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Post by AxeHandle on Mar 5, 2014 7:03:55 GMT -5
I remember holding a Hammerli Free Pistol in the late 70. A pair showed up at a Birmingham gun with no stocks at a dirt cheap price. One of the few people who recognized what they were quickly bought them both for a song. He sent them back to Hammerli for new wood. The guns had needle points silver soldered on the triggers to allow the shooter to feel the trigger. If you pointed the muzzles up the weight of the trigger would fire them.
Those BR shooters can be a bit eccentric. Still rememeber the haranguing I received, from a shooting buddy, for laying my cleaning rod on a concrete shooting bench. Couldn't argue with the man. At that point in time he was the NBRSA 200 yard heavy varmint record holder. A tool and die maker by trade, he built the rifle he shot the record with.
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Post by magnumwheelman on Mar 5, 2014 7:13:05 GMT -5
Ah... rocket science for the common man... I reload close to 75 different calibers... some are very simple ( though I do carry some of my accuracy anal qualities through to most rounds )... & some are more complex... I do use a universal decapper, & wet tumble all my cases, I like my primer pockets clean, & my brass to look like new, no matter what type of load it is... I do put all my ammo in plastic 50 round boxes, & put the recipe, & load date ( on masking tape ) on each & every box I reload... on stuff like my cowboy action loads, they just have to be steel plate at 20 ft accurate, ( & BTW I've never shot for accuracy competitively, but I do have my own 300 yard range, & greatly enjoy sitting down at my bench, over some sand bags, & wringing out a gun for the afternoon ) so, I strive for the most accurate loads I can get on some rifles, I sort my cases by headstamp, on everything, except my cowboy rounds, where I'm lucky to get back as many cases as I fired, & often not even the same caliber... & I learned long ago, on the "little guys" even the tiniest of details can make a big difference... so for the hornet based rounds, & my 17 calibers, I do weigh cases, & uniform & deburr flash holes... I guess the OCD thing must be setting in, as in most of my rifle rounds, ( even rifles I've had for many years ) I still have a hard time loading more than 50 to 100 rounds with the same recipe, at a time, even if I'm sitting on a 1000 empty cases... always on the search for that little bit more accurate round with this last round of shortages, I have been forcing myself to start loading larger quantities of ammo... yes, I have "most" of my components on hand, but seems like I don't make a commitment on bullets, so I'm always short on those... I need to learn to enjoy shooting them more, & quit stressing about having too many cases tied up with only "marginally accurate" loads
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Post by AxeHandle on Mar 5, 2014 8:49:26 GMT -5
I like to keep a few sets of dies close... Usually keep 6 or 8 sets on the loading bench. The rest sit here: I've seen a few odd things comemout of the seating die too!
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Post by contender on Mar 5, 2014 8:56:47 GMT -5
I have been learning to reload for over 35 years now. (Still learning stuff too!) I fully accept my factory production guns limitations, and try & match a quality reload to each gun. If I'm loading for serious accuracy in a bottleneck rifle case, I do spend more prep time on the brass, & how it's loaded. My mantra is that I like to eliminate as many mechanical errors as I can because I know there are human factors beyond my control. When it comes to handgun ammo, I also work hard at finding a balance to allow as much accuracy as I can with my guns. I use progressive presses for quantity ammo for my competition & plinking stuff. My serious hunting ammo, I tend to work a bit harder balancing things. I consider it fun AND challenging to work on a specific gun and load to match the gun. The key word for me is consistency!
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Post by magnumwheelman on Mar 5, 2014 10:10:59 GMT -5
AXE...I think you actually have more dies than I do ... though mine are split between 2 shelves in 2 different rooms... if I combined them, the pile might surprise me
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Post by Lee Martin on Mar 5, 2014 11:01:20 GMT -5
My dad started reloading in 1962. Fifty-two years later.... And there are more in the cabinets under the bench. -Lee www.singleactions.com"Buiding carpal tunnel one round at a time"
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Post by 375supermag on Mar 9, 2014 13:43:44 GMT -5
I don't know if I am a handloader, a reloader or anal or just obsessive/compulsive or somewhere in between. I will leave it to others to define what i do if it pleases them, but this is what I do.
I tumble every case in walnut and/or corn cob media before it goes in the re-sizing/de-prime die. Inspect every case visually. I clean every primer pocket on an RCBS case prep center...sometimes I wash them in a citrus/Dawn dishwashing solution either before de-priming or after depends if there are any range pickup cases in the mix. Inspect every case visually. Re-prime on an RCBS bench-mounted APS tool. Inspect each case visually. Run each case through the case mouth flaring die...inspect each case visually. Place cases in a loading block and visually inspect each case again. Set up Lil Dandy powder measure and charge 50 cases, weighing every tenth charge. Seat and crimp bullets, visually inspecting each case once again. Autoloading cartridges get run through a taper crimp die. I generally weigh every tenth bullet when I open a new box of commercial cast lead bullets and check the diameter with a Lyman dial caliper. I typically only shoot Hornady jacketed bullets when I shoot jacketed bullets and I usually weigh and measure a few, although I have never had one miss weight by more than 1 grain or be off in diameter as much as a thousandth. I typically check every tenth cartridge for OAL.
