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What did you do in the reloading room recently?

Try a little heavier crimp in the 357. I’ve shot a ton with no powder left to speak of.
Let me know how it shoots after the extra crimp in the 44.
Yeah thank god for that on the Dan Wesson but you can swap the top straps too easily!
 
Michael J. Spangler said:
Try a little heavier crimp in the 357. I’ve shot a ton with no powder left to speak of.
Let me know how it shoots after the extra crimp in the 44.
Yeah thank god for that on the Dan Wesson but you can swap the top straps too easily!
Click to expand...
Do you use the Lee FCD for 357 and 44? Instructions say full turn is a heavy crimp but with mixed brass maybe I need to go a little further?

Yeah the top strap can’t be swapped!
 
andrew1220 said:
Do you use the Lee FCD for 357 and 44? Instructions say full turn is a heavy crimp but with mixed brass maybe I need to go a little further?

Yeah the top strap can’t be swapped!
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I actually use a lee 38 special seat and crimp die with the seating stem removed. It’s a cobled together set. Basic roll crimp though. Kind of a joke. Need a set of dillons next.
The 44 uses Dillon dies.
I did picked up a set of 45 colt dies recently and the collet crimp die sucked. It didn’t crimp for beans. Way different than the rifle FCD dies I’ve used in the past. More of a taper than anything.
If yours the FCD or the Collet die?
 
Michael J. Spangler said:
I actually use a lee 38 special seat and crimp die with the seating stem removed. It’s a cobled together set. Basic roll crimp though. Kind of a joke. Need a set of dillons next.
The 44 uses Dillon dies.
I did picked up a set of 45 colt dies recently and the collet crimp die sucked. It didn’t crimp for beans. Way different than the rifle FCD dies I’ve used in the past. More of a taper than anything.
If yours the FCD or the Collet die?
Click to expand...
FCD
 
Hmmm. I've generally found H110/W296 to shoot rather cleanly, though I don't happen to shoot it in revolvers very much. It's more my go-to powder for the .357M and .44M Henry rifles. I may have shot less than 100 rounds of H110 reloads in my model 69, and about the same amount in my model 27, if that many. Normally in revolvers I shoot moderate loads using a non-magnum powder or some mid-range powder. I've had a stash of factory loads to shoot, dating back to when I stocked up before I started reloading, when I wanted full recoil. So my data on H110 in revolvers specifically might be a little on the thin side. I just don't remember seeing it. I was, however, getting those granules with Heavy Pistol. Also got some tiny ones with AA#7 recently.

I use 22.5gr in 44 magnum with the Zeros because the mid-22's gave me the tightest groups in my Henry BB Carbine. I don't think I have 22.5gr chrono'd specifically, but 22gr gave me 1526fps, 23gr 1620fps, and 24gr 1672gr, so I didn't think I was giving up too much in velocity, and the higher loads gave me larger groups. Took it up to 24.6gr but found nothing special there. YMMV.

I do use the Lee FCDs a lot, and they often seem to touch something or other before they're really down on the case mouth. If you just stop when they first touch, a half turn might do nothing at all. At least that's what happens to me. I always turn through initial contact until it's lightly snugged down using my fingertips only to turn it (not the sort of grip I'd use to torque a knurled nut down). Then I adjust it from there, starting with about 1/3rd of a turn. A half turn usually works out to what I want, at most 2/3. I doubt I've ever gone a full turn from that point. That would be a lot.

BTW, just as a related aside here, the Lee FCD, stiff-ass GFL brass, and the .431 ZBC bullets are a bad combo--the sizing ring in the die struggles to get over the bullet. That can't be doing anything good. When I load those 240gr Zeros in GFL brass (which I sometimes do when I'm thinking about maybe not bringing my brass home), I crimp with the seating die.
 
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meh said:
Hmmm. I've generally found H110/W296 to shoot rather cleanly, though I don't happen to shoot it in revolvers very much. It's more my go-to powder for the .357M and .44M Henry rifles. I may have shot less than 100 rounds of H110 reloads in my model 69, and about the same amount in my model 27, if that many. Normally in revolvers I shoot moderate loads using a non-magnum powder or some mid-range powder. I've had a stash of factory loads to shoot, dating back to when I stocked up before I started reloading, when I wanted full recoil. So my data on H110 in revolvers specifically might be a little on the thin side. I just don't remember seeing it. I was, however, getting those granules with Heavy Pistol. Also got some tiny ones with AA#7 recently.

I use 22.5gr in 44 magnum with the Zeros because the mid-22's gave me the tightest groups in my Henry BB Carbine. I don't think I have 22.5gr chrono'd specifically, but 22gr gave me 1526fps, 23gr 1620fps, and 24gr 1672gr, so I didn't think I was giving up too much in velocity, and the higher loads gave me larger groups. Took it up to 24.6gr but found nothing special there. YMMV.

I do use the Lee FCDs a lot, and they often seem to touch something or other before they're really down on the case mouth. If you just stop when they first touch, a half turn might do nothing at all. At least that's what happens to me. I always turn through initial contact until it's lightly snugged down using my fingertips only to turn it (not the sort of grip I'd use to torque a knurled nut down). Then I adjust it from there, starting with about 1/3rd of a turn. A half turn usually works out to what I want, at most 2/3. I doubt I've never gone a full turn from that point. That would be a lot.

BTW, just as a related aside here, the Lee FCD, stiff-ass GFL brass, and the .431 ZBC bullets are a bad combo--the sizing ring in the die struggles to get over the bullet. That can't be doing anything good. When I load those 240gr Zeros in GFL brass (which I sometimes do when I'm thinking about maybe not bringing my brass home), I crimp with the seating die.
Click to expand...
Sounds like I need to play with the FCD again. I may not have it adjusted properly. I set it years ago and haven’t touched it since.

