What did you do in the reloading room recently?

The other day I opened up my cannister of N320 and loaded up some test loads in 9mm (125gr Hornady HAP) and 38 special (125gr coated lead TCFP). I had bought this N320 to load 9mm when N340 was out of stock and I was picking up another 2K of primers sometime in spring or summer (don't remember), but after running my test loads yesterday, I was kind of ambivalent about the lower-velocity, lower-recoil, and (as it turned out) higher-pressure 9mm N320 loads as compared to my N340 loads with the same bullets. I don't actually have any more N340 on hand, but I do have adequate supplies of Auto Pistol, which has a burn rate more in the neighborhood of N340.

Conversely, I thought the light 38 special loads over N320 would be excellent practice loads for use in my 642, as I generally stop wanting to shoot it after about 35 rounds or so with my 158 grain standard-pressure loads. So, now I'm thinking about devoting that cannister to 38 special loads, which in turn means I need to work up 9mm 125 grain Hornady HAP loads with Auto Pistol instead. Ironically, it will be the first time I've used Shooter's World Auto Pistol for semi-auto loads, as I've exclusively been using it for revolver cartridges in the same contexts as one might use, say, HS-6.
 
I keep buying reloading things and then have to rearrange all my other things. All while knowing I’ll be buying more things and have to rearrange for new things

kind of like the crack head who smokes crack then needs to work to buy more crack, then needs to smoke more crack So’s to work more hours to buy more crack And a bic lighter.

bUt LeT tHat Go !?!?!?!!!!
 
I keep buying reloading things and then have to rearrange all my other things. All while knowing I’ll be buying more things and have to rearrange for new things

kind of like the crack head who smokes crack then needs to work to buy more crack, then needs to smoke more crack So’s to work more hours to buy more crack And a bic lighter.

bUt LeT tHat Go !?!?!?!!!!
Leave Hunter Biden out of this!

You need a couple more dillons.
 
Hours of mind-numbing political babble was just what I needed to size ~150 pcs of .458 SOCOM brass. That and a bottle of Advil. Of the calibers I reload including 50 BMG (which uses a huge press), I think this one takes the hardest yanking on the handle. Yeah, I said yanking the handle...

LVmcOwCh.jpg


I'll use about 7-1/2 lbs of projectiles and 3/4 lb of 4198 powder to load these. The Hornady JHP's are my favorites but I have a NOE mold to try out and plan to use Lyman #2 alloy + HiTech coating for that.
 
I will try today with once fired brass. See what happens.
We do know something changed , what we need to find out is what.
i learned through error just how much a shell holder can play with your final out come.
I now have shell ho!ders for each die set. Especially among the same cal die sets i have.
For example 30-06 i have 4 die set ups
One set up for my new barrel M1 , one to basically make "factory" ammo , one for cast and another for my 03a4-new barrel. Each has its own shell holder- if i where to mix them the end results will change from excessive shoulder set back, poor crimps , incorrect bullet depth.

i dont have a horndy pistol seater to look at to get a idea where or why it would s
I keep buying reloading things and then have to rearrange all my other things. All while knowing I’ll be buying more things and have to rearrange for new things

kind of like the crack head who smokes crack then needs to work to buy more crack, then needs to smoke more crack So’s to work more hours to buy more crack And a bic lighter.

bUt LeT tHat Go !?!?!?!!!!
juzt toss it on the bench with all the other shit.
 
We do know something changed , what we need to find out is what.
i learned through error just how much a shell holder can play with your final out come.
I now have shell ho!ders for each die set. Especially among the same cal die sets i have.
For example 30-06 i have 4 die set ups
One set up for my new barrel M1 , one to basically make "factory" ammo , one for cast and another for my 03a4-new barrel. Each has its own shell holder- if i where to mix them the end results will change from excessive shoulder set back, poor crimps , incorrect bullet depth.

i dont have a horndy pistol seater to look at to get a idea where or why it would s
juzt toss it on the bench with all the other shit.

This comment applying to Dillon set ups?
 
