chuckols

Steve RAMighty pretty brass. UltraSonic cleaned or with media? Thanks Chuck

New to this crisis but I can't help but blame most of the continuing shortages to "hoarding" and "flipping". Until there is a bit more sanity in those two areas I should expect the situation to continue. Chuck

Mark: Gotcha' and thanks, Guy: You are right on the Hodgdon data for 180 gr Berry FP as I sit at 5.5 gr W-231 and their top side is 5.0 gr, 10% over. But I have noticed no overpressure signs so I think I am OK now. We are punching clean holes in card weight stock paper targets. BUT-that means I should stay at 5.5 gr and let the Chronograph (in a week or 10 days we will have one) tell us where we are on the velocity parameter. The Berry bullet is listed at 0.401" dia though I caliper most at 0.400" so your point seems to be well taken. The testing rounds were all fired from by Glock 22-40 cal with 4.5" barrel. The barrel only has 300--400 rounds through it. Since I can 't find the Glock tech data that tells me anything other than 0.400" and I have no tools to measure the bore accurately I guess that remains an unknown for now. The flat bullet base as a factor in stability of the round is an interesting observation. Without chrono data we can't measure that effect. BUT I have a host of archived 9mm rounds built on 115 gr with different rear bullet configurations: Berry - plated-concave lead back Lanier-Flat-plated- back fully plated Remington clad? flat back lead Winchester clad? concave lead probably like the Sperry you mention When we get the Chronograph in a week or so we'll schedule some range permission (or go out in country where friends have lots of land) and see if the mix of bullets and powders for the 9mm and 40 cal teach us anything useful about these differently configured bullets. Thanks for your comments. Keep it coming and I'll keep you in the feed back loop Carlosa: The Glock 22 has the factory Glock barrel. The wife has a Glock 23. I bought 9mm barrels for each gun putting a Lone Wolf in her G23 and a Storm Lake in the Glock 22. The only problem I had was all my 9mm reloads that were on the light side of the recommended mid points for W-231 and TG powders did not function well in the Glock 22 with the 9mm barrel though their was OK operaion in wife's G23. All commercial target(Federal and Winchester) ammo fired well in both guns. The issue with the Glock 22-9mm was FTExtract which probably told me that the worry card of the conversion barrel(from other Forums) was that the heavier slide of the 40 cal Glock needed more recoil punch than my reloads could provide. The solution was to keep on increasing the power load until full slide functioning was achieved. Increase load/test fire etc. Took a couple of iterations to find the OK point for that gun to operate fully. Thanks for you thoughts. Chuck

rangerguy Meant to ask if you have any Chrono data on that load ! Chuck

rangerguyNoted as above response tells the story! Thanks. Need this info! Chuck

RH45Taking note. I am about to switch loader to 40 S&W and have only Titegroup power on hand. Maybe some more Win 231 if Ga Arms gets their powder shipment in this weekend. Chuck

JJSJ Whats the profile of that bullet? RN(round nose) or FN (flat nose). I had ballistic problems with RN of this gr. ; that's why I ask. Chuck

mlmiller1Wow!! Appreciate your response. Sorry, the targets got trashed when I left the range. BUT...today I made another batch of 35 rounds of the 40 S&W 180 gr RN Berry with an increase in Win 231 powder from 5.3 to 5.5 gr. with all other Dillon setting the same. Shot card weight paper targets and got pretty neat punch holes. Fired some commercial new Federal and got pretty much the same. Policed all my brass and comparing the case diameters at the extractor end and checking the primers for bulge I found all OK with no real examples of an overpressure issue as you described. Some of the brass was a bit older than most and I could see the swell of the primer(back pressure) made a difference in the margin left on the outside of the primer pocket face. So I guess the increase in powder load is pushing towards Major but with no chrono I don't know. Anyway, I really appreciated your comments and advice. I went ahead and made another 200+ rounds for inventory and when I get the Chrono I will test the archival rounds in this production run to see what I can learn further. I am running out of Win 231 so I'll probably run a few rounds and test using Titegroup. Many thanks for your and SRoe3 's comments. I got though this production issue pretty fast in a few days. Much appreciated!! Chuck

sroe3 Thanks for prompt response. I have pulled several bullets and found no scuffing so I am going to assume for the moment that if I stay below 1250 fps(manufacture's warning) that the cladding should remain intact and not adversely affect ballistic performance. What are signs that chamber pressures are getting high 'enuf to be a problem? Is this something I can feel during the discharge of the hand gun? Recoils? I realize that until I get a chrono I have no idea what velocity these rounds are attaining. Thanks for your advices. Chuck

