Reloading this evening

[HRT]

I got home from work this afternoon and tended a handull of honey dos like replacing a couple of damaged vinyl tiles on the kitchen floor and finish installing the new dish washer and the like. Well I got into the family room and executed a quick clean up and inventoried by 45 ACP ammo and found I was down to maybe 400 rounds. I cleaned all of the accumulated crap off of the loading table and sat down to get the ready service inventory back to where it belongs. I was loading 200 gr LSWC over 5.6 gr of AA#2, one of my favorite all around loads. I load on a Dillon 550 but I only have 3 large primer tubes. My standard is to load primers into the machine and then refill the primer tube so I have 400 primers ready to go. I ran through the 400 primers in about an hour, while tending the case tumbler and rotating wash, since I was obstructing the path for SWMBO from the laundry room. I figured that I would load another 600 and get on with business. Reloaded the machine and tubes and went to work. One hour later I had 500 rounds in the hopper ready to box. When I load I do a 100% visual on powder and weigh every 100th powder charge. I may get away from that since I never had a deviation of more than a tenth when using AA#2. This was a milestone for me in that this is the first time I made 500 rds/hr with a primer tube reload. Now my ready service locker contains 1400 rounds of general service ammo and about 200 rounds for those serious social occassions that we all hope to avoid.

 

[ulflyer]

HRT...how do you do the visual on the powder? Pull each case out to look?

 

[armoredman]

Sounds great - very soon I should be tumbling 9mm cases, and loading up a batch or four, but with a single stage it takes a bit longer. No problem - it is a fun job!
I also use AA#2 - good stuff...115gr over 4.2gr. Next will be the 115gr LRN over 4.4gr AA#2.....next weekend.....

 

[HRT]

Ulflyer--
With a relatively large diameter short case like the 45 ACP, with a good light in place, I can see well into the case when I index from the neck expander/powder dump station to the bullet seating station. This is one of the reasons I like a little bulkier powder than Bullseye or 231. On light loads those charges can get lost in the bottom of the case. But the real trick is positioning and adequate light.

 

[stans]

HRT is right about lighting. I have a floor lamp with a goose neck and I position it so that the light shines right down into the powder charging and bullet seating stations on my RCBS AmmoMaster. This press also has a clear plastic drop tube for the powder measure, so I can also see the powder flowing into the case. No squibs yet!