What did you do in the reloading room recently?

andrew1220 said:
My brass is a mix up pickups and mostly brass that I bought. I lose all of my brass at USPSA/IDPA matches so I have to replenish it somehow.
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Most of my brass is from buying off of guys on here , and other sites. I started reloading like 6 months after I started shooting (and that was only like two yrs ago) , so I never really bought much factory ammo to have the brass from.
 
I have one press that stays setup for 9mm, (because that's what I shoot the most of), and I change the other as needed. Set it up for .45ACP this weekend and loaded my first batch. Surprisingly easy. Took 30 of them to the range, chrono'd 10 and shot pins with the others. Chrono numbers look good, pins went flying - so I'll load enough for next years pin league before I change the toolhead again.
 
RankAmateur said:
Cheap tripod + this. Too old to be crawling around picking up cases (grin).

iu


Friends think it's either funny or cool. Either way, they all want to see if they can hit the net with their ejected brass. Works for me (grin again)!
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I like shooting steel plates and move a lot at it. But it is an interesting idea, I can try it
 
paul73 said:
i also scored big last week - i think close to 200 that looked like once shot .223 brass, about of 20-30 6.5CM, etc. looked like a big party was there.
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My range is the desert, I have a good quiet spot but when I need brass I risk it and go to the popular spot. There are people shooting everywhere, it's crazy, but there is brass everywhere. This was 2 hours yesterday. Mostly 223 and 9, my favorite. ;) 20211126_141311.jpg
 
TZCHRIS said:
My range is the desert, I have a good quiet spot but when I need brass I risk it and go to the popular spot. There are people shooting everywhere, it's crazy, but there is brass everywhere.
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The Barnstable town range was a great source for brass. About the only problem was a regular who would show up and wander out onto the range to pick brass while people were on the firing line, and just take his sweet time about it. Not even shoot, just show up to pick up brass. Like... dude, really? Could you maybe wait until shooting hours are over?

I guess I can't complain too much, I still have about 5 gallons of 223/556 brass and a maybe three gallons worth of various handgun brass I picked from there.

Even ten years later, walk down there and the steel case stuff and 22LR is still all over the rifle range. That place was good while it lasted, but you had to kind of keep your head up for people maybe not demonstrating the best safety practices.
 
paul73 said:
i do not know how do you guys manage to force yourselves to pick up all that 9mm brass...
on ARs i got brass catcher now, and it helps big time, but pistol throws it all over the place.
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I hear you. I like revolvers so much better for recreational shooting. I have to pick up my 9mm brass when I shoot for training purposes, even if I wasn't going to reload it. I could set up my stand-alone brass catcher on a tripod beside me, but I don't want to train that way. I did get an on-rifle brass catcher for use with my Ruger 44 carbines. It helps with the brass, but I don't like having to mess with it. It's one thing or the other. I'll use the off-rifle one for shooting groups from a rest or something, but generally I'd rather just pick up my brass. That's why I have my 44 brass sorted now with the older stuff designated for the Ruger 44. If I lose a few of those, which tends to happen, I don't care so much because some of them were going to split within a few more reloadings, anyway.
 
So I got sick of waiting on my Leader 50 A1 and bought an AR-50 to develop loads. That thing is HEAVY, but oddly comfortable to shoot. The brake is a beast, and puts up a cloud of dust like an artillery piece, but transforms the recoil into a push that is subjectively more pleasant than my 6.5 CM (which also has a Med Palma barrel and brake). Anyhow, I started with 750 grain AMAX loads with US 869 and was confused to find that despite the VERY long throat in this gun and loading to Hodgdon's COAL, I got pressure signs near minimum loads and a nearly stuck bolt 10 grains above the starting load (which sounds like a lot until you consider that the published max charge is 265 grains of POWDER). Undeterred, I also started working up loads for the 643-647 grain API (Silver Tip) bullets. There, I also got pressure signs near minimum loads.

The unexpected issues now are that 1) pulling .50 BMG bullets is hard (and I annealed very case neck before loading) 2) military API bullets run about 644 +/- 2.5 grains and vary about 0.1" in total length, which means that the lowest common denominator for safe loads leaves a lot of performance on the table for the shorter/lighter bullets 3) I do not have a good theory on why I'm getting pressure signs so low in my ladder despite a long throat (I measured something like 0.3" of freebore when using Hodgdon's 5.450" COAL in the AR-50). There may be too much neck tension, but I'm already doing the things that should mitigate that issue (I sized all of the military bullets through a .510" sizer die before loading and annealed /ized all of the brass).

In better news, the 6.5 CM that I built to practice with shoots 0.5-0.7 MOA groups using loads that I spent basically zero time working up. 6.5 CM from an aftermarket barrel is basically a cheat code for precision.
 
p.. said:
This ought to keep me occupied for a little while this winter. Nice little score at a few shops along a recent road trip.
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Had a chance to try a few loads with Hornady 55g FMJ with cannelure, and 50g ZMAX. IMR3031 and AA2230. 16" 1/7 Colt carbine barrel, 4x scope, 100 yards from bench rest.
Lower right was 10 rounds of Federal Automatch 40 grain 22lr through a CZ452 Silhouette with a Nikon 10x scope.

IMG_8640.JPG

Seems to like this one:
IMG_8641.JPG
 
p.. said:
Had a chance to try a few loads with Hornady 55g FMJ with cannelure, and 50g ZMAX. IMR3031 and AA2230. 16" 1/7 Colt carbine barrel, 4x scope, 100 yards from bench rest.
Lower right was 10 rounds of Federal Automatch 40 grain 22lr through a CZ452 Silhouette with a Nikon 10x scope.

View attachment 547048

Seems to like this one:
View attachment 547052
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Not bad! Actually good for a bulk 55 gr FMJ. 2-3” groups at 100 are about the best I can do with the Hornady 55 gr FMJs over H335 powder. Perfect for my needs.
 

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