Reloading questions for a newb

[TacticalBacon]

Ok... so for context i will list all my equipment then my questions.

CASE PREP AND CORE EQUIPMENT
15L commercial ultrasonic cleaner w/heater
Lyman handheld case prep tool
Rockford armory handheld priming tool
Lee quick case trimming die with handle
Amazon digital calipers
Rcbs digital pocket scale



PRESSES AND DIES
Lee loadmaster progressive press .45 kit
Decapping/sizing die
Powder through/ flaring die
Bullet seating die
Factory crimp die
lee bullet feeder kit
lee disk powder measure

RCBS J3 single stage press ( hand me down)
Shell holder kit from RCBS

BULLET MAKING
Lee 4-20 pro lead melter
Lee 452-228-1r bullet mold
.452 bullet sizing die


CONSUMABLES
.45 once fired brass x 100
Federal large pistol primers x 100
prime all compound ( for when i cant buy primers)
Hodgdon cfe pistol powder - 1ib
Homemade bullet lube using unsented wax, Vaseline, and motor oil
Home casted bullets
Lyman #2 lead alloy blend ingot - 5ib
Random assortment of lead fishing weights and car battry lead est. 20ib unprocessed

And lastly i have a Lyman 51st edition reloading handbook




First question.. do i have everything i need to make .45 Rn cartridges?

im not looking for extreme precision, im simply wanting to backyard plink with safe cartridges similar to factory load velocity or feel and be able to build up a ammo stock pile for emergencies

Second question... what load data do i start with for my cast bullets?

My reloading handbook does not have data for a lee 228gr .452 cast RN it only goes up to 225gr #452374 cast i guess sights 20-20 i shpuld of waited for my book before ordering my mold but i was excited and i didnt know it wouldnt be in the book everyone says use lyman 52nd and that it has everything.

 

[AJC1]

Fun first, you absolutely do not have a Lyman 52 eddition.....

Casting for 45 does not require hard bullets at all. I've made and shot tons of 230 Lee bullets with just scrap, so your Lyman #2 should be held in reserve.

I'm a little scared about the recycled battery material as it most likely harbors contaminates that makes casting even more dangerous than normal. I would not be inclined to use that, and anything would be a better choice including your more expensive Lyman material.
Your question is huge and I discussed casting. If that is your intended source of bullets I would focus on that until your sitting at a completed pile of bullets ready to load.

 

[scott511]

You may want to read up on that prime all compound.
Primers are NOT non-existent

 

[BW460]

I am not a caster but I have never heard any experienced casters say anything but NEVER use battery lead.

 

[Hugger-4641]

I don't cast my own yet, but I see two things I'll comment on:

100 primers is not going to get you started well. You will probably drop, misfeed, or otherwise damage a few in your learning curve. So don't expect to end up with a 100rds if you only have 100 primers. Large pistol primers are sporadically available. You need to pay regular visits to Bass Pro, Academy, and other LGS in person. They often don't even know when new stock is showing up until it does. You also need to check sites like Powder Valley, Midsouth, Natchez, Midway, Brownells, and others that are recommended here in this thread:
https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...not-a-discussion-thread-link-required.910908/

The other thing I'll mention is that pocket scale. It will get you started for setting up and checking your Auto-disk, but you will quickly tire of it. You will also find the Auto Disk is not fond of some powders, meaning it will not be consistent down to 0.1 gr. I would start looking at some digital measures like the Charge Master or Intellidropper, and/or a good beam scale.
When I'm loading a large batch of plinking ammo, I use my Auto-drum. But it is only consistent within .5 gr on many powders.
Most of the time I use my Intellidroper and funnel in the charge.

 

[Hugger-4641]

One more thing: I infer from the load data you mentioned that you are loading 45acp.
If that's the case, you might be able to locate some brass that takes small pistol primers, which are more available at the moment.

 

[TacticalBacon]

Fun first, you absolutely do not have a Lyman 52 eddition.....

Casting for 45 does not require hard bullets at all. I've made and shot tons of 230 Lee bullets with just scrap, so your Lyman #2 should be held in reserve.

