What clever little things have you "invented or discovered" that you can share?

DIY powder funnel

I recently started reloading rifle. Dissatisfied with my Lee funnel, I purchased a pricey one from Saturn machining made specifically for .223. Still not satisfied.

I made a funnel by curling a sheet of copper/fiberglass laminate into a shallow cone, and spot soldering it in place. Drilled a hole through the tip of the cone. Then cut the head off a spent 22LR shell and soldered it over the hole. Then soldered a wire handle on it. With an outside chamfer tool, I gave the 22LR shell a bevel, so it can rest INSIDE the neck of a 223 case, rather than the outside.

Aside from no spilled particles of ball powder, I can also use an empty 9mm ammo tray for a high density loading block. If I double charge, I can still easily lift the case out by the neck without spilling any powder, unlike with a traditional funnel that would cover the entire neck - in which case I'm up the creek without a paddle.
 
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Lee Deluxe Turret primer catcher

OK, for nickE10mm and the rest of you frustrated Lee Deluxe Turret users, here's what I came up with. (Side note, grandfather was a machinist, dad a master wood worker, so tinkering is kinda in the blood... :rolleyes:) Anyway, shortly after purchasing my Deluxe Turret, and discovering the apparent random flinging of spent primers, I started observing their trajectories. I found that 100% (as long as the primer arm was in the shaft) of them ejected out the right (as you look at the press from the front) side within one inch of the top of the base. This got me thinking. (About this time my wife usually sounds the air raid siren and heads for the next county... :uhoh: ) So, I found a piece of scrap wood (a left over shim from a door install) and gorilla taped it to the right hand support rods. I tried it and sure enough, every primer ricocheted off that shim and down into the chute in the base. This was GREAT! But, then I got to thinking again (same ritual with the wife...). I was going to have to be demounting and remounting that press every couple of weeks to clear out the primers... Thinking again... I decided that there was no reason that the primers had to STAY under the press, so, I removed the press, grabbed some graph paper, and went to work. See attached PDF. The first incarnation was just the chiseled slopes and the hole. I put a bucket on the lower shelf of the bench to catch the primers. The result was pretty good with just a few primers bouncing out of the catch bucket. MUCH better! But, then I got to thinking and for some reason the wife didn't have the usual reaction, but said "why don't you put something closer to catch the things?" Now I was REALLY thinking. So I came up with the frame to mount under the bench to hold a standard sized can out of the pantry. (Think we had beans that night...) NOW it works like a charm! No fliers, no bouncers! I let the can accumulate about 3000 primers, slide it out and dump it into a 5 gal bucket. No fuss, no muss! I love it! :cool:

(See next post for rest of pics. Haven't figured out how to post more than four at a time... )
 

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Lee Deluxe Turret primer catcher part II

Here's some more pictures...
 

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Very nice... very cool, Duztoff....

Is there a mod to the underside of your press base? I can't quite tell

Hell, it might just be easier to buy a Classic Cast and then sell off the Deluxe press to someone who needs a spare.... lol. Not only does the Deluxe not catch primers but the priming lever can fall out if its out of spec (which, of course, makes the primer cup even MORE out of spec after hitting concrete).

Wish I would have known which press to get INITIALLY so it wouldn't be such a pain to fix these simple issues...
 
nickE - Yea, I gorilla taped a piece of cardboard parallel with the front of the base to keep the primers right there in the sloped area and not be able to bounce to the back. Not sure if it's necessary, but, I'd started thinking again...
 
Use uncooked white rice in my tumbler to clean my brass. It works great and it's cheap! Also use my dremel and a small wire bush tool that dremel sells to clean my primer pockets. Have one brush for small primer holes and another for the large primer holes.
 
You have a lot of time for cleaning. Are you a rifle shooter? I will run 2000 to 3000 rounds of 9mm a month and about 1000 rounds of 45ACP and 1000 357mag at a time. I do a random pocket check but have never cleaned any yet.
I found corn cob to be pretty cheap I buy 40 pound bags online for 25.89 with free shipping or $1.95 for priority shipping. It is the same grit as what I got from Cabala's
you can buy it here
http://www.drillspot.com/products/499763/econoline_526020g-40_40_lbs_blast_media
 
exinvictas,

I do load for several rifles and several handguns, but nothing in the volume of what your are reloading. I'm not set up for doing things in large capacities. Your running more in a month than I will run in a year.
 