Hey folks, need some advice. Just started reloads with my Dillon 550 and did well I thought with 9mm and now starting on 40 S&W reloads. Using very clean brass(primarily Winchester), Federal #100 primers with a Berry Mfg. 180gr round nose .401"dia bullet with flat back-plated. TCJ I note some call this type of bullet. I am using Win 231 powder. I tested the reloads on the range at 5 and 7 yards in my Glock 22. I found that each batch is making ragged vertically elongated tears rather than the nice neat holes I punch with Winchester 180 grain FMJ FN from Walmart. I do not have a Chrono yet so I have no idea of the velocity of these rounds. Here are the specifics for these reloads: Test 1- 5.0 grs W-231, OAL 1.121" ; median case length 0.840"; 0.600" length bullet; calc. depth bullet seat 0.319"; crimped case/ bullet neck dia. 0.422"; 30 rounds in test . Test 2- 5.3 gr. W-231, OAL 1.125"; median case length 0.840"; 0.600" length bullet; calc. depth bullet seat 0.315"; crimped case/ bullet neck dia. 0.422"; 30 rounds in test . Test 1 showed normal gun action with no hiccups but most rounds tore paper as described above. So I increased the powder load to 5.3 gr to get more punch(?) and brought the OAL up to1.125" to match target grade(white box)Win 180 gr FMJ FN I had been using successfully. I presume the sloppy paper tears are poor ballistic stability(?) but I am just guessing. Is this a weakness in round nose larger bullets? What's the advice as to what changes are needed? Your advices would be much appreciated. Chuck

Peryy Thanks, I have been really working hard on two things in the loading process each time the shell plate is indexed: I look at the #2 station case when it is indexed to the #3 station to place the bullet on the belled mouth- I caught one double charge in my run of about 1500 rounds of 9mm(over 3 weeks) so far. I also caught a case with no powder when I got mixed up in my index rhythm. I also then look at the primer cup after I place the bullet on #3 station and before I add a new case to the #1 station The primer cup should be empty. I have had some issues with "no primers"in the finished product and if there is a fresh primer in the cup when I index to move the case from #1 to #2 I know that I have failed to insert the primer for that previous case. With " no primer" I was scattering powder over the shell and the finished ammo tub and alerting me to the issue after the fact. I have also run into the issue of Military Brass primer pocket matter that on occasion will not accept the Federal #100 SPP's I use. I found that if I deprime, resize and then clean the primer pockets as a batch process I have eliminated most of the issues with that brass. I have learned the "feel" of a normal primer insertion and the contrary causes a "stop"... to ensure I am OK or if the case has to be pulled because the primer is standing out or crushed. Any thing you can add to my limited experience ? I am trying to move as carefully as I can and I appreciate your encouragement. Chuck

Steve, thanks. I got it. It seems that chrongraphing rounds is the only way to find out the velocity effect of a particular length bullet reloaded into a mixed cases lot of brass. I would think that varying the COL could be a mechanism for understanding the practical velocity effect. Make any sense? Chuck

I think this is very good example that WHERE you try to sell an item is probably a major determinant on what price you might attain. EBAY has worldwide exposure and a reputation. I am not aware of the ARFCOM EE but I would bet they represent a Market where informed buyers buy a narrow market of goods. EBay represents a lot more than that as we know, as most everyone takes a look early on at EBay when they have(feel) a need for an item that's not readily sold locally or want to get some idea of what an item is worth. A comment earlier about asking and selling or closed prices is to be recognized for its importance. I think that WHERE and the free market are wonderful assets when you are selling and like the Equity markets they offer a wonderful haven for the speculators and flippers.. More power to them as there is risk and they are rewarded or not as the lot comes up to the final 1 minute. Buyers can win as they do every day by being careful and disciplined so that the emotion of the last minute auction activity does not cause them to emotionally react and regret that experience. The social and political mood around guns and ammunition for the last several years has all of us attuned to scarcity, self protection(need mine now) and uncertainty as to when(or if) the world will ever get back to normal. Some are taking advantage of this emotional state of uncertainty to price goods in accord with their perception of the market and its laws of supply and demmand. I would suppose that reality is a personal matter of judgement and we all know that we have to be careful not to over react to today's market moods. Chuck

Great testimony for the product. I can certainly belive it as I find my precision machine a real joy! Thanks, Chuck

Thanks Chuck

I am a new owner of a Dillon 550B. I have an inventory of clean range brass that is a real Duke's Mix of manufacturers. In running my first test of reloading I chose a 9mm-115 grain Berry FMJ RN for the setups and tuning. I first checked the OAL of some Federal 9mm 115 grain FMJ RN that I had bought at WalMart that I know to be new ammo--I got 1.153-1.154". Checking some ammo bought at the range as 115 gr FMJ I found a wide variation in OAL1.136, 1.134 & 1.157"'s. Now I was really confused!!! My Lyman and Nosler reloading manual guides indicated that th SAAMI max OAL for 9mm should be 1.169" and I believe that I understand that different bullet types for any given grain weight are not going to match OAL's -probably accuracy is affected by the depth of bullet seating?. Further, the Hodgdon loading data on line indicated that powder loading data for 115 gr Gold Dot hollow points were all tested with OAL's of 1.125" and 115 gr FMJ and JHP were all tested with OAL's of 1.169". I conclude from all this that the depth of bullet seating in the case (at a given setting on the #3 Dillon seating die) is going to be a function of 1) case length-my range brass is all over the place; and 2) the absolute length of the bullet being used. I have no idea of the affect on accuracy of the seated depth in a case. HELP!!! COMMENTS !! So I checked the OAL of the bullets that I have in stock: (all 9mm 115 gr) Berry Manuf FMJ RN(clad?) concave back 0.595-0.597" Remington FMJ RN flat back 0.554-0.559" Winchester FMJ RN concave back 0.591-0.592" Rainier CMJ RN flat back- 0.559-0.564" I could see with all this variability in bullet lengths that I was in uncharted territory for me. so... Then, during the initial set up of all the station dies for the Dillon 550B my first shot at seating(Die #3) for a Berry Mfg 115 gr TMJ RN I got an OAL of 1.114" which seemed to be way overset I opined so I backed the die off a bit and got 1.155" as a result. I smiled, stopped the adjustment right there and went on to establish the softest crimp that would allow the finished round to enter and leave the 9 mm case gauge(freedom to fit loosely). The round certainly did not exceed the max of 1.0169". What do I conclude from all of your remarks above and the measurements and observations I have commented upon? The variation in OAL for any given reloaded round at a constant die setting on the reloader will be a function of the variability of length of the case and the bullet used. I have no idea of the preferred depth setting relative to the top of the case and and the back of the bullet. Your thoughts and comments? Many Thanks, Chuck

