NC Shooter

Both the Ruger and Browning are great choices but in the current ecconomy don't rule out finding a used High Standard or S&W 41 at a bargain price. I found a Supermatic recently for $450 that beats the pants off of anyRuger I have ever shot. Good Shooting! Ken

I am not going to say that I go both ways but I will say that for me it depends on what caliber we are talking about. for cartridges like .308 WIN and 30-06 I ream by hand just to clear the crimp - for .223 I mostly swage except for my 600 yard loads that I still cut by hand.

gl, I get great accuracy from Sierra 77 grain Match bullets with 24 grains of Varget. These are not screaming velocity but they are accurate beyond 300 yards and will fit in the mag with no problems. I am shooting these in a 1:8 twist barrel (I don't think these will exceed 3000 FPS from the muzzle with Varget but I have not tried it either). I have shot them at 600 yards but I get much better results from Sierra 80 grain bullets at that range and I am single loading those (NRA Highpower). You can push 52 grain Match bullets a lot faster but you may not get as good result with them if you shoot with a lot of cross wind or with highly variable winds. the lighter bullets should shoot well in anything from a 1:12 to 1:8 twist. 69s are also known to perform well. There is a trade off here, regarding velosity. A hotter load will get you to the target sooner (less flight time) so it is less affected by wind but more recoil might take you off of your point of aim for follow-up shots. Also higher velocity will cause more erosion in your barrel. For me, a cannellure is a feel good thing. I have never had a problem with bullet set back - and you won't during normal firing even with two full mags clamped together if the case neck tension is proper for the bullet diameter. If I have a failure to feed I eject that cartridge anyway just in case it was damaged or pushed slightly back into the case or got bent or whatever. I am a died in the wool Varget fan but Reloader 15 and IMR4895 burn rates also work well in a AR15 platform. I am just assuming that you are asking about AR15 but all three powders work for any .223 load. Hope this helps.

I have reloaded all of my ammo on single stage presses since 1982 and just got a Dillon RL550B for Christmas this past year. I absolutely love the Dillon for loading any and all pistol cartridges BUT I am dissapointed when it comes to rifle reloading on my Dillon and will use it for practise rifle ammo only. It is entirely possible that I have not given it enough trial but I keep going back to my single stage presses for precision accuracy in rifle cartridges. With all of that said if you are not reloading for 600 and/or 1000 yard precision the Dillon will very likely suit your needs for both pistol and rifle reloading. I would still want a single stage press for mounting a collet type bullet puller and other jobs that a Dillon was not meant for (that is just me and my two cents). You will find that the Dillon press has greater mechanical advantage than some other equipment so punching out crimped primers is not an issue. Regarding case gages, the way it was explained to me by the Dillon people is: Dillon case gages are cut to SAAMI minimum chamber specs. Some other gages are cut to SAAMI maximum cartridge specs, [the SAAMI maximum cartridge spec is tighter]. Good luck

I also shoot a RRA NM piece and use Sierra 77 grain match bullets with 24 grains of Varget, it seems to be a standard load for the Highpower guys. IMR4895 works well too but is more temperature sensitive. I know guys who swear by Reloader 15 but I have not used it. For practice I recently started loading 55 grain bullets with 25 grains of AA2460 and initial results were very satisfactory (AA2460 may not be the best choice with heavier bullets). WARNING: Always consult a recently published reloading manual for recommended powder charges.

MarkM, I don't know about the other guys but I do not have the fridge that I use for powder and primer storage plugged in, frankly I don't know if it even works any more, it's just used for temperature stability and containment.

Tommy, Hang in there pardner! It's amazing what science can do nowdays (this said from experience) They just might be able to keep you up and going long enough to turn the corner on this thing. God bless! Ken

John, Ask your friend if you can borrow one of his reloading manuals for a few days. That will give you some time to read up on the topic and be able to make more informed choices. It will make you more comfortable when you are in front of the press because you will know what to expect. Pick the most recently published book he has. This will also give you powder and bullet options to go shopping for in your area. For .45 I have always liked Unique but I have been using quite a bit of Win 231 for both 40S&W and .45. I plan on trying Solo 1000 next. ETA: Download the manual for the type of press he has too. Good luck.

A smart guy might get the wife involved as well so that she would agree with the expenditures in the sport. But, understand up front how much more reloading you will have to do to support ammo for two shooters, and then there are match fees, holster rigs, another gun, etc. etc. etc. Oh, and more ammo! Good luck!

I have three wooden military munitions crates that star shells come in. I removed the .50 Cal ammo cans that the star shells were packaged in and placed my powder and primers in those and they are stored in a refrigerator out in the garage. Frankly I do not think I would ask the local fire department for info - they might not respond to a fire call at your house if they know what you have in there.

