Reloading (Vanity)

Andonius_99

[rickomatic]

are wheel weights the base source for hand castings ???

Wheel weights are the most common scrap lead used in casting bullets, as I'm learning. It's a pretty good mid range alloy as far as hardness goes. If you're going to cast bullets for high powered handguns or rifles a harder alloy is required in order to prevent barrel leading. Linotype lead is a harder alloy than wheel weights. Tin is what you add to "up" your hardness level. I'm learning that there is really an interesting science to it all. That's part of what I like about reloading in general. There is so much interesting stuff to learn.

[Towed_Jumper]

“RCBS Rock Chucker and Dillion are my ainstays........good products.”

I agree. I also have the advantage of being within a short driving distance of the Dillion facility in Scottsdale. RCBS products are also exceptionally well made. I still use the RCBS press I bought over 20-years ago.

[going hot]

Some observations regarding reloading.

It is an excellent gateway to complete understanding of the different ways a bullet can be affected regards it's accuracy.

Be sure, damn sure, you have a strong light to see down the charged cases prior to seating the bullet. A double charge usually will not allow the bullet to be seated. An empty case will. When you pull the trigger and all you hear is a small pop, do not, repeat, do not, rack another round without making sure the barral is not obstructed, (personal experience).

Most important, use the reloads for everything but self defense. For self defense work, use only factory ammunition. Especially if outside the home. Not for the dependability, but for the legal ramifications.

The best feeling is when you produce rounds that are within 10-15 fps of each other, and actually group tight.

[Squantos]

I shoot IDPA weekly thus the dillion, the RCBS is my primary hunting / target reloader and I use a buffalo press for bigger stuff.

RCBS rock chucker is a mainstay that will survive all others for simplicity IMO.

Stay Safe !!

[Inyo-Mono]

My 43 spanish keyholes wickedly, but I haven't tried paper-patching that yet. Were the original rounds for that paper-patched?

I don't think they were, just the earlier rounds like 45-70 and such.

[punster]

1. Reloading Manuals - Get one from several different sources to check consistency of the loading data.

2. Get reloading scale - This is a must for checking powder charges and bullet weights.

3. Get a good reloading press - RCBS and Hornaday make good presses.

4. Get reloading dies for the calibers you will be reloading.

5. Get shellholders of the exact same brand as the you are using to reload your cartridges. Why? Personal experience has demonstrated mixing brands can lead to errors in headspacing.

6. Get a cartridge head space gauge, to be sure you are not sizing your cases too short or too long. If they are too long you will not be able to close the action. If the cases are too short, you will have excessive headspace, a potentially dangerous condition.

7. After choosing a specific bullet and primer you would like to use, study the manual for determining the load with the highest accuracy potential, not the highest velocity. Choose the powder that will give the best accuracy.

8. Begin with the starting load and work up, until you have achieved the best accuracy. Do not exceed the listed maximum powder charge.

[Gilbo_3]

Thanks to both for good info ...

[TexanToTheCore]

“After choosing a specific bullet and primer you would like to use, study the manual for determining the load with the highest accuracy potential, not the highest velocity. Choose the powder that will give the best accuracy.”

Powder and load and accuracy are an interesting subject. Barrel whip, the up and down movement of the barrel as the bullet moves down the barrel length appears to be the determining factor. The whip appears to be generated by the torque of the bullet as it spins up to 200,000 RPM. The whip will change, BTW, with the heat of the barrel so you may find that a load that shoots well in a cold barrel has to be changed when the barrel hits about 140 degrees. My .45-70 “goes live” after 14 rounds (roughly 140 degrees) and will then pound carpet tacks at 100 yards with steel sights.

The load that you are looking for is one that allows the bullet to exit the barrel at the exact same point in the barrel whip for each shot. As you test with different loads you may find two or three different loads in the series that do this consistently and those are your “sweet spots”. You can get further accuracy by doing small variations in powder load or bullet seating depth.

BTW, spending a nice spring afternoon at the range testing loads is a real treat. One of my favorite pastimes.

Hodgdon, the major manufacturer of powders, has most of their load data online and it is extesive.

[TexanToTheCore]

Betcha can’t relaod just one!

[TexanToTheCore]

bttt

[TexanToTheCore]

I’ll add notes from time to time as I think of them.

Cleaning cases in a tumbler is not strictly necessary as it does not seem to affect the accuracy of the load. I shoot dark (dirty) brass and it works extremely well. If you do tumble your brass make sure that you change the media, such as corncobs or walnut shells, every so often as the lead oxide in primers can build up in the media. This is a minor problem.

Also make sure that you look at each cartridge case after tumbling to make sure that there is no media left in it as this can increase pressures to high levels.

[Blue Collar Christian]

“I reload a lot and I find it enjoyable and satisfying as well as cost effective.”

Yeah, I thought it would be cost effective too. Then I found I spend at least as much on ammo as I did B4 reloading. The BIG difference, I get to shoot a WHOLE lot more.

Gotta go shooting now and free up some brass...

[Blue Collar Christian]

Do you shoot SASS? Man, black powder in lever guns and revolvers has to be big work to clean up. Shot some of my black powder shells through my 1897 Winchester and regretted it.

In addition to pistol, revolver, rifle and shotgun smokeless rounds, I too reload black powder cartridges. I load 12 ga for my old Ithaca SXS with “London Twist” barrels, and .45-70 GOV’T for my Rolling Block. Both 120 year old plus guns. Of course, the Hawken, which takes no cartridge... Lotsa smoke, lotsa cleaning, but the game falls just the same.

It’s sorta like the Harley guys still riding push rod motors. Something to be said of nostalgia.

[Inyo-Mono]

Although I'm still a member, I don't shoot SASS anymore.

Lever gun clean up is actually really easy. My Uberti (copy of 1873 Winchester) is a pinch to clean because the 44-40 cartridge is bottle necked, thus there is no blow back into the lever action works. After firing 50 rounds, I only have to clean the barrel; the breech and lever works stay clean. I clean those parts once a year.

Hot water is the key to black powder clean up. I do not use black powder gun cleaning solvents (like Hoppes), that only makes cleaning more of a chore. With my revolvers, I pull the cylinder and then hold the revolver barrel under the hot water tap in the sink and then wipe it dry with a few patches. Same with the cylinder. Hold it under hot water then swab with dry patches. Finish off the inside of the barrel and cylindars with a swab of Crisco cooking oil to protect from rust. It is actually less work than cleaning up a firearm that fires smokeless powder.

My .50 cal flintlock is actually a little more work though, but only because I have to remove the lock to totally clean it. Even when I have to take my revolvers apart for total cleaning once a year it is quite easy (I fire about 1,000 rounds per year out of each one). The picture below shows one of my Remington revolvers totally disassembled for yearly total cleaning. An easy task.

[Blue Collar Christian]

Good to know. Been using windex with pretty good success in the field. I will use the hot water running through the guns next time as I have found that works very well for my AR15 too, without allowing the water to hang around and cause corrosion. I assume by your handle you live on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada, and myself living in AZ, that we might not particularly recommend this method for those in a humid climate.

[TexanToTheCore]

Notes on adjusting bullet seating dies for correct seating:

Run the adjusting knob out a bit on your seating die.
Place a factory round in the press and run it up to normal seating position and run the adjusting nut down until the internal seating plug touches the factory bullet. Seat a new bullet and you will find it to be very, very close to correct. Adjust a small amount and you should be turning out nearly perfectly seated bullets. The first time I did this I was within three thousandths.

I found the adjustment of the seating die to be the only frustrating part of reloading until I saw this on a Lee help video. It is particularly valuable to me as I reload at different temperatures say, 65 degrees to 100 degrees, and the bullet seating die will change shape and seating with the temperature. I go through this adjustment every time I use a seating die and it is now automatic. Simplicity itself.

[Gilbo_3]

Hey guys, this thread peaked my curiosity, so I retrieved all the reloading stuff a bud gave me a few years ago and I got a few questions to ask...

1 shelf life of opened powders ??? Ive got 5 cans that have been used out of, but were capped tight, any concerns ??? also, a couple of em are in coffee cans and although the writing was legible, I cant be 100% sure if the brand is really correct...

2 bullets... are the .38/.357 the same diameter ??? .44/.45 ??? Ive got a decent supply of .38 & .357 brass, but would rather load the .357 and a few hundred .44 bullets but only .45 vehicles...

3 without a tool, how do I measure the 'best performance' of my loads ??? grouping at diff range ???

4 Anyone know the manufacturer of 'Bonanza' brand press ??? all the rest of the stuff is RCBS, I'm gonna check their site in detail in the next couple days... any info is appreciated, the rest o my questions will be answered hopefully in studying the mechanics of reloading from suppliers sources...

thanks guys...FReegards...

[Squantos]

http://www.forsterproducts.com/Pages/press.htm

The old Bonanza is now a forster product....the co ax I believe.

[hiredhand]

So long as the propellants were kept air tight, dry and in a cool place, they "should" be fine. I'd be very, very careful about not being able to read the writing on the coffee cans!

.38/.357 projectiles are the same diameter - .357" ...unless they're lead, and then they're .358". The rule with lead projectiles is that lead is (almost) always .001 larger in diameter than copper jacketed projectiles.

As for .44 and .45 projectiles... it depends. :-)

44 Special - Lead Round Ball = .433"
44 Special - Lead Semi Wadcutter = .430"
44 Special - Copper Jacketed = .429"
44 Magnum - Lead Round ball = .433"
44 Magnum - Copper Jacketed = .429"
45 Auto Rim - Lead Round Ball = .454"
45 Auto Rim - Lead Semi Wadcutter = .452"
45 Auto Rim - Copper Jacketed = .451"
45 ACP - Lead Semi Wadcutter = .452"
45 ACP - Copper Jacketed = .451"
45 Colt - Same as 45 ACP

I "think" Bonanza IS the brand itself. If I remember correctly (and if I don't, then somebody please correct me!) they made a "coaxial" press which had the potential of producing VERY concentric ammo. Also, it was very strong and could be used for swaging operations. Does yours have two rams instead of one? If so, then you've probably got a coaxial press.

"Best Performance" is very subjective and is certain to start something akin to a religious war here! :-) Do a Google search for an article titled "Pressures and the Handloader" by Jack O'Conner. It will keep you from blowing yourself up even though most of us don't have labs full of test rifles equipped with piezo-electric pressure transducers and chronographs. If you can't find it, I'll scan it out of a book here that I have it in.

If you want, I'll send you my personal favorite .45ACP handload. It's from the bottom of the charts in the Winchester reloading guide, and is very mild. According to their data, it's pushing around 870FPS and is very accurate from my Colt Series 80.

Let me know buddy! :-)

[hiredhand]

I was right! ...co-ax! One heck of a single stage press from what I’ve read! I’ve never had one...only Pacific and RCBS for single stage...and our Dillon equipment (RL-550B) for progressive.