Loading .45 ACP

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Walkalong

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Here are some pics from my bench. I cleaned, sized, and primed 2000 mixed range brass with Fed 150 primers. The bullets are Berry's 200 Gr HP. I am loading 500 of them. I have already loaded 250 Berry's 230 Gr RN and 250 X-Treme 225 Gr TrFP bullets.

The ammo can is a surplus first aid kit box from Cheaper Than Dirt. They are out of the small ones in the pic and will ship a bit larger one. They are in great shape. I like both sizes and wish I had bought more of the smaller ones when they had them.

If you look close you can see the light shining on the case with powder in it and the Fenix E1 in the press. I bored out a hole for it. It can go in either the 4th or 5th station.

The Expander is Redding, the Seater is Redding, although most of my pistol seaters are Hornady. The Taper Crimp die is a Redding, although I have Lee, RCBS, & C&H Taper Crimp dies as well.

The workbench is homemade from an entertainment center that I scrounged from the trash 20 + years ago and used parts and pieces and some new wood to build a reloading bench.

The Press is an old Hornady Projector, with some repair work.:eek:

I do not prime with it any more and we are both happier. :)

I use Hornady die rings and you can see my tool for tightening them on the bench. I cut the working part from the flat Hornady tool and welded it to an old handle from a broken 3/8 rachet.

Well, I am off to watch my son perform in the end of the year band concert. It is also their FINAL. :eek:
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N310, N320, AA #2, AA #5, W-231, WST, WSF, Zip, Competition, Clays, and Universal Clays will all work very well.

I like N310, N320, AA #2, AA #5, WST, & WSF the best of those.


This batch is using N310.

Berry's 185 Gr SWC - 4.6 Grs N310

Zero 185 Gr JHP - 4.6 Grs N310

Berry's 200 Gr - 4.5 Grs N310

Hornady FMJ-CT or Ranier 200 Gr SWC - 4.4 Grs N310

X-Treme 225 Gr TrFP - 4.1 Grs N310

Berry's 230 Gr RN - 4.1 Grs N310

* These loads are safe in my guns using my load technique. Use at your own risk. *
 
Walkalong can't you get Hornady to replace that poor old Projector with a new AP under warranty. I am sure if you sent them those pictures of your press with the steel support and all those rounds you've loaded plus told them that we're poking fun at your press here on THHR it would seem that they would have to feel obligated to get your equipment up to snuff so you could continue bragging about the quality and quantity of your reloading sessions. :D
 
Idano hit it right between the eyes... You have to send a picture to Hornady, Mate.
 
It is not Hornadys fault, well, not directly, that I had a fit and beat it with a ball peen hammer. :eek:

It would not index well, and priming was :cuss: Shell plates were the problem.

The 3rd generation shellplates are MUCH better than the 1st or 2nd. The only 1st generation plate I have left is the .38/.357 one which has always worked well. The newer plates have better ball detents in them. I also finally figured out what to do to fix the finicky 9MM plate. Mine runs like a sewing machine now.

I have loaded 1000's & 1000's of quality rounds that will shot through one hole with my bandaged Projector.

I thought long and hard about buying an LNL press (the 1000 bullets offer was tempting), but mine works so well and I kept spending money on guns and ammo instead. It really is a fine design. I am sure the newer LNL works really well.
 
Walkalong, I am not talking about buying a new press I more inclined to appeal to Hornady's sense of product pride and good customer relations. If I was them and was aware of all the good things you have said about Hornady here on the THR with pictures of your poor old projector I would definitely want to make sure that your next pictures showed a new AP press. Personal testimony is advertising that you can't buy.
 
I hear ya, but I just plain broke it. Not their fault. :)

Besides. I have grown kind of fond of it.

I talked to them years ago about my love/hate relationship with my Projector and its indexing/shell plate problem. They were uninterested in my problems to be honest. I swore off Hornady products for years, despite their having some good stuff. I have mellowed out quite a bit since then.

They should have put 5 detents in their shellplates. It would have made it run great, but they were cutting costs and I thought it was ridiculus not do it when it would turn a clunker into a sewing machine. They disagreed with me.
 
Finished the first 1000 brass.

250 X-Treme 225 Gr TrFP's

250 Berrys 230 Gr RN's

473 Berrys 200 Gr HP's plus 33 Precision 200 Gr SWC's = 500

Next up are 2 batches of 500 Hornady 200 Gr FMJ-CT's, or Zero 185 Gr JHP's, or Berrys 185 Gr SWC's.

These ammo cans are great. The little ones will hold 250 .45's easily and the bigger ones will hold 500 .45's with a tad of room to spare. They should hold 500 and 1000 9MM, respectively, I would think.
 

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Finished the next 500. (Zero 185 Gr JHP's) 500 to go. Their gonna be Berry's 185 Gr SWC's. Then I am going to start the 2000 9MM cases I have primed and ready, with a few .39 Super & .44 Special in between.

All 4000 brass was picked up at the range. Not to mention the other brass still just cleaned and boxed up. It's been a good few months scrounging brass while I worked on load development with plated bullets. The Zero 185 Gr JHP load is .45 Load # 143 in my load book. I like .45. :D

Left to right:

Berry's 230 Gr RN - X-Treme 225 Gr TrFP - Berry's 200 Gr HP - Precision 200 Gr SWC - Zero 185 Gr JHP

1.265 - 1.215 - 1.200 - 1.260 - 1.225 O.A.L.'s
 

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Nice set-up & dang pretty brass . . . suitable for jewelry on formal occasions. And I'm sure your Son did right proud at the concert.
 
Thanks. These are next.
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How do you like the zero 185 JHP?
They shoot very well and make great light recoil plinking loads. If you want to hot rod them they can take it. Although I have never tested them on anything live, they are impressive in clay.
 
Aghh, then this old man doesn't need horses. I did ride when I was younger, but never owned a horse. Maybe when my wife and I get to the country I'll get one. Kids would love it.

Finished the last 500. Berry's 185 Gr SWC's.

I was pretty much out of all range ammo when I started this. I still have several calibers to go. I mean really out. :(

Good news is all the range brass non reloaders have been so kind to donate over the last few months. I have never loaded this many .45's at a time before. I'll stop posting pics after this though, since you said I was "showin' off" :)
 

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Walkalong,
If you need help in sending these down range so you can do it again...

Just trying to help. :)
 
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