Author Topic: Tips & Tricks to help the Handloader  (Read 46323 times)

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Offline charles p

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Re: Tips & Tricks to help the Handloader
« Reply #30 on: November 27, 2008, 03:03:17 PM »
Write your OAL right on the cover of your box of bullets so you will have it when you reload.  This will work unless you load the same bullet in several cartridges, then you'll need to ID the cartridge and OAL.

Offline Lazermule

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Re: Tips & Tricks to help the Handloader
« Reply #31 on: December 22, 2008, 08:32:09 AM »
I adapted my Lee case length trimming set up to work on an old blender motor that I rigged up with a foot switch and a dimmer switch to slow it down.

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Offline Siskiyou

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Re: Tips & Tricks to help the Handloader
« Reply #32 on: March 07, 2009, 08:47:47 PM »
Installing optional 7000-grain reservoir on an older Lyman 55 Powder measure.
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=100000

Take a fine file and file down the lower 3/16” of the reservoir enough so that it enters the mouth of the Model 55 powder measure. 

I heated a cup of water in the microwave and then added some dishwater soap as a lubricant.  I placed the bottom end of the reservoir into the cup of hot water and let it soften.  I was able to screw it into the Model 55 measure.  The threads on the Model 55 are suppose to cut threads into the reservoir.  Care must be taken to keep the reservoir straight.

I found that the reservoir cools rapidly and the reservoir locks into place.  Once you start keep going before the reservoir cools.  In my case with light effort I could not get it to back out.  That is okay in my case.

*  The reservoir is designed to handle 7000-grains of black powder according to Lyman.  Smokeless powders are normally denser and the capacity will very depending on the powder. 





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Offline tree rat

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Re: Tips & Tricks to help the Handloader
« Reply #33 on: March 08, 2009, 11:58:36 AM »
 (necking up 223 to 7mm tcu) tried 3 lubes - lee, hornady, rcbs, still lost 30% of my cases. so I tried motor oil, It works wonderfull!!!!! BUT you must now get the oil off, I found washing in boiling water with dish soap, then a trip through the tumbler takes care of it.   second, 7mm tcu shooters did you realize 204 ruger brass makes good 7mm tcu if you have a over size chamber, slightly larger diameter + its longer so you can trim the necks to the correct length, but you will have to neck turn for them to chamber correctly.

Offline quickdtoo

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Re: Tips & Tricks to help the Handloader
« Reply #34 on: March 08, 2009, 02:10:45 PM »
Redding Imperial sizing die wax works wonderfully for necking operations, not messy and easy to clean up.  ;)

Tim

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Offline stimpylu32

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Re: Tips & Tricks to help the Handloader
« Reply #35 on: April 07, 2009, 10:33:35 AM »
Here is one from Dee on cast bullets and a homemade lube to keep leading down .

Been loading 158 grain semi-wadcutter cast from wheel weights since 1976, in both 38 special and 357 mag. Keep the load at around 1000fps, and you should be fine. Good bullet lube (I make my own) will help, and not too fast a powder I use unique as it is extremely versatile. I use the same loads in my rifle, with a some increase in fps but it is a build up due to the long barrel. Luck!
You can also drop the bullets directly out of the mold into a five gallon bucket of water with some ice in it. Just don't over work the bullet in a sizing die. That will definitely help.
If your interested, the bullet lube recipe is: 1 pound of vasoline, one pound of canning wax, a table spoon of something like STP oil treatment, and some broken crayons for color. Other wise you will have trouble seeing it on the bullet.
Melt all this in something like a coffee can OUTSIDE, or in your shop. I then with a dull kitchen knife just cut out what I need and stuff it in the Lyman sizer. One can will last for thousands of rounds.
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Offline stimpylu32

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FL Sizing , Neck Sizing and Partial FL Sizing
« Reply #36 on: April 26, 2009, 07:16:48 AM »
As this subject seems to come up quite often heres a breif over view on how it works .

FL Sizing -- This is just what it sounds like , were a die is used to size the full leingh of the cartridge case , neck , move the shoulder back , as well as size the whole body to bring the case back to proper spec .

Neck Sizing -- This is also just as it sounds , a special die is used to only size the neck of a cartridge and does nothing for the body of the case .

Partial FL Sizing -- This is were it gets a little confusing for some , this is a process were the FL Sizer die is used to only size part of the neck and body areas of a cartridge .

Basicly you back the FL die off the shell holder anywere from a 1/4 to 1 full turn , thus allowing the die to make contact with only part of the case , most often , this is the neck area and the upper part of the case body below the shoulder , were this will allow the neck to properly hold the bullet but will not bring the whole case back to starting spec.

