Shoot-4-Ever

[deleted]

Duane.....that makes sense to me. I will try it with no crimp and see how it goes. My Lee taper die came today, sounds like I may not need it. Carlos......Can you explain a little about the "U" die, what it does, and maybe how it works. Don't think I have heard of the "U" before. Is it used only for the Semi-auto/acp type cartridge, is it available in other calibers too? I have a Blow-back I am using for cary, however I have an interest in the new Ruger but I hear they are difficult to get right now. I have a Colt Mustang that is not mine, but I shoot it often, I believe that could be a locked breach, but not certain. I have my eye on a CZ (think it's a model 82?, can't remember) I think it is a blowback, but not sure. I am looking for a stronger durable .380 that will take a few K rds in a larger gun with the longer barrel, however there are few to choose from. Maybe you have a suggetion on something like that? I like my 9's, but enjoy the .380 the way they recoil etc. The Win 231 in starting charge is a very mild recoil, will see how it does as I work it up. Maybe the blow back design is reason I enjoy shooting .380. thanks for your suggestions, I will make some changes and see what happens.

I have loaded a few .380's over the years, but not much experience with them. Now I am getting into loading .380 with my Dillon 550. Seems I have ssmall amounts of .380 in 95, 100, 110 gr. and maybe others. I have alot more 9mm of about the same wt. in stock. SO I compared them finding some 9mm have a slightly longer straight section for deeper seating...but really not much difference. My only reason for wanting to put 9mm into the .380 is the fact that I have plenty of assorted 9mm in jhp. I usually cary a .380 so wanted to play with some hp loads just for the fun of it. The question is, what should I look for in the bullet when selectting a 9 for the 380? Right now, I am using win. 231 with 100 gr. Berrys plated round nose working up from the basement. Also found that placing a taper crimp on the .380 (using Redding taper die) is very dificult to get a solid crimp. When I use my hammer style inertia bullet puller, I have them seperating with 1 solid blow. So I crimp tighter, and still seperating easily. I tried pushing the bullet into the brass with the tighter crimp and they did move in with a fair amount of pressure from my thumb. So I think I need to do something different. I ordered a Lee crimp die, not here yet, maybe that will help. I know that the Berrys plated bullets should have a very light taper crimp if any. The pulled bullets show progressive markings as I increased the crimp. Any thoughts or suggestions?

Where can I find a good, but simple guide, something like an AR-15 book for Dummies? Have had guns forever, reloaded for almost as long (pistol & shotgun), but only loaded straight wall cartridges, no necked brass. I enjoy reloading as a hobby, it's all part of the shooting sports to me, and I can't stand to pay more than a few bucks for a box of ammo in a cal. that I will shoot on a regular basis. I hear .223 is much like 9mm, it's popular and not that expensive to purchase until now. If I shoot .223, I will want to reload them eventually. I purchased the first AR I could get my hands on because they were near impossible to find. The last two weeks I spent many hours researching the AR format while trying to purchase items for my new S&W M&P. I need ammo, rails, sights etc. as well as all the components and dies to reload the .223/5.56. Can't find much left out there, seems most everything is sold out and on back order. The hype is real; I think it’s mainly due to the recent election and the threat to ban. Usually, I would spend allot of time researching something new like this before buying in the blind, but this time, “THE HYPE” got to me! So if there is a short course available, would like to take a look to get started with some good solid basics. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

What is your opinion on the nylon (?) bolt/slide recoil buffers? I see them in the catalougs and what they say about them makes sense, but I have been fooled a few times before. At about 8-10 bucks each, it would cost plenty to outfit even a few of my more often used favorites. And I expect the life of the buffer varies depending on gun, amount of use, ammo etc. What are your thoughts? Will this soften the recoil and make me a little better shooter and possibly add to the life of the gun? I shoot 9mm and .40 often. One on the 40 probably could help me to get back on target with my 2nd shot with less stress onme and the gun. However, it's a Glock and they are invincible right?

