What did you do in the reloading room recently?

[mac1911]

Last night I reloaded .30-30 for the first time. I came across a set of dies, shell holder, brass, and primers from an estate sale years ago, but never got around to acquiring a rifle in .30-30. As it comes out, a close friend of mine just recently finished rescuing and refinishing a Winchester Model 94 that was flooded as a result of a house fire many years ago and he couldn't find ammo locally. Fortunately the bore appeared to be in pretty good shape along with no fire damage to the rest of the rifle.

I happened to have found some Hornady 150 gr. Round Nose Interlock .308 bullets while in Hooksett yesterday and decided to get loading when I got home.

Loaded up 40 rounds with once fired Federal cases, Winchester Large Primers, CFE 223 powder at 35.4 grains (middle of the road according to Hodgdon), topped off with the Hornady Interlock's. COAL of 2.550"

Met up with my friend at the club this afternoon, put a box through the rifle and sighted in the iron sights at 25 yards after chronographing a few rounds, had to walk in the elevation a lot but the windage was almost dead nuts. Decided to take it out to 100 yards with the last 3 rounds out of the box of 20 I made for us to shoot. Benched with the buck-horn iron sights I was able to print about a 4" group, just to the left of the aiming point. Needless to say, with this close to 100 year old rifle with the rough history it has been through, we were VERY impressed with its performance.

All rounds fed and ejected flawlessly, with 5 rounds through the chronograph there was an average of 2120 fps about 20 ft from the muzzle out of a 20" barrel, and a standard deviation of 20 fps. Very happy with how everything turned out, it's been over a year since I've reloaded a rifle cartridge.

Also goes to show that old, rough looking guns can still hold their own on the range.

Every old timer I know with a “crusty” 30/30 always seems to have a freezer full of meet.
My dad always said a honestly worn gun is a gun that works. Pretty guns not so much

 

[Uzi2]

Put another 26 AR mags and 500 pieces of nice clean 9mm brass (bought from a member here) on the shelf.

Got to and from the post office this morning before the snow started.

 

[p..]

My guess is "crimp jump". Plated bullets are very slippery, so a given amount of neck tension leads to less friction. Each time you fire one, the remaining ones might inch forward. This is one reason why I stopped loading plated bullets in revolver calibers. You need to crimp them pretty good to prevent them from walking out under recoil, but you don't want to crimp them so much that you deform the bullet and damage the plating. Finding balance in there, since they came with such shallow cannelures to begin with, just wasn't a challenge I was interested in.

I had awful luck with Berry's plated in 38 Special. Super erratic speeds, a squib, just a pain. This was with trickled up hand weighed charges too. Played around with length, crimp, different powders. Just ran awful. Shot up the remainder of the box and won't be buying more.

 

[DW357]

Every old timer I know with a “crusty” 30/30 always seems to have a freezer full of meet.
My dad always said a honestly worn gun is a gun that works. Pretty guns not so much

I was bored and noticed I had 7 sized/deprimed 30-30 cases kicking around. So I loaded them with some pulled 170 gr RN bullets and Hornady 110 gr. RN over IMR-4064

 

[mac1911]

I was bored and noticed I had 7 sized/deprimed 30-30 cases kicking around. So I loaded them with some pulled 170 gr RN bullets and Hornady 110 gr. RN over IMR-4064

I dont know if your old enough to remember BUT 30cal 110 grain round nose used to be available as “plinking” ammo they had a half a metal jacket They where made for plinking and varmint control.
I made up several rounds years ago for a friends dad. 110 gn reduced load iirc they where about 1100fps he liked to use them on his small farm , did the job on varmints and where not as load as a full load and I swear its half as quiet as 22lr
Anyway he now has a 25 cal air rifle with a thermal scope for varmint control

 

[Tallahassee]

Thank goodness for delivery updates. Got the notification that a box of brass was delivered, in the mailbox. But, I knew it was too big for the mailbox.

Went down the driveway, box of brass is on the side of the road, and the plow truck was still out.

I would have picking up brass all summer.

 

[daekken]

Made 79 rounds of .223 last night, hopefully use them to sight in an LPVO soon.

 

[Leezway]

Was able to get a little time in the bench today.

 

[Tallahassee]

Just got done tumbling 9mm. Moving onto some 45 now. Hopefully I can do some reloading during the week.

 

[mac1911]

Think I am finally settled on the load I will use for a good while
45 acp 185 gn semi wad cutter
4.0 grains Clays
Soft shooting light recoil and will shoot as well as I can deliver. Now its Time to actually zero the sights.
Also rand some 230 gn LRN , a bit more punchy and just did not “feel” right

SW 1911 with shitty plastic crimson trace grips. I never used the “laser” sight.

25 yards 6 oc hold

185 SWC
The 10 at 12oc was center hold.


230 LRN
I was surprised at how much off POA these where vs the 185 . I always get a shift but this one is one of the furthest shifts I have personally seen with this pistol. The remaining rounds went to the steel plate

 

[Tallahassee]

Think I am finally settled on the load I will use for a good while
45 acp 185 gn semi wad cutter
4.0 grains Clays
Soft shooting light recoil and will shoot as well as I can deliver. Now its Time to actually zero the sights.
Also rand some 230 gn LRN , a bit more punchy and just did not “feel” right

SW 1911 with shitty plastic crimson trace grips. I never used the “laser” sight.

