Author Topic: Just did my first reloading over the weekend! (Read 761 times)

Maplicito · « **on:** February 26, 2008, 05:50:21 PM »

I picked myself up a Lee hand press, and RCBS dies. The depriming part of my die managed to break - I dunno if I wasn't paying enough attention to make sure it was screwed in as tight as it should be, or if it was faulty, but I was lucky enough to find a work around. My dad has some really narrow files that he doesn't use, and I was able to easily fit one through the flash hole, and use a rubber mallet to pop out the spent primers.

The hard part was resizing my .338 win mag brass with the hand press... I dunno if I need a different lube, or if I should just expect a minor work out every time I resize. Priming was easy, although I was a little nervous when I had to pop out a primer that lodged in the pocket sideways. Measuring powder was a pain, and I was slow as molasses doing so! I have basic Lee scale - any suggestions on how to speed that up safely?

Seating the bullets was a breeze. I have a mildly sore shoulder from testing my loads out and not holding my rifle as well as I should have.

Looking back - I picked up on a few things I wasn't happy with. I should have been paying more attention to the state of my dies. I'm positive every last one of my shells is fine, but I think I need to pick up some better quality control habits. The other thing that I could have done better - I didn't start at maximum loads, I started 2 steps down - but my understanding is I should have started at 10% below max - I understand that as starting at 66.3 grains of the 73.7 max load for my powder - well, I started at 71 grains. Fortunately, no problems arose from this.

So, the synopsis is - it was fun and relaxing, and quite satisfying, but I want to speed up the powder measuring.

Also - anyone have suggestions on what kind of speed I should be lowering my bullet down to if I were to try using my .338 on deer? I've currently got Hornady 250 grain rounds, but plan to pick up some 200's.

corbanzo · « **Reply #1 on:** February 26, 2008, 06:45:22 PM »

Did the depriming pin actually break, or do you just need to reset the deprimer? If it broke, contact RCBS, they should take care of you.

When you size, there should be a little tug to get it out of the die, especially with a hand press.

For the powder, I would recommend getting a powder thrower. I used the lee balance scale for a while... and it does take a looooong time. So investing in a good powder thrower, though good ones are expensive ($80-100) are good to have around.

Though they say 10% is good to start below...not many people actually do it. If you are 3 grains under max, that for the most part should be a safe starting load. If you have an old gun, or a gun with a weak known action, then starting lower is definitely adviseable. If you cannot crosscheck sources for a load, then starting lower is also good.

Those 250 grainers would probably do just fine for deer, just find a mild load for them that still gives you a good trajectory.

Maplicito · « **Reply #2 on:** February 26, 2008, 07:09:59 PM »

The pin definitely broke. As far as I can tell, it must have missed the flash hole, and got stuck on the brass just as I was getting ready to give the hand press a little more oomph.

After some reflection, I'm thinking maybe I just didn't lube some cases as good as others - I definitely lubed them all, but some were relatively easy with the hand press, while a few definitely were a work out.

The gun's new last summer, so I guess I was alright... I definitely intend to start closer to the 10% rule with my 91 year old .303 Brit. That one's been fine with factory ammo, but I think I might load some milder rounds for it.

Thanks for the suggestion on the powder thrower, I'll check it out!

myronman3 · « **Reply #3 on:** February 26, 2008, 08:19:56 PM »

if resizing is tough, use a bit more lube. and dont worry about throwning a powder charge quickly. take your time, ensure you get it right. speed doesnt pay dividends here. patients and being methodical does. welcome to the club!

jhalcott · « **Reply #4 on:** February 26, 2008, 08:51:59 PM »

Don't get to MUCH lube on the cases. This will cause dents in the case from hydraulic pressure. Be careful handling primers IF you have any lube on your fingers.

Maplicito · « **Reply #5 on:** February 26, 2008, 09:50:27 PM »

Quote from: myronman3 on February 26, 2008, 08:19:56 PM

if resizing is tough, use a bit more lube. and dont worry about throwning a powder charge quickly. take your time, ensure you get it right. speed doesnt pay dividends here. patients and being methodical does. welcome to the club!

Thanks for the welcome

I just don't want the powder to take more time than everything else if it's at all safely avoidable. Even if I couldn't speed up the powder though, it's still fun and worthwhile. Thanks everyone for the suggestions too.

Sweetwater · « **Reply #6 on:** February 26, 2008, 10:46:10 PM »

As mentioned, this is not a speed game. It is relaxing, as long as we keep it relaxed. We get in a hurry, we goof. We break things. We leave steps out of the program. Then we get to the range, or the hunting field, and things don't go well. Keep it safe.

