What have you done in the reloading room today

[3sport]

.Lazy day here, gents. No reloading bench time today, but a good Sunday Pasta dinner, a nap, and reading Richard Lee's updated (Revised 2023) book "Modern Reloading - Second Edition". I already have similar from every major reloading manufacturer (Lyman, RCBS, Hornady), but I was missing Lee, so I just got it to round out the bench manuals. Enjoying the day. Hope ya'll are too.

 

[shoebox1.1]

Just finished 100 rounds of 38 special wadcutters. Starline brass, Berrys 148 DEWC’s over 3.8gr of HP-38 and separated my seating and crimping into two steps. Using my new Lee factory crimp die. I love it. Prettiest and most consistent ammo I’ve made for far!

 

[Horskinator]

Loading up my ammo for next months safari to South Africa. 338wm 210gr Barnes TTSX over 68.5gr IMR4350 Winchester cases and WLRM. She likes this load.

 

[barnfrog]

Decapped, tumbled and annealed 49 pieces of .243 Win brass. Would have been 50, but one round was marked as having a loose primer pocket so it went into the scrap brass bucket.

 

[IALoder]

Loaded 9mm on the six pack pro. I actually ran myself out of clean 9mm brass, and finished this pound of N320!

 

[Captain*kirk]

A while back a friend gave me some WW 44-40 cases, new in the bag.
Most of the necks were bent, nicked or very 'saw-toothed'.
Even though it was new, unused, I ended up dry tumbling, resizing (several times on some), trimming back to minimum length to get rid of the rough 'teeth' and ended up having to scrap several despite those efforts.
So tonight I went to prime them. What a joke. I had a couple hundred Remington 2-1/2 LP primers that I wanted to use up so decided to give them a try. After the first 3 I knew I was in trouble. I primed up around 6 or 7 cases and the primers were so proud the cases wobbled on a flat surface. Even doing my best Mr T imitation I couldn't get enough oomph to seat them flush. So I decapped those cases and chucked the primers (ouch!). I measure primer pockets at .168 and my Starline pockets were at .172. So I ran all these new cases through the primer pocket reamer. Remington primers still would not seat flush, but my WW LP primers did. Just barely...
I'm glad I paid nothing for these cases. Never had an issue with Remington LP primers before. I won't be using anything but Starline .44-40 brass from here on in.

 

[The Happy Kaboomer]

"Unloaded" 100 rds of 10mm through my S&W 610...........They are now in the tumbler for cleaning.

 

[armoredman]

Wow. Actual full-on customer service. That's a rarity in today's commerce. I'm glad you posted this. I have always liked RCBS. Now, I admire them.

But will that fine tradition stay now that they've been bought out by Hodgdon? At least, that's the rumor.
I loaded some more testers in 45 Colt for both the New Model Army conversion cylinder and the Taurus Judge. Yes, kept separate.

 

[Captain*kirk]

I guess the gist of my previous post is that;
1) the quality of the Winchester brass is not what I would have expected.
2) I do not think there is an issue with the Remington primers. I do think there are definite compatibility issues between the brands of components.
Just a heads-up for you guys that load .44-40

 

[COLTSFANATIC1]

Today I set up a press that I just got. I found a nice deal on a Used Hornady Lock N Load AP. It’s only a couple years old and looks like it wasn’t used a whole lot. The gentleman that I got it from said he bought it and just don’t have the time to use it.

Came with a few shel plates, three handles, a light, powder cop die,15 LNL Die bushings, a handful of 3D printed aftermarket parts, a bunch of new spare parts, and a case feeder.

Not bad for a handful of Benjamin’s.(few hundred dollars)

 

[armoredman]

Nice!

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

I guess the gist of my previous post is that;
1) the quality of the Winchester brass is not what I would have expected.
2) I do not think there is an issue with the Remington primers. I do think there are definite compatibility issues between the brands of components.
Just a heads-up for you guys that load .44-40

In this situation I might have tried a pocket uniforming tool rather than the pocket reamer. The word of caution here is that most LP pocket uniform tools will cut the pocket to LR depth. That’s not a bad thing or a good thing; it’s just something to keep in mind if you decide to use one. Second thing is, while I am sympathetic to your plight Winchester’s blue-bag new brass offerings have been on the skids for quite some time. This isn’t really all that surprising, unfortunately.

However, in my experience, their factory Silver Box brass is as good as ever. If that’s on the skids too, then W-W is a dying label.

