What did you do in the reloading room recently?

Mudflap621 said:
Looks great Paul! How far off the lands are you at 2.807"? Don't be afraid to jump bullets not everything has to be 20 thou off the lands to shoot and some bullets prefer much more.

One reason I did seating depth test at .010" increments as I was able to test .050" jump in 25 rounds and cover more ground this way.

Also Im assuming by your measurements your measuring COAL? Id highly suggest getting a comparator set and measuring CBTO as it will be ALOT more consistent and so will your ammo. I don't use COAL for anything other than making sure the cartridge will fit in a mag.
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finally got to 300yds range today after skipping it for almost most of winter as my sports car would not be able to get to the stands - duh - so, the rifle still shoots well, but, i did struggle to be consistent. could not manage a single 5 shot group to be in half moa. need to go again and practice more. loads worked well.

here are best 2 below - one on the left has a hidden flier to the left in between lines 2 and 1. but those 3 together give me some hope that it can be done - a 1/3 moa at least. i adjusted scope after that group to bring it 1" to the right.

300yds_65CM - Copy.jpg

older PR powder 223 loads did some weird spreads, in pairs. very odd, but i need to stamp more of varget ones and retry, i think varget ones were more accurate and the SD was less.
300yds_223.jpg
 
paul73 said:
finally got to 300yds range today after skipping it for almost most of winter as my sports car would not be able to get to the stands - duh - so, the rifle still shoots well, but, i did struggle to be consistent. could not manage a single 5 shot group to be in half moa. need to go again and practice more. loads worked well.

here are best 2 below - one on the left has a hidden flier to the left in between lines 2 and 1. but those 3 together give me some hope that it can be done - a 1/3 moa at least. i adjusted scope after that group to bring it 1" to the right.

View attachment 592084

older PR powder 223 loads did some weird spreads, in pairs. very odd, but i need to stamp more of varget ones and retry, i think varget ones were more accurate and the SD was less.
View attachment 592086
Click to expand...
Nice its often hard to tell whats “you”
“Rifle” or “load”
I was told by a old timer
Vertical displacement is almost always the shooter.
Tight but shifting groups is rifle
“Round” open groups is ammo.

Seems you have all three. Fun fun

How was the light , shifting , shadows ?
 
paul73 said:
finally got to 300yds range today after skipping it for almost most of winter as my sports car would not be able to get to the stands - duh - so, the rifle still shoots well, but, i did struggle to be consistent. could not manage a single 5 shot group to be in half moa. need to go again and practice more. loads worked well.

here are best 2 below - one on the left has a hidden flier to the left in between lines 2 and 1. but those 3 together give me some hope that it can be done - a 1/3 moa at least. i adjusted scope after that group to bring it 1" to the right.

View attachment 592084

older PR powder 223 loads did some weird spreads, in pairs. very odd, but i need to stamp more of varget ones and retry, i think varget ones were more accurate and the SD was less.
View attachment 592086
Click to expand...
What rifles are these? Seems like your putting in the effort in load development and that’s great but sometimes a rifle just isn’t capable.

I don’t know too many factory rifles that are a consistant 1/2moa guns and especially ar platforms. AR can be difficult as there are alot of moving parts as well as a lot of variances between parts.
 
Mudflap621 said:
What rifles are these? Seems like your putting in the effort in load development and that’s great but sometimes a rifle just isn’t capable.

I don’t know too many factory rifles that are a consistant 1/2moa guns and especially ar platforms. AR can be difficult as there are alot of moving parts as well as a lot of variances between parts.
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Bergara lrp2 6.5cm and 5.56 LaRue. Both rifles are fine. AR shoots adequate, I do not expect miracles there.
 
44 mag for the new 629 I picked up.

25 rounds 180 grain jhp with 29.2 h110

50 rounds 300 grain jsp with 21.2 h110

I have no idea how these will shoot. I know the factory 180s and 240s I put through it last weekend were a hell of alot harsher than I was expecting. It's my first 44 mag handgun. Accurate enough....just way hotter than I was expecting.

I was thinning of using unique and the 180s and load on the milder side but......have some h110 and some magnum large primers that have been on the shelf for awhile so......I went on the wilder side with some h110. Lol

H110 no way to really download them....I'll run some unique next batch and make some milder loads.



