What have you done in the reloading room today

[AJC1]

I worked through enough of the first brass bin to start a load in the tumbler. Interesting what you find in a batch of range brass.
View attachment 1185263View attachment 1185265View attachment 1185264
Gonna go out on a limb and say that might have been a bit hot.
View attachment 1185266
And this looks like it had a problem as well. I also found several that wouldn’t fit in a shell holder and measure very expanded at the head. I’m wondering if someone was running some super crazy test ladders or what! Several additions to the scrap bin!

9mm major loads ????

 

[Hooda Thunkit]

I worked through enough of the first brass bin to start a load in the tumbler. Interesting what you find in a batch of range brass.
View attachment 1185263View attachment 1185265View attachment 1185264
Gonna go out on a limb and say that might have been a bit hot.
View attachment 1185266
And this looks like it had a problem as well. I also found several that wouldn’t fit in a shell holder and measure very expanded at the head. I’m wondering if someone was running some super crazy test ladders or what! Several additions to the scrap bin!

I looked at the first picture and thought perhaps someone had soldered the primer into the pocket.

 

[JmacD]

9mm major loads ????

Yes. That’s the term I couldn’t remember!

 

[JmacD]

I bet I know who it is. There is a guy that I have talked to that shoots there and he is running a 115 grain bullet with a six grain dose of auto comp; that’s about a half a grain over max in a 9 mm. And he runs hotter sometimes he said. I don’t shoot there if I see he’s there. I don’t like shrapnel. Haha. Not at all recommending it!!!! But 1/2 gr in a rifle case might be one thing, but in a lil 9mm that’s a big big difference!

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

9mm major loads ????

Now we know where John Wick shoots.

 

[dartor]

Well I've been very lucky with lead so far, but I got contamination today. I had half a pot and put in a big weight to reduce and I believe I got Zinc contamination and the bars has a brass/gold hue compared to my previous very shiny silver bars.... considering just tossing the unknown material and just chocking it up as bad luck. View attachment 1185199

Could be a higher than normal amount of tin. My pewter ingots always have a golden hue to them. See if you get oatmeal in your pot when you melt them down. Or hit them with a couple drops of muriatic acid.

 

[Charlie98]

Gonna go out on a limb and say that might have been a bit hot.

but in a lil 9mm that’s a big big difference!

Back Home, Years Ago, after I bought my HiPower, I started loading 9mm. Because I was young and indestructible at the time, I just picked the max charge and started loading those.... many of my primers looked like that. And then the hammer on the HiPower started following the slide into battery, and Age and Experience started kicking in... so I quit that. When you see my comments about 9mm loads and risk, my comments are very much tempered from that experience. I now have a pretty healthy respect for that little high pressure cartridge.


Got everything corralled up for the trip out to NV this week. My wife just had to make a snide remark about 'you're only going to be out there for 10 days... do you really need all that stuff???' Yes, ma'am, I do.

 

[Hooda Thunkit]

Back Home, Years Ago, after I bought my HiPower, I started loading 9mm. Because I was young and indestructible at the time, I just picked the max charge and started loading those.... many of my primers looked like that. And then the hammer on the HiPower started following the slide into battery, and Age and Experience started kicking in... so I quit that. When you see my comments about 9mm loads and risk, my comments are very much tempered from that experience. I now have a pretty healthy respect for that little high pressure cartridge.


Got everything corralled up for the trip out to NV this week. My wife just had to make a snide remark about 'you're only going to be out there for 10 days... do you really need all that stuff???' Yes, ma'am, I do.

That pile, a change of underwear and a shaving kit, throw in a few microwave burritos from the quick-stop: Good for at least a week.

 

[JohnMc]

I finally got around to really and truly cleaning the stuff inherited from my Dad, who passed 8 years ago. I had shot some of it with some kind of oil, I forget what, probably One Shot, after getting it all here, which kept it all stuck in time; so I figured at the time and it seems to have been OK.
My parents' house had major humidity issues, like most of the steel stuff from his work room, there's some spotting of rust. I've been disassembling, cleaning, rust removing and/or converting, for a little bit now. The removing has largely been with a Dremel tool wire wheel, converting has been boiling in distilled water.
For some odd reason, the uprights from the Lee Classic Turret wouldn't convert to my satisfaction. I got some rust converter/primer from the local AutoZone and sprayed them with that with black spray paint to follow. The anodized parts are just getting the wire wheel treatment.
Also, taking a Lee Zip Trim apart to "see what's inside" isn't the best idea. It took longer than I care to admit to put it back together.

 

[irishlad]

Dropped powder in 200 308 cases.

 

[N555]

I worked through enough of the first brass bin to start a load in the tumbler. Interesting what you find in a batch of range brass.
View attachment 1185263View attachment 1185265View attachment 1185264
Gonna go out on a limb and say that might have been a bit hot.
View attachment 1185266
And this looks like it had a problem as well. I also found several that wouldn’t fit in a shell holder and measure very expanded at the head. I’m wondering if someone was running some super crazy test ladders or what! Several additions to the scrap bin!
ETA: possibly major loads. As I was reminded. Could NOT think of the term.

Looks like a primer was smashed into a crimped case. I regularly shoot hot 9mm that would easily disassemble that gun and the primers never look like that.