I tried my 2.7 gr. BullsEye w/148 gr. HBWC at 12 yds on paper with a rest using 3 different revolvers. They all shot high and one to the left about 2" & one to the right by about 2". They all shot a decent group. Recoil was very manageable and I think I have a good starting point to buld a good load for one revolver at a time. However, one thing I noticed was a very very slight leading marking on one side of the hole in the target. Careful study makes me think they are possibly just starting to tumble, or stabelize. I was not at my range, so had no way to shoot at longer distance to see if I get any egg shape or out of round holes. I think I am being too critical until I get the chance to try 25, 35 yds out etc. Anyone have any thoughts? My roll crimp is very light and I have the bullet just above flush, almost need magnify glass to tell they are high. I now have a Lee taper crimp die so will try some other combinations. More powder, different powder, different crimp etc. are all things to try. This trial & error is what makes this hobby fun.

WOW, I was just about to pick up the phone and make an order for a 70 # US Mail box of Zero's. This is the first complaint I have heard of with the Zero being so dirty. I have 500 plated DEWC from Barrys or maybe Rainier, don't remember. They had a good price so I wanted to give them a try. Have not loaded them yet. They are 158 gr. I think and just a bit shorter than the lead HBWC I have. Will I need to be careful not to crack or deform when I roll crimp? I loaded the lead HBWC just slightly above the flush mark to catch the roll crimp. I found that with the light crimp on a flush load, the bullet could be pushed in deeper with my finger. So tried leaving them up and they seem to be ok, won't know for sure until I shoot them. I sort all my brass for all my cal. loads by headstamp. I try to keep the better looking brass together, but never know how many time fired before. I did have some erratic OAL with some 9mm I loaded. Wish I could get them more uniform in OAL. The .38's sofar have been more consistant. I have asked about trimming the brass and found quite a range of answers. Don't have a trimmer yet, maybe someday if I have problems. While I am here, one more question on the Dillon. I have just a tiny bit of BullsEye left from a very old can. Once that is gone, I have some that is only about 15 yrs old to use up. I expect the current made BE powder is much cleaner to shoot. Back to my question, how far down in the powder measure can I go before I reach a point of irregular powder drops? I have just under 2 inches in measure, I check my loads very often, no problems yet. I know there is a baffle or something that keeps the drops uniform. Can I get it down to under an inch to use it up, or am I asking for problems I don't need in doing this ? ? ?

Sending out my thanks to everyone in this thread. I had some time to work with my loading setup last week, all went very well. Only thing I was extra cautious about was the roll crimp. I did up a handful with different degrees of crimp, took them to the range and asked a few guys to select the better crimp. Well sure, everyone had a different opinion, but ended up with a very light roll, so light, it takes a magnifing glass for me to really see it. So I set up to copy that. Then I hammered away at a few to see how difficult it was to pull the bullet. Everything looked great, no lead dammage and took a few wacks to get them pulled. I did the 2.7 Bullseye that most everyone suggested. I started crankin on the 550 like it was my favorite slot machine...put out about 150 rds. I don't think I have ever done that many before without trying a few first. I was confident with all the research I found for the 2.7 - 2.8 Bull. If I find the crimp is to lite, I can run them again if needed, but think I am ok. Another question, several suggest a taper crimp, who makes a .38 taper die....Lee maybe? Haven't really looked yet, but think I will taper from now on, that should give me a few more loads on the brass. Another ? Some of you mentioned the Smith M 52, I looked it up in my Digest, maybe with a little more research I may decide to pick one up. Everyone boast about the accuracy. I also looked up the mags, knowing they were somewhat unique, but 50 dollars unique??? That is a bit much when I would like to have 5 or so. Anyway, thanks again for your comments.

This thread is Really Old.....I have read every post, but have not become involved yet. I hope to get some targets ready and find some range time so I can play along. Brian has held up his end for a few years now, by providing Part 2. I can only hope he will give me the same info in a few days when I get through with Part 1. Based on all your comments, I can not not do this....it's got to be a super exercise to attract all this interest. Thabnks, I will be along soon in hops of getting part 2. !!! @@@

Just arrived, my order of - HBWC .38's Have 500 to try out on my D 550. They are 148 gr. lead from Speer I think (?) I know I need a roll crimp at very top of bullet, do I need a heavy roll? Do I seat flush or leave them up a little? Any tricks to setting up seating die and Lee Crimp die (4 die station setup)? What is a favorite load for target paper? I have plenty of Bulls Eye if that is a good selection. I tried a few searches, found very little (could be my search methods) in this forum. I asked a few questions before in the forum whenever I came upon the subject, but not enough good info to get up and running with the 550. One of my manuals get into this topic but very basic. I am fairly new to progressive loading, so even the most simple suggestions would be helpful. When I ordered these, they also had copper coated Rainier (on special) or maybe Barrys, can't remember for sure. I have 500 of these to try out too. These are full wad cutter 148 or 158 gr. with solid base, not hollow. They are shorter than the hollow lead, has anyone used these before? Anything special I should know about the coated wad cutters? I expect they will not take a heavy roll crimp without some damage to coating. I hope they work good, I want to shoot them on indoor range. Thanks for any advise you may offer!

