RGA
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Posts posted by RGA
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Lee dies are fine. Did you get the Lee 3 or 4 dies set? The 4 die set includeds their factory crimp die (which I think is excellent).
My 9mm set up (Dillon 650) is very similair to Michael303's listed a few posts above.
Lee U (undersize) sizer
Lyman M die for expanding
Powder
Redding competition seater
Lee factory crimp die.
For 45ACP I run the same setup with the exception that I use a Dillon sizer.
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Hi Chills, thanks for your update.
Please keep sharing news on how this plays out for you! I really enjoy your out-of-box thinking.
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Dillon dies are ok but the only annoying thing in my book is that you have to adjust the whole die-body of the seater die when you want to change seating depth. Other vendors only require manipulation of the seating stem while the die-body stays in place. Especially annoying if you switch bullets often like I do. (If you only load one type of bullet so you have to dial in the seater only once, than it's not so bad.)
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Hi Chills, thanks for your time explaining your MO.
Very unconventional but if it works for you, all the power to you. I stopped messing with neck tension for semi-auto's long time ago and settled on 0.003/4 inch. I use a Forster FL sizer that creates much less neck runout than any other FL223 sizer (with expanderball) I have (Dillon/Lee/Redding S/RCBS/Mighty Armory) or even a mandrel. I like to experiment too.
Only thing that raises my eyebrowes a little is that you would want to measure caselength after FL sizing.
For some of my 223 loading I use a Mark 7 Evolution that has a onboard trimmer option. But the trimmer is a beast and raises other practical complications. Other runs I do on a Dillon 650 or a Harrell's BR turret press.
Stay safe!
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That's what I thought you were trying to do with the casefeeder. That's very unconventional (and not very precize) but if you want to do that, fine.
I also have Redding S-dies, are you using the full length version or are you neck sizing only? And fwiw, the expanderball does not cause the cases too lengthen during the sizing operation. (If you have to pull the expanderball so hard through the caseneck that it makes your case longer (pulls the shoulder out of shape) than something else is wrong.)
So basically you are trying to gauge the fired cases to filter out over max length ones and then size them (neck or FL?) in a way they will not grow?
I minimize caselength grow by tuning my sizing to the chamber of my .223 rifles. Meaning I full length size 0.002/3 inch under fired case specs. If I trim the cases after the first time sizing then they will stay under max. caselength untill I toss them (after about 5 firings). They hardly grow.
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1.77 is over max case length, are you going to trim them or are you planning on loading/shooting them???
Or maybe I'm misunderstanding and you are trying to set the casefeeder up as a case gauge?
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The red and blue ones are most likely Mighty Armory decappers and/or hold down dies and the gold ones FW Arms decappers and/or hold down dies.
These are what I use.
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1 hour ago, Chills1994 said:
Thank you for your reply!I think the term you are looking for is “neck tension".
You are welcome!
I consider the term neck tension a variable indicating the constriction of the neck only. I deliberately do not use the term for what I'm trying to say because that is a product of the neck tension AND the length over which it is applied to the full diameter of the projectile.
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Of course you can get away with this as long as your cases are under max length. At some point they will become too long so in that case you could either trim them or toss them.
The precision shooter wants consistency however, and that also means all case necks should be the same length. Differences in case neck length result in differences in pull/push out force needed to push the bullet out of the case neck. This is not what precision shooters are looking for.
Having said that, most of us mediocre shooters will not notice the difference, and certainly not at short range.
My fodder loads I do not trim as long as they are under max case length. But for my match loads I always make sure the case lengths are uniform.
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To add to what the posters above mentioned about the proper application of lube, polishing your sizer dies once in a while can also be beneficial.
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Like others mentioned, the typical fmj .224 bullet is not very accurate due to the inconsistency of the bases mostly. In the past I have been down the road trying to get FMJ's from numerous makers to *consistently* group under a MOA @ 100 meters but it has been a very frustrating endavour. The only FMJ that came close in my experience was the 55 FMJ from Hornady. But that was years back and I don't know about their quality now. Even the more expensive Lapua's and Sierra's performed mediocrely.
So don't waste your time trying to chase your tail and get a quality match/hunting bullet so you can at least rule out 1 variable in the experiment.
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Fwiw, the average FMJ rifle bullet is not known for its accuracy. How is your accuracy with a quality match/varmint bullet using this method of reloading?
