What did you do in the reloading room recently?

[headednorth]

This thread is making me feel guilty. I have to get back down the basement and do something besides laundry...

 

[mac1911]

My second to last order actually had a "HEAVY" sticker on it, I've never seen that before, but my wife and I did have a chuckle about it.

When trading wheel weights for home made shotgun shot was a thing years ago the Guy at the PO would piss and moan about the heavy flat rate boxes. Then the old lady behind the counter would nudge him out of the way "Watch out Sally I have a mans job to do" pick up the boxes and load them onto the rolling cart.

 

[Uzi2]

When trading wheel weights for home made shotgun shot was a thing years ago the Guy at the PO would piss and moan about the heavy flat rate boxes. Then the old lady behind the counter would nudge him out of the way "Watch out Sally I have a mans job to do" pick up the boxes and load them onto the rolling cart.

They have absolutely nothing to complain about.....the limit on flat rate boxes is 70lbs. You should have just told the pansy assed guy to STFU and do his job.

 

[daekken]

I spent earlier this evening organizing my ammo.
Then, did up twenty rounds of 8mm Mauser for the K98. The 198gr projectiles feel huge compared the usual 150-168gr ones I run in my other rifles.

 

[mac1911]

They have absolutely nothing to complain about.....the limit on flat rate boxes is 70lbs. You should have just told the pansy assed guy to STFU and do his job.

The old lady did that everytime!

 

[mac1911]

I spent earlier this evening organizing my ammo.
Then, did up twenty rounds of 8mm Mauser for the K98. The 198gr projectiles feel huge compared the usual 150-168gr ones I run in my other rifles.
View attachment 255144

Awaiting the range report. What are you running for powder and velocity.

 

[DW357]

Last night I decided to finally play around with the 170 gr coated gas checked bullets along with Trailboss for the K31. Took some time to figure out what OAL to use that won’t hit the lands/rifling. I basically did the plunk test and 2.74" would allow the round to freely fall out of the chamber. Anything longer than that I had to drop a wooden dowel down the bore to knock it out. Just need to figure out the chargeweights that shoot the best....

I also had to expand the cases to prevent shaving folllwed by a light crimp to remove the flare.

On an unrelated note, when I was doing the plunk test I noticed some rust on the face of the chamber. Chucked a 12 gauge brush into my drill along with Remoil and was able to remove 95% of it. I think it was just surficial. Not sure how it got like that. I may have been overlooking the chamber last time I cleaned it - prob over a year ago.

I just ordered an AR10 chamber brush that has a wide steel skirt at the base to clean the chamber. Don’t know if it will be wider than the 12 gauge brush but we’ll see.

 

[DW357]

I opened a new can of Trailboss and since they fill them to the top, I ended up spilling some while trying to dispense into my powder measure. Prob lost 10 grains. Wasn’t very happy when that happened. I should have been more careful when I was pouring.

 

[daekken]

Awaiting the range report. What are you running for powder and velocity.

40gr of Accurate 2520, for 2200fps. Manual only has ranges of 38-42gr for this powder, so going right in the middle.

 

[mac1911]

Last night I decided to finally play around with the 170 gr coated gas checked bullets along with Trailboss for the K31. Took some time to figure out what OAL to use that won’t hit the lands/rifling. I basically did the plunk test and 2.74" would allow the round to freely fall out of the chamber. Anything longer than that I had to drop a wooden dowel down the bore to knock it out. Just need to figure out the chargeweights that shoot the best....

I also had to expand the cases to prevent shaving folllwed by a light crimp to remove the flare.

On an unrelated note, when I was doing the plunk test I noticed some rust on the face of the chamber. Chucked a 12 gauge brush into my drill along with Remoil and was able to remove 95% of it. I think it was just surficial. Not sure how it got like that. I may have been overlooking the chamber last time I cleaned it - prob over a year ago.

I just ordered an AR10 chamber brush that has a wide steel skirt at the base to clean the chamber. Don’t know if it will be wider than the 12 gauge brush but we’ll see.

I have been using a spray on rust preventative for many years. Its almost like a spray on cosmoline. I use it on rifles i dont shoot often.
Also VCI is a good thing
https://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&k...vtargid=kwd-5918200464&ref=pd_sl_4cm9ocan9a_e

Also started using these a few years ago for added protection.
https://www.amazon.com/Twin-Pack-Ze...551838&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=vci+emitter+tube
I also use Armor brand VCI especially the paper. I save it from parts i get at work.

 

[pastera]

I opened a new can of Trailboss and since they fill them to the top, I ended up spilling some while trying to dispense into my powder measure. Prob lost 10 grains. Wasn’t very happy when that happened. I should have been more careful when I was pouring.

Trailboss doesn't seem to like to pour until it avalanches uncontrolled.

