Future Reloader Part 2

BLACKFIN said:

This is the first batch primed with the Lee Ram Primer.

How do the look?

View attachment 950416 View attachment 950417

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.45 auto , I love .45 auto in my blackhawk with the Berry rn 230 i see on your bench. I never had much luck with the lee ram primer but the lee bench primer is great for the large pistol primer that I'm thinking i see here. They look great in this pic. How's the plunk test?

Already I'm thinking too far ahead, no plunk test yet

.45 ACP is one of the easier pistol rounds to reload.

About the only tricky part is seating the bullet to the proper depth and getting the right tension. With a bit of trial and error it usually comes out right.

Good luck.

You do have a kinetic hammer?
Somewhere, probably a thrift shop ,I ended up with a mag light which turns out to be helpful on my reloading bench. Just an idea.

Welcome to the endlessy satisfying, and sometimes frustratimg hobby of making ammunition.

The deeper you go into chasing that illusive .001, whether it is seating, trimming, or grouping, the more frustrating it becomes. You will eventualy find/decide at what point you stop the pursuit and go back to the point when it was just plain fun and relaxing.

BLACKFIN said:

Not at all, i don’t have .45acp gauge so I tested it in 2 barrels, a 1911 and a glock barrel, they fit perfect. I did that right after I sized and deprime

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sized,primed,flared, loaded with powder , seated bullet, crimp, then plunk.
I usually only make up 6 shells if some component is new and take them to the range, I go so tired of using the kinetic hammer

BLACKFIN said:

Not at all, i don’t have .45acp gauge so I tested it in 2 barrels, a 1911 and a glock barrel, they fit perfect. I did that right after I sized and deprime

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You don't need a case gauge. Just use your barrels.

dcarr said:

I go so tired of using the kinetic hammer

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Put a foam earplug in the hammer to save the bullet nose.

yep, forgot the earplug

Looks good! I started with much less. It's difficult to judge primer eating from a pic, but they look OK. Just make sure the primers are seated all the way to the bottom of the pocket.

Some things aren't needed to start with, like a inertia bullet puller. I just put my faux pas in a box to be dealt with later. After some experience I got a bullet puller. I reloaded for 12 years before I got a tumbler, just wiping the cases with a solvent dampened rag as I inspected it. No scratched/ruined dies, no scratched chambers. Some things I still don't use even after 40 years reloading; I don't wet tumble (tried it didn't like it), and when I started reloading semi-auto rounds I thought I needed a cartridge gauge, but I don't shoot out of a gauge, but the barrel of my gun. I plunk test. I haven't swaged or reamed a prime pocket, ever, and I just look at the primer pockets and none have needed cleaning, so I don't have/use primer pocket cleaning tools. There's more, but my starting tools were a 12 oz. plastic mallet, a 6"x6"x24" log and a Lee Loader. I reloaded for about a year with these and kept my 38 Special well fed. Most of the brass processing is just "Metal Working 101" and there are many tools that work quite well and not labeled as a dedicated "Reloading Tool"...

BLACKFIN said:

How do the look?

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Like factory! Keep up the good work. I started long before the internet and only had a reloading manual to guide me. A good manual if followed will produce working ammunition. You may want to consider completing a few rounds and testing them before doing 50 and not liking the results. Good luck!

My first thought when viewing your pics were you’re gonna need a better scale. I went with the Lee turret kit and as you found out, that scale sucks.
I also added the Little Crow WFT and Lyman case prep multi tool. Should be good after that.

Looking really good! You are well on your way.

I started with a Lee turret kit, too. I found the safety scale was workable, but bought a set of Lyman check weights to be sure. It wasn't long before I upgraded to an RCBS 5-0-2. I think I still have the safety scale around here somewhere; haven't seen it for a while.

I also have a Reloader press and use it for everything. I broke one last year, but it lasted about 12 years and several hundred thousand rounds, so I bought another. With mine I cut a hole in the bench under it and underneath the bench I glued and screwed a small glass pickle jar lid to hold a jar to catch the primers. Any small glass jar will do, just keep it small or the weight may get too much for the short screws and you will have a big mess. Trust me on this. Also if possible you would benefit from attaching the bench to the wall for extra support. Another good thing to get is a 4’ led shop light to give you good, even light. I get mine from Walmart for about 18.00.
Good looking bench, if you find it flexing just add in a 2x6 brace under the press and you will be good to go for years.

+1 to all the above. I have a Pacific C press and powder balance (beam scale without any form of premade graduations) that both are 80 yrs old. The balance depends on a set of weights to calibrate. It is my golden reference that I check my electronic scale against. I do not measure every load, but use it to set up my powder (orange Lyman 55) measure then check every 10 to 20 powder drops.

Not conducive to volume reloading, but it is relaxing and enjoyable....38 yrs now.

It is nice to see new people getting in to reloading and do it with confidence. You are well on your way.

Good on ya! Not sure if it was mentioned but any weight you can put on the bottom of the stand will help.

In about 6 months time your new prized "Reloading Bench" will be relegated to "priming table" status as you build another bench 3 times larger to hold your additional tooling.