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I think I'm going to try it.

I read the ABC's of reloading. Now I'm browsing through the Data Manual that came with the Press. I don't understand any of it, really.

Can you load anything into brass? For example, if I buy a box of WW 230 grain, can I load it with 185 grain, or do I have to stick with 230?

Do you load with lead or jacketed?
 
I personally only load jacketed ammo. I shoot Montana Gold bullets and have for the past few years with great results. You can use almost any powder you choose so long as it is pistol powder. Just make sure you're able to find a load for that specific bullet weight. If you're shooting a 185 grain bullet don't use the data for a 230 grain bullet. Each powder has a different burn rate so choosing different powders will affect the way the gun handles, shoots, etc. That is one of the beauties of reloading. You can custom tune your ammo to match your gun.

Make sure that when using any loading data info that what is listed is the MAXIMUM load. DO NOT exceed those numbers. You should start at about 10% less than what is listed. So if it says 5.0 grains of "X" powder you should start with 4.5 grains and work your way up but don't exceed the 5.0 grains.

Please feel free to ask any and all questions and if I can't answer them someone here will be able to answer them.

One other thing... Don't take someones load without checking to make sure that it is safe. Just because someone says you should use 5.0 grains of "X" powder with a 185 bullet make sure you research it to make sure it is safe. It is easy to make a type-O and mean to type 4.0 grains and by accident hit 5.0.

Pete
 
I got the scale that comes with the press, but it seems hard to read for the type of accuracy they demand. I have a powder through expander adapter that I can use if I use the grains X VMD to get the volume. I assume I need a special expander for this, or will it work on any?
 
Kind of confused...
You got the Lee turret kit correct? If it comes with the Lee safety scale, it is plenty accurate to weigh your powder for you. It's a little tricky at first, but once you get the hang of it, it works just fine. I won't go into details of how to read the scale unless that is the one you have.
Also, are you trying to figure out how to setup the powder measure? Let me know if it's the Lee auto disk measure, and I can help you to understand how that works as well.

If you didn't get dies yet, do yourself a favor and stick with Lee dies. They are PLENTY accurate, and they will last you a lifetime if you take care of them.

Again, let me know exactly what kit you picked up, and I'll help you get this thing up and running.

Adam
 
I picked up the Lee Deluxe Kit with the 4 turret press. I mis-spoke when I said the scale was inaccurate. I should have said "hard to read". The white lines seem to show in multiple windows at once.

I think I understand how it works for the most part. I really haven't started setting it up yet because I need to pick up some 1/4" bolts today.

I haven't tried to set up the auto disk powder measure, but I understand the concept. Determine the volume of the correct load of the powder you are using then insert the appropriate disk. I'm sure I'll get into more problems tonight when I actually start setting it up.

I'll pick up the dies today if I can find them (I'm sure I'll probably have to order them), some calipers, and hopefully a tumbler.

I'm going to start with 9mm Luger and .45 ACP. I'll also start shopping and asking around about powder type and bullet weight recommendations.
 
Ok,
I have recommended it before, and I will recommend it again. This little accessory is going to make your life MUCH easier. While the auto disk will work just fine, there may not be the exact disk to raise you up in the small increments you need. This will make your powder measure infinitely adjustable.
http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=150005

These are the Calipers that I use. They are about the least expensive that are out there, and are 100% accurate.
http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=119623

As for the tumbler, I use a Lyman Turbo 1200. But I use the Frankford Arsenal rotary media separator. This kit has the Frankford tumbler, media separator, media, and polish all in one package. I have heard good things about the Frankford tumblers.
http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=616153

Of course, if you are not in a big hurry, you may want to check out Ebay for the tumbler. That's where I got mine at a very good discount, and was like new.

As for the scale, when you are exactly on the number you want, you will see 3 lines. The middle line is the one that you read. They do this, so you can see exactly how close to the number you are. Also, you will notice a little knob that is used to bump the slider over. If you push in on that knob, it will lock the slide in place. I find the scale is a bit easier to use if you leave it locked in. You will not have to worry about bumping the slide when you are weighing a charge. Of course you will not be able to do this when you are setting your powder charge, but once you have it set, you can lock it in place, so you can spot check your charge by dumping it into the tray, and hooking it on the scale.

Hope this helps
Adam
 
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I use the 700X for 45ACP, and am happy with it's performance. In addition, I use 4895 for my 308.

Adam
 
Martlet said:
Do you buy your stuff locally, or order it online?
Click to expand...

I do a combination of both. I buy all my primers at Four Seasons and if I'm using a regular powder I'll buy that there as well. However, I use Vihtavori powder and you can't buy it locally so I order it online and ship it. I have to pay a hazmat fee each delivery so I usually order 8-12lbs. at a time. I would recommend using a powder you can buy locally. I buy a lot of my brass on Ebay believe it or not. People are always selling once fired brass for next to nothing. Pick up a few thousand cases and you won't have to spend all day picking up brass when you go shooting. I grab what I see and leave the rest.
 
Is it illegal to deliver bullets to MA, or will companies just not do it? Does anyone know a place on the north shore where you can buy them? Four Seasons just has lead.
 
The AG will sue any company that sells components via mail-order. His legal basis for doing so is suspect, but he's got home-court advantage and would probably win. So he's scared most of them away.

