My First Reloads

[YellowcatDaddy]

Got brave enough to actually put primer and powder together in one space enclosed by a projectile. I starting with .38/.357. I have a Model 19-4 S&W 6” barrel, Model 36 S&W 1.75” and a Model S&W 686 no dash 6” barrel. Probably use the 686 for testing as it’s the sturdiest.

.38 Special, Hornady nickel plated cases. CCI SPP, 125gr Hunters Supply LFP over 3.2 gr. Of Titegroup.

.38 Special, Hornady buckle plated, CCI SPP, Hunters Supply 125gr, over 5.2 gr of CFE Pistol

.357 Mag. Mixed brass, CCI SPP, 158 gr. Berrys Plated FP, over 4.5 gr. Titegroup

.357 Mag. Mixed brass, CCI SPP, 125 gr. Hornady XTP over 6,9 Gr CFE Pistol

.357 Mag. Mixed brass, CCI SPP, 158 Hi-Tek coated RN over 5.4 gr. CFE Pistol.

So far I’ve loaded 15-20 of each. COAL ON .38 Special is 1.445. COAL on the .357’s is 1.59.

used an RCBS Automatic Priming Tool. Lee Deluxe four die set and a Redding T7 press. I put a light crimp on everything.

mean the powders through an RCBS Chargemaster Lite and checked each charge on a Frankfort Arsenal digital scales.

gotta RCBS Pow’r Puller. I deprived everything using a universal de-prime die. Then tumbled and dried, primed and powdered each case by hand. Very gently placed the first projectile over the first primed and powdered case and the damn thing fell plumb to the bottom of the case. WTH. I was shocked. Took me a while of retracing my steps to remember that by using the universal de-prime die, I skipped the re-sizing. Now what to do? I have all these primed cases that need to be sized. That required a lot of thinking. So I dumped the powder back into the Chargemaster, took the de-primer pin out of the de-primer/sizing die and ever so gently ran it through a stroke on the T7. I was worried at first until I remembered that the primer was set in a pocket and the sizer was only squeezing the case and not going down inside to the primer.

Its been an adventure.

 

[YellowcatDaddy]

Hand notes on the ones I’ve loaded.

 

[YellowcatDaddy]

 

[YellowcatDaddy]

Here’s a list of bullets and powders I have to make other combinations.

 

[Bazoo]

Awesome. I didn't check your loads with a manual, just from memory those titegroup loads sounds pleasant. It was my first powder, in 38s no less.

Congratulations on figuring out what to do about not sizing the cases. Not everyone has the sense to handle that situation. And many a reloader has done similar.

 

[YellowcatDaddy]

Awesome. I didn't check your loads with a manual, just from memory those titegroup loads sounds pleasant. It was my first powder, in 38s no less.

Congratulations on figuring out what to do about not sizing the cases. Not everyone has the sense to handle that situation. And many a reloader has done similar.

My buddy Asa died last year snd left me his reloading gear. He was a rifle guy and I shoot handguns, so I had to put together the bullets and powder. Not a lot of choices available. But when I run into issues like the re-sizing, I just think “what would Ada do?” Usually the answer comes to me in about 29-30 minutes. Sometimes I have a shot of Makers Mark to help the thought process. Makers Mark was Asa’s bourbon of choice. I wouldn’t touch the stuff except i figure it shows respect for Asa.

 

[Hugger-4641]

Congratulations on your first success. When you pull the trigger on those first loads, your confidence jumps up a bit, but stay fearful and diligent with your loading procedures and you'll be fine.
I also deprime separately sometimes and have done the exact same thing you did. Probably because I'm squeezing my loading activity into brief hours of evenings when my wife is at work. So I might tumble a hundred cases one evening, sort, resize, and prime the next. Now I use a lot of ziplock bags and label everything with masking tape and sharpie. If I take brass out of the tumbler, it gets labeled "tumbled". If I prime some cases that aren't resized, they get labeled as such. Every step that's been completed is on the label. That way I don't have to try to remember what's been done to those cases when I get back to them a week later.

Rifle cases usually get de-prime and resized with the sizing die since I'm usually only doing 20 to 40 at a time on my singles stage Press.

Pistol cases are usually done on my 4 hole turret press using my Lee Autodrum, so I usually de-prime, clean, and prime separately, then I resize, flare/charge, seat and crimp on the turret.
Nice revolvers BTW, just make sure you don't indulge that Maker's Mark while loading for them or shooting

 

[YellowcatDaddy]

No problem with the Makers Mark. It was a joke—I don’t drink. Great advice on the baggies and masking tape.

Thanks

 

[LiveLife]

Got brave enough to actually put primer and powder together in one space enclosed by a projectile. I starting with .38/.357 ... Its been an adventure.

Makers Mark was Asa’s bourbon of choice. I wouldn’t touch the stuff except i figure it shows respect for Asa.

For Asa!

I also don't touch the stuff (Mostly for kids to lure them back home for dinner/BBQ and drinks at our "premium bar") but just opened the Crown Royal and will have a "sip" in Asa's honor with the kids tomorrow night.

 

[FROGO207]

Well I make a super duper BBQ sauce with Makers Mark as the star ingredient LOL. Just slather it on meat of choice and the neighbors arrive from all over for a bite.
Do check back with that first range report. Betcha it feels awesome. I see a couple long guns in your future as well.

 

[YellowcatDaddy]

For Asa!