I tried 22.5 gr of H110 with the Zeros and they shot well. I don’t see the need to go much higher. Seemed comparable accuracy/recoil to 23.5 with the Speer 240’s.
 
I increased the crimp quite a bit and that didn’t change anything. I think I’ll just live with the unburned powder as they have no problems ringing 8" steel at 120 yards. Just need to swab the bore when I get home. No biggie.
 
We are about to close on a new house and since I'm an architectural designer I'm drafting up the changes we'll be doing. Part of those changes is a new reloading/fun room for me. I decided to model up my MK7 Evolution so I could get a sense for where I will put it and how much room it will take up. I screen captured a few images from the owners manual and a few other I found online. In my drafting application Revit (which is really good at architecture and not meant for manufacturing) I imported and scaled the images to be 1 to 1. As Revit draws everything 1 to 1 I was able to mock up the press. Its close enough for government work and will allow me to very carefully set up the space. I will post additional images as I moving through the process but attached a few I created today. The application is 3D so it's easy enough to create views, however, you do need to put in the work of building everything. Call me a nerd but this stuff is cool.
 

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quiller said:
We are about to close on a new house and since I'm an architectural designer I'm drafting up the changes we'll be doing. Part of those changes is a new reloading/fun room for me. I decided to model up my MK7 Evolution so I could get a sense for where I will put it and how much room it will take up. I screen captured a few images from the owners manual and a few other I found online. In my drafting application Revit (which is really good at architecture and not meant for manufacturing) I imported and scaled the images to be 1 to 1. As Revit draws everything 1 to 1 I was able to mock up the press. Its close enough for government work and will allow me to very carefully set up the space. I will post additional images as I moving through the process but attached a few I created today. The application is 3D so it's easy enough to create views, however, you do need to put in the work of building everything. Call me a nerd but this stuff is cool.
Click to expand...


Nice space!
who broke the window?

I recently started using chief architect again. it looks faster as there are a lot of modules.
im sure it would be even faster if i went to class for it now and again


G
 
gordfraser said:
Nice space!
who broke the window?

I recently started using chief architect again. it looks faster as there are a lot of modules.
im sure it would be even faster if i went to class for it now and again


G
Click to expand...

Ha, the broken window is a tree outside. You can view the model in different modes, this one dumbs down all site elements so pine tree look like "Little Trees Air Fresheners". I played around with Chief Architect at a trade show once but I was well into Revit at the time so I stuck with it. Practice is key with any application, if I didn't use Revit every day I'd forget 1/2 in a month!
 
Sorted through a ton of stuff and now I'm trying to clean and organize. I really need to double my bench space. I have 3 more presses to mount.

Slapped a vintage Hobart metal drawer cabinet in the reloading room to hold some of the misc stuff.
Probably going to buy the lumber for the bench extension this week.

If this weather holds out a few days I might get to make some empty brass to reload.
 
@Michael J. Spangler Why not get the inline fabrication quick change setup?? One base and then plates for all your presses. Quick to change between them, provided you don't have a ton of things attached to them (like motorized bullet feeders). I'm looking to get the mount for my setup once I get another press. Since my bench space is very limited and I don't have the room to put in another one. Not the room to leave two presses setup all the time.
 
Golddiggie said:
@Michael J. Spangler Why not get the inline fabrication quick change setup?? One base and then plates for all your presses. Quick to change between them, provided you don't have a ton of things attached to them (like motorized bullet feeders). I'm looking to get the mount for my setup once I get another press. Since my bench space is very limited and I don't have the room to put in another one. Not the room to leave two presses setup all the time.
Click to expand...
I've thought about that but I have plenty of room for extra benches so I might as well expand.
 
Michael J. Spangler said:
I've thought about that but I have plenty of room for extra benches so I might as well expand.
Click to expand...
Hopefully in my next place, I'll have plenty of space to setup the reloading room right. I'd still look at their mounts, even if not the quick change version. I have a mount a friend made on my current press. But, as mentioned, I'm space limited, so when I get the next press I'll have to switch over to the quick change setup.
 
pastera said:
I have the little brother to that mill - the Seig X1 with the extended tables, and crank out 80's (slowly)
Click to expand...

What I need is a good vise. Any issues i've had in the past have been sloppy vise related. Not going to do anymore until I upgrade.
 
American Reloading has some decent deals on bullets, so I've been loading up some frangibles in 9x19, 7.5x54mm, 7.5x55mm and 7.62 NATO.
Mostly pulls, but still, a source for HSTs and other goodies.
American Reloading - American Reloading
Get further discounts when they send e-mail specials.
 

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mac1911 said:
Speaking of good vices, looking for something I can mount to shop floor drill press
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This is what I have... Shop Tools and Machinery at Grizzly.com
I also have T slots on the drill press table, so I can mount the vise as needed and then secure it without worrying about it moving on me. You can also use Vise Grips to hold it in position if your drill press doesn't have T slots.

IIRC, I got my vise while on sale, and didn't pay full amount. I've also had it for more than a few years now. You can also check out Shar's site to see what they have, then look at their ebay store to see if you can get it for a bit less.
 
Golddiggie said:
This is what I have... Shop Tools and Machinery at Grizzly.com
I also have T slots on the drill press table, so I can mount the vise as needed and then secure it without worrying about it moving on me. You can also use Vise Grips to hold it in position if your drill press doesn't have T slots.

IIRC, I got my vise while on sale, and didn't pay full amount. I've also had it for more than a few years now. You can also check out Shar's site to see what they have, then look at their ebay store to see if you can get it for a bit less.
Click to expand...

You recommended a nice vise from Shars a while back and I’ve lost the link. Any chance you remember?
 

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