Well I guess you won't do THAT again. I keep a small collection of tools near the bench so I don't try a McGuyver routine like trying to use a pocket knife for a screwdriver etc. - I'm clumsy enough to hurt myself in the process (don't ask how I know). At least it WAS a replacable part. Ken

I got a Lymann Turbo tumbler in a trade when I bought out some reloading gear from a guy who no longer wanted to load back in the early 80s and it's still doing fine. But since aquiring a Dillon 550 this past Christmas and shooting a LOT more since then I'm in need of a bigger tumbler. I'm leaning toward getting a Thumler. Yes, bigger is better. I use corn cob media and just a cap full of Nu-Finish to a batch and the brass looks great! Ken

Considering what it took just to explain what an expander ball is. I'm not sure I want to ask how you came to break yours in a vice. But I can't help myself - how did you manage to break your expander ball in a vice? Ken

I have: 1 550 with 3 complete caliber conversions plus 3 spare tool heads. 2 RCBS single stage for precision rifle and bullet pulling etc. 1 MEC 12 gage And I need a bigger bench and reloading area. Ken

Definitely get the 550!!! I love mine. especially after using two single stage presses for 8 different cartridges for over 15 years. Jimmy M, Do you have a picture of your bench? Thanks, Ken

Boba, I had a similar experience this past Christmas. Totally unbeknown to me my wife called Brian Enos and with his help, ordered a RL550B with all the trimmings (and in the right caliber). WOW! Was I surprised! Like the man said - Boy! We sure did marry up didn't we! Happy fathers day. Regards, Ken

Steve, I have not noticed in your posts any mention of crimp. If you are not using a taper crimp die, you probably should be. The bullet is only held in place by case neck or case mouth tension (usually more critical in rifle cartrideges than pistol - but very important in both). Here is the deal, as the primer is struck and explodes, the bullet will begin it's travel into the bore prematurely if not held in place until full ignition of the propellant powder is established and well involved. At that point the initial compression is lost and as the powder begins it's rapid expansion some powder travels with the bullet into the bore. What you are seeing is powder that did not get ignited because it was not brought to critical mass with the initial primer explosion and during the rapid expansion of gasses cooled too quickly to ignite. You can think of this in the same terms as a gasoline engine with a head gasket leak loosing fuel ecconomy. A taper crimp die when adjusted properly will hold the bullet in place until almost all powder is in ignition. Over crimping will swage the bullet to a lesser diameter and allow gasses to pass by it on the way out the bore, so don't over do it. I may not have the physics exactly right but you get the idea I'm sure. Ken

R.S. Was this a handload, re-manufactured or factory load? I have been shooting AR platform rifles for quite a while and have never had a case separation (but I do keep a tool in my kit). From what I have seen in the field case head separations typically happen from; Trying to get too many reloads on a case and/or defective brass. Impropper rifle chamber headspace. Impropper cartridge size headspace. A little detective work may be in order to be sure this won't happen again. Ken

The guys are right. 90% of what you are going to throw money at in a lower build project is in the trigger assembly. The rest of the parts are all the same. My .02 is buy a Rock River Arms competition trigger assembly if you are short on cash or a JP if you can cough up a little more. If you are going with a collapsable stock, don't skimp there either. Regards, Ken

I think the lead bullets have a sweeter taste. plated ones seem a bit flat (need salt maybe). I've been using Win 231 for both .40 and .45 jacketed bullets but find it a bit smokey. I plan on changing to WSF. I like Unique for my .38 SPL loads (use a rather firm crimp). Ken

Hey guys, I have 8#s of AA2460 lying around that I decided to burn in my practice loads and rumor has it that 2460 is OK with .223 loads and light weight bullets. Anyone out there have a favorite charge weight to go with a 55 grain Winchester flat base pill? My favorite loading is 24 grains of Varget under a 77 grain Sierra MK. I am hoping to match point of impact at 200 yards with the 55s and AA powder. Current plan is to start with 25.5 grains and work up or possibly down from there. Any known data to form a basis would be helpful. Thanks, Ken edited because I can't spell

Usually just changing the lower will not change you zeros because the sights are part of the upper and will not change. But, because the stock is longer on your new lower I would not be suprised if your natural point of aim changes a bit. The way you hold the rifle, the distance from your eye to the rear sight and the way the rifle recoils with a longer stock may all have a bearing on a new POI with the new lower. The above is of course only my opinion YMMV. Ken Edited to add: the difference should be minor.

Flex, I have a Colt Gold Cup with a Kart comp barrel that is a lot pickier than my other .45 Cal pistols. I just got a Dillon case gage and so far all of my completed cartridges are passing in the Dillon gage. I guess I will need to barrel test them too. I do have the origional Colt barrel from the gun before I installed the Kart. It might be interresting to see if my completed ammo all will fit in it as well. That would beat buying another case gage that still might not be as tight as the comp barrel. I might just take the gun to my smith and have him dress the Kart chamber a bit. I spoke with BE this afternoon on another matter and I posed this question to him as well. His response was that he had his smith open up the chambers a bit on all of his new barrels. My only hesitation is that this gun will be used a lot at 50 yards and I think a tighter chamber promotes just a little more accuracy. Ken

Does anyone have any data on comparative tolerence differences between Dillon and Wilson case gages? The only thing I have heard is that the Dillon gages are stainless steel and The Wilson gages are possibly chromium steel. TIA for any information, Ken

Roger that! I tell my son each time I bring home another gun or buy more gear that I'm spending his inheritance fast as I can but he will get some neet toys when I'm gone. Just don't sell it off for what I've told his mom I bought it for. $$$ By the way - that's my drinking buddy / best friend Bobby Lee, he lets me call him Buba. Ken