First Reloads...feeling very happy...

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Oyeboten

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For feeding to my old .38 S&W Special -


De-primed a hundred Cases...

Fresh Primers then, into fifty Cases...Remington Small Pistol Primers


Loaded 11 Cases with 20.7 grains each of 'Dupont' 3 F Black Powder, and, 'Speer' 158 Grain, .358, Lead, Hollow-Point Semi-Wadcutter Bullets...'Alox' Tumble-Lubed,


OAL, same as Factory Semi-Wadcutters.


Wow...this sure feels good..!

...long-awaited...



Maybe head to the Range tomorrow, weather depending, and try them.


If I like them, then, I'll load a Hundred...


And then, onto 'Unique' for the newer Revolvers.


Thanks everyone for all the questions I have had which you had kindly indulged.


Feeling very happy...
 
Your wife is gonna kill you!!!!!!!!

Just think of all the different bullets you get to try and of course, you have to buy 500 of each.

Then on to different calibers, and their different bullets.

then don't forget you need all the different powders to try on all the bullets.

Before you know it, you have a HUNNERT TRILLION dollars invested in reloading stuff.

Then the fun starts. Look at all the hours you get to just sit and reload while your wife sits and fumes saying the only reason you shoot is to give you something to reload.

Lord, I love it even after 30 years
 
Perhaps I misunderstood....

First Reloads...feeling very happy...
Click to expand...

I'm sorry. You can feel "elated", "upbeat", or maybe even "giddy", but a reloader can never be truly "happy" until there are buckets of in-process brass stacked all over the house. Until the clothes dryer is being used as a tumbler. Until the UPS man is bringing powder and primers by the pallet load. Until you have a dedicated rig running between Missouri Bullet and your home once a week. Until the kids assume their assigned positions as brass and bullet feeders next to the press as soon as you walk in the door from work.

When the wife starts serving supper in the reloading room, then you'll know you're getting close to "happy". :D


Congrats and stay on the trail. You'll get there.
 
Well...

Still needed/wanted:

Powder Scale

Chronograph

A few Bullet Molds

More re-loding Dies

Buller-Sizer Dies and Top Punches.


Loaded nine more BP .38 Specials...so, have '20' to try.

De-primed two hundred more Caes...


Powder wise, I have...'Bullseye'...'Unique'...'Trailboss'...and, some other one I forget now what.


Designed some Box Labels last night for labeling Boxes of reloads with their particulars.


Whew! For a 'simple' Hobby, there are sure a lot of things to it!!!


Love my little 'Tru-Line' Press...it allows me to be very sequential/methodical and see every move, 'feel' every move, inspect every move, and approve each individual result as I go.

Inspect Powder in the Case as I set the Bullet into the Case Mouth to press it in and Crimp.


Nice...


Bought a Bullet Sizer, and Powder Hopper-dispenser/crank-measure , both old orange-paint 'Lyman'...waiting for those to get here...
 
I started with 44 mag (to try to save $$$$) now im loading rifle,pistol in 8 different calibers more powder than i can try to count and the same with bullets and now im wondering about a varmit round..im not married but dating and she has no idea what she is getting into.
 
I guess I will be the first one to say it, how do you know how much powder is in the case without a scale? Those dippers are ok, but they arent accurate and neither is the charge table that comes with them.
 
Glad to see that powder scale at the top of your list. Second piece should be a measuring caliper. Those 2 items are really going to make your loads more highly repeatable (consistent and accurate), and at the same time safer than any thing else you can do at this point.

Third thing would be a notebook to write all the measurements down in. Once you record the COL, bullet weight, bullet brand, amount of powder, and brand of powder, then you can repeat an accurate load years later in complete safety.


Glad to see you're having fun!!
 
I'll be happy to email an Excel sheet I made to log data. It has tabs for all kinds of calibers, and of course those tabs can be renamed to suit. :)
 
Hi ljnowell,


You'd asked-


I guess I will be the first one to say it, how do you know how much powder is in the case without a scale? Those dippers are ok, but they arent accurate and neither is the charge table that comes with them.
Click to expand...



I'm only Loading 3F Black Powder for now...till I get a Scale.


These BP Loads will be for .38 Special...and .45 Long Colt also.


.38 Special Balloon Head Cases would hold 21.5 Grains 3F, I'm told.