I'm a little scared about the recycled battery material as it most likely harbors contaminates that makes casting even more dangerous than normal. I would not be inclined to use that, and anything would be a better choice including your more expensive Lyman material.
Your question is huge and I discussed casting. If that is your intended source of bullets I would focus on that until your sitting at a completed pile of bullets ready to load.

my apologies' for the typo, i have the 51st Edition Lyman reloading handbook i will edit my post to fix it.

Yea the Lead scrap IE. car battery lead, fishing weights, ext. that i have collect overtime, i have considered my pseudo reserve or SHTF stuff, i intended to pile up incase i have no other options (i am a man of redundancy),

i was unsure as to what alloy to use, so i did some research, and the most common trend i could find was Lyman #2 alloy seemed to be preferred so i ordered a ingot from rotometals for my first venture, i was worried about pure lead boolits because of lead fouling and excessive smoke but if you would consider lyman #2 to be too hard an alloy.

Is there another alloy too cast with better suited, or would you cast with pure lead and maybe water quence for hardness?

im not a rookie shooter by no stretch, but i am a complete newb to reloading, granted metal working is my trade as i am a fabricator , but lead is not something im inherently familiar with in terms of alloys and behavior characteristics under load i would love to hear anyones advice

 

[AJC1]

Post a picture of the mold you have for better load data...

 

[AJC1]

my apologies' for the typo, i have the 51st Edition Lyman reloading handbook i will edit my post to fix it.

Yea the Lead scrap IE. car battery lead, fishing weights, ext. that i have collect overtime, i have considered my pseudo reserve or SHTF stuff, i intended to pile up incase i have no other options (i am a man of redundancy),

i was unsure as to what alloy to use, so i did some research, and the most common trend i could find was Lyman #2 alloy seemed to be preferred so i ordered a ingot from rotometals for my first venture, i was worried about pure lead boolits because of lead fouling and excessive smoke but if you would consider lyman #2 to be too hard an alloy.

Is there another alloy too cast with better suited, or would you cast with pure lead and maybe water quence for hardness?

im not a rookie shooter by no stretch, but i am a complete newb to reloading, granted metal working is my trade as i am a fabricator , but lead is not something im inherently familiar with in terms of alloys and behavior characteristics under load i would love to hear anyones advice

Lyman #2 would make excellent bullets and upon further consideration is probably the best of your options to start. I was considering expense as the primary factor. If you do decide to stay casting rmr aka rocky mountain reloading sells scrap from their production. It's 1.65 a pound to your door if you buy 120 pounds. That might seem like a lot but that's two boxes of 60lbs and I've gone though 8 boxes in the last 12 months.
https://www.rmrbullets.com/product-category/lead/

 

[TacticalBacon]

I am not a caster but I have never heard any experienced casters say anything but NEVER use battery lead.[/QUOTE

Post a picture of the mold you have for better load data...

ok standby for picture

 

[Hugger-4641]

Another thing I don't see on your list is a bullet puller. You WILL want one because it's a question of When not IF you will need one. If you accidentally seat bullets way too deep or you get serious "set back", a kinetic puller is sometimes the only tool that will work. For most other pull downs, you may find a collet puller more efficient. I have an extra JR-2 that I keep set up with either a universal decapper or a collet puller. Since you have a spare JR-3 also, you might look at getting a Cam-Lock puller.
I have the RCBS puller and it works great, but the Cam-Lock and collets for it are more available.

 

[TacticalBacon]

 

[TacticalBacon]

sorry for sideways picture it was not sideways in my preview

 

[AJC1]

View attachment 1136133 View attachment 1136137 View attachment 1136138 View attachment 1136136 View attachment 1136132 View attachment 1136134 View attachment 1136135

That's just a run of the mill 230 military ball. Any cast 230 data will work just fine.

