New to reloading….
- Thread starter UnderKule
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I did a little research on powders and the shelf life. Everything I found stated that as long as it was in it's original containers and stored in a "controlled" environment, it should stay effective indefinitely. As with all information on the internet, I took this as truth.... LOL!!! This being said, I also found a couple articles that said prolonged storage in unknown conditions could render the powders inactive OR overreactive. For this reason I did not put it in a powder measurer because I did not want to add any extra friction to the powder since I could not be absolutely certain of it's potency. I am extremely happy that things worked out in the positive. I will absolutely be rotating stock as soon as possible but he has so much powder still in original containers that it would be a shame to dispose of it without giving it a go. I just need to figure out what powders he used for which type of ammo and load rounds to test them out.
This being said, does anyone know of a way to test powders before I spend the time to reload? I suppose just taking a small amount and flame testing it would suffice.
This being said, does anyone know of a way to test powders before I spend the time to reload? I suppose just taking a small amount and flame testing it would suffice.
lordpaxman
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@UnderKule, welcome to THR!
I would second the motion for only loading a small number before trying them. I chrono so I load 10, shoot 9, and have one left over for posterity, and can deconstruct it if necessary.
As for testing powders, unless there’s something really amiss, load a few and test. If you like to light up the night, feel free. Good luck.
Welcome to the world of many different load combinations. 9mm is a high pressure cartridge and you’ll notice the COL varies between those loads. Shorter COLs with the same bullet will result in higher pressures at the same charge weight. It’s important to keep that in mind especially if you’re using load data for a similar but different bullet. Seating depth is pretty critical if trying to extrapolate load data.
I would second the motion for only loading a small number before trying them. I chrono so I load 10, shoot 9, and have one left over for posterity, and can deconstruct it if necessary.
As for testing powders, unless there’s something really amiss, load a few and test. If you like to light up the night, feel free. Good luck.
GeoDudeFlorida
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Does “ARC” stand for, “Another Rifle Cartridge”?That sounds like a good plan. I'm sure you will catch on real fast - the jargon, or "lingo" won't be foreign to you for long.
Truth be told, I had to "Google" the 6mm ARC because it's newer than my "Cartridges of the World" book, and I couldn't find it in any of the loading manuals I have handy. But yeah, it looks like it takes .243 bullets.
FROGO207
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The best way to "test" your proplant is to invest in a cronograph and compare your speeds to the manual speed. The inexpensive crono can be purchased for less than $200 these days. Buning a pile of propellant will not do any good other than prove it is still flammable. It needs to be in a set volume and push a certain weight to burn at a certain curve. Not able to do this in free air.
barnfrog
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I was going to make up some wisecrack about how could anything be worse, then I thought of the phrase "a fate worse than death." Getting someone else hurt or killed definitely qualifies.
I am also a newbe to the reloading game and someone talked about buldged cases. I got first fired cases, brass from the CHP range so I thought they were fine. I deprimed them, tumbled them, cleaned out the primer pockets, and installed small pistol primers. After all that I got to looking at the cases that had small bulges just above the rim and started finding cracks, of course I used a Magnifying glass but they were cracked. I deprimed them carefully and destroyed the cases and put them in my metal recycle bucket. I just wasted a lot of time on them, about 100-150 cases. It never dawned on me what they were cracked. I also got about 1300 Nickel cases none were cracked. I read online about bulged cases and that Glock handguns are mostly responsible for the bulges but the CHP only use S&W 40's, don't know how true the bulges by Glock is but I wasted a lot of time. So, take it slow and go over your brass with a fine tooth comb or a magnifying glass. Good luck, Lots of great advise given here!!
jebova2301
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TTv2
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As long as you measured the powder and didn't seat the bullets too deep, you'll be fine. I've been hesitant to do semi auto calibers over .32 ACP, but I finally got around to loading 10mm and that's easy, not sure why I was so worried, if all you got is a .010" air gap between the powder and bullet base it's still not a compressed load.
Spending money to get into reloading is as certain as death and taxes. Really, the best case to get into it and stockpile bullets, primers, powder, etc. is inflation and rising prices. Some people are shooting with components they bought 30 years ago, back when a brick of primers was probably $20, bullets were half the cost they are now, etc.
The biggest reason to start reloading isn't price tho, it's the ability to make what you want in any caliber and not have to worry about if it's on the shelf at the store and the quality of what you make and control over the ammo.
Spending money to get into reloading is as certain as death and taxes. Really, the best case to get into it and stockpile bullets, primers, powder, etc. is inflation and rising prices. Some people are shooting with components they bought 30 years ago, back when a brick of primers was probably $20, bullets were half the cost they are now, etc.