Loaded 600 rounds of 9mm; (124grn XTreme plated over 4.0 of TiteGroup), for Friday's "Shootout in Savannah III" GSSF match.

If you haven't shot a GSSF match, and you like steel challenge - check it out at GSSFONLINE.COM.

I'm shooting six divisions tomorrow, on three courses of fire.
5 to Glock is shot three times, Glock'M is shot three times, and Glock the Plates is shot four times.
So, 60 separate strings, using guns running from a G34 w/SRO down to a G43.

And after shooting Friday morning, I'll RO Friday afternoon, Saturday and Sunday morning - brass-ratting like a maniac.
 

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Loaded 600 rounds of 9mm; (124grn XTreme plated over 4.0 of TiteGroup), for Friday's "Shootout in Savannah III" GSSF match.

If you haven't shot a GSSF match, and you like steel challenge - check it out at GSSFONLINE.COM.

Looks interesting. Like a glock only outlaw shoot.

What are your finished cartridge dimensions?
Or specifically, your case mouth dia using non-jacketed?
 
Ok so my neck expander die arrived. I did a few experiments to try to dial in and came up with these. The max over all length is 28mm. The shell trim length was 18-19. These still seem fugly. I do plan t20201105_133854.jpgo powder coat future batches but this is a test run. What say NES?
 
Ok so my neck expander die arrived. I did a few experiments to try to dial in and came up with these. The max over all length is 28mm. The shell trim length was 18-19. These still seem fugly. I do plan tView attachment 408230o powder coat future batches but this is a test run. What say NES?
Also just tried racking in one in the old 92f. Didn't work out...
 
Ok so my neck expander die arrived. I did a few experiments to try to dial in and came up with these. The max over all length is 28mm. The shell trim length was 18-19. These still seem fugly. I do plan tView attachment 408230o powder coat future batches but this is a test run. What say NES?

From left to right-
Front row-

6th one looks like it never took the flare out of the case mouth
 
Ok so my neck expander die arrived. I did a few experiments to try to dial in and came up with these. The max over all length is 28mm. The shell trim length was 18-19. These still seem fugly. I do plan tView attachment 408230o powder coat future batches but this is a test run. What say NES?
Your bullet seating stem profile is wrong for that bullet shape. Your just going to cut the coating.
Looks like some bullets went in a little crooked because your bullet nose is rocking around inside the seater plug ?
Are you sizing these bullets? What size, are you measuring case mouth dia on know. Good rounds? How does yours compare?
Getting better....
 
Your bullet seating stem profile is wrong for that bullet shape. Your just going to cut the coating.
Looks like some bullets went in a little crooked because your bullet nose is rocking around inside the seater plug ?
Are you sizing these bullets? What size, are you measuring case mouth dia on know. Good rounds? How does yours compare?
Getting better....
No, not sizing. Looks like I need one of these then. I didn't see this step in some of the youtube videos

Lee Bullet Sizing Die Kit 225 Diameter
 
Looks interesting. Like a glock only outlaw shoot.

What are your finished cartridge dimensions?
Or specifically, your case mouth dia using non-jacketed?

Bullet: 124grn XTreme plated, .588L x .355D

I tried to get ID of cases, it's hard because I'm not sure I'm centered, so using OD...
Sized Case: OD .372 with wall thickness of .011 (times 2)
Belled Case: OD .375
OAL: 1.156

Chamber checking with EGW 7 hole chamber checker; everything that's gone through that check has fit in my 9mms.
 
bought a used MEC 600 Jr 5 from a guy who's no longer got time for shotgun reloading. Came with the EZ primer. Guy also threw in a huge box of Win AA 2-3/4" red hulls, a bag of 500 Claybuster WAA12 wads and about 5 lbs of #9 shot. he also gave me what was left of an old can of "Hurricane Red Dot" dated from 1990. LOL. Don't think I'll use that.