Bluegunner

I am sorry if I sounded condescending. I just shoot a lot. The corn cob works good and is a great price. It stores great in a tote container. It should last you a life time and it will not attract critters like rice does. I lived in China for 3.5 years and there are little mites that can get in the rice and make a mess of it in time. I used to be able to shoot rifles but cannot. I wish I still could but I am thankful I can shoot pistol.
Being disabled I am home all the time. When I can I go to the club and shoot i do and I try not to push it or I get laid up and will not be able to move for a week. I have to pace myself.
Happy shooting
Bob
 
exinvictas

I didn't take your post as being condescending (getting to old to be upset by little things) and I appreciate you information on buying corn cob in bulk. My reason for going to rice was the high cost of buying at our local outlet (saw a post about rice on line and tried it). Don't seem to have a bug or mite problem here but one never knows. Will probably be ordering some cob in the near future. Sorry to hear that you can no longer shoot your rifles, I get a lot of good recreation value from mine. The 22-250 is probable my favorite. Worked up a load using Barnes 53gr TSX pushed along by 35gr of Varget and have been using it for hogs on my brothers ranch. It is deadly and I broke the 50 mark on my last trip to the ranch. None have gone more than 30 yards before going permanently asleep. Rambled enough, just wanted you to know that I took no offense.
 
inexpensive Case Prep tool

I didn't want to spend a lot of money on a commercial case prep tool so I made my own using an old drill motor, a sewing machine foot pedal, and a Lee universal chuck. Here are a couple of pictures.
 

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powder check light for turret press

I attached this little flash light to my Lee Classic Turret press to easily check the powder levels. I get these free every time I go to a big computer show. They also have a laser pointer in them but I rarely use that, although I have thought of attaching it to my pistol for an inexpensive laser sight.
 

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I didn't read through all THIRTY FOUR pages, so I don't know if I'm repeating, but I have this to add:

I use a cordless drill on the trimmer. Much faster and easier. My half inch DeWalt chucks up the RCBS trimmer just fine. They make an attachment for ten bucks, but I don't have one yet. I "invented" this to find out someone did it in the '50's.

I prime on the press. When I flare pistol brass, I prime on the down stroke. Two birds, one bullet as it were.

I just got a trimming station and a dispenser/scale. The RCBS one. It dispenses and weighs automatically when you put the pan back on. Like having a helper. The trimming station --you can deburr, primer clean, decrimp, etc., right after trimming, all at once. No hand power required.
 
I jumped to the last unread message and landed on page 34, so I guess I've seen most of this thread, but it's been months, and I don't recall if I saw mention of these thoughts...

I have a perforated anti-fatigue floor mat at my press and try to remember to start every reloading session with a clean bucket under the press. I'm working on a concrete floor, and this really helps contain spills and dropsies.
 
I attached this little flash light to my Lee Classic Turret press to easily check the powder levels. I get these free every time I go to a big computer show. They also have a laser pointer in them but I rarely use that, although I have thought of attaching it to my pistol for an inexpensive laser sight.

Can you tell me what the brand name of the light is, or where I might get one like it?

Thanks
 
Can you tell me what the brand name of the light is, or where I might get one like it?

Thanks
I bought one of those at an electronics store (FRY's Electronics). Its a great idea and it work great...for about 8 minutes. Im looking for the same thing but I want one thats not battery operated.
 
This thread is incredible. I wish I could get my hands on Rics charge cop system.. but alas, I'll figure something out. I will also be looking into making a bench rest out of a folding table, and using 3/8 pipe to store my turrets.

I wish I had something to add, but it's all been covered:
Mark your loads (I prefer masking tape), save eveything that can hold bullets (peanut butter jars, baby formula cans, lunch meat trays) don't spend too much on case prep, recycle your primers, and be safe!
 
portable shooting bench

Hi Skivvy,
For a portable bench you might try a very old idea. An old wooden ironing board. I found one in the tank house at my old ranch. It is large, about 16 inches wide. Most important, it has a metal bail gizmo that locks the underside and makes the "table" very stable. Super light and easy to carry around. I have been using this for several decades.
Another idea is in Phil Sharpe's Complete Reloading. It is a 60 pound monster, but certainly portable and stable.
Whatever you come up with, my advice is for a cross or scissor frame. This configuration jams against itself and is very stable. Forget a card table type table. it will never be jiggle free without a LOT of cross bracing.
Good Luck
Beargrease
 
avoid the heaviest and lightest bullet weights which are available in any cartridge.

