What did you do in the reloading room recently?

[xtry51]

Ugh. So... I may have created some duds today. Going to have to mark this can special and keep it aside. Here is my dumbass story.

I typically spot check my powder drops 1-2 times per 100 rounds as my SDB has been extremely reliable over the years with over 40k 9mm loaded on it. Well, today I failed to notice the clamp for the powder drop neck loosened up. Never had this happen before, but I have been on a 5k stint. Due to being loose, I was getting intermittent light charges as the entire assembly was able to lift up slightly. I checked a case and it only had 1.4gr (target 3.4gr). I ran 10 more, got 2 more light charges. Motherf***er....

Pulled the whole thing apart to make sure everything else was fine. Reassembled, torqued everything properly and checked 20, all spot on, but now I have 1500rds loose in a can with some puff loads mixed in. . I'm not going to pull them all, I'll just use them for slow fire bullseye. Maybe I'll get to practice squibs....

This is the screw that came loose for ref.

 

[EddieZoom]

Ugh. So... I may have created some duds today. Going to have to mark this can special and keep it aside. Here is my dumbass story.

I typically spot check my powder drops 1-2 times per 100 rounds as my SDB has been extremely reliable over the years with over 40k 9mm loaded on it. Well, today I failed to notice the clamp for the powder drop neck loosened up. Never had this happen before, but I have been on a 5k stint. Due to being loose, I was getting intermittent light charges as the entire assembly was able to lift up slightly. I checked a case and it only had 1.4gr (target 3.4gr). I ran 10 more, got 2 more light charges. Motherf***er....

Pulled the whole thing apart to make sure everything else was fine. Reassembled, torqued everything properly and checked 20, all spot on, but now I have 1500rds loose in a can with some puff loads mixed in. . I'm not going to pull them all, I'll just use them for slow fire bullseye. Maybe I'll get to practice squibs....

This is the screw that came loose for ref.
View attachment 497470

Yuk....that sucks.

Do you typcially eyeball powder drop at station 2 as part of your loading process ?

 

[Jim Poulette]

Yeah - sucks just about says it all. My eyeballs aren't that keen for powder levels yet.

I've tried both the lock-out die, and the Powder Cop. Surprisingly, the Powder Cop is more comfortable for me - like the ole' dowel stick with a mark on it.

 

[pastera]

I still need to buy a tumbler. My wife isn't happy with me rolling bottles of brass on the treadmill.

The HF dual drum is cheap and does a great job without pins - you get 4 lbs (~400) of 9mm cleaned per hour.
Quick squirt of disk liquid and a 25acp of lemishine in each drum leaves the brass factory shiny.

 

[EddieZoom]

My eyeballs aren't that keen for powder levels yet.

A good habit to get into IMHO. A little tougher to do on the SDB since space is pretty tight.

I loaded on an SDB for many years and since I made every reloading mistake there is to make at least once...pretty sure same has happened to me ;-)

 

[xtry51]

I just watch. I'm making way too much to check every round when making training ammo. That's definitely not going to happen. I made 1k training rounds yesterday alone.

For ref I only use commercial or single stage hand loads for stuff that matters. This production is pure short range training ammo.

 

[dw617]

My Dillon Super Swage came in today. For years I'd been reaming out military primer pockets with a drill and reamer. Works OK, but when priming you can sometimes tell you should have done a CH more. The swager should provide a more consistent result.

 

[xtry51]

So I finished the 2k can. I'll start shooting it this week and see what kind of treats I find. I added this note for myself. I'll also put red post it notes on outside of can.

 

[Leezway]

Made some more 9mm 130 grain View attachment 497325

Absolutely beautiful!

 

[meh]

Ordered a pound of Winchester WST for the 200 grain coated RNFPs I plan to load in 45 ACP to shoot in Blackhawk convertible (will have to dig the 45 ACP cylinder out of storage). Since I am going to have about 500 extra LPPs when I eventually get another brick, I also ordered 500 of the corresponding bullets in .430 diameter for some pleasantly light loads in my model 69. Trouble is, I don't have much 44 special brass (had a bunch at one point and then sold it), and WST is a terrible choice for any kind of real 44 magnum loads, so there's not much published load data for 44M. I hear Bullseye data is pretty much interchangeable, but anyway, I guess I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. How hard can it be to work up a good 900 to 1000fps load using 200 grain RNFPs and WST powder in 44 magnum brass?

