a feeder for your brass? I am still doing that by hand, as well as the bullet. Very tempted to invest in a feeder for the brass.
BTSDOG
NES Member
It was a mess, so i did some cleaning, reorganizing, wet tumbled 1 thou. 5.56, and took some pics......
I am not. I even check every head stamp before it goes on the press. Adds a second or 2 per round but I don’t mind. There’s a lot of brass I have to watch out for when using 150 gr bullets in a CZ that requires a short OAL...
Its not fun to lock up a gun during a match lol. I haven’t had any jams now that I’ve traced it to certain brands of brass.
I wouldn’t mind a casefeeder but I’ve heard they don’t work well with the Hornady progressive press? Which is what I have.
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Where’s the Henderson trimmer?
What brass are you using/ tossing out and whats your oal?
Are the 150's a tc or round nose?
would you like to see my pleasure room? LOL!
I’m tossing CBC/magtech, Aguila, AMERC, and Tulabrass which seem to have thicker casewalls and creates a bulge when seating the bullets so they won’t chamber.
Freedom munitions, xtreme, IMI have “steps” inside the cases which won’t allow bullets to be seated all the way.
I’m using the round nose blue bullets at ~1.10"
good deal
thank you sir
thank you sir
38ExtraSpecial
NES Member
Whoa!? I can't believe it's been almost 5 years. Damn time flies.
And 5k replies and 423k views - not bad!
![[laugh]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/012.gif "Laugh [laugh]")
I got the idea from a thread on the 1911 forums:
What did you do in the reloading room today?
forums.1911forum.com
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38ExtraSpecial
NES Member
We have more gossipy girls on here than the 1911 forums.Whoa!? I can't believe it's been almost 5 years. Damn time flies.
And 5k replies and 423k views - not bad!
I got the idea from a thread on the 1911 forums:
That one only has 3,600 posts and 281k views...What did you do in the reloading room today?
It’s all the guys reloading for their glocks.
![[rofl]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/013.gif "ROFL [rofl]")
BTSDOG
NES Member
in my other tool/workshop on another bench. Still figuring out where to put it...
peterk123
NES Member
You know, I never thought of the brass being an issue. My wife has an sti apiero and it won't go into battery every once in a while. I thought I solved the issue with a shorter OAL (1.09), but every once in a while, one still gets stuck. I will have to pay attention to that.
Left work early today. Gave me a chance to load the remaining 20 rounds of 45-70. Also resized 100 rounds of 45-70 brass. In the tumbler as I write getting the lube off.
Yes definitely check your brass.
