My on going foray into "pistol" Cartridge reloading...

[Scrumbag]

Well my friends,

It’s Friday and I have been popping out to the garage to play about with reloading gizmo’s and such on my journey into reloading pistol cartridges for the first time.

I have for a long time had a Lee turret press but I have only used the turrets to change between calibres rather than for any progressive reloading.

However, this week given how slow I am at reloading “pistol” rounds vs the guys who do it regularly I thought I would automate the turret and see how I do. So, I have set up the 4 hole turret with my Lee 4 die 44 mag / 44 special pistol set

So, I have learnt a few things…

1)      I’m still not 100% sold on priming on the press and I think for my precision / hunting bottle neck rifle rounds I will still primer using a hand primer but I will persist as it might be just my lack of practice

2)      I think I’m going to buy a Lee auto drum powder dispenser.

a.       It would seem to be quicker rather than a scoop of powder for each charge (seems to take 2 hands)

b.       You are less likely to forget to charge your case as if you have to remember to

         i.      Place primer on primer arm and seat

         ii.      Manually charge case

         iii.      Put bullet on top of case ready to seat

(If I can cut of these steps seems I will be less likely mess-up something)

c.       If you drop a charge through your “charge-through” expander die without raising the ram all the way after priming, it is just a little messy…

3)      I still frickin’ hate handling Unique powder… I swear you look at that stuff and it leaves whatever vessel it is in for somewhere else (Also still not convinced I like how it throws / scoops for volumetric measures)

4)      I also learned that if you don’t do a full stroke, your load through expander can make any pistol bullet look like it was designed for a weird, big bore Nagant or a wadcutter….

5)      I’m impressed with how clean the Federal 150 primers are vs the small and large Magtech rifle primers I use in bottle neck cartridges… (I wonder if this tells me something…)

So, despite the “learning process”, I did load 50+ rds of 44 special fairly quickly yesterday afternoon and I think it bears working with more. (Unique and 240gr RNFP)

So, next plan of action is:

1)      Get Lee autodrum (Might pick up a small Rifle Charging Die as well, I load a fair bit of .223 Rem with X-terminator and that does very consistent weights volumetrically)

2)      I’m going to experiment with priming by hand (using RCBS hand primer) and then resizing, expanding etc (For Lee Carbide pistol dies the pin isn’t needed for the case sizing so can set the decapping pin so it doesn’t decap on the up stroke. If I'm going to do this for .223 Rem looks like I will have to trim the primer pin of the EZ Expander).

3)      Order up some Hogdgon Universal (Apparently it meters well and is the single base, modern, Unique – which I like how it shoots, but hate how it handles…)

Please chime in with advice, wise cracks, anecdotes or anything else you feel.

Scrummy

[Andrew]

Why do you need to load handgun cartridges quickly? I shot 200M handgun comps and never used a progressive press of any kind: not even a turret press. I loaded 200 rounds each of 357 and 44Magnum weekly for practice. I have a Dillon right now but only set up for 9mm to keep my girlfriend's 9mms fed. I still load 44, 32 S&W Long, 38 and 357 on my old RCBS press.~Andrew

[Scrumbag]

1 hour ago, Andrew said:

Why do you need to load handgun cartridges quickly? I shot 200M handgun comps and never used a progressive press of any kind: not even a turret press. I loaded 200 rounds each of 357 and 44Magnum weekly for practice. I have a Dillon right now but only set up for 9mm to keep my girlfriend's 9mms fed. I still load 44, 32 S&W Long, 38 and 357 on my old RCBS press.~Andrew

Hi Andy, I guess it could well be just it seems to take a while reloading them and a mornings shooting you can burn through quite a few in a lever action.

Plus - new set of skills, way of doing things and I quite like learning.

Scrummy

[Andrew]

10 hours ago, Scrumbag said:

Hi Andy, I guess it could well be just it seems to take a while reloading them and a mornings shooting you can burn through quite a few in a lever action.

Plus - new set of skills, way of doing things and I quite like learning.

Scrummy

I thought you'd taken up some form of competitive shooting.

I would size all the cases one evening (carbide, of course) and clean the pockets. Prime and flare the next. Charge and seat one caliber, the next evening. Finish the following. Shoot on the weekends, begin again. I guess I wasn't in much of a hurry back then. I even enjoyed it. I have never loaded straight walled cases on a progressive but I wonder if they would be as accurate as my single stage loads. I would swear by them!~Andrew

[Scrumbag]

16 minutes ago, Andrew said:

I thought you'd taken up some form of competitive shooting.

