What did you do today in the world of reloading?

[Polkwright]

Acme sure does pack their stuff well. Wood boxes, banded together, and boxed in a cardboard box with a bit of padding around the sides.. I guess they don't trust UPS.

 

[Polkwright]

a set of check weights would have caught it, as well. I don't know how I got along without those for so long. They verify that my scale is set correctly and leveled properly. I use them at the start of each loading session. It adds about 1 minute to the "loading time"... I'm still using the Ohaus scale I bought to start reloading with back in 1970-ish.... still right on the money.

Maybe. But he could have verified with the check weight and still have set the scale wrong when he went to load. If that is indeed what caused it.

 

[hornetguy]

Maybe. But he could have verified with the check weight and still have set the scale wrong when he went to load. If that is indeed what caused it.

I don't doubt that, but not if he did it correctly.
Set your scale for what charge you are going to use.... get out the check weight, pick the weights that most closely add up to your "set" charge weight, and put them on the scale.
If he was going to use 9 gr, but set it for 19, the 9 gr charge weight wouldn't even move the scale... should be pretty obvious.
I was going to use 4.7 gr in my acp load, so I set the scale, and put the 4 gr and the .5 gr weights on the scale, and it read correctly.... easy peasy...

 

[Lonesome Dove]

I don't even have weights to do that with it's set it and forget it. I test it with a 250g weight for balance and that's it. 40 plus years later I've never created a bomb.
This guy was Stupid is as Stupid does. Forrest is pretty bright guy.

 

[Polkwright]

I don't doubt that, but not if he did it correctly.
Set your scale for what charge you are going to use.... get out the check weight, pick the weights that most closely add up to your "set" charge weight, and put them on the scale.
If he was going to use 9 gr, but set it for 19, the 9 gr charge weight wouldn't even move the scale... should be pretty obvious.
I was going to use 4.7 gr in my acp load, so I set the scale, and put the 4 gr and the .5 gr weights on the scale, and it read correctly.... easy peasy...

Yeah, that would prevent it.

I have exactly one check weight that came with my digital scale. I use it every once in a while just for grins. But my situation is a bit different. 99% of the time I'm using a fixed cavity measure. I've got a lot of data on how much of what powder each cavity throws. I'm not an experimental reloader.

For example, I've been loading the same .38 load since 1980. I've used a couple of other loads over that time, but pretty much only when there was a shortage of components that required me to change. When I find a load that works well for me, I stop looking. I'm just weighing to verify I have the right cavity.

Of course I started long before digital scales were widely available at a reasonable price. But I despise balance beam scales. They are sooooo tedious. I also hate adjusting powder measures. So I came up with a way to eliminate both. I also only reload for pistol rounds. Things might be different if I loaded for rifles.

 

[hornetguy]

This is the set I bought.... $35.... pretty cheap insurance for quick "sanity checks"....I use the Lee autodisk mounted on the press on the powder through expanding die for most handgun rounds. The scale is used to weigh the first few charges to verify, then about every 10th one... it doesn't take long (what's time to a hog, right?) and I get a warm fuzzy. Depending on the powder, Bullseye, 231, True Blue, etc that meter so consistently, I measure about ever 25th one or so. They just don't vary. When using the flakes like 700X and Unique, I measure about every 10th one.

 

[Polkwright]

Another day, another 200 rounds of .41 magnum while the Astros are blowing out the Orioles 12-3 at the moment in the bottom of the 6th. While I typed this 14-3.

 

[Polkwright]

This is the set I bought.... $35.... pretty cheap insurance for quick "sanity checks"....I use the Lee autodisk mounted on the press on the powder through expanding die for most handgun rounds. The scale is used to weigh the first few charges to verify, then about every 10th one... it doesn't take long (what's time to a hog, right?) and I get a warm fuzzy. Depending on the powder, Bullseye, 231, True Blue, etc that meter so consistently, I measure about ever 25th one or so. They just don't vary. When using the flakes like 700X and Unique, I measure about every 10th one.

