The Reloading Thread

In reply to ultraclyde (Forum Supporter) :

For a single stage press that would probably work fine.  Depending on the weight it might be a bit top heavy if you used a progressive press in that set up.

Hmm. Probably start off with one single stage press and maybe a powder measure. Might eventually set up a single for each die since I have them sitting here, but I can always upgrade to a real bench if I outgrow it I guess.

My friend says he can't source 9mm bullets, so has had to stop reloading.

ultraclyde (Forum Supporter) said:

Hmm. Probably start off with one single stage press and maybe a powder measure. Might eventually set up a single for each die since I have them sitting here, but I can always upgrade to a real bench if I outgrow it I guess.

The Breech Lock Lee press uses quick disconnect sleeves on the dies. They go in with a partial turn and lock in place.  You can pull a die in a few seconds, put it back in a few seconds, and not lose any settings.  You just keep the sleeves on all your dies and you only need one press.  I think other manufacturers have similar, but Lee is cheap and seems to work just fine.  You can always run "higher quality" dies as they share the same threads.

In reply to ultraclyde (Forum Supporter) :

Comments on loading area are in the long post in bold.

A small dedicated bench like shown in your post can be handy.  You can also mount the press to a board and clamp the board to your regular work bench ot table.  This lets you quickly move the press to a shelf to get it out of the way if you need to.

Years ago I saw (and should have bought) an Amish reloading station that was a wooden open top toolbox with a press mounted at a slight angle.  You could set the whole thing next to you on a couch.

Scales and measuring charges added to my big post in bold.

My Lee Turret Press came with a wooden box.  When opened and turned sideways, the box forms a base for the press.  The press attached on using T-nuts and bolts.  I usually clamp the box to a Workmate or table.  For some tasks that too a little more effort, being able to brace the table with my legs helps.

Oh, and watch the table feet.  Workmates can lose the plastic feet and mar the floor.

After testing a small bench top on my old craftsman workmate I decided to just build an actual bench for reloading. To keep cost down I used one sheet of 1/2" birch plywood and 7 - 2"x4"x8's. 
 

First, draw plans

and I took a day off today to do an Adam Savage style one day build:

i put a couple coats of shellac on the top surfaces to make them easier to clean and was planning to leave the base unfinished, but it looks funny:

the 2x4s are such poor quality that it makes no sense to put shellac on it. Maybe I'll paint it. I've got some leftover gray house paint and I might have something else in the shop. Have to hunt around and see what speaks to me. 

learned 2 things on this build. One, the quality of #2 prime 2x4s at Home Depot is abominable. I'll try the one local wood yard we have here next time just to see if they do better.  Two, I'm better freehand cutting plywood with my poor little skill saw than I am using a guide. And if I want to keep building stuff like this a table saw and a radial arm saw would be smart investments. 

Looks nice. Many presses (if you get a bench mount one) will be designed to mount right on the edge, so you might have to reinforce the overhang in that spot, but that is a heads up and not any form of criticism.

In reply to matthewmcl (Forum Supporter) :

It's hard to see but there's a poplar 1x4 glued and screwed under the 1/2" plywood on the front edge. The overhang on the front is 4.5". I measured the presses I have and their mounts are all less than that. I've got a bunch of 1/4" hardware and fender washers to mount them. I'm not going to mount any till after next weekend when my buddy is walking me through his setup. But I'll probably go ahead and store all my stuff on it. 

looks pretty good if I do say so myself. 
 

for those in the know, where do I mount the single stage press, left to right on the bench? I'm right handed and using a Rock Chucker Supreme. I'm thinking just right of center? So I generally work off the bench to the left of it and pull the press with my dominant hand. 

Went ahead and mounted the press, ran 25 casings through decapping/ sizing. 
 

The overhang on the workbench does need a little reinforcement. I left a gap between the reinforcement 1x4 and the 2x4 frame, and it makes a nice flex hinge in the 1/2" plywood top. Rookie mistake. Luckily I can add a little connector bracing and it will be fine. Works the way it is but if I was pulling big rifle cartridges I think I'd be more concerned 

I'm gonna need to get the press going soon. Gotta make some heavy and slow stuff for the Airweight 44 mag

Anyone got some interesting reloading data for a 300gr plus going under 1000fps? Can be in a special or magnum case

In reply to Antihero (Forum Supporter) :

Lyman 48th lists 300 grain loads for .44 Mag pressures, but the loads for .44 Special top out at 245 grain. Do you have powders on hand, or do you need to go shopping?  1000 fps is max load at .44 mag, so pretty much every powder listed is under 900 fps as a starting load.

What constitutes "interesting" for you?

