Farmer

Are they undersized or too hard? I was just going by another poster that had good luck with them.

If you compare his numbers, most of the rest of you are loading about .080 longer than he is. In the tests that I’ve done psi starts to change at around .040-.050. And we also don’t know what brass he’s using or tightness of his bore, so a decrease in charge could very well be needed. What the heck, if they shoot good you’ll get more loads per pound!

https://jamesbullets.com/store/ Someone here recommended this place. Didn’t see 158’s but they do show a 160. Any port in the storm!

^^^This The hotter you run a load the more stretching and working of the brass thus shortening it’s life. That being said I have some 327 Fed Mag Starline Brass that’s been loaded 20+ times with hot loads and still going strong.

They can separate with low loading’s and they are crimped just over the jacket. Just have to keep them above the min book load.

^^^^This^^^^ I had one made for my Walkers Game ear and it works great. Fits like a glove, comfortable and really seals out the noise. Very easy to install and remove too.

With a .356 bullet and thicker brass that carbide ring at the bottom will remove the bulge but also size down the bullet too. Thinner brass like Hornady, Fed ect won’t hardly touch it. Thicker brass like CBC will squeeze the brass and bullet and you’ll feel it as it goes through. I tried posting this two days ago but it wouldn’t work.

With a .356 bullet and thicker brass that carbide ring at the bottom will remove the bulge but also size down the bullet too. Thinner brass like Hornady, Fed ect won’t hardly touch it.

The first carbide ring in the bottom of the Lee fcd will size the brass AND the bullet down if your using .356 bullets and thick brass. If your brass is thin like Fed, S&B Starline, Hornady, it probably won’t touch it. If it’s CBC or one of the other thicker ones it removes the bulge but also sizes down the bullet too. Also on your Fed 18 and Fed 19 the numbers mostly designate the year of manufacture. I’ve gotten some of those that weren’t actually crimped but it doesn’t hurt to double check.

The first carbide ring in the bottom of the Lee fcd will size the brass AND the bullet down if your using .356 bullets and thick brass. If your brass is thin like Fed, S&B Starline, Hornady, it probably won’t touch it. If it’s CBC or one of the other thicker ones it removes the bulge but also sizes down the bullet too. Also on your Fed 18 and Fed 19 the numbers mostly designate the year of manufacture. I’ve gotten some of those that weren’t actually crimped but it doesn’t hurt to double check.

The first carbide ring in the bottom of the Lee fcd will size the brass AND the bullet down if your using .356 bullets and thick brass. If your brass is thin like Fed, S&B Starline, Hornady, it probably won’t touch it. If it’s CBC or one of the other thicker ones it removes the bulge but also sizes down the bullet too.

The first carbide ring in the bottom of the Lee fcd will size the brass AND the bullet down if your using .356 bullets and thick brass. If your brass is thin like Fed, S&B Starline, Hornady, it probably won’t touch it. If it’s CBC or one of the other thicker ones it removes the bulge but also sizes down the bullet too.

One thing I did during the Clinton primer shortage was only leave out what I was going to use in a short amount of time. The rest of them were vacuum sealed in food saver bags. Still have some and they are good as the day I bought them. My basement gets damp so that’s why I sealed them but I think they would last 100 years being sealed up.

While not a handgun, a friend once let me shoot his Browning Citori shotgun one very informal night at our local trap house. It was like I couldn’t miss. That right there taught me the importance of proper fit and that gun fit me like magic. All I had to do was look at the bird, pull the trigger and it was dust. It was like cheating. Good equipment helps, and the way it fits you is most certainly at the top of the list.

Thinking back after Sandy Hook it took about 2-3 years for primers to become plentiful again around here and probably another 4 years after that for prices to come down. Just recently (2019) 22’s actually were getting back to normal but now that’s gone again. I’m an old tightwad and remember when primers were $6.00 per thousand. So when I see some A-Hole asking $60 per K it just wizzes me off and I hope they choke on them.

Should be great in sub loads. Should seal better at the lower vel/psi.

Of the two I have also found the Rainier’s more accurate. The very early ones were really rough but they really have a nice consistency and finish to them now.

2x on the blems. Years ago I bought some Winchester 230g FMJ and JHP 45’s really cheap from Midway. Came in a Winchester case sealed up and looked good until I measured them. The FMJ averaged .451 but the JHP’s were .450-.4505. Didn’t shoot worth a darn out of my old Ruger but fortunately in my XD They work fine. I also found an article that says Colt once used .354 bore on their 38 & 357 revolvers.

I understand that they added flash suppressant but it’s pretty much the same. It is an very accurate powder but can be a little corn flakey at lower psi. If this doesn’t bother you no big deal. Works great in 45 acp too.

That’s a good idea also.

Just tested some low speed loads with 115g Berrys Seated 1.125. With Clays, 1.5 grains still gets them out of my 4.5” XDM. Kicks like a 22. Also if you choose to do this make sure you raise the muzzle and then slowly lower to your water jugs media ect to keep the powder back at the primer. I might try 1.3g.

Fully understand. Or you could machine a bullet mold and cast some up. don’t laugh I’ve done that when lapping a rifle bbl. One other way is to load up a round with a very light charge of fast powder and then just shoot it into either a large bucket of water or a row of milk jugs. Just something to stop the bullet without damaging it. Don’t know what powders you have but something like 2-2.5 grains of Clays should do it. Remember to lightly lube the bbl too.

Jacketed or copper plated bullets won’t work. They are too hard and Very difficult to push through and risk getting stuck. Also on the brass rod slightly chamfer the ends, and that’s a good size you have there. I suppose you could push with a tail stock but you’ll need to put the bbl shoulder against the chuck to keep it from slipping and that may put allot of load on your tail stock threads. You know anyone close that has any lead bullets or does casting that you could get some from? Heck I’ve used 00 buckshot and fishing weights before as long as they are close in size. And yes it’ll work on your poly bbl. Actually they seem to push through easier than std rifling.

Slugging the bbl is where you take a soft lead bullet and drive it through the bbl and then measure the slug. You’ll need a soft lead bullet preferably .356 or .357. A brass rod close to bore size 5/16” is close, a heavy hammer, some oil and a solid surface with a block of wood. Take the bbl out of the gun and clean it well. Oil the bore well and also the bullet. Drop the bullet into the chamber end and set the muzzle on the wood block square, and try to keep it square and vertical. If you have a threaded muzzle install the protective cap or comp. You can also put a folded rag on the block too. DON’T rest bare threads on the block! Take the rod and hammer and gently tap the slug into the bore being careful to not nick the shoulder of the chamber. Try and keep the rod in the center of the bore and slug while you drive it all the way through the bore. Once you get the bullet engraved it will go easier. Try and notice tight/loose spots along the way and it should be a bit tighter at the muzzle end. Tap the slug out and measure the largest diameter. You’ll have to pick the bbl up and hang on to it to tap the slug all the way out. The reason for using a heavy hammer is that it pushes where as a small light hammer peens.

Depending on how hot you normally run that may be kinda stiff as Hodgdon shows 5.7 for a 115 gold dot at 1.125. I played around with some in my 327 FM last week and only made it half way to max before things got a bit sticky. The 327 runs hot anyway but it’ll be interesting what you find in the 9 because I was going to try some in that too.