First off let me start by saying you're doing it the right way. You're not wrong. Nothing that follows should be taken that way. I used to do something similar. I changed after a couple of decades.

I used to do spot checks. I only found something once. It was in my first year (1983) with the Dillon. The powder adjustment came loose (I probably didn't tighten it) on my DIllon powder measure and my charge weight changed a little. At first it was at the high end of the range, then just a tad over, which is when I started looking and found it. This is one reason I went to the fixed disk measures.

Since I now check (when using the Dillon) every 100 rounds when I reload the primers, I would have caught it at the tail end, but I would have had to pull a hundred bullets at worst. I was loading .38 and the overweight was still well within .357 magnum specs so nothing would have happened. But still. Not good.

A couple of decades went by and I ran into another problem. I had 200 rounds with 10% squibs. I had spot checked all of these but if you have 10% wrong and you're checking 5% you could easily miss it. I did. This made me question even doing the spot check. It's a fixed disk measure. It can't change outside of a random malfunction or a one-off error in operation. Those are definitely possible but the random check is unlikely to catch it. So I stopped. I decided it was a waste of time for me.

Now the batch with 10% squibs made me go real slow trying to figure it out. Turned out it was the spring operation on my Auto Disk. Every once in a while it would stick in the forward position and not return to pick up powder. I replaced the measure and also got rid of the spring return and rigged a chain for the return so the disk is driven to return. It will either return or the chain will break, which would be obvious to the operator.

The bulk of my loading is done on the Dillon. They are not conducive to frequent checking. Besides, what's the point of speed if you're going to slow it down like that for no real benefit that I can see. Might as well just load on a single stage. When I load on a single stage I use loading blocks and visually inspect. I'm also likely using an adjustable measure so I do check them more often.

In my 40-something years those are the only two issues I've had. I hate pulling bullets but that probably takes less time than slowing myself down by checking it more often. The other part of this is I don't really enjoy reloading. It's interesting, but not really fun to me. It's a means to an end for me.

Some will spot check, some will weigh every charge, everybody needs to find their own comfort level.

 

[rp-]

Some will spot check, some will weigh every charge, everybody needs to find their own comfort level.

Personally, I like to setup my pistol press so I can see every charge. Takes an extra second but if I see one too full or not full enough I'll pull it and send it back through.

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[Moonpie]

Cleaned up all the brass from Saturday's range trip.
Reloaded 150+ .44spl. Ready to shoot.
deprimed, resized, trimmed, belled, reprimed 100+ .45Colt.
Reloaded 100 .38spl. Ready to shoot.
Deprimed and annealed 40 30-30 brass. After they cool off I'll resize, trim, prime them.
Used up all the .44 and .357 bullets I had on hand. Trip to reloading store soon.
Need some more plastic ammo storage boxes anyways.

 

[rp-]

Cleaned up all the brass from Saturday's range trip.
Reloaded 150+ .44spl. Ready to shoot.
deprimed, resized, trimmed, belled, reprimed 100+ .45Colt.
Reloaded 100 .38spl. Ready to shoot.
Deprimed and annealed 40 30-30 brass. After they cool off I'll resize, trim, prime them.
Used up all the .44 and .357 bullets I had on hand. Trip to reloading store soon.
Need some more plastic ammo storage boxes anyways.

You don't drop into water when you anneal? I just got my machine and not sure if I'm supposed to or not.

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[Moonpie]

You don't drop into water when you anneal? I just got my machine and not sure if I'm supposed to or not.

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Only if you want to cool the cases quickly. It doesn't effect the metallurgy much.

 

[Gordo]

About to head out the door to pick up a pound of TiteGroup, and a box of 140 gr XTP .38 JHP, in my quest to get my .45acp sabot idea to work.

