What did you do in the reloading room recently?

Thank you!
Yeah i just picked up a Marlin 1894 that was restocked and set back to 44 Special.
It's missing the ejector thought. Apparently the first 44 mags had a unique ejector so it's a goose chase now.

That sucks. How hard would it be to make one if you can't find one?
 
I don't think it would be that hard just time consuming.
The problem is getting the exact dimensions.
I'm going to take apart my 1894 in 357 from 1974 and see if it's the same style. I read somewhere that this was only on the 44 mag.
If I can find someone with one that can give me dimensions I'm going to attempt to make one. It's not too crazy. Basically a flat bar with a bend leaf spring on the back. I should have all the stock I need to make one.
 
I don't think it would be that hard just time consuming.
The problem is getting the exact dimensions.
I'm going to take apart my 1894 in 357 from 1974 and see if it's the same style. I read somewhere that this was only on the 44 mag.
If I can find someone with one that can give me dimensions I'm going to attempt to make one. It's not too crazy. Basically a flat bar with a bend leaf spring on the back. I should have all the stock I need to make one.

If you can find a print or one to make a print from, you might have a marketable product. I wish you well.
 
Finally got around to getting the Dan on paper at 100 yards. At 4x this was the group size. Seems about 2-3". I think with more practice I should be able to tighten it up a bit.
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14.7 gr 2400
Zero 158 gr JHP

After that I rang the 8" steel at 120 yards. So much fun.
 
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image.jpg I recently revisited shooting 45acp. Been a long time and after getting to shoot one of Greg Derrs fine pieces I broke out my 1911 bare bones S&W and performance center 1911

Going with a 185 grain B&G 185 grain SWC clone with a Lyman mold. I was shooting Clays alot because I have a lot of it. Although for target work I might go with bulls eye or unique. I dont need much velocity for target work.
so basically Im going to run at the lower end of velocity and 100% cycle. Clays was pretty soft shooting with my 230 grain cast loads I just dont know how it will burn with the lighter bullets and charge weights.

For Clays Im thinking 3.5 - 4.0 grains ?
BE ?
I also have 231 on hand.
Now to find the 45 acp brass buried deep in the shed
 
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Manged to break the powder measure on my Dillon 550. The lower part of the body collar (#13940) snapped during a reloading session. Replacement on it's way from Dillon..no charge.

100% sure this is my fault. Using an eBay "quick connect" clamp replacement (#13939) to allow for tool-less removal of the power measure...it's plastic and the bolt holes look worn and enlarged. It's going in the trash....back to stock Dillon parts.

Back up and running. Quick replacement part shipped from Dillon. Cranked out a few hundred 9's just because ;-)
 
View attachment 299520 I recently revisited shooting 45acp. Been a long time and after getting to shoot one of Greg Derrs fine pieces I broke out my 1911 bare bones S&W and performance center 1911

Going with a 185 grain B&G 185 grain SWC clone with a Lyman mold. I was shooting Clays alot because I have a lot of it. Although for target work I might go with bulls eye or unique. I dont need much velocity for target work.
so basically Im going to run at the lower end of velocity and 100% cycle. Clays was pretty soft shooting with my 230 grain cast loads I just dont know how it will burn with the lighter bullets and charge weights.

For Clays Im thinking 3.5 - 4.0 grains ?
BE ?
I also have 231 on hand.
Now to find the 45 acp brass buried deep in the shed
I use only bullseye powder for 45acp. 200 grain plated swc I'm using the tried and true 4.6 to 4.7 grains. Pleasant to shoot.....accurate as f***.....fast follow up shots.

Alliant website States for a 185 grain jhp to use 6.4 grains bullseye for a 986 fps load.

I think bullseye is the perfect powder for 45acp
 
I use only bullseye powder for 45acp. 200 grain plated swc I'm using the tried and true 4.6 to 4.7 grains. Pleasant to shoot.....accurate as f***.....fast follow up shots.

Alliant website States for a 185 grain jhp to use 6.4 grains bullseye for a 986 fps load.

I think bullseye is the perfect powder for 45acp
I have a Bulls eye sample ready to go. Im not pushing them to fast. I only need it to cyle and put a hole in the paper.
 
I hope not. My Model 27-9 with 4x Leupold is already feeling a little inadequate after seeing that, and frankly, so am I. I thought I was doing OK when I could manage a 2" group at 50 yards with it.
[laugh] What barrel length is the 27? Get it out to 100 and see how it groups. It may not open that much more at 100? What are you using for bullets and powder?
 
[laugh] What barrel length is the 27? Get it out to 100 and see how it groups. It may not open that much more at 100? What are you using for bullets and powder?