At one point I thought maybe I had the seating and crimping die reversed in the wrong station. I looked at the Lee instruction sheet photo's, (more than once) looking at the bottom end of the dies, I found I had them correctly positioned. One of my main problems is that I don't spend enough time working with my reloading, I grab a half hr. or maybe a full hr. or two here and there, then I don't get back for several days. With my terrible memory, I have plenty of problems. Anyway, after reading the last few replies, I had to go uncover the 550 and yet another look, but I am ok on the proper positions with the correct die. So I went to Lee website (should have done that before) and found a parts list for their 4 die pistol set. Here is a link that has the photo of the collar that slides up and down inside the crimp die. I guess maybe it's another sizer used as a back-up to be sure all rounds are sized properly? http://www.leeprecision.com/graphics/parts/3147.jpg It's still a little fuzzy to me, but thanks for your replies. If the photo helps you with my question, maybe you will have more comments...feel free to jump in. tku

I am not sure, but IMO, CZ does not make a bad gun? I have 3, and one is a 75b and really like it. I shoot all of my CZ's on a regular basis and never had any problem that was the fault of the gun. If these guys are giving you advice on looking at a different model ((CZ) take the info and go get a CZ (any CZ), If it fits, you probably will fall in love within a short time. any CZ model.

This is an old thread, but thought it was a good read!!! As I read all the post in this thread, I could relate to many of the complaints. I really expected to read in some of the post that they have posted a sign at or near the range. I didn't see that? Myself, I hate to see junk signs posted everywhere, but if it solves most of the problems with all the brass whores, I would go along with a sign that was simple and to the point.....such as.......It you didn't fire this brass you don't pick it up. And if you DO pick it up, ALL that is NOT yours, will be placed in the bucket (next to this sign)....or something like that. But now that I mention a sign, I find that it is probably difficult to make a good sign that reads short and to the point, that will cover most of the problems. I have had people help me pick up my brass when I finish the string and they assume that they get 40% of it if I am not watching them (now that's a true brass whore). I would be interested in anyone who does use signs to post about it here. What do your signs say, and does it solve most of the problems? One club I belong to, where I shoot skeet/trap, we have league shoots about every other month and the league rules are...when shooting at any league shoots, you will not pick up any empty hulls, they are the property of the host club. At the end of the day, or between strings if time allows, the workers pick them up and put them in boxes for everyone to sort thru at the end of the day. However, they are usually 30% total junk because they (the shooters) know they won't get them back unless they are member of club working the event. At the end of the day there are always enough to go around. I would often take plenty if no one wanted them. It didn't take long before I had all I needed and didn't take any the next 6 months. We also traded gauges if we didn't reload them. The smart ones shoot O/U guns and they never hit the ground. And yes, there is ALWAYS one or two non-member shooters who think they are exempt from the rules. The basic reason for the rule is for safety and wasted time while someone looks around for their empties. What does your range sign say.....or what do you think about placing a sign or two??? Your thoughts???

