Looking to start reloading

[Old krow]

I started with the same setup. I would agree that the "classic" is the better press, however, I have reloaded a pretty good bit on the deluxe model. I ended up replacing everything from that kit except for the press, then I got another as a gift. I still have it though and it still works.

Make sure the primer is in the cup properly

On the primer arm, It's difficult to tell how much is "too much" for someone typing across the U.S., but, I have never had a primer go off. I really don't baby them too much either. The only time I clean the primer pockets is if my g/f makes me watch something on tv that I didn't want to. Then I bring it all in and clean them while I watch the show.

Sounds like a lot of fun, be safe.

 

[Hondo 60]

Dudemeister:

You don't need to clean the primer pockets on 45 Colt brass.
I never do that & there's quite a few here who'll say the same thing.
I mean, you can if you want, but it's just unnecessary.
And you can a LOT of force on the seating step.
Primers are designed to detonate on impact, not on force.
Yes, there is such a thing as too much force, but it sounds like that's a lot more than what you're applying.

I use Titegroup for several calibers. Sometimes that includes 45 Colt, but usually I use Accurate #5.

Welcome & stay safe!

 

[Dudemeister]

Good going! You sound a lot more studious and practical than a lot of new guys that come here. You didn't mention it on the equipment list at first, but it appears you also bought a set of calipers. Excellent. And it's good to start off with the .45 Colt first before venturing into the land of rifles. The .45 Colt is extremely easy to start with and very forgiving. Just make sure you don't accidentally double charge a case with that Titegroup. Not forgiving then. But I have used a lot of Titegroup in my .45 Colt loads. The CASS guys like it a lot because it isn't position-sensitive like some other powders can be when shooting light loads. The proper charge looks mighty puny compared to the volume of the .45 Colt case! But it sounds like you're a careful guy.

A couple things after reading your posts. I had the same issue with primers when I first "graduated" to the Classic Turret after a long time loading with a single stage and hand primer tool. My first batch of .45 Colt on the turret using the Safety Prime system had 10-20% of the primers sitting slightly out beyond what they should be. It actually caused my revolver to bind up because they have to be absolutely flush to even go around as the cylinder turns. Anyway, the problem was simply that I wasn't applying enough pressure. You are seating the primer as you are pushing the lever "up". I was leary about pushing up too hard. Don't be. They won't detonate. Make sure the primer is in the cup properly, but at the top of that stroke, make sure you give it a full and hearty push to seat that last couple thousandths. After that, it was no problem. There should be no reason you have to clean the primer pockets.

Another thing regarding the Auto Disk. I love it. The standard disks will almost always throw less than advertised, but no big deal. Find a cavity that throws about what you want, just as you already did. But even better, buy the Adjustable Charge disk for the Auto Disk. Then you simply dial in the desired amount, by trial and error, until you find the setting that is throwing the perfect amount that you want. It works great.

Thanks for the feedback.

Yes, I already have a couple of sets of calipers and depth gauges I use on my other hobbies (RC stuff).

I know what you mean about the powder load looking puny when compared to the sheer volume of the .45 case. And I was wondering about whether or not there might be problems igniting the load if the load is too far forward, but from what I hear you say, this particular powder is not very picky about where it's physically positioned at the time of the primer ignition.

As for the primer pockets, next time I load a new batch I'll try to just apply more force. Meanwhile, I tried a different approach. I already had about 150 shells which I had previously cleaned in my tumbler for about 45 minutes, enough to clean them but not polish them. This evening I decapped those (and resized them in the process), and I put them back in the tumbler and will let them run for a few more hours. We'll see if that also cleans that pockets.

I'll certainly consider the adjustable disk, but for now, I still need to see how the current load works for me, which I'll be doing this weekend, maybe sooner. I'm looking for a light load, which I can use for plinking at 25yd. I'll be comparing this load to the standard load I've been using (Winchester Cowboy Action 250gr.).

