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

[Fire_Moose]

My dieLight....




Coupled with a mirror and I can see every powder drop while sitting back UN my office chair cranking away.



Sent from my CZ85 Combat

 

[NineInchNails]

oops

 

[Clark]

I bought a 40 year old plate warmer at the Goodwill for $6 for painting rifle stocks in the winter.

But I found another use.
After tumbling with wet stainless media, I can dry the brass and media quickly.

I put a length of paper towel to the bottom of the media as a wick.

That is aluminum foils on the bottom of the cardboard box.

 

[jfremder]

I bought a 40 year old plate warmer at the Goodwill for $6 for painting rifle stocks in the winter.

But I found another use.
After tumbling with wet stainless media, I can dry the brass and media quickly.

I put a length of paper towel to the bottom of the media as a wick.

That is aluminum foils on the bottom of the cardboard box.

I've tumbled w/ stainless pins for several years, but never 'dried' them. I just give them a rinse and drain off the water. Should I be drying them?

 

[1SOW]

If your press uses a standard " shell holder" and you get tired of it "rotating" while using the press, I found a simple solution.

Remove the "C-ring" retainer, position the holder where you like it and use a titanium drill to fit the hole the C-ring snaps into, insert the bit through the hole and drill just a dimple on the steel behind the hole.

The C-ring tip will hold in the dimple and the holder won't rotate.

 

[oldfortyfiveauto]

Patch bottle

Garbage container for used patches. Not much of an invention, but really handy at the range or on a prairie dog shoot. Picked up at Menards for $1. Cut an X in the top. I clipped the corners to make it easier on my finger tip.

 

[blarby]

That is fantastic.

 

[Skinnedknuckles]

Don't think I saw this idea here but I use a fingerless bicycle glove with a padded palm for a shooting glove. My palm was getting sore one night reloading with my Lee Turret so I put on the glove. Really made pulling the handle a lot more comfortable, so now I always use it when reloading.

 

[trixter]

That is another really good idea.

Thank you.

 

[Schwing]

Choir boys for multiple uses

I think most of you have seen the chore boy trick where you cut one up and wrap some of the strands around an old brush to clean lead or fowling from your barrel. I found a good variation of this where, instead of cutting it up, you unroll it and use it as a bore snake. You can twist it up tight and then just run it through your barrel like a bore snake. For larger barrels or for serious leading, you can put a twisted up one inside a larger diameter version that isn't twisted up yet.

 

[Innovative]

Schwing ......

Wrap your copper mesh around a worn-out bore brush, and you'll have far more pressure scrubbing against the bore.

This is an old trick that removes a lead build up quite well.

 

[mac66]

Marlin Model 60 Tube Mod

I posted this in the rifle section but someone suggested putting it here so here goes.

The loading port on tube fed Marlins is on the bottom of the tube which means you have to feed one round at a time into it. By turning the tube so that the port is next to the barrel you can place rounds along the gap and they slide right into the port.

Regular tube on left, turned tube on right.



Shown on a short barrel Mod 60.



Makes loading faster and easier.



To turn the tube, knock out the tube retaining pin, take out the tube. Measure the pin notch on the tube, turn the tube and file another pin notch in the tube.

 

[Coldfinger]

Stick one end of my Lee primer pocket cleaner in my cordless drill. Makes short work of primer pockets if you are OCD about them like I am.

 

[blarby]

Need to count shot or buckshot quickly from a bag ?

Found this little gem while I was loading for fall goose just now......

Turns out 60 pieces of BBB and an overshot card was the magic ticket.

What is the fastest way I could think of to count 60 pieces of shot at a time ?

You just stick the tray down in the bag, and out it comes- all counted for ya !

 

[TwoEyedJack]

You can easily make a stuck case remover. All you need is a 1/4X20 tap, the appropriate drill bit, a matching bolt, a couple of 1/4" drive sockets, a washer, and a wrench. Drill and tap the stuck case (after you remove the decapping stem), then put the bolt through the washer and two sockets (unless you have deep well 1/4" drive socket), making sure that the "open" end of the bottom socket is riding on the rim of the die, not the casing. Then screw the bolt into the threads of the casing. Put the die in a padded vise, then just turn the bolt until the casing is pulled out of the die.

 

[blarby]

Thas a good one, Jack !

And I thought the best thing I'd ever come up with was using an old eyedropper to dispense bore cleaner onto patches !

Thats a great one- that needs to be adding to the reloading library of wisdom........

 

[Dr.Zubrato]

Small tip: keep your fingers away from the case mouth and the resizing die. Can easily happen if you're in a hurry, have about a thousand or so more cases to resize, and dont pay attention for a second.
Ouchie. learned my lesson quick

 

[enloe]

I am about to start reloading for my ar15. I have quite sa bit of military brass and i was wondering if any of you guys made any kind of primer pocket swager? I am only on page 10 of this thread so far.

 

[NWDave]

Mil Crimps and swagers. Been down that road for awhile. Played with all sorts of methods. Finally ended up with the Dillon 600 Swager. It's a standalone unit (in fact the only "Blue Thing" I own). There are lots of other less expensive ways, BUT, when you process several hundred at a sitting (don't forget, there's lots of mil crimp hiding in pistol brass), and you have minor arthritis in both hands like I do, this particular swager helps.

~Dave

 

[dsm]

Garbage container for used patches. Not much of an invention, but really handy at the range or on a prairie dog shoot. Picked up at Menards for $1. Cut an X in the top. I clipped the corners to make it easier on my finger tip.

Now you can take the X cut bottle and slide it over your muzzle and all your patches drop inside the bottle. Cheap patch catcher. I've been using a similar bottle at the range when cleaning...don't have to worry about picking patches up off the ground.

 

[45crittergitter]

That .22 mag tube idea was in Outdoor Life about 30 years ago. I guess it still works.

 

[45crittergitter]

Sticky?

P.S.

Y'all might as well make this thread a sticky.

 

[Jesse Heywood]

Y'all might as well make this thread a sticky.

It is. Look in the sticky thread: Reloading Library of Wisdom

 

[icanthitabarn]

I keep a large spring clamp very close to keep that pesky handle closed up on the RCBS hand primer, when changing shellholders.

 

[Centurian22]

The L-Kee single shot loader!
http://www.stuffstuff.com/product/L-Kee Single Shot Loader /55/72

I tried to find where this is sold by itself and not in the pack but was unsuccessful. Anyways, This is an amazingly simple product that greatly improves the ease and speed with which I'm able to load a single shot bolt action .22 rifle. I can't believe this is not a more widely used product. It would be especially helpful to anyone who has reduced dexterity of their hands or fingers.

You just 'click' a .22 (any type that you use in your firearm) into the plastic 'jaws', then use the 'L' handle to guide the round into the chamber instead of fumbling around with your finger tips! I love it!

If you already buy Shoot-N-C targets and have a single shot .22, pick this up and get the single loader almost as a bonus, you won't be sorry.