 

[Thomasss]

1) I hope fishing weights are old. Some newer one are not lead. I agree with AJC1. Battery lead often contains Cadium which is rather poisonous. If it were me I would go to a scrap yard and get some roof (pipe) lead covers to start with. Very soft, easy to cast and you can modify it as you gain experience. Read up on casting bullets, wear long pants, long shirts, gloves work outside like in a garage and near the door for plenty of ventilation. No smoking, eating or drinking while casting. And change your clothes and wash your hands and face afterwards.
2) I built a small 3 sided wooden trough to catch the sprue cuttings and safety add them back into the lead furnace. I also use 2 old tablespoons to catch & pick up small scrap pieces. You need something to gently open the mold sprue plate & empty the new form bullets like a 12 inch long 1 to 2 inch round dowel or a Tandy wood mallet. Tap the handles and not the mold itself. Then dump bullets on an old thick towel which is laid on a wood board or cookie sheet. ( They dent very easy when hot). Also follow instructions on cleaning and prepping the mold before using it.
3) I don't like your bullet lube recipe. I would find a brown toilet bowl ring and mix that 1:1 with the candle wax. Better yet start by buying a commercial Alox/bees wax stick and melt it just to see how your lube should look when done. How were you going to melt and apply your lube? Use old pan on the kitchen stove. The smell may kick you out of the house and melting too fast is a fire hazard. Camp stoves work good, outside OR Butane torch and an old pan, etc.
4) Keep a roll of paper towel handy for wipe ups.
5) Your bullet size dictates you load recipe. Stay around 800 fps or enough power to eject a shell after firing a semi-auto (if that is what you have) Go to Hodgdon internet reloading web site and select .45 ACP and then 230 grain bullets, then CFE pistol and LRN bullet for find powder quantity. Also remember not all .45 cases use LPP. Check them out to begin with.
Again AJC1 is right, cast first. THEN ask some more questions about loading

 

[TacticalBacon]

That's just a run of the mill 230 military ball. Any cast 230 data will work just fine.

is it safe to assume that a person can safely use load data for a different grain bullets as long as its close or is their rules that must be followed in that interpretation

 

[AJC1]

is it safe to assume that a person can safely use load data for a different grain bullets as long as its close or is their rules that must be followed in that interpretation

So because your new a more complete explanation is nessary. Step one is to find a bullet made of the same material. Step two is to find one of simular weight. Then load a batch beginning at minimum aka the start load...
When you cast bullet drop weight will be effected by a lot of things from mold temperature to mix materials. Most molds are calibrated to drop the listed weight with Lyman #2. Heavier bullets are caused by less antimony. Lighter bullets are more antimony. It's more complex than that one material but it is the biggest factor.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

First, howdy and welcome aboard. Second, it looks like you did a lot of buying - mostly good or okay - but there’s some assumptions that could have been reconciled with just a little advanced reading.

Lee 452-228-1r bullet mold

You really won’t know the weight that mold will drop until you cast a few with your alloy and weigh them. Then you need to cast at least a hundred to get a large enough sample to get an average, mean, and min/max. Bottom line though is that a .45 bullet has a pretty wide tolerance because it is a low pressure cartridge. Five grains plus or ten minus on the bullet weight isn’t a big difference in terms of STARTING load charges. The preference is to start with a profile and weight that are close but sometimes you have to resort to seating depth and weight to find a close enough fit. The rule of safety is: Always start low and work up. Never start at the maximum load.

Homemade bullet lube using unsented wax, Vaseline, and motor oil

That’s going to smoke like an oil fire. I would recommend something like liquid Alox or powder coating if you want to shoot indoors or downwind. Also, I didn’t see anything about how you’re planning to apply it. Might want to give it some thought.

Lyman #2 lead alloy blend ingot - 5ib
Random assortment of lead fishing weights and car battry lead est. 20ib unprocessed

Casting with a known foundry alloy comes with a lot of advantages and I’m probably the only one here who will say it’s a good choice - for hunting bullets. For backyard plinking get some wheel weight alloys, 30:1 plain lead+tin alloy (97-3) or 2-2-96 antimonial lead alloy. Those all will be less expensive and give you good fill with a not-too-hard/not-too-soft end product. For a .45 auto you really only need a bullet hard enough not to get dinged up by the feed ramp.
Ditch the battery lead. Bad juju.
Good luck and stay safe. There’s no need to take shortcuts or get in a hurry about anything.