 

[brucems]

While I've been shooting for years, I only recently got into shooting .45LC and 30/30 ammo. As you all know that can get expensive in a hurry, so I think I'd like to give handloading a try.

First let me say that I am not looking at reloading thousands of rounds at a time. I originally had about 1000 rounds of .45 and about 200 of 30/30. Now that I've actually gone through most of it, I'd like to reload all the brass I kept, so I can replenish my stock.

So what I would "ideally" want is something that I can do on my kitchen table on a rainy weekend while watching some sports or whatever on TV. If I can do 100-150 in one seating I'd be happy.

So I know I'll need a press, and measure dispenser, and some dies. I was looking at Cabela's, and they have kits ranging anywhere from $100 to over $800, and frankly I'm not sure what else I would need after that to get me going.

So any input will be very much appreciated.

Thanks

I was looking for the for sale list when I saw your post. I think you could find everything you need right here on highroad and not spend the $800. I cant tell you where the ads are but I have an RCBS powder measure I'd sell for 1/2 price.

 

[Lost Sheep]

Double charge? or no charge?

you know, if you're not in a hurry, I'm going to recommend the lee classic cast turret press. I think everybody should have one. it's easier to set up and use than a progressive, affordable, works well as a single stage press, and auto indexes so you don't double charge etc while watching tv. 45lc will be a lot easier to reload for than 30/30 as you don't have to lube cases. you can easily knock out 100 45lc's in a movie with a turret press. I've never been able to rip out rounds like lots of people post they can.

progressives are a little tricky to set up, and if you have a problem they're harder to resolve. the pro1000 can have issues with the primer feed if you don't keep it full and only has 3 stations. (no factory crimp or powder cop die allowed) the hornady is a very large press, and like you said, expensive.

Greyling22 is right on all points except one.

I have two Lee Pro-1000 presses that I have retired in favor of the Lee Classic turret.

But DON'T load while your mind is occupied with another train of thought. Double charging is not all that likely, but loading a bullet without powder is. It is very easy to outrun your powder supply and load a whole bunch of squibs. And I wasn't even watching television at the time. (I was just trying to watch too many things at once on my Pro-1000 and ran the hopper out of powder.) That's one reason I switched to the Classic Turret.

BeerSleeper, on the other hand seems to have it about right:

I had the same idea you've got...something to do while watching TV. Everyone here says not to do that, but I think a little background noise keeps me more focused than if it's silent, and my mind gets bored. Here's what I do: I leave the TV on when I'm resizing/depriming. For hand priming, I actually sit on the floor in front of the TV, with the hand primer, a two coffee cans of brass (primed and unprimed). Expanding cases is another operation the TV is allowed to be on for. When it comes time to drop powder, the TV goes off, and if the kids are in the other end of the basement, they are told to quiet down. I've got three 50-round loading blocks, it takes about three minutes to charge those 50 cases, including weighing at least 3 or 4 in that batch, so I can charge all the cases in all my loading blocks in about 10 minutes, and then, the tv can come back on until the next powder charge.

Not much can go wrong depriming spent primers (as long as you practice good cleanliness - products of combustion contain all sorts of chemicals you don't want to ingest or leave in your carpet or upholstery) or even priming (if something goes wrong, you will probably know it immediately and will not be surprised later, at the range)

Powdering your cases is the most attention-intensive operation, with bullet insertion/seating/crimping a close second.

Lost Sheep

 

[interlock]

DON'T DO IT. STOP NOW!!! FORGET RELOADING. IF YOU HAVE BOUGHT ANYTHING ALREADY THROW IT IN THE RIVER. IT WILL TAKE OVER YOUR LIFE. IT IS A CONSUMING HOBBY.

No in all seriousness it is a fantastic hobby. welcome to the brotherhood of reloading.

 

[fields]

Make sure your primer pocket and flash hole does not have any cleaning media in them if you clean after depriming.