6.5”. Mostly 158gr Zero JHPs and 180gr Hard cast LRNFPs (Hi Tek). H110 lately. Unfortunately, I can’t shoot it at the 100yd range at Riverside. No handguns allowed. Seeing how fast our target stands get shot up, I’m not sure I disagree with it, though there ought to be an exception for scoped when shooting from a rest. I bloody well think I can shoot it that way better than people generally manage with long guns off-hand using open sights.
 
Picked up a Hornady m1 tumbler for $65. Did a couple of batches of 45acp last night with Hornady corn cob that has polishing compound already in it. 1 hour per batch and they came out like new. Since I picked up the single stage press in June I've just been wiping the brass off with a cloth but after 3-4 reloads the brass just felt gritty. Was afraid I'm wearing out my dies ......and also worried about what the dirty brass was doing to wear out my 1911. Adding a little more at a time to the reloading set up. So far the tumbler seems to work very well. Much faster than I thought with the hurnady media.....I thought it would take many hours to get it shiny......but after an hour I checked the first batch and they were already looking new and the compound in the media seems to keep the dust down.
 
6.5”. Mostly 158gr Zero JHPs and 180gr Hard cast LRNFPs (Hi Tek). H110 lately. Unfortunately, I can’t shoot it at the 100yd range at Riverside. No handguns allowed. Seeing how fast our target stands get shot up, I’m not sure I disagree with it, though there ought to be an exception for scoped when shooting from a rest. I bloody well think I can shoot it that way better than people generally manage with long guns off-hand using open sights.
Bummer on the 100 yard shooting. But yeah people destroying targets is an issue we have at my club too. Mainly on the pistol range guys blasting shotguns which doesn’t take much to destroy a target frame.

I honestly don’t think I’ve tried H110 with 357 yet. Got so much 2400 at the moment. I save H110 for 44 mag.
 
Picked up a Hornady m1 tumbler for $65. Did a couple of batches of 45acp last night with Hornady corn cob that has polishing compound already in it. 1 hour per batch and they came out like new. Since I picked up the single stage press in June I've just been wiping the brass off with a cloth but after 3-4 reloads the brass just felt gritty. Was afraid I'm wearing out my dies ......and also worried about what the dirty brass was doing to wear out my 1911. Adding a little more at a time to the reloading set up. So far the tumbler seems to work very well. Much faster than I thought with the hurnady media.....I thought it would take many hours to get it shiny......but after an hour I checked the first batch and they were already looking new and the compound in the media seems to keep the dust down.
I have the Hornady tumbler; coincidentally, I cleaned mine last night for the first time.
Two plus years of carbon caked onto the bottom of the pan. Took me about 30 minutes of scrubbing with two brass brushes plus water to get it all off. Looks great now, though.

I also dumped my tumbling media, figured two years use 1-3 times a week was long enough; it was pretty nasty. I use a mixture of crushed corncob and white rice, with 1-2 cut up used dryer sheets.

I used to handwash my brass each piece individually. Not only is the tumbler exponentially faster and easier, it has better end results.
 
I have the Hornady tumbler; coincidentally, I cleaned mine last night for the first time.
Two plus years of carbon caked onto the bottom of the pan. Took me about 30 minutes of scrubbing with two brass brushes plus water to get it all off. Looks great now, though.

I also dumped my tumbling media, figured two years use 1-3 times a week was long enough; it was pretty nasty. I use a mixture of crushed corncob and white rice, with 1-2 cut up used dryer sheets.

I used to handwash my brass each piece individually. Not only is the tumbler exponentially faster and easier, it has better end results.
Good to know the media lasts that long! I was wondering how often I'd have to change it and was guessing after maybe 10 runs. Guess it's more than that! Lol

I just ran home for lunch and emptied it out and started a new batch of 38 special. Damn they come out nice with the Hornady corn media with the polishing compound already in it. Think I've already cleaned 800 45acp and 350 38 special cases and the media is pretty dark and only had it in there since yesterday.
 
i use the lyman walnut shell media w/polishing compound. i got the 18 lb tub off amazon. i'll be dead first before i use it all. when i pull the empties out and there's a film on them that turns my hands black it's time to change the media.
 
Good to know the media lasts that long! I was wondering how often I'd have to change it and was guessing after maybe 10 runs. Guess it's more than that! Lol

I just ran home for lunch and emptied it out and started a new batch of 38 special. Damn they come out nice with the Hornady corn media with the polishing compound already in it. Think I've already cleaned 800 45acp and 350 38 special cases and the media is pretty dark and only had it in there since yesterday.
I think it really depends on the person and their standards. My brass, especially if it's only once or twice fired, still looks really nice. Older brass isn't as brilliant now.