 

[Captain*kirk]

In this situation I might have tried a pocket uniforming tool rather than the pocket reamer. The word of caution here is that most LP pocket uniform tools will cut the pocket to LR depth. That’s not a bad thing or a good thing; it’s just something to keep in mind if you decide to use one. Second thing is, while I am sympathetic to your plight Winchester’s blue-bag new brass offerings have been on the skids for quite some time. This isn’t really all that surprising, unfortunately.

However, in my experience, their factory Silver Box brass is as good as ever. If that’s on the skids too, then W-W is a dying label.

My bad...it was the uniform tool head I used with my power case tool. Just to ensure the pockets were square.

As I mentioned, the brass was at no cost and was probably 10+ years old. I was just surprised at the fragility and poor QC on a name brand like Winchester.
Starline all the way from here on in.

 

[Captain*kirk]

Today I set up a press that I just got. I found a nice deal on a Used Hornady Lock N Load AP. It’s only a couple years old and looks like it wasn’t used a whole lot. The gentleman that I got it from said he bought it and just don’t have the time to use it.

Came with a few shel plates, three handles, a light, powder cop die,15 LNL Die bushings, a handful of 3D printed aftermarket parts, a bunch of new spare parts, and a case feeder.

Not bad for a handful of Benjamin’s.(few hundred dollars)

View attachment 1208171View attachment 1208172View attachment 1208173View attachment 1208174

View attachment 1208170

You scored. Big time. Congrats!

 

[3sport]

Today I set up a press that I just got. I found a nice deal on a Used Hornady Lock N Load AP. It’s only a couple years old and looks like it wasn’t used a whole lot. The gentleman that I got it from said he bought it and just don’t have the time to use it.

Came with a few shel plates, three handles, a light, powder cop die,15 LNL Die bushings, a handful of 3D printed aftermarket parts, a bunch of new spare parts, and a case feeder.

Not bad for a handful of Benjamin’s.(few hundred dollars)

View attachment 1208174

NICE! Congrats indeed. That is a mega score. And I must say, I like your relaoding bench snacks. Sugar Coated Gummies and Sierra Atomic Torpedo IPA? That's a serious snack for a serious reloading session.

Enjoy that new press.

 

[Captain*kirk]

NICE! Congrats indeed. That is a mega score. And I must say, I like your relaoding bench snacks. Sugar Coated Gummies and Sierra Atomic Torpedo IPA? That's a serious snack for a serious reloading session.

Enjoy that new press.

So much for "no eating or drinking in the reloading room"!

 

[lightman]

In this situation I might have tried a pocket uniforming tool rather than the pocket reamer. The word of caution here is that most LP pocket uniform tools will cut the pocket to LR depth. That’s not a bad thing or a good thing; it’s just something to keep in mind if you decide to use one. Second thing is, while I am sympathetic to your plight Winchester’s blue-bag new brass offerings have been on the skids for quite some time. This isn’t really all that surprising, unfortunately.

However, in my experience, their factory Silver Box brass is as good as ever. If that’s on the skids too, then W-W is a dying label.

I agree, Winchester's new brass sucks. The factory ammo still seems like its ok.

My bad...it was the uniform tool head I used with my power case tool. Just to ensure the pockets were square.

As I mentioned, the brass was at no cost and was probably 10+ years old. I was just surprised at the fragility and poor QC on a name brand like Winchester.
Starline all the way from here on in.

10 years seems about right. I have bought and used a lot of new Winchester brass over the years. It seems like their QC started failing back during the Obama shortages.

NICE! Congrats indeed. That is a mega score. And I must say, I like your relaoding bench snacks. Sugar Coated Gummies and Sierra Atomic Torpedo IPA? That's a serious snack for a serious reloading session.

Enjoy that new press.

Hello Fellow HopHead! My default setting goes back to IPA!

 

[COLTSFANATIC1]

NICE! Congrats indeed. That is a mega score. And I must say, I like your relaoding bench snacks. Sugar Coated Gummies and Sierra Atomic Torpedo IPA? That's a serious snack for a serious reloading session.

Enjoy that new press.

WOW!!! that would make for hell of a reloading session, LOL. I needed the sugar to keep me going, I spent the whole day breaking the press down, cleaning, lubing, and setting it up. There sure are a lot of moving parts with this thing. The beer was my reward!!!