 

[jpm]

Ordered a pound of Winchester WST for the 200 grain coated RNFPs I plan to load in 45 ACP to shoot in Blackhawk convertible (will have to dig the 45 ACP cylinder out of storage). Since I am going to have about 500 extra LPPs when I eventually get another brick, I also ordered 500 of the corresponding bullets in .430 diameter for some pleasantly light loads in my model 69. Trouble is, I don't have much 44 special brass (had a bunch at one point and then sold it), and WST is a terrible choice for any kind of real 44 magnum loads, so there's not much published load data for 44M. I hear Bullseye data is pretty much interchangeable, but anyway, I guess I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. How hard can it be to work up a good 900 to 1000fps load using 200 grain RNFPs and WST powder in 44 magnum brass?

you can load 44spl in a 44mag case. I do that with unique

 

[Jim Poulette]

Funny, I just loaded up my first 200gn RNFP with Alliant SP for 44 mag, and did some chrono work.

Alliant says max is 9.7 (1217 fps) and I started at 7.5/8.0 and recorded ~750/800 fps pretty consistently with great accuracy at 25'. I'm looking for about the same velocity and plan to goose it up a little to get to 200-225 PF. By the looks of it the velocity of these faster burning powders rises steeply as you get close to max.

 

[EddieZoom]

So I finished the 2k can. I'll start shooting it this week and see what kind of treats I find. I added this note for myself. I'll also put red post it notes on outside of can.

View attachment 497634

 

[Jim Poulette]

View attachment 497821

I hate surprises........

 

[xtry51]

Eh. Low power rounds for semi-pistols don't scare me. The gun just doesn't cycle and maybe you get a squib. No way better to train malfunctions than to have them actually happen.

That said I learned a lesson on doing more thorough press checks between sessions.

 

[meh]

you can load 44spl in a 44mag case. I do that with unique

Generally, yes, with some reduction in pressure and velocity. Titegroup and Universal both work well for that kind of thing. I'm just worried that WST is one of those powders that won't like a lot of air space in the cartridge. People seem to love it in 45 ACP but the reviews are mixed in other calibers, and load data missing in a lot of them, so I was thinking I might get better performance out of this particular powder if I tried to imitate the internal ballistics of it in .45 ACP. The bullets I'll be using are the same weight and design already. I might cut down some older .44 magnum cases to just the right length so that after the bullet is seated, the case capacity is the same in my .44 loads as it is in .45 ACP loads. But I'll also try it in straight up 44 magnum cases and see if I can get good accuracy before I buy into that kind of effort.

 

[EddieZoom]

Dillon 550.

A few hundred rounds into an 38spl run and....*snap*. Operating rod (#13869) snapped...that's a first for me. This is the rod the attaches to the roller on the primer slide to push it back into position to grab a fresh primer when the handle is pulled.

Put in a warranty claim with Dillon for a new one....I'll superglue/tape it back together until it arrives and limp along ;-)

 

[Jim Poulette]

Weird. I would give it a 'like' - but I really don't like it.

 

[EddieZoom]

Dillon 550.

A few hundred rounds into an 38spl run and....*snap*. Operating rod (#13869) snapped...that's a first for me. This is the rod the attaches to the roller on the primer slide to push it back into position to grab a fresh primer when the handle is pulled.

Put in a warranty claim with Dillon for a new one....I'll superglue/tape it back together until it arrives and limp along ;-)



View attachment 498132View attachment 498131

Apparently a known issue as there are a few youtube vids showing the exact same failure. There is also an easy preventive measure...linking here for my fellow Dillon reloaders.

 

[dhuze]

Alloy can play into how the crimp works out. Some manufacturers run softer alloys figuring that the coating will make up for it. In a lot of cases it does.
I’m also wondering if the coating is softer. I’m worked with powder coated bullets before and that stuff can be super soft. You can scrape it off with your fingernail. The hi-tek is hard as woodpecker lips.

I have some mercury from some old thermostats that comes in handy when I have bad lead issues. Snag it when you see it!

Artie is spot in with the copper chore boy. Make sure the relay copper and not plated steel (magnet test) wrap that around a brush and get at it.

I have collected mercury from old thermostats whenever I have found them.

