[sanchezero]

Just a coupla questions before I start.

First, I'll be reloading cases from Georgia Arms remanf that I've shot once. How important is it to debur the neck and clean the primer pocket (I ask cause I didn't get those doodads :) )?

Second, my manual (lyman, 48th) doesn't have an exact match for the components I have. Here's their closest match:

225grn LRN (#452374, #2alloy) 1.272 OAL
4.0 grns of 231 to start, 5.8 grns max
CCI 300 primers

And what I have:

230grn LRN (.452 diameter)
231 powder I've got, so thats OK
Federal #150 large pistol primers

Can, I run the same recipe? Do I need to find something else? Is there a trustworthy online source for simial loads? Yadda yadda ad infinitum...


Thanks.

:D

[dakotasin]

you can get away w/ not cleaning your primer pockets for a little while, but it won't take long, and you'll be forced to clean them, or toss the brass. there gets to be a lot of stuff built up in the pocket. if you have a small flat-head (i call 'em 'blade') screwdriver that will fit in the pocket, that will get you buy. i'd just buy the tool, though. fits better.

you don't have to deburr your cases either, but there are a lot of good reasons to do so. eventually, you'll have to (when you trim the brass). if you bought the rockchucker kit, you should've gotten a case deburr tool.

as far as your recipe goes, it is very helpful to know which cartridge you are reloading. also nice to know what your intended use is... however, none of the components you list are familiar to me, so hopefully somebody else will help.

[Ross]

Sanchezero,
If these are reloads, it is unlikely that deburring will be requires. If you wish to scrub the debris from the primer pocket, you can make a scraper from either an old screwdriver or, as I often do, an ice cream stick whittled to fit the pocket. It is not likely to be necessary.
When you trim cases you will need to debur them. If you get some military crimped primed cases, they should get the crimp removed to ease insertion of the new primer.
The 4 grain starting load will be ok, but the top load will be too much with the slightly heavier bullet.
Cheers from Grayest California,
Ross

[HSMITH]

Deburing the case mouths and cleaning the primer pockets is a waste of time IMO. I have 45 acp brass that has 15 loads on it and has never been cleaned or deburred or even trimmed!! The primers seat flush easily and the case mouths are belled anyway before seating bullets. Headpacing of the loaded ammo is still under max, so I am off to the races.

Here is the real story on repeating handgun ammo: one in 65,000 (fictional number, probably way too small) guys can shoot as well as decent ammo, the odds of shooting better than the ammo you make with even the simplest of regimens is very near zero. Until you can shoot even in the ballpark of what your ammo is capable of work on shooting and not loading for hours and hours and hours. Crank off DECENT ammo for your handguns, it is far better than you are, and worry about detail for your rifles where you can utilize the accuracy.

Stay under 5.5 grains with the 230 and if over 5.2 do not reduce the OAL below published length. Load up from the starting load until your gun functions reliably, add just a hair (a tenth or two of a grain IF SAFE) for cushion and leave the load alone. Read above for reasons why not to keep fiddling with the load.

[blades67]

you can get away w/ not cleaning your primer pockets for a little while, but it won't take long, and you'll be forced to clean them, or toss the brass.

:rolleyes: I have some brass that is over 18 years old and I honestly don't know how many times it's been reloaded, but I know it's more than twenty times. Some of the brass I reload has been used so much the headstamp is almost worn smooth. I have never cleaned a primer pocket in all the time I've been reloading, either on my own press or a friends, and I've never been forced to clean one or have to toss the brass because of a dirty primer pocket. Where did you come up with that? :scrutiny:

[sanchezero]

Well, its nice to know that reloading gets people excited :) .

The manual was so full of cautionary 'don't ever do this' sorta stuff I had to clarify a few things. I'll be ordering T/FMJ stuff soon, but this LRN was all my local had that wasn't waaaay overpriced.

My intent for this load is to learn how to use my press mostly ;) . Once I get it dialed in, I'll load for training purposes. I shoot matches weekly and take some kinda shooting class quarterly if not more frequently, so I figure to save boatloads.

Thanks for your help guys.

:cool:

[Poodleshooter]

You can get away with not trimming nearly forever, but I usually find that I have to clean at some point. It really seems to depend on the primer brand. Federals seem to shoot very clean, but my current Winchesters really filthy up the primer pockets. I get occasional misfires when I don't clean for 3-4 reloads, and the primers seat too high.

[Johnny Guest]

- - -I strongly disagree concerning the absolute need to clean out primer pockets. Back before I got my Dillon 550B progressive loader, I'd size and deprime a big bunch of brass and thenn tumble or vibro-clean it. Took care of the perceived problem.