I see you have already made your purchase. But FWIW, I have the AA for the Glock. It is very fussy for the first 2,000 rds or so. I have about 20,000 or more thru mine and it works much better. The Mfg. warns about using certain brands of ammo. I found that the Rem. Golden Bullets in the 550 pack (just bought some tonight at WalMart and they have gone up another 2 bucks in the last month or so) works really good for the cheap stuff. I have tried many low end brands and several med. priced brands and the Rem GB's are the best. The Federal bulk packs are terrible in that gun and terrible in several of my other guns too. The AA shoots fair, but not highly accurate. I can shoot 15-20 yds and keep them all in a 10" paper plate with no problem, but a 6" plate I have a few that don't hit. From a rest, at about 13 yds, I get maybe a 3-4" spread (?) as I recall. Not sure how well it is from rest position now that I have 20k thru it. At the time, the AA had about the best reviews and the best price. It came with 3 mags and I got 2 more so I can walk into the range with 50 rds all ready to go...that's one reason it has so many thru it. It goes with me to the range everytime I go and I shoot it almost everytime. I now have a Kadet Kit for my CZ and that is really fussy, but getting better all the time and it is much more accurate. Started out with 3 or 4 malfunctions out of every 10 rd. mag. It's about 1 or 2 bad some of the time, and sometimes I get all 10 out. When I first got it, never had a perfect 10 rd mag, they always had jams etc. I know you don't really need this info, but I throw it out for anyone who may have an interest. AND It Does (the AA) remain open after the last shot when it has a mag inserted. The Kadet also stays open. My 2 cents for anyone who wants it.

A beginner question from an old reloader who has upgraded to a Dillon 550 from an old single stage press. I have a Lee 4 die set with the crimp die being my 4th stage on my Dillon 550. I was changing over to run 9mm and instead of running it all preset in the tool holder; I started with the de-capper and went through the complete setup (mostly for the experience and to make sure I had it set up as needed. When I got to the last die, (the Lee crimp die), I remembered the piece inside of the die that floats up and down while crimping. I can’t remember why this part floats up and down? I understand how it does the crimping, but not sure why it has to slide up and down in there? Does anyone know the answer to this?

Sorry, I didn't get to read every post completely, but I do have something that may apply to your thread. I purchased a pr. of Peltor Tactical 7 Classic from Midway. Before my order arrived, I got there next months flyer, they had these new generic brand Green Color muffs at a blowouts price of 23 bucks. I read the specs, and they did almost the same as the peltors on paper, so I ordered 2 pr. Had both within the week to compare. The Peltor Tact. 7 w/full size stereo muffs cost about 129 bucks (as I recall) and two pr. of Generic at 23bucks/pr. I shoot allot so decided having an extra pr. in my truck as backups was good idea. I compared the Peltor to the Generic at the range, first time I was at indoor league, shooting .22 pistols. The Peltor did very well, but the cut out feature was strange getting used to. While others were shooting, I was talking to the RO behind the line, with about a dozen shooters firing on the line. As I tried to talk with him, normal volume worked very good, no shouting needed, just a whisper. Problem was, with the 12 shooters, every time one of them shot, I would get cutout working, it only lasted maybe a second or less per shot, however with several firing, I had too many cutouts to carry on a decent conversation as I was getting chopped up words from RO as he spoke, had to ask him to repeat allot. Otherwise, they work very well on range. I tried the Green Generics after about an hour; I was surprised that they worked so well. I came very close to sending back my 129 dollar set and keep the 23 dollar pr, I had an extra so if they did crap out, I had more. The peltor I have had going on 3hree years this month, only problem I had was a foam block that covered the stereo mic. One had come off. I glued it back on and still working well. I shoot maybe 4 hr. per week ave. and it uses maybe 2 - 9v batteries for the year. (Except when I forget to shut them off) I keep a pack of dollar store 9v batteries in my shooting bag and they work fine. The green pr. overall, was ok, but the hearing was a little tinny sounding and the loud cut-outs on them were longer time, maybe about 1.5 second before they recover. I gave it another week and decided to keep them all. The Green I let the kids and wife use but the Peltors are still going strong. I see they have a new set of Peltor that has the AO Safety work tunes built it with antenna. I have a set of AO's that I use for mowing lawns, I listen to AM talk shows for hours at a time while working, they work great and makes the day go much faster. They use 2 -AA batteries and they last forever, I forget to turn them off (many times) and the next day they are still going strong. About 100 hrs. Per set of batteries is my guess. The new Peltor with the AM/AM radio is something I want to look at, they allow an aux. mic. Etc. to plug into the unit. Use for NASCAR Races, cycle riding, working with crew in large areas etc. where communications are needed The green pr. have to remove one side of muff (pull of the soft cushion ear piece, pull the felt inside filter out) to replace 2-AA batteries, the Peltors, a simple trap door and it's done. After using both, my vote is the expensive Peltor was the better deal in the long run because I use them all the time. For occasional use, the Generic is maybe ok. One other difference - with the volume (amplification feature) turned all the way up, the Peltors gave much better amplified hearing. I can hear the actions clanging on the far end of the range with my vol. only turned up slightly. So for hunting, Peltor takes first prize again. Peltor now makes the thin style for long gun shooting and I think the behind the head models too. Next time, I think I will try the behind head style. Sorry for the book, but maybe my 13 cents will help someone with their decision.