I just modeled and printed a funnel that fits the Lee hopper, my Lyman 55 and hodgdon 1lb bottles - has a 3" mouth so I hope donating powder to the floor is a thing of the past.
Edit: add pictures

How does 3d printing connect to reloading? My printer is in my reloading room.

 

[DW357]

Trailboss doesn't seem to like to pour until it avalanches uncontrolled.

I just modeled and printed a funnel that fits the Lee hopper, my Lyman 55 and hodgdon 1lb bottles - has a 3" mouth so I hope donating powder to the floor is a thing of the past.

That is awesome!!

 

[mac1911]

Last night I decided to finally play around with the 170 gr coated gas checked bullets along with Trailboss for the K31. Took some time to figure out what OAL to use that won’t hit the lands/rifling. I basically did the plunk test and 2.74" would allow the round to freely fall out of the chamber. Anything longer than that I had to drop a wooden dowel down the bore to knock it out. Just need to figure out the chargeweights that shoot the best....

I also had to expand the cases to prevent shaving folllwed by a light crimp to remove the flare.

On an unrelated note, when I was doing the plunk test I noticed some rust on the face of the chamber. Chucked a 12 gauge brush into my drill along with Remoil and was able to remove 95% of it. I think it was just surficial. Not sure how it got like that. I may have been overlooking the chamber last time I cleaned it - prob over a year ago.

I just ordered an AR10 chamber brush that has a wide steel skirt at the base to clean the chamber. Don’t know if it will be wider than the 12 gauge brush but we’ll see.

Just remember trail boss max load is to the bottom of the bullet. I m just getting back to testing with trailboss.
To date 2400 and reduced loads of H4895 have delivered best accuracy especially out to 200 yards. I like trsil boss for inside 100 plinking. I get fun accuracy with culled bullets and very little powder.

 

[DW357]

Last night I decided to finally play around with the 170 gr coated gas checked bullets along with Trailboss for the K31. Took some time to figure out what OAL to use that won’t hit the lands/rifling. I basically did the plunk test and 2.74" would allow the round to freely fall out of the chamber. Anything longer than that I had to drop a wooden dowel down the bore to knock it out. Just need to figure out the chargeweights that shoot the best....

I also had to expand the cases to prevent shaving folllwed by a light crimp to remove the flare.

On an unrelated note, when I was doing the plunk test I noticed some rust on the face of the chamber. Chucked a 12 gauge brush into my drill along with Remoil and was able to remove 95% of it. I think it was just surficial. Not sure how it got like that. I may have been overlooking the chamber last time I cleaned it - prob over a year ago.

I just ordered an AR10 chamber brush that has a wide steel skirt at the base to clean the chamber. Don’t know if it will be wider than the 12 gauge brush but we’ll see.

Now I’m wondering if this plunk test is really a good way to tell if it hits the rifling. I just tried some rounds that were 2.73" And I had to knock them out with a dowel. It’s very possible my brass might not be sized all that well. I had a whole bunch of brass prepped and primed from over a year ago.

The GP11 rounds fall right out

Is there an easier way to determine the correct overall length that doesn’t hit the rifling?

 

[DW357]

Just remember trail boss max load is to the bottom of the bullet. I m just getting back to testing with trailboss.
To date 2400 and reduced loads of H4895 have delivered best accuracy especially out to 200 yards. I like trsil boss for inside 100 plinking. I get fun accuracy with culled bullets and very little powder.

My local range is 120 yards so these are perfect for that distance.

 

[DW357]

When I get home I’ll have to try plunking my 168 gr BTHP reloads. Those are loaded with the same brass and they shoot very well.

 

[mac1911]

Now I’m wondering if this plunk test is really a good way to tell if it hits the rifling. I just tried some rounds that were 2.73" And I had to knock them out with a dowel. It’s very possible my brass might not be sized all that well. I had a whole bunch of brass prepped and primed from over a year ago.

The GP11 rounds fall right out

Is there an easier way to determine the correct overall length that doesn’t hit the rifling?

You can make a DIY over all length gauge.
Drill out the case head to fit any small rode thats long enough to fit up into the neck. You can use fine threaded rod if gou want to get fancy.
then with just enough rode extending out o f the case and not interfere with the action. You do need to make the bullet slip fit in the neck.
Or
https://www.amazon.com/Hornady-C155...=1542554053&sr=8-3&keywords=hornady+oal+gauge
And a modified case.

Or use a sharpie to see the lands marking the bullet.

 

[DW357]

You can make a DIY over all length gauge.
Drill out the case head to fit any small rode thats long enough to fit up into the neck. You can use fine threaded rod if gou want to get fancy.
then with just enough rode extending out o f the case and not interfere with the action. You do need to make the bullet slip fit in the neck.
Or
https://www.amazon.com/Hornady-C155...=1542554053&sr=8-3&keywords=hornady+oal+gauge
And a modified case.