 

[AJC1]

Could be a higher than normal amount of tin. My pewter ingots always have a golden hue to them. See if you get oatmeal in your pot when you melt them down. Or hit them with a couple drops of muriatic acid.

I did get a weird ring in the pot that I pulled out and threw away... I'll try and dig it out

 

[dartor]

I did get a weird ring in the pot that I pulled out and threw away... I'll try and dig it outView attachment 1185359

Now that looks kinda funky....I'd hit it with some acid and see what happens.

 

[45/30-06OKIE]

Doing a ladder with the 101gr LRX bullets and StaBall HD tonight. Interesting that max is actually only .3gr less than max with a 90gr bullet but Barnes was very adamant about starting low so I guess I'll see how it shakes out.

I'm going to start with 56gr and go up by 1gr in 10rd increments to use this 50ct box of bullets. Stopping at 60gr.
Yes I'm aware of how much these cost, but it seems even FFL price isn't THAT much better than retail depending on sales and stuff so I figured it's going to hurt the wallet either way.... Might as well get good use out of them.

 

[JmacD]

I washed/rinsed the load of pistol brass from last night. And decapped some more. FINALLY got woodworking project done!

 

[nettlle]

Picked up another set of check weights in addition to my RCBS set and crossed checked the Troemner set against the RCBS. Everything looks good. The Troemner check weights are nice for the money.

 

[45/30-06OKIE]

Ok got the ladder loaded up!

I actually think that the Lyman Funnel kit is alright after using it a couple times. I'll keep using it and see how I like it. Works good with the ball powder, need to use it with H1000 next to see how it does with extruded powder.

Oh here's a pic of the powder fill at 60gr which is 1.2gr under max. Pretty full...


P.S. I might be saving up for a 8lb jug of the StaBall HD depending on how this ladder goes...

 

[EMC45]

Field stripped and dusted out my KT P3AT. Oiled, greased and put back together.

It was quite dirty and dusty. It hasn’t been cleaned out since grass cutting season. It rides on my side for yardwork duties.

 

[irishlad]

Seated and crimped 200 308s.

 

[DustyRusty]

Fired four groups of 5, 30-40 KRAG reloads. 150 grain pointy Hornady bullets. Roll crimped at the canular.
I got the empties all mixed up, but I assume it was the last five split the shoulders. Not positive but it makes sense.
I didn't notice till I got home. (That will change) I always look at the primers as I unload the cases.
My hottest was 38.4gr of N-140 for 2160 fps. and that's not near the maximum.
The splits were very similar. I plan to repeat with different cases and round nose 150 gn bullets to see what happens.
So my question is it that this splitting indicates, all on its own?

 

[45/30-06OKIE]

Fired four groups of 5, 30-40 KRAG reloads. 150 grain pointy Hornady bullets. Roll crimped at the canular.
I got the empties all mixed up, but I assume it was the last five split the shoulders. Not positive but it makes sense.
I didn't notice till I got home. (That will change) I always look at the primers as I unload the cases.
My hottest was 38.4gr of N-140 for 2160 fps. and that's not near the maximum.
The splits were very similar. I plan to repeat with different cases and round nose 150 gn bullets to see what happens.
So my question is what that splitting indicate all on its own?

View attachment 1185530

That load sounds very mild to be honest. @JmacD might be able to chime in as he is very familiar with the VV powders. Seems like very brittle/old brass is probably why they split...

 

[45/30-06OKIE]

So I WAS going to get some more 45 Colt and 45 Auto Plano ammo boxes from academy but they only had a few 45 Colt boxes and the lines were crazy so I was like yeah I'm not that desperate lol. They're still like 4 bucks, same as 4 years ago...

 

[Blue68f100]

So my question is what that splitting indicate all on its own?

The brass is hard and brittle, work hardening. Time to anneal if you want to continue using the brass.

 

[JmacD]

Got home, cranked up (at a reasonable volume) my new “Winter Walkin’: The complete Chet Atkins Christmas collection” album (that’s been on my shelf for 2 years) and I got enough 9mm brass decapped to start another load in the tumbler. I’ve now switched to “Christmas with Doyle Dykes” upstairs, but the tumbler at the bottom of the steps almost drowns it out. lol. Glad to have the room back on the bench this trophy rack took up! Now the dremel stand and the gun vice can move so I don’t smack my funny bone when I’m decapping!!
Pulled together enough ready to run 9mm to fuel a Christmas Range session. Need to work up some more loads for Dads 1911… I’m off next week so that’s a project for then. I’m gonna try cfe pistol. I have an autocomp recipe too. And of course the Longshot standby…

 

[JmacD]

Fired four groups of 5, 30-40 KRAG reloads. 150 grain pointy Hornady bullets. Roll crimped at the canular.
I got the empties all mixed up, but I assume it was the last five split the shoulders. Not positive but it makes sense.
I didn't notice till I got home. (That will change) I always look at the primers as I unload the cases.
My hottest was 38.4gr of N-140 for 2160 fps. and that's not near the maximum.
The splits were very similar. I plan to repeat with different cases and round nose 150 gn bullets to see what happens.
So my question is what that splitting indicate all on its own?

View attachment 1185530

Looks just like some of my 250-3000 brass… annealing time… I’d go there before powder.