............................ Wisconsin >>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<< That was the best tip I have had in a long time. I dialed that number....and well I guess you would know,.... She was Very happy to assist. Super Customer Service. Thanks 4 the Great advise, got all the info I needed! .

I have been shooting shotguns, rifle and handguns for many years. I shoot in amateur league shoots at local gun clubs and I have my own plinking range where I shoot for fun with the family. I want to take the next step (whatever that is) into more proficient handgunning. I want to purchase a good book or DVD from Brian's book/CD/combo website that would fit my needs. I don't have a specific goal as far as IPSC, Particle, IDPA, self defense etc. I just enjoy shooting and plinking and I would like to become a little faster and more accurate at shooting and to develop at my own pace, in my own back yard, with the help of a DVD or book. I enjoy .22 shooting as much, or more than center fire. I have the basic revolver and semi-auto handgun equipment I need to get started. No race guns or competition gear in my closet, but I do have basic good quality guns to keep me interested for awhile. I think I have a good foundation. I reload, I hunt and I help introduce new shooters to get started in the shooting sports, and safety is always first with me. The main question......What one or two books/DVD’s would you suggest I start with? My one goal is to enjoy shooting. I don't want to be in constant training or in boot-camp, or purchase a 43 set library of training media to get started. I want to expand in speed and accuracy, and do it at my own pace to see where it takes me. Do you have any recommendation of Brians books or DVD's that would fit my needs?

I guess I am gun shy, I went to setup for the 134 Flat Pt. and when I could not find anything certain for a 124 FP, I decided to keep looking for more info. I think the OAL is where I am not sure. I read that the 9mm is very narrow as far as range of depth due to such little room in cartridge for powder, giving pressures that are pushing the danger area if not careful. I sure would hate to curl the steel or sever thy finger...or have to pound out a stuck wad of lead!!! As Nick said.....Whups.....! As I look at data in my manuals, they have cast lead listed but are their mfg. castings that they make, so either too heavy or pointed or whatever. I tried to make a reasonable gusstimate at the OAL, I could not come up with what I thought was comfortable. I decided to use BullsEye and it does not allow for alot of error. I did a Google and found what (I think) is exactly what I want, I printed the 8 plus pages and will read it later. It's an old chart from about 3 years ago, and from what I believe is a very reliable source (however, I called them and they won't comment on it today...too many dang lawyers). There are some new forum post here that I had not read until now, I like the info & ideas they gave even if it's not exactly what I need. If I can call Rainier on Monday (talk to Phyl. as suggested) and if she will talk to me, I will be very happy.......SO, THANKS to everyone who is helping me here, and YES, 1200 f/s is much faster than I need, but I didn't know for sure when I first posted. Looks like about 1000 f/s +/- shoud be what I need. Another fact I found today is that several shooters like the 124 Flat better than the round nose. They found them perfect for their sig. loads. As usual, anyone who has more to post, I will be thankful for your comments. There will be a day, I believe, when I can help someone with their problems. Don't forget to Register and/or VOTE ....... I believe this may be the best year NOT to sit home on yr butt on election day. Get out to VOTE and take friend with you!!!

Hi-Power Jack - Thanks for the posting. The reason I went with 1200 f/s is because of the reading I had found, often they mention problems starting about 1200 f/s. So I wanted to stay well below that mark. However, on the highest end, I found some who were shooting above 1300 using the Rainier or Barry's plated bullets. I don't shoot competition so I stay away from the Power Factor requirements etc. I am a low end shooter and stay away from the full house loads (even when hunting). Do you find the 231 to be the best powder? Another item that has me puzzled. In one of my manuals, it list jacketed bullets at 0.357" and possibly 0.358" Don't hold my feet to the fire on these numbers (I don't have the book here), but I think that is what they published. There were some footnotes about this size, but am almost certain it didn't list any 0.355 which I thought would be common for copper. I was easily talked into the 9mm because it is so popular and well favored by many. Mostly because the componets are plentiful and ea$y on the wallet. Looks like I have plenty to learn about the 9mm charts and methods to reloading. All help welcomed