Or use a sharpie to see the lands marking the bullet.

Sharpie worked. 2.74-2.75" is about the max OAL I can load.
I loaded some from 12-13.5 gr. Hoping I can sneak out to the range for testing this afternoon. Will post range report if I get out.

 

[DW357]

Well I made it to the range. Had it all to myself which was great.
12 gr Trailboss didn’t perform well. FWIW, I did shoot 3 rounds of my 168 gr BTHPs loaded with IMR-4064 first to warm the bore slightly. Not sure how critical that is.... Anyway, 100 yards off a bag, scoped K31:


13 gr was the best performer it seemed:



13.5 gr:

Whatcha think @mac1911?

I also forgot how awesome (and loud!) the sound is when the bullet SMACKS the paper. Really cool.

 

[DW357]

I also noticed that after shooting the coated rounds and switching to my full power 168 gr BTHP loads, it took quite a few shots before they started to group. I can’t imagine I was having leading issues which might throw off the first 10-15 shots with the jacketed loads?? Seemed really odd. Unless it was just me jerking the trigger. Or the cheap $40 Barska scope?
Now that deer hunting is over I may take off the Nikon 3-9x40 that’s sitting on the Henry...The clarity is night and day.

 

[mac1911]

I also noticed that after shooting the coated rounds and switching to my full power 168 gr BTHP loads, it took quite a few shots before they started to group. I can’t imagine I was having leading issues which might throw off the first 10-15 shots with the jacketed loads?? Seemed really odd. Unless it was just me jerking the trigger. Or the cheap $40 Barska scope?
Now that deer hunting is over I may take off the Nikon 3-9x40 that’s sitting on the Henry...The clarity is night and day.

One thing I have learned no matter what bullets your using it seems your bore needs to be seasoned to what ever your shooting. I have no other details other than experiencing what you did.
Another thing is try not to mix cast then jacketed.
Accuracy is about what I expect from trailboss. I don’t think I done much better than 3moa. Still need to get back to the K31 for cast loads.
Have you slugged your K31 bore or throat? Cast do better with the right size bullet.
Trailboss: what’s the max load you can run with powder to base of bullet?
Also how’s the neck tension. I was having horrible accuracy out of the mosin until I bought a larger neck expander.
I was using the expander that’s .310” and when I was pushing the .314”+ bullet it was expanding the neck or crushing the bullet. Either way I ended up with loose bullets in the neck. Bought a custom neck sizer from one of the guys on CB&GL.com
For me it took more time to find good loads with cast than jacketed. So far the 1903a3 is the only one getting better than 2 moa

 

[DW357]

One thing I have learned no matter what bullets your using it seems your bore needs to be seasoned to what ever your shooting. I have no other details other than experiencing what you did.
Another thing is try not to mix cast then jacketed.
Accuracy is about what I expect from trailboss. I don’t think I done much better than 3moa. Still need to get back to the K31 for cast loads.
Have you slugged your K31 bore or throat? Cast do better with the right size bullet.
Trailboss: what’s the max load you can run with powder to base of bullet?
Also how’s the neck tension. I was having horrible accuracy out of the mosin until I bought a larger neck expander.
I was using the expander that’s .310” and when I was pushing the .314”+ bullet it was expanding the neck or crushing the bullet. Either way I ended up with loose bullets in the neck. Bought a custom neck sizer from one of the guys on CB&GL.com
For me it took more time to find good loads with cast than jacketed. So far the 1903a3 is the only one getting better than 2 moa

Well that's good to know I wasn't losing my mind...I had never experienced that before. I don't seem to recall having this issue with my 1903a3 and reduced loads then switching to jacketed but I'll have to check that again.

Yeah I was wondering about mixing cast/coated bullets then jacketed. Is that usually a big no no?? These are gas checked and coated to prevent any leading. But you still think it's not advisable?

I have not slugged the bore but I would think it's not oversized based on the crazy good accuracy I get with my .308" jacketed reloads and GP11 ammo. Half inch groups at 100 yards.

14.5-15 gr is about the max that I can cram into a case below the bullet. I thought about loading closer to max but after getting decent results with 13 gr I'm not sure it's worth it. Especially for my distances. For all I know these could shoot 12" groups at 200 yards but I can't shoot that far at my range.

I assume neck tension is good based on the forced required to seat the bullets. I also apply a light crimp to remove the flare.

I'm pretty happy with the results for a cheap 24 cent plinking round at 100 yards. I'm not competing but if it is possible to squeeze out more accuracy I'm willing to try.

 

[mac1911]

Well that's good to know I wasn't losing my mind...I had never experienced that before. I don't seem to recall having this issue with my 1903a3 and reduced loads then switching to jacketed but I'll have to check that again.

