Finally got time to start setting up a bench for reloading using my step sons gear I have on permanent loan.
Second photo is the mess at the other end of the shed on my working bench.
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Attachment 155499
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Finally got time to start setting up a bench for reloading using my step sons gear I have on permanent loan.
Second photo is the mess at the other end of the shed on my working bench.
Attachment 155498
Attachment 155499
Nice to get a good space set up for loading.
G.C.
I would love to get into reloading but am way too retard with numbers. Can use basic ballistic calculator but the reloaders books look like the matrix to me.
Must be some sort of learning defect. Can call distance to a few metres by eye though...
Hi PhilQuote:
Originally Posted by Phil_H
scales will be upgraded as soon as funds allow. Yes please if possible for the loan it would be much appreciated
lee scales are fine....buy a set of spoons to throw slightly smaller charge and trickle last say grain up....its quick and easy....
Ive got two powder throwers that work fast and accurately,but prefer to chuck most loads over scales,anything less than 20 rounds I wont even bother with the thrower.
That is a very generous offer. I would love to host you here for a spell. Definitely smash some milage hunting. But I am not joking...my maths skills are shitbox. That's why they gave me the LMG in another life.Quote:
Originally Posted by Phil_H
Don't shoot enough to make reloading cost effective, however if I can maximize accuracy enough to justify the investment then we have a deal.
ok so it appears you already HAVE powder thrower...set it tiny bit light,throw into cup and tip onto scale pan then trickle rest of way...or use teaspoon of powder in right hand over pan,tap right thumb knuckle with left pointy finger and will despence few granuals of powder each tap...try it on sugar or coffe into your cup and will soon work it out...you spoon holding hand/wrist rests on bench....nearly as fast as trickler.
Yep thanks for all the tips, just waiting on the kid (26) to find the large primer lever for the press that isn't in the box of stuff hopefully he can find it this week.
If he doesn't find it definitely consider a hand primer. Might not be too much more vs the lever
Greetings All,
I can thoroughly recommend the hand primer seater. It's all I use these days. I have some Ohuas (later RCBS) beam balance scales, that I bought in the 1970's, and some RCBS electronic scales. Both are still used. By sheer chance the two scales agree precisely with each other. A decent quality set of beam balance scales is really all you need.
Regards Grandpamac.
+1 to hand primer and 'better' beam balance scales. I use a poop scoop as a trickler - the one you get for a faeces sample, free from the local Pathlab.Quote:
Originally Posted by grandpamac
Greetings Phil,Quote:
Originally Posted by Phil_H
Mine is the standard Lee Auto Prime that I bought 20 years or so back. It's worked pretty well but with most things there is a knack. I only put 10 primers in at a time, anvil side up obviously and hold it with the primer tray sloping down about 45 degrees toward the shell holder. I have had the odd problem with the small rifle primers tipping sideways but have found that keeping a steady rhythm and seating all the primers in the tray before putting the tool down gets over most of them.
I must say that I like using the hands on tools. This even goes as far as using a Lee Loader to neck size my .303 cases, depriming most cases with a punch and base set and scraping the pockets clean with a small screwdriver. I appreciate that this level of hands on is not for everyone.
Regards Grandpamac.
Thanks for that Phil,Quote:
Originally Posted by Phil_H
Increasing levels of decrepitude has limited my hunting to token efforts. I am also fully retired so the time taken to produce loaded rounds comes a distant second to the satisfaction gained. Slow loading, as I will in future call it, also keeps me out from my dearly beloved's feet. With our 48th anniversary coming up later this month this is an important consideration. I have, in the interests of science, loaded complete rounds with the Lee Loader. The idea of hitting anything close to a live primer with a hammer fills me with dread. The few I seated this way were done with a full face shield and without excitement. Future priming will be done with the hand tool.
Regards Grandpamac.
Ha ha, somewhere I've still got a Lee 12g shotgun loader. Same deal, hammer used to seat the primers. Although shotgun primers didn't seem to need much force to seat. It made good rounds but of course was as slow as.
Progressed then to a flash harry Lee press with optional auto prime attachment. I didnt know myself. Speed thrills :)
The .243. It has a 17" barrel so would like to try get back a bit of velocity and play with different projectiles.Quote:
Originally Posted by Phil_H
The .308 for the bush does just fine with factory ammo as I rarely get more than a 50m shot.
Greetings Phil,Quote:
Originally Posted by Phil_H
I agree that there is minimal danger if a primer goes off, especially if you keep your head out of the line of fire. I wrote up my use of a Lee Loader in our NZDA Branch magazine a few years back under the Title "Reloading on the cheap". One of our branch members told me later that he had had a few go off without injury while hammering away. My experience was much like yours in that only light strokes of the hammer were required. The difficulty is with crimped cases. These often resist primer seating a little even after reaming. I have found a little waggling gets over the problem. Easy to do in a hand primer. My use of the hand primer is based on choice rather than any real advantage over any other method.
Happy Hammering,
Grandpamac.
Nowadays I always wear safety glasses when doing the primer stage. Didn't way back :x_x:Quote:
Originally Posted by Phil_H
And the issue should one go of with the Lee hammer kit (yeah I know, as pointed out 99.9999999% impossible) is not worth considering. If the rifle kit is the same as the shotgun kit the plastic thingee that you insert into the case and then hammer is a very neat fit into the shotgun cases. Any primer detonation is therefore initially not able to easily expel its force, ie it is restricted by the plastic thingee. This is what would make it dangerous.
Not quite the same, but an example of the power of primers - Many years ago in our rifle club we had an incident where a guy attempted to fire a shot. There was a muffled bang. He was able to open the bolt with a bit of jiggling and found the extractor blown off the bolt. The round was unfired. He was lucky in the bolt opening aspect because I am aware of another incident where the handloader put a primer in a case back the front. In that incident the extractor was also blown off but he couldn't open the bolt. The services of a gunsmith was needed. Not a great situation as there was still an unfired round in the chamber.
Back to the first incident, the cartridge was found to not have a flash hole (it was brand new brass). The force of the primer had also reduced the cartridge headspace.
Just watched the video. That set of instructions looks like the 1978 ones that came with one of my kits. One thing he did that did not follow the instructions was to reprime the case outside the decapping chamber. This would increase the risk of injury in the unlikely event of one going off. It also means that the rod, case and base are not that well aligned. Perhaps this was the reason he was having trouble seating the primer. Still, he was working in metric, something I have always done since the mid 1970's. Still work in grains for powder due to my old scales and the chronograph is set up for fps. Something I will change when enthusiasm triumphs over lethargy one day. I have probably betrayed my OCD tendencies in these posts but that is just the way I am.Quote:
Originally Posted by Phil_H
Grandpamac.
I had two of those...gave one to kiwi sapper and kept the other...got one in .410 too thats out on loan. they slow but work great....Quote:
Originally Posted by zimmer
Phil......I THINK I know where you will be getting into trouble......having used the LEE hand primer for years myself......
try this wee trick and see how you go....before trying to prime...use your case deburring tool and give primer pocket mouth a whizz...only need to remove a little bit of material...eg less than 1mm in total.... it will allow primer to start seating properly....this is ESSENTIAL with hornady 2nd use brass as it seems they crimp primers as is most milserp brass,I shake single primer into place,THEN slide shell into place and squeaze handle...remove primed case and repeat....the newer diamond tray works even better and the way it picks up and holds next primer stops the double up posibility....
No apology needed @Phil_H I am always learning so something new here for me that might help me in the future.
Big thanks to @Phil_H for delivering the Hornady scale and trickle to my place today. Very much appreciate the loan.
