Ahhh yeah... you always remember your first...
- Thread starter 1KPerDay
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bubbacrabb
Member
It wasnt long ago I made my first. The guy that taught me how to reload said "Bag that thing up and put it on your wall with a sign that says, This bullet only cost me 600 dollars" lol. I also fired my first round into a berm looking the opposite way, wearing a leather glove, praying my gun wasnt going to blow apart and my hand wouldnt be mangled. Luckily I now feel a lot safer. Good luck buddy.
Smokey Joe
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Dissenting opinion...
1 K per Day--Good on you, starting to reload. I sez "FIDDLESTICKS" to saving your first round. You reload for one reason only. Take it to the range, along with rounds # 2 through 50 or whatever, and SHOOT IT!
Then bring all the brass back, and reload it again.
There is only so much "stuff" you can collect in life. You will remember starting to reload forever (whether it be with glee or with regret) so you don't need the memento.
I, too, remember firing my first reload with hand over my face!
Oh, and welcome to The Magnificent Obsession--Reloading!
1 K per Day--Good on you, starting to reload. I sez "FIDDLESTICKS" to saving your first round. You reload for one reason only. Take it to the range, along with rounds # 2 through 50 or whatever, and SHOOT IT!
Then bring all the brass back, and reload it again.
There is only so much "stuff" you can collect in life. You will remember starting to reload forever (whether it be with glee or with regret) so you don't need the memento.
I, too, remember firing my first reload with hand over my face!
Oh, and welcome to The Magnificent Obsession--Reloading!
OP
OP
1KPerDay
Member
Taper crimp, NOT FCD. Taper leaves a thin line at the lip. Don't know why there would be a sizer ring on a crimp die. On a multi-position press, you either get two seater/crimp die and set the first one for seating, second for crimp or set a single die to do both, which is more difficult. In any case, if you can feel the 'bell' it's not gone, but won't make much difference if it fits in the barrel.
Keep the first one for now. Later you will forget about it.
Keep the first one for now. Later you will forget about it.
Steve Koski
Member
Very nice 1k!
BADUNAME37
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Congradulashekuns!
My first loads ever were .270 loads.
It's a nice feeling when you know you have produced them from mere components, carefully assemblying everything so they are accurate, reliable and inexpensive compared to store-bought!
My first loads ever were .270 loads.
It's a nice feeling when you know you have produced them from mere components, carefully assemblying everything so they are accurate, reliable and inexpensive compared to store-bought!
OP
OP
1KPerDay
Member
The lee deluxe dies include a bullet seating/taper crimp die as well as the Factory Crimp Die, which (for auto pistols) is basically just a taper crimp die with a sizing ring at the bottom, to my knowledge. I'm using the 3rd station to seat and the 4th to taper crimp with the FCD.
Seems to work okay so far.
Smokey Joe
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Fixed it for ya...
Kablooey X. Bangenstein, I There ya go.
Now go shoot 'em all up!
Kablooey X. Bangenstein, I There ya go.
Now go shoot 'em all up!
Last edited:
Otto
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- May 14, 2007
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- 2,357
Why use Red Dot?
Alliant has no current published load data for the 40S&W.
They used to 15 years ago but no longer recommend it and nether does any other company (as far as I know).
There must be a dozen powders better suited for the 40 than Red Dot.
Alliant has no current published load data for the 40S&W.
They used to 15 years ago but no longer recommend it and nether does any other company (as far as I know).
There must be a dozen powders better suited for the 40 than Red Dot.
OP
OP
1KPerDay
Member
Read up here if you're interested
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=585707
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=577438
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=585707
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=577438
OP
OP
1KPerDay
Member
Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present Mister Springfield:
HXP brass, trimmed to 2.484", primed with CCI LRP #200, 46 grains of H4895, pulled 147 gran M80 bullet, OAL 3.297".
No crimp yet... I'm going to load a few and measure OAL after I chamber one (at the range) and if it's good, shoot a couple (with my fingers crossed and a kevlar bag over my head) and then measure the OAL of the ones in the magazine to make sure everything looks good.
Rifle reloading is a LOT more work than semi-auto pistol.
HXP brass, trimmed to 2.484", primed with CCI LRP #200, 46 grains of H4895, pulled 147 gran M80 bullet, OAL 3.297".
No crimp yet... I'm going to load a few and measure OAL after I chamber one (at the range) and if it's good, shoot a couple (with my fingers crossed and a kevlar bag over my head) and then measure the OAL of the ones in the magazine to make sure everything looks good.
Rifle reloading is a LOT more work than semi-auto pistol.
Armored farmer
Member
......and soon you will discover how to choose your factory ammo...(by the quality of the empty case)
OP
OP
1KPerDay
Member
I don't think I can afford to buy any more factory .30-06 ammo. I'm too cheap.
ny32182
Member
I started off on .223, sometime in 2007 I believe.
I believe I gave a slight pause to appreciate the moment, but don't recall turning my head away or anything for the first shot. I did have one round in the first session that locked the gun up and required a pogo; I quickly learned to gage ammo after that.