Four Seasons will likely order anything that you want.
 
Martlet if you do a search here you'll find the long story posted a number of times.

The AG has issued an "opinion" that the shipment of any ammo/components/mags/knives/chemicals/anything gun/knife related to ANYONE in MA (even a Licensee) is illegal and that the transaction "occurs in MA". This is contrary to the UCC which is accepted (probably under some Fed Code and the US Constitution of the way "Interstate Commerce" is run) in 49 states, and the AG apparently accepts UCC for anything not gun/knife related.

Well, I have an "opinion" about the AG too!

Opinions are NOT LAW, thus it is not illegal to ship that stuff here if they demand proof that you may possess it (copy of LTC and C&R FFL meets the actual LEGAL requirements). However the AG sets up stings on out of state dealers and threatens them with huge fines and lawsuits . . . they fold and sign a "consent decree" swearing under oath (perjury is prosecutable) that they will NEVER ship anything into MA again!

Two Notes:

- In the past many out of state dealers did not request or want copies of LTC or C&R FFL before they would ship ammo to MA. Thus they really weren't in compliance with Fed Law and set themselves up for a "sting".

- According to GOAL, the AG's "opinion" included shipments to 01 FFLs and distributors in MA, however he chose to go after only the "retail sales" to individuals.
 
I have some Federal Classic 115 grain +P+ shells, but they are white. Are those reloadable?

I'm trying to keep all my stupid questions in the same thread, even though they aren't the original topic. I hope that's ok. I figured it was better than crapping all over the forum. This way people who are sick of answering them can avoid me like the plague.
 
I've been reloading for several years now and have NEVER trimmed a single pistol case. Rifle would be a different story but for pistol brass you won't need to trim it. If it gets too long then just throw it away. I pretty much shoot the same brass until it either cracks or the head stamp is getting hard to read. Brass is so cheap (unless it is .38 super) that it isn't worth the extra look. If it looks questionable just throw it away. No big deal!!!

Pete
 
Likewise -- I was measuring all my .40 brass, and something like 1 or 2 in 300 needed trimming, so I quit too. I'm finding the same to be true on .38 SPL, but for the sake of experimenting will keep measuring them for a few hundred more.
 
I put out 100 rounds today. We'll see how it goes sometime next week. If the powder is .1 UNDER the starting charge, am I going to have trouble?
 
What do you mean starting charge? Do you mean that you took the max and took off 10% and are still .1 lower? Or are you .1 lower than the MAX? If your powder charge is too low then the gun will fire but most likely it won't have enough force to completely cycle the slide. Not that big a deal as you'll just have to increase the powder level.
 
PistolPete said:
What do you mean starting charge? Do you mean that you took the max and took off 10% and are still .1 lower? Or are you .1 lower than the MAX? If your powder charge is too low then the gun will fire but most likely it won't have enough force to completely cycle the slide. Not that big a deal as you'll just have to increase the powder level.
Click to expand...

I don't know anything about"10%". I'm using Winchester 231 powder, so I went to their website and checked their data. For the 230 grain FMJ, they list a "starting charge" of 4.9 and a max charge of 5.7. I was using the auto disk powser measure and it seemed to be putting out 4.8 to 4.9. Maybe it was just me having trouble with that scale.

I was just wondering if it being .1 below the "starting charge" listed if it would be a huge deal.
 
Martlet said:
I was just wondering if it being .1 below the "starting charge" listed if it would be a huge deal.
Click to expand...

No big deal. See how it feels. You won't truly know where you are until you chronograph your loads through your gun.
 
Here is a post from a guy on brianenos.com:

"heres a way to clean your shells fast cheap and easy. Not recommended for those with less than 3000 shells.

Anyway, just put the dirty sooty shells in a tub. put water in it just to submerge it plus maybe 1/2 inch.

get a small sachet of your concentrated liquid detergent and if you have a lemon cut it in half and squeeze the juice in the tub.

then mix it with your hands for 2-3 mins. Leave to soak if you want but not necessary.

rinse it properly preferably 4x with clean water. run through a media separator to remove excess water.

Sun dry and you have shiny clean brass!!! of sometimes when its raining i just use the wife's blow dryer to dry it properly. Also note that the brass should not be layered with each other when drying or the ones below will still be damp. So spread it around in a huge plastic container use 2 or 3 if necessary.

Remember to dry it properly. In hot sun it takes about an hour exposed to the rays.

you dont have to waste electricity, no need to inhale lead fumes, less space, and is cheap.

Im cheap"

http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=36906&hl=

So I guess the answer is that you don't need a tumbler but it does make thing much easier. I bought the biggest one I could buy and never looked back.

Pete
 
when life gives you lemons, clean your brass?

Seems like a lot more work and a waste of water to me.
Just throw the stuff in the stupid tumbler, and go to bed.
Shut it off when you get up in the morning.
or when you come back from work if you forgot. It's cleaner then.
 
Cross-X said:
Here we go again. Save yourself time, trouble, and aggravation. Get a Dillon.

My favorite model is the 550B. Can't go wrong with a Dillon.
Click to expand...

That's what I have, never had a problem. For match rifle loads I use it as a single stage, for handgun and plinking ammo I use it as a progressive press.
 

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