What have you done in the reloading room today

[Riomouse911]

You all are going to think I'm crazy but I haven't been shooting much because it been cold here but with spring coming I have been trying to get the pleasure boat going again. Last fall the fuse block when out because it was cheaply made & wouldn't hold the fuses tight, so they shook out of proper contact then the boat would die. So I have bought a new fuse block & I have to figure out how to wire it in my reloading shop because it's too cold outside.
How many others use their reloading shop for small jobs that pop up?

My reloading room is in my garage. Between housing two vehicles, three motorcycles, a quad, work benches and tool cabinets, a zillion various boxes AND my reloading bench/ammo shelves/gun safes; every project gets done in there.

Good luck finding the boat solution! Mine needs some TLC; trailer brakes, an engine oil change and the tach quit sending rpm’s to the dial in the dash.

Stay safe.

 

[AJC1]

My reloading room is in my garage. Between housing two vehicles, three motorcycles, a quad, work benches and tool cabinets, a zillion various boxes AND my reloading bench/ammo shelves/gun safes; every project gets done in there.

Good luck finding the boat solution! Mine needs some TLC; trailer brakes, an engine oil change and the tach quit sending rpm’s to the dial in the dash.

Stay safe.

I feel your project room.... the more the uses the greater the efficiency

 

[1976B.L.Johns.]

Finished loading 90 9mm in nickel cases.



I took this picture just to show how I keep things organized.
Top of the picture has completed rounds. In the center of the block are charged cases with bullets being readied to be seated.
Bottom two rows will be charged after the above bullets are seated.
And then, of course finished.

Hey, use care out there!
B.L.

 

[badkarmamib]

I got to run 51 rounds back through the press, with a touch more crimp. My M9 and the wife's Shield Plus plunked these fine, the new Shadow 2 did not. Factory ammo plunked fine. Took brass, ran it through sizing and flaring. Got the seat/crimp die to allow plunk, set a bullet, and started fiddling, didn't fall together like I expected. Factory is .355 FMJ. Reloads are Hi-Tek lead .356. 0.001" is apparently enough of a difference. Rounds plunk flush, turning isn't easy, won't fall out freely, but will if I tap the side of the barrel. Middle of the road load, so planning to test and observe. Really want them to run, since jacketed .355 would cost nearly as much as loaded rounds

 

[Riomouse911]

I got to run 51 rounds back through the press, with a touch more crimp. My M9 and the wife's Shield Plus plunked these fine, the new Shadow 2 did not. Factory ammo plunked fine. Took brass, ran it through sizing and flaring. Got the seat/crimp die to allow plunk, set a bullet, and started fiddling, didn't fall together like I expected. Factory is .355 FMJ. Reloads are Hi-Tek lead .356. 0.001" is apparently enough of a difference. Rounds plunk flush, turning isn't easy, won't fall out freely, but will if I tap the side of the barrel. Middle of the road load, so planning to test and observe. Really want them to run, since jacketed .355 would cost nearly as much as loaded rounds

The M9 with their slightly generous chambers, are good eaters. The tighter match chambers on the S2 are much more ammo-finicky. (I have both, same goes here.)

Stay safe.

 

[bigpower491]

Well well, look what showed up today. Tonight's project in the loading room is now done. Took a whole 5 minutes to unpack and mount.
Time to pour a 7n7 and play with the doggo.
I'll be shooting some tomorrow.....

 

[Riomouse911]

Have to confess I've never seen reloaded WCs. And if I weren't a reloader I wouldn't even know to ask what the seating stem looks like?

I use my Lee die set to load all my .38/.357, .41 Spl. /.41 Mag, and .44 Spl/.44 Mag rounds, from RN to WC in profile. The stem in the .38/ .357 die is a rounded shape I guess, but these dies have seated everything I’ve loaded since I bought them new in 1995.



The stem does leave a slight ring on the flat nose of the WC bullets, but it doesn’t affect the holes cut in the paper. (The one on the top I just pushed into an unsized case.)



The seating stem has to be cranked down all the way, .38 Spl WC depth on left and .44 Spl SWC depth on right.