 

[TacticalBacon]

1) I hope fishing weights are old. Some newer one are not lead. I agree with AJC1. Battery lead often contains Cadium which is rather poisonous. If it were me I would go to a scrap yard and get some roof (pipe) lead covers to start with. Very soft, easy to cast and you can modify it as you gain experience. Read up on casting bullets, wear long pants, long shirts, gloves work outside like in a garage and near the door for plenty of ventilation. No smoking, eating or drinking while casting. And change your clothes and wash your hands and face afterwards.
2) I built a small 3 sided wooden trough to catch the sprue cuttings and safety add them back into the lead furnace. I also use 2 old tablespoons to catch & pick up small scrap pieces. You need something to gently open the mold sprue plate & empty the new form bullets like a 12 inch long 1 to 2 inch round dowel or a Tandy wood mallet. Tap the handles and not the mold itself. Then dump bullets on an old thick towel which is laid on a wood board or cookie sheet. ( They dent very easy when hot). Also follow instructions on cleaning and prepping the mold before using it.
3) I don't like your bullet lube recipe. I would find a brown toilet bowl ring and mix that 1:1 with the candle wax. Better yet start by buying a commercial Alox/bees wax stick and melt it just to see how your lube should look when done. How were you going to melt and apply your lube? Use old pan on the kitchen stove. The smell may kick you out of the house and melting too fast is a fire hazard. Camp stoves work good, outside OR Butane torch and an old pan, etc.
4) Keep a roll of paper towel handy for wipe ups.
5) Your bullet size dictates you load recipe. Stay around 800 fps or enough power to eject a shell after firing a semi-auto (if that is what you have) Go to Hodgdon internet reloading web site and select .45 ACP and then 230 grain bullets, then CFE pistol and LRN bullet for find powder quantity. Also remember not all .45 cases use LPP. Check them out to begin with.
Again AJC1 is right, cast first. THEN ask some more questions about loading

i agree i was watching youtube on bullet casting i think it was furtunecookie45, and the lubes he listed where similar to what your saying and an alternative he mentioned was the one that i created, just because i had the ingredients laying around, but i have heard from several people that toilet bowl gaskets are the way to go, but i was hesitant on using it because there's no data sheet telling me its true chemical make up, i was worried about putting the wrong stuff in the mix and causing more harm than good,

i feel like maybe, i shouldn't have mentioned the car battery only because i didn't have intentions to use that lead unless we are in a SHTF situation and looting finds are the only way to survive and build ammunition, i have like 12 car batter just laying in a shed never opened up but there if i needed them but i do agree i would only use that lead if it was a must for survival

yes i did intend to pan lube my boolits at least until i get a good understanding of how things work then i intended to dive the rabbit hole of powder coating or copper electroplating

well the problem i was having for load data was i could not find any data for a 228gr cast LRN boolit even on the web i was under the impression that boolit weight must match 1-1 and composition IE. Jacketed or not must be 1-1 im not sure if its safe to use the starting load data for a boolit weight that is higher or lower

 

[LiveLife]

what load data do i start with for my cast bullets? ... My reloading handbook does not have data for a lee 228gr .452 cast RN

... problem i was having for load data was i could not find any data for a 228gr cast LRN boolit even on the web i was under the impression that boolit weight must match 1-1 and composition

Lyman cast load data lists weight of bullets without lube so by the time you lube the bullets, you will be closer to 230 gr, so use lead load data for 230 gr Lead RN.

Here's Hodgdon load data if your OAL/COL is shorter around 1.200" - https://www.hodgdonreloading.com/reloading-data-center

• 45ACP 230 gr Lead RN CFE Pistol COL 1.200" Start 5.4 gr (816 fps) - Max 6.2 gr (942 fps)

Here's Speer load data if your OAL is longer around 1.240" (I like Speer load data as it lists powders from different manufacturers with velocities from faster to slower) - https://reloadingdata.speer.com/downloads/speer/reloading-pdfs/handgun/45_Auto_230_LRN.pdf

• 45ACP 230 gr Lead RN CFE Pistol COL 1.240" Start 5.6 gr (809 fps) - Max 7.2 gr (989 fps)

When I am conducting load development with components different from those listed on published load data, I will reference all available load data and use more conservative start charge for my initial powder work up as you can always go higher.

