• If you enjoy the forum please consider supporting it by signing up for a NES Membership  The benefits pay for the membership many times over.

What did you do in the reloading room recently?

Started setting up my RT1500 for the first time and started sizing and trimming 223.

Now I’m researching to see if I’m doing something wrong or need to adjust something.
Most cases come out with curls of shaved brass and a few with jagged edges.
Dull cutter or to much pressure?
 
I am sizing in station one and everything check out fine in my case gauge.

Took off the cutting blade, checked to make sure it’s good and even rotated to a different edge. Still has the same results.

Setup is a Dillon 650,
Stage 1 - deprime
Stage 2 & 3 - empty
Stage 4 - trim
Stage 5 - empty
Suggest you de-prime ONLY in station 1. (Back off the sizing die at least a half turn, or use a de-priming only die) You want to full-length size your case with the trim die while trimming at the same time in the same location on the press. If you size before you run the case into the trim die, the case is loose in the trim die and moving around.
 
Brand new cutting blade and also flipped it to a deferent size.

Update: I’m still getting the same results but not as frequently. Not is about 1 out of 4 cases which I think whoever said it may be right, or at least a contributing factor is me going a little too fast. I’m purposely going slow now and it seems a little better.
 
Down to the last 150-200 or so plated 230's.
Trying to decide which vendor to give money to for hi-tek coated 230's.
Out of Win231. Must've burned it off prior to moving.
Still got 9/10 of a pound of HP38. Bonus!
Why aren’t you casting? Are you competing with @andrewCZ to see who can spend more money?
 
Down to the last 150-200 or so plated 230's.
Trying to decide which vendor to give money to for hi-tek coated 230's.
Out of Win231. Must've burned it off prior to moving.
Still got 9/10 of a pound of HP38. Bonus!
See if you cast bullets you can do what @mac1911 does and pay yourself. You save $60 per K so you put that $60 in an ammo can and forget it’s there until you want a new CZ.

See what I made tonight. I had fun from start to finish. Made some sexy 9mm and saved money the whole time.
My wife likes it because it keeps me off the street.
Please don’t tell her that cocaine is cheaper. 3E9DBDF4-1F73-4AD6-A65A-F806E4380DAF.jpeg
 
Got the rcbs about 80 percent set up. I can't decide if I want to mount my rcbs powder measure on the press and charge my cases there or do what I've been doing and remove the case from the press, charge using the measure that Is set up on the bench next to the press then put the shell back in the press to seat and crimp. I've got in a habit of looking in every case after I charge and removing the shell and charging on the bench allows me to get a good look. Charging on the press seems like it'll be faster......anyone else do it the way I am and charge off press then put the shell back in the holder?

Pretty good video on the subject of powder measures on a turret.


View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=q3NR06Cp0MM
 
Last edited:
Brand new cutting blade and also flipped it to a deferent size.

Update: I’m still getting the same results but not as frequently. Not is about 1 out of 4 cases which I think whoever said it may be right, or at least a contributing factor is me going a little too fast. I’m purposely going slow now and it seems a little better.
Suggest you de-prime ONLY in station 1. (Back off the sizing die at least a half turn, or use a de-priming only die) You want to full-length size your case with the trim die while trimming at the same time in the same location on the press. If you size before you run the case into the trim die, the case is loose in the trim die and moving around.
 
Suggest you de-prime ONLY in station 1. (Back off the sizing die at least a half turn, or use a de-priming only die) You want to full-length size your case with the trim die while trimming at the same time in the same location on the press. If you size before you run the case into the trim die, the case is loose in the trim die and moving around.
I think you will find more consistency in finished case length if you resize before trimming.

I suppose it might be a wash if all the brass is the same headstamp and has been previously fired in the same gun.
 
These primers are garbage. Do not buy. Immediately started having issues seating them. Ran the brass through the Dillon swager again. No good. Used a hand reamer to check primer pockets and tried again. No good. Finally pulled the primer feed tube and pulled them all out. Replaced with CCIs, no problem.

Garbage.

View attachment 703017
 
These primers are garbage. Do not buy. Immediately started having issues seating them. Ran the brass through the Dillon swager again. No good. Used a hand reamer to check primer pockets and tried again. No good. Finally pulled the primer feed tube and pulled them all out. Replaced with CCIs, no problem.

Garbage.

View attachment 703017
Fortunately I was able to recover all those pieces of brass. Check out this nonsense.

View attachment 703020
 
These primers are garbage. Do not buy. Immediately started having issues seating them. Ran the brass through the Dillon swager again. No good. Used a hand reamer to check primer pockets and tried again. No good. Finally pulled the primer feed tube and pulled them all out. Replaced with CCIs, no problem.

Garbage.

View attachment 703017
That’s not good, you should email federal and see what they have to say about it.
 
I’d email them and tell them you bought a case!
I should, but It's not worth my time. Thankfully I only bought one sleeve of 100. Goodbye!

If anyone else cares to, they're from lot L175P03.

Then bitch about the size of their boxes for every crybaby on NES.

I’ve never used Federal rifle primers and only use them for pistol, so I can’t comment of the GMM’s, but they’re s’posed to be the bees knees!

I’d at least call where you bought them from and tell them not to sell to someone else until they’ve been inspected. What’s the diameter reading on your caliper for them?
 
Did some gel tests with some HSTs that I scored.
They did very well but they sure don’t look like HSTs.
Maybe they were moving too fast and smoothed out. Maybe not.
Im going to load some more and lighten up the charge a bit to see how they do.