I found a good buy on 9mm Rainier 124 flat pt. plated bullets. The purchase was basically the old price in todays market so I now have thousands (I have a problem passing up a good buy). Have searched my loading manuals and several sources I have collected over the years, can't find much of anything for Bullseye, Unique, or any of the Alliant's or 231. These are the powders I have plenty on hand and would like to find something in the 1200 f/s area to try in my CZ 75. I find many comments of tumbling and seperations with this bullet. I have read of over 1300 f/s with no problems and read of 1200 f/s with flyers, keyhole and separations. I have loaded a few Rainier round pt. in 115 gr, still looking for the perfect combo in my CZ. I am using the loads for practice mostly at steel plates and other light reactive targets. I want something comfortable and fun to shoot. Has anyone a source of printed data that would help me, or even some home brew ideas that are well tested and safe for this use? Also interested in OAL data that is working good for you in a 75b. The 9mm and the 75b are both new to me, still in the learning stages (9mm) so any comments and suggestions would be helpful. I have loaded for revolver for many years without a chrono, I have one now and hopefully I can test fire a few 9's at a time to reach my goal.

Is there any difference between regular brass and +P brass? I have many empty 1st fire nickel .38's of which many are +P. I really haven't thought about it before, but is there any reason to load them seperate for everyday range practice? Without micing them, they seem to be the same, other than the difference in the stamp. Same question again within other brands? Same question again within other cal. empties (.380/9mm etc)?

I use Unique and Bullseye in several weights of 9mm, but only because I have tons of it left over from many years ago. I have others to try but have not done it yet. I also use these two powders for .38's. Someday it will be all gone! My guess be the price has changed a bit since I last bought Unique and BE! So I will quit complainin about the old powder in stock right now!!! Most of my 9mm are now 115 or 124 gr. due to the cost of lead!

Sounds like I have good solutions to my problems. I am sure I am using the correct primer pickup tube, it's possible that is maybe oversized or defective with an egg shape area that allows the primer to spin? However after hearing form Taildraggerdave and colt, this could be somewhat of a common problem. Their solution of using the primer rod when feeding the main tube sounds like it would help. But I think I will be limited due to the height of the bench. I may try making a shorter wooden dowl to use with maybe some fine mono. fishline attached for retrival. The weight of the wood would push the primers down and I can recover the dowl with the string. Perhaps someone has a better idea on solving the height problem? The shot cup I have taken apart before and cleaned because the slide had became slugish (maybe that was the reason it got slashed). But the idea of cleaning it every 2500 rds. sounds like a winner. I may try a new cup and make sure the punch is positioned properly when I tighten it. Thanks for the suggestions flatland shooter, I will keep it clean. I expect it will be a few days before I get back to the bench, but I will use these ideas and report back. Thanks to all ...... If anyone else has suggestions or comments, please post it here.

I have a 550 that is less than about 2,500 rds loaded. Problem I am having is when I pull the pin to drop the primers into the tube on the 550 press, seems that I am getting about 1 or 2 from every tube load that is fliped over. I end up with primers seated upsidedown. I haven't used it enough to really trouble-shoot the problem, however yesterday I noticed a (very few times) that the primer seated with a little difficulty. I can only assume that this is when I was getting the fliped primer. These are the small pistol primers and I also just noticed what looks like a very small gouge in the rim of the primer cup. Either this ding is causing the primer to flip....or the primer fliped and caused the ding. I think this little gouge in the top of the cup has something to do with it. However, as a test, I did the pick-up of primers one at a time with the pick-up tube as usual. I did about 20 or so at a time and then turned the tube over, pulled the pin and carefully let them out on the bench (stacked up) and I do get one that fliped sometimes. I think it is probably when I flip the tube over end for end that the primers must be allowed to spin or flip inside the tube, leaving a very few upside down. Anyone having any such problems? This 550 model should allow a few hundred rounds loaded in an hour. Best I can get is maybe 50-60 between screwups, so I must be doing something wrong or there is a defect. I am using Magtech primers which I have used for years in my old press and they seem to be a good primer to work with.