What have you done in the reloading room today

[hps1]

Why do some tumble with primers still in the brass? I’m not judging I have always removed primers before tumbling? What are the advantages to leaving the brass primed?

W/larger media, IMO, there's about a 50% less chance for media to get stuck in flash hole and those that do are soon to be evicted in the decapping die. Jury rigged this primer pocket cleaner (at left of photo) using an old sewing machine motor & foot switch. Turned an adapter to fit shaft w/hole and set screw to hold a short piece of small boat steering cable for a brush in the other. Added the plastic fan blade to keep motor cool during long runs. When SS bristles wear out, just pull cable out a bit, strip the plastic coating and you're good to go.

 

[3sport]

Took me a few meals to get used to the texture of the chick pea pasta, which we eat because my wife believes she is gluten intolerant (not actually diagnosed). I just needed to stop comparing it to traditional Semolina pasta. Many of the meat alternatives are pretty decent, too (she won't eat commercially produced meat). Fortunately, she'll eat pretty much anything I shoot or catch. Mostly that means venison, and I hope to harvest my first handgun deer with my Model 57 this fall. To that end, I sized, flared and primed 102 pieces of .41 magnum brass today. I will charge them with 15.3 grains of 2400 and seat MBC 215-grain LSWCs in them tomorrow.

Outstanding. I love Venison. I prepare it for cooking "Italian" style. AKA, Spiedies, from the Central Southern Tier of the Upstate NY area. I cube up the venison (1" to 1 1/2 inch Squares), then marinade them for 3 - 5 days in the fridge in a few bottles of Good Seasons Italian Dressing. The dressing you make yourself from a packet by adding your own olive oil and vinegar. I've tried other Italian dressings for the marinade, but the Good Seasons is more true to the original Spiedie taste. After marinading, I then skewer the "Spiedies", and cook them over charcoal. I serve on fresh Italian bread, like a Spiedie Sandwich or Sub. Always with Macaroni Salad and Corn on the Cob on the side. A tradition for the 4th of July in the Southern Tier of Upstate NY. Any gamy meat works best. Pork, Venison, Lamb. You can do beef or chicken, but they are not as tasty with the marinade as the gamier meats. My favorite meat for Spiedies is Venison or Lamb. That's a toss-up between the two.

Regarding protein pasta and plant based meats, I try and eat Vegetarian most days for health reasons. I still eat meat, but sparingly. The protein pasta I like. Not sure why. I didn't have to get used to it. I try to limit my processed carbs, so regular pasta I usually steer clear of. Again, for health reasons. You are correct, some of the plant based meat substitute products are actually very good these days.

 

[IALoder]

This morning I sized and trimmed more .223 brass for working with 77smks, then pulled out some prepped/primed .300 blackout brass for 220 Berry's and Lil Gun.

This evening I fired up the chargemaster lite and loaded a ladder of 77smks with N135 and PP Varmint. Then loaded 220 Berry's with 8.6gr Lil Gun, and loaded my last 150gr interlocks with Lil Gun to satisfy my "velocity curiosity" with 150's in a 8.3" .300 blackout.

 

[armoredman]

Thank you. Let us know how the new Lee bullet works out for you.

I also discovered that the wax bullets I used as a base for my home made lube are 40+ years old, and the beeswax might have deteriorated slightly, so I will be ordering some professional bullet lube like DGL on payday. I cast up a bunch of these new ones yesterday and loaded some powder coated ones over AA#2 to see how they work in the conversion cylinder.

 

[Captain*kirk]

Finished up the 100 pieces of .44 Mag brass. Bagged and tagged and ready for reloading at my leisure. Next best thing to new.

 

[shoebox1.1]

I have thought about getting a Lee Hand Press for a while. I know it would be handy for working up loads at the range, but I don't think I would actually ever do that. Perhaps. And at my bench, my Rock Chucker is always at arms length, so I don't think I'd use it much at the bench. Again.... perhaps. In any event, your post has me thinking that it might be time to get one.

I like it for recliner size and depriming. I think it’s a very handy tool in the arsenal. And as far as cleaning with primers in, I wet tumble with primers in. I feel like it would flush and neutralize the lead particulates before primer expulsion.

 

[Ray P]

First range day in 9 months, and just finished sorting out the 7.65 Browning/32ACP and 410 hulls in the reloading room. Stayed within Dr's directive regarding recoil, only shot a Beretta Tomcat 3032 and a Kel-tec 410 shotgun. I will say that the KSG410 WILL NOT accept Hornady factory duplex loads. But ate everything Winchester; buck, slug and shot.

