BMartens

Make sure it is a friend you can live without.

I use Clays across the board in .45, cheap and accurate. 3.7 Clays for 230 gr 4.3 Clays for 200 gr WSP 1.242 OAL 168 to 172 PF for either bullet depending on weather and chrono. Clays doesn't smoke bad with moly at all, nothing like with lead.

Are you sure on this one? 8.2 and a 124??? That seems really hot to me. Be careful there, those pressures have to be nuts. Yep I am sure, olier chrono and area 2 cronos were both 171 pf. 1389 fps. + - 5 fps I have backed off to 8.0g and do not flatten primers anymore. 1360 fps 168pf and shoots very good. 1.175 oal wsr primer All crono's were done in Arizona 80 to 100 degrees fyi I'm getting about the same thing with Silhouette through a KKM 5" barrel with 1 popple hole, 124 MG CMJ @ 1.163 OAL 8.0 goes 171PF and 8.2 gives me 174PF. The 8.2 load works the comp just a bit better than 8.0 grains. Primers are a little on the flat side with both 8.0 and 8.2. One thing I have noticed with Silhouette, the SD for all of the rounds I have put over the chrono averages about 4 fps. Very consistent and reasonably clean at these levels. I'm still working with True Blue and HS-6, the jury is still out. So far both of these have topped out just barely making 165PF. Also, plan to try some WSF and see how that goes. WSR for primers.

I've shot a bunch of BBI 130's but never with 231. WSF at 3.9 to 4.0 is what I have used for a PF of 130-133. But, I also have a good bit of HP-38 and plan to try it with the BBI bullets soon. I'm going to start with 4.0 grains @ 1.140 OAL. Should make minor with no problems. Best I can figure from load data and experience with BBI 130's it should be something like 3.8 to 4.5 grains running around 975 to 1050 FPS. I've had very good luck with the BBI 130's out of my SP-01 and standard M&P.

Make sure you have enough crimp, a touch extra might help.

If you sort a batch of same headstamp brass, hand weigh each load and be meticulous with OAL you will get the best results possible. Then grab you're mixed brass, set up your press and powder measure and you will most likely see the results you are getting. Dealing with a world of averages so put some cushion in your PF and be consistent with your press operation and you'll be good to go. I have one .45 load that will sometimes show and SD of 37 and I have a 9mm major load that does a 4 SD. Both work extremely well and they are off the same press and powder measure. Just the nature of the beast.

Just getting ready to head outside and do the "ladder dance" myself, and it's windy to boot.

Titegroup for plated and jacketed and WSF for lead and moly. Both powders will work across the board but, I find that Titegroup shots a little softer with the jacketed stuff and that WSF smokes less with lead, a lot less. If you don't mind smoke, Titegroup is just a bit softer, IMO.

Berry, you better not win another one next week. Give a Open shooter a chance to own a different gun. I am really looking forward to the holiday match. Joe W. Don't worry Joe, I'll let you shoot it. Actually, this year I would like to win something to go with my new open gun. I'm in pretty good shape for production.

Titegroup for plated and jacketed and WSF for lead and moly. WSF will work all the way around but, Titegroup is softer. Titegroup works with lead and moly but, way to much smoke for most folks.

I've used them before on personal computers, nothing commercial. The are reputable and have good coverage. I do know that McAfee is one of the anti-virus software packages that is offered through DoD. It is provided free to service members through the various online services provided. I just checked and it is still available through my AKO account.

Understood, and you do raise a valid point! I was mainly focused on the explosive capability of the powder itself and not the brass or the bullets in that example. I guess the question at that point would be if there is enough air inside of a sealed container to allow the smokeless powder to build up to an explosive level or if it will just ...burn... the next question is would that burn snuff itself out from the burned gasses BEFORE it reached the point if rupturing the can, if the can was well sealed? Edited to add: Thank you for the link, it is most informative I read this and it got me wondering if "ammo cans" of any type are DOT or similar approved. "DOT-approved containers are constructed to open up at low internal pressures to avoid the effects normally produced by the rupture or bursting of strong containers." Seriously, think about it. If the military ships ammo to places in ammo cans on US roads...the can *should* be DOT approved, right? No air required for smokeless powder, it is it's own oxidizer, all it needs is ignition. The only thing that helps inside of any container is if there is enough space to allow for the expanding gasses or enough strength to contain them. Military ammo cans are for loaded ammo, not powder and therefore, a different set of rules. And during peacetime the Armed services do a pretty good job of following DOT guidelines, at any other time or place, they carry what they need to where they are going, and they never carry the fuses on the same supply vehicle as the explosives, cardinal rule on that one.

