A question for the Old Guards in reloading.

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Soonerpesek said:
I didn't ever say they were.......

It's supporting a handloading press..........not a 20 ton shop press.........!!

I was just offering the guy a chance to see it in person if he wanted......

Thanks for answering for him tho, I'm sure he appreciates it......
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I didn't mean to infer that you meant the Dillon was as good a product as the Inline Fab...sorry if it was taken that way

I was simply offering the information, to the OP and other readers, of how the Inline Fab product was a better alternative
 
South Prairie Jim said:
C clamps work well..
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IMAG3204.jpg
As cluttered as my bench already is, and no more often that I have to trim cases, it would be silly to have my case trimmer permanently mounted to my bench. Besides that, most of the trimmings land on the little piece of plywood the trimmer is screwed to, so when I'm through trimming cases, I simply unclamp it, turn it upside down over the trash can, and brush the trimmings off with a cheap, little paint brush. :)
 
KansasTrapper77 said:
For sure, I understand you don’t need to go hog wild on stuff I just want to remove extra flex when I can.

But I like to hear the stands are not as flexible as they appear on those videos.
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Guys get all axle wrapped about stiffness of benches and mounting plates… I’ve honestly never understood it. Any reloading activity which requires THAT much force is ill-conceived. For example, I’ve loaded hundreds of thousands of rounds on a benchtop of 3/4” MDF… it flexes a bit under the most extreme pressure I have to exert, such as when I push-through size jacketed bullets or when pushing back shoulders for RUM and 338Lapua based wildcats, but a little deflection has never introduced any damage to the table, or any runout on the press. I’ve loaded hundreds of thousands of rounds on that portable reloading bench - a Black & Decker workmate holding that MDF bench top. How many millions of rounds around the US have been loaded on presses bolted to thin plywood, clamped to the edge of some counter or kitchen table? Guys make way, way too big of deal about rigidity in a reloading bench.

That said, my latest bench has been a butcher block table top with inline fabrication quick change bases and plates - crazy fast change over and zero deflection or wiggle.
 
I am not reloading for the olympic team, just for target and a little hunting. How much are you guys in to concentric your cartridges. My brother was big time.

I was always happy if I could put like 5 rounds in a quarter at 100 yards. He used to talk about putting all in one hole at 100 yards.

my reloading bench is an old combination work bench, book case, I got off a guy when I was stationed in Kodiak, ALASKA, back in 1984. is Maybe 5 foot long, and about 2 foot wide. and weighs in at about 100 lbs. is heavy
 
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Varminterror said:
Guys get all axle wrapped about stiffness of benches and mounting plates… I’ve honestly never understood it. Any reloading activity which requires THAT much force is ill-conceived. For example, I’ve loaded hundreds of thousands of rounds on a benchtop of 3/4” MDF… it flexes a bit under the most extreme pressure I have to exert, such as when I push-through size jacketed bullets or when pushing back shoulders for RUM and 338Lapua based wildcats, but a little deflection has never introduced any damage to the table, or any runout on the press. I’ve loaded hundreds of thousands of rounds on that portable reloading bench - a Black & Decker workmate holding that MDF bench top. How many millions of rounds around the US have been loaded on presses bolted to thin plywood, clamped to the edge of some counter or kitchen table? Guys make way, way too big of deal about rigidity in a reloading bench.

That said, my latest bench has been a butcher block table top with inline fabrication quick change bases and plates - crazy fast change over and zero deflection or wiggle.
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I have a fold up toy dog grooming table that I can clamp my press to whether the green press or my Harrel’s press and neither give me any problems to load or re-load on.
 
I have been using a little thing called a Lee Hand Press ...it doesn't require a bench .
I have a larger bench in an outbuilding but no a/c out there. So I got the Hand Press to reload handgun and 30-30 rifle inside my house where it's cool . I sit at the computer desk and do it all . I keep everything in a range bag and have taken my bag to work to reload at my office .
It works well on handgun ammo ... if you don't have a bench , live in an apartment or just limited on space ... check out the Lee Hand Press Kit ...the kit even comes with a priming tool for the Hand Press and is one of the better ways to seat primers with .
Gary
 
RONALD MORPHEW said:
How much are you guys in to concentric your cartridges. My brother was big time.
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RONALD MORPHEW said:
I was always happy if I could put like 5 rounds in a quarter at 100 yards. He used to talk about putting all in one hole at 100 yards.
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Read back a bit: We discussed concentricity implications on pages 3-5 of this thread.