Lee 452-228-1r ... wanting to backyard plink with safe cartridges similar to factory load velocity

That bullet mold requires lubing with lubrisizer or pan lubing - https://leeprecision.com/mold-dc-452-228-1r.html

Lee TL452-230-2R mold allows easier "tumble lubing" - https://leeprecision.com/mold-dc-tl452-230-2r.html

But instead of lubing lead bullets, better option is powder coating that better address leading issues, especially if you want to push lead bullets to faster factory velocities (Check out this powder coating collaboration thread with member blarby who has moved on to become a co-owner of a gun shop ... I was poster "BDS" before changing to "LiveLife" for retirement) - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...-for-powdercoating.753510/page-2#post-9495698

 

[teerex.otw]

It is always best to use specific data for the bullet you are using (especially with small-capacity/high-intensity rounds like 9mm).
However, that being said, this data does not always exist.
So, within +/- 5 gr. you are pretty safe if you:
(1) pay attention to seating depth…the amount of space a bullet takes up inside of the case when loaded will affect pressure.
(2) start with the minimum load listed and work your way up looking for anything “unusual” (btw…there are so many variables I NEVER load to the maximum listed).
(3) I always start with the minimum amount of crimp that will allow the round to chamber, and gradually increase as the load increases.
(4) take notes; alloy, primers, powder, case mfgr., seating depth, etc…makes it easier to repeat things that work, and helps identify things to avoid.
(5) lastly; my cut-off for this is 5 gr. (some bullets can vary this much depending on alloy).
…Just my opinion, based on my experiences…your mileage may vary.

Safety first, and good luck.

 

[CoalCrackerAl]

Hats off to the OP for jumping right into a progressive press.

 

[TacticalBacon]

First, howdy and welcome aboard. Second, it looks like you did a lot of buying - mostly good or okay - but there’s some assumptions that could have been reconciled with just a little advanced reading.

You really won’t know the weight that mold will drop until you cast a few with your alloy and weigh them. Then you need to cast at least a hundred to get a large enough sample to get an average, mean, and min/max. Bottom line though is that a .45 bullet has a pretty wide tolerance because it is a low pressure cartridge. Five grains plus or ten minus on the bullet weight isn’t a big difference in terms of STARTING load charges. The preference is to start with a profile and weight that are close but sometimes you have to resort to seating depth and weight to find a close enough fit. The rule of safety is: Always start low and work up. Never start at the maximum load.

That’s going to smoke like an oil fire. I would recommend something like liquid Alox or powder coating if you want to shoot indoors or downwind. Also, I didn’t see anything about how you’re planning to apply it. Might want to give it some thought.

Casting with a known foundry alloy comes with a lot of advantages and I’m probably the only one here who will say it’s a good choice - for hunting bullets. For backyard plinking get some wheel weight alloys, 30:1 plain lead+tin alloy (97-3) or 2-2-96 antimonial lead alloy. Those all will be less expensive and give you good fill with a not-too-hard/not-too-soft end product. For a .45 auto you really only need a bullet hard enough not to get dinged up by the feed ramp.
Ditch the battery lead. Bad juju.
Good luck and stay safe. There’s no need to take shortcuts or get in a hurry about anything.

yea it all was a birthday gift for me as my birthday is May 1st, and we just got tax money lol, so my wife was like here's your B-day budget, needless to say i have smashed that budget and i still dont think i have everything i must have she hasn't looked at the account yet im a little scared for my future lol

all jokes aside most of my purchases came from watching youtube on reloading mostly fortunecookie45 and other various channels

my biggest fear is loosing my hands due to a starting load that is not appropriate for my boolit i understand that concept of start low and work up but my confusion is where does the low begin, when my boolet weight is not matching 1-1 with anything in the book, granted i haven't casted any bullets yet so i understand there will be variations in drop weight but what then do i do if it comes from the mold at a weight that is not listed.