Yeah I was wondering about mixing cast/coated bullets then jacketed. Is that usually a big no no?? These are gas checked and coated to prevent any leading. But you still think it's not advisable?

I have not slugged the bore but I would think it's not oversized based on the crazy good accuracy I get with my .308" jacketed reloads and GP11 ammo. Half inch groups at 100 yards.

14.5-15 gr is about the max that I can cram into a case below the bullet. I thought about loading closer to max but after getting decent results with 13 gr I'm not sure it's worth it. Especially for my distances. For all I know these could shoot 12" groups at 200 yards but I can't shoot that far at my range.

I assume neck tension is good based on the forced required to seat the bullets. I also apply a light crimp to remove the flare.

I'm pretty happy with the results for a cheap 24 cent plinking round at 100 yards. I'm not competing but if it is possible to squeeze out more accuracy I'm willing to try.

I have no input on the coated bullets. I’m not so sure if lube has any effect on accuracy.
Don’t let searing force fool you. Depending on bullet size you end up stretching the neck and unlike jacketed bullets lead squishes easy and does not have any elasticity to it

If it was a beater rifle like a worm mosin I say shoot what ever when ever . A nice K31 I would clean the bore well between jacketed and lead, even coated.

Think of it like this. Standard resized case and a FMJ. Upper. The neck is what .002”ish under bullet size” the FMJ has a Bhn or 30-50? Cast bullet is bhn or less than 18 ?
Inside neck size is roughly .306” what are your Bullet sized to?

Fun stuff you will get there.

 

[DW357]

I have no input on the coated bullets. I’m not so sure if lube has any effect on accuracy.
Don’t let searing force fool you. Depending on bullet size you end up stretching the neck and unlike jacketed bullets lead squishes easy and does not have any elasticity to it

If it was a beater rifle like a worm mosin I say shoot what ever when ever . A nice K31 I would clean the bore well between jacketed and lead, even coated.

Roger that.

It's nice to be able to shoot both coated lead and jacketed during the same range session but maybe I should just decide to shoot one or the other when I go. The coating is pretty tough as I've recovered some of the bullets in the berm and the coating is still intact for the most part.

Since I'm off work tomorrow, I might use that copper bore foaming cleaner and let it soak for a little while to try and get any lead/copper out.

 

[daekken]

Since I'm off work tomorrow, I might use that copper bore foaming cleaner and let it soak for a little while to try and get any lead/copper out.

Which brand of foaming stuff did you get? I bought some "foaming" bore cleaner that was more like a gel and didn't really foam up--but, it did seem to do a pretty good job, if a little messy.

Also jealous of your day off. I wanted to do a lunch trip tomorrow but given the forecast, Wednesday is more likely.

 

[DW357]

Which brand of foaming stuff did you get? I bought some "foaming" bore cleaner that was more like a gel and didn't really foam up--but, it did seem to do a pretty good job, if a little messy.

Also jealous of your day off. I wanted to do a lunch trip tomorrow but given the forecast, Wednesday is more likely.

I was off last Tuesday too because of the weather. Work outside...

 

[daekken]

I was off last Tuesday too because of the weather. Work outside...

Ah.
Posting in this thread just reminded me my mother-in-law is coming up on Black Friday for the weekend, so I should be able to do some loading. I should probably order some 9x18 projectiles to do initial Makarov rounds. The new 21# recoil spring shows it was delivered today.

 

[mac1911]

Roger that.

It's nice to be able to shoot both coated lead and jacketed during the same range session but maybe I should just decide to shoot one or the other when I go. The coating is pretty tough as I've recovered some of the bullets in the berm and the coating is still intact for the most part.

Since I'm off work tomorrow, I might use that copper bore foaming cleaner and let it soak for a little while to try and get any lead/copper out.

I have had good luck for years using gunslick foaming bore cleaner. Although I scrubbed a enfield clean , at least it appeared clean. No more blue green patches and regular patches came out clean. Then I used Montana Extreme copper killer, nasty stuff. Makes sweets 762 smell like roses.

 

[pastera]

Smelted 50+ lbs of pure lead (clean lead sheet) on the ghetto melter ($10 Walmart Hotplate).

If anyone is looking for pure lead PM me if you would like to trade for some other lead (I don't care as long as I have some idea of what's in it).

Otherwise I'm going to order some Rotometals superhard to alloy this out to hardball (2% tin, 6% antimony) - my calcs show a cost of about $18 for 1000 124g 9mm (~$70 for 1k coated commercial))

 

[DW357]

I have had good luck for years using gunslick foaming bore cleaner. Although I scrubbed a enfield clean , at least it appeared clean. No more blue green patches and regular patches came out clean. Then I used Montana Extreme copper killer, nasty stuff. Makes sweets 762 smell like roses.

Ya gunslick that’s what I use.