20220319_123248.jpg 20220319_114553.jpg
 
whacko said:
44 mag for the new 629 I picked up.

25 rounds 180 grain jhp with 29.2 h110

50 rounds 300 grain jsp with 21.2 h110

I have no idea how these will shoot. I know the factory 180s and 240s I put through it last weekend were a hell of alot harsher than I was expecting. It's my first 44 mag handgun. Accurate enough....just way hotter than I was expecting.
Click to expand...

Yee haw! What kind of grips on the 629?
 
Mudflap621 said:
What rifles are these? Seems like your putting in the effort in load development and that’s great but sometimes a rifle just isn’t capable.

I don’t know too many factory rifles that are a consistant 1/2moa guns and especially ar platforms. AR can be difficult as there are alot of moving parts as well as a lot of variances between parts.
Click to expand...
i`ve managed to do a 1 (one) good group of 5 today at 300yds. :)
after the first shot - one on the left - i adjusted windage to 1 click right. if i would not do it - it all would be together.
still, a good group and feels good to be back there. a bit odd how it shifts half inch from the center, but i will sort it out.
other 3 groups were wider, so, still need to keep working on the trigger release, mostly. and recoil anticipation.

other nice news - i tried first time today other brass with large #200 primer and same load of 41.7gr R16 - it worked exactly same as my #450 load, same exact POI and went through same hole at 100yds. sweet. measured SD was a bit larger - but i did not do proper brass finessing there, SD was at 12 - on the small primer brass i do consistently SD of 4-6. still, good news as i have a lot of large primer 6.5CM brass.
it is so good to know that same load also works there perfectly fine.
IMG-1194.jpg
 
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qwik88 said:
Made up my first 30 9mm to see if I like the load and it’s what I wanna keep going with
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Assuming this is for pistol.

If you're testing it, make sure its benched from a supported postion. Start at short range. Don't test beyond what you are capable of shooting unsupported. The goal should only be to make the ammo better than you are. When you get better, make better ammo.

Don't spend time hunting for a load that you could spend practicing.
 
xtry51 said:
Assuming this is for pistol.

If you're testing it, make sure its benched from a supported postion. Start at short range. Don't test beyond what you are capable of shooting unsupported. The goal should only be to make the ammo better than you are. When you get better, make better ammo.

Don't spend time hunting for a load that you could spend practicing.
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Mainly just want to make sure it cycles
 
So, my vision is not what it used to be at 100 yards with iron sights. Best I could today. The IMR 4955 is clearly doing good with 150 g Nosler, to the left.
Hornady round nose, 175g with Staball towards the bottom. Gotta get a spotting scope.
I am thinking of pushing IMR a bit more, the last hole in the bullseye was maximum load according to the manual.


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A little more testing this morning. Very pleased with the accuracy of the 180 grain projos.....the 4 feet of flames i could do wothout though 😅. 25 feet 6 o'clock hold no rest double action. This is good evidence that heavier projos group higher.
Very happy with this revolver so far and the reloading for it.

next I want to make some softer shooting loads though. Lyman has data for unique and 180 grain jacketed. Anyone use unique in 44 magnum? How's it do?
20220320_091851.jpg 20220320_091856.jpg
 
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whacko said:
A little more testing this morning. Very pleased with the accuracy of the 180 grain projos.....the 4 feet of flames i could do wothout though 😅. 25 feet 6 o'clock hold no rest double action. This is good evidence that heavier projos group higher.
Very happy with this revolver so far and the reloading for it.

next I want to make some softer shooting loads though. Lyman has data for unique and 180 grain jacketed. Anyone use unique in 44 magnum? How's it do?
View attachment 592736View attachment 592737
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Sorry not jacketed info but when I had my 44mag ——- target load was a
250gn Kieth design semi wad cutter 5.0 gn Unique. Was soft accurate and cut nice clean holes. I sold it to help fund the house
 
gerrycaruso said:
I could probably shoot the 8 grain load in my N frame S&W .44 special but why strain the old gun when I have .44 magnum revolvers.
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Why indeed. I don't even want to bother with light loads in .44 magnum anymore because all those different POA/POIs were driving me batty, and anything light won't reliably cycle my Ruger 44 carbines. The POI issue would be worse now that I moved my Leupold 4x scope over to my model 69 (which mitigates the felt recoil quite a lot, actually).
 