I would size all the cases one evening (carbide, of course) and clean the pockets. Prime and flare the next. Charge and seat one caliber, the next evening. Finish the following. Shoot on the weekends, begin again. I guess I wasn't in much of a hurry back then. I even enjoyed it. I have never loaded straight walled cases on a progressive but I wonder if they would be as accurate as my single stage loads. I would swear by them!~Andrew

Hi Andy, there will be some competitions shot but nothing serious.

I am trying to develop an accurate hunting load though. 44 mag with N110 and Nosler JSP.

I am learning what a difference crimping makes. These loads I am developing are done singly.

ATB,

Scrummy

[Miseryguts]

Hi scrumbag, If you are after a Lee Autodrum, I have one surplus to needs - 

It is complete with both short and long riser dies, and has a third party powder bottle which can be top loaded without unscrewing, and does not fall off like the Lee one does, and has a powder baffle so that the charge does not vary with the level of powder in the bottle.

I also have a set of 4 extra powder measures, 2 small and 2 large (although the large do convert to the small as per the Lee blurb)

Reason for sale: Now use a Hornady auto trickler and make sure that cases and powder vials always match so I know that all the cases are charged

PM me if interested

M

PS I gave up priming on the press too.  I use a Lee deprime tool, sonic clean the cases, then size on the press etc. Keeps the die clean, and the primer pockets are spotless

PPS welcome to the world of Lever Rifles and LBR ( I have Lever rifles in 357, 44, and 45-70; LBR in 357, and 45Colt. All loaded on the turret press).

[Scrumbag]

Hi Miseryguts,

Dropped you a PM.

So, for your reloading (and to see if I understand the process correctly)

Starting with fired cases.

• Deprime a batch with Lee decapping die (Turret locked)
• Sonic clean
• Prime (I have an RCBS hand primer that I use fairly quickly)
• Size using carbide sizing die (presumably with the decapping pin raised? And turrent press cycling)
• Auto drum powder fill using flow through / expander dies
• Seat
• Crimp

Best wishes,

Scrummy

[1066]

I loaded multi-thousands of pistol calibre cartridges on a Lee turret with Lee auto-disc measure in the olden days, the press was getting a bit sloppy when the pistol ban came so I handed it in for the £30 compensation and immediately bought another just the same which I still use. I now only really use it for .357 gallery shooting rounds and really can't find a fault with it. I turn it by hand, not auto-index.
Loading this type of round is a different ballgame (for me anyway) to loading high accuracy long range rifle rounds. Although I only shoot these at 25 or 50 yards, using an unsized hand cast soft lead bullet they will hold the 10 ring fine - the flyers are all me.

I have no problem with priming on the press, carbide dies mean no lube worries, with the disc measure you can see the powder drop into the case, seat and crimp all in one. A light load of Unique, only enough crimp to take the flare off and the cases seem to last for ever.

No trimming lengths, cleaning, chamfering/deburring, primer pocket cleaning etc.
A visual inspection is all that's needed, a split case is immediately felt when you seat the bullet. Keep an eye out for squib loads, make sure you see the powder drop each time.

[Miseryguts]

19 hours ago, Scrumbag said:

Hi Miseryguts,

Dropped you a PM.

So, for your reloading (and to see if I understand the process correctly)

Starting with fired cases.

• Deprime a batch with Lee decapping die (Turret locked)
• Sonic clean
• Prime (I have an RCBS hand primer that I use fairly quickly)
• Size using carbide sizing die (presumably with the decapping pin raised? And turrent press cycling)
• Auto drum powder fill using flow through / expander dies
• Seat
• Crimp

Best wishes,

Scrummy

Hi, yes that is basically it - some think that I am silly wanting clean brass, but each to their own, I lke clean brass, others don't care.

Whatever makes you happy!

M still smilin' in sunny Monmouthshire

[Scrumbag]

3 hours ago, Miseryguts said:

Hi, yes that is basically it - some think that I am silly wanting clean brass, but each to their own, I lke clean brass, others don't care.

Whatever makes you happy!

M still smilin' in sunny Monmouthshire

Hey, if it makes you happy. I still like putting clean ammo in my guns.

Scrummy

[Scrumbag]

Well, loaded up some 44 mag on the turret with the Lee Auto drum at lunch. And even with Unique I thought pretty consistent. I also did some trial loads with 24.7gr of Ramshot X-terminator and that was really very conistent. Rarely any variation beyond .2 of a grain.

 

I feel an order for the rifle charging die kit coming for .223 Rem and I think 257 Roberts and Ramshot Hunter...

 

Scrummy