So.. trying to figure this out... it has a 302/118 charge bar and a #29 bushing. I know the "118" on the bar means 1-1/8 oz of shot

So.. according to Hodgdon's online data, say.. If I were to buy CCI 209 primers and Titewad powder, with 1-1/8 oz lead shot, this is the data for the Win AA hulls
Hodgdon Titewad CCI 209 WAA12 15.3 gr 10,300 PSI 1,090 fps

The MEC bushing chart shows the #29 throwing 20.6 of Titewad.
I'm guessing that if I use the recipe above, I need to get a #20 or #21 bushing since the #29 throws too much powder, while the #20 and #21 throw 14.4 and 15.0 gr respectively.

Alliant chart says the #29 bushing throws various amts of their powder, 17.1-31 gr., probably depending on the powder type.
for Red Dot, says 17.1 gr. So according to this recipe that shows 18 gr max, I'd be good using a #29 bushing with 2 3/4-in. Winchester AA Plastic Shells, Alliant Red Dot powder, Win 209 primers, WAA12 wads, and 1-1/8 lead shot?

just want to make sure I'm reading all this data correctly.
 
bought a used MEC 600 Jr 5 from a guy who's no longer got time for shotgun reloading. Came with the EZ primer. Guy also threw in a huge box of Win AA 2-3/4" red hulls, a bag of 500 Claybuster WAA12 wads and about 5 lbs of #9 shot. he also gave me what was left of an old can of "Hurricane Red Dot" dated from 1990. LOL. Don't think I'll use that.

So.. trying to figure this out... it has a 302/118 charge bar and a #29 bushing. I know the "118" on the bar means 1-1/8 oz of shot

So.. according to Hodgdon's online data, say.. If I were to buy CCI 209 primers and Titewad powder, with 1-1/8 oz lead shot, this is the data for the Win AA hulls
Hodgdon Titewad CCI 209 WAA12 15.3 gr 10,300 PSI 1,090 fps

The MEC bushing chart shows the #29 throwing 20.6 of Titewad.
I'm guessing that if I use the recipe above, I need to get a #20 or #21 bushing since the #29 throws too much powder, while the #20 and #21 throw 14.4 and 15.0 gr respectively.

Alliant chart says the #29 bushing throws various amts of their powder, 17.1-31 gr., probably depending on the powder type.
for Red Dot, says 17.1 gr. So according to this recipe that shows 18 gr max, I'd be good using a #29 bushing with 2 3/4-in. Winchester AA Plastic Shells, Alliant Red Dot powder, Win 209 primers, WAA12 wads, and 1-1/8 lead shot?

just want to make sure I'm reading all this data correctly.

I'm going though the same thing you are....just got a used Mec600jr and trying to wrap my head around shotshell reloading. It's a little bit different...
 
No, not sizing. Looks like I need one of these then. I didn't see this step in some of the youtube videos

Lee Bullet Sizing Die Kit 225 Diameter
Forget the YouTube videos. Few of them have the proper step by steps.
Get a Lyman cast bullet manual and download “from ingot to target” from the LASC website.
You just missed the NES cast Bullet seminar too!

Don’t be discouraged though you’re doing fine. The actual bullets look good they just need to be sized and you need the proper seating stem like mac1911 said.
Maybe hook up on the Bullet casting threads on the reloading section or start a new one like @NewBeige has going and we can try to guide you along.
There is a ton of Bullet casters on here.
 
Forget the YouTube videos. Few of them have the proper step by steps.
Get a Lyman cast bullet manual and download “from ingot to target” from the LASC website.
You just missed the NES cast Bullet seminar too!

Don’t be discouraged though you’re doing fine. The actual bullets look good they just need to be sized and you need the proper seating stem like mac1911 said.
Maybe hook up on the Bullet casting threads on the reloading section or start a new one like @NewBeige has going and we can try to guide you along.
There is a ton of Bullet casters on here.
 
Howdy Lank,
Let me comment on seater stems and marked bullets.
A small dab of JB weld on the stem can make a seater for any bullet.
Or hot melt glue if your fast enough.
Or some thick epoxy

Be sure to put a little vasaline on the bullet.
Run it up into the die until it just touches but don't try to seat it.
Then your seater die will match the bullet perfetly.
I use hot melt glue myself
 
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