25 yards 6 oc hold
View attachment 562414
185 SWC
The 10 at 12oc was center hold.
View attachment 562415

230 LRN
I was surprised at how much off POA these where vs the 185 . I always get a shift but this one is one of the furthest shifts I have personally seen with this pistol. The remaining rounds went to the steel plateView attachment 562417
View attachment 562417

I always load 230, do you have any issues with the 185 swc feeding?

 

[NavelOfficer]

Although you won't get the crisp holes on paper, Berry's has a 185gr HBRN, for those that have issues with the SWC profile

 

[DW357]

I loaded up the last of my Xtreme 240 gr 44 cal bullets over H110 powder. Run great in the desert eagle.

 

[mac1911]

I always load 230, do you have any issues with the 185 swc feeding?

No all 3 of my 1911s will feed just about anything. Heck probably feed full wad cutters or even empty cases if I tried.
And they are light loads.
The only bullet I have loaded that gave me feeding problems was a 230 gn hollow point. Sometimes the edge of the hollow point would snag on the top of the chamber.

 

[SJan]

Think I am finally settled on the load I will use for a good while
45 acp 185 gn semi wad cutter
4.0 grains Clays Soft shooting light recoil and will shoot as well as I can deliver

sounds light indeed. Did you happen to chrono this?
I load 4.0g clays under 230g at its about 730-740 fps

 

[Tallahassee]

No all 3 of my 1911s will feed just about anything. Heck probably feed full wad cutters or even empty cases if I tried.
And they are light loads.
The only bullet I have loaded that gave me feeding problems was a 230 gn hollow point. Sometimes the edge of the hollow point would snag on the top of the chamber.

I gave up on hollow points in my 1911s. Nothing but problems. If it fed in one gun, it would hang up in another.

 

[mac1911]

sounds light indeed. Did you happen to chrono this?
I load 4.0g clays under 230g at its about 730-740 fps

I dont bother with the crony, once I get to 100% cycle it is what it is. They are soft for sure

 

[mac1911]

I gave up on hollow points in my 1911s. Nothing but problems. If it fed in one gun, it would hang up in another.

I have some hornady 185 HP that cycle just fine. Loaded to mid range Hornady data. Those dont give me as tight groups as the cast SWC

 

[DW357]

sounds light indeed. Did you happen to chrono this?
I load 4.0g clays under 230g at its about 730-740 fps

Luckily mac doesn’t have to worry about PF as his loads would definitely get him DQ’d

 

[BarnBuilder]

Luckily mac doesn’t have to worry about PF as his loads would definitely get him DQ’d

PF as in Puff Factor

 

[mac1911]

Luckily mac doesn’t have to worry about PF as his loads would definitely get him DQ’d

Im constantly getting DQ’d
You should here some of the crying and razing at the cmp matches with my cast loads

 

[mac1911]

Luckily mac doesn’t have to worry about PF as his loads would definitely get him DQ’d

I never really understood PF ? Although that style of shooting I would be less concerned with soft shooting target rounds.
Im only shooting 25 and 50 yard service pistol style for fun .
I have been shooting than SW 1911 for years and only for groups this will be the first time I actually zero the sights to a particular load.

 

[DW357]

Im constantly getting DQ’d
You should here some of the crying and razing at the cmp matches with my cast loads

 

[NavelOfficer]

1000 pieces: $148.00
American made, .451 diameter, 185 grain, 45 ACP full metal jacket bullets in stock and ready to ship now. These are a copper jacketed bullet with a swaged lead core made right here in the USA! You can hammer these down range @ +P velocities without worrying as the jacket is extremely rugged and thick. When we weighed and measured these bullets we were very satisfied with the consistency of the weights and diameters.
You'll have to PC me, else I get scolded for posting a link.

 

[Tallahassee]

Free. Nine pieces of blazer 45 brass. Always good for a laugh. Throw one or two into your friend's bucket of large primer brass. Guaranteed to have fun!

 

[qwik88]

Primed some 30-30 yesterday

 

[Uzi2]

Loaded 200 .45acp 230RN lead today. Had the brass all primed and belled in a bag from a previous session.

 

[turbo89]

View attachment 563188
Free. Nine pieces of blazer 45 brass. Always good for a laugh. Throw one or two into your friend's bucket of large primer brass. Guaranteed to have fun!

There’s a special place in hell for people like you!

 

[38ExtraSpecial]

Coated and sized another 650 or so 9mm bullets.
Going to load some 357 hollow points and move to the 9mm again.

 

[dhuze]

View attachment 563188
Free. Nine pieces of blazer 45 brass. Always good for a laugh. Throw one or two into your friend's bucket of large primer brass. Guaranteed to have fun!

Finally I know what to do with the half dozen or so I have of those stupid things.