What have you done in the reloading room today

I didn’t know Marlin made 30 Carbines.

 

Can't you just load 'em like your norm..............you sed you roll crimped into the bullet anyway.......??

 

No!

I'll let the experts explain............

 

Yes and no. I can just load the bullet to the same oal and roll crimp into the side of the bullet as normal. It is convenient that none of my bullets are 357 spec so I'm crimping above the design crimp grove. Should I have more than 4 it might even be better than normal. The no is only based on a die adjustment. I would have to adjust the die and for me that's no issue at all. If I had enough of them to make it worth while I would.

 

I gotcha...................Guess I figured you had a bunch of 'em................

 

Busy weekend. Saturday I melted down ~230lbs of scrap into ingots. Came out with 141lbs with a bit left in the pot and, well, more than I'd like left in the dross bowl. I'm going to sift it, wash it and try to get some of that lead back. This scrap was pretty dirty.

Ingot stack by Bearded Phil posted Jan 15, 2023 at 12:32 AM

After a while I got better at pouring the ingots. Some of them came out looking pretty ok. Here's one of the smaller ones when I was getting low on the pot.

Ingot top by Bearded Phil posted Jan 15, 2023 at 12:32 AM

Ingot bottom by Bearded Phil posted Jan 15, 2023 at 12:32 AM

Today after Sunday chores I scrubbed all the moulds I've been sitting on and started heat cycling them. While I was doing that I also set up the furnace and toaster oven and tested the oven's temp. Seems to hold pretty well based on the oven thermometer I popped in for testing.

Equpment set up by Bearded Phil posted Jan 15, 2023 at 9:53 PM

When I got to the 3rd cycle on the moulds I decided to go ahead and prime the furnace with 20lbs of ingots and get that long first melt over so I can hopefully get going pretty fast next weekend.

Furnace primed by Bearded Phil posted Jan 15, 2023 at 9:53 PM

First casts will be with the NOE 360-182-WFN-U2 & 311-171-RF-I3 since they're the two gas check moulds I have and I need to see if there's any fitting issues with the gas checks from my check makers that came in Saturday as well. Got them from Matteson's Machine Shop from their ebay store. The checks they make look good so far, punched about 20 or so of each size Saturday evening after the melt stuff was all cleaned up and put away, just testing them out.

Gas check makers by Bearded Phil posted Jan 16, 2023 at 12:39 AM

.30 & .38 cal gas checks by Bearded Phil posted Jan 16, 2023 at 12:39 AM

 

I keep all the dross in a coffee can, and remelt it on a smaller burner. I flux the heck out of it, using sawdust wetted with used motor oil. Then reduce with candle wax.

It takes a while, which is why I don't do it until I have a rather large amount of dross to work with; usually at least a full coffee can. Smaller amounts I just throw back in the next bulk (ingot) melt.

I usually get a great deal of the lead back. I aim to end up with dross that is fluffy and light weight.

I have varied success...

 

I wish my shop was as clean and organized as yours is Phil....sometimes it takes me longer to find something then to use it....

 

It's really bad when you have multiple tools that are identical so you don't spend half a day looking for them. My dad had 6-8 six inch calipers and at least that many tape measures.

 

This is the first I've been aware of this maker. Is this a single-stroke check maker ?

 

Marking my cartridges getting ready for trip to range tomorrow AM—I hate losing brass for any reason including other scroungers (if any happen to be around which isn’t often).

 

I've never run into another brass chicken here in the greater Memphis area other than my friend who is far less motivated. I'm like hay here's a bucket of 7-08 you should get and he may walk over. Guess that's why I can find stuff.

 

I don't mark mine, but I usually come home with a few more than I left the house with. Don't have many reloaders around here.

 

If I came home with more, I’d probably not mark either, but a 10% loss is more like it. Most loss however is ahead of firing line not from others grabbing it.

I actually just started marking a couple months ago and started a thread showing my initial marks which have now changed to the simple rings drawn w/sharpies.

 

Autos are like good looking women, they just have higher operating costs. At least most don't shoot expensive hard to find brass. Imagine a 300 Weatherby semi auto. Take a shot and your done till the case is found.

 

Quite literally once I joined the FBI in ‘72, I only dated women who shot expensive brass. Even the common stuff was expensive, very expensive.

 

Several years ago I came up with a box of 20 new factory Weatherby 30-378 Magnum brass. I eventually sold the box for $40 ($2/piece), an outrageous price to me.

The buyer was beside himself with glee, having found them so inexpensive. Apparently I left a good bit on the table in that sale. No telling what that brass would bring these days.

At least it was all profit for me, and they went to someone who would use them.

 

I walked past a box of 20 the other day at sportsmans well over 100 dollars.

 

Just the brass? Or loaded cartridges?

 

Just 20 empty cases... I absolutely knew I would never be a Weatherby guy.

 

Holy smokes! I left more than I thought on the table.

Of course, it was probably 5 or 6 years ago... Still... Wow.

 

I spent a good part of yesterday sorting 223 brass and deciding what I was going to load for our Spring Prairie Dog hunt. I also went through my bullets and decided to load most of the partial boxes in some of that odd brass. Like 9 in one box, 21 in another, ect ect!
After while I'll switch my Giraud trimmer over from 308 to 223. I buy shell holders complete with cutting blades and put locking die rings on them so hopefully the change over will be quick.

 

Don't worry, it's just because it's new. It'll get messy here soon enough, haha.

 

Yea, single stroke. They have a shop website here

https://www.mattesonsmachineshop.com/

but I found the best way to contact them is through their ebay store here

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trkparms=folent:dmatteson56|folenttp:1&_trksid=p3542580.m47492.l71970&_ssn=dmatteson56

I sent along the drawings from NOE on my moulds while chatting with Dave on the ebay messaging and he knocked them out and had them shipped in about a week and a half.

The .30 cal was pretty standard (.283" dia shank, .075" tall, uses .014" flashing, it's a 30-30 bullet) but the 360-182-WFN-U2 is a bit unique so that's why I want to get some cast up and see how these fit. If I have any troubles I'll contact Dave again and see about adjusting them but hopefully won't have to.