My modern Shell Cases, with their heavy-thick bottoms, with the Lyman Dipper, dipped 'right', and the Dipper rated at holding 20.7 Grains, is all the Cases will hold for a definitely well 'compressed' Charge at that, with the 158 Grain Hollow Point Semi-Wadcutter ending up at a right OAL.


Pretty forgiving, but I'm being meticulous no matter.


'Bullseye' and 'Unique' I will use a Scale...and or, use a Crank-Type Powder Charger, double checking it often with the Scale.


Thanks for your mention!


Which reminds me...I ought to get an Inertial Bullet-Puller...just in case I ever need it..!
 
Hi bullseye308,


You'd asked -

Is that a metal funnel you are using with black powder. My spider sense is tingling.
Click to expand...


Yes...very old Tin Plated Steel Funnel.


Had not even thought of that...so...hmmmmmmmmm...


Maybe I'll get a Plastic one...

Lol...


When Charging Cases...Can of Powder is sealed and set aside ten feet...tiny Bowl holding a couple Tablespoons full, for the Dipper...

But still...yeahhhh...if I had a Static Electricty 'Spark', and if it set off the Powder in a Case as it was getting Charged, it'd do a decent-enough ''WHOOOSH!"...I'm sure!


So...


Never have any 'Static here for me to have even thought about it...it's bare Concrete, no Carpets or Rugs, and I only rarely pet the feral Cats.



Golly...next thing I know, someone's going to say "....and don't Smoke while charging Cases either!"


..sigh...

(Just kidding...)
 
Rough Draft Cartridge Box Label for these .38 Special Loads -




I figure to put the details of any given Loading, in the Label the Box of the Box, for each and every Loading.

That way I will know by looking, what they are in detail.
 
Oyebotin,
Check these funnels out:
http://www.saternmachining.com/PowderFunnel.htm

I don't have much satic in my area either, very rarely is it cool & dry enough. I can say plastics get static also. Not sure about plastic powder funnels.

Nice label. You seem to like the "old style". Congrats on you first reloads
 
What don't I know about metal funnels?

:eek: I use them because powder never sticks; got real static problems out here where the absolute (not relative) humidity level hovers around zero.
 
I used the powder dippers for thousands of .223 and .308 and those are some of the most accurate loads I have ever shot. However, I agree that they are not accurate in how many grains they supposedly drop. I would not use them for pistol simply because there is not as much room for error.
 
Aluminum is the best material for funnels used for powder. Of course the brass on those is just fine as well. Non sparking and no static.
 
The only Static Eletricity I've ever had here, was along the 4 inch Wire-wound-Platic-Hoses of a large 'Dust Collector', Vacuum, when I'd run it for big Wood Working Machinery...and I don' even have the Dust Collector anymore.

Is the question about Steel Funnels one of 'Static'?

Or, one of one's somehow managing to get a 'spark' by striking the Funnel against god-knows-what?


Or...?


Dry, Arid, fairly low Humidity here usully...'Las Vegas'...
 
Oyeboten, I was just wondering what issue(s) were being raised above by your use of a metal funnel.

I reload over a carpet floor and I replaced my red plastic funnel with a nice stainless steel one along time ago to eliminate "static cling".
 
Hi Walkalong,


You'd said-


I'll be happy to email an Excel sheet I made to log data. It has tabs for all kinds of calibers, and of course those tabs can be renamed to suit.
Click to expand...



Very nice of you to offer.


I do not have a good head for Paper.


My choice, instead of keeping 'Notebooks', Journals, Spread-Sheets or related, is simply to print out descriptive Labels I will design, for the Cartridge Boxes for the various Loadings of various Cartridges I will make.


Each Caliber/Loading will have it's own Printed Label with the particular data of the Cartridge mentioned.

Chronograph Data, once I have a Chronograph, will also be printed in small Labels, and go onto the Bottom of each respetive Box.


This is easiest for me, and positively identifies any Loading variation.
 
Hi Lee Roder,


Ye'd said -

Oyeboten, I was just wondering what issue(s) were being raised above by your use of a metal funnel.
Click to expand...



I don't know what issue there could be...nor what issue the OP on the matter had in mind.


I reacted initially in concern of 'Static Electricity' and possible grounding-moment 'Sparks' from that, being a liability...but then the more I thought about it, the less probable it seems.
 
I just posted a 'Range Report' in the 'Black Powder Shooting' Section.


In summry, these seem to be truely powerful and very appeling Cartridges/Loading.

The two 'test' Revolvers loved them, and, so do I.

I am very impressed with these, and very pleased.
 
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