When I first started using it I was noticing how dark it got after a couple of runs. I went online and people were saying they ran theirs for months or years. Sometimes it just takes a little longer. I will say that adding the chopped up used dryer sheets helped a lot. When dumping the media into a 5 gal bucket to sift, if I spilled any, I'd add a bit of fresh stuff to replace the spill.

Basically, my threshold for brass is "clean enough."
 
Good to know the media lasts that long! I was wondering how often I'd have to change it and was guessing after maybe 10 runs. Guess it's more than that! Lol

I just ran home for lunch and emptied it out and started a new batch of 38 special. Damn they come out nice with the Hornady corn media with the polishing compound already in it. Think I've already cleaned 800 45acp and 350 38 special cases and the media is pretty dark and only had it in there since yesterday.
I have the Hornady tumbler; coincidentally, I cleaned mine last night for the first time.
Two plus years of carbon caked onto the bottom of the pan. Took me about 30 minutes of scrubbing with two brass brushes plus water to get it all off. Looks great now, though.

I also dumped my tumbling media, figured two years use 1-3 times a week was long enough; it was pretty nasty. I use a mixture of crushed corncob and white rice, with 1-2 cut up used dryer sheets.

I used to handwash my brass each piece individually. Not only is the tumbler exponentially faster and easier, it has better end results.
Do you guys tumble the brass inside or outside your house? Call me paranoid, but I only tumble my brass outside in my porch. I think it doesn't help that I'm in the environmental field where I've tested lead and other heavy metals in air, soil, water etc.[laugh]

But the longer you reuse the media the more concentrated the lead is going to be. So definitely don't hesitate to change it out and/or where gloves and try not to breath in any of that dust.

I used to be good about cleaning my tumbler after each use but I've been slacking on that lately. You guys reminded me that I need to clean it...
 
Do you guys tumble the brass inside or outside your house? Call me paranoid, but I only tumble my brass outside in my porch. I think it doesn't help that I'm in the environmental field where I've tested lead and other heavy metals in air, soil, water etc.[laugh]

But the longer you reuse the media the more concentrated the lead is going to be. So definitely don't hesitate to change it out and/or where gloves and try not to breath in any of that dust.

I used to be good about cleaning my tumbler after each use but I've been slacking on that lately. You guys reminded me that I need to clean it...
I run the tumbler in the basement. I wear latex gloves and a mask when opening the tumbler and dumping the media into the sifter or back into the tumbler, and removing the cases. I do the dumping outside if the weather is not crazy. In snow/winter, I'll do it in the corner of the basement.
 
Do you guys tumble the brass inside or outside your house? Call me paranoid, but I only tumble my brass outside in my porch. I think it doesn't help that I'm in the environmental field where I've tested lead and other heavy metals in air, soil, water etc.[laugh]

But the longer you reuse the media the more concentrated the lead is going to be. So definitely don't hesitate to change it out and/or where gloves and try not to breath in any of that dust.

I used to be good about cleaning my tumbler after each use but I've been slacking on that lately. You guys reminded me that I need to clean it...

I tumble in my basement. I use about a cap full of NuFinish with new media and add more every third or fourth tumble. It knocks down the dust quite a bit and seems to extend the efficiency of the media. Using the dryer sheets also captures a bunch of crud too.

I also use the tumbler for getting lube off my rifle shells by swapping out media. I keep the "de-lubing" media in a separate baggie so it's at the ready when doing a quantity of rifle cases.
 
I started off outside and then inside with a respirator. Now I pretty much do it in the basement with no mask, just kind of hold my breath as I dump. Last lead test was like 4 point something, I forget exactly. Less than 5.
 
I started off outside and then inside with a respirator. Now I pretty much do it in the basement with no mask, just kind of hold my breath as I dump. Last lead test was like 4 point something, I forget exactly. Less than 5.
Did you have your doctor do the test? I've been curious for a long time, but not really sure how to bring it up. I'd rather do it myself.

I heard of someone saying something like "I helped a relative move some old stuff in a basement" but that excuse only works once, and I'd rather not get into a 2A discussion at the doctor's office. I only shoot outside and I make sure to wash my hands, but between shooting 1-2 times a week and reloading, I'm worried about lead levels.
 
Did you have your doctor do the test? I've been curious for a long time, but not really sure how to bring it up. I'd rather do it myself.

I heard of someone saying something like "I helped a relative move some old stuff in a basement" but that excuse only works once, and I'd rather not get into a 2A discussion at the doctor's office. I only shoot outside and I make sure to wash my hands, but between shooting 1-2 times a week and reloading, I'm worried about lead levels.
I would just lie and tell them between scraping/sanding old lead paint (without a respirator) and drinking the local tapwater, you want to know what your baseline lead levels are?
 
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