Bottom line - buying quality reloading gear which is proven to make concentric ammo, buying quality barrels, and buying quality brass, will pay back greater in accuracy per dollar spent than will the money spent buying concentricity measurement tools.

One hole groups at 100yrds, for me after living the above 3 step paradigm, is a matter of two options: 1) shoot few enough groups to avoid bleeding any outside of the group, or 2) shooting enough rounds to punch out the paper between and reconnect a shot that did bleed out. Some days, shooting 15 round one hole groups feels a lot easier than shooting 3-5 round one hole groups.
 
Varminterror said:
Read back a bit: We discussed concentricity implications on pages 3-5 of this thread.

Bottom line - buying quality reloading gear which is proven to make concentric ammo, buying quality barrels, and buying quality brass, will pay back greater in accuracy per dollar spent than will the money spent buying concentricity measurement tools.

One hole groups at 100yrds, for me after living the above 3 step paradigm, is a matter of two options: 1) shoot few enough groups to avoid bleeding any outside of the group, or 2) shooting enough rounds to punch out the paper between and reconnect a shot that did bleed out. Some days, shooting 15 round one hole groups feels a lot easier than shooting 3-5 round one hole groups.
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Give me 100 rounds I can make a single hole the size of a baseball :)
 
AJC1 said:
Unfortunately my ppu testing showed dispersion that bad, now that's just kept in the back of the safe as rainy day ammo. 308 has great barrel life and still not worth my time. Even low cost hunting bullets are better.
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I feel like this is a description of the end result of every “I wanna buy a precision rifle in 308 or 5.56 so I can use cheap surplus ammo” thread ever. Haha! Ammo matters!
 
Varminterror said:
I feel like this is a description of the end result of every “I wanna buy a precision rifle in 308 or 5.56 so I can use cheap surplus ammo” thread ever. Haha! Ammo matters!
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I fell victim to trigger time matters. Well perfect practice matters. You live you make mistakes, and hopefully you grow. I'm not ashamed of my mistakes, considering not having a mentor. I taught myself to competitive bass fish as well.
 
I have a lee hand press, but honestly have never used it.. Got it years ago, when I was stationed in Alaska, never used it and gave it to my brother. Then I got another one just in case, who knows, may use it eventually.
Y'all know it is based on an old lyman and ideal press was used by the buffallo hunters to reload their ammo. I am not buffallo hunter, and so use my bench. I have ac here in alabama on the gulf coast, in my reloading/work shop, and believe me I need it

I got a AR - 10 in 308, and I have yet to find cheap ammo. Before covid maybe, now not here, or now. before covid could get 9 mm for about bucks a box, is why I bought my ed brown conversion kit for my 38 super.
All I had to change was barrel, bushing, and magazines .... presto..... 9mm. But now ammo is about 3 times that price, is why I reload.

before covid that should have said 9mm , 9 bucks a box, now is about 40 bucks a box

have a question for those have been reloading for a while. I have a chance to get a couple sets of bonanza reloading dies, three die sets with the primer pin in the expander die. I have checked on line and they have a really good reputation, but how do you set up the expander die and deprimer pin to work? I have never done that. All my dies are the ones with the depriming pin in the sizing die.

In fact, was noted on line, Foster bought out bonanza DIES
 
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RONALD MORPHEW said:
have a question for those have been reloading for a while. I have a chance to get a couple sets of bonanza reloading dies, three die sets with the primer pin in the expander die. I have checked on line and they have a really good reputation, but how do you set up the expander die and deprimer pin to work? I have never done that. All my dies are the ones with the depriming pin in the sizing die.
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The sizing dies just does sizing only, no de-priming. The expander dies, deprimes and expands, the seating die is the same. Some of the older RCBS dies are like this.
 
RONALD MORPHEW said:
have a question for those have been reloading for a while. I have a chance to get a couple sets of bonanza reloading dies, three die sets with the primer pin in the expander die. I have checked on line and they have a really good reputation, but how do you set up the expander die and deprimer pin to work? I have never done that. All my dies are the ones with the depriming pin in the sizing die.
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Very high quality dies and most reloaders are totally clueless about Bonanza.