Good call. I was cranking these out rather fast late last year. I probably got lazy aligning the bullets during seating. They seem to have about the same amount of bevel as the blue bullets, maybe just a hair less.

Going to take forever to pull these but it must be done lol.

Just shoot them, then heat your barrel to 625 degrees and pour the leading out. If you don't have a thermometer (because you broke them for mercury) just heat it cherry red.

 

[jpm]

Just shoot them, then heat your barrel to 625 degrees and pour the leading out. If you don't have a thermometer (because you broke them for mercury) just heat it cherry red.

lol what could possibly go wrong with this plan?

 

[DW357]

Hold my beer…

 

[meh]

I did an accuracy comparison of my 300gr 40 Colt (mild Ruger Only) Auto Pistol and N350 loads in my 1892. The top is N350, the bottom Auto Pistol. I shot 5 low, 5 high, 5 low, 5 high. The two fliers in the Auto Pistol group were shots 2 and 3 on the day (shot 1 was a fouling shot at the berm).



I don't know. This was with irons, and the first N350 shot hit at exactly the point of aim (bottom of the red diamond), so maybe the loss of the diamond could have affected my aim on the top target, but I'm not really buying it, as I don't think it explains the windage dispersion, and I was more centering the bead in the space between the bottom of the diamond and the first white circle.

I guess N350 is a possible backup, but I've really come to respect the Lovex powder for its performance with those loads in particular and cast bullets in general. It's not like Auto Pistol is a wonder powder in everything. With jacketed it seems decent enough but not really anything to write home about, about like HS-6. But I haven't found anything better for those 300 grain coated TCFP loads in 45 Colt. Along with that accuracy is, I'm sure from having measured it several times, single digit standard deviations on velocity. I think I'll just use the Auto Pistol preferentially for my 38 special and 45 Colt cast bullet loads. I can then use the N350 in JHP 357 magnum revolver loads and 9mm. I'll probably be reloading 9mm for awhile yet, though I noticed at Targetsports the price of a box of Federal range ammo was down to $0.44 per round. Once it gets below $0.30, my days of picking up tiny cases thrown here and there will probably be suspended. OTOH, I am getting pretty spoiled by how clean my N340 reloads in 9mm shoot.

 

[mac1911]

I did an accuracy comparison of my 300gr 40 Colt (mild Ruger Only) Auto Pistol and N350 loads in my 1892. The top is N350, the bottom Auto Pistol. I shot 5 low, 5 high, 5 low, 5 high. The two fliers in the Auto Pistol group were shots 2 and 3 on the day (shot 1 was a fouling shot at the berm).

View attachment 498424

I don't know. This was with irons, and the first N350 shot hit at exactly the point of aim (bottom of the red diamond), so maybe the loss of the diamond could have affected my aim on the top target, but I'm not really buying it, as I don't think it explains the windage dispersion, and I was more centering the bead in the space between the bottom of the diamond and the first white circle.

I guess N350 is a possible backup, but I've really come to respect the Lovex powder for its performance with those loads in particular and cast bullets in general. It's not like Auto Pistol is a wonder powder in everything. With jacketed it seems decent enough but not really anything to write home about, about like HS-6. But I haven't found anything better for those 300 grain coated TCFP loads in 45 Colt. Along with that accuracy is, I'm sure from having measured it several times, single digit standard deviations on velocity. I think I'll just use the Auto Pistol preferentially for my 38 special and 45 Colt cast bullet loads. I can then use the N350 in JHP 357 magnum revolver loads and 9mm. I'll probably be reloading 9mm for awhile yet, though I noticed at Targetsports the price of a box of Federal range ammo was down to $0.44 per round. Once it gets below $0.30, my days of picking up tiny cases thrown here and there will probably be suspended. OTOH, I am getting pretty spoiled by how clean my N340 reloads in 9mm shoot.

The simple shift in your shooting angle from top to bottom targets could have an effect on what you see as a sight picture, stress in your arms and such.
Its hard to tell sometimes. I know from shooting prone with rifle the lower the target to my sight line the better i group.