Hope this helps clear the mud .  ;D

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Offline HuntMeister

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Re: FL Sizing , Neck Sizing and Partial FL Sizing
« Reply #37 on: April 26, 2009, 12:24:48 PM »
Thanks for the details stimpy.
Soooo, why and when does one partial size a case?
Could it be for brass that has been fired a few times and is losing its grip in the neck, but by not FL resizing you can ensure as long a life from the brass as is possible?

Offline John Y Cannuck

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Re: FL Sizing , Neck Sizing and Partial FL Sizing
« Reply #38 on: June 07, 2009, 03:56:06 PM »

Soooo, why and when does one partial size a case?


When you (like me) are too cheap to buy a special neck sizing die. Or, when neck sizing alone doesn't allow smooth chambering in your rifle.

Quote
Could it be for brass that has been fired a few times and is losing its grip in the neck, but by not FL resizing you can ensure as long a life from the brass as is possible?
Neck sizing alone should give you enough neck grip
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Offline Reverend Recoil

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Re: Tips & Tricks to help the Handloader
« Reply #39 on: June 24, 2009, 11:21:07 AM »
A metal teaspoon with a 1/8" hole drilled through it is good tool used to skim off the dirt and dross from molten lead.  The molten lead runs out of the hole leaving the dirt in the spoon.  A cocktail spoon fitted with a wooded handle will work as well.

I buy crushed walnut shells in 10 lb bags at the local pet shop.  It is sold as reptile litter.  It cleans casings well and is half the price of the stuff at the gun shop.

The best ingot mold for lead is a cast iron cornbread mold.

The little spring found inside of tire valve stems is a handy spring source for many types of gun assemblies.

Concrete nails are made from tough high-carbon steel.  I grind them to shape to make pin punches and gun screw drivers.  Old Allen wrenches also make good screw drivers.  Handles are made from broom stick and epoxy.

I will think of some more tips later.

Offline Travis Morgan

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Re: Tips & Tricks to help the Handloader
« Reply #40 on: July 14, 2009, 05:20:37 AM »
Use your neck reamer to remove the crimp from military cases. It works just fine. I'm not certain the VLD one will work, though.
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Offline Travis Morgan

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Re: Tips & Tricks to help the Handloader
« Reply #41 on: July 14, 2009, 05:30:00 AM »
Write your OAL right on the cover of your box of bullets so you will have it when you reload.  This will work unless you load the same bullet in several cartridges, then you'll need to ID the cartridge and OAL.

    If you're gonna keep using the same load with a certain type of bullet, write your data on the flap of the bullet box. That way, when you open it up, you have your data handy.
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Offline Win 1917

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Re: FL Sizing , Neck Sizing and Partial FL Sizing
« Reply #42 on: August 30, 2009, 01:32:33 AM »
I don't know if this is the right way to do it but to set up the die for partial FL sizing I marked the shoulder of the case with a grease pencil. Then adjusted the die till it was just starting to squeeze the grease so I know that I was sizing the neck without pushing the shoulder back any. 

Offline LaOtto222

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Re: FL Sizing , Neck Sizing and Partial FL Sizing
« Reply #43 on: August 30, 2009, 02:27:49 AM »
That will work. I just backed off the die about 1 full turn (maybe a little more), to ensure that the shoulder was not bumped back. I does not size all of the neck set that way. There is a slight step in the neck where the die quit sizing it. The little step does not hurt any thing and I think it helps center the bullet to the bore too. It will work harden the brass right where the little step is. This is caused by squeezing the neck down and then blowing it out every time you fire it in the same place. You will have to anneal a little more often to ensure maximum case life. Now that I have more change in my pocket, I buy special dies for neck sizing. I prefer the Lee neck collet dies, when I can get them, but I also have bought neck sizing dies with changeable sizing collars, when I can't get a Lee. 
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Offline briannmilewis

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Re: FL Sizing , Neck Sizing and Partial FL Sizing
« Reply #44 on: September 21, 2009, 07:09:29 PM »
Thanks guys, you have set me straight on all of this. What a forum!

Offline Gatofeo

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Re: Tips & Tricks to help the Handloader
« Reply #45 on: November 03, 2009, 05:29:39 PM »
1. When I set my powder measure, I use a white grease pencil to write the powder and charge on the plastic reservoir. This confirms the setting and months later I know exactly that it's set to UNIQUE 6.0 GRS or whatever.
White grease pencils are sold in stationery shops and used for marking china. Black grease pencils are more available but not as easily read.
Of course, you should never leave your powder in the reservoir. Empty it back into the powder container it came from.