 

[COLTSFANATIC1]

Yes, and in my experience they are el stinko. Expensive, finicky and poor terminal performance. I know they have their fans, but I'm not one of them. Won't use them unless forced to.... and in most cases I'll just go hunt someplace else that doesn't require them.

After California mandated non-lead projectiles in the area I hunted wild boar, I had to develop a .270 copper bullet load. It was a lot of expense, trouble and time to find a load that shot acceptably to my standards. Settled on a Barnes 130 grain TSSX.

First morning of the hunt, I shot a boar through the withers on a ridgeline @ 140 yards. Boar took off running down a draw and popped out of the brush 60 yards away, and headed straight for me. 2nd shot caught him high right shoulder, and turned him to run in a big circle, coming to stop 25 yards away facing me. Snorting and angry and getting himself all worked up over the annoyance of the copper bullets, I fired another one that went low chest and out his left hip. He charged and I fired my 4th and final copper bullet into his head at about 15 yards. Exciting, but not not my idea of a good bullet.

Every other pig I've killed with the aforementioned plain ole 150 interlock has been DRT, from 40 to 230 yards. All shoulder/lung shots.

You can keep that low lethality, no fragmentation, coppercrap. Here's a traditional American lead-core 150 grain spirepoint pig. Good eatin!:

View attachment 1206683

Hello friend,
Where bouts Cali did or do you hunt? I’m in Southern California myself.

 

[COLTSFANATIC1]

9mm is the new old newest hotness. I have actually spoken to young people at the indoor range who think the 9mm Parabellum is a new-new cartridge.

I still have a small bucket of mixed 9mm waiting for processing. I guess I’ll toss it in the tumbler before we go to the farmers market.

. LOL. YOUNG PEOPLE!!!

 

[Walkalong]

the Lyman labeled front rest for 35+ years

I'd have had mine that long if I hadn't given it to a friend.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

Why do some tumble with primers still in the brass? I’m not judging I have always removed primers before tumbling? What are the advantages to leaving the brass primed?

I can’t speak for anyone but me but I tumble with corn cob media fresh from the chamber to get the brass clean enough to handle. Then I decap, clean and normalize the primer pockets, inspect and then tumble with wax polish/buffing compound treated walnut before resizing.

After resizing it typically gets bagged, boxed and stored. I don’t tumble it again before priming.

 

[COLTSFANATIC1]

. Best make hay while the sun is shining as my grandfather used to say.

Thumbs up for GrandDads,

I lost mine way to soon, but what a special man he was!!!

 

[3sport]

I like it for recliner size and depriming. I think it’s a very handy tool in the arsenal. And as far as cleaning with primers in, I wet tumble with primers in. I feel like it would flush and neutralize the lead particulates before primer expulsion.

Thanks. I may get one soon. I have had one in my Amazon cart (save for alter) for over a year. I think with a small portable digital scale and trickler, I may use it at the range. I have never hand loaded at the range before, but there is always a first time. I'm not sure I would use it while logging "Recliner Time", but you never know.

I have not cleaned brass in ages, so I can't remember if I cleaned primers IN or OUT. I am pretty sure it was primers IN, because I seem to remember depriming and loading cleaned brass in one sitting, with no cleaning step in between. I have so much clean brass sitting in boxes that I will probably not have to clean any fired brass for another few months. I have a new Midway Vibrator Cleaner that I bought around 2004 just before I went on Hiatus from Reloading that I have never even plugged in. I'll put it in service soon.

 

[3sport]

Thumbs up for GrandDads,

I lost mine way to soon, but what a special man he was!!!

Agreed. I lost my maternal grand dad when I was about 6, and I lost my paternal grand dad when I was 12. The loss of life experience and wisdom from them is a tragedy. How much they could have taught me had they lived longer.

 

[Captain*kirk]

Thanks. I may get one soon. I have had one in my Amazon cart (save for alter) for over a year. I think with a small portable digital scale and trickler, I may use it at the range. I have never hand loaded at the range before, but there is always a first time. I'm not sure I would use it while logging "Recliner Time", but you never know.

I have not cleaned brass in ages, so I can't remember if I cleaned primers IN or OUT. I am pretty sure it was primers IN, because I seem to remember depriming and loading cleaned brass in one sitting, with no cleaning step in between. I have so much clean brass sitting in boxes that I will probably not have to clean any fired brass for another few months. I have a new Midway Vibrator Cleaner that I bought around 2004 just before I went on Hiatus from Reloading that I have never even plugged in. I'll put it in service soon.