You have to isolate variables before you can come to any usefull conclusion. Otherwise it's like chasing your tail.... (been there, done that).
Having said this, the only time I use an expander that actually puts some type of flare on the case mouth (with a M-die) is when using MrBulletfeeder on my Evo. Otherwise the bullets will fall of the case during shell plate rotation. In other situations it is not necessary to do this when using jacketed bullets. Even not when seating flat base jacketed bullets with a sharp radius, usually a good chamfer will be sufficient to seat the FB bullet without damaging the base.
But I think posters before me adressed these points as well.
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I load 45 and 9 mm on my 650's and always run my powder measures in station 3 because I have Lyman M-dies in station 2. Been doing that for about 15 years now, never had a problem. Even when I run a powder measure in station 2 (for loading .223 and .308) I always prefer a (double) return spring over the fail safe rod. Not saying it's better but it is what I prefer.
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Not all 9mm barrels are created equal. I have slugged quite a few of the decades and have seen bore ranges from .354 to .357.
If you want to know what you have than slug the barrel.
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18 hours ago, ozzyj said:
Good to know. Any pet loadings/OAL's that work for you?
Hi Ozzyj,
I like to load at the lower level of the spectrum as I don't have to worry about the PF. 5.3 grain N340, a Hornady 115 XTP and a S&B SP primer is a very accurate load in my Shadow 2 at 25 -50 meters.
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I prefer the FW decapper over the Mighty Armory and Lee decappers for .223 especially because the sliding sleeve makes sure the decapping rod enters the case mouth without nicking it.
It will pierce straight through a berdan case as well I noticed......
Your Lee decapper has a build in safety against breaking/bending the pin on a berdan case. The decapping stem is secured by the nut on top of the die and it should slide upwards (without damaging the tip) when encountering a berdan case (or anything elso it can't penetrate).
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On 7/8/2020 at 5:31 PM, AHI said:
Lapua,Norma,Geco,
Exactly these 3 brands of brass have been the most consistent in my experience (weight, neck wall thickness variation). RWS brass is good as well.
Having said this, out to 300 meters I don't see any difference in score (Service Rifle) when using this brass or other brands or even mixed brass. A quality match bullet is much more influential than the brass. I still use Lapua the most for competition though, but that's a more a psychological factor.
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Fwiw, I personally prefer N340 over N320 for the 115/124 grain jacketed/plated bullet range.
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On 7/10/2020 at 8:31 PM, HesedTech said:
consistency of the base
That's the most influential variable in my mind, considering all other things equal. A jacketed (or properly plated) bullet with a consistent, closed base like a Hornady XTP, Lapua CEPP or a Speer Gold Dot almost always seems to outperform other bullet styles in my experience (9 and 45 pistols). That's a general observation that always seems to return over the 27 years I have been reloading and swaging my own jacketed bulllets. This also goes for jacketed rifle bullets I swage (.224 and .30).
I do most my pistol training bulls eye style at 25 meters.
But as always, YMMV.
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DAA recently released a short powder bar to address this issue.
https://www.doublealpha.biz/daa-extra-short-dillon-powder-bar
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I use lube very sparingly and roll the rounds over a rag when finished. Never had any issue while using this process.
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This is overpressure. I have more samples like that lying around from overloading mistakes in the past........
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On 6/25/2020 at 3:37 PM, s2000red said:
This might help. http://www.natoreloading.com/9mm/
Thanks a lot for this link!
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Like many others here I started with a 550 back in the 90's and ended up with 4x550 and 3x650.... We are not hoarders, we are collectors!
Anyway, for larger volumes I prefer the 650 but for smaller volumes and load development I use the 550. For precision rifle (308 and 6BR) I use a tricked out 550 (but without the Dillon powder measure). Both presses have their virtues I think.
Dies for my new Dillon XL750?
in Dillon Precision Reloading Equipment
Posted
N320 is an excellent powder but if you want a little more velocity and a powder that fills the case more you can consider N340.
N340 is my favorite powder for 9mm (115/124/140 grain jacketed and plated bullets mostly) but I also use N320 for lighter bullseye loads. It's also my go to powder for .45ACP.
I have to add though that the choice in powder vendors and types is much more limited here in the EU than it is in the US and Vithavuori is easy to find. The other brand that is used a lot over here is Lovex (Accurate Arms). We can find some US powders here and there but usually they're expensive.