2. Ronson lighter fluid. Or any brand for that matter, but I like the bright yellow Ronson plastic bottle because it's easily spotted. The flip-up tip allows you to easily put a drop on a cotton swab, to clean a shell holder or bullet seating stem.
Lighter fluid is good because it evaporates and leaves no residue. It's great for degreasing chambers at the range. A few drops on a patch, which is run into the chamber and rotated, will remove any residual oil.
Because so little can be applied with its pointed tip, one bottle goes a long way. But I always have two bottles, one on my reloading bench and another in my shooting bag.

3. Q-tips, also known as cotton swabs. Great for cleaning shell holders, seating dies for small calibers (.22 Hornet comes to mind), and anyplace that doesn't offer a lot of room.

4. Pipe cleaners. It's difficult to hold a muzzleloader nipple and scrub off its fouling. Take a short length of pipe cleaner, bend the head into an L-shape, and stick the cone end of the nipple on the pipe cleaner. Gives you a handle to hold the nipple while you scrub it.
Pipe cleaners are also handy for cleaning the threaded hole in dies, into which seating and decapping stems are threaded.

5. Ivory soap. I scrub my black powder guns with hot, soapy water. I like Ivory because it floats, and I never have to search in the water for the soap.

6. Cheap masking tape for white target pasters. At 25 yards and beyond, you don't even notice the slight difference in color. I've covered the holes in targets, and reused one target, up to a dozen times before it got too ratty.

7. Wide felt marker. Made up some high-pressure .45-70 loads for your Marlin 95 that would destroy your 1873 Trapdoor? Run a wide stripe of red, black or whatever color you prefer across the case head. This will warn you as soon as you open the box. Sometimes, chatting with our buddies, we may be distracted and not read the reloading label carefully.

8. Collecting loose brass as it falls? Bring one of those square, plastic mayonnaise containers that are common today. It has a wide mouth with a flip-up plastic top, and because it is square it takes up less room than a round jar. Also, because it's plastic, it won't break. It's transparent, so you can see what's in it at a glance. I keep one in my range bag.

9. Altoid sour candy tins are great for carrying greased wads or patches for muzzleloaders. They're round, and seal much tighter than the flip-up tins, preventing the grease from drying out. They're made with a shallow dish on one side: push on it with your thumb and the whole lid pops up. If you've ever tried to open a tight tin without this feature, with greasy hands, you'll appreciate this little feature.
These tight, round Altoid sour candy tins also make good survival kit containers. Put a little beeswax around the edge before closing, and it's absolutely waterproof. A good container to carry matches, tinder, lighter and flint striker.

I know that not all of these are reloading tips, but they're useful for shooters. It's all I can think of right now.
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Offline original

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Re: FL Sizing , Neck Sizing and Partial FL Sizing
« Reply #46 on: November 08, 2009, 11:24:59 AM »
if i am going to partial FL the brass is there any draw backs to doing this or problems in the case i should look for?  i will be shooting it out of the same single shot rifle so after i partial Fl size it and trim it as as long as the bullet seats snug and the round fits in the action closes does that mean everything is ok?  thanks, very new at this

Offline Sweetwater

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Re: FL Sizing , Neck Sizing and Partial FL Sizing
« Reply #47 on: November 08, 2009, 11:42:28 AM »
In a nutshell, yes.
In the sizing process, all you have to worry about is that the case holds the bullet tight and that the whole thing fits in the chamber properly when you close the action. I've used the Partial sizing for years on most of my one rifle per caliber dies. When I have more than one rifle for a caliber, I FL size.

You, the Handloader, control headspace in most cases by the way you adjust the sizing die. When I received a bunch of my inheritance from my Dad, there were several boxes of empty shells marked "excessive headspace". I loaded them up, fired them without incident, and headspace problem was gone. The "excessive headspace" was created by setting the sizing die too low, pushing the shoulder back. These cases are now mixed in with the rest of the cases and cannot be singled out. They are all the same. We can create a headspace problem if our dies don't exactly match our chambers and we blindly set the die by the instructions.

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Offline Reverend Recoil

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Re: Tips & Tricks to help the Handloader
« Reply #48 on: November 16, 2009, 04:16:59 AM »
Small stackable plastic tote bins are handy for storing inprocess bullets and cases durning loading.  They are availible at Walmart, Lowes, Home Depot, and most hardware stores.

http://quantum-bins.com/index.cfm

Offline mbopp

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Re: Tips & Tricks to help the Handloader
« Reply #49 on: December 24, 2009, 03:06:14 AM »
For safety's sake, I only have one can of powder, one type of primer, and one weight of bullet on the loading bench at a time.