Pleased to be able to join this Forum where I know I will be able to find experienced hands to help me through the reloader experience with my new Dillon 550B. Started reloading 9mm first and I have reloaded and range fired rounds of 115 grain FMJ rounds built on Win 231 powder and 4 bullet types of 115 grain(plated flat back-FB and concaveback-HB)(and the same in clad ) as I bought bullets that were available during the wait time for the delivery of the Dillon press.

Brian really took care of us on our 550. He's a really neat guy and I can't imagine how Dillion could get along without having him as their "best salesman". Chuck

Neat and thanks. Chuck

Guys, I just went through this situation in late 2012 when we were trying to make up our minds on a which reloading machine of the Dillon series, etc.., to buy and trying to understand what we really needed. When I wanted to buy a bunch of construction equipment several years ago, I got smart on what items cost and then I went to see if I could do better on EBay. On Ebay I marked items to watch and noted what they sold for and when I was ready to buy I knew the market at that general moment and I bid and acted cooly and pretty soon I had nailed down and bought in fair auction the items I needed at the total delivered costs I was willing to pay. I had to pass up a lot of items whose prices had gotten inflated by wacky buyers who did not have the discipline required to be an auction buyer. The market and I were done and I went on to other things. This story applies well to today's market in anything related to Guns. When I looked at Dillon's products on EBay in October 2101 I ran into a market badly inflated by the "gun control issue", scarcity was apparently badly inflated in all items(real market demand and hoarders) and a "panic" willingness on the buyers to spend over MSRP as an acceptable premium for getting the item immediately rather than enduring a long and uncertain delivery time. I felt also that the premium was exaserbated by many uninformed buyers who either really didn't know how to buy on EBay or had little knowlege of the value of the goods they were trying to secure. Human nature at work. That's when I decided that the EBay marketplace was not the answer here. A bit more work and "Brian" was discovered and soon we had placed an order; we waited for 8 weeks and now we are about ready to pour powder and reload brass cases. Brian's website and his Forums were nice treasures to discover. This just illustrates the beauty of this Forum. Here you can become informed and avoid/rectify a lot of mistakes and stress by seeking help from those that know and are willing to help. I just wish that I had found it sooner. Peace, Chuck

Wrigdon Glad you bit the bullet and are getting a Dillon 550. Ours arrived this past week after an 8 week wait. We purchaswed through Brian Enos and found it to be a great experience. I found the Dillon Manual to be "so so" in setting up the machine. You should get on U Tube and here on Brian's site and have alook. All his links, I believe, all end up to-and-from UTube. The world, however, needs a really comprehensive lset of loading videos. If they are out there I have not found them yet so a shout will get my attention. Best of luck on the new loader. I know you will enjoy it! Peace, Chuck

Sounds like a good plan. Thanks Kenney!! We are just getting fully setup to reload here with our new RL550B. We will run 9mm and then 40 S&W. Researching various powder loads for the 9mm we plan to use Winchester 231 powder in first 9mm production run. With the long (8 weeks) wait for the 550 to deliver(bought thru Brian) I put my nose to the ground and laid in a supply of brass( 9mm and 40 S&W), bullets(115 grain 9mm RN in clad and plated-both flat base and hollow base);(180 gr 40 cal RN plated FB) Federal SPP's primers and Win 231 and Titegroup powders. We're taking it easy and working hard on developing good habits and practices. Perhaps we will have some good and practical tips to share with the other "newbies" in a couple of months. Experience is a very fine teacher as we all know. These threads have been very helpful in our thinking and planning. Peace, Chuck

Thanks, we'll check it out!

rdinga- Good to hear your report from Alabama. Hope that improving supply situation finds it's way up to Atlanta. Oldest son and I are just getting started on setting up for a 550RL reloader and supplies to feed it. We have the brass supply covered but interested if anyone in metro Atlanta area(we are in Roswell & spagetti junction area) has any good news of reload supplies availability in our neck of the woods?