If you can not shoot every weekend, spend you time preping the cases instead of producing finished ammo. Then final production will go very rapidly.

I used to make 10 each of 3-5 variations before going to the range at first. Now I have my recipes that I use for different purposes. I still like to try different combinations, and still do the groups of 1

 

[Dudemeister]

Update

Today I had a chance to go to the range and test the loads I made.

The good news... I still have all my fingers, nothing blew up, no mishaps.

Along with my re-loads I also took a box of Winchester 250gr Cowboy Action loads. My loads are 205gr bullet RLFN powered by 6.1gr. of Hogdon Titegroup.

I shot all the rounds, and the accuracy is about the same. The recoil is about the same, which I don't really understand, as the lighter bullet powered by what I would consider a lighter load should have a lighter recoil. I even mixed the rounds in the gun and I couldn't tell the difference between one to the next.

The other "issue" is fouling of the cases. All the cases I loaded came out with what looks like powder fouling on one side.

I've searched around for information on this, and from what I can gather this may be due to the load being too light. Is this something I should be worried about? I really don't want to go up on the load, if anything I want to go down.

If I go to a lower load (5.8gr.) will the fouling get worse?

NOTE: The Winchester factory loads also showed some fouling, just not as bad

Any recommendations?

 

[Dudemeister]

Updated update..

I tried cleaning the powder fouling of a couple of case with a towel, but it looks like the case itself is discolored as well.

What's causing this?

 

[Funshooter45]

You DEFINITELY need more powder. The cases alone prove it. Hodgdon has 6.5 as a starting load. I started there and the cases started to clean up at 7.0 gr. By 7.3 gr or so they were shooting very nice.

When shooting those very low powered loads, you will also notice a lot of variation due to the temperature at which you are shooting. I had some Trail Boss loads which shot pretty clean in my .45 in the summer when it was 80 degrees or so. When I shot the same loads at 30 degrees all the cases were sooty.

Don't be afraid at all of going up to 6.5 or 6.8 gr. The powder will burn more completely at that pressure and the case will seal in the chamber better.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Everyone knows not to overcharge a case but many new reloaders think nothing of downloading a case. Downloading a case can be dangerous. One problem could be a squib load. You really don't want to stick a bullet in the barrel and fire another round behind it. That next shot gets very interesting very quickly.

If you want very light loads use the correct powder. You can't decide to drop below the minimum charge recommendation because you want a lighter load, you change the powder. Trail Boss will give you that lighter load and do so safely. I use mostly W231/HP-38 for my .45 Colt ammo.

 

[Dudemeister]

OK, I so it looks like the problem is indeed too light a load. I'll go up a notch on the next set and see how I like it.

Meanwhile I'll look for another powder. I'll have to see what my local gun shop carries.

One question. Is this brass OK to reload, or has it been somehow damaged by these loads?

 

[Arkansas Paul]

One question. Is this brass OK to reload, or has it been somehow damaged by these loads?

That brass is fine. Just clean em like you normally do. Most of us tumble.
I like Trail Boss for light plinking loads, and even with max charges it leaves the cases cloudy like that. They are a joy to shoot though. Almost no recoil and very accurate in my Blackhawk.
Do be careful when going below minimum. There's a reason they list starting loads just as there's a reason they list max loads.

Happy loading!

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Meanwhile I'll look for another powder. I'll have to see what my local gun shop carries.

There are many good powders for use in the .45 Colt. I like W231/HP-38 best followed by HS-6 and AA#5. Unique, Universal and Herco are also good choices. Trail Boss like I mentioned above will produce light target "Cowboy" ammo. I'm mentioning all the powder I've tested because you said you weren't sure what powders are available form your dealer. With a list like that I'm sure you will find one or more in stock. I'm sure there are others you can use too.

My favorite .45 Colt load is a 250gr LRN or 255gr LSWC bullet over 7.2gr W231. For slightly more serious work I go to HS-6.