In reply to matthewmcl (Forum Supporter) :

I've got 2400, Unique, imr4227 and 296 on hand i believe. It's been literally years since I've reloaded.

Heavy and slow is interesting to me in this moment. The 329 is punishing at higher powers so I want something middling for shooting a lot of, I need to practice with the trigger a lot. I also have a lot of 300gr Lazer cast

1000fps shouldn't be Max load really, most if not all factory 300s are a lot over that.

In reply to Antihero (Forum Supporter) :

Well, sure enough.  Just the same, all of the loads in Lyman 48th are maxing out a 1000 ± a bit.  For cast bullets, and powders you listed, they have:

COAL 1.700, Universal receiver w/ 4" barrel

2400 (acuurate in tested firearm): Start = 14.0 gr, 857 fps --- Max = 15.7 gr, 1001 fps

IMR-4227 (mag primer): Start = 16.5 gr, 837 fps -- Max = 19.0 gr (compressed), 1008 fps

W296 (mag primer): Start = 18.2 gr, 982 FPS -- Max 19.0 gr, 1064 fps.

I can check quickload to see if newer, high energy, powders do better, but that does not change the book data on the older powders.

In reply to matthewmcl (Forum Supporter) :

No that's ok, that's the powder I have on hand and finding powder sucks up here now.

Although I just found my old load book and was using 20.7 to 22gr imr4227 for those bullets and my notes say it wasn't a Max load. Definitely not compressed too so that's interesting. 1079-1133fps by chrony in a 5.5 Redhawk.

In reply to Antihero (Forum Supporter) :

One thing that happens is that powder compositions actually change, and 4227 as made 40 years ago does not necessarily burn the same as 4227 made today.  The other is that different guns and different bullets, even with the same "specs." can still work differently, hence the need for starting loads.

Furthermore, it is worth noting that Lyman was not listing the use of a vented barrel. While that is normal practice for revolver rounds, .44 special and .44 mag get put in more things than just revolvers.  I would expect that a load that was max in a Ruger (a tough gun to begin with) would be over max in an unvented test barrel.  I would expect that your data, if tested in a revolver, would give good data for your use in a revolver.

By the way, did you get the 329PD or something else?  I have never had the desire to shoot .44 mag, but I still want a 329PD.

In reply to matthewmcl (Forum Supporter) :

I got the 329pd. It's a fantastic gun. The stock wood grips are good to about heavy 44 Special, but the rubber ones included are great for heavy stuff.

You know you are firing something heavy, but it's doable

https://www.handloadermagazine.com/

Link to useful articles that tend to pop up in me email.

docwyte said:

My friend says he can't source 9mm bullets, so has had to stop reloading.

Cast them?  As long as you aren't trying to go +p you can push cast bullets just fine.

Hung out with my buddy yesterday and walked through his set up, so I dialed in my dies for the .40 today. Just focused on working brass and getting the bullet seated correctly. Powder and primer will be the next step. 
 

factory on the left, mine on the right:

Looks good.  I am not sure if it is the light, but it looks like your case still has a little bell to the mouth.  If that is the case, and it causes you any issues, there are a couple different easy ways to deal with that at the loaded ammo stage.  Sometimes that is just running them through the sizing die with the decapper removed. Sometimes you very lightly run a crimp die.  Sometimes you just shoot 'em and bell them a little less the next time around.

If you just have a seated bullet (or a few), you can hand cycle them to see if there are any issues. You likely won't have issues.

It kind of looks that way to me too but I can't find it with a mic. I should recheck it when I'm less tired. 
 

that's the final "good" bullet from setting up the dies with no powder or primer, so still time to adjust. The bell is just enough to get the bullet to stay in the case mouth for setting. I set the taper crimp die according to the instructions but I swear it feels like it's not doing anything. I may try lowering  the taper crimp some and run a couple dummy rounds to see if it looks better. 

EDIT 9/9/20

I had a little time this morning before a doctor visit so I went back through my set up. Checking a freshly belled shell I was within the recommended size of bullet diam + <0.030".  I was running bullet diam +0.023 on the inside of the brass, so should be good. I reset my taper crimp die by putting a factory round in the press and tightening the taper die down on it snug, then tightening the bullet pusher down as well. Then I put in a belled casing and a bullet and fine-adjusted the bullet pusher to get the same final OAL as the factory round.

I have a concern with roll crimping. I just set up my .38 special dues last night. I'm setting 158gr lead semi wadcutters. I had to adjust the RCBS crimp  die lower than the instructions called for in order to make the roll crimp look like the one on the factory load I was referencing. When using starting powder loads, is there any danger in too much crimp causing an over pressure situation? I think it's right looking at the factory ammo, but better safe than sorry.