Something you can TRY (I am not saying it will work for everyone, or with all components): Since I started on rifle I was new to the "belling" concept when I started on pistol cases, and before long just stopped doing it. To this day if you are shooting jacketed bullets I have no idea why you would want to bell with pistol any more than you do rifle. I shoot jacketed bullets that "shave" very little if at all. It will save you at least one pull of the handle on each round on the turret press (adds up fast) and eliminates two things to potentially screw up (the bell and the crimp... the "crimp" will be automatically perfect if you never bell in the first place). You will have to try with your specific bullets to make sure they don't "shave".
I am getting a progressive very soon and may revisit the concept since you are getting the operations for "free" in that case.
I believe I gave a slight pause to appreciate the moment, but don't recall turning my head away or anything for the first shot. I did have one round in the first session that locked the gun up and required a pogo; I quickly learned to gage ammo after that.
Something you can TRY (I am not saying it will work for everyone, or with all components): Since I started on rifle I was new to the "belling" concept when I started on pistol cases, and before long just stopped doing it. To this day if you are shooting jacketed bullets I have no idea why you would want to bell with pistol any more than you do rifle. I shoot jacketed bullets that "shave" very little if at all. It will save you at least one pull of the handle on each round on the turret press (adds up fast) and eliminates two things to potentially screw up (the bell and the crimp... the "crimp" will be automatically perfect if you never bell in the first place). You will have to try with your specific bullets to make sure they don't "shave".
I am getting a progressive very soon and may revisit the concept since you are getting the operations for "free" in that case.
OP
OP
1KPerDay
Member
I don't see how it would save me a stroke... the expander/bell station is the powder drop station on my press. And in my press you still have to stroke the handle to skip over a station and get back to the first one anyway (if for example I decided I didn't need a separate crimp station). And in my handguns I'm not loading FMJ; I'm loading plated. I'm going to continue belling slightly.
rugerman
Member
Oh Great! just what we need- another primmer hoarding, brass scrrounger to streach the limited supply of reloading components a little bit farther and raise the price a little bit higher. Welcome to the club just stay away from my brass. Hope you enjoy the hobby as much as I have. Keep your powder dry and may any misteaks be small ones.
OP
OP
1KPerDay
Member
Hee heee! I just loaded up my first batch of .45 ACP, using the 'semi-progressive' features of the LCT. Feels like I'm going 3000 percent faster than loading 'single stage' style. I counted out loud and it took me about 10 seconds to produce a loaded round.
I got the same "stick/bang" thing out of the FCD but not as bad, and then I dialed in more crimp and it went away. So I figure on my .40 reloads above I just hadn't dialed in enough crimp... for the future ones I will.
This is actually a lot of fun.
Is it a bit weird that I kinda don't want to shoot these rounds now? It took so much work... I feel like they're my children or something. LOL
I got the same "stick/bang" thing out of the FCD but not as bad, and then I dialed in more crimp and it went away. So I figure on my .40 reloads above I just hadn't dialed in enough crimp... for the future ones I will.
This is actually a lot of fun.
Is it a bit weird that I kinda don't want to shoot these rounds now? It took so much work... I feel like they're my children or something. LOL
ljnowell
Member
I gotta tell you, I have loaded on several different progressives and single stages and I love my Lee Turret. I dont see me getting rid of it, ever.
Nice!
Congrats. Eventually, 2 or 3 decades, the cost per round will become more reasonable. My first was .357 mag using a Lee mallet tool, 121 gr LRN and Alcan AL-5. sometime in the summer of 1978 for my first centerfire handgun. I still have the gun, the Lee kit, an exemplar round from the first batch and even a couple of the bullets in their original box; produced by a local master caster who has since gone out to pasture. I recently gave the powder can to a local shopowner since he didn't have one of that version in his "museum."
Welcome to the fold. Recovery meetings are held every Sunday at the range...
Congrats. Eventually, 2 or 3 decades, the cost per round will become more reasonable.
My first was .357 mag using a Lee mallet tool, 121 gr LRN and Alcan AL-5. sometime in the summer of 1978 for my first centerfire handgun. I still have the gun, the Lee kit, an exemplar round from the first batch and even a couple of the bullets in their original box; produced by a local master caster who has since gone out to pasture. I recently gave the powder can to a local shopowner since he didn't have one of that version in his "museum."Welcome to the fold. Recovery meetings are held every Sunday at the range...
supergoat343
Member
best feeling ever
Its among those few memories that never really leave us. And out of the 100,000 plus rounds which some of us may churn out in a lifetime, that will probably be the only one you will remember.
My first round a 175gr .308 winchester sits proudly on my windowsill, along with the other two dozen duds, failures, lapses of memory, and outbursts of stupidity.
Its among those few memories that never really leave us. And out of the 100,000 plus rounds which some of us may churn out in a lifetime, that will probably be the only one you will remember.
My first round a 175gr .308 winchester sits proudly on my windowsill, along with the other two dozen duds, failures, lapses of memory, and outbursts of stupidity.
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