assuming the drop weight was a advertised which im assuming it wont be, my thoughts where to use the load data for the casted 225gr #452374 for my lyman 51st handbook because it is of similar composition, similar design, but is slightly lighter by -3gr but im unsure if it is safe to do so in that method or should i buy more books and hope 228gr casted RN is in there

i think ima try a different lube as i have heard alot of people say including you that what i made its ok but its not optimal and will smoke alot, as to your question i do intend to pan lube at least until i understand things better then i would like to powder coat or copper electroplate

thank you for the information on the alloys i was kinda shooting in the dark as to what alloy to use i bought the alloy that i saw was being used alot for reloading but i never thought that because its being fired from a handgun at lower velocity's that the harness would play a huge factor i mean i knew it played a huge factor but i didn't think small minute changes in alloy would make that much of a change. now i know thank you

 

[TacticalBacon]

It is always best to use specific data for the bullet you are using (especially with small-capacity/high-intensity rounds like 9mm).
However, that being said, this data does not always exist.
So, within +/- 5 gr. you are pretty safe if you:
(1) pay attention to seating depth…the amount of space a bullet takes up inside of the case when loaded will affect pressure.
(2) start with the minimum load listed and work your way up looking for anything “unusual” (btw…there are so many variables I NEVER load to the maximum listed).
(3) I always start with the minimum amount of crimp that will allow the round to chamber, and gradually increase as the load increases.
(4) take notes; alloy, primers, powder, case mfgr., seating depth, etc…makes it easier to repeat things that work, and helps identify things to avoid.
(5) lastly; my cut-off for this is 5 gr. (some bullets can vary this much depending on alloy).
…Just my opinion, based on my experiences…your mileage may vary.

Safety first, and good luck.

+/- 5 gr seems ok to me i might be a rookie reloader but by logical terms it doesn't seem that that much difference in weight would make a huge difference in pressures, i would say in terms of accuracy yes a difference but maybe not by much.

so i understand the seating depth based on by the book numbers IE. OAL but in the event that my seating depth must be altered in our example how would i gauge that and how will i know if i need to seat deeper or not as much ?

 

[AJC1]

yea it all was a birthday gift for me as my birthday is May 1st, and we just got tax money lol, so my wife was like here's your B-day budget, needless to say i have smashed that budget and i still dont think i have everything i must have she hasn't looked at the account yet im a little scared for my future lol

all jokes aside most of my purchases came from watching youtube on reloading mostly fortunecookie45 and other various channels

my biggest fear is loosing my hands due to a starting load that is not appropriate for my boolit i understand that concept of start low and work up but my confusion is where does the low begin, when my boolet weight is not matching 1-1 with anything in the book, granted i haven't casted any bullets yet so i understand there will be variations in drop weight but what then do i do if it comes from the mold at a weight that is not listed.

assuming the drop weight was a advertised which im assuming it wont be, my thoughts where to use the load data for the casted 225gr #452374 for my lyman 51st handbook because it is of similar composition, similar design, but is slightly lighter by -3gr but im unsure if it is safe to do so in that method or should i buy more books and hope 228gr casted RN is in there

i think ima try a different lube as i have heard alot of people say including you that what i made its ok but its not optimal and will smoke alot, as to your question i do intend to pan lube at least until i understand things better then i would like to powder coat or copper electroplate

thank you for the information on the alloys i was kinda shooting in the dark as to what alloy to use i bought the alloy that i saw was being used alot for reloading but i never thought that because its being fired from a handgun at lower velocity's that the harness would play a huge factor i mean i knew it played a huge factor but i didn't think small minute changes in alloy would make that much of a change. now i know thank you

You will not be in any danger if 1. You start at start, and 2. You are reasonable with oal compared to book. All other mistakes will cause function issues.
Fortunecookie45lc is good for most stuff. His buddy loads of bacon shows how easy and cheap pc is. If your brand new the price of pc and its advantages make is best bar none no exception.