I put just the slightest roll crimp on my wadcutters, especially plated WC bullets. I learned very early on loading plated bullets that a stout roll crimp will cut the plating, and the mega-rpm bullets will shed the plating from the nose when fired. (I had poor accuracy and random holes with bits of shed plating stuck in them on my targets.) This is about as much roll crimp necessary to hold bullets in place.



Stay safe.

 

[King Medallion]

Cast 236 45/60 bullets today

 

[DMW1116]

Began prepping brass to load a batch of my new favorite 357 Magnum target load. 100 rounds of HS6 pushing Berrys DEWC.

 

[.45Coltguy]

I use my Lee die set to load all my .38/.357, .41 Spl. /.41 Mag, and .44 Spl/.44 Mag rounds, from RN to WC in profile. The stem in the .38/ .357 die is a rounded shape I guess, but these dies have seated everything I’ve loaded since I bought them new in 1995.

View attachment 1195603

The stem does leave a slight ring on the flat nose of the WC bullets, but it doesn’t affect the holes cut in the paper. (The one on the top I just pushed into an unsized case.)

View attachment 1195601

The seating stem has to be cranked down all the way, .38 Spl WC depth on left and .44 Spl SWC depth on right.

View attachment 1195600

I put just the slightest roll crimp on my wadcutters, especially plated WC bullets. I learned very early on loading plated bullets that a stout roll crimp will cut the plating, and the mega-rpm bullets will shed the plating from the nose when fired. (I had poor accuracy and random holes with bits of shed plating stuck in them on my targets.) This is about as much roll crimp necessary to hold bullets in place.

View attachment 1195602

Stay safe.

You guys that load/shoot those .38 spl WC's, ever try the MBC coated ones?

 

[Frulk]

Well well, look what showed up today. Tonight's project in the loading room is now done. Took a whole 5 minutes to unpack and mount.
Time to pour a 7n7 and play with the doggo.
I'll be shooting some tomorrow.....View attachment 1195606

Love my Dram Worx converted Little Dandy’s. That took care of the static problem once and for all.

 

[DMW1116]

You guys that load/shoot those .38 spl WC's, ever try the MBC coated ones?

Not yet. When I order from them next time I’ll get at least a 100 count sample pack.

 

[CQB45ACP]

I use my Lee die set to load all my .38/.357, .41 Spl. /.41 Mag, and .44 Spl/.44 Mag rounds, from RN to WC in profile. The stem in the .38/ .357 die is a rounded shape I guess, but these dies have seated everything I’ve loaded since I bought them new in 1995.

View attachment 1195603

The stem does leave a slight ring on the flat nose of the WC bullets, but it doesn’t affect the holes cut in the paper. (The one on the top I just pushed into an unsized case.)

View attachment 1195601

The seating stem has to be cranked down all the way, .38 Spl WC depth on left and .44 Spl SWC depth on right.

View attachment 1195600

I put just the slightest roll crimp on my wadcutters, especially plated WC bullets. I learned very early on loading plated bullets that a stout roll crimp will cut the plating, and the mega-rpm bullets will shed the plating from the nose when fired. (I had poor accuracy and random holes with bits of shed plating stuck in them on my targets.) This is about as much roll crimp necessary to hold bullets in place.

View attachment 1195602

Stay safe.

Thanks. Nice pictures!

 

[Jeremy2171]

Yes and no. Rather, correct; but with clarification.

This being the “What did you do…?” thread and me not wanting to hijack it, I went to the books in what passes for my reloading room: M1906 - introduced 1906, replaced 1925 by M1 Ball, reintroduced as M2 Ball in 1938. SAAMI - established 1926.

So, M1 and M1906 predate SAAMI, M2 does not but, since M2 is the same as M1906, it does.

This is precisely why picking loading data for milspec weapons requires research.

More yes and no added to that...

SAAMI was established in 1926.
M1 ball was adopted in 1925...first loaded lots were in 1926 starting with FA lot 900.
SAAMI spec was 50k CUP (not psi)for 30-06...
The M1 and other 30-06 weapons were built around this 50k CUP SAAMI limit.

