Recent content by hdwhit

Actually, I didn't. RCBS confirmed the stage height was not the same for the Rock Chucker versus the old Reloader Special presses. Rather than have to re-set all my dies (and thus re-develop all of loads), I chose to retire my Rock Chucker and stay with my Reloader Specials.

I stayed away from IMR-4064 for a long time because it was not as efficient as IMR-4198 or IMR-3031, but during the 20-teens shortage, it was all I could get and I developed a respect for it. You won't be disappointed with 55 grain using IMR-4064. Develop the load as you would any other powder...

I use Unique on both bottle-neck and straight-wall cartridges. I love it. It is the only case lube that I use.

I still have several hundred rounds that I loaded in 1982/3, that are still brass-colored (albeit, not shiny). These cases were (supposedly) 'once-fired', but I had my doubt about that. I polished them with Brass-O, washed them and then loaded them. I still have several hundred of these...

Other than sorting cases, no problems. I have loaded and shot .45 ACP LPP brass, but since everything else I load for handgun is SPP, I gave preference to .45 ACP SPP brass. Having shot SPP and LPP loads across the same chronograph and noticed only minor differences, I would say that primer...

There is no "industry standard" for measuring burn rates. Some burn the powder in the open. Others burn it in a pressure vessel. As a result of differing testing methodologies, there can be no basis from which to compare one company's burn rate with another company's data.

About once a decade. I have not experienced the build-up you refer to in your post. Apart from regularly cleaning out the vent hole on bottle-neck cartridges, my dies get cleaned around once per decade.

I recently (2019) finished up a stock of primers from the 1981/82 component drought. Zero failures. So, my experience is that even after years ofa being stored for decades in a Texas garage for nearly 40 years, they are still good.

Love my (now discontinued) "Lee Speed Dies". Still using them 30+ years later to load 38 Special and 45 ACP. And I still cherish my Lee Universal Decapping Die. Beyond that, I have never been satisfied with a set of Lee dies. I have bought them because of price and have ended up replacing...

I use a 45 degree countersink and a drill press. Chuck the countersink into the drill press, lift the case up to the countersink until the crimp is removed and then proceed with reloading. It takes a while to get the feel for when to stop drilling away the crimp, but that comes quickly and...

None. The reloading bench is sacrosanct. If it isn't reloading, it's not on the bench. Everything else occupies the 24 feet of cabinetry and countertop at the side of my garage.

Since the 1980's, I have used a used a reamer to remove the primer crimps on military brass.

All of my 38 Special loads mirror the box my Grandmother bought when she bought the S&W that I inherited with 158 grain jacketed hollow points. Using HP-38, I got to 834 fps on the chronograph. Since 800-850 fps seems to agreed-upon as the velocity for the bullet to expand, I settled on...

I routinely go from loading HP-38 into 9mm to loading Winchester 748 into .223. When I switch powders, I always shake the powder measure and the powder trickler to make sure they are empty, but I don’t go any farther in trying to clean powder from them. I think that is adequate as my...

Over the years I adjusted my RCBS .223 (not small base) sizing die to deliver resized cases that would reliably chamber in each of the two Mini-14s and two AR-15s that I load for. That setting has not been changed since 1982.