Need some help reloading....

[SIGP240]

Welcome to the fraternity of reloading.....where you don't save any money, but you can shoot twice as much!

I have been reloading for 50 years and is still fun....just too bad your can spend over $1000 (more like $2000) to load your first box!

You can freely use my 550RL. It is very slow and clumsy. A 1000 rounds take time. The gentleman in Burnsville has the BigBlue one and it is fast. I can hover over you for a while, then it's your deal. I have a station set up for 45. Make sure you have NO small primered brass. Allow some tweaking time to get your load and bullet depth right. Always load 50 and take them to the range for testing. I have a Wilson gauge. You can shoot free at BPR with me. There are residue free powders on the market. WW231 is nice. 550 is a good press to double charge a case, so you must pay attention or suffer the consequences. You should get to know all the sounds associated with press operation as if you were loading with your eyes closed. This is the one hobby where rhythmically ceaseless monotony is an advantage. Also, I have many many 1911 springs up to 28 pounds if you want to go 'hot'.

[Erud]

And reloading equipment? Press? Powder measure? Scale?

Oh, and you already have a potential problem with that jug of Titegroup. It's very possible to double charge a 45 case with that powder, and if you do you can kiss your 45 good-bye forever. (Plus spending $2K in the ER after the gun blows...)

http://www.mnguntalk.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=20264&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=titegroup+Glock

Hey, could you post that picture again with the pool of blood on the concrete at some shooting range to illustrate how complicated and deadly loading ammunition is? I realize the picture really had nothing to do with reloading, but it should still be a lesson to us all, for some reason. Personally, I think that no one should be allowed to even watch someone else reload until they have WRITTEN their own book on the subject - then and only then can they be trusted to be able to comprehend the mind-bending complexities involved in this death-defying hobby.

I wish I would have had access to this board back when I started reloading - could have saved myself lots of blown-up guns and countless thousands in ER bills!

[Rodentman]

i don't know if you are joking, but I consider reloading very serious business. I have had 1 error in several years of reloading, a squib due to an uncharged round. My fault 100%. I have, however, caught several other errors before they left my bench, notably 5 uncharged rounds in one session. I have never double charged a case. I have never to my knowledge damaged a gun from a reload.

But rest assured that it is very serious and anyone who doesn't think so should not be in this hobby.

[Seismic Sam]

And reloading equipment? Press? Powder measure? Scale?

Oh, and you already have a potential problem with that jug of Titegroup. It's very possible to double charge a 45 case with that powder, and if you do you can kiss your 45 good-bye forever. (Plus spending $2K in the ER after the gun blows...)

http://www.mnguntalk.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=20264&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=titegroup+Glock

Hey, could you post that picture again with the pool of blood on the concrete at some shooting range to illustrate how complicated and deadly loading ammunition is? I realize the picture really had nothing to do with reloading, but it should still be a lesson to us all, for some reason. Personally, I think that no one should be allowed to even watch someone else reload until they have WRITTEN their own book on the subject - then and only then can they be trusted to be able to comprehend the mind-bending complexities involved in this death-defying hobby.

I wish I would have had access to this board back when I started reloading - could have saved myself lots of blown-up guns and countless thousands in ER bills!

Yeah well, have you ever been three feet and two seconds away from getting a piece of a 44 magnum pistol in your face? Obviously not. I have. Was shooting at Oakdale to the right of some young guy shooting a 44, and the cylinder gap was wide to begin with, so I was getting pieces of stuff spanging off my hands pretty good. He reloads, and is shooting DA, and goes BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOMP! and the gun kind of wavers in his hand without him really lowering it, and I and one of his buddies start to say something, and he points the gun down at the ground. Yup, semi squib lodged the bullet solid in the bore about half way down. Turns out this guy's idiot Uncle had loaded up the ammo for him, and had obviously screwed the pooch completely on one of his powder charges. If that guy had been shooting just a little bit faster (like Timed Fire rate), he would have pulled that trigger again and my head was less than 3 feet away from that gun in the next bay.

It's real easy to crack wise when all the parts of your body are still attached. Oh it could never happen to ME!!! Oh no, it can't happen here! So, you think all the reloading accidents happen by the reloader waking up saying to himself, by God, I'm gonna screw up today and blow myself to kingdom come!! Nope. It's 100% reloader error.

What you're really saying with your sarcasm, of course, is that "I'm smarter and more careful than most of the reloaders out there, so I can just poo-poo all this doomsday stuff because it will never happen to me!"

Oh, Rodentman knows whereof he speaks also - he's missing one leg above the knee. Not a reloading accident, so feel free to discount his opinion of reloading safety too...

[Erud]

And reloading equipment? Press? Powder measure? Scale?

Oh, and you already have a potential problem with that jug of Titegroup. It's very possible to double charge a 45 case with that powder, and if you do you can kiss your 45 good-bye forever. (Plus spending $2K in the ER after the gun blows...)

http://www.mnguntalk.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=20264&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=titegroup+Glock

Hey, could you post that picture again with the pool of blood on the concrete at some shooting range to illustrate how complicated and deadly loading ammunition is? I realize the picture really had nothing to do with reloading, but it should still be a lesson to us all, for some reason. Personally, I think that no one should be allowed to even watch someone else reload until they have WRITTEN their own book on the subject - then and only then can they be trusted to be able to comprehend the mind-bending complexities involved in this death-defying hobby.

I wish I would have had access to this board back when I started reloading - could have saved myself lots of blown-up guns and countless thousands in ER bills!

