What have you done in the reloading room today
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Bearded Phil
Member
Charging and seating 40ea 38-55 Win. later tonight.
Going to run this ladder of N120 at 21.4, 21.7, 22.0 & 22.3gr under my 275gr cast sized .381" again and see if there's a clearer winner, but I'm leaning toward 21.4gr.
Going to run this ladder of N120 at 21.4, 21.7, 22.0 & 22.3gr under my 275gr cast sized .381" again and see if there's a clearer winner, but I'm leaning toward 21.4gr.
Reloading room has been slow the last week or two. I’ve got several ladders ready to run. And Saturday was supposed to be range day. But I’ve now got a funeral (a great aunt) to attend on Saturday. My kiddo is gone with mom the next couple weeks. So… I spent the last couple nights being a kid with her and putting together a big foam alphabet puzzle on the reloading room floor. I did find some info to try a ladder of N140 with my 110 vmax bullets if i don’t find something satisfactory in benchmark. That’s on the agenda for today. I hope to still do a little shooting Saturday. But not the hours long session I was planning.
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1976B.L.Johns.
Member
Primed and flared the case mouths of another 200 10mm brass.
Loaded up the rest of the LC .223 brass I had prepped with my TAC/75bthp load on the six pack pro. Figured out that the bullet feeder works at the same setting with my 62gr fmj's, so I only need to change the seating depth to run my AR Plus/62fmj load, which makes it pretty easy!
Bearded Phil
Member
Last night charging and seating those 38-55 turned into a 45-70 session as well.
I already had 40ea 45-70 cases sized, trimmed and expanded. Just had to prime them quickly and I could charge and seat them as well.
So, seeing as how I already had the V4 filled with N120 and 40 cases only takes about 20 minutes I loaded those up too. Something about seating 45-70 feels really good, my NOE expander plug makes a perfect channel for the bullet to sit straight and then the seating stroke is smooth as butter. With my 357 mag and 38-55 there's more room for lateral movement with the bullets it feels like, but not the 45-70. Maybe I need to evaluate how much I'm expanding with the other cases.
Anyway, that was my last set of 45-70 homecast bullets that were coated and sized ready to load. I have that 34ish lbs of casts ready for coating and will get them into the mix soon. The rain here has put a damper on my coating routine this week, and I still have around 112lbs of bullets left to coat!
Busy, busy, busy...
I already had 40ea 45-70 cases sized, trimmed and expanded. Just had to prime them quickly and I could charge and seat them as well.
So, seeing as how I already had the V4 filled with N120 and 40 cases only takes about 20 minutes I loaded those up too. Something about seating 45-70 feels really good, my NOE expander plug makes a perfect channel for the bullet to sit straight and then the seating stroke is smooth as butter. With my 357 mag and 38-55 there's more room for lateral movement with the bullets it feels like, but not the 45-70. Maybe I need to evaluate how much I'm expanding with the other cases.
Anyway, that was my last set of 45-70 homecast bullets that were coated and sized ready to load. I have that 34ish lbs of casts ready for coating and will get them into the mix soon. The rain here has put a damper on my coating routine this week, and I still have around 112lbs of bullets left to coat!
Busy, busy, busy...
AJC1
Member
Another day another pile.... I still don't have a full regular supply yet alone reserves
westernrover
Member
- Joined
- May 4, 2018
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- 1,613
I finished loading two-shot ladders for four powders in LC 556 brass. I've got my targets ready, and the scope mounted. I'm hoping to get data tomorrow.
geo57
Member
bigpower491
Member
Super glued my RCBS hopper back together. It had been cracked since I took it out of the box never got around (then never remembered) to calling RCBS back when I got that Pro2k. Chalk one up for idiots are me. Ordered a nice glass one from Dramworx, so at least it'll be halfway exciting when i break this one and cut myself up.
We'll try the repair once shift is done tonight. Started the tumbler thus morning with the empty 40s and 357s from these last weeks shooting, then walked around the range with the chainsaw while waiting for the "tumble cycle" to finish. I'm feeling that tonight. But I'm looking forward to another pistol lane out there.