 

[meh]

Today's project is to start on working up a 9mm load using my Hornady HAP 125 grains and N350. The Hornady manual has a load and a COAL of 1.060", which is kind of short and limits velocity, which is why, I presume, VV doesn't publish an N350 load for this bullet using their chosen COAL of 1.102". The Hornady recipe would work, no doubt, but there's little reason to use N350 if you can't put enough powder in to get a velocity advantage. My cartridge gauge doesn't even like that COAL, but my Canik TP9SFL barrel passes the plunk test with a COAL of 1.125". So for you 9mm reloading gurus who chase major PF, does this procedure sound right? I.e. find the maximum COAL that plunks in your barrel and then work up the load of a case-filling powder to that? (I'm not trying to actually make major, just trying to make N350 make sense.)

 

[xtry51]

I haven't used N350, but I do with all powders go towards max OAL for the cartridge and ladder test from there. So for 9mm the max for mag length is 1.169". I usually set my press at 1.150" due mainly to the fact I'm usually loading Berry's plated with mixed brass and this makes the results not super consistent. Usually +/-.005.

Normally I would ladder test 9mm in 0.2gr increments from the middle of the range given in book/website load value for the bullet weight. Load up 3-5 of each and watch the primer cup deformation. Usually recoil becomes an issue before you get super hot (unless you're an idiot, lol).

 

[meh]

So for 9mm the max for mag length is 1.169".

The fly in the ointment for me is that these HAP bullets won't pass a plunk test at longer COALs, even if it's within the SAAMI spec. I think it's because there's a long stretch of exposed bullet at full diameter extending from the case before the ogive begins. Whether it plunks in a given barrel depends on how much free bore there is to accept all that bullet at full diameter. It's a pity that I loaded up all my ordinary JHPs over N340 and now only have these HAPs left instead of the JHPs. With the JHPs I think I could probably have gone longer. For a visual, I estimate from counting pixels that Hornady has loaded this one to 1.060".


Oh, wow. I just found this article. Great visual there. The 1.150" load with the 115 grain Hornady HAP bullet looks ridiculous. My 125 grainers are actually from Zero, like the ones pictured there. Like I said, I can't load that long even if I wanted to, not and shoot it in the gun I have. Another reason I couldn't use his load is that he's apparently running at pressures approaching 50K psi. I'm just plinking with a standard out-of-the box Canik, so I'll stick to < 35K psi. But that's still quite an interesting article. It settles the question whether the Zeros are actually Hornady HAPs, the answer being no, despite the close resemblance and demonstrated interchangeability. I had previously assumed they were, but I stand corrected.

 

[mac1911]

The fly in the ointment for me is that these HAP bullets won't pass a plunk test at longer COALs, even if it's within the SAAMI spec. I think it's because there's a long stretch of exposed bullet at full diameter extending from the case before the ogive begins. Whether it plunks in a given barrel depends on how much free bore there is to accept all that bullet at full diameter. It's a pity that I loaded up all my ordinary JHPs over N340 and now only have these HAPs left instead of the JHPs. With the JHPs I think I could probably have gone longer. For a visual, I estimate from counting pixels that Hornady has loaded this one to 1.060".

View attachment 498605
Oh, wow. I just found this article. Great visual there. The 1.150" load with the 115 grain Hornady HAP bullet looks ridiculous. My 125 grainers are actually from Zero, like the ones pictured there. Like I said, I can't load that long even if I wanted to, not and shoot it in the gun I have. Another reason I couldn't use his load is that he's apparently running at pressures approaching 50K psi. I'm just plinking with a standard out-of-the box Canik, so I'll stick to < 35K psi. But that's still quite an interesting article. It settles the question whether the Zeros are actually Hornady HAPs, the answer being no, despite the close resemblance and demonstrated interchangeability. I had previously assumed they were, but I stand corrected.

Any load data specific to HAP bullet?
Why trying to load so long?
Just curious
I dont load for any specific rules/level or load in any large quantities so basic load data has worked for me.
i have hap and xtp bullets sitting on the back of the shelf so some day I will need some good info.

 

[headednorth]

So I finished the 2k can. I'll start shooting it this week and see what kind of treats I find. I added this note for myself. I'll also put red post it notes on outside of can.

View attachment 497634

You have nice handwriting.

Seriously though, after reading this Im going to make it a policy to periodically run ten or so rounds through, snug everything up, and run another ten to confirm everythings still in spec.

 

[xtry51]

Handwriting is carry over from drafting engineering prints. My kids make fun of me all the time for writing notes in all caps, but they never say they can't read what I wrote lol.