The decapping pin in the expander plug was common ... my RCBS , Lyman , Redding and Bonanza dies from early 1970's are all made that way. You adjust your neck expanding die to expand / flare the case mouth as much as needed ... the stem starts to flare towards the top ... be careful and don't over flare .
Usually there is enough decapping pin protruding from the die to knock out a primer ... if not replace the decapping pin with a longer one . No longer pins on hand ... remove the head from a properly sized finishing nail ...take a pin with you to harware store and buy small box if finishing nails / decapping pins .
I believe the die makers found it better and cheaper to make a decapping rod / pin , without the expander / flareing part attached and put it in the sizing die ...
It's not hard to figure out the part that holds the decapping pin screws into the bottom of the expander ... make sure it is there and you will need pliars (plairs ?) to unscrew it with ...usually !
Gary
 
I was given a set of ch dies that are made tha way, called ch and was told they still make a couple sets that way, one set is 45 acp, one is 38 special. they said have to be careful not to over flare
 
Bonanza made good dies. Many dies were made like your Bonanza set, back in the day. I think the popularity of progressive loading presses caused the change in the resizing dies.
 
RCBS in RELOADING ,one CAN'T go wrong ; IMO :) I own other brands of Dies also and they chamber just fine .

I used a Rock Chucker from 1965- 88 ,before stepping up to Dillon and NEVER looked back . So MY opinions based upon qualifications , having marked #55 years last February of reloading ammunition . Currently #18 calibers Rifle & Pistol Dillon 550 & 650 plus Mec 9K and H along with Jr. for 12/20/28 .

Still have : All extremities #8 fingers #2 thumbs #2 eyes and surprisingly enough some of MY hearing :p ,just don't say anything over 7000 Hz .

Most name brand manufacturers are Reputable and make quality components . Higher priced Dies for Precision BR shooters are what they are ,some are worth the monies and some Aren't , again IMO .

Most important reloading component is between your ears ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT !. Must have's : Quality SCALE ,again I prefer established NAME brand balance beam works ,so do higher priced electronics $200 + models cheaper is risky . In MY work I used a scale in $20K cost range . Way stupid for reloading purposes but in MY own old Lab , I retained MY Sartorius analytical balance but I NEVER use it for reloading ,far far to sensitive . Ohaus is a Good Name IF one buys an electronic scale please be certain it's CALIBRATED and CERTIFIED for weights and measures for Commerce . That gives YOU peace of mind it's RELIABLE . Presses are just that they travel up and down ,so a Sturdy well constructed one works just fine . Shell plate holders should match the press for best results . A QUALITY pair of calipers are indispensable , along with a Bullet Comparator and case specific gauge of the cartridge caliber one's reloading .

Case lube everyone's got and opinion one which brand is better than another , Truth be told it makes little difference provided YOU apply it properly . Now not enough you're gonna be sorry and too much you're gonna see dents or worse . I've used Boeshield T9 for so many years I've forgotten and Nitrile gloves ( helps spread lube while keeping hands clean ) as you use a shallow cardboard box line them in one direction spray lightly the body ,roll them with the gloved hand and PERFECT results will be Yours .

Powder dispensers metering measures ,depends on volume of ammo required as well as precision . As I use a progressive with a dual anvil powder measure setup , I set it check it and forget it it stays accurate enough for MY purposes . Bench Rest shooters would cry and demand mega bucks accessories . Each to their own . Components are like Vehicles ,many work many look like crap and many look great and run poorly
as one of the first posters said he uses hand tools to make quality ammunition . YES You can do that but VOLUME suffers greatly or you don't have a job Wife or life. I wouldn't even venture a guess as to how many rounds of ammunition I've make over # 55 years but far more than I could have ever afforded to purchase . A clue would be purchasing SR LR SP LP and Magnum primers by the pallet or shooting Trap & Sporting clays weekends and tournaments ,all the while shooting 1-2K shells per week practice for #12-15 years !. Yep you become pretty proficient reloading ,provided you keep your head in the game while doing so . Misfires count on one hand ,CCi SP had #3 in one box YEARS ago . Two funny LR in one of My M1 Garand 's more than likely Winchester but can't swear to that . Other than those pretty smooth sailing .

