Livin_cincy

Precision X ring 1,000 yards shooting with handgun is something few can do. So don't worry about handgun bullet loading precision & runnout accuracy. It is myth & marketing. Your Lee Classic Cast Turret is fine for loading 1,000 per month @ 2-250 per hour for (1) hour each week. The 550 realistically will do 350-400 per hour when you load primer tubes during loading. It gives you a break. So this gets you 1,500 per month with an hour each week. The 750 without bullet feeder & primer tubes filled ahead will realistically yield 5-600 per hour. You can add to the press to get 8-1,000 per hour. So you are @ 2,000 per month loading (1) hour each week. The Lee CCT is not mentally or physically exhausting to run. Loading for (2) hours is not leave you fatigued. The 550 is like the Lee. You can relax with music or pod casts and roll for two hours. The 6/750 tends to cause fatigue at about an hour for many but not all users loading 8-1,000 per hour. Which is fine since you made so many. Unfortunately, you will not know what you enjoy until you try each press. You can explore and always sell off and try another press. If you set up a 550 for (3) complete caliber conversion tool heads will " loose " about $200 selling it all off used when you go to buy a 750. That is only $4 per week to play with it for a year. Cheap entertainment ?

I always weigh out each bullet and sort them when I buy a couple thousand. Then I gently file each one to make them all weigh the same. My brass is already sized, weighed and trimmed to be the same... This is handgun shooting... Load them & have fun shooting them. ?

Assuming you are holding them to a length that makes them feed & chamber, how do they shoot ? Bullet Jump in handguns can be seen as negligible when you shoot 38's in 357's or 44 Specials in a 44 Magnum. So the COAL should not be as significant as we think it is. This is because it is a handgun and not a rifle. You can always sort your brass, hand prime and measure depth, weigh your bullets, trickle your powder charge, adjust COAL on each one, and sign each one... But this is what a single stage press is for.

With Factory ammunition available and prices way down my reasons for hand loading handgun seem ignorant. Hand loading gives me a control over cost and availability into the future. We all feel our hand loads would only be replaced by premium handgun ammunitions. So this screws the savings. Your $1800 investment could be sold by the next sunrise for $1200. So when you balance the books after 16,000 rounds there is a $600 one time profit. So if you shoot (100) rounds per month it will take you about 3 years. If you decide it was not enjoyable you take your $600 and walk away.

I make a dummy round and save it for setting up. Then you just use what ever bullet seating die you prefer and set it up on the dummy round. You just run your first case thru and you will have little or no adjustment.

I know who you are talking about. I like the LNL over the 550 for sure. I never could figure out how some had all the problems that he showed how to fix and others have had none of them. The comparison to the 650 is not as clear. The 650 with the after market parts and additions is a hard to beat. I think this places it above the LNL. He could no longer get his LNL to seat primers below flush. He called them and they said they only warrant them to flush. He explained that his published load data called for below flush. So he stopped using it. I am not sure that is an issue for everyone as flush is fine. RCBS with their Pro Chucker 5 & 7 seem to be rare. Not many reports on them. The primer system was an issue that got resolved by Gavin.

I have pondered the LEE FCD. I have never had an issue. It is set up to make the OD from the Bullet to the bottom of the case SAMMI spec. So the OD of the brass & exposed Bullet will end up the same if a Bullet is over sized. The Bullet inside the case will be reduced by to case thickness. The goal is to have 100% chambering by using an FCD. It does that. So it makes handloads as reliable as Factory. A soft lead Bullet will be “swaged” to your Guns chamber/ Cylinder. So it was not an issue in the days of old six guns and early autos. I think it all all comes down to properly adjusting the die. This can be elusive. On a Progressive Press getting all of the Dies to work together is an issue for some. With that said, I adjust the FCD for each bulllet I shoot. Lee makes a universal case expander. Many people use a NOE plug in the LEE die when using lead boolits. I am thinking about going this route during case prep.

