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To: Petruchio

A couple things I learned with a Rock Chucker, since I couldn’t afford a Dillon:
Get the hand priming tool.
Get some cheap plastic bowls, half gallon or bigger.
Get a good powder chucker, emphasis on good.
Get the micrometer adjustment screw for the RCBS powder chucker. The thing it comes with is an abomination.
Get more loading blocks than you think you will need.

Fill a bowl with cases as you inspect them.
Size and deprime them, throwing them into another bowl.
Use the hand priming tool to prime them, then throw the primed cases into an empty bowl.
Stand them in the loading trays.
Charge the cases in the trays. This has to be done carefully to avoid uncharged cases.
Seat the bullets and throw them into an empty bowl.
Crimp the cartridges and throw the finished ammunition into another bowl.
If you really want to count them, count them, otherwise just dump them into Zip Loc bags.

I could do about 200 an hour this way.


38 posted on 09/19/2008 9:18:44 PM PDT by sig226 (Obama '08 - No, You Can't.)
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To: sig226
I do things a wee bit different.

I have the RCBS APS Bench Priming Tool. With arthritic hands it is easier handling the strips than single primers.

I use a number of poly loading blocks from Sinclair. 4 for each cal. I load.

My steps are:

Tumble in walnut shells 1 hour or so.
Size & deprime
Tumble in corncob & brass polish 1 hour
Inspect, clean & uniform primer pocket, reshape flash hole.
Trim, deburr, and final inspect
Prime and load in tray
Charge with powder and transfer to next tray
NOTE: I use RCBS powder measure with micrometer & baffle. I weigh every 5th charge.
Inspect that full tray has even powder level. No empties or double charges.
Seat bullet
Crimp using Lee factory crimp die.
Test final cartridge in a go / no gage
Box & label.

I load .38spl, .357mag, .45ACP, and 30.06.

I got my start back in 2000. I had bought a case of .357 ammo online from some hack who I will not name. Yeah, I was stupid. I was getting mis-fires. 1 or 2 out of 6. NOT GOOD. I discussed it with a owner of a Gun Store near me and he found the ammo had the primers set too deep. I thought I could do better. So I bought the RCBS deluxe reloading kit, and a hammer to take the bad stuff apart. In the process of redoing those I found one that did not even have a flash hole!!!

Needless to say, I am about the most anal reloader out there . . . [grin] I really don't trust any ammo I did not load. The stuff I did load I almost trust.

39 posted on 09/19/2008 10:12:17 PM PDT by Petruchio (Democrats are like Slinkies... Not good for anything, but it's fun pushing 'em down the stairs.)
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To: sig226; Petruchio
Hand priming tools are a GOOD investment! We have one made by Hornady-Pacific and prefer it over the integrated priming tools on the single stage press, or the Dillon RL-550B.

One thing we learned though...if you have a reloading buddy and are trying to maximize output, for what little extra it costs, buy DOUBLE shell holders for whatever you're reloading. This way, one person can be sizing, while another primes. We've had to space out operations during case prep because we don't have double shell holders for a couple of cartridges we reload. It's not a huge deal, but for what little they cost, it's a help to have doubles.
52 posted on 09/20/2008 7:19:41 AM PDT by hiredhand
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