When I was making .357 Herrett cases I took the handle off my case trimmer and put a hex-head screw in. I then used a cordless drill to spin the case trimmer.

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Offline stimpylu32

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Re: Tips & Tricks to help the Handloader
« Reply #50 on: December 27, 2009, 06:41:18 AM »
Dust control in case cleaners , either tumble or vib type .

Take 1/2 of a used dryer sheet and toss it in with a batch of cases , once that batch is done , toss the sheet in the trash along with the dust , repeat as needed .  ;)

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Offline Hairtrigger

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Re: Tips & Tricks to help the Handloader
« Reply #51 on: December 27, 2009, 07:07:11 AM »
Dust control in case cleaners , either tumble or vib type .

I use a few drops of liquid car wax... plus it makes for very shiney cases

Offline Reverend Recoil

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Re: Tips & Tricks to help the Handloader
« Reply #52 on: January 21, 2010, 06:00:20 AM »
Wrap a dryer sheet around your powder measure reservoir and secure it with rubber bands.  It will eliminate static charge and prevent the powder grains from clinging inside.  It really works.

Offline bilmac

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Re: Tips & Tricks to help the Handloader
« Reply #53 on: January 21, 2010, 07:41:42 AM »
I save all targets that I test loads on. I shoot 81/2 x11 three ring binder sheets and then store them in a binder. I write all the load info on the target. I used black or flourescent target pasters for the aiming point. If I run out of these I cut a square of black paper and just pin it in the center of the target.

Offline BIGDAVE54

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Re: Tips & Tricks to help the Handloader
« Reply #54 on: February 17, 2010, 08:26:16 PM »
When FL resizing if you don't want to set the shoulder back but want to resize the rest of the case, smoke the neck and adjust the die about one & half turns off of the shell holder. Resize the case and adjust the die down a little at a time until you have "wiped" the soot off of the neck to just above the shoulder. This is particularly useful for belted mags and the .303 Brit. Some rifles chambered for a belted mag can have separation issues due to a longish chamber. The .303 Brit Enfields have long chambers for reliability in battle. Resizing your brass without setting your shoulder back will lengthen the brass life if you have a chamber cut on the long side. Yes, you can neck size only but some folks like FL resizing.
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Offline Default_Required

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Re: Tips & Tricks to help the Handloader
« Reply #55 on: April 26, 2010, 02:28:02 PM »
Quick sizing lube removal , I use the Lee trimmer system with the base chucked into my drill , This method of holding the brass ( still lubed) is a great way of getting that pesky lube off , I use those Bag O Rags thou any clean shop rag will work ... I still will wash them if I have a big lot and am not pressed for time. But for in a hurry or generally this cuts down on time and effort to remove the lube from the cases for myself

Offline Reverend Recoil

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Re: Tips & Tricks to help the Handloader
« Reply #56 on: May 17, 2010, 09:40:02 AM »
make friends with the members of the US Army's Marksmanship Unit at an EIC match and they will give you all of their fired cartridge casings.

Offline Hairtrigger

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Re: Tips & Tricks to help the Handloader
« Reply #57 on: May 20, 2010, 03:10:25 PM »
More of a shooting tip
Keep your bench inside where weather will not affect it. I made mine so I can pull it behind my pickup ( over the ball hitch) or with an ATV yet sits solid when I am shooting





Offline hornady

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Re: Tips & Tricks to help the Handloader
« Reply #58 on: August 28, 2010, 04:05:20 AM »
I have two of the old Pacific Single stage presses. I have had for 40 plus years, Like many other presses they used the spring clips to hold the shell holders in place, It is almost impossible to find these clips anymore, I fixed this with Allen set screws, I  drilled  and tapped the hole in the ram  used to hold the spring clip in place, works better than the clip ever did.

Offline dickttx

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Re: Tips & Tricks to help the Handloader
« Reply #59 on: August 28, 2010, 05:42:22 AM »
Several years ago I found that it very convenient to use an embrodery hoop to hold my brass while running it thru the press.  It easily holds 50 rounds of handgun brass, it is low so you don't have to reach over something, you can move it and the brass where is is most convenient, and the brass won't roll around on the bench.
I dump a box of brass, run each one thru the sizer, and put in a  plastic cartridge box as they are sized.
When I am ready to bell, I do the same thing, also when I am ready to prime. 
If I am not ready to do the powder and bullets I put the primed cases back in the cartridge box. 
If I am ready to complete the loads I put the primed cases in a loading block instead of the cartridge box.
Really convenient for fumbling fingers.