What did you do today in the world of reloading?

[Maverick44]

I got some work done today.

485 rounds of 9mm.

 

[Dawico]

I'll have to look into it a bit and see if I can see exactly what it's doing. It's feeding them, but it's jamming when the ram is going up. It gets caught up on the metal guide rod and usually knocks it out of that little cup on a spring that it rests on.

Make sure the primer punch is clean. Little shavings of brass get caught in it and it won't retract flush. Then the slide hangs up and pulls on that bar as the plate moves up.

 

[Dawico]

How long has that nail worked for? I'm a little hesitant to drill it although I have hit it with a hammer.

Been in there a while. The frame is Aluminum and the primer punch wearing a hole in it is a common problem. Steel lasts pretty much forever.

The hole is only 1/4" deep or so, not all the way through. The nail can be replaced if needed but I wouldn't see why it would wear out.

 

[GasGuzzler]

Seems appropriate to make a post on page 357...a pic of a home cast .358" bullet in a plated case over a load of A2400.

 

[TheMailMan]

My Hornady LNL AP decided that it REALLY didn't want to feed small pistol primers today, so after several hours of fighting with it and trying to get it to work smoothly, I gave up and sized/primed the damn things (all 400 of them) the old fashion way with a single stage press...

The primer feed has always been a bit temperamental, but damn... That was just a frustrating experience.

I had two Hornady LnL presses. I fought the priming systems on both of them from the start. Once I set up my sweetheart deal Dillon 650 the Hornady presses were gone. I really should have done more research before buying the Hornady.

The biggest clue should have been that used Hornady LnL AP presses sell for about 50% of new and used Dillon presses will sell for 80% or more of new.

 

[xdmikey]

I bought into the free bullet bullshit and was scared off of Dillon by the addons needed to get it rolling but now I’ve learned that those addons are replaced forever for free.

 

[xdmikey]

GasGuzzler, that is a very attractive bullet.

Maybe one day I’ll make some.

 

[GasGuzzler]

GasGuzzler, that is a very attractive bullet.

Maybe one day I’ll make some.

You should. Do you have a similar mold?

 

[Dawico]

I bought into the free bullet bullshit and was scared off of Dillon by the addons needed to get it rolling but now I’ve learned that those addons are replaced forever for free.

Dillon and Hornady both have great customer service.

The LnL AP can be finicky but I don't regret my purchase at all. Once you get to know it and learn how to maintain it it is a great machine.

 

[xdmikey]

You should. Do you have a similar mold?

I have no molds or anything else to start the process!

 

[TheMailMan]

Dillon and Hornady both have great customer service.

The LnL AP can be finicky but I don't regret my purchase at all. Once you get to know it and learn how to maintain it it is a great machine.

I really wanted to like the Hornady LnL AP. I spent hours fiddling with them, timing them, trying to get them to run. I think the best run I ever did was 125 before I had to fix/tune something.

The first Dillon 650 I bought ran right out of the box. So did the second. IMO the Hornady is a great press for someone who doesn't shoot much and likes to fiddle with the press. The Dillon 650 is for someone who wants it to work and likes to shoot. I've done 700 rounds at a sitting with no problems on the Dillons. I've loaded right at 15k rounds this year on my pair of Dillon 650 presses. The only thing I've had to adjust is the powder drop or bullet seating depth.

IME the Hornady is a great press for someone who wants to have something to fiddle with. The Dillon 650 is for people who like to load ammo.

 

[orbitup]

Waiting for a shorter gas block befor I test my new barrel so instead of breaking it in I loaded up some 90 gn Gamechangers to try out. The ogive is just tucked into the brass.

 

[sanspeu1r]

Yesterday molded 452" 230 grain bullets and 308 118 grain bullets both round nose. Experimenting with a subsonic load for my Rem 700 308 to protect the barrel from many firings while I get used to using my rifle like a 22 rifle. Hope to learn how to snap shoot accurately when surprised by some critter that suddenly appears after long hunting days and maybe my only opportunity to fill my tag.
Just sayin'

 

[Dawico]

I really wanted to like the Hornady LnL AP. I spent hours fiddling with them, timing them, trying to get them to run. I think the best run I ever did was 125 before I had to fix/tune something.

The first Dillon 650 I bought ran right out of the box. So did the second. IMO the Hornady is a great press for someone who doesn't shoot much and likes to fiddle with the press. The Dillon 650 is for someone who wants it to work and likes to shoot. I've done 700 rounds at a sitting with no problems on the Dillons. I've loaded right at 15k rounds this year on my pair of Dillon 650 presses. The only thing I've had to adjust is the powder drop or bullet seating depth.

IME the Hornady is a great press for someone who wants to have something to fiddle with. The Dillon 650 is for people who like to load ammo.

I won't disagree with anything you're saying. Never owned a 650 but have used one a few times.

I can load hundreds on my AP without issue but I have also deburred and chamfered the priming system so every brass shaving doesn't clog it up. It does still happen though.

If I ever decide to get another press it will probably be a 650 though.

 

[xdmikey]

+100 to Dawico's response. I too have loaded maybe 3-400 rds without an issue. Then I have to move on to something else: dog, car, child or wifey shit! Then I come back and knock another 3-4!

I have to admit I was close to biting on the 650/Inline setup being hawked on arfcom but truth be known, the LNL works for me more often than not AND a shooting buddy of mine(2X Dillon owner)recently told me "the Dillon will make a lot of ammo quickly" and another shooting buddy I've noticed is now using the Hornady powder dispenser!

 

[Maverick44]

The Hornady works most of the time. The primer system is usually a little finicky (especially with small primers), but this was the first time it has outright refused to work. I occasionally have to fiddle with a few other things, but mostly it works without issue. Once I got going on those nearly 500 rounds of 9mm, it just ran smoothly. The only hiccups I had were due to a bullet feeding die, and that's because I was trying to run oversized bullets through it. Even that ran pretty well.

Overall, it is a good press. If I ever buy another progressive press though, it will likely be a Dillon 650. Sometimes, I just want to load ammo and load it fast.

And yes, I LOVE the powder dispenser. I can't blame someone for sticking with it.

 

[TheMailMan]

The Hornady powder measure is a good measure. I've still got a spare one floating around.

 

[SQLGeek]

Cleaned the cobwebs off of my press again and made sure everything was still lubricated. Really need to get back into loading 45 ACP. Of course I'm not shooting right now either.

 

[Skee]

Loaded up 1000 9mm 147 grain over 3.2 grains of Titegroup.

 

[rmantoo]

Used Dillon prices are all over the place. Lately- last 6 months- I've seen more 650s and 1050s at 50% or less.

I have bought 2 more 1050s for less than $800 each. I think it's the Mark 7 Evo and Revo putting price pressure on the market.