What clever little things have you "invented or discovered" that you can share?
- Thread starter James THR
- Start date
HEAVY METAL 1
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- Joined
- Jan 18, 2005
- Messages
- 417
This post jogged my memory about my press light.
It's more of a MacGyver/hack than something clever, I bought a cheap LED "sewing machine" light from Amazon for less than $10 shipped.
Here's a few:
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=sewing+machine+lights&ref=nb_sb_noss_1
For a base, I took an empty 1 lb. powder jug (steel cap for light mag base), put some weight into it, taped the cap shut and marked it up so I wouldn't confuse it with the powder I was using.
So with that base it's portable and not dedicated to one press and can be moved around to light up other things.
I have lights like that on my work bench, drill press, lathe, etc, as task lights rather than over bright overhead lighting.
Total cost less than $10 each.
sorry if I posted this here before,
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Those light mags will stick to a press, if it's steelI have a similar version of the above that works extremely well with my single stage press, but I never thought of using a canister lid for a mount!
(I believe mine are all plastic.
Here's something simple that took me too long to figure out.
A somewhat limited application, but if you art using a loading block, a single stage press with a case kicker, and you're seating boat tail*** bullets, you might like it / it might work out good for you.
When seating rifle bullets, I've always 1. Placed a charged case in the press and then 2. Picked up a bullet and tried to fish it into the case mouth. (Not always easy w/small bullets/big hands!)
My orientation: Right hand stays on the press lever and my left hand basically does everything else listed below
1. Lefty picks up a bullet / spins it around / positions it so that the boat tail is pointing downwards and I'm are holding it between your thumb and forefinger.
2. With the charged case still in the loading block, set the boat tail in the case mouth. (Don't let go of anything just yet!)
3. While still holding the bullet ~in place~, slide your thumb/forefinger downward so you can grab both the case neck and the bullet..
4. Place the case/bullet combo into the press. (I curl my fingers inward and use the backsides of my fingers to slide the case into the shell holder.
5. My right hand starts raising the ram and once I'm happy with how the bullet/case is being fed up into the die, it's time for 'lefty' to go pick up another bullet.
*** I have not tried flat bottom bullets yet, but boat tails are certainly easy enough.
A somewhat limited application, but if you art using a loading block, a single stage press with a case kicker, and you're seating boat tail*** bullets, you might like it / it might work out good for you.
When seating rifle bullets, I've always 1. Placed a charged case in the press and then 2. Picked up a bullet and tried to fish it into the case mouth. (Not always easy w/small bullets/big hands!)
My orientation: Right hand stays on the press lever and my left hand basically does everything else listed below
1. Lefty picks up a bullet / spins it around / positions it so that the boat tail is pointing downwards and I'm are holding it between your thumb and forefinger.
2. With the charged case still in the loading block, set the boat tail in the case mouth. (Don't let go of anything just yet!)
3. While still holding the bullet ~in place~, slide your thumb/forefinger downward so you can grab both the case neck and the bullet..
4. Place the case/bullet combo into the press. (I curl my fingers inward and use the backsides of my fingers to slide the case into the shell holder.
5. My right hand starts raising the ram and once I'm happy with how the bullet/case is being fed up into the die, it's time for 'lefty' to go pick up another bullet.
*** I have not tried flat bottom bullets yet, but boat tails are certainly easy enough.
Jesse Heywood
Member
[QUOTE="Skgreen, post: 11474424, member: 250497
*** I have not tried flat bottom bullets yet, but boat tails are certainly easy enough.[/QUOTE]
Flat base bullets in .22 caliber are frustrating.
*** I have not tried flat bottom bullets yet, but boat tails are certainly easy enough.[/QUOTE]
Flat base bullets in .22 caliber are frustrating.
PWC
Member
Old unused 30-06 sizer: screw the decap pin down, it is now a universal decap die on my Pacific single stage, for everything handgun I reload.
My variation of this is to stand up over the cases in a loading block that have been powder charged, with a hand full of bullets.
I visually check each case, individually, for powder amount and drop an upside down bullet into that case (UPSIDE DOWN), continuing this process to all cases in the block, a simple process that's difficult to screw up via distraction.
Then sitting back down I take a case out of the block and place it in the shell holder on the press.
It's at this point I turn the bullet over right side up and guide it into the seating die.
