What did you do in the reloading room recently?

I also use coffee cans, labeled on the lid with tape and sharpie for easy removal/swapping/updating.
38spl dies arrived, gonna size/prime the cases tonight.
 
Just sorted 1800 pieces of 38 special brass to remove the 23 pieces of 357 and 6 pieces of 32 auto.
Now I need to make a few more random goodies to ship back.
 
Lee Precision Auto Disk bushings v1.png Bushing 0.41 w txt.png

Was having trouble with my adjustable charge bar dropping very short drops - Modded a model I already had drawn up in Fusion 360 and wrote an OpenSCad script for the bushing.
Each bushing takes about 30 minutes to print if I use a 0.06 mm (~0.002") layer height (looks almost injection molded) - at reasonable layer heights I can print 3 together in the same time.

With W231, a 0.4 cc bushing drops 3.98 to 4.08 grains with 4.02 the norm. This thing seriously sped things up by not having to deal with random short drops.
 
View attachment 261356 View attachment 261355

Was having trouble with my adjustable charge bar dropping very short drops - Modded a model I already had drawn up in Fusion 360 and wrote an OpenSCad script for the bushing.
Each bushing takes about 30 minutes to print if I use a 0.06 mm (~0.002") layer height (looks almost injection molded) - at reasonable layer heights I can print 3 together in the same time.

With W231, a 0.4 cc bushing drops 3.98 to 4.08 grains with 4.02 the norm. This thing seriously sped things up by not having to deal with random short drops.

Huge time savings and awesome to have the exact load you want. So they just swap out right? You can have your bar in the case with your dies.
Can you print a label on the bushing so you know what each is?
 
Huge time savings and awesome to have the exact load you want. So they just swap out right? You can have your bar in the case with your dies.
Can you print a label on the bushing so you know what each is?

The bushings have the volume printed on the side as part of the script - If you expand the picture of the bushing it shows the size (0.41cc) engraved automatically.
Change a variable, hit a button to export the model to your slicer software and then print.

I have most of my models up on Thingiverse - pastera's Thingiverse Profile

Once you know the right volume, you can edit one of these to print the exact load data on the side:
Dual cavity customized single height disk: 0.28cc - 1.6cc
Lee AutoDisk Customized Disk by pastera
Dual cavity customized double height disk: 0.56cc - 3.2cc
Lee AutoDisk Customized Double_Disk by pastera

If anyone wants custom seater stems, let me know - it's easiest if you have a drawing of the nose profile but a good picture of the profile with a ruler (scale) next to it works too.
Can also do top punches for the Lyman 45/450/4500 - ran over 1K with one that still looks freshly printed.
 
The bushings have the volume printed on the side as part of the script - If you expand the picture of the bushing it shows the size (0.41cc) engraved automatically.
Change a variable, hit a button to export the model to your slicer software and then print.

I have most of my models up on Thingiverse - pastera's Thingiverse Profile

Once you know the right volume, you can edit one of these to print the exact load data on the side:
Dual cavity customized single height disk: 0.28cc - 1.6cc
Lee AutoDisk Customized Disk by pastera
Dual cavity customized double height disk: 0.56cc - 3.2cc
Lee AutoDisk Customized Double_Disk by pastera

If anyone wants custom seater stems, let me know - it's easiest if you have a drawing of the nose profile but a good picture of the profile with a ruler (scale) next to it works too.
Can also do top punches for the Lyman 45/450/4500 - ran over 1K with one that still looks freshly printed.


That’s awesome man thank you for the offer.
I might take you up on a seater insert for my NOE 311365
 
Finally used the powder cap/spout @pastera. It worked great with the TAC powder container. With the static electricity it was a PITA to pour the powder without the spout. Screwed it on and didn’t have to worry about spilling powder everywhere. This will be great for fine ball powders that are affected more by the static. Thanks again.
 
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Finally used the powder cap/spout @pastera. It worked great with the TAC powder container. With the static electricity it was a PITA to pour the powder without the spout. Screwed it on and didn’t have to worry about spilling powder everywhere. This will be great for fine ball powders the are affected more by the static. Thanks again.

Did you find the pour too slow?
I was thinking about enlarging the spout to get a faster pour but that makes a spill easier...
 
Did you find the pour too slow?
I was thinking about enlarging the spout to get a faster pour but that makes a spill easier...
No not at all. It takes a fraction of a second to fill my hopper. I haven’t tried it with coarser stick powders yet. I’ll be using reloder 15 soon. I’m sure it will be fine.
 
