Effect of an empty station on a Dillon progressive loader

[JimGnitecki]

There are actually 4 impacts outside the larger cluster, in that group, 2 at 9:00 and 2 at 7:30.

When I finally got one, more than a quarter century after Chuck Ransom (guy that invented it) had passed, then used it then took it apart and measured it, I wasn’t as impressed as some are with the machine. That said, I don’t own one he made and don’t know if tolerance/materials changed after his passing.

It’s certainly a quick way to test loads “A,B,C&D” with the same firearm but I also don’t feel it’s the end all be all of testing methods.

Instead of scrapping the entire concept he used, I just altered a few of them on the machine rest I built, linked to at the bottom of #46.

This is another 10 shot 25 yard group from the same pistol, ammunition and mounting point as the ransom shown in #46 but using my machine rest.

View attachment 990608

That's a LOT better group, but still shows a moderate horizontal stringing bias. I wonder what is causing that to persist.

Jim G

 

[Engineer1911]

I wish I had these problems.

 

[JimGnitecki]

I wish I had these problems.

It's easy to acquire them! Just become obsessive about precision and accuracy!

Jim G

 

[JimGnitecki]

Jmorris: I just now finsihed reading the prior thread where you built your own "jmorris rest"! What ever happened to that rest? Do you still use it? (because you posted the photos in #46 showing the Ransom version).

Jim G

 

[Engineer1911]

People who obsess about PERFECT cartridges, obviously never shot at small targets (prairie dogs) on a windy, swirling day in an empty pasture. I will cheerfully take 2,000 loaded, acceptable rounds off my Dillon 550 before even thinking about 100 perfect rounds off a single stage press. Acceptable sits there shooting, while Perfection is trying to conjugate all the variables into Zero Stackup perfection.

 

[jmorris]

Jmorris: I just now finsihed reading the prior thread where you built your own "jmorris rest"! What ever happened to that rest? Do you still use it? (because you posted the photos in #46 showing the Ransom version).

Jim G

I should go back and add photos to the other thread. I have a bad habit of learning what I want to know and moving on.

Yes, once I tested them both with a half dozen pistols and revolvers I no longer own the Ransom, just the one I made.

An eye opener was mounting optics equipped firearms in them as its easy to see if one is not repeating or moving around



I will say with magnified optics the benefit of a machine rest isn’t much because they are already easy to aim precisely. Even at over 50 yards you have a much better idea of where the POA is exactly vs most pistol iron sights.


Even red dots don’t come close.

 

[JimGnitecki]

I should go back and add photos to the other thread. I have a bad habit of learning what I want to know and moving on.

Yes, once I tested them both with a half dozen pistols and revolvers I no longer own the Ransom, just the one I made.

An eye opener was mounting optics equipped firearms in them as its easy to see if one is not repeating or moving around

View attachment 991715 View attachment 991716

I will say with magnified optics the benefit of a machine rest isn’t much because they are already easy to aim precisely. Even at over 50 yards you have a much better idea of where the POA is exactly vs most pistol iron sights.

View attachment 991719
Even red dots don’t come close.
View attachment 991720

Yes, I can understand that. My biggest problem personally when shooting handguns is my eyesight - I cannot always get a clear focus on the front sight. I do notably better with rifles that have scopes on them.

By the way, this evening I AGAIN found the surprisingly large effect of having an empty station on the press. I was clicking along measuring the 50 rounds produced with my digital caliper, generating an SD variance of .0008" in BTO and an ES of .0035". All of a sudden two of the cartridges came in WAY off - like .005" off. I recalled from their order of produciton that they were the ones that resulted from the sizing station being empty. I gotta stop allowing myself to run out of cases! (I don't use an automated case feeder).

Jim G