I found out last night some Federal .45 is small primer. Did a dry run of 9mm and got in tuned in to spec pretty quick.
They started that a few years ago during the ammo crunch. Such a pain.
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I found out last night some Federal .45 is small primer. Did a dry run of 9mm and got in tuned in to spec pretty quick.
I used to run that and h335 with 223. Varget gave me even smaller groups though. With 6 and 6.5mm stuff extruded is kind of a must.
Why?
nice job. got a lot into a small space. in a couple of years show us pics of how your reloading area took over the entire area.Built a reloading bench/area in my garage and set up the Dillon press that my wife gave me for Christmas/Hannukah...
Built a reloading bench/area in my garage and set up the Dillon press that my wife gave me for Christmas/Hannukah...
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2x6 Frame with new back "wall".
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Oh yeah, I picked up a flat the other night, have to put the new tire back on.
I have to use space creatively in my garage, lot going on in there.
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Monitor on shelf, computer on other side of wall, away from sawdust, milling chips, dirt, etc.
Storage inside of bench.
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Press mounted.
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Elves. Checking OAL of non-primed, non-charged first couple of rounds.
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Work up a load properly for Safety and then Accuracy.View attachment 186612
Finished setup...
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Five test rounds for tomorrow morning.
115 grn Berry's 9mm FMJ.
Hodgdon's Universal powder.
Data from their site says min is 4.5, max is 5.0.
I set it up for 4.7.
I don't anticipate any issues; I expect to be loading several hundred tomorrow morning after I test these.
It's good to have hopes, right?
Work up a load properly for Safety and then Accuracy.
Just picking a random number to load just because it is in between the #s in the book, is unwise.
I would have very likely blown up my 4" 500 using that approach, over pressure signs waaaay below listed Max.
Work up a load properly for Safety and then Accuracy.
Just picking a random number to load just because it is in between the #s in the book, is unwise.
I would have very likely blown up my 4" 500 using that approach, over pressure signs waaaay below listed Max.
Please explain.
I took the min and max from the manufacturer's site for that specific powder, for that bullet weight.
I know I want to avoid squibs.
I know I want to avoid over-pressures.
I checked the calibration of the scale carefully, I checked the weight of multiple "pours" to make sure of what was going into the shell.
4.7 wasn't a "random" number, I chose it.
I deliberately went just under the half way point of the listed "safe range" listed by the manufacturer.
I loaded five rounds instead of fifty, and I'll probably wear gloves, (especially since I managed to catch the tip of my forefinger with a charging bolt during a steel match Saturday - you DON'T want to see pictures of that). I'm NOT trying to be argumentative. This is the first time I've done this and I'd appreciate any advice.
Please explain.
I took the min and max from the manufacturer's site for that specific powder, for that bullet weight.
I know I want to avoid squibs.
I know I want to avoid over-pressures.
I checked the calibration of the scale carefully, I checked the weight of multiple "pours" to make sure of what was going into the shell.
4.7 wasn't a "random" number, I chose it.
I deliberately went just under the half way point of the listed "safe range" listed by the manufacturer.
I loaded five rounds instead of fifty, and I'll probably wear gloves, (especially since I managed to catch the tip of my forefinger with a charging bolt during a steel match Saturday - you DON'T want to see pictures of that). I'm NOT trying to be argumentative. This is the first time I've done this and I'd appreciate any advice.
What powder,bullet,primer combo where you using.
If you had over pressure signs way below max did you contact the powder/bullet manufacture. Maybe the data is wrong?
I know this is not new info to you but for others, reading primers is like reading tea leaves, but my 500 does not typically flatten primers (my 44 mags flattens all of them at min loads and up).
This pic is from 350gr bullet 42.6 gr H110 (Left to right, discolored, slightly flattened, very flattened). This is why you work up a load. I am loading 41.7gr for best accuracy and it gives plenty of safety margin.
http://www.massreloading.com/reading_pressure_signs.html
So we have a discrepancy of 4.7 Gr of H110, anyone like playing Russian roulette with a bomb in your hand.
All data based on 8" 500
Hornady 9th edition Max 43.3
Hornady 10th edition Max 44.7
Hodgdon 43.0 gr
Lyman 50th 40.0gr
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You'll note that your powder manufacturers website calls it starting load and maximum load, not minimum and maximum loads. The intent with starting at starting and working up is to allow you to detect overpressure signs before they reach a level that will cause damage. It also gives you a full range of tested powder weights to see what the most accurate in your firearm is.
The load you started with probably won't be an issue. 9mm is a pretty friendly cartridge to reload. At this point Hodgdon would no longer consider your process a safe one, though. They do tend to be very conservative when it comes to how you use their products.
I think the real danger is that if you make your method of load selection a habit, it could get you in very real trouble when you reload a different cartridge that operates closer to the limits such as the 500 S&W mentioned above. Even 9mm can go wrong, though.
In any case, it's your call. I'm not going to say I've never picked a load like you did, either. You should understand the extra risk you're assuming by doing so.
Happy Shooting!
I start at the maximum and work my way up.
So I am in the process of acquiring my first .45 and of course, I will need to reload SOON. Any suggestions for dies on a 650? Does everyone switch back and forth with primers? I don't have the counter space for multiple machines.
i'm a little confused on what your trying to say...you mean switching between small and lrg primed .45 cases? what i do is toss the small primer cases in a tub and don't even bother loading them. i won't junk them but when i get a few thousand accumulated i'll reload them all together. oddly, i haven't come accross a small primed .45 acp in a while so life is easy for now. it is a pain to sort them.Just yesterday I set up my XL650 for .45ACP for the first time. I chose to do it the hard way as far as large primers go. It was definitely a bit of a PITA. I wanted to know what it I'd be avoiding by throwing another $85 at it. When I switch back to small primers I'm thinking it's going to be painless since I won't have my face in the manual.
i'm a little confused on what your trying to say...you mean switching between small and lrg primed .45 cases? what i do is toss the small primer cases in a tub and don't even bother loading them. i won't junk them but when i get a few thousand accumulated i'll reload them all together. oddly, i haven't come accross a small primed .45 acp in a while so life is easy for now. it is a pain to sort them.
I recently made the choice between the 2, straight wall on the 50 made it an easy decision for me vs bottleneck on the 458. Still waiting on my form 1, so haven't made a round of Beowulf yet.Went to range monday and it was FULL. 6 guys to the left of me spam firing their new Xmas AR15s. I ask them if they want their brass and they say no. I walked away at least 1000 once fired .223 cases and some .45.
I'm currently depriming and doing a quick wet tumble of everything before I site down to resize, swage and trim this stuff. Got $200 in basspro gift cards to burn from xmas, too...but think their powder prices suck usually. Maybe primers?
I'm also considering going full retard and building up a .50 Beowulf or a .458 socom from an 80% lower I have and both would be obvious reloading situations. Hearing the .458 might be an overall better option but the .50 almost seems irresistible. Anyone reloading either of these?
I recently made the choice between the 2, straight wall on the 50 made it an easy decision for me vs bottleneck on the 458. Still waiting on my form 1, so haven't made a round of Beowulf yet.
50 Beowulf Straight wall, like Pistol, this is like loading s&w 500.I would assume both need full resizing and case trimming just like 223, correct? I honestly havent looked seriously into reloading either in any detail.
50 Beowulf Straight wall, like Pistol, this is like loading s&w 500.
458 is bottleneck, like any high powered rifle, like 223
No need to push any shoulder and trim on Beowulf