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AnthonyL

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Posts posted by AnthonyL

  1. The RCBS instructions suck, the Hornady die instructions do a much better job of explaining how to setup the bullet seater/crimp die.

    1. First raise the ramp all the way up with shellholder installed

    2. Screw in the bullet seater die in the press until it touches the shellholder

    3. Now back off the die two full turns and tighten the lock ring (hint, this step removes the crimp ability from the die)

    4. Adjust the bullet seater plunge until you reach the desired COAL

    Note at this point no crimp has been performed, just seating the bullet to the desired COAL

    5. Set aside the loaded round you used to adjust the bullet seater die

    6. Back off the bullet seater plunge several turns

    7. Back off the bullet seater die in the press a couple turns

    8. Place the loaded round in the shellholder and raise the ram completely

    9. Screw in the bullet seater die in the press until you feel the die touch the case

    10. Lower the ram, and screw in the die 1/8 turn and lock the ring

    11. Now raise the ram and crimp the round

    12. With the ram still in the complete up position screw in the bullet seater plunger until it touches the bullet

    Your bullet seat and crimp are now set properly. Check crimp amount with calipers and increase 1/8 at a time as needed. Note, each time you adjust the crimp you have to run up and down the bullet plunger.

  2. Sounds dangerous to me. Military brass has thicker case walls than commercial, and the different volumes in the cases will cause different pressures.

    Good reason why you should use minimum load data. For plinking 100 yards or less there is no need for anything other than min load. Also that means worries about pressure are much less as well as variances in cases due to mixed brass.

  3. I have a Gen3 G35 with a Jager full length steel uncaptured guide rod and Wolff 14lb recoil spring. I'm super happy with this setup in combination with minor .40 loads the recoil is very low.

  4. Best book is no book. Honestly the book is great as a point reference, but loading is something that is hard to describe in writing. The way I learned, and the way I think everyone should start out is find a friend, buddy, neighbor, whomever that is experienced in loading and teach you hands on.

  5. I was just thinking about this since I have several empty 1lb retumbo cans laying around from the .338 LM loading (1lb does not last long). I'm thinking about using the to bring home my spent .40 S&W range brass. Using a bag leaves the chance you could smash them, in a hard plastic bottle would protect them better in transit.

  6. I'm going to vote for a regular full length resize die (w/o bushings). As someone else already pointed out you are going to need to FL resize every 3-4 firings anyways because otherwise it's going to be increasing difficult to drop the bolt. In the mean time between FL sizings, simply back the die out 1-2 turns so it will not touch the shoulder. This will size the neck only. I also highly recommend you purchase a case comparator tool. Hornady makes a nice set that uses your dial calipers.

    This is the exact procedure I use for my .338 Lapua Magnum rounds and they are VERY accurate and the brass lasts several reloadings.

    P.S. Also make sure you understand how the bushing dies work and what you need. Once you get into it, I think you will find it's way more than you are ready for...

  7. My first and only pistol reloading has been .40 S&W. I don't think it's overly tricky or sensitive. Yes I had to buy a EGW undersize die to remove the "Glock bulge" in the brass. There are several other solutions like the Redding GRX die.

    The little competitive shooting I do does not require a chrono test, so I really don't pay attention to that. I strive for a load that gives me low recoil, fairly accurate at 25 yards and less, and is economical. Here is my favorite load to date.

    3.5g Hodgdon Titegroup

    CCI Small Pistol Primer

    Berry's 180g FP-DS

    1.130" COAL

    Really enjoy shooting these and they cycle my G35 perfectly. I do have a Wolff 14lb recoil spring and did not test the load with the stock spring.

  8. Per the case specs the max COAL for .40 S&W is 1.135". I've been researching minor .40 loads for myself and found most people minor load to 1.130" or 1.135" COAL.

    What I do know is the depth of the bullet directly affects case pressure, kinda of the same result of increasing powder charge. So in that retrospect I thought they were loading long to decrease case pressure and keep the recoil soft as possible.

    I recently tried 1.135 COAL in my Glock 35 and had one round not want to chamber without some force. Not sure it was a single round issue or the COAL, will have to do some more testing. I did like the recoil of the COAL and minor load.

  9. After how many people have told me to go buy a Glock 34 I may just have to do it. Thinking I will go down to the indoor range here in the next few weeks and see if they have one as a rental, would really like to try one out before I slap down my money.

    FYI, if you don't find one on that side of the mountains and in the seattle area there are several indoor ranges with G34's for rent.

  10. I do the 92's and there are tons of them out there. The 24's are very cool and I would love to have one, so I may have to do some looking for a non-ported barrel. The Glock 17L is also on my short list. I have had an XD and thought it was ok, so I think I am going to skip those for now. Thanks again everyone for the help!

    The Glock 24 was replaced by the Glock 35 because the 24 didn't fit inside the box for competition. That's why you have a hard time finding 24's because they are no longer produced. Likewise the Glock 17L is very low production and also hard to find. I saw a new one recently in a local WA gun store but it's gone now.

    I own a Glock 35 for competition and very impressed. The stock trigger from the factory is greatly improved over the standard Glock. Of course there is still room to improve with some aftermarket goodies which I've already done.

  11. You could buy an AR armorer's tool for $40-60 or most gun shops sell a buffer tube tool which also has a birdcage wrench built-in. I have one made by Tapco, they are very common and only cost $7-8.

    Nothing else is needed for the install. Do not locktite the new muzzle brake.

  12. I lube liberally even with carbide, the sizing is so much smoother and the press just runs clean and easy.

    When the press runs so smooth, its easy to feel a problem Before it is a bad one and your ammo is much more consistant

    Ditto. I don't see the downside to good amount of case lube as long as you regularly clean your dies. I use Hornady One-Shot between large batches to keeps the dies clean and lubed themselves as well.

  13. So far Bullseye is the only pistol powder I have used. I'm loading .40 S&W for my Glock 35 and I have not noticed any more smoke or build-up in the gun compared to factory ammo I've tried. My next can of powder is Titegroup, so I guess I will see if there is any difference soon enough. I will strip the gun and clean before changing powders to see if there is any difference.

  14. After personally starting out loading with a single stage I highly recommend it. First it's going to slow down the process, in separate steps, which is going to give you more time to learn.

    Yes a single stage is slow, however it's not horrible. I put out about 100 rounds an hour on the Rock Chucker taking my time. If you are only shooting 400 rounds a month you can easily load that many in two evenings after work spending a couple hours in the garage.

    There are other advantages to buying a single stage. If you ever get into precision rifle shooting it's a must, you don't load those rounds on a progressive. Also a single stage can be handy for small individual steps like primer swagger on military brass.

    In other words, buying a single stage now and upgrading to a progressive later will not be money wasted.

  15. Same as everyone else, two separate operations, seat first then crimp. BTW, I'm really impressed with the Lee Factory Crimp Dies. Inexpensive and work extremely well on both rifle and pistol. I use them in conjunction with my Hornady die sets.

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