Hopefully a little load and shoot in the morning....c'mon Gorilla Glue
We'll try the repair once shift is done tonight. Started the tumbler thus morning with the empty 40s and 357s from these last weeks shooting, then walked around the range with the chainsaw while waiting for the "tumble cycle" to finish. I'm feeling that tonight. But I'm looking forward to another pistol lane out there.
Hopefully a little load and shoot in the morning....c'mon Gorilla Glue
1976B.L.Johns.
Member
Not much.......
Had intended to load more 10mm this morning but decided to go check out the "Strange Range".
With our un-seasonably warm temperatures, the melting snow revealed a lot of brass.
Picked that up, ran outa time so could not fire my 2020 Python......plus crappy weather.
Got home and sorted the range fodder.
Hopefully back to the "bench" tomorrow.
(Like I said yesterday.)
Had intended to load more 10mm this morning but decided to go check out the "Strange Range".
With our un-seasonably warm temperatures, the melting snow revealed a lot of brass.
Picked that up, ran outa time so could not fire my 2020 Python......plus crappy weather.
Got home and sorted the range fodder.
Hopefully back to the "bench" tomorrow.
(Like I said yesterday.)
I used the last of my first bottle of W231. Seems like two thimbles of powder made 130 rounds of 38 Special with a Berrys DEWC. No joke, I must have gotten 1500 rounds of various calibers from that pound. 9mm, 38 Special, 357 Magnum, and 30-30 all from this one little jar.
Charlie98
Member
lightman
Member
Handloading is fun... Handloading .45-70 is more funner...
Yes it is! Casting those 405 grain bullets and sometimes even 500 grains makes me happy that I use a 20# pot. And that I laid in a pretty good stock of wheelweights back when they were plentiful.
AJC1
Member
Free wheel weights are wonderful, because one doesn't need a lot of superhard to get the mix hard enough for 357. I ran out last night and the 15 bars of replacement was not nice to my shooting reserve money.
Bearded Phil
Member
Not the reloading room but casting related (while we're on the subject), today is the every other Friday that I swing by the tire shop on my way home from work to pick up wheel weights.
It's not to the exact day but it was right around mid February last year that I started collecting from that shop, our anniversary you could say. So i got an 18 pack of gatorades for the guys in the bays and I'm going to grab a cake of some kind from the grocery store before I get there. Just a little something extra for the dudes who are helping me build my COWW stash (even though the owner told them to
).
I'll have to do a final weigh after sorting through that bucket, but I should hit 260+lbs of COWW and then an unknown amount of stick-on weights. I haven't weighed that bucket lately as I don't get too many, it's maybe 40-50lbs worth.
It's not to the exact day but it was right around mid February last year that I started collecting from that shop, our anniversary you could say. So i got an 18 pack of gatorades for the guys in the bays and I'm going to grab a cake of some kind from the grocery store before I get there. Just a little something extra for the dudes who are helping me build my COWW stash (even though the owner told them to
).I'll have to do a final weigh after sorting through that bucket, but I should hit 260+lbs of COWW and then an unknown amount of stick-on weights. I haven't weighed that bucket lately as I don't get too many, it's maybe 40-50lbs worth.
Bearded Phil
Member
Things I did do in the reloading room last night:
I got around to cleaning my 357 mag from silhouette last Sunday (shot a 16, new high score for me!).
After that I got my .014" flashing roll out and cut about 35 1" strips for punching .30 cal gas checks. I need somewhere around 1k of them for all the 30-30 casts waiting to be coated. I punched out 6 strips and bundled the remaining in groups of 10. I figure if I do 10 a night it will get done in a week and won't feel like a huge chore.
After that I acetone bathed and shook the first coating on the remaining 6lbs of my NOE 360-182-WFN-U2 PB solids and did up two 3lb trays of the 360-158-WFN-T4 PB HPs. Let them sit overnight since the humidity is up here, going to bake them later tonight and put the 2nd coat on. Looks like rain Saturday so they probably won't get baked for the 2nd time until Sunday.