They all went to about 15-16” of gel. A couple popped out the block and were on the ground perfectly expanded.
147 HST on the top
125 HST tested today in the middle.
130 grain home cast penta point on the bottom.
F7221CCB-2B3E-4046-94AA-5D9586CF73D3.jpeg
 
Finally pulled the primer feed tube and pulled them all out. Replaced with CCIs, no problem
ahh. one more got burned on a federal. cci #450. it is easier this way, set it all to same type, all your loads, and forget the distractions.

i know they all are presumably from the same factory, but, the fact is, the cci shit just works and causes no issues, and is capable of producing SDs in 1 and 2. it 'just works'.
 
What’s the diameter reading on your caliper for them?
Using a micrometer, I just measured four each
Federal AR match GM205MAR: 0.1754", 0.1754", 0.1752", 0.1752:
CCI 550: 0.1753", 0.1753", 0.1753", 0.1753"
CCI 41: 0.1752", 0.1751", 0.1751", 01.751"

A couple tenths can't be the problem. Not sure what the issue is, but I don't have any problem seating the CCIs. I don't have a good way to measure cup thickness.

Left to right, Federal GM205MAR, CCI 550, CCI 41:

View attachment 703107
 
Using a micrometer, I just measured four each
Federal AR match GM205MAR: 0.1754", 0.1754", 0.1752", 0.1752:
CCI 550: 0.1753", 0.1753", 0.1753", 0.1753"
CCI 41: 0.1752", 0.1751", 0.1751", 01.751"

A couple tenths can't be the problem. Not sure what the issue is, but I don't have any problem seating the CCIs. I don't have a good way to measure cup thickness.

Left to right, Federal GM205MAR, CCI 550, CCI 41:

View attachment 703107
Isn’t that ten-thousandths?

I’m no math ace, but that’s a very small amount of difference.

Thank you for providing the measurements of a sample size of each, that’s really cool to see that they’re not all exactly the same even when measured with the same tool. And ‘way to be’ using a micrometer! Much more accurate measurement tool than calipers.
 
Isn’t that ten-thousandths?

I’m no math ace, but that’s a very small amount of difference.

Thank you for providing the measurements of a sample size of each, that’s really cool to see that they’re not all exactly the same even when measured with the same tool. And ‘way to be’ using a micrometer! Much more accurate measurement tool than calipers.
Yes, ten thousandths.
I used to work as a manual machinist, and I kind of like old Swiss made mics. Have a nice old Lufkin inside mic kit too, and a Kroplin System "Quicktest" that's good for measuing case wall thickness. Have a pretty good set of Mitutoyo ceramic gage blocks too for calibrating things.

9351.JPG
 
Out of a 6" S&W 586 this afternoon:
13.5g Ramshot, 158g speer #4211 JHP, CCI 550: 1052, 1092, 905, 1080, 1104, avg 1046, ES 119, SD 81
13.5g Ramshot, 158g speer #4211 JHP, Fed 200: 899, 831, 819, 758, 837, avg 828, ES 141, SD 50 - these felt and sounded like 38s
Same 6" S&W 586 today.
14.3g Ramshot, 158g speer #4211 JHP, CCI550: 1085, 1148, 1147, 1230, 1067, avg 1135, ES 163, SD 64
14.3g Ramshot, 158g speer #4211 JHP, Fed 200: 958, 935, 929, 957, 852, avg 926, ES 106, SD 43

Really big difference with those Federal #200 small pistol magnum primers compared to CCI 550 small pistol magnum
 
Broke open a jug of CleanShot (Shooters World) that has been staring at me for quite awhile. VV N320 was getting harder to find back in the day and this was reported to be its much poorer cousin ;-)

Before the world went crazy this stuff could be had for less than $20/LB....now, still cheaper than N320 but not the bargain it used to be.

From Canik TP9SFX using 125TC Blue bullets with Fed SPP, COL of 1.12x

Outside temp ~40 degrees

3.6gr - Min = 1029, Max = 1044, Avg = 1036.5, Spread=15, StdDev = 5.30, PF = 129.5
3.8gr - Min = 1031, Max =1067, Avg = 1048.5, Spread = 36, StdDev = 14.01, PF = 131
4.0gr- Min = 1071, Max = 1108, Avg = 1089.6, Spread = 37, StdDev = 9.83, PF = 136

My current N320 load is 3.7gr which gets PF of 130....pretty much same/same as findings here. Limited sample but felt same/same shooting them....perhaps a *little* smokier...need to shoot some more to decide.

Read some posts on BENOS that suggest this powder is "reverse temp sensitive", so *warmer* temps would produce *slower* results. Can't wrap my head around that science but something to think about if you are cutting it close with PF and using at a competition.
 
Using a micrometer, I just measured four each
Federal AR match GM205MAR: 0.1754", 0.1754", 0.1752", 0.1752:
CCI 550: 0.1753", 0.1753", 0.1753", 0.1753"
CCI 41: 0.1752", 0.1751", 0.1751", 01.751"

A couple tenths can't be the problem. Not sure what the issue is, but I don't have any problem seating the CCIs. I don't have a good way to measure cup thickness.

Left to right, Federal GM205MAR, CCI 550, CCI 41:

View attachment 703107
Primer are an interference fit - tenths matter.
Those .1754's are going to be harder to insert unless you have a generous chamfer cut in the pocket
 
Primer are an interference fit - tenths matter.
Those .1754's are going to be harder to insert unless you have a generous chamfer cut in the pocket
I will have to try those primers again with some non military 223 cases that didn't have the primers crimped.

I'm still glad I only bought 100 of them. I don't need that kind of hassle with what for me is just a fun hobby.

I did send a note to Federal technical support about the #200 small pistol magnum primer data with Ramshot Enforcer vs CCI 550 primers. Curious to see what they have to say.
 
Back
Top Bottom