I use a Dillion Beam Scale. I found it easier to read than the more common 2 poise scales. I really do not find a Beam Scale cumbersome to use. You can learn to use it quickly. If I were to trickle rifle loads I would consider the automatic electronic scales.

Titan Reloading makes a Micro disc that may work. i have never seen one or used one.

Trail Boss, The Preferred Powder Of Outlaws & Sheriffs, gives a soft feel. The Max Loads are based on case full volume so your Bullet will drive this to an extent. It will not produce a great deal of velocity even at maximum loads. The 158gr coated SWC from any of manufacturers will shoot great. Or the Hornady or Speer lead hollow point SWC if you do not mind the Lube in your dies.

Just a thought. Can you run a single case all of the way around without any issues ? If so then it is a possibility it is one of the dies not correctly set up.

The new version takes the LEE Breech Lock Bushings.

I found that Xtreme 38 Bullets are sized to the bore and not the Revolver Cylinder throats. Since they are to be loaded using ‘Hot Lead Data’ . That implies that they need to be sized like lead Bullets. They size them like FMJ bullets. I found a noticeable increase in accuracy with coated Bullets. The Xtreme will hit an 6” circle all day long. The coated Bullets go into a much smaller & tighter ring. So accuracy is relevant to what you are shooting at. Steel goes ping no matter where you hit it. Bullseye Shooting has points based on where you hit. So just have fun doing what you enjoy and select your Bullet based on that.

I have had mine about a year and load 150-200 rounds per week I suspect. No problems to report. I think set-up is critical so you do not break the plastic linkage piece or other parts.

Hodgdon's TrailBoss is an interesting powder in tall straight wall cases. It is somewhat deceptive as its burn rate is not extremely slow and the volume of powder to be burnt fills the case. So there is a lot of powder volume to be burn't. It has a unique feel to me. It was very soft in my LCR. Be sure to review their reduced load data page: You can find the max load based on the bullet you are reloading by measuring .

I have used one for about a year. I really like having an insert for each caliber & recipe. I store the metering insert in the bullet box to keep it simple.

I looked at that shape they seem to be a DEWC with an end. The barrel shape works well in handguns as a target round or hunting round. I recently read that the round shape is good for the forcing cone. Same idea as a auto pistol needing a pointed bullet. I like how Missouri makes coated bullets and adjusts their BHN on the 38 Caliber & 44 Caliber bullets so you have the right bullet if you are shooting Magnums or Specials.

I started shooting ACME 148gr WC & 158gr SWC with Trail Boss powder. I used the Hodgdon Trail Boss 70% min & 90% max load calculation to determine grains of powder: You can use your caliper to measure the depth of the powder in your case. On the burn rate chart it has an interesting position: The Hodgdon Load Data Center is somewhat helpful. I found the loads to be to light for the 148 grain and not to far off on the 158 grain when I measured the ACME Bullet. http://www.hodgdonreloading.com/data/pistol They have load for the 158 in 357 Magnum that maxes out pretty close to a 38+P loading. I think that pretty much illustrates how this powder functions. It shoots really soft and smooth. This is a nice feeling out of a Ruger LCR.

What is the worst that can possibly happen ?