I like to knock the primers out using the Lee universal die, then throw them in the wet tumbler with pins and cleaning solution. They come out squeaky clean inside and out, primer pockets included. So clean that you don't have to touch the pockets with a brush. Is you are concerned about the lead from the spent primers, wear latex gloves and a dust mask when depriming. I think there's far more risk of lead exposure by trying to brush the pockets clean later. I have reserved my dry tumbler for fine polishing of the brass after all the prep is done.

 

[COLTSFANATIC1]

I am putting away 4.5 pounds powder I bought today at our swap meet for $70.00 , I think people were afraid of it I got a pound of IMR 4227 , 1.5 pounds of IMR 4756 , 2 pounds of IMR 4759. The guy that had it let me open all of them all were still factory sealed and smelled normal he is someone I know who is quite a stickler on all things reloading I used to use a lot of 4756 and 4759 and I can’t wait to shoot these powders again I wish Hodgdon would bring these two back into production again.

4.5 LBS $70. Great find!!! I’m jealous!

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

I have about 40-45 pounds of dirty 9mm from a neighbor. He gave me a couple of buckets every time his boys and their friends went shooting in the fallows. This was probably 10 or more years ago. I clean it as I use it.

 

[shoebox1.1]

Thanks. I may get one soon. I have had one in my Amazon cart (save for alter) for over a year. I think with a small portable digital scale and trickler, I may use it at the range. I have never hand loaded at the range before, but there is always a first time. I'm not sure I would use it while logging "Recliner Time", but you never know.

I have not cleaned brass in ages, so I can't remember if I cleaned primers IN or OUT. I am pretty sure it was primers IN, because I seem to remember depriming and loading cleaned brass in one sitting, with no cleaning step in between. I have so much clean brass sitting in boxes that I will probably not have to clean any fired brass for another few months. I have a new Midway Vibrator Cleaner that I bought around 2004 just before I went on Hiatus from Reloading that I have never even plugged in. I'll put it in service soon.

Check eBay. I got mine for like 50 shipped and I’ve seen them go cheap. Put on a vintage Chuck Norris movie and size away in the ez chair. I love it

 

[3sport]

Check eBay. I got mine for like 50 shipped and I’ve seen them go cheap. Put on a vintage Chuck Norris movie and size away in the ez chair. I love it

Great tips. Both of them. Thank you.

 

[COLTSFANATIC1]

Why do some tumble with primers still in the brass? I’m not judging I have always removed primers before tumbling? What are the advantages to leaving the brass primed?

Some do not like to put anything dirty in their dies. So they tumble with primers before depriminng

 

[Wildfan99]

Bought a used MEC 9000 12 ga dirt cheap because It had a timing issue.

Spent a little time correcting it and now it works beautifully!!

 

[Wildfan99]

Why do some tumble with primers still in the brass? I’m not judging I have always removed primers before tumbling? What are the advantages to leaving the brass primed?

The media gets stuck in the open flash hole and you have to clean it out w a pick.

 

[3sport]

I like to knock the primers out using the Lee universal die, then throw them in the wet tumbler with pins and cleaning solution. They come out squeaky clean inside and out, primer pockets included. So clean that you don't have to touch the pockets with a brush. Is you are concerned about the lead from the spent primers, wear latex gloves and a dust mask when depriming. I think there's far more risk of lead exposure by trying to brush the pockets clean later. I have reserved my dry tumbler for fine polishing of the brass after all the prep is done.

I have boxes of fired brass in my brass drawer at my bench that I thought was all clean and ready to go with NO primers. But only one box. The rest of the boxes have the primers still in. The box of no primer brass may actually be NEW brass I never fired. I might have just dumped it in a storage box unused. Too long ago to remember. So some or most of my fired brass may actually NOT be clean. I might just have sorted and boxed them before I shut my bench down for my long hiatus. And back then, I was progressive loading with my RCBS Piggyback, with Primer decapping at the first stage. The primer tube and catcher bottle are still attached to the Piggyback progressive. So I guess I must have cleaned with primed cartridges.

Also back then, I had burnt out a vibrator Brass Cleaner from Midway, and ordered the new one that I have not even used yet. Just to be safe, I am going to re-clean the brass in question. That will give me a chance to use the new-old-stock Midway Vibrator,

 

[rwilky78]

Some do not like to put anything dirty in their dies. So they tumble with primers before depriminng

I use a lee universal depriming die then wet tumble. With pistol and can then remove my depriming stem from my sizing die. I hand prime off press so I can size the primed cases.