Howdy:
The RCBS Uniflow powder measure made a believer outta me. No more "dip, trickle, & weigh" for production ammo.
Until this evening, I have soldiered on through load development and production runs with the Lee dippers, RCBS powder trickler, and RCBS 5-0-5 scale for powder handling. I was doing my reloading in stolen bits of time & never had time to set up my Uniflow powder measure.
Well, last week I finally got it assembled & ran my 3# of sacrificial Unique* through it to get its parts good & coated. Tonight I ran some graphite through it for, uh, good measure.
Then I got out my processed (cleaned, sized, belled, & primed) .357mag brass, Trail Boss, Lee Hand Press**, & went to town.
Within 10 throws, I had adjusted the Unflow for 4 grains of Trail Boss...and there it sat. I checked it every so often, chucking a charge into my 5-0-5's pan. These test throws were dead on. Every once in a while, the throw wouldn't feel right (gritty) & I would toss that one into the pan. It was usually a hair light & I would toss it back into the hopper.
I got 150 cartridges filled with powder, bullets seated, and taper crimped in a separate step in less time than it took me to dip, trickle, & weigh charges for 50 cartridges the old way.
It sure will be nice to shoot my Taurus Ti 651 snubby with mild .357mag fodder. My S&W 686 handles hot magnum load easily, but the Taurus is a handful with hot .357s.
My only problem: deciding whether to craft more .44mag/240grLSWC/Trail Boss loads for my wife's Rossi 92 carbine first, or load up some thumper .357mag/158grLSWC/2400 to feed my .357mag revolvers.
* For years before I started reloading, I accumulated tools & materials. I bought an ancient 3# can of Unique in a can with a 2400 label X'ed out. The powder inside LOOKS like Unique, but after reading some horror stories I will use no powder not in original containers & I will use no powder opened by anyone other than Yours, Truly.
** I own a Rock Chucker, but can rarely get to my bench in the garage to clamp it down & work. Too many other projects going on around the house. The Lee Hand Press allows me to process brass in little bits of time I manage to wrangle. The Lee Hand Press is just the ticket. I have delusions of finding the time & space for a progressive reloader some day.
The RCBS Uniflow powder measure made a believer outta me. No more "dip, trickle, & weigh" for production ammo.
Until this evening, I have soldiered on through load development and production runs with the Lee dippers, RCBS powder trickler, and RCBS 5-0-5 scale for powder handling. I was doing my reloading in stolen bits of time & never had time to set up my Uniflow powder measure.
Well, last week I finally got it assembled & ran my 3# of sacrificial Unique* through it to get its parts good & coated. Tonight I ran some graphite through it for, uh, good measure.
Then I got out my processed (cleaned, sized, belled, & primed) .357mag brass, Trail Boss, Lee Hand Press**, & went to town.
Within 10 throws, I had adjusted the Unflow for 4 grains of Trail Boss...and there it sat. I checked it every so often, chucking a charge into my 5-0-5's pan. These test throws were dead on. Every once in a while, the throw wouldn't feel right (gritty) & I would toss that one into the pan. It was usually a hair light & I would toss it back into the hopper.
I got 150 cartridges filled with powder, bullets seated, and taper crimped in a separate step in less time than it took me to dip, trickle, & weigh charges for 50 cartridges the old way.
It sure will be nice to shoot my Taurus Ti 651 snubby with mild .357mag fodder. My S&W 686 handles hot magnum load easily, but the Taurus is a handful with hot .357s.
My only problem: deciding whether to craft more .44mag/240grLSWC/Trail Boss loads for my wife's Rossi 92 carbine first, or load up some thumper .357mag/158grLSWC/2400 to feed my .357mag revolvers.
* For years before I started reloading, I accumulated tools & materials. I bought an ancient 3# can of Unique in a can with a 2400 label X'ed out. The powder inside LOOKS like Unique, but after reading some horror stories I will use no powder not in original containers & I will use no powder opened by anyone other than Yours, Truly.
** I own a Rock Chucker, but can rarely get to my bench in the garage to clamp it down & work. Too many other projects going on around the house. The Lee Hand Press allows me to process brass in little bits of time I manage to wrangle. The Lee Hand Press is just the ticket. I have delusions of finding the time & space for a progressive reloader some day.
