Case fillers

Preamble (I'm sometimes winded, so you can skip to Main Subject)

I recently started reloading for my .45LC & .38spl, but this post is mostly about my .45LC.

I started originally with Hodgdon Titegroup, but didn't like it much, as it seemed to be too sensitive to it's position in the case, also being dark in color and very low on volume, it's hard to tell how much powder is in the case. So I always was weary of it, checking and double checking every load, which made for a somewhat stressful job, which is never fun.

I then got some Trail Boss, and I really like the stuff. It's so bulky, it's nearly impossible to double load it, which also makes it "insensitive" to it's position in the case. I like most everything about it except it's "dirty". I mean the cartridges are really sooty after they're fired, and after shooting a couple hundred rounds, your hands look like you just finished cleaning a barbecue oven.

So this got me looking at other powders. Don't get me wrong, I like and will still use Trail Boss, but I'd like to find other alternatives. At the last gun show I picked up a bottle of Hodgdon/Clays Universal.

Universal is bulkier than Titegroup, and being that it's a lighter brown color, I can easily tell a double load from a single. It also seems to meter very well through my Lee Pro Autodisk. The current load I like to use is 6gr. of Universal under a 255gr. LRNFP. Yes, it's a bit light, but it works well for me. At the range I noticed that it burns cleaner than the Trail Boss, but it's more sensitive to case location.

Main Subject

So this got me looking into case fillers. I read a whole lot of opinions here and other places and the various recipes, and finally decided to try one simple recipe: toilet paper.

I loaded a dozen or so rounds with 6gr. powder and then stuffed a 1" square pieces of TP right behind it. The edges of the TP cling against the case and the bullet, once seated, will keep the paper there. It's possible that a few grains of powder may find their way around it, but the bulk will be nicely pressed up against the primer.

Before I go to the range and shoot this stuff, I have a few questions:

• How many of you are using case fillers, especially for the larger cases?
• What is your currently preferred filler?
• Will adding a filler such TP require a change in the load (powder weight)?
• Will the TP burn completely in the case, or will I start fires with a flaming wad?
• Is this detrimental to the gun, cartridge case, etc?

Thanks.

Haxby said:

If you have been seating the bullet to crimp in the regular crimping groove, you could seat it deeper and crimp over the shoulder.
If the bullet has a crimping groove and a shoulder.

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What would this do?

kingmt said:

I have used TP in rifle cartridges & after you shoot you can smell burnt TP & confetti is in the air but I don't see you starting any fires with it. I have never tried it in hand gun though.

+1 on setting lower 7 crimping over the shoulder.

Click to expand...

That actually sounds like a lot of fun, I can't wait to take these rounds to the range and shoot them.

Anyway, the problem with trying different powders is that it can get expensive. I don't know anyone that is into reloading that I can "borrow" some powder from for testing, so I'd have to actually buy a bottle of every powder I'd like to try. So far I got TiteGroup, Trail Boss and Universal. Trail Boss is something I know I'll keep using, but the others, if I decide they're not for me, they're wasted money. So I need to try and make it work.

TiteGroup for instance is supposed to be (relatively) case position insensitive, but the reality is that you can "feel" the difference in the recoil and the groupings you get at 15yd. and further. Last time I shot it, I kept tapping the side of the gun with the muzzle pointing up, and my groups got smaller, but I don't want to go through that every time I shoot.

Trail Boss seems consistent throughout, even though I get the occasional flier, but then again I get those dirty, sooty cartridges.

I picked Universal this time because I read it was not very position sensitive, and because it was bulkier by volume than TiteGroup. The fact that I could also see it, and judge it's fill level better was a plus. But at the range I did find inconsistencies, not as dramatic as TiteGroup, but there none the less. Which prompted me to look at case fillers. Of everything I read, TP was the simplest, least time consuming, and most "innocuous" if that word can be used for this. The idea was that a little piece of paper would simply keep the powder up against the primer, and (hopefully) burn up in the process.

As for setting the bullet further in, I don't know... I was already concerned because my OAL is already below the recommended 1.6" (1.580"), and it's not like pushing the bullet another few mils into the case is going to make up for all that empty space. Yes it will increase the pressure, but given that Universal powder only fills up about 1/3 of a .45LC case, I don't think it will make a difference in terms of position.

BTW, I do not have any ignition issues with my setup, I just have inconsistent accuracy due to variations in velocity, which is due to the powder location in the case.