Tried 5.9 grs of Unique, and it was pathetic, only about 600 ft/s out of a 5" barrel, and that was a compressed charge.
Figured it was due to how easily the poly sabots pass down the bore, not giving enough time for the powder to fully burn/build pressure.

 

[usmcpmi]

Have you thought about trying some Bullseye?

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[Polkwright]

...or maybe TiteWAD...

 

[hornetguy]

I cannot tell from your pic, you may already do this, but perhaps a heavy roll crimp over the end of the sabot might help get the powder burning....

 

[Gordo]

Trying to remember why I chose not to go with Bullseye.
It was on my initial list, may have been I was having a hard time finding any.

Titewad?
I am not!
I go out of my way spending all the money I have...
(joke)
That may be the next to try.

And I am getting a noticeable crimp on half of the cartridge, probably due to my old Lyman turret press.
Going to take it apart, and see if I can shim the turret a little tighter.

 

[alternative]

First off let me start by saying you're doing it the right way. You're not wrong. Nothing that follows should be taken that way. I used to do something similar. I changed after a couple of decades.

I used to do spot checks. I only found something once. It was in my first year (1983) with the Dillon. The powder adjustment came loose (I probably didn't tighten it) on my DIllon powder measure and my charge weight changed a little. At first it was at the high end of the range, then just a tad over, which is when I started looking and found it. This is one reason I went to the fixed disk measures.

Since I now check (when using the Dillon) every 100 rounds when I reload the primers, I would have caught it at the tail end, but I would have had to pull a hundred bullets at worst. I was loading .38 and the overweight was still well within .357 magnum specs so nothing would have happened. But still. Not good.

A couple of decades went by and I ran into another problem. I had 200 rounds with 10% squibs. I had spot checked all of these but if you have 10% wrong and you're checking 5% you could easily miss it. I did. This made me question even doing the spot check. It's a fixed disk measure. It can't change outside of a random malfunction or a one-off error in operation. Those are definitely possible but the random check is unlikely to catch it. So I stopped. I decided it was a waste of time for me.

Now the batch with 10% squibs made me go real slow trying to figure it out. Turned out it was the spring operation on my Auto Disk. Every once in a while it would stick in the forward position and not return to pick up powder. I replaced the measure and also got rid of the spring return and rigged a chain for the return so the disk is driven to return. It will either return or the chain will break, which would be obvious to the operator.

The bulk of my loading is done on the Dillon. They are not conducive to frequent checking. Besides, what's the point of speed if you're going to slow it down like that for no real benefit that I can see. Might as well just load on a single stage. When I load on a single stage I use loading blocks and visually inspect. I'm also likely using an adjustable measure so I do check them more often.

In my 40-something years those are the only two issues I've had. I hate pulling bullets but that probably takes less time than slowing myself down by checking it more often. The other part of this is I don't really enjoy reloading. It's interesting, but not really fun to me. It's a means to an end for me.

Some will spot check, some will weigh every charge, everybody needs to find their own comfort level.

Finally, if your press allows it a powder check die can really help. I use the RCBS lockout die and it checks for over and under powder loads. Pistol only.

 

[CodyK]

Went and shot some hand loads that were shooting really well (.5”-.75” consistently) out of my 6 creedmoor. Wanted to see how they did with the supressor instead of the tuner/brake I had been running. Probably my shooting, but groups were .75”-1”. Bad part is, I had a couple boxes of Hornady Black 105 BTHP’s that had grouped about 1” before I had the supressor. Today I shot two 5 shot groups with them. One was .32” and the other was .47”! Made me wonder why I bother hand loading!


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[Polkwright]

Finally, if your press allows it a powder check die can really help. I use the RCBS lockout die and it checks for over and under powder loads. Pistol only.

You know, I should try one of those. I only have four stations but with a lot of bullets it's O.K. to seat and crimp in the same die. I load mostly SWC's for revolvers and the crimp groove usually will allow for it.