meh said:
Why indeed. I don't even want to bother with light loads in .44 magnum anymore because all those different POA/POIs were driving me batty, and anything light won't reliably cycle my Ruger 44 carbines. The POI issue would be worse now that I moved my Leupold 4x scope over to my model 69 (which mitigates the felt recoil quite a lot, actually).
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Funny....a 44 carbine ruger lead me to buy this model 629 revolver. My son picked up a 44 carbine last year and I've been reloading for it so figured I'd pick up 44 wheel gun since I already am loading 44 mag.
 
whacko said:
Funny....a 44 carbine ruger lead me to buy this model 629 revolver. My son picked up a 44 carbine last year and I've been reloading for it so figured I'd pick up 44 wheel gun since I already am loading 44 mag.
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And the 629 is a great choice. I was attracted to the 69, but sometimes I wish I'd just gone with the 629. Without the scope on it, the 69 kicks harder than most 44's.

I've got a couple Ruger 44s, actually, a '63 and a '69. I've shot 180 grain, 240 grain, and 300 grain bullets out of it, maybe some 210 grain Sierras (don't remember, but I think so). The 180 grainers gave me a pretty noticeable stoppage rate, maybe 1 in 5 or higher, but those weren't full-house loads, IIRC. Still, I think bullets very much lighter than 240 grains tend not to cycle these guns reliably. With 240 and 300 grain full-power loads, no problem, which is not to say it never needs a little pull and release on the lever to finish loading the cartridge. It's not an AR and ain't never gonna be, but I've made it through a whole range session without it happening, just not every range session. YMMV. I don't know what the maximum COAL is, but I don't think you'll be able to load those 300 grain cartridges into the magazine tube. They'll probably shoot well one at a time when inserted into the ejection port. I had a bunch of Speer 240 grain TMJ Silhouette rounds loaded to God knows what COAL, too long for my Henry or Ruger magazine tubes, either one, but I still sent them down range in the Henry and Ruger by loading them one at a time, or, in the Ruger 44s, just loading one into the chamber and then filling the magazine tube with something that works. Incidentally, I shot a bunch of Hi-Tek coated 240 grain and some 300 grainers through it. I did not experience any issues from it, neither in the field nor upon inspection while cleaning.
 
meh said:
And the 629 is a great choice. I was attracted to the 69, but sometimes I wish I'd just gone with the 629. Without the scope on it, the 69 kicks harder than most 44's.

I've got a couple Ruger 44s, actually, a '63 and a '69. I've shot 180 grain, 240 grain, and 300 grain bullets out of it, maybe some 210 grain Sierras (don't remember, but I think so). The 180 grainers gave me a pretty noticeable stoppage rate, maybe 1 in 5 or higher, but those weren't full-house loads, IIRC. Still, I think bullets very much lighter than 240 grains tend not to cycle these guns reliably. With 240 and 300 grain full-power loads, no problem, which is not to say it never needs a little pull and release on the lever to finish loading the cartridge. It's not an AR and ain't never gonna be, but I've made it through a whole range session without it happening, just not every range session. YMMV. I don't know what the maximum COAL is, but I don't think you'll be able to load those 300 grain cartridges into the magazine tube. They'll probably shoot well one at a time when inserted into the ejection port. I had a bunch of Speer 240 grain TMJ Silhouette rounds loaded to God knows what COAL, too long for my Henry or Ruger magazine tubes, either one, but I still sent them down range in the Henry and Ruger by loading them one at a time, or, in the Ruger 44s, just loading one into the chamber and then filling the magazine tube with something that works. Incidentally, I shot a bunch of Hi-Tek coated 240 grain and some 300 grainers through it. I did not experience any issues from it, neither in the field nor upon inspection while cleaning.
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I've been loading 265 grain Hornady jsp that are designed for 444 marlin. They work great in the ruger carbine. They won't expand for hunting applications because 44 mag velocity is nowhere near 444 marlin but.....for target fun in the ruger carbine They are great. Put a few hundred rounds through that ruger at this point and only one malfunction.....a fail to eject. It's been a great carbine.
 
meh said:
And the 629 is a great choice. I was attracted to the 69, but sometimes I wish I'd just gone with the 629. Without the scope on it, the 69 kicks harder than most 44's.

