HR Henney

HighTech - Thanks for the insight - I plan to retest under identical conditions. Wish I could test indoors. Schoonie - I have been using TiteGroup in both 40 and 45. I wanted to switch to 320 as I have found TiteGroup to be a bit dirty in the 45 using 4.4gr with a 230gr FMJ and COL of 1.250. Yet, I find TG to be very clean in 40. What load/bullet/COL were you using in 45? Do you see any benefit to increasing the COL to 1.260 and testing at 4.6 and 4.7 gr of N320? The goal is, as you would expect, to keep the PF as close to 170-75 range. Thanks, Herb

cr10x- Good thought - I tend to chrono at 10 feet; mayby I should back-up a bit. I also suspect that some portion of my SD is position related, a shift of a foot from one shot to the next is highly likely. MoNsTeR- Your right about the stats. That's why I didn't bother doing the math. I simply looked at the SD bars as an indicator of significance. My routine is to test 10 rounds. Based on your comments, I'll remake both test lots in higher quantity and test them on the same day. Thanks for the help. Herb

Rodney, Thanks for your input. It does make sense to test under identical conditions. I guess that I'm still bugged by the fact that with a standard deviation of 10 for each test, the differecnce is not only statistically significant but the opposite of expected. I know- retest the 2 lots Thanks again Herb

I think this has been discussed before but... I am confused by my own data. I've recently started working-up a load for 45 ACP with N320. Based on what I've read on this board and other places, I decided to start with 4.7 gr under a 230gr FMJ. COL was 1.255, crimp 0.469, WLP primer and Wincherster brass. Chrono results showed a mean velocity of 792 fps from a Kimber for a PF of 182. Test conditions - overcast, temp 79 degrees and little wind. Nice load but warmer than I need. Based on the above, I dropped the charge to 4.6 gr, all other spec remained the same. Chron'ed the new round today with curious results. Mean Vel = 849. Certainly not what I expected! Test conditions were complete overcast, no wind and temp 64 degrees. For the moment, I've ruled out an error in charge weight. I checked my 10 drop weight data which confirmed 4.6 gr before I started loading and a 2 drop check at the end was also 4.6 gr. Although I can not rule chrono error, the round certainly had more felt recoil. All the cases are clean with no signs of excessive pressure. First, what have I missed? Any decision based on these data is a shot in the dark - pun intended. So where do I go from here? Your thoughts and experience are appreciated. Thanks, Herb

Rich, The big show is in Valley Forge just before Christmas. I missed it too! Don't know of any others in the local area. You may want to check at your range or club for postings.

Alan550, Did check a small sample of once fired factory Winchester brass and its ID was larger than the funnel diameter. Krur, The weight of opinion is to tumble, lube and tolerate it. Running the brass troungh the press dry (no primer, powder or bullet) also seems to have done the trick. Thanks for you insight, Herb

1bad... Suspect it would fit as Dillion uses standard size dies. I think having the funnel turned down by a couple of thou would be the first step simply because it is a lower cost option. Thanks, Herb

EricW Ordered some Starline brass this morning and will give that a try. Either way I'll stick with it (no pun intended). Thanks to all for your advise. Herb

EricW, Thought had crossed my mind to have someone take a few thousandths off, but your message prompted me to check. The funnel diameter measures 0.451". Needless to say that's not the problem. Checked the inside diameter of a handful of unfired cases. Measurements vary from 0.446 to 0.449" -- more than a tight fit. Just for grins, checked some once fired cases and as you would expect the ID is greater than 0.451" The three I measured were 0.455". Is this lot of brass suspect or within normal limits? Don't have the experience to tell. Thanks for your input. Herb

Just ordered some Starline brass to give it a try. Not at home right now so can't confirm which case lube I'm using - think its RCBS and I'm sure its not Hornaday. The real problem is the inside of the case sticking to the funnel. I've been lubing the cases after tumbling. Added it to the media will lube the inside of the case. How much should I add? As for nose oil, haven't used that since college to fix scratches on photographic negatives! DD - spend a few days with Frank Garcia - the new brass for matches and used brass for practice was his thought on the subject. Thanks for the input, Herb

Gentlemen, Did an experiment this evening. (Its an occupational hazard.) As suggested - tumbled 100 new cases for about 3.5 hours, then used a deburring tool on each case. (probably overkill) Soaked the powder funnel in ammonia and scrubbed it with steel wool until there was no signs of brass. Then ran the 100 cases through the press - no primers, powder or bullets. I know this isn't perfect but it was illustrative. Only a couple of cases stuck in the funnel. Pulled the funnel and it was again streaked with brass. TDean - to your point, about 80% of the brass filings were on the plate at station 2 and the rest at station 4 (most in the crimp die) which is set at 0.003 less that the case diameter at its base. TheOtherErik - You suggested that increasing the bell helped. From what to what? I decreased the bell from 0.020 (recommended by Dillon) to 0.015. Thought this would decrease the funnel travel into the case. Although not perfect, tumbling has helped a great deal. Now if the snow would melt, I could chrono the 2 test loads I have.... Thanks again, Herb

TDean, I have isolated the problem to the funnel. There are no shavings at this or any of the other stations. There is brass collecting at the bottom neck of the funnel that is causing the sticking problem. As per Dillon's recommendation, I clean it off with steel wool or ammonia. I'll tumble a few cases and give it a try. Og, This isn't the experience I hoped for! Despite this problem, I love the simplicity of the 550. I wanted to load new brass for chrono testing and matches, used brass for practice. Hope I don't have to rethink this. Thanks for the quick response, Herb

To the group, I am new to reloading and am in the process of working up my IPSC load - 45ACP topped with Montana Gold 200gr JFP using TiteGroup. When reloading once fired brass, I have no problems with the press. However, when using new Winchester brass, the cases stick to the powder funnel. The funnel requires cleaning every 7 to 10 rounds. I have tried decreasing the the bell, deburring inside and out, lubing the cases with no noted improvement. Contacted Dillion via e-mail and received the following response - it has been known to happen and they suggested cleaning the funnel every 25 rounds. I'd love to get to 25 before I have this problem. More importantly, I in my estimation I shouldn't have to do this anywhere near this frequently. One additional clue - the Starline website FAQs notes this problem with the Dillon powder funnel and their brass in 45 and 40 S&W. What have I missed? Your experience and advise is greatly appreciated. Thanks, Herb

DD, If you still want lanolin, you should be able to find it at any pharmacy. It is used as a base for many topical preparations. Herb