The biggest reason to start reloading isn't price tho, it's the ability to make what you want in any caliber and not have to worry about if it's on the shelf at the store and the quality of what you make and control over the ammo.
With 40 S&W I tend to bulge bust all the cases that I pick up. I did this primarily to inspect each case. Some would have a mild bulge and some I won't inspect further and just chuck it in the bucket. Some of the bulges I've seen have amazed me that it didn't blow out.
Sorry if this has already been mentioned, I have two main rules that I follow when reloading.
#1 Only one can of powder on the bench.
#2 All of my shell cases are heads up until they are charged with powder, once they charged I inspect every case in the load block with a flashlight before seating the bullets.
#1 Only one can of powder on the bench.
#2 All of my shell cases are heads up until they are charged with powder, once they charged I inspect every case in the load block with a flashlight before seating the bullets.
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Thank you All for the advise and tips! I am not looking to extend the range of the 9mm or even try to make it a 100 yd dead ringer. I think I will bring the charge back down a bit and settle in where it is comfortable to use the powder measure that I have set up for quick loading. Checking every ten rounds or so to make sure I am within a descent +/-. Even an under powered load is better than a rock WTSHTF…. LOL!
kmw1954
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UnderKule, I think you will do just fine. You seem to have the correct mindset to stay safe above all else.
Mark_Mark
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I’m experimenting with .40 frangible. It dumps all the energy at once.
Mudway had 135g 1,000 for $70 a few years back
GeoDudeFlorida
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Hey, Markie, is that the Sinterfire bullets? If you find them the Federal Guard Dog bullets are EFMJ's - expanding Full Metal Jacket - designed for FMJ-only New Joisey and are meant to do the same job as a frangible - reduced penetration, especially in sheet rock - without the cost and complexity. They use a FMJ profile and feed just like an FMJ but are light weight like frangibles. I found them in 105gr. 9mm for $90/100 at Midway a few years back and bought 3K with free shipping and a coupon for $10 off each $100. I see them around sometimes for close to that as factory seconds and on auction sites advertised as "nickel jacket FMJ."
Mark_Mark
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Yeah, Sinerfire! I loaded 100 rounds and they are good. I would like to do a test on drywall and water jugs
Frangible FMJ! I like it!
I guess I am just confused again…LOL! Do most reloaders increase the powder loads until they get a case failure then back it down? I guess my brain tells me to find a safe and consistent load, then adjust my sights to the very specific load in which I am using… I don’t want a catastrophic case failure to figure out that I have over charged a round. I love my firearms and some of these powders and bullets bring too much risk. I am absolutely positive that if you are defending yourself, your target is not going to laugh at a “target round” being fired at them instead of a hollow point. I promise, both are going to do damage. Additionally, 3-400 FPS is not going to bounce off and fall to the ground. Why push your luck? Hopefully this post doesn’t start an argument… IDK
Blue68f100
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No. Most of use start low and workup till we find the most accurate load without going over Max load. For hand gun this is normally midway to just under max for auto loaders. For revolvers you can start at min and stay their or work lower if your want. But it's recommended to stay within published limits.
kmw1954
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For autoloaders I normally start .1 - .2gr above START. This way I am pretty sure I am going to get a fully functioning load.. I have had Start load data be too weak to fully cycle the gun. Then I load in .1gr increments and shoot groups. I have almost always found that the group size will shrink then grow again as you increase powder loads. I therefore load to the most consistent. A hot heavy load means nothing if you can't hit anything with it.
That is just my philosophy.
Rifle loads are a whole nother topic!
Edited for thinking too fast.
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Docendo Discimus
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Really? I wouldn't recommend this strategy.
That's bad advise, anyway you sell it.
kmw1954
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Thank you for catching that! What I meant to say was .1 to .2gr above START not MAX.
I will go back and edit that!
That makes sense! I started having these thoughts that people were just trying to get the most charge they could in each round. I was forming some really concerned opinions. I think I have a lot of reading ahead of me. I ordered 2 more load data books last night, RCBS and Hornady.
lordpaxman
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I try to get the RIGHT charge in each round. That’s the charge weight that makes that combination of bullet, powder, and COL for a particular gun happy. Remember, happy gun, happy life. There may be another variation of that, but, the key thing is we don’t know a priori what a gun likes in a reload. That’s why we start at min and work our way up. I’d also caution that you don’t want to start below min as it may result in a squib load which is not a happy day either. Good luck and let us know how it goes.
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