Yeah well, have you ever been three feet and two seconds away from getting a piece of a 44 magnum pistol in your face? Obviously not. I have. Was shooting at Oakdale to the right of some young guy shooting a 44, and the cylinder gap was wide to begin with, so I was getting pieces of stuff spanging off my hands pretty good. He reloads, and is shooting DA, and goes BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOMP! and the gun kind of wavers in his hand without him really lowering it, and I and one of his buddies start to say something, and he points the gun down at the ground. Yup, semi squib lodged the bullet solid in the bore about half way down. Turns out this guy's idiot Uncle had loaded up the ammo for him, and had obviously screwed the pooch completely on one of his powder charges. If that guy had been shooting just a little bit faster (like Timed Fire rate), he would have pulled that trigger again and my head was less than 3 feet away from that gun in the next bay.

It's real easy to crack wise when all the parts of your body are still attached. Oh it could never happen to ME!!! Oh no, it can't happen here! So, by your logic, all the reloading accidents happen by the reloader waking up saying to himself, by God, I'm gonna screw up today and blow myself to kingdom come!!

What you're really saying with your sarcasm, of course, is that "I'm smarter and more careful than most of the reloaders out there, so I can just poo-poo all this doomsday stuff because it will never happen to me!"

Please explain to me how that would have been avoided if the guy or his idiot uncle had read one or more reloading manuals from cover to cover. Do you figure that he would have gotten to the part that says: "make sure you put the right amount of powder in all of the rounds you load" and realize the error of his ways? Some people are dumb enough to screw up anything.

Do you offer the same sage "read a book from cover to cover" advice to people contemplating other potentually dangerous activities like cooking, operating lawn mowers or driving cars? I've read quite a few reloading manuals and lots of other stuff about the topic, but I didn't learn how to reload until I started reloading.

[Rodentman]

Yes, you learn from doing. Get the feel of brass in the dies, when primer pockets are too loose, feel of a crimp die, etc. But I started out by reading a bunch of stuff. I still go back to certain items. I have a Lyman handbook with helpful hints on several big bore calibers and I learn something new all the time.

[jeffo]

Erud, good answer

[s4s4u]

If you were a little closer to Park Rapids I would be glad to help you get set up. I would suggest a powder measure, I prefer the Lyman 55, to speed up the process while maintaining consistancy. A scale is a must. What kind of press do you have? What part of the process do you need assistance with?

Cheers, and hope you find a mentor, Rod.

[Retread1911]

Ryan hockey is over Ross me an email and lets get a date on the calendar.

[slo squeezin]

RyanTV, based on your comment, I'm not sure I would recommend using the Lee crimp die either. 45's are taper crimped and I am understanding the Lee dies are for roll crimping. Someone please chime in if I am mistaken. Roll crimping a round intended to be taper crimped will cause you a problem. Pistol rounds ( as the 45ACP ) are taper crimped because they must head space on the mouth of the case, revolver rounds are roll crimped to prevent bullet movement during recoil. Please re read your material until you are comfortable understanding the difference.
By the way, for almost every powder used in handguns, double or triple charging is not that hard to do; the results will be very ugly but it can be done easily if not paying attention. The only exception I can think of is when you use the bulky, slow burning magnum powders like AA # 9, H-110 and Win 296; they pretty much fill the case. You do need a strong roll crimp on the bullet with these slow burning powders.

[yuppiejr]

I had all of my own equipment before getting off of active duty but I had to sell it to pay some bills prior to leaving. I totally understand anyone not wanting me to just let me use their equipment. I have been reloading for about five years fully understand everyones concern about their own equipment. The only reason I ask if someone would set it up for me is because I would not want someone else setting up on my equip.

I'm in Blaine... I appreciate your service and your situation. I also have an older but serviceable (with patience and a careful hand) Lee 1000 loader that was given to me by another member that includes numerous shellplates/carriers (.45 Auto included) that you can have. It was non functional when I got it but a few spare parts from Lee and some time with the user manual and it was good to go, it's just more cumbersome to operate than I care for given my limited reloading time. I've also got an older Ohaus 2-poise scale to go with it if needed.

PM me and we'll figure out a place and time to meet-up so I can pass it your way.

[Pat Cannon]

RyanTV, based on your comment, I'm not sure I would recommend using the Lee crimp die either. 45's are taper crimped and I am understanding the Lee dies are for roll crimping. Someone please chime in if I am mistaken. Roll crimping a round intended to be taper crimped will cause you a problem. Pistol rounds ( as the 45ACP ) are taper crimped because they must head space on the mouth of the case, revolver rounds are roll crimped to prevent bullet movement during recoil. Please re read your material until you are comfortable understanding the difference.

The Lee folks know how different calibers are supposed to be crimped: the Factory Crimp die for .45 ACP (and other autoloading cartridges) applies a taper crimp. For .38 Special and other revolver calibers, it's shaped for a roll crimp.

By the way, for almost every powder used in handguns, double or triple charging is not that hard to do; the results will be very ugly but it can be done easily if not paying attention.

Very good advice!

The only exception I can think of is when you use the bulky, slow burning magnum powders like AA # 9, H-110 and Win 296; they pretty much fill the case. You do need a strong roll crimp on the bullet with these slow burning powders.

Right. It's funny how the big flaming max loads for my .357 are, in this way, less dangerous than the light target loads with 4 grains of Titegroup.

[brado]

I quit reloading after coming on this forum. I never knew it was that dangerous.

[slo squeezin]

Brado, I would ask that you look at the bright side. Many of us have and continue to reload. The good news is we survived the exercise, almost all of us with parts intact. The bad news is, along the way, we may have done things that created some unexpected or unwanted surprises. Kind of like everything else in life. Reloading is safer than driving to work or the grocery store. It is safer than seeing your doctor. And more rewarding.
Your mileage may vary, however.

[Mo_the_Mouse]

Wow...

I didn't think I would see the day when the guy who preaches safety and learning before doing would be ganged up on. Mind you that he is old and crotchety but he is also right.