What did you do in the reloading room recently?

Processed (decapped and U-sized) some 40 brass this weekend. I broke the index return spring on my 650. Dillon put one in the mail after filling out the service web form. I was able to find a very close match at Ace Hardware to keep going until hit arrives. I need to dust off the Case Pro 100 and then finish the bullet feeder I started at the beginning of COVID.

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I'm finally getting down to the 6000 or so primers and 6 pounds of powder left from my 1980s buying spree.
I'm not looking forward to paying today's prices for reloading supplies.
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Looks like you haven’t reloaded since the 80s based on the dust and condition of those components 😂
 
Looks like you haven’t reloaded since the 80s based on the dust and condition of those components 😂
I don't shoot like I used to, that's for sure.
I'll get the press up and running once or twice a year. Enough pistol to fill a 30 cal ammo can for each pistol cartridge I'm into at the time.
Maybe 2000 each of .45 acp, .357 mag, .38 special, and 9mm.
I load rifle ammo on the single stage in small batches of 50 or less.
 
Doing some load development for 30-06.

49.0 gn of IMR 4350
CBTO of 2.637, 2.634, 2.631, 2.628, 2.625 to determine best accuracy (5 of each)
CCI Large Rifle Primers - primed on a Hornady LnL
Hornady 150 gn FMJBT
R-P brass 1x previously fired in this rifle, full length sized, trimmed to 2.484 using the Frankford Arsenal motorized trimmer (chamfered/deburred)

I probably made about 8.5 million measurements doing all this with the Headspace gauge, Bullet Comparator and OAL gauge.

Using a Lyman T-mag turret press I got in a large bulk lot. I was able to consistently get the correct CBTO for every round using that and the basic Lee dies. We'll see how they shoot:
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I loaded up some 22 TCM 9R. 9.5g of Accurate's TCM powder sends a 39g bullet at 1900fps out of a G17 conversion barrel. Its only purpose is to produce smiles and giggles at the indoor range with the lights dimmed. This cartridge has pretty much no recoil, and all of the flash and noise.

View attachment 701922


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Wjs7uS1vCk



View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wD47Vi1JTAk

Love it. Reminds me of the blast and rings of fire when I had my Coonan 357 mag 1911.
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Doing some load development for 30-06.

49.0 gn of IMR 4350
CBTO of 2.637, 2.634, 2.631, 2.628, 2.625 to determine best accuracy (5 of each)
CCI Large Rifle Primers - primed on a Hornady LnL
Hornady 150 gn FMJBT
R-P brass 1x previously fired in this rifle, full length sized, trimmed to 2.484 using the Frankford Arsenal motorized trimmer (chamfered/deburred)

I probably made about 8.5 million measurements doing all this with the Headspace gauge, Bullet Comparator and OAL gauge.

Using a Lyman T-mag turret press I got in a large bulk lot. I was able to consistently get the correct CBTO for every round using that and the basic Lee dies. We'll see how they shoot:
View attachment 701793
Nice! What you shooting them out of? I have the comparator tool which is helpful but I’m shooting them from a Garand and 1903A3 inside of 120 yards. Calipers work good enough for me 😂
I did find the 168 gr bullets to shoot noticeably tighter than 150s.
 
Nice! What you shooting them out of? I have the comparator tool which is helpful but I’m shooting them from a Garand and 1903A3 inside of 120 yards. Calipers work good enough for me 😂
I did find the 168 gr bullets to shoot noticeably tighter than 150s.

Browning AB3

This is my first go round for rifle, hence the 8.5 million measurements. I’ll expand to other bullet weights as I progress. I have some 165’s as well.

Once i get a load for this i’ll start to develop one for the Garand.

The toughest part was setting up the Lyman 55 powder drop. Ended up just dropping at 48.7 (variation was 0.2) and just trickle charging to 49.
 
Low on typical SKS bullets and small rifle primers, so these R-P cases won't get reloaded again soon. The 100 grainers from AR work just fine. Loaded a few and ran them this afternoon (21.5 grains W296).
I guess I'll have to dig out the Coleman Stove to pour some 200 grain JSWC for the SKS.:
 

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Got a new (to me) 223 bolt gun, swapped a scope over from another, and figured I'd load up 50 rounds to try it out. Picked through my lifetime supply of brass, found 50 all the same Lake City 2011 headstamp. Sized to just let the bolt close, deprimed, swaged the primer pockets, trimmed to 1.760", wasn't really sure where to start so I just picked a medium load of Accurate 2230, 24.0 grains. Loaded Hornady V-max 50 grain to 2.260".

Packed the truck with shooting mat, spotting scope, tripod, chronograph, range box, rifle... got to the range and nobody was there. Swept the snow off the rifle range pad, set up shop, set up some targets, and another member rolled in and stopped as I was walking back up from putting the targets out. "Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there's no shooting outside today. Only indoor range is open. Trying to keep it quiet for the neighbors today."

Womp womp.

So I bore sighted the scope in, then slung up and dry fired a little while, packed up and went into the clubhouse to make a cup of coffee and read for a while.

Next time. :)
 
A whopping 100 rounds of 9mm whilst watching Christmas football. All are 124 gr V-crown JHPoints. 50 are over 5.5 grains of Power Pistol, and 50 are over 4.1 grains of TiteGroup. From what I’ve researched, they should be good and spicy but not tooo spicy.
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This is 5.6 grains of Power Pistol and Hornady 124g FMJ out of a P228:
1026 1049 1054 1080 1078 avg:1057 sd:22 es:54
 
1000 rounds of 9mm. Some assembly required.
115gr Zero JHPs over 5.8gr True Blue. Cases are primed and flared, ready to load on my single-stage.
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Just finished about 100 of them at a glacial pace. 900 more to go...but not today, I think.
True Blue, great choice.
 
Blew the dust of the blue thing on my bench this afternoon. Lit up a cigar and loaded 500 rounds 115gr. Then loaded 200 rounds of 147gr xtp to try out.
How do the 147s look. I tried some HST recently and damn did I feel like they were seated way too deep. They looked like crap bulging the case.
 
I loaded up some 22 TCM 9R. 9.5g of Accurate's TCM powder sends a 39g bullet at 1900fps out of a G17 conversion barrel. Its only purpose is to produce smiles and giggles at the indoor range with the lights dimmed. This cartridge has pretty much no recoil, and all of the flash and noise.

View attachment 701922


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Wjs7uS1vCk



View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wD47Vi1JTAk


One of my coworkers just bought a rock island 22tcm and he's been having a hell of a time finding load data for it
I might link this post to him
Got any tips and tricks that might help him out?
 
How do the 147s look. I tried some HST recently and damn did I feel like they were seated way too deep. They looked like crap bulging the case.
They look okay, have a little bit of a "coke bottle" shape to them. But, I always get that with the square deal. I don't load anything for my HKs anymore, so I can seat the bullet a little longer. After coffee and animal chores, I'll take a quick picture.
 
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