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Taking the Plunge - Few Questions/Confirmation Needed


anonymouscuban

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5 hours ago, HesedTech said:

 

^^^

This

 

Those who run CZs and Tanfoglio get it. 

 

“LOL”

 

Whew, thank goodness, I run Shadows so I'm glad I'm one of the lucky ones that "get it"

 

"LOL"

Edited by 4n2t0
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Hey fellas. So I should be loading my first set of test rounds at the end of the week. As mentioned, I bought a few sample packs of different bullets. How should I go about making the test rounds?

 

Should I make about 10 of each bullet weight?

 

How about powder charge... maybe make 10 round samples of each weight and powder charge combo, increasing the powder charge by 0.2 grains within the min and max for the load recipe?

 

Also, as far as load data, should I use load data for lead bullets? I can't seem to find anything specific to coated lead bullets.

 

As far as testing, I don't have a chronometer. I assume I will just be testing for best grouping and how each load shoots and see what I prefer.

 

Should I get a chronometer? Is it essential at this stage for me?

 

Thanks again for all the help.

 

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Yes.  You absolutely NEED a chrono.  I've been using a $79 Chrony for decades    :)

 

10 rounds of each makes a lot of sense.   Run them thru the chrono onto a target

at 25 yards, and you'll measure speed, PF and accuracy all at the same time.   :) 

 

Have you seen Darrell's info on 9mm loads ?

Edited by Hi-Power Jack
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2 hours ago, Hi-Power Jack said:

Yes.  You absolutely NEED a chrono.  I've been using a $79 Chrony for decades    :)

 

10 rounds of each makes a lot of sense.   Run them thru the chrono onto a target

at 25 yards, and you'll measure speed, PF and accuracy all at the same time.   :) 

 

Have you seen Darrell's info on 9mm loads ?

 

Thanks Jack. Just order the Caldwell Chrono. Looks to be a great value and will do what I need based on the reviews and YouTubes I watched. Always nice to be "forced" to buy more toys. Gonna tell my wife you insisted I buy if she asks what the heck it is. LOL

 

I did see Darrell's load file. Downloaded it but on my work laptop and I haven't gotten around to install the app needed to unzip it. Won't unzip with the out of the box windows extract. 

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5 hours ago, anonymouscuban said:

 

 1.  Gonna tell my wife you insisted I buy  

 

2.  I saw Darrell's load file.  I haven't gotten installed the app needed to unzip it. 

 

1.  Tell your wife I am very nasty, and visit Porter Ranch often     😇

 

2.  No need - Darrell has been kind enough to send out a version that does NOT require the Zip     :cheers:

 

I've heard a LOT of good things about the Caldwell - enjoy.    :) 

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You chose wisely. I got a Caldwell as a Christmas present to myself. The app works great. I just need to remember to take my iPad to the range as my old eyes have issues with using the phone.

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5 hours ago, anonymouscuban said:

 

Thanks Jack. Just order the Caldwell Chrono. Looks to be a great value and will do what I need based on the reviews and YouTubes I watched. Always nice to be "forced" to buy more toys. Gonna tell my wife you insisted I buy if she asks what the heck it is. LOL

 

I did see Darrell's load file. Downloaded it but on my work laptop and I haven't gotten around to install the app needed to unzip it. Won't unzip with the out of the box windows extract. 

 

Just a suggestion, but you may want to shoot from a rest while doing your tests.


I get better/more consistent shots from a rest as it takes variables out of the equation (like me flinching, jerking the trigger, etc)...

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OP- in addition to the other very good and constructive suggestions, here's my suggestions to get started

  • Rough set your dies, aside from the sizing die, you'll likely need to tweak the rest
  • Place a fired shell in your seating die station and seat a projectile slightly longer than recommended.
  • Chamber the round and remove, this will get you close to your OAL, you may need to fine tune your seating die to get the bullet to plunk/spin
  • After I have OAL dialed in, you'll need to set your expanding die to expand enough for the bullet to be seated without scraping, but not so much that the flared portion of the case contact the decapping/crimping die causing excessive brass particles.

Once you have these parameters set, load up the 10 or so samples per charge and work up your ladder.  Keep in mind, you'll need to verify OAL for each bullet weight/shape.

 

Good luck and looking forward to seeing results this weekend! 

 

BTW, I have the same chrono and use it frequently.  I'm sure there are better ones or ones with more features, but that  one gets the basics of the job done.

 

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On 3/12/2019 at 4:54 AM, anonymouscuban said:

As mentioned, I bought a few sample packs of different bullets. How should I go about making the test rounds? 

Lots of good advice. You will likely find that some bullets are way more accurate than others. With this in mind, you might consider loading up 10 rds of each bullet in the low-to-mid powder range. (Most rounds will be most accurate in this range.) This rather than doing a complete ladder for each bullet only to find that some of the bullets aren't suitable for your barrel. See which bullet(s) are most accurate and then do a complete ladder with those.  This will save you a lot of time. OTOH, if you like reloading and want to expand your learning curve, you can go the long route and do a ladder for each bullet. 

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2 hours ago, lgh said:

Lots of good advice. You will likely find that some bullets are way more accurate than others. With this in mind, you might consider loading up 10 rds of each bullet in the low-to-mid powder range. (Most rounds will be most accurate in this range.) This rather than doing a complete ladder for each bullet only to find that some of the bullets aren't suitable for your barrel. See which bullet(s) are most accurate and then do a complete ladder with those.  This will save you a lot of time. OTOH, if you like reloading and want to expand your learning curve, you can go the long route and do a ladder for each bullet. 