I once hurriedly loaded a box of 357mag's to help a buddy learn to shoot his Blackhawk. A percentage of the loaded rounds had no powder. Some had the spent primer still in them. Needless to say, I felt quite foolish and ashamed that I hadn't taken more pains with my work, as I had been doing it at that time for better than 20 years! We are never to old to learn from a mistake and we all make them at one time or another. You say this can't happen, but I'll tell you it will, when you least expect it.
Take your time and enjoy!

I used several balance beam scales for years. I hated the time it took. I got a good powder thrower for Christmas 'way back when' and it did speed things up. Including giving me a new learning curve to master. Like which powders to 'not' use with the powder thrower, and how to set up a rhythm so that the charges were the most uniform. None of this is rocket science, but there are things here to master as you go along. Don't get in too much of a rush or you will wear yourself out and loose the fun. It is fun.

Not enough lube will stick a case in your sizing die. Too much will result in 'dents' generally in the shoulder area. These dents will iron out when the shell is fired. Never felt they were life threatening, but they aren't pretty and they will create a weak spot in the case. Remember, all the case does is keep the primer, powder, and bullet all in the same proximity to each other for the purpose of detonation. In the beginning, after the muzzleloaders, the original 'cases' were paper. Your chamber has the strength that keeps the pieces from flying apart, not the case.

There is much to learn, and it won't come overnight. It is a great education. Welcome to the Fraternity!

Regards,
Sweetwater

Maplicito · « **Reply #7 on:** February 27, 2008, 12:37:10 AM »

I guess I'm just going to have to be patient. I'm guessing speed will probably increase as I become more practiced as well. I am tempted to get an electronic scale down the road though. The biggest thing slowing me down is a nice inherited tremor in the hand - I ain't so good at trickling powder into the tray while it's hanging from the scale. I think I need to shave some of the metal off from the body of the scale too - it likes to catch the arm as it's balancing, and taking the time to figure out if the arm's balanced, or just simply sticking certainly slows one down. Not to mention it's obviously safer knowing for certain that the arm isn't sticking.

So, maybe the little tweaks to make my equipment work the way it should, and to get my own routine down is the best way to get things going. The powder portion is the only part that bothers me anyway, the rest is fun! Considering I'm not a fan of frustration at the range or hospital trips, maybe the powder portion isn't even all that bad.

stimpylu32 · « **Reply #8 on:** February 27, 2008, 01:39:07 AM »

Maplicito

Powder charges are not the place to get speedy , granted there are ways to make the process smoother . I use tons of Lee stuff but the one thing of theirs that i can not stand is the scale . as others have said a good powder thrower will be worth buying .

Another trick is to use an empty case and fill it about 3/4 full of the powder that you are using , this will make a handy trickler , just roll it in your fingers and you can add as little or as much powder to the pan as you need to top off the load .

stimpy

Savage · « **Reply #9 on:** February 27, 2008, 01:52:43 AM »

A powder measure sure speeds up the process of charging cases. For "Stand alone" powder measures I have a RCBS Uniflow and a Lee Perfect. I find they both work quite well. The RCBS was about $70 or so and the Lee was around $30. Just set the measure for a half grain or so below your desired charge weight and dribble a little in to balance the scale. For .223 to be fired in my ARs, I load a full grain below max and have found the load to shoot well with thrown charges. I just weigh a charge every now and then to verify that all is well. I am not recommending this procedure, however. You'll find ways to speed up the process and stay safe as you gain experience.
Savage

corbanzo · « **Reply #10 on:** February 27, 2008, 02:05:56 AM »

One of the reasons I moved away from the balance scale, is that I found myself trying to hurry while using it, and either knocking it out of true, or no waiting for a good balance... making me off a few tenths of a grain... Something to make it more efficient definitely helped my patience.

With the scale, one thing that did help, is use a powder scoop to get within a grain or two (like the lee set of measures ($15 or so)) and a powder trickler to top off the rest.

K.K · « **Reply #11 on:** February 27, 2008, 02:09:57 AM »

It costs a few bucks, but the RCBS Chargemaster powder measure/scale combo is awesome! It dispenses, weighs to 1/10 grain and memorizes 20 of your favorite loads. It takes about the time to dispense as it does to seat your bullet and put it in your block. I am new to reloading as well, but I love this thing.

Maplicito · « **Reply #12 on:** February 27, 2008, 02:31:26 AM »

Thanks Savage and Stimpy, and everyone else - those suggestions are pretty much exactly what I'm looking for. That trickler idea would have made such a difference when I was loading powder. I have to admit, I got pretty frustrated pulling the tray down from the scale, pouring more powder in, placing it back on the scale, measuring it, trying to place more powder in, then finding out the arm was sticking and I now had too much powder in there.