The upside down bullet cannot fall out during any block/case movement, the upside down bullet is a visual que that the powder amount has been checked all the way to the press for seating.
Nothing clever about that, just something I do that may be helpful to others...or not.
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Shootrj2003
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- Joined
- Aug 10, 2007
- Messages
- 42
Converted an older Lee 8 mm decapper die to an expander die to expand my 30/30 necks to an inside dimension of .311+ to accept .311 hunter supply cast bullets by replacing the 8mm expander/decapper pin with a reworked auto valve stem.
Needlenose357
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- Joined
- May 4, 2020
- Messages
- 4
Made up a linkage for the RCBS bench mount priming tool that connects the lever to the head where the tube drops in, makes it so you can always leave one hand on the lever and use the other to load and unload the cases.
mokin
Member
Although I haven't read every page of this thread I have picked up a few ideas. Here is one I "came up with". Maybe it's old news... Here it is....
120 rounds of 5.56 in stripper clips in a 12 gauge shell box.
You don't have to use clips... It makes things a lot easier though.
120 rounds of 5.56 in stripper clips in a 12 gauge shell box.
You don't have to use clips... It makes things a lot easier though.
PWC
Member
I likethis; I don't have a 223/5.56 but like the idea. Are stripper clips that available?
Toprudder
Member
entropy
Member
40 rounds on strippers fits perfect in an empty Hornady 250 bullet (55 gr. V-Max) box.
Jesse Heywood
Member
SKS strippers work for strip loaders for .38/.357 ammo.
JKP
Member
This is not my idea, I saw it on another forum. A plastic tray from 45ACP works great for sorting 9mm brass. After tumbling set the tray in a box. Scoop up brass with both hands and drop on the tray. Most will go in head down. After a few scoops the tray will be full. You can look for splits and 380 cases. Set a paper plate on top and you can flip it over. 380s are real eazy to see then. You can separate the brass by headstamp if you want. I leave my 50 count as is and spray lightly with one shot. Even with a carbide sizing dye my old elbow likes sizing much better. I repeat the process, stacking the paper plates until brass is counted and lubed. One shot dries fast and doesn't need cleaned from the brass after sizing.
Ironicaintit
Member
This thread reminds me of the old “Brownells Gunsmith Kinks “ books.
lots of good stuff here.
I still use STP/30w in a 50/50 mix for tough resizing operations. Wipe them off, and don’t mind the light film left behind (depends on which side of the Hatcher debate you’re on)
I tried normal tricklers, and they bugged me.
I just use one of those translucent pill bottles.
Wipe it with a dryer sheet, drop a couple of charges in it, and trickle away, using finger taps. With a little practice it goes really fast.
lots of good stuff here.
I still use STP/30w in a 50/50 mix for tough resizing operations. Wipe them off, and don’t mind the light film left behind (depends on which side of the Hatcher debate you’re on)
I tried normal tricklers, and they bugged me.
I just use one of those translucent pill bottles.
Wipe it with a dryer sheet, drop a couple of charges in it, and trickle away, using finger taps. With a little practice it goes really fast.
sparkyv
Member
I have this, it works great on my turret.
Ritchie
Member
A cleaning rod protector made from metal tubing and nylon strap. Mine happened to be square
aluminum.
num.
aluminum.
num.
Ghost In The Fog
Member
This!
I use 9MM plastic 100 round MTM type boxes. After tumbling I put the plastic box in my tub and dump the clean, dry, de-primed cases on to the empty box. Just a couple of shakes back and forth and about 95 land head stamp down. I then inspect case mouths and look for any media or debris and find 380 cases. I then take another empty case and put it on top and flip them over. This then puts the head stamp up to further inspect.
I then close the box and onto the shelf it goes to be loaded.
When it is time to load I open the box and then place a post card over the top and flip it over, place it on the bench. slide the post card away and lift the box away and I have 100 cases head stamp down. I spray lightly with One Shot. (yes- I know, carbide dies) I do this because with my big fingers it is easy to pull one away and easily place it in to station 1.
I generally have 3,000 cases prepped in the plastic boxes and ready to go at any one time.
As @JKP states in his post.45 or even .40 boxes work better because there is more room for the cleaned cases to fall in to a bigger space. I just started with 9MM cases and it would be hard to transfer and flip the cases from a .45 size box to a 9MM box. This is a quick, easy way to sort, inspect and store clean brass for me.
