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What did you do in the reloading room today?

Made up a handful (40) rounds to really start wringing out the Structure Barrel .300 WM next month when I go down to Oklahoma for a hog hunt.

Started wtih full-up case prep. FL resized, neck turned, primer pockets trued and swaged.

And I used my Auto-Trickler for the first time and it is awesome!

Slow and steady on these rounds. Nothing bulk loading about today.

Was going to do some shooting with the Hinson Rifle but snow all over everything. Next weekend looks better.

So back to the Autotrickler... ordered that in 2021 at PRE. Arrived summer 2022, but I had too much farm work and stuff to use it. Got it set up one day. But had not used it with loading live ammo. Holy crap do I love that tool! Not going to use it for bulk .38's or .300 BLK. But for the big stuff that I want accurate within a tenth or less... this rig is fantastic. I will say that if your loading room is in a frame building or on a wood floor, it 'is' sensitive to movement. But only during the last little trickle stage. It's such a cool bit of equipment and now I wondered how I lived without it! Wow, does it speed things up!

Cheers,

Sirhr
 
sirhrmechanic said:
Made up a handful (40) rounds to really start wringing out the Structure Barrel .300 WM next month when I go down to Oklahoma for a hog hunt.

Started wtih full-up case prep. FL resized, neck turned, primer pockets trued and swaged.

And I used my Auto-Trickler for the first time and it is awesome!

Slow and steady on these rounds. Nothing bulk loading about today.

Was going to do some shooting with the Hinson Rifle but snow all over everything. Next weekend looks better.

So back to the Autotrickler... ordered that in 2021 at PRE. Arrived summer 2022, but I had too much farm work and stuff to use it. Got it set up one day. But had not used it with loading live ammo. Holy crap do I love that tool! Not going to use it for bulk .38's or .300 BLK. But for the big stuff that I want accurate within a tenth or less... this rig is fantastic. I will say that if your loading room is in a frame building or on a wood floor, it 'is' sensitive to movement. But only during the last little trickle stage. It's such a cool bit of equipment and now I wondered how I lived without it! Wow, does it speed things up!

Cheers,

Sirhr
Click to expand...
Where in OK are you hog hunting?

Mike
 
20230108_190251.jpg

Cleaned up 3k of 90gr 6.8 gold dot pulls. 20-30min in some Goof Off did nicely.
 
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well I played dumb ass and knocked over a shelf that held more than a few 1lb jugs of powder luckily (if you can call it that ) only 3 popped open and dumped powder at least I think I learned a lesson I bolted the shelf to the wall so it wont spill again also bolted the 2 of the 3 book shelves in place so even if I hang on the they are not budging , but I am sure if there's a way to make a mess I will find it .
 
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Busy day here.

1. I cleaned a bunch of new 308 dies for use on my T7.







2. Mounted a new die head onto my T7 for my 308 dies.



3. Punched out some primers, 800+, from some LC Mil Brass and LC NM Brass.




4. Seperated 47 lbs of 556/223 range brass for cleaning from my stash of range brass.



5. Ran a 7/8" x 14 Tap through my MEC Marksman so I can mount my Mighty Armory FL 308 sizing die. There are no sloppy threads on a Mighty Armory Die so I had to remove the Powder Coating from the MEC's threads. The MA Die would not thread into the MEC.

 
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Pulled out a couple boxes of Bismuth #6 20 gauge and went hunting. Need to finish out my shot and get on to another reloading project.
 
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I finally went through my bullet inventory and picked which ones to move down the road.

Kind of sad, really, but if I don’t use them, why keep them?




P
 
Built some 1” thick storage boxes for powder. Marine latch on lid, small casters on base, joined with picket holes and leftover plywood scrap, they roll right under my component shelf.
 

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Sorted 150lbs of range brass, and got a box of all same HS, same lot #, FC 556 brass for sale. Moving things around, and making room for another 55gal drum of brass to sort
 
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Either 24 or 24.2 is my friend with TAC and a 77. Just depends on the rifle. Good luck with that load. TAC has really become a powder I lean on for a few different calibers.
 
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New bench… definitely don’t have the room I used to. Need to get everything all set up again, but this is what I have to work with
 
No spilling anything today I finished pressing the last of 600 rounds with 41.9 gr of h4350 and have started prepping the brass for my next 300 loads of 41,3 gr of rl 17 yea so it sould be able to tide me on rage use for a little while .
 
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morning would said:
Either 24 or 24.2 is my friend with TAC and a 77. Just depends on the rifle. Good luck with that load. TAC has really become a powder I lean on for a few different calibers.
Click to expand...
Loaded 23, 23.5, and 24. Hoping to get around to trying them this weekend although it will be on the cool side temp wise.
 
I modified the handle on my RCBS bench priming tool. I put return springs on it to keep the handle up when you let go of it. Every time you would let go of the handle is falls down. It's really annoying.
 

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Forrest said:
I modified the handle on my RCBS bench priming tool. I put return springs on it to keep the handle up when you let go of it. Every time you would let go of the handle is falls down. It's really annoying.
Click to expand...
Can you do an exploded view of your priming tool mod?
 
Loaded 42 ,42.5 ,43 gr SuperF under 115 DTAK coated in new Lapua brass to check fps . and see difference between Nosler and Hornady brass. This will be the first time for me ,using Lapua.

Loaded 16 rd of once fired 22 Nosler with 29.0 gr CFE 223 under 77gr RDF to see if bullet will shoot with that powder. Had an idea to try StaBall 6.5 and RDF s last year.........wasn't happy with results. If the RDF s won't group to my satisfaction ,with CFE.......they ain't gonna. This is the first bullet that hasn't grouped well out of my rifle. Maybe it didn't like the powder change....will see when weather breaks.
 