This should answer a lot of your questions. Loaded ammo in an ammo can is not the same as loose smokeless powder, or several cans or bottles stored in the same ammo can. Smokeless powder burns at a variable rate and as pressure increases, created by the expanding gasses from the burning, the burn rate increases. Pressure increases, burn rate increases, pressure increases, until something lets go and that is whatever container is holding the powder, be it a brass cartridge case, a storage cabinet or an ammo box. If a loose round cooks off you are more concerened with the brass case than the bullet. The lightest piece of the loaded round, the brass case, is moved more easily by the pressure so it goes faster and farther than the bullet. SAAMI_Smokeless_Powder_.pdf

If they find your checkbook it's all over. Go peacefully.

Odorless mineral spirits. About $11-12 for a gallon at home Depot or Lowes. Use it for just about everything else that gets gunky.

I found a little trick to help determine a good starting OAL for 9mm. I pulled a bunch of factory rounds apart and found that almost every single OAL left a very consistent amount of space in the case for powder. It averaged out to .203. If you measure the bullet you are loading and add that to the case length and the subtract .203 you will have an excellent starting OAL. This has worked with every 9mm bullet I have tried so far. Example .563 bullet length .750 standard case length for 9mm 1.313 -0.203 1.110 Starting OAL .580 bullet length .750 standard case length for 9mm 1.330 -0.203 1.127 Starting OAL This is just a good starting point. As mentioned by many, there are dozens of variables that you will want to consider and one big one with Glocks is what OAL the magazine will handle. If the measurements above comes out longer than the max OAL of 1.169 then start at 1.169. In order to find what is the absolute best for your gun and your load you will need access to a chronograph and then you can fine tune everything. For USPSA want you want is 100% reliability first, then the best accuracy you can get. Running is number 1 for this game. I've never tried this with any other caliber, yet, but it seems to work wll with 9mm.

Couple of local offerings - Foglifter and Full Vengance. They'll get you going in the morning.

I've looked at a bunch of burn rate charts and it almost looks like burn rate is an opinion and not a science. Same for loading data in all of the various manuals. Just a ton of variation and no small amount of confusion. It's also difficult to find data for obsolete or discontinued powders. You usually consider the manufacturer's data as the most reliable, if the bullets, barrel length, etc. fit your criteria. It is also difficult for a reloader to throw out several pounds of perfectly good powder. Give it a try and see what it does. It's the only way to know for sure.

You got a pretty good deal and I don't think you will be disappointed. You will definitely be impressed with the improved output over the turret press, lot more rounds and a lot less work. If the SDB is not enough, you can always move up. That's how it works... never a dull moment.

I also have a Lee Turret press, cast iron version, that I use to load all sorts of oddball stuff. For this press I'm not worried about speed. What makes it nice is having the extra turrets and keeping the dies in place and set. I also have 2 SDB's and I just can't fault these machines. If you are on somewhat of a budget, have limited space or just load for pistol calibers the SDB is a quality machine at a bargain price. I have tool heads for each caliber that I load and complete small and large primer systems. I also have the Unique Tek micrometer installed on the powder measures. When I change calibers I am loading again in 10 minutes with no problems. Easy to do 400 rounds an hour without breaking a sweat, 500 if you hustle a bit and I have actually cranked out 600 on that odd Saturday morning just before a match when you have let everything go until the last minute. If you want a case feeder or if you want to load rifle then move on to the 550/650.

I generally do the initial set up with one round in the press. Much easier to do it that way. You will be very close to your final set up with a single round. Then load up the shell plate and start checking and measuring each round coming off. Do the touch up settings for bell, seat and crimp until you have exactly what you want.

Here is some information that I got from Western. I have a couple of pounds also and have loaded quite a few .38 Spl target loads. Not tried it in anything else. Scot_8th_12g_pgs_9_to_19_S1000_Scot_D.pdf Scot_8th_Ed_Handgun.pdf

Check Shooters Connection. I saw they have an adapter that will mount the STS to a JPoint mount. Might work if you can't find an STS mount. Barry

The brute's full name is Expobar Brutus II. That would be a good name for a hybrid/comped open gun. ...or a good name for a rock band. Clean coffee cups only when there is visible and unidentifiable growth and that would include snakes. I know some folks that would only consider rinsing out a coffee cup if the growth was limiting the volume of coffee available.

That's an odd looking rear sight. Does it hold zero? Lots of CZs... Yes it does. I was a little skeptical at first but, after 5k rounds it's hanging in there with no problems at all. I also can just reset it when going from jacketed to moly bullets by doing 2 clicks up and 4 clicks right or vice versa. The hard part is remembering which setting is for which bullet and what bullet did I shoot last... And it fit in the box at A3 with a little wiggle room. Just a simple little LPA adjustable sight.