I've got a couple Ruger 44s, actually, a '63 and a '69. I've shot 180 grain, 240 grain, and 300 grain bullets out of it, maybe some 210 grain Sierras (don't remember, but I think so). The 180 grainers gave me a pretty noticeable stoppage rate, maybe 1 in 5 or higher, but those weren't full-house loads, IIRC. Still, I think bullets very much lighter than 240 grains tend not to cycle these guns reliably. With 240 and 300 grain full-power loads, no problem, which is not to say it never needs a little pull and release on the lever to finish loading the cartridge. It's not an AR and ain't never gonna be, but I've made it through a whole range session without it happening, just not every range session. YMMV. I don't know what the maximum COAL is, but I don't think you'll be able to load those 300 grain cartridges into the magazine tube. They'll probably shoot well one at a time when inserted into the ejection port. I had a bunch of Speer 240 grain TMJ Silhouette rounds loaded to God knows what COAL, too long for my Henry or Ruger magazine tubes, either one, but I still sent them down range in the Henry and Ruger by loading them one at a time, or, in the Ruger 44s, just loading one into the chamber and then filling the magazine tube with something that works. Incidentally, I shot a bunch of Hi-Tek coated 240 grain and some 300 grainers through it. I did not experience any issues from it, neither in the field nor upon inspection while cleaning.
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How do you like that model 69? The shop I got my 629 from....they had 3 44 mag smith's for me to choose from

1. Brand new 629 performance center 2 inch barrel and the short ccw type grip. $1200

2. A model 69 combat magnum used for $950

3. The model 629-6 4 inch barrel....used... that I took home for $800.

I didn't go woth the 629 cuz it was cheapest i chose it because it had the longest barrel and I felt it would be more comfortable to control. Although......that new performance center 629 almost was my choice. I'm glad I went with the 4 inch 629.....it's a hoot and damned accurate so far.

My goal next fall is to take my first deer with a handgun using my own reloads. Up till this weekend I was leaning on using my ruger blackhawk 357. That decision may change after some more testing with this 629.
 
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whacko said:
How do you like that model 69? The shop I got my 629 from....they had 3 44 mag smith's for me to choose from

1. Brand new 629 performance center 2 inch barrel and the short ccw type grip. $1200

2. A model 69 combat magnum used for $950

3. The model 629-6 4 inch barrel....used... that I took home for $800.

I didn't go woth the 629 cuz it was cheapest i chose it because it had the longest barrel and I felt it would be more comfortable to control. Although......that new performance center 629 almost was my choice.
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I'd have gone with #3 as well. Short barrel 44 magnums, to me, have the wrong trade-off in ballistic results versus recoil energy, and 2" N-frames are just a weird choice, IMHO. If you can carry a 2" N-frame, you can sure as hell carry a 3" one, so why wouldn't anyone prefer that? Ballistic efficiency increases rapidly with barrel length in this range.

It's too expensive for a used model 69, IMHO. There are still some new ones scattered around from a recent production run. A month ago there were more.

Conversely, that's a reasonable price for what you got.

I like the idea and size of the 69, but weight is your friend with 44 magnum. You need to want the smaller form factor specifically, I think, maybe for trail gun use. The triggers on these modern-production 66's and 69's are kind of heavy, and I think you might need a longer firing pin if you lighten them more than a scant amount.
 
240Geezer said:
Upside down 5%
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I didn't know it was possible to blame the equipment for that, but I guess if the equipment is supposed to orient the primers the right way, maybe you can.

I cursed the Hornady hand primer that came with my press kit. That was a LONG time ago. Been using the Frankford Arsenal one for years. Generally speaking, I'm only annoyed that the primers sometimes form little arches over the feed slot, so I have to shake it a little as I go along to break those up.
 

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