conan32120
Member
personally .380 is giving me fits, run them thru the sizing die then a touch of expander and some bullets crush the case others fall right in with no tension at all. any one else feel like proclaiming their pita cartridge?
whats the hardest round you've loaded?
- Thread starter conan32120
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Jim Watson
Member
I haven't had much trouble with .380.
There was a learning curve on .44-40; have to be careful not to smash the thin mouth on a die entry and crimping for tube magazines is critical.
BPCR loading is tedious.
There was a learning curve on .44-40; have to be careful not to smash the thin mouth on a die entry and crimping for tube magazines is critical.
BPCR loading is tedious.
gwpercle
Member
9mm Luger
After casting and reloading for many straight walled handgun cartridges for over 40 years ...
my Dad gives me my first 9mm Luger , a WWII era Walther P-38 and of course I'm going to reload for it ... that's what I do !
That stinking Teutonic Tapered Cased Cartridge , when used with cast bullets , gave me no end of trouble ... I actually said curse words at it and walked away 3 times .
A site called Castboolits helped me get my act together and figure out the details ...
Which I did and even had a special custom mould made for proper cast 9mm bullets .
I still say the 9mm Luger , especially with cast bullets , is a LIL STINKER !
Gary
After casting and reloading for many straight walled handgun cartridges for over 40 years ...
my Dad gives me my first 9mm Luger , a WWII era Walther P-38 and of course I'm going to reload for it ... that's what I do !
That stinking Teutonic Tapered Cased Cartridge , when used with cast bullets , gave me no end of trouble ... I actually said curse words at it and walked away 3 times .
A site called Castboolits helped me get my act together and figure out the details ...
Which I did and even had a special custom mould made for proper cast 9mm bullets .
I still say the 9mm Luger , especially with cast bullets , is a LIL STINKER !
Gary
lightman
Member
380 can be difficult, 9MM with cast bullets and 22 Hornet because of the thin case. I don't load 25's or 32's or they would probably make the list.
noelf2
Member
7.62x38r. Got it down pretty good now though.
thump_rrr
Member
What are you having issues with?
.38 Special
Member
- Joined
- Sep 15, 2006
- Messages
- 7,371
.44-40 can be a bit tricky. Thin walls; easy to crush. The .416 Rigby needs a pretty solid crimp but likewise can be a bit flimsy. I've made quite a few that wouldn't quite chamber because the shoulder got pushed out.
The overall champion, for my money, is the .38 Colt - long or short - with heeled bullets.
The overall champion, for my money, is the .38 Colt - long or short - with heeled bullets.
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I loaded it successfully, it's just a PIA.
308 gave me the most trouble. Sounds crazy I know. First try the decapping pin/expander got stuck. Then I had some over pressure issues with certain bullets, and had bent rims from not dialing down the gas but only for that powder/bullet combo.
so it’s reloadable? I have avoided it because I thought it wasn’t. It was only for pistols that I’d considered it. I hear the P90 is more of a PITA.
GeoDudeFlorida
Member
- Joined
- Dec 1, 2020
- Messages
- 11,115
.22RemJet. Small bullets, delicate necks, clumsy fingers, you name it. It's just a pain in the butt.
thump_rrr
Member
I load it for both the Five-seveN pistol and PS90.
No difference between the 2.
I don't wash the cases. I just run a neck brush in and out a couple of times and clean the primer pockets.
I then wipe them down with a microfiber towel to remove the case lube.
Here is a factory FN SS197SR with the blue tip next to my 40gr V-Max reload.
You can see how much the shoulder is pushed forward.
I use a 26 cal bushing as a headspace gauge.
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38 special for bullseye is rough. A key to bullseye accuracy is to make sure the bullet isn't swaged as it is seated. My expander plug expands the full length of the bullet, and this gets stuck!
I separated a case head last night. After fixing that, I polished the crap out of the plug with the fine paper I use to sharpen my chisels (went to 60000 grit, kinda overkill).
Then loaded about 250 with a Zero HBWC seated flush over 2.7gr of BE. That took forever since I used a cotton swab to make sure One Shot got on the inside of each case. Kind of kills the advantage of a progressive press.
I separated a case head last night. After fixing that, I polished the crap out of the plug with the fine paper I use to sharpen my chisels (went to 60000 grit, kinda overkill).
Then loaded about 250 with a Zero HBWC seated flush over 2.7gr of BE. That took forever since I used a cotton swab to make sure One Shot got on the inside of each case. Kind of kills the advantage of a progressive press.
Yowza, that’s a lot more trouble than when I load HBWC. Am I missing something? What kind of accuracy are you getting?
An old Sinclair tool intended for base to ogive measurements, but it can work for shoulders as well.
My 158gr Round Nose group about 3in at 50y. I'm told that's doing pretty good for those bullets.
These are the first HBWC I've loaded, but I'm told they naturally shoot better, so I guess I'm looking for under 3in at 50y. Best I've ever seen was a smidge under 2 in at 50y.
These are the first HBWC I've loaded, but I'm told they naturally shoot better, so I guess I'm looking for under 3in at 50y. Best I've ever seen was a smidge under 2 in at 50y.
dredd
Member
I'll jump in with the 44-40 crowd.
You really do have to slow down your cadence when playing with the brass.
You kinda have to baby the ram and brass on each stroke when sizing.
If they don't line right up, they crunch if you are off by just a hair.
I'll also add that I enjoy loading and shooting this cartridge.
You really do have to slow down your cadence when playing with the brass.
You kinda have to baby the ram and brass on each stroke when sizing.
If they don't line right up, they crunch if you are off by just a hair.
I'll also add that I enjoy loading and shooting this cartridge.
That’s about an inch better than I’m getting at 50 yards using HBWC. Lemme write down everything you did.
17 Remington small bullets thin necks small hole to get powder in
AGREE!!!
49willys
Member
17 remington for me too,tiny ass bullets