This is going to make me sound ridiculously slow - but between the case/trickler idea, and a non-sticking balance, I think I could cut my time by at least half, probably 2/3! I kinda want to go fire off some rounds this weekend just so I can try some more reloading

Maplicito · « **Reply #13 on:** February 27, 2008, 02:38:58 AM »

On second thought - I bet if I filled a case up to the shoulder - then poured that into the tray for measurement, that'd be close enough the trickler idea would easily top it off in no time. At least I believe that's where the powder had my cases filled too. I think the other thing I need to do is get at least another case tray - I'm working off just one, and I really don't like having the cases I just filled sitting next to the ones I have yet to fill - it kinda had me paranoid all night checking back and forth to make sure I knew which ones were filled and which ones weren't.

davem270win · « **Reply #14 on:** February 27, 2008, 04:22:16 AM »

Get a set of the Lee powder measures, they cost about $7. They'll get you close to your weight, and I then use them to dribble powder. No need for a fancy-schmanzy dribbler.

colocowboy76 · « **Reply #15 on:** February 27, 2008, 07:23:42 AM »

hornady one shot is the best lube I have found it is an aerosol spray impossible to use too much. If you are shooting out of a bolt gun you might consider just neck sizing, much easier and more accurate. Keep the FL dies you will need to do that about every 4 loads. I too started with the hand press and it is great for the neck sizing, but i built a bench eventually. Although that may be more for the storage than the press I mounted on it.

Sweetwater · « **Reply #16 on:** February 27, 2008, 07:32:26 AM »

K.K. - I've been reloading since the 60's and just got to where I could put one of those RCBS Chargemaster/Combo units on my Christmas list. But I do have a well worn Uniflow and trickler!!

Maplico - Lots of good advise here. Looks like your getting the hang of it. My Dad was quite a tinkerer and always looking to save a dollar - he made a batch of powder measures from empty cases cut off at appropriate lengths and soldered coppertubing handles to them. I have two sets and they are priceless. The tubing was salvage from a discarded refrigerator. Use your imagination.

Regards,
Sweetwater

Maplicito · « **Reply #17 on:** February 29, 2008, 06:20:18 PM »

Just thought I'd update: I did a very small reloading batch, and I tried out the idea of using an empty case as a trickler (thanks Stimpy) - and my reloading went SOOO much smoother! As much as I wouldn't mind measuring out the powder fasater, this sped things up enough that I was quite content with the speed I was moving along.

Also, I contacted RCBS about the broken decapper, and pretty much admitted in my email that I may have been at fault - they resonded with a quick "give us your address" then told me they were sending the necessary replacement parts free of charge. I was kinda thinking of buying a replacement Hornady die to try it out, but I know when I've gotten good customer service, and am thinking maybe I should try out some more stuff from RCBS. They didn't even ask for a receipt - I've never had that happen before.

Anyhow, thanks again for the suggestions everyone.

myronman3 · « **Reply #18 on:** March 01, 2008, 03:05:55 AM »

rcbs is known for that; which is why you cant go wrong with their dies or other products. that is why so many of us are brand loyal when it comes to reloading. companies like rcbs and dillon have earned their reputations over the years the hard way; and deserve to be recognized for it.

warf73 · « **Reply #19 on:** March 01, 2008, 11:30:48 PM »

If you want to speed up your powder throwing process go with a UNIFLOW POWDER MEASURE, but you will still need to drop around .5 grains low and trickle up to your desired charge weight.

Watch Ebay you could get one on the cheap if you watch and not get into a hurry getting one.

Warf

Sweetwater · « **Reply #20 on:** March 02, 2008, 06:47:43 AM »

myronman3 +1
Most of the big guys are really good, some are spectacular in my experience.
RCBS, REDDING, and RUGER have all gone out of their way to "fix" whatever was wrong, so far regardless of fault.
My dad stuck a bullet in a 10/22 and then sent another one behind it. Blew the bolt and broke the extractor and a bunch of small stuff in the reciever. Ruger sent him the pieces he asked for and sent it postage paid at no charge! Don't get no better than that. The rifle is over 30 years old and Dad was not the first owner by a long shot!

Maplicito - think I spelled it right this time. You are in a fun stage - good going there. The Uniflow Powder Thrower is also an RCBS product and will serve you well. I upgraded mine with a micrometer adjustment and it will throw ball and sphere powders at whatever you set it for - almost no variation once you find your groove in operating it. Enjoy.

I still hope to get a Chargemaster - it appears to be "it" in powder dispensing.

Regards,
Sweetwater

K.K · « **Reply #21 on:** March 03, 2008, 12:43:59 PM »

That Chargemaster is awesome! It does it all, dispenses, trickles, weighs, counts charges loaded, beeps on an error, remembers loads, and probably a ton of stuff that I haven't figured out yet. You will love it.

K.K