1st time reloader/ inaccuracy problems

[G17]

Same bullets?

Yes sir. I plan on making one more batch of 100 at 6.2 and 6.4 grains. If they're as inaccurate as they were yesterday then i'll just keep it around 5.2-5.4 for some practice rounds and until i get better bullets.

[sigsauerfan]

i don't know if your accuracy test was done on a rest in first, however that's what i do by strings of ten through the chrony ,then once i get a clear idea of what works on the bench, i put it at work off rest to see what is the most accurate in '''real '' condition.

it's a somehow weighty process but once done it means you have a 100% proved recipe in bank for futur use .

[G17]

Yah i just shot off hand yesterday. When i get a chrony i'll definitely try to do it on a bench like you said.

[Sarge]

i don't know if your accuracy test was done on a rest in first, however that's what i do by strings of ten through the chrony ,then once i get a clear idea of what works on the bench, i put it at work off rest to see what is the most accurate in '''real '' condition.

it's a somehow weighty process but once done it means you have a 100% proved recipe in bank for futur use .

better yet I shoot through my chrono from a bench and onto a target. When I leave the range I know what worked and what didn't.

[Gandof]

better yet I shoot through my chrono from a bench and onto a target. When I leave the range I know what worked and what didn'

+1

[BeerBaron]

some advice.

find out if other open shooters are using these bullets. it sounds like you may be shaving off the plating. load a round then use a bullet puller and pull the bullet and see if the plating is intact. as others said these may not be suitable for major loads.

you do not need to set the bullet down dead straight. it should straighten as it goes into the die and seat properly anyway. unless the seating piece is a custom one and is not holding the round nose bullet properly (unlikely if you bought the dies new). it's possible this was being caused by not enough case bell/flare. so the bullet was getting kind of stuck in the case mouth and going in not 100% straight. use a bit more bell/flare to let them seat a bit easier.

forget the primer procket reamer tool. you don't need it. BUT do make sure you clean your brass. tumble it in a vibratory case cleaner. I like the lyman green corncob for media. it works very nicely. for a beginner this is the easiest type of case prep.

with the lee seating die. read the instruction for it (so you know which adjustment is crimp and which is seat depth). then back off the crimp completely so it's not crimping at all, just seating.

now set up the 4th die (factory crimp die) to do a light crimp. .376 at neck is about right, but crimp can be a subjective thing. it does need a little bit of playing with to get right. but you do not need a heavy crimp with those rounds. basically just enough to ensure you don't get case setback. tumbling rounds is often caused by too much or not enough crimp (can be other causes though too).

you need to load some rounds with different levels of powder (seems you have now done this). don't load 100 of any one load until you have sussed out which load: shoots accurately in your gun, cycles well, feels nice to shoot, works the comp properly and finally - makes power factor. I would load up 10-20 at .2gn intervals (like 6gn, 6.2gn). then pick the best 2 or three. say it's 6.2gn and 6.4gn. now load up some more at 6.2 6.3 and 6.4 and test again.

borrow a chrono. when you get the sweet spot the accuracy will improve and the velocity should start to become quite consistent too. very easy to see on a chrono.

see if you can find someone using the same barrel and comp you are and bounce some load ideas off them.

[BeerBaron]

one final thing on the primers. seat the DEEEP. there is really no such thing as too deep up to the point that you crush the thing and set it off in your press! you no when they are nice and deep as soft primers like federal will just have a very light tool mark on them from seating them right into the pocket. not deep enough is a problem as all that happens is the firing pin will seat the primer instead of setting it off. so definitely do not seat the primers out more, keep them nice and deep.

[G17]

Beerbaron, thank you very much for your advice. I'v been shooting and experimenting a lot since i started this thread. I'v solved all my problems at the moment and things are going much better. I went through all of my xtreme plated and just ordered 1000 MG JHP's to try out. Basically those xtreme plated are just not meant to go that fast.