Not to argue but I don't entirely agree with this. I don't much care how accurate a bullet is if it's only accurate at 118PF. So I generally load 5 rounds each starting from about the middle charge weight, increase by 0.2gr up to max. I can chrono all those and have a ballpark PF for each load and then I can work between 130-140PF in 0.1gr increments to test accuracy (still over the chrono at this point). All in all this should take you less than 100 rounds. Do the same for the other bullet and see if you notice any difference.

 

Overall accuracy is not the most important factor in the games we play. Sure a more accurate load is better, but if you+gun+load can shoot 4-5" at 25 yards you're probably fine. That said, there's something to be said about ignoring some bullets completely based on accuracy. I made the mistake of buying 3000 147gr xtreme bullets. Couldn't get them to group under 2" at 7 yards. Figured my shooting was a bit rusty but when I bought a box of ACME 124gr bullets I found that I was able to stack 10 rounds on a 1" paster. Also the 147s shot ~5" high at 25 yards. No amount of load development is going to fix that!

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More great advice on here. Thank you guys. Have a few questions. 

 

So I have never used a chrono so I did some browsing on the interwebz. Looks pretty straight forward. One question though... at what distance should I set the chrono from my shooting position? I've gathered that for pistol, about 10 feet should be good. I would assume that keeping this distance consistent when testing is important. By the way, already stressing over NOT shooting the damn chrono. LOL

 

As far as case cleaning... I just got my tumbler yesterday. It's a dry tumbler. Ran my first batch of cases through it yesterday for 2 hours. Using crushed walnut shells. Didn't add anything else like polish. Want to keep things as simple as possible. The cases look pretty clean on the outside. Still a little dirty on the inside. Gonna run them some more, at an hour increment to see at what point they are acceptably clean. How anal do I need to be about this? Is this more personal preference? I've read that some people don't clean their brass at all. 

 

By the way, I won't get my chrono till next week so won't be able to test fire my loads till then. Do plan on loading them up this weekend. Can't wait. So far, I'm totally geeking out over all this stuff!!! 

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10-12 feet for chrono distance from your pistol. Use a rest if you have one so your chances of shooting the chrono will be minimal 😆.

 

As for dry tumbling, I use Nufinish car polish on the crushed walnut shells. Cleanliness of the brass is a personal preference. Just make sure the primer holes don’t have any crushed walnut shells stuck in it.

 

 

 

Edited by George16
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When you setup your chrono, you'll need to enter some information in order for the chrono to calculate correctly.

Distance to Chrono: Pretty self explanatory

Ballistic coefficient: I normally leave it as 1.  

Bullet weight: enter in grains

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Confirm, 10-12 feet from the chrono is good for pistol. You're avoiding the muzzle flash from messing with the readings. Here's another helpful hint, if you chrono on a cloudy day, you don't need the sun shields. I put two of the rods in for a "target area" and am able to aim a little higher to avoid the chrono.

 

As for tumbling, everyone has there own flavor. My particular one is walnut lizard bedding with a couple sprays of One Shot and a cut up dryer sheet. The dryer sheet helps with the dust and the residual "wax" (that's what they use for anti-cling) helps shine up the brass. There's really no wrong answer, you just want the outside clean so it will feed in your gun and the flash hole clear so it will go bang.

Edited by Mcfoto
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Cool. Was thinking of measuring my pitching arm with the chrono to see if I can still throw some heat but that may not be a good idea. [emoji12] I don't have a rest but I have used sandbags as a brace in the past to sight new sights on my pistols. Will do the same.

I may try the second batch of brass with some Nufinish or Brasso. I've read that both are used. I think I may have both in the garage. Will use what I have. Will also try the cut up dryer sheet idea.

One other question. Probably wise that I wear gloves during this whole process, right? Even while pressing?

Oh... just got notification from UPS that my powder and primers arrived. Can't wait to get home, unpack it all and read all the package labels. I don't have bullets yet so I have to do something with the stuff! Hahaha. My wife says I'm like a giant kid.



Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

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I just started with 147 gr blue bullets. Cz shadow 2. I found that 3.2 grain sport pistol at 1.10 worked great however my sights were coming back on target too slow with an 11 lb recoil spring.  

I ordered 135 grain and loaded them to 3.6  gr  sport at 1.15 oal.   I love this load.  I was able to get my splits down from .21 average to .17-.2.   To me it’s a great balance between the 147 and 124.  

In addition. The 135 gr gauge better and I have less problems being a new reloader.  

Edited by stephenmcrna
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Have another question. So I have a few thousand cases that have gone through dry tumbling and they look pretty clean. Is there any other cleaning necessary at this point?

Also, do you guys recommend case lube even if I have carbide dies? I've read mixed information on this.

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48 minutes ago, anonymouscuban said:

 do you recommend case lube even if I have carbide dies?

 

YES !!!

 

Really makes it a LOT easier to reload - spray couple squirts on a paper towel, stick towel

in a plastic bag - mix in couple hundred cases, and swish them around for a minute.

 

Take brass out, and allow it to dry before loading - much easier on your elbow and equipment.    :) 

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I like using Hornady One Shot. I put 2-3 hundred 9mm cases in a ziplock bag spay them real well and shake the bag around a little. No need to let dry, just dump them in your case feeder and go. Saves your arm when resizing. 

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Plenty of good info already here just contributing:

I use 124gr coated lead.  They work great.  Never have shot 147gr through my guns to test but I do like how the 124s feel vs 115s.

I use Bullseye powder at 3.9-4 grains.

CCI primers because theyre known and reliable.  

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