Shotshells another matter altogether ,Yep had poor crimps dribble 1/4 load of shot find lose shot in My shooting vest ,is NEVER a good feeling while stepping into the box or moving back to the 27 yard line . You start remembering to talk to the range cleaners about buying some ONCE fired AA or Remington Nitro's :rofl:
 
My brother , who passed away at the end of March, had experience like you. He started hand loading while still in high school, Mom oked him to purchase a couple of old military surplus guns from some of the military vets in our town, an old Mauser 7x57,. and a British 303 SMLE. In our town, that kind of ammo was impossible to find so the two old vets taught him to hand load using the Lee loader. After he left home and went into the US AIR FORCE, he purchased his first single stage RCBS rock chucker press. He always said that he learnt more from the lee loader than anything else. Lessons he used later, cases, bullets, primers, and powder. Some worked better than others. About 5 years before he passed away, he got a Hornady Lock n Load progressive press, and was extremely happy with it. He gave another brother his Lee Pro 1000 press for loading pistols.
Funny thing I got back into loading when covid hit. I say that because I started hand loading in 1976, when stationed in the US COAST GUARD, in Kodiak, Alaska. Certain types of ammo was hard to find up there, and it was either hand load or not shoot. In 1976 , I purchased a Colt 1911 in .38 super. Ammo for that has always been either hard to find, or super expensive. I also shoot a revolver in .45 colt. It is also expensive. All that was before covid. Now those two so called exotic calibers are almost impossible to find. I also load for 30-06, 308 winchester, 45-70, 38/357, 9mm, and the two above. So now I can go shooting whenever it is not raining, and here lately on the gulf coast has been every day.
 
RONALD MORPHEW said:
My brother , who passed away at the end of March, had experience like you. He started hand loading while still in high school, Mom oked him to purchase a couple of old military surplus guns from some of the military vets in our town, an old Mauser 7x57,. and a British 303 SMLE. In our town, that kind of ammo was impossible to find so the two old vets taught him to hand load using the Lee loader. After he left home and went into the US AIR FORCE, he purchased his first single stage RCBS rock chucker press. He always said that he learnt more from the lee loader than anything else. Lessons he used later, cases, bullets, primers, and powder. Some worked better than others. About 5 years before he passed away, he got a Hornady Lock n Load progressive press, and was extremely happy with it. He gave another brother his Lee Pro 1000 press for loading pistols.
Funny thing I got back into loading when covid hit. I say that because I started hand loading in 1976, when stationed in the US COAST GUARD, in Kodiak, Alaska. Certain types of ammo was hard to find up there, and it was either hand load or not shoot. In 1976 , I purchased a Colt 1911 in .38 super. Ammo for that has always been either hard to find, or super expensive. I also shoot a revolver in .45 colt. It is also expensive. All that was before covid. Now those two so called exotic calibers are almost impossible to find. I also load for 30-06, 308 winchester, 45-70, 38/357, 9mm, and the two above. So now I can go shooting whenever it is not raining, and here lately on the gulf coast has been every day.
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Sorry for Your loss . I also lost My older Brother ,a few months short of #5 years ago now . Agent Orange =Melanoma ,as I also have the battle but hopefully am staying on top of the fight . Have had enough surgeries to last #4 lifetimes ,along with intravenous Yervoy + cocktails . Still upright ,survived two tours and GOD willing will this also .

You mentioned .45 caliber revolver pistol ?. Anything like this ? . Colt US Army Model 1917 .45 . Residue is from original holster decay . Purchased #3 pistols form an older gentleman ,who's Father was an officer in WW1 and a Beat Cop in Chicago 1924-39 Yep the Capone Era .

Colt US Army DA 45 5.jpg

I ran the #'s with CPD back in 90's and sure enough the .38 Spl. Police positive was registered to him ,as he made Captain before retiring .
His son Never fired any of his Dads pistols ,kept them oiled and in their holsters . The Son was late 70's early 80's in 1990 . His father had small hands and had someone add the finger block made out of Bakelite behind the trigger guard . Takes half moon clips for .45 ACP .
 

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I was never that lucky, mine is a 45 colt, uberti EL PATRON, which is their copy of the COLT SINGLE ACTION ARMY. I was 20 years army reserves and full time US COAST GUARD. Retired 1 march 1989.
My brother who passed was 20 years US AIR FORCE, and another brother was 6 years US ARMY. It was our way out of poverty. The one who was army spent a total of 26 years working as a civilian for the AIR FORCE.
I originally was the oldest of 6. now is only 4 of us left.
We all reload, and shoot..
My two sisters shoot too, as we were originally from Oklahoma, our great grandfathers were both town marshalls, and knew some of the old Oklahoma gun fighting law men. Bass Reeves, Hec Ramsey, and Bill. Tilghman.
They always said they felt never out gunned with a winchester rifle, and two 45s,, meaning the Colt single action army.
 
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