By doing samples of ten starting at 4.6 all the way up to 6.4 i was clearly able to see which shot the best with that bullet. It seemed that anything over 5.4-5.6 and accuracy starts dropping pretty dramatically. The first batch i loaded were at 6.2 grains and i'm pretty sure that was too much for that bullet. I'm out of bullets at the moment and hoping my MG's get here pretty quick.

The reloading store in my town basically buys Xtremes bullets and repackages them as their own, so i was kind of confused as to what i was getting. If i had known they were not rated to go that fast i wouldn't have got them in the first place, but no biggie, still had a lot of fun with them!

Another thing that i changed after my first batch was the crimp. Since i didn't use the Lee crimp die on my first batch i don't think they were really crimped at all. I'v been crimping them at .375 and all seems good so i'll just keep it at that i figure.

I'm going to go to the reloading shop tommorow and pick up some more powder, and maybe try some new primers. I have some Rem 1.5's but i'm not sure how i feel about them and since i'm going to be loading major i think i'll pick up some fed srp's and maybe a few more bullets just to hold me over until my MG's get here. I remember seeing they had a few tumblers but not sure what models, i'm going to check them out tommorow though.

Thanks again for your reply, take care

Edited January 30, 2014 by G17

[BeerBaron]

no problem. glad you are on the path to a great load.

if you don't have a tumbler yet, a great starting model is the lyman turbo 1200 PRO (make sure it's pro as that has the slotted lid). should be way less than $100 (it's $100 aussie pesos in my country and we over pay for everything). best bit is it has a great slotted lid which means you don't have to spend money on a media separator. it also comes with a free batch of the lyman green corncob which will last you about a year of tumbling 300 rounds a week (one load of 9mm). the lyman corncob is treated so it lasts a long time. I'd advise against using their 'tuffnut' red media though as it has abrasives in it. the green corncob is all you need.

here you go. RRP on it is $72. probably $65 in a store. http://www.lymanproducts.com/lyman/tumblers/1200-pro-tumbler.php

all you then need is a standard round bucket. once you've finished tumbling (takes only 1 hour to do 350 of 9mm when media is new. after it degrades over a year it may take 2 hours). leave the lid on, put the bucket on top (it fits snugly). then hold tumbler and bucket and tip upside down. now just shake it up and down and side to side. after about 30 second to a min all the media will be in the bucket and the clean cases sitting in the tumbler. tip out the cases into a container, then tip the media back into the tumbler and you're good to go again next time.

The great thing about not spending too much on a vibratory cleaner is if down the track you decide to go ultrasonic, or wet tumbler the lyman will still be useful to you to dry brass or do other stuff. personally I hate the extra hassles that wetting my brass gives so I've stuck with vibratory cleaners. but that's a personal choice. there is no doubt though as a first step of brass prep a vibratory tumbler is easiest and cheapest and gives great results. my brass looks like factory.

[G17]

That sounds great. I didn't know that your able to re-use the media. I figured it was something you had to buy over and over every time you clean brass. I'm looking forward to getting this tumbler because at the moment i'v just been leaving my brass on the range. I'v been putting a lot of money into my hobby lately so it would be a good idea for me to try and save even a little bit when possible, that means reusing brass.

Will see what my store carry's tommorow. If they don't have anything worth wild i'll look into getting the one you recommended. What i really need to be doing is upgrading this press so i can shoot more! It takes me way too long to re load at the moment. It's kind of funny, i started with a single stage because i figured i didn't shoot that much. I mean i shoot every week but i usually only buy about 150 rounds. I figure reloading that will be no problem. Well now that i'm reloading i want to shoot more and more. I love it i love it i love it! I wish i would've started reloading sooner.

[BeerBaron]

yes, I remember when I started I assumed you could only use the media once or twice too. so when I saw how much the lyman green corncob was I had a heart attack. went about bought a 60 pound bag of fine corncob from a blasting supply company... never used it!!! well I tried it once and it was rubbish compared to the lyman media.

seriously, $70 for that lyman tumbler and $3 for a bucket and you have everything you need to clean 300 cases a week for the next 12 months...

other brands offer a separator, but the slotted lid is faster, cheaper, easier and you don't have to have a separator sitting around taking up space.