SmithM21 said:
Can you do an exploded view of your priming tool mod?
Click to expand...
I don't want to take it apart. I will go back to the hardware store and buy the hardware again and lay it out and list dimension's and hardware sizes, stack up and post pictures. give me a couple days to post it. Drilling and tapping the handle for the 2, 4mm screw was a bitch. The handle is HARD surfaced. regular and cobalt drill bits just bounced off it. I had to dremmel wheel grind through the hard surface about .025" before I could spot drill it with a cobalt 1/8" bit and then drill the screw hole for tapping with a number 30 bit. The 1/4" aluminum 6061 plate I bought off ebay. You can clamp it to any table or bench. I will post a few more pictures this morning.
 
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Forrest said:
I don't want to take it apart. I will go back to the hardware store and buy the hardware again and lay it out and list dimension's and hardware sizes, stack up and post pictures. give me a couple days to post it. Drilling and tapping the handle for the 2, 4mm screw was a bitch. The handle is HARD surfaced. regular and cobalt drill bits just bounced off it. I had to dremmel wheel grind through the hard surface about .025" before I could spot drill it with a cobalt 1/8" bit and then drill the screw hole for tapping with a number 30 bit. The 1/4" aluminum 6061 plate I bought off ebay. You can clamp it to any table or bench. I will post a few more pictures this morning.
Click to expand...
Great Info. Thanks!
 
I was given an ammo can full of 45acp hollow point ammo by the wife of a friend that passed away last year. It appears to be all reloads, and I know my friend didn't reload, so I'm in the process of breaking them all down and reusing all but the powder so I KNOW what's in them.

It's a good thing I decided to do this, because the first 20 or so I pulled the bullets on (all matching bullets), I weighed the powder charges, and there was up to a full grain difference in them.

Now while that may not have caused any issues, I am not willing to take that chance.

There are at least 6 different style bullets used, and probably three different bullet weights used in what I've pulled so far.

I'm sure glad I've got an RCBS collet bullet puller die and not having to resort to one of those damned hammers 🤣

Once I've gotten everything sorted, I can start working up loads with the different bullets, and use them strictly for training. I won't carry handloads.
 
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Rocketvapor said:
Finished up 100 rounds of 22 Nosler, 85.5 Berger, 31.46 grains of SB 6.5.
Saved last two rounds for this video.
Click to expand...


I tried SB 6.5 in my 22 Nosler with 77gr RDF last spring to try ( first try for powder and bullet ) ....print 3 fly 2 from mid load to max load.......loaded 29 gr CFE 223 yesterday ( my go to load) and 77gr RDF .....back to grouping like it usually does....small

Ran fps test in 6 creed ,115 DTAK yesterday ,too ...42-43.5 gr SuperF , 43.5 gave me 2984 fps. Loaded rounds for group test today ...expecting small groups as usual @ 43.5 gr
 
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I tried the RDF, both weights, the 80 and 88 ELD, with IMR4350.
I shoot slow fire, loaded Long.
In the pic below, 5 shots @ 100 yards, little red marks didn't make one MOA, Little black arrows are scope adjustments.
Some of the quarters are smaller than others :)
I'm now working with Berger 85.5 and SB6.5, again much longer than mag length.
If I keep the 85.5s just under 3000fps they do OK. Still working on it though.
MOA-Quarters.jpg
 
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So I decided to have a look in one of my match ammo cases for one of my LR rigs. (Since I had not fired it since May 2022.) What I found was 60 fired cases. If I remember correctly, I was in a match and I just forgot about those dirty cases….until this morning.

Time to de-cap and then into the wet tumbler.

ABE6488C-4485-4CCC-AD65-92261F8FFC6C.jpg


After drying, time to size.

61003-C65-D718-494-F-B2-FC-39-B6-EE27-E351.jpg


Now some powder.

963-CCB4-D-7919-4-E65-A25-C-A0-E353-B8-B61-D.jpg


57-BD75-AF-596-E-4-E09-A195-4-DB149848-E75.jpg


And now…the finished product. This is one of my most favourite cartridges, the venerable 6.5x47L.

46-DE4-A76-BF87-4212-BC9-E-841-CC1879-CF4.jpg


13-EA12-EA-106-C-4-C5-D-AFB5-AF7-F7738-CBAE.jpg


Cases: Lapua
Bullet: Lapua 139gr Scenar
Primer: CCI BR4
Powder: Varget 38.0gr
CBTO: 2.181” (+.010” jump)
Speed: 2890fps (+15c)
 
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finished powdering 150 rounds of 6.5 creed . not sure when I will press them as we are running 22lr for the next couple weeks to try out that lapua and snb ammo's we picked up .
 
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Fweedombypepe said:
opened the package containing the Forster Micrometer Bench rest seating die and forster full length sizing die in .243 I bought on ebay for 57 bucks and cleaned them...I"ve never seen dies that dirty. Then packaged up my standard Forster bench rest seater die an sent to buyer on ebay for 32 bucks.
Click to expand...
I got a pair of Forster micrometer dies to supplement/replace a Frankford Arsenal universal seating die. 6.5 manbun and .223

Should make some accurate PRS rounds

M
 
Not particularly reloading, but it happened within 5 feet of my loading bench…

Today I was assembling an AR10 lower and installed the front takedown pin backwards! Nothing a hacksaw, hammer, and flat head screw driver can’t fix. I’ll add it to the next order of parts
 
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