Lee Classic Loader

[GeoDudeFlorida]

45-45-10

That can't be your lead-antimony-tin ratio!
Can it???

 

[mdi]

45-45-10 is an excellent bullet lube, an improvement over straight alox; 45 % JPW, 45% alox, 10% ineral spirits. I don't do much alloying these days but 45% lead, 45% Antimony (!!) and 45% tin might work in my 32 ACP 202 gr RN bullets

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

45-45-10 is an excellent bullet lube, an improvement over straight alox; 45 % JPW, 45% alox, 10% ineral spirits. I don't do much alloying these days but 45% lead, 45% Antimony (!!) and 45% tin might work in my 32 ACP 202 gr RN bullets

That makes much more sense. I always went with the old NRA 1:1:1 recipe - paraffin, beeswax and petroluem jelly, by volume - for rifle up to 2000fps and NRA 50:50 - paraffin and petroleum jelly, drop the beeswax - for target pistol. Straight up Alox when I was feeling lazy.

MY wife used to do a lot of canning and always got ticky when I stole her paraffin wax for my cast bullets. Don't do that, btw.

 

[GBExpat]

45-45-10 is an excellent bullet lube, an improvement over straight alox; 45 % JPW, 45% alox, 10% ineral spirits.

Yeah, but if you whip up a batch do yourself a favor and be sure to cook it up OUTside.

 

[bluejay75]

Next step is to figure load ratios from scrounged components. For example. 2x 32ACP bullets will give you enough powder to run 1 45 Colt. A high brass 12 gauge has enough powder to run 5x45 Colt loads. No measuring, just divide it with a card. I love my Lee Loaders.

 

[mdi]

yeah…. but what about a heavy crimp???

My 357 Magnum and 44 Magnum reloads with a Lee Loader took less than 30 seconds longer; flip main die body and tap, tap, crimp installed

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

Next step is to figure load ratios from scrounged components. For example. 2x 32ACP bullets will give you enough powder to run 1 45 Colt. A high brass 12 gauge has enough powder to run 5x45 Colt loads. No measuring, just divide it with a card. I love my Lee Loaders.

Well, if we're to believe @Engineer1911 - and I have no reason not to - you would be best off emptying all of your shotgun and pistol powders into one container and blending them, thoroughly, then load to the low end of fast powder target range and work up from there, slowly, to 900fps or so with a medium-weight lead bullet. I have a bunch of 1920's and 30's 2-1/2" 16ga. paper hull buckshot I've started cracking open to salvage lead, powder and primers (for black powder) and have given some thought to adding the powders from my range pickup and discarded bullets bin and trying Engineer's formula. I've got a strong enough gun to try it in - a Pietta/Great Western II 1873 .357Magnum - and plenty of .357Maxium brass with cracked necks I can trim down into .38 shot shells. I always need revolver shot shells. We've been getting visits from raccoons lately and they're typically not a bother but these have been and obnoxious troop. A dose of rock salt from the Pietta will learn them some manners.

 

[Archie]

Learned to load on a Lee Loader in 1970. I recommend them to new reloaders for two reasons: One learns every step in the process and why each step is done; If reloading is not appealing, one hasn't spent much money.
First set up was for .38 Special, followed quickly by .30-06. Both now long gone and I don't know where.