I get cartridges that go off every time and function is 100% reliable in the autoloaders. I get excellent accuracy, as well. I very rarely push the published maximum charges in the manuals and then only with loads using W296 and H110 because the useful range is so limited and the accuracy sweet spot tends to be nearer the high end in my revolvers with those two powders. I am much more comfortable with slightly lower velocities and pressures if I can get good accuracy using something like 2400. I generally reserve W296/H110 for my Dan Wessons, Super BlackHawks and Virginian Dragoon, although I do keep a small number of W296/H110 loads in .357Mag (158gr HP/XTPs) for use in my S&W 686 Silhouette Model.
As I said, I don't know if that makes me a handloader, reloader or what-have-you but it has worked quite well for me for over 35 years.
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Post by AxeHandle on Mar 9, 2014 15:09:21 GMT -5
FWIW I got certified to teach the NRA Metallic Cartridge Cartridge Reloading course last year. OCD is a good fit for the defined process. I teach By The Book. That said, While I'd never own up to it in class, I never clean primer pockets, until recent years never put a case in a cleaner of any kind. Loads shot well enough to support a master classification when there was no such thing as high master in conventional pistol, and win a few state championships. Shot AAA four matches into Silhouette and quit that activity. Now 18 years older than I was when I shot my last match I still don't worry with primer pockets but my fired brass gets dropped off at the vibratory cleaner down stairs and doesn't come up until bright and shiney. Still using the same RCBS powder measure I bought in '74, recently picked up a 00, 0, and 1 rotor for my Lil dandy, and the Dillon powder measure on my old 30 year old Dillon 550 looks quite different from the one on my much newer SDB. Have stopped loading evil stuff on the 550. Have developed an aversion to magnum loads on any progressive. Like to load trays of 50 and look at the relative powder level in each 50.
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Post by AxeHandle on Mar 9, 2014 15:12:36 GMT -5
Maybe Wildcats play a part too. Counted just my Reeder Wildcats last week. Counted 15 Reeder wildcats die sets.
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Post by vonfatman on Mar 12, 2014 22:45:46 GMT -5
With straight neck cases, I'm kind of a volume guy. "Get 'R Done" Most of my quick changes are pre-set with a favored load. So I just make the caliber conversion, double check powder drops, run a few...re-check everything...then away I go. Generally, I will run a thousand (or so) out if it's a caliber I'm using regularly.
With rifle, I use a single stage and all slows as each load is measured I don't volume load rifle loads unless -- blasting ammo (.223, .308, or .30 Carbine)
Bob
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Post by Thunderjet on Mar 12, 2014 23:35:11 GMT -5
Guess my main purpose for reloading is mostly for economy and I take pride in the fact I have never shot an animal with a factory round other than rimfires. I started when I was 12 years old when a neighbor took me under his wing and showed me how to cast and size bullets for his Colt Python. Then we would head to the hills and shoot off what we loaded. In todays world I doubt parents would allow something like this to happen. My first press was a Mec shotshell loader for my 16 gauge Rem 870. Now, almost 50 years later I am still at it. I pay attention to details but don't stress about small groups. I'll try a couple different recipes and if the rifle consistently shoots an inch or so I call it quits and spend time practicing my off hand shooting. I shoot way more handgun rounds than rifle so economy is very important. Keep on gathering casting equipment such as molds and alloys but haven't cast a bullet in years. Pretty much bought the stuff "just in case".
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Post by wickerbill on Mar 16, 2014 23:58:20 GMT -5
I have been learning to reload for over 35 years now. (Still learning stuff too!) I fully accept my factory production guns limitations, and try & match a quality reload to each gun. If I'm loading for serious accuracy in a bottleneck rifle case, I do spend more prep time on the brass, & how it's loaded. My mantra is that I like to eliminate as many mechanical errors as I can because I know there are human factors beyond my control. When it comes to handgun ammo, I also work hard at finding a balance to allow as much accuracy as I can with my guns. I use progressive presses for quantity ammo for my competition & plinking stuff. My serious hunting ammo, I tend to work a bit harder balancing things. I consider it fun AND challenging to work on a specific gun and load to match the gun. The key word for me is consistency! Hay Axe, is this a reverse bottelneck? Bill
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Post by wickerbill on Mar 17, 2014 0:02:41 GMT -5
Ok, that didn't work right. Bill
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Post by wickerbill on Mar 17, 2014 0:05:25 GMT -5
I like to keep a few sets of dies close... Usually keep 6 or 8 sets on the loading bench. The rest sit here: I've seen a few odd things comemout of the seating die too! Hay Axe, is that a reverse bottelneck? Bill
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