I got around to cleaning my 357 mag from silhouette last Sunday (shot a 16, new high score for me!).
After that I got my .014" flashing roll out and cut about 35 1" strips for punching .30 cal gas checks. I need somewhere around 1k of them for all the 30-30 casts waiting to be coated. I punched out 6 strips and bundled the remaining in groups of 10. I figure if I do 10 a night it will get done in a week and won't feel like a huge chore.
After that I acetone bathed and shook the first coating on the remaining 6lbs of my NOE 360-182-WFN-U2 PB solids and did up two 3lb trays of the 360-158-WFN-T4 PB HPs. Let them sit overnight since the humidity is up here, going to bake them later tonight and put the 2nd coat on. Looks like rain Saturday so they probably won't get baked for the 2nd time until Sunday.
Handloading is fun... Handloading .45-70 is more funner...
I forgot who said it(maybe you?), pretty sure I was in this thread a while back when I was loading some 45-70, and they hit the nail on the head for me.... "There's just something about dumping a bunch of powder into that coffee can of a case!"
Whoever posted the other thread was right. You are all a bunch of enablers. It would be so much fun to load 45-70, even if I never went above the old trapdoor loads. If it didn't eat powder and lead like a fat kid at a candy store, I'd have one.
AJC1
Member
It's definitely a hungry for resources chambering. Part of the reason I started mining the burm at the range....
Hooda Thunkit
Member
Anybody who's been following this thread knows I shoot 7.62x54r at the local military bolt gun match.
I used a 'different' Sako Finn M39 for the last match along with dedicated, prepped, never-fired-in-this-rifle brass. Add a different cast bullet with a different load, and what do we get?
Problems.
I shot horribly. Since I cannot blame a series of mini-strokes, or a grasshopper repeatedly flying into my eye, it must be the rifle. Or the bullet. Or the load. Or the brass.
In the reloading room, I cleaned the chamber of the Sako - I think there was something in there. Then cleaned and annealed the brass dedicated to this rifle. It's not been annealed since case prep, maybe that had something to do with my poor showing. Then resorted all the brass by weight.
I need to cast (and size and check and lube and weight sort) some of my regular projectiles also.
And be ready in 3 weeks.
The things we do for fun. I swear if it was a job I'd quit.
I used a 'different' Sako Finn M39 for the last match along with dedicated, prepped, never-fired-in-this-rifle brass. Add a different cast bullet with a different load, and what do we get?
Problems.
I shot horribly. Since I cannot blame a series of mini-strokes, or a grasshopper repeatedly flying into my eye, it must be the rifle. Or the bullet. Or the load. Or the brass.
In the reloading room, I cleaned the chamber of the Sako - I think there was something in there. Then cleaned and annealed the brass dedicated to this rifle. It's not been annealed since case prep, maybe that had something to do with my poor showing. Then resorted all the brass by weight.
I need to cast (and size and check and lube and weight sort) some of my regular projectiles also.
And be ready in 3 weeks.
The things we do for fun. I swear if it was a job I'd quit.
GeoDudeFlorida
Member
- Joined
- Dec 1, 2020
- Messages
- 11,086
1976B.L.Johns.
Member
Wow, you are busy!
Got back to the spare bedroom, I mean the reloading room this morning.
Made up another 150 rounds of 10mm.
I like to use two blocks to keep better organization.
Right block...
Finished loads on top,
middle row with un-seated bullets over powder,
bottom row with powder charges.
I charge 20 or 30 at a time before seating bullets.
Everyone has a system, I thought I would share mine.
Have a good day!
dredd
Member
What you really need is a .577Snider.
That’s not a coffee can it’s an oil drum!
I will NOT look this up!
I will NOT look this up!
I will NOT look this up!
Charlie98
Member
Yea, that's me. It really is a satisfying round to load for. There is also something to dumping a big charge of powder into a big case... .45-70, and even something like .30-06.
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