Hello Fellow HopHead! My default setting goes back to IPA!

Hello friend, IPA or bust!! Although they are not for everyone.

So much for "no eating or drinking in the reloading room"!

LOL, I will pretty much do everything case prep related and sometimes have a beer. however, when powder is involved no drinking prior or during, But once that last cartridge is loaded, time to relax!

 

[3sport]

WOW!!! that would make for hell of a reloading session, LOL. I needed the sugar to keep me going, I spent the whole day breaking the press down, cleaning, lubing, and setting it up. There sure are a lot of moving parts with this thing. The beer was my reward!!!


Hello friend, IPA or bust!! Although they are not for everyone.


LOL, I will pretty much do everything case prep related and sometimes have a beer. however, when powder is involved no drinking prior or during, But once that last cartridge is loaded, time to relax!

I hear you, and I was not poking fun at you. Rather, I was admiring the snacks. I love IPA and I love gummies, so they caught my attention. I figured the IPA was not for prime time reloading consumption. I limit my consumption of alcohol and sugar to very RARE occasions, but those two items are high on my list of favorites.

 

[3sport]

You know what, guys, I'm getting a bit tired of Amazon's nosedive on "Complete and In Tact" product delivery.

I finally remembered I needed a new LYMAN Case Prep Multi-Tool. I lost mine somewhere in moving my bench from the basement to the garage. I got it today.

Notice anything?



The pocket reamer and cleaner attachments are missing. The right side bubbles housed them, and you can see the black scuff from when they used to be in the package. The side of the package is popped open, so they are gone. I checked everything, everywhere. No gots. I ordered a replacement from Amazon, but it's a pain. Now I have to send this one back. And I really have little confidence that the new tool will have the accessories included. The packaging is not great from the factory. But I more suspect someone ordered it, needed the reamers and cleaners, took them, and sent the tool back.

 

[Captain*kirk]

I would highly recommend getting a powered case prep tool like the RCBS or equivalent. Saves lots of time but more importantly, saves your wrists. As usual, I didn't think I needed one...until I bought it. Also allows you to clean and true up primer pockets, de-burr flash holes and other case prep functions.
Just a heads-up...

 

[3sport]

I would highly recommend getting a powered case prep tool like the RCBS or equivalent. Saves lots of time but more importantly, saves your wrists. As usual, I didn't think I needed one...until I bought it. Also allows you to clean and true up primer pockets, de-burr flash holes and other case prep functions.
Just a heads-up...

That is not a bad idea. I have used my old RCBS crank model trimmer, and my Lyman pocket tool for a while so I got used to it being "OK", albeit slow going. I will still get the Lyuman replacement multitool for my "Range Bag Reloading Kit" I am assembling. But I need to look at your suggestion of a powered prep tool. I have thought about that before, but it may be time to actually act on the thought. Thanks.

 

[Captain*kirk]

That is not a bad idea. I have used my old RCBS crank model trimmer, and my Lyman pocket tool for a while so I got used to it being "OK", albeit slow going. I will still get the Lyuman replacement multitool for my "Range Bag Reloading Kit" I am assembling. But I need to look at your suggestion of a powered prep tool. I have thought about that before, but it may be time to actually act on the thought. Thanks.

I found after a few hundred cases that my wrist would ache for a day or two. Typical carpal tunnel 'warning sign'. The hundred bucks or so I spent on the power tool were well worth it IMHO

 

[3sport]

I found after a few hundred cases that my wrist would ache for a day or two. Typical carpal tunnel 'warning sign'. The hundred bucks or so I spent on the power tool were well worth it IMHO

That hits home for me. The older I get, the more things like carpel tunnel are popping up and reminding me that youth has faded. I think it is definitely time for a powered case prep tool. As long as I am bringing my bench up to 2024 standards (from 1994), I might as well do it right.

 

[Walkalong]

I found after a few hundred cases that my wrist would ache for a day or two. Typical carpal tunnel 'warning sign'. The hundred bucks or so I spent on the power tool were well worth it IMHO

I just upgraded to a powered trimmer myself, just getting rough on the hands. If I space it out it’s not bad, but if I have to get a bunch done in a hurry, it’s tough on my hands. I’m getting a small bone removed from my left wrist/thumb are end of the month. Probably hit it too hard too many times with a hammer when chiseling. Sigh.

It hurts to hold this phone left handed while I type with the right one. Have to change up after a bit