What have you done in the reloading room today

Sorted several boxes of range brass by caliber then started decapping some 308… that was until I bent my last decapping pin on a crimped primer. Good thing I ordered some replacements that are due to arrive tomorrow!

 

I ordered a backup for my Lee Universal decapper so I'll never need it.... when a 22 is in the bottom of a case is the closest I come to breaking them.

 

I use the Lee universal decapping die as well, it’s my own fault, I wasn’t paying attention and the shell wasn’t aligned quite right. I just got a Frankford Arsenal M-Press and the die block “floats” a little. Not sure I’m sold on that “feature” but as long as I pay attention it’s makes the process pretty fast with the way the shell holder auto opens when the press is lowered and auto closes when it’s raised. I got it at a great price so it’s pretty much going to be my dedicated decapping press.

 

After six weeks of looking I found a link (due to a member here) to buy Large Rife Primers. My goodness it's a hassle and expensive to buy primers anymore.

 

Put 300 38spl cases in the tumbler this morning before doing yard work. Want to have a few thousand prepped for winter reloading time. It's been a hot dry summer but I expect a cold wet winter.

 

Bent a few LUD pins, mostly because of a 22 case, or a misidentified berdan case. But usually it just kicks the pin out the top. I do keep 2 or 4 replacement pins on hand.

 

Well, I got to thinking and decided to look inside the piece of brass that was still on the press…. It had the dang berdan primer!

 

Got a Dillon 750, so have been getting that set up and cranking out some rounds. Set it up, and my other presses on the Inline Fabrication quick change system. Realizing all the other stuff I want from them. Everything they make is awesome.

 

Inlines website is a black hole, once you enter you just start adding things to your cart!

 

I’ve never gone below 5.0gr so don’t ask me

 

Hot and humid again today. Removed 479 primers from the 38spl brass I tumbled/polished yesterday down in the nice cool basement. Tumbled more than I thought.

 

I cut down some 223 brass on my lathe to turn it into 9mm Largo to feed my Astra. I now need to run them in my case trimmer then size them in some dies I made.

 

Not in the loading room but related to loading. I fooled around and got busy since I've done anything in the loading room. But Sunday afternoon my oldest Son and Grandson and I bought some treated lumber and built a shooting bench that we'll take to the Deer Club. We have a range already carved out of the timber but the old table was in bad shape and uncomfortable. I wish I knew how to post pictures, as I think our new table is picture worthy.

 

I just got a pound of LT-32 ($48.00!) to reload some 6ppc for a friend, I only loaded about [email protected] 27.2 gr so I should have some left to try in the 45-70

 

That's n133 prices....

 

How long ago?

 

Sized and trimmed 50 pcs .224 Valkyrie brass and 15 pcs 7mm Rem Mag. Then looked through all of the load data for N140 with an 80gr bullet in .224 V to find a good start point.

 

Looked around and still waiting on my .357 magnum dies to show up. I’ve been waiting a month or so now. Everything else component wise is in and ready to go.

 

Screwed things up. I was loading 30.06 using Lee dies. I managed not to get enough lube on a case and stuck it. Like any male, I did not refresh my recollection on how to remove and completely removed the retaining nut and banged away. I ended up bending the expander/decapping rod and buggering up the end. Ordered replacement parts and went to my Redding Match Dies, choose a bushing and promptly dropped it. Couldn't find it. Finally did after 20 minutes on my hands and knees with a flashlight. There is a huge difference in the neck tension with the Lee dies and the +2 neck tension I chose for the Redding die. With the Lee dies the neck tension is really tight. The good news is that I discovered that at +2 neck tension, the gun shoots 1 ragged hole at 100 yrd rather than 3/4s. Lots of wasted time but stubbornness prevailed to a good end.

 

Question for those more knowledgeable than I: is the improved group size likely due to less neck tension or possibly due to more consistent tension with the Redding?

 

Stubbornness (I prefer calling it tenacity) is probably my one and only redeeming personality trait.

Friends ask how in the world I managed to marry the Hot Chick that shot down all the other guys? Stubbornness, my friend. I wore her down; simply outlasted her.

Tenacity.

 

Trolling and stalking are not too distant cousins.

 

That's kinda a loaded question but this is my opinion. Consistent neck tension is the most important. Neck tension is a tunable thing and like any other tunable thing there is a range that works best with your load. How you get that correct tension with bushing or mandrel is irrelevant in my opinion and they both work. If you know exactly the tension you need a ground die is the best.

 

Casted up a few Lee .356 125 2R and .358 125 RNFP.

 

Decapped and sized 100ish of the 45acp I shot at range this AM. Now I have to do same for about 100 9mm.

The primers of these four looked peculiar to me so flat, but the load was the same as all the rest…5.0gr Bullseye 230gr RN.