I also don't touch the stuff (Mostly for kids to lure them back home for dinner/BBQ and drinks at our "premium bar") but just opened the Crown Royal and will have a "sip" in Asa's honor with the kids tomorrow night.

Thank you my friend. I’m hoping he is having a sip in heaven. He was a damn fine fellow.

 

[LiveLife]

Thank you my friend. I’m hoping he is having a sip in heaven. He was a damn fine fellow.

We will definitely toast to your friend Asa.

And welcome to THR.

 

[YellowcatDaddy]

Well I make a super duper BBQ sauce with Makers Mark as the star ingredient LOL. Just slather it on meat of choice and the neighbors arrive from all over for a bite.
Do check back with that first range report. Betcha it feels awesome. I see a couple long guns in your future as well.

Yep, it’s been so much fun getting into this reloading. I have learned enough to know that loading for handguns is a lot simpler than loading for rifles. Asa’s son got the rifles. But he didn’t want to reload. He’s a doctor with a young family and doesn’t have much time. Maybe when I get ready to cash ‘em in, the son will be in a place in life where he has time for a new hobby. In the mean time I might look for a rifle to reload. I have an AR, SKS and a couple of .22s but if I got into rifle reloading, it would have to be a bolt gun.
For me, that’s the fun in guns—endless possibilities.

 

[Seymour380]

We will definitely toast to your friend Asa.

And welcome to THR.

Welcome to THR, we need more Asa's in our world.

 

[YellowcatDaddy]

Welcome to THR, we need more Asa's in our world.

Amen brother. Amen.

 

[Hugger-4641]

might look for a rifle to reload. I have an AR, SKS and a couple of .22s but if I got into rifle reloading, it would have to be a bolt gun.

Well, since you already have an Ar, assuming it's. 223, it might make sense to get a bolt gun to go with it, but .223 is not the easiest rifle cartridge to reload.
Let us know what route you end up going

 

[Mark_Mark]

What’s ASA?

 

[Walkalong]

Nice pistols.

On another note, you need a real method of saving all your reloading data besides notes on scrap paper. I made my own in Excel after I ran out of space in my first "reloading log" book.

Folks here do it lots of ways, but we also see things like "I lost my notes and can't replicate this load that just shot great.

 

[Hugger-4641]

I have a fear of losing data to unforseen magnetic events. So I don't use a spreadsheet for final load record. I use a hard cover journal which never leaves my reloading desk. But in the field I use a spiral note pad or spreadsheet on my laptop for data records and load development.

 

[Walkalong]

I have a fear of losing data to unforseen magnetic events. So I don't use a spreadsheet for final load record. I use a hard cover journal

An IT guy told me many years ago that if you don't have it saved in three places, you don't own it. I save my reloading log every time I make even the smallest change. I save it on the hard drive of my desktop that is not connected to the internet, on three external drives hooked to it, on three flash drives, and periodically I save it on an external drive that sits in my gun safe. I also save it on my computer at work pretty regularly.

 

[Hugger-4641]

An IT guy told me many years ago that if you don't have it saved in three places, you don't own it. I save my reloading log every time I make even the smallest change. I save it on the hard drive of my desktop that is not connected to the internet, on three external drives hooked to it, on three flash drives, and periodically I save it on an external drive that sits in my gun safe. I also save it on my computer at work pretty regularly.

This is true, but one big magnetic event (EMP, sun storm, etc.) or years of storage in a strong magnetic area could wipe out all three. The only way to truly have a permanent record is to have it in writting in a fire safe.

 

[YellowcatDaddy]

What’s ASA?

Asa is my buddy’s name. It’s a biblical name. Not used much these days but his parents were religious folks.

 

[YellowcatDaddy]

Nice pistols.

On another note, you need a real method of saving all your reloading data besides notes on scrap paper. I made my own in Excel after I ran out of space in my first "reloading log" book.

Folks here do it lots of ways, but we also see things like "I lost my notes and can't replicate this load that just shot great.

Yep. I agree. I have one of those log books. I haven’t started filling it out with my first five loads. How’ya like my penmanship?

 

[YellowcatDaddy]

An IT guy told me many years ago that if you don't have it saved in three places, you don't own it. I save my reloading log every time I make even the smallest change. I save it on the hard drive of my desktop that is not connected to the internet, on three external drives hooked to it, on three flash drives, and periodically I save it on an external drive that sits in my gun safe. I also save it on my computer at work pretty regularly.

I appreciate your advice. The only computer I have is this I Phone. Do even though it’s good advice, I don’t know if I’m capable of all those drives and such. I better get more notebooks.

 

[Bazoo]

I use a 3 ring binder. I generally shoot cast bullets. But regardless I do this, name of cartridge in a section, name of bullet at header. Then notes on what loads I try and remarks. Any boxes of ammo, test loads or otherwise gets a label with info. Ammo that gets bagged gets an index card with big letters in sharpie as to caliber, and small letters in ink as to load details.

Rifle ammo I separate in batches and record each loading. I keep a sheet on each batch of brass.

I keep a page for each gun, an which loads it likes, if it leads or whatever.

I also keep a page for data I look up for bullwts or powders I'm interested in. Example, I did a lot of research on loads for the RCBS 45-201-SWC and recorded data and info. I then cross referenced with my manual to help me develope a load. If I run across info like top punch needed, or similar bullets such as the H&G68, I record that too.