I say look at the Hunting bullets made by Sierra, Hornady, Nosler etc. You should find Hollow Point and Soft Point bullets sold in small quantities. Focus on developing loads for accuracy so you can maximize hits on a moving target. Consider your preferred point of aim, 6 O'clock or Bullseye. Choose a bullet weight that will permit your chosen point of aim to work best. Spend the winter at an indoor range tinkering with them. Another option is to look at a Flat Point Coated Lead Bullet with hardness matched to pressure. The Missouri Bullet Company does this quite well. You can become a bullseye shooter with your CC gun with the practice you can afford to do. Who knows how to choose the best powder on the market these days. Pick one in the middle of the various reloading data lists you find for your chosen bullet type. If it shows up on several lists it is a good idea. If it is in the middle it is typically not a maximum pressure so you don't have to trickle the powder to be safe. As for charge, use published data and do not exceed maximum. Function of your gun will be critical if you must use it. Finding out your +P+Z Hyper load finally broke your spring is a bad thing. Your focus is to quickly be able to put 3 hits into a bullseye @ 10 yards with one hand. That is easily said... Yup. Other peoples lives could depend on you hitting your target and not them. Also, consider staggering your bullets. Hollow points may not function so a Soft Nose or Flat Point may be required. In my opinion, don't worry about the Hand loads in the Courtroom discussion. Google the topic and research for yourself. You loaded hunting bullets because you are more likely to use your gun for a charging dog or vicious dog attacking a child than be a victim of crime. You chose not to carry 'Man Killer Factory made Commercial Self Defense Cartridges' because... you did not want to kill the deceased. Remember LEO's are trained to unload their Glock if they pull their weapon. So 3-5-7-9-11-13-15-or 17 hits is not excessive in a court room.

I noticed that as well. I guess creates a Horrific 911 type smoke cloud and requires more cleanup than category 5 Hurricane does not market that well.

Trail Boss has the benefit of filling a case so it has become a favorite of Cowboy shooting. It looks to be a good powder for punching paper holes for recreational target shooting with 148 gr Wad Cutters & 158 gr Semi Wad Cutters. I am looking at coated or plated bullets. Hodgdon web page shows load data for the 148gr Hornady Hollow Base Wad Cutter. In the current edition of the Hornady Manual they no longer show Trail Boss load data. Hodgdon does have this load data that seems to be the best available: Has anyone had any experience with it ?

This is the problem with the RCBS Rock Chucker IV. Hopefully the Rock Chucker V will address the lead toxicity of the primers in a better way. Your 3D printed solution is the best that has been derived as a solution to depriming on the press. The only solution to the aggravation is to not deprime on the press ... or get a LEE !!! Yes, a Lee Classic Cast Single Stage press. The Redding Big Boss 2 uses the same primers go into the ram then into a tube design as the LEE Classic Cast single stage. Big difference is the price the LEE is half the rice and you can pick it up from your local Walmart or buy from Brownells https://www.walmart.com/ip/Lee-Precision-Classic-Cast-Press/24032145 http://www.brownells.com/reloading/reloading-presses/single-stage-presses/classic-cast-press-prod54176.aspx Either of these options will let you try it and return it no questions asked. The basic LEE Challenger press is not as heavy duty as your RCBS RC IV but can make a nice deprime press with your RCBS doing the heavy Rifle case resizing. Just put a universal depriming die in and your set for life. When your loading you can put a case activated powder measure, a universal case mouth bell die, or prime on this press. It will also work as a dedicated press for a pistol cartridges. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Lee-Precision-Breech-Lock-Challenger-Press/25528367 The other option to deprime off your press. Frankford Arsenal and LEE have a solution to do this. The Frankford arsenal has mixed reviews. https://ads.midwayusa.com/product/220617/frankford-arsenal-platinum-series-hand-deprimer-tool?cm_mmc=pf_ci_google-_-Reloading+-+Metallic+Reloading+Equipment+(Not+Presses)-_-Frankford+Arsenal-_-220617&gclid=CjwKCAjwos7NBRAWEiwAypNCewZflyr8vlqqDzPDefFMESBf-H-U67AcKgNBM1J1DjTmWL77i9AlUBoCf-8QAvD_BwE Here is a YouTube review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSRS5IfBlFQ Here is the LEE hand press in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znaGRwzn44E You have to dump them out when it gets full. The benefit with the LEE is the hand fatigue of the Frankford Arsenal design.

I was unfamiliar with Bullet Works so I googled them. Their prices are competitive. I did find an issue with their manufactured ammunition: