njl

I occasionally have the same thing happen, but I think in my case its because powder flakes are sticking to the powder funnel and occasionally dropping without a case below or just missing while the ram is down and case far from the funnel.

Is that the new .38 supermag belted case?

Am I the only thinking that's an awfully big/expensive/complex kit for someone "thinking about getting into reloading"? There's a lot of stuff in that list you don't need to get started, and unless you need to turn out thousands of rounds per week or month, or just have way more $ than time (not likely as you say you're saving up for it), I'd start out smaller, i.e. skipping the bullet feeder, primer fillers, etc. and just get the Eliminator scale (you'll end up buying one later anyway).

I bought my 550 a couple years ago through BE, and included the DVD with my order. I agree, the DVD really ought to be available for download / posted in sections on youtube, but for those who really want the convenience of a DVD to watch on TV, sell it to them.

It's always a good idea to bring along a .22 pistol to fire some cheap test shots over the chronograph to make sure your setup is working before wasting any of the rounds you need chronographed on a setup that may not give useful data. If you're not getting readings somewhere very roughly around 1000fps (probably a bit higher) from a .22lr, you know something's wrong with your setup or your chronograph.

Deputy1199, I'm new to reloading and was wondering what kind of velocities are you getting from the 3.9gr Clays with 230gr RN? I fired 10 test rounds this weekend that were the same load and my velocities averaged 460fps. The gun cycled fine and I had no FTE, but the rounds sure weren't going very fast. Recoil was nice and light though That's just not possible. I'm guessing your chrono readings were bogus. The FPS is way low for 3.9gr Clays, and I really doubt a 460fps 230gr load would cycle any .45acp pistol. 4gr Clays with a 230gr jacketed bullet should just make major PF. Lead should go even faster. When you setup your chronograph, do you fire a few rounds of .22lr over it first to test your setup? Like GSWEAR said, if you'd substituted Universal Clays for Clays, you'd get really low velocity at that charge, but I can't imagine 3.9gr Universal would cycle your gun, and it probably wouldn't have burned all the powder due to the pressure being so low.

Is it possible with the other connectors you forgot to lube the trigger/connector interface? I've never heard of a 3.5# connector giving a heavier pull than a 5#...and I did a trigger job on a Gen4 17 about a year ago.

I don't see how that's possible. Have you actually measured the trigger pull, or just going by how it feels?

What exactly is the press in that picture? A very old Dillon RL550? The powder measure looks like it's on rotated 180*, there's no powder failsafe return system, the priming system looks odd, and the primer catch cup is a bottle?

You really should be segregating your brass by caliber before tumbling since different calibers will nest in each other and the inner ones will fail to get a full cleaning. i.e. 9mm fits inside .40 which fits inside .45acp, and sometimes when they nest and have some media mixed in, they can be very hard to separate. After cleaning, you might or might not want to sort by headstamp. You'll probably find that some brands of brass load easier than others, some may have crimped primer pockets that need to be dealt with before you can reprime them, and if you have any steel/berdan primed brass, that needs to be removed to prevent damaging your sizing die / decapping pin. Lube with a carbide sizing die (for straight walled pistol brass) is not required, but you really should try it with and without lube so you can see for yourself how much easier it is with lube.

My only complaints with WST are the published 9mm data for it is pretty scarce and it seems to be more staticy...i.e. it sticks to the inside of the powder hopper worse than Universal does. I still use it, though primarily for .45acp. It's a common enough powder that you can probably find a 1lb. jar of it at places like Bass Pro or Gander Mountain. Buy one of those "sample sizes" and if you like it, mail order it by the 4 or 8lb jug.

A Gen3 trigger housing will not fit in a Gen4 frame. A trigger from a Gen3 or earlier gun can be put in a Gen4. At least I did it with no ill effects. Same things you'd do to a Gen3 or earlier model apply to the Gen4. A 3.5# connector and polishing all the moving surfaces (connector, trigger bar, striker, striker safety plunger) should get you down to around 4#. If you want lighter, you'll have to start messing with things like reduced power striker springs, modified trigger bars that move the trigger spring hole, etc.

I've been using a Lyman Turbo 2500 Pro Magnum Auto Flow for a couple of years and tumbled many thousands of rounds of pistol and rifle brass through it. It'll do about 1000 9mm. The specs appear to say it'll do 1000 .38spc...so if that's true, it should handle >1000 9mm. My only complaints are they should have included an on/off switch and could have made the bowl top easier to open/close than the included wing nut.

That's what I was going to say. I've loaded 9mm minor 124gr and 147gr with Universal...and just checked Hodgdon's data to see that it should make major with .40 easily. As an added bonus, double charges should be glaringly obvious...though possible to fit with heavier bullet weights.

A dial caliper is probably worth having...both to keep your digital honest, and because some night, you'll be wanting to do some loading and find that your digital caliper's battery has died and your spare battery is either dead or missing, making your digital caliper a complex overpriced paperweight. If $'s an issue, I'd go with the Eliminator scale instead of the D-Terminator. I don't have any experience with Dillon's electronic scale, but electronic scales in general seem to be less reliable than beam scales, and in most cases, also more expensive. Sure, they're much faster to use...just drop a charge on them and read the screen...but fast isn't so good if the scale's zero wanders.

I've got the RCBS Trim Pro Power (with 3-way cutters). I've only trimmed a couple hundred cases with it, but I guess I'm happy with it. I'd be happier if the provided a catch tray for the brass shavings...but it wasn't rocket science to rig on out of aluminum foil. Another thing you may need...if you're planning to load military rifle calibers...something to swage or cut the crimp from the primer pockets. I went with the Dillon super swage, but haven't actually used it yet.

If you're going to be loading much rifle ammo, look at power trimmers. Turning the handle is going to get old real fast. Rifle case prep is tedious enough. I really like Dillon dies, but I haven't used any others but Lee. What about calipers and a chronograph? RL550B was my first and only press. You don't need a single stage for load development. You don't really need the brass polish. You will need some lube for rifle...and if you use just a bit for pistol, things will run so much smoother.

The dies actually have no relevance here. The powder funnel in the pistol conversions creates the flare to help you seat the bullet. You adjust the powder die until you get the right amount of flare as the funnel pushes against the measure. With the 223 conversion, the powder funnel rides with the case and activates the powder measure. It seals on the outside of the mouth and therefore does not flare the case. That part I got. I was more concerned with proper adjustment of the resizing die. .223 will be my first bottleneck cartridge.

I've got the supplies to try that (have only used Clays for .45)...but my current favorite is 147gr X-treme over 3.4gr Universal (or 3.5gr WST). Super soft, but still minor PF.

Why not use the CCI primers if I had trigger work done on a Glock? People say they're harder...and Federal is reputed for being the most sensitive (easiest to ignite)...and if you've got a lightened trigger in a Glock, it's fairly common to have a reduced power striker spring. My advice, if you're new to reloading...do a bunch of 9mm before attempting .223. Rifle reloading is more complicated. 147gr may not be the best way to get started either. The safe margin for error is smaller with heavier bullets. I got started with 124gr, and recently moved to 147gr. Universal Clays works well for either, and is a good choice because a double charge of it is really obvious. With 124gr appropriate charges, a double will likely overflow and make a mess. With 147gr suitable charges, it won't overflow but will be obvious.

The sides of the brass, from the mouth most of the way down, the brass would lose its shine and look frosted. Kind of like the brass had been bead blasted or something. I don't think it looked that way before his gun beat it up.

I mostly load Win because it's what I have the most of. Federal (FC) seems to be the easiest brass to deal with though. I used to pick up brass at a match where there was one guy shooting 9mm major. His open gun would frost the brass, making it really obvious it was his. I tried to avoid it, but occasionally, while sorting brass before or after tumbling, I'd find a piece or two. Is this common / a reliable sign of 9mm major brass, or was it just peculiar to his open gun? S&B seems to be a little thicker, has tighter pockets, and though I used to load it, it's one of the few headstamps I generally won't pick up now. Basically, just that, Amerc, and anything I know to be steel or aluminum. RWS (got common for a while at Walmart during the ammo shortages) is another that's hard to work with.

A lot of people use the Shooting Chrony (but I'd say if you go that route, do yourself a favor and get at least the Beta Master for the remote display and to have it do all the math for you). A lot of people also say bad things about the Shooting Chronies. They can be kind of tempermental (the units, not the people) and if lighting and setup aren't just right, they may not register all your shots.

Different bullets are different lengths, so there isn't likely to be a magic OAL that works well with all combinations. I've loaded PD and Zero 230gr FMJ to mostly the 1.230-1.250" range and not had any accuracy issues. I think you're more likely to have accuracy issues from bad crimp than the "wrong" OAL.

Maybe 1.200 is just too short for those bullets and you're getting into a thicker part of the brass? Where on the bullets was the jacket getting indented, cut, or scraped?