Thread: Old Handloads

Greetings All,
The weather has been absolute cap here for the last two days and tomorrows forecast is no better so I got around to something that had been dodged for some time. Sorting out my handload cupboard. The calibre I have been loading for for a very long time is my .308 bought new in the late 1970's. It was my only, later main, hunting rifle for at least two decades. A work through the handloads revealed a rather large number (considering my age and limited future needs) of full power hunting loads. My eye fell on a batch loaded in 2004 in CAC cases. These were the last leftovers of my go to hunting loads. Half the loads in the box had CAC cases and the other half Norma. Each time one brand were all empty they got loaded again which let me keep up with the load count. These had been loaded 6 times over about 30 years and never annealed. So lets pull then to bits and recycle the components Easier said than done.
The first case was hard to pull and half the neck came away with the projectile. The next one had a cracked neck and the projectile came out with ease. Seating the pill just a little more does make them easier to pull but still too much from my hammer type puller so pliers were used. The powder, Dupont IMR4604, for all poured out easily in spite of it being a compressed load and the primers pressed out easily as well.
At the end of the process of 23 rounds I had 20 projectiles that could be reloaded plus 3 with the case necks stuck round their middle. Primers and powder will be reused and the cases recycled.
What would have happened if I had just fired these rounds. Honestly I don't know and am not about to find out either. I have good records so I knew what was in the loads.
It is worth considering how much we should load at each sitting so we don't get left with too many old loads like these.
Regards Grandpamac.

Just out of interest was it the CAC or Norma brass that had neck issues

Originally Posted by akaroa1

Just out of interest was it the CAC or Norma brass that had neck issues

I started my reloading journey over 40 years ago with CAC cases.
I didn't know much about reloading but I did learn very early on to throw away the CAC cases and buy anything else !

When disassembling ammo it helps to seat the projectiles a 10 thou deeper beforehand

This “ cracks” the galvanic corrosion between the projectile and the neck

Making them waaaaaay easier to get apart

I tend to just have 40 handloads made up for most of my bigger rifles. And usually say about 60 for the hornet

Originally Posted by akaroa1

I started my reloading journey over 40 years ago with CAC cases.
I didn't know much about reloading but I did learn very early on to throw away the CAC cases and buy anything else !

Both but the Norma not quite as bad and they were a bit younger. I started handloading the .308 around 1978 using CAC cases followed by WW Super. Norma does not appear in my records until 1988. The early CAC .308 cases were pretty good but they went downhill as they got closer to closing. I still have a lot of CAC cases and annealing makes a lot of difference. I did seat all the projectiles a little further but this may have collapsed the shoulder a little.
GPM.

@grandpamac I resemble those remarks lol. A couple of times, in a fit of reloader's enthusiasm, I've made far more of a particular load up than common sense might suggest. Given that the load I may have thought was the ducks nuts 5 years ago, of which I made 200 and shot about 38, turned out not to be so hot compared with my most recent effort. Moreover, it used a now unobtainoum powder that turns out to be the primo choice for a new calibre I acquired. Knocking those cast loads back to their components was a tedious reminder to just load enough for immediate needs. Which needs, for hunting in particular, tend to be far less than one might dream of.

Originally Posted by Jhon

@grandpamac I resemble those remarks lol. A couple of times, in a fit of reloader's enthusiasm, I've made far more of a particular load up than common sense might suggest. Given that the load I may have thought was the ducks nuts 5 years ago, of which I made 200 and shot about 38, turned out not to be so hot compared with my most recent effort. Moreover, it used a now unobtainoum powder that turns out to be the primo choice for a new calibre I acquired. Knocking those cast loads back to their components was a tedious reminder to just load enough for immediate needs. Which needs, for hunting in particular, tend to be far less than one might dream of.

I have managed to curb my enthusiasm a little from my early years, most of the time. F-class shooting allows me to load more than previously and also given some of my rifles more purpose.

I have couple of hundred rounds loaded for 3 different cartridges and close to hundred for another.... need to go shooting lots of wallabies or even rabbits..it just doesnt seem to happen LOL. still using shotgun rounds bought for duckshooting 3 seasons ago....