Over the years, I have found that for any popular calibers which have a lot of different bullet weights available, you will seldom get the best accuracy or most efficient overall performance which the weapons in that caliber are generally capable of getting with the heaviest or lightest bullets. By avoiding the heaviest and the lightest, you will generally get a good combination of accuracy, velocity, trajectory, and overall performance along with a pretty decent ballistic coeff.

When loading a .223, I don't mess with weights less than 50 gr or greater than 62 grains. If you can't get the job done with a bullet within that range, you probably need a different caliber than a .223. Reduced loads with 45 gr bullets for varmint hunting in populated areas is sometimes an exception.

In .30 cal cartridges from .308 Win and larger, bullet weights from 100 gr. to 220 grains are commonly available. I don't bother with bullet weights less than 125 gr or greater than 200 gr., although you may occasionally find a light plinking load with a 110 gr bullet works well.

People still repeat the outdated advice to use the heaviest bullet for the heaviest game. With a strongly constructed controlled expansion bonded bullet, you can take any game animal which any .30 cal cartridge is capable of handling well. With the exception of long range target shooting, if you think you need more than 200 gr in a .30 cal cartridge, what you really need is a bigger cal.

In .44 Mag , bullets less than 200 gr or greater than about 310 gr seldom give you any worthwhile increases in performance or accuracy. Anything which a .44 mag can accomplish well, and any animal which is reasonable to take with a .44 mag. can be accomplished with bullets within this weight range.

I am aware that for some hunters, it is almost a religion to always use the heaviest hard cast flat nose bullets available for that caliber. That approach will definitely work, and it is most appropriate for taking large game in Africa or the largest game in Alaska.

But tough, jacketed, bonded, soft point bullets in the range of 265 gr to 300 gr (and hard cast flat nosed between 280 gr and 310 gr. are perfectly capable of taking any animal in the lower 48 and all but the very largest moose and bear in Alaska.

Only bullets weighing 300 gr or more are generally recommended for self defense at close range against large bears with a .44 mag.
 
This is for catching spent primers on Pro 1000 press.

Picture below shows an older Pro 1000 ram on top with a smaller spent primer drop cutout that has a sharper angle that worked about 90% of the time. The newer ram on the bottom shows a larger cutout that has less sharp deflect angle, but still works only about 95% of the time. To capture 100% of the spent primers, we need a cover to direct the spent primers into the press base chute.
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The cover is made from 1.75"x0.75" piece of aluminum can. I used a regular metal scissors to make the cut and a plastic coat hanger to apply the roll. The cover is inserted into the ram hole and pressed into the slot. Leave 1/2 inch opening at the bottom for spent primers to exit. Operate the ram lever slowly to ensure the bottom part of the cover clears the base. Now, essentially 100% of your spent primers should make it into the chute. Spent primer fouling may build up inside the ram. If so, pull off the cover by lifting at the bottom and replace after cleaning.
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If you already have a system of collecting spent primers that you are happy with, you can stop here. If you want to collect spent primers into a tube, then go to Part 2.
 
Pro 1000 collecting pesky spent primer Part 2. See previous post for installing cover to direct all the spent primer into press base chute.

For years, I simply cut a hole on the bench top to collect spent primers into a container/trash can. Although this worked and I even mounted a small square baking pan to slide under the bench, I didn't like a mound of spent primers going off the bench whenever I removed the press off the bench.

I shaped a small plastic funnel from the dollar store using metal scissors/utility knife and attached it to the same size tube as the Classic Turret (Funnel drain tube was cut to increase the hole the primers would fall through and match the size of the tube). Now spent primers are collected into a container through the tube for easy disposal/recycling.

Left is an older Pro 1000 base with only one reinforcing rib in the middle. On the right is a newer Pro 1000 base with more extensive reinforcing ribs and the funnel cutouts needed to clear these reinforcement ribs. White circles show where the spent primers fall through.
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Plastic funnel cut shape:
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Plastic funnel with cutouts clearing the reinforcement ribs:
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And with collection tube attached:
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