M2 ball came out around '37 as "new production" M1906 (150gr @2700fps) and was labelled as such. Then the name was changed to M2 ball as the components changed enough to support the name change. In 1940 M2 ball was upped in muzzle velocity to 2805fps to better match the sight settings when zeroed for M2 AP (165gr @2775fps) which was the intended "combat ammo"..as M2 was intended for training.

In the mid-late 80s SAAMI updated its specs from the copper crusher method (CUP) to the new piezoelectric transducers. Due to differences in the way they measured you get two different numbers.

SAAMI 30-06 limits:
old 50000 CUP
new 60180psi

The problem arises as prior to the "new" numbers the "old" numbers were ALSO written as 50,000 "psi". This is because that was the ONLY method (copper) that was being used back then. This has now created the myth that the garand is "weak" and limited to 50,000 "psi" compared to SAAMI max of 60180 "psi".

And no the garand was NOT designed for M2 ball. It did not exist when the M1 was already in the hands of troops. The M1 was designed for M1 ball and M1922/M2 AP.

Yes...research is key...

 

[horsemen61]

Loaded another 50 of my favorite 6.5 Creedmoor load

 

[lightman]

That's one of the problems of being so well organized... I don't ever find any 'surprises' in my loading room... I know where everything is, and how much of it is there.

Charlie, I'm getting there! Actually mine is pretty organized. I've slowly been going through my brass stash and depriming and tumbling everything. I thought I was there until I found these.

 

[lightman]

How many others use their reloading shop for small jobs that pop up?

My loading room is one of the spare bedrooms so nothing big like working on a boat, trailer, side-by-side ect. But I do small jobs in there. Gunsmithing stuff like installing scopes, triggers, bedding jobs, gun cleaning and such. I work on other stuff also. Recently repaired a vacuum cleaner, readjusted the brakes on a wheelchair, ect.

 

[lightman]

To keep the thread on track, I put another load of 45 Colt brass in the tumbler and sorted yesterdays brass that dried over night.

 

[Riomouse911]

You guys that load/shoot those .38 spl WC's, ever try the MBC coated ones?

Yes, very good stuff. Same goes for button nose wadcutters from Brazos Bullets.



I have also loaded and shot DEWC from ACME, but to me their red coating is a touch thin and seems to come off easier than the others. YMMV.

Stay safe.

 

[Lennyjoe]

Loaded up some test rounds using IMR 4350 and Superformance in Hornady brass and 178 gr Hornady ELD-X .300 WSM rounds.

 

[PO2Hammer]

Loaded the last 32 of my MBC 9mm 125 coated SWC’s in GFL brass with 3.4 grains of W231 @ 1.055”.
Not the best results, 2” @ 30 yards from the bench in a PCC. The Ruger just doesn’t seem to like coated bullets.

 

[AK Hunter]

My loading room is one of the spare bedrooms so nothing big like working on a boat, trailer, side-by-side ect. But I do small jobs in there. Gunsmithing stuff like installing scopes, triggers, bedding jobs, gun cleaning and such. I work on other stuff also. Recently repaired a vacuum cleaner, readjusted the brakes on a wheelchair, ect.

One of my spare bedrooms is used for my computers, gun safes & cabinets.

 

[Riomouse911]

I cleaned, trimmed, processed and loaded some range pick-up .30-30 cases, using Leverevolution powder and a Hornady 150 gr RN.

Then I finished a few leftover .45/70 cases with a Trapdoor-level charge of IMR 3031 and 405 gr LRN bullets.



Stay safe.

 

[badkarmamib]

Today, I found that my Shadow 2 needs 115 lead seated to 1.065" to plunk So, loaded 5 rounds with start load of HP-38, and 5 of a middle load. If all goes well, will report back. If not, I might not be able to type...

 

[Soonerpesek]

Today, I found that my Shadow 2 needs 115 lead seated to 1.065" to plunk So, loaded 5 rounds with start load of HP-38, and 5 of a middle load. If all goes well, will report back. If not, I might not be able to type...View attachment 1195673

What brand bullet are you using...?
SNS has a coated 115gr that has a "stretched" profile that may plunk at a longer COAL.........
Just throwin' that out there...
Good luck...