When I began progressive loading, I'd do the same thing, every few loadings. then I just quit messing with it. Perhaps I have such a large stock of brass that I rotate it enough that I don't give it a chance to build up crud in the primer pockets. But there was a time, about ten years ago, when I was shooting and reloading for a '28 Thompson, and EVERYTHING got loaded, as often as I could afford components. Never had any problem with primers failing to seat properly.

sanchezero, the substitution of primers should make no practical difference in your handloads. I've used a lot of Federal primers over the years and they were always satisfactory. I usually ge a better price on Winchester, though, and use them mostly. With all respect to Poodleshooter, I don't find the WLPs particularly dirty. CCI primers don't seem to work particularly well through the Dillon priming system, so I veer away from them.

I never trim pistol brass, and therefore have no need to deburr it. (I AM a little compulsive about case prep for my rifle loads, but that's an entirely different matter, IMO. :p)

BTW--I use 230 LRN bullets with 5.3 gr of 231 powder as my standard load--Matches, practice, plinking, whatever. It chronos at about 815 to 820 from both my Colt Govt and elder Son's Kimber, both with five-inch barrels. This is plenty close enough to factory hard ball for accurate practice, and plenty strong enough to make Major Power Factor for IPSC. You can reduce it slightly, to be easier on your pistol, but you'll shoot a HUGE number of lead bullets before you adversely impact barrel life.

If you choose to go to jacketed 230 bullets, you'll need to up the charge a bit to maintain the velocity. You'll probably want to change bullets if you do much hunting with the .45 acp.

HSMITH is absolutely correct about not becoming obsssive with your practice ammo. You'll get a LOT more practice in if you turn out a thousand pretty good, uniform handloads, than 100 technically perfect loads. If you are a master bullseye shooter, or have a Ransom Rest, and a $2,000 super target gun, you might want some of the utterly primo, absolutely perfect loads for testing. Otherwise, hang in with us mortals and just ENJOY shooting. ;)

What kinda pistol are you using, anyhow? Please keep us informed on your progress.:

Best,
Johnny

[dakotasin]

nearly all my reloading is for rifles, and after a few reloads, my primers were having a hard time seating....so i cleaned out the primer pocket, and everything was fine. if you disagree, fine, i won't argue w/ you.

blades- c'mon now, was that really necessary? if you disagree, i don't have a problem at all w/ that. in fact, thru disagreements is where some of the most productive learning comes from. but to tell me that my own experiences are not viable because they aren't precisely as yours is a little uncalled for.

like i said, most all my reloading is for bottleneck rifle cartridges. after my experience related above, as a matter of habit i clean all primer pockets after every firing, which includes the one handgun i load for (357/38 sp).

my own routine includes cleaning primer pockets after each firing, and chamferring/deburring after every time i trim at the least, and in some instances, after every firing. because you obviously don't do your loading this way does not make your method inferior to mine by any stretch, just a different way of getting similiar results.

[mark mcj]

Reading this set of posts I'm seeing two different trains of thought, I think. One set of guys are looking a pistol reloading and another is looking at rifle ammo.

Personally I run my pistol brass though my 550 as fast as I can. but on the other hand my rifle brass goes though alot more prep.
Including neck sizing and decapping, cleaning the primer pocket, deburring the case mouth on the inside, chamfering the outside, uniforming the flash hole both inside and out, brushing out the case neck, checking the case neck thinkness, turning if necessary. Through all this the brass is tumled 2 or 3 times.

I think it just depends on what you are trying to achieve. IMO

[craigz]

My standard .45 ACP practice load is 5.6 grains of Win 231 under a Ranier 230 grain plated round nose bullet. The only case prep I do for handgun loading is tumbling and sorting.

[Cherokee]

I'll add my 2 cents. Been reloading since the late 50's. Load for just about all pistol rounds and 6-7 rifle rounds, cast and jacketed. My experence is Winchester primers leave more residue in the primer pockets than any other primer. They work fine but they are dirty. I use CCI primarily. On cleaning primer pockets, I found rifle rounds usually needed cleaning in a few loadings, so I just do it after each loading and be done with it. With pistol loads, Winchester primers are dirty. CCI is cleaner. I never encountered a pistol primer seating problem due to dirty pockets, but I got into the habbit of cleaning after every loading like the rifle cases. To me, the cleaner the pocket the less opportunity for problem.

I have an old drill press mounted on the end of my bench. I chuck up an RCBS wire brush primer pocket cleaner and do two cases at a time. Very little time involved in cleaning the primer pockets. We all share our experiences and learn. Enjoy what you are doing, see how some of our experiences fit into you methods and go with it.