Finally used the powder cap/spout @pastera. It worked great with the TAC powder container. With the static electricity it was a PITA to pour the powder without the spout. Screwed it on and didn’t have to worry about spilling powder everywhere. This will be great for fine ball powders that are affected more by the static. Thanks again.
Hmm and all these years I been rolling up a piece of paper into a funnel shape.
 
Mac, we have 3D printers now! Ain’t got time for rolling pieces of paper....[laugh]
Aint got one of them there thingmabobs.
although i see a lot of good uses for one. I still think custom front sights made from some tough plastic would be great !
Would be especially nice for cast bullets and making front sights wider for the ageing eyes.
 
Aint got one of them there thingmabobs.
although i see a lot of good uses for one. I still think custom front sights made from some tough plastic would be great !
Would be especially nice for cast bullets and making front sights wider for the ageing eyes.

it would have to have a melting point that is probably higher than the stuff a 3D printer uses
 
@mac1911 Rolling paper is for weed!
I completely blanked out printing the sight for you - sorry, work got in the way and the rest fell into the CRS bucket.

Found the model in one of the links you provided - have one printing now (it'll be done in 20 minutes)
 
it would have to have a melting point that is probably higher than the stuff a 3D printer uses

How hot does your barrel get when tossing a couple of rounds down range in a bolt action?

I'm printing one in PLA which does have a relatively low melt point but there are materials that can hit 100°C without issues
Plus, once the right size is found in cheap plastic a metal one can be ordered
 
A couple of rounds no problem, but there are times when the barrel will be smoking hot if there's any cosmo in the handguards or oil left on the barrel. That's gotta be a bit hotter than 100C
 
A couple of rounds no problem, but there are times when the barrel will be smoking hot if there's any cosmo in the handguards or oil left on the barrel. That's gotta be a bit hotter than 100C
i will try to remember the IR thermometer and see on the enfield.
 
@mac1911 Rolling paper is for weed!
I completely blanked out printing the sight for you - sorry, work got in the way and the rest fell into the CRS bucket.

Found the model in one of the links you provided - have one printing now (it'll be done in 20 minutes)
No problem it will be a while before I get back to that project.
 
If there's one thing we can thank fudds for, it's shooting their 30-06 hunting rifles and leaving the brass. This autumn/winter has been a feast. Grabbed another 10-15 pieces plus (strangely) a couple 8mm Mauser pieces. Recovered 9/15 Makarov brass I fired.
38spl projectiles shipped and expected on Saturday. Necksized .311 7.62x54R worked well but only tested on small steel plates as there was actually a crowd today. I can definitely feel an accuracy boost in my CMP Special vs. service grade. Not huge, but more precise on the thin hanger plates, I think. More consistent ejection as well.
 
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Was tidying up in the garage and found some Hi-Tek coating from the Casting Seminar - can't let that sit around so I cast up 10 lbs (around 500) of 9mm and coated them today.
IMG_20190103_123812993.jpg Odd color from the small amount of copper color Hi-Tek mixed with what I think is Old Gold - Now just need to run them through the sizer and stuff some cases

Also got bored so I made a seating die for a round I don't even load (300 blackout)... had to work from SAAMI drawings and a single range pickup case (not even sized)
300 AAC Blackout Seater v2.png
The unsized case is tight in the printed die so I may have to increase the clearance.
 
If there's one thing we can thank fudds for, it's shooting their 30-06 hunting rifles and leaving the brass. This autumn/winter has been a feast. Grabbed another 10-15 pieces plus (strangely) a couple 8mm Mauser pieces. Recovered 9/15 Makarov brass I fired.
38spl projectiles shipped and expected on Saturday. Necksized .311 7.62x54R worked well but only tested on small steel plates as there was actually a crowd today. I can definitely feel an accuracy boost in my CMP Special vs. service grade. Not huge, but more precise on the thin hanger plates, I think. More consistent ejection as well.
8mm is a common round. Many a sporter built from 100 years of mausers .

I find a lot of brass also. 200 cases of boxer/brass 762x25 was my last
“Sweet” find all nicely repacked into the boxes to boot!
 
8mm is a common round. Many a sporter built from 100 years of mausers .

I find a lot of brass also. 200 cases of boxer/brass 762x25 was my last
“Sweet” find all nicely repacked into the boxes to boot!
I did get a few pieces of 8mm and 303 over the years from people not wanting it. There's at least two people I know that go to my MA club literally every day to case the brass buckets. They don't shoot, they just come, check the buckets and the firing line, and leave if they don't find anything.

I grabbed about 40 cases of 38spl today and recouped close to the amount of 9mm reloads I fired. Tumbling some 30-06 presently.

I do like it when people put the cases of their 30-06 hunting rounds back neatly into the box and then put it in the bucket.
 
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