Let's talk about RELOADING, particularly about TUMBLING
- Thread starter Dannmann801
- Start date
Yep, was looking at the Speer book last night that came with my RCBS press and all the info was Speer-specific.
My plan is to someday cast my own bullets too. Does the Lyman or Lee manual address loads for homemade bullets?
Both Lyman and Lee manuals have loads for cast bullets. Lyman also sells a good cast bullet manual that covers all the basics of bullet casting and load data.
I am a cast lead bullet shooter at heart. The only pistol jacketed bullets I ever shot are in my CCW pistol. I practice with cast lead bullets and carry factory jacketed ammo for liablity reasons.
23 deer put in the freezer with lead bullets. Plus my grandson took one also. Only lost one deer only because the neighbor wouldn't let me follow it on his property. I found out later he knew where it fell and ate it.
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I'm thinking that Frank should start an instructional thread called BULLET CASTING - THE BASICS
Anybody else agree? :smiley_coolpeace:
Been looking at youtube video and seen guys casting in electric lead furnaces, pots, cast iron skillets, making ingots in modified 55gal drums - apparently a lot of different ways to skin a cat. Single cavity molds, 2 cavity molds, multiple cavity molds, lots of molds.
Looks like something pretty easy and super-fun to do.
Anybody else agree? :smiley_coolpeace:
Been looking at youtube video and seen guys casting in electric lead furnaces, pots, cast iron skillets, making ingots in modified 55gal drums - apparently a lot of different ways to skin a cat. Single cavity molds, 2 cavity molds, multiple cavity molds, lots of molds.
Looks like something pretty easy and super-fun to do.
I agree. I used to cast my ole jig heads but bullets need to be a little more precise in composition, dimension and specificactions
Bullet casting is rather easy and simple. All of the above methods can be used.
Safety glasses, long sleeve shirt, gloves, long leg pants. AND NO WATER WITHIN ARMS LENGTH.
One drop of water into a molted 20 lb lead pot will empty it. Been there and done that.
For standard volecity pistol round straingt wheelweights with 1% tin by weight is just fine and should give almost zero leading in a good gun.
For magnum pistol rounds I use 5 parts wheelweights and 1 part linotype by weight for a load that will have zero leading in a good gun. This mixture and have over 5000 full loads in a 44 mag and never cleaned the bore as nothing is there.
Centerfire Rifle bullets depends on volecity.
Muzzleloading use 100% pure lead.
See it's really rather simple.
Safety glasses, long sleeve shirt, gloves, long leg pants. AND NO WATER WITHIN ARMS LENGTH.
One drop of water into a molted 20 lb lead pot will empty it. Been there and done that.
For standard volecity pistol round straingt wheelweights with 1% tin by weight is just fine and should give almost zero leading in a good gun.
For magnum pistol rounds I use 5 parts wheelweights and 1 part linotype by weight for a load that will have zero leading in a good gun. This mixture and have over 5000 full loads in a 44 mag and never cleaned the bore as nothing is there.
Centerfire Rifle bullets depends on volecity.
Muzzleloading use 100% pure lead.
See it's really rather simple.
Bought a Lymans 49th Ed Reloading Handbook today and a carton (1000) primers. Lucked out on that.
No .40 bullets at either basspro or the local shop.
No .40 bullets at either basspro or the local shop.
Friday afternoon I scored primers and a Lyman manual and treated corncob media at the local gunshop. Friday evening I went to Harbor Freight and bought a vibrating polisher (along with a bunch of other stuff - impossible to walk out of there with just one thing). Saturday my FFL guy was available and had some .40cal bullets and powder so I hopped skippy over to his place to buy 'em. He gave me 500 rounds of already-tumbled brass too, so I'm cookin' with gas. Bought a workbench at Menards, along with a couple of 5gal buckets and flat lids and some hardware etc etc.
Today I got the bench assembled and my new press and Uniflow Powder Dispenser mounted. Ran my first 100 rounds of .40S&W today - I think I'm gonna really like this!
Here's the bench
Brass - stuff on the left is what my buddy gave me, on the right is the stuff I tumbled
Final Product
Safety glasses are a must, but so is being able to see. These are bifocal reading/safety glasses 2.0 mag.....
All in all I'm pleased with the press and accessories. Instructions could have been clearer - I was having a difficult time disassembling the powder measure because the instructions weren't clear - but I went to their website and the had a video instucting how to do it.
Today I got the bench assembled and my new press and Uniflow Powder Dispenser mounted. Ran my first 100 rounds of .40S&W today - I think I'm gonna really like this!
Here's the bench
Brass - stuff on the left is what my buddy gave me, on the right is the stuff I tumbled
Final Product
Safety glasses are a must, but so is being able to see. These are bifocal reading/safety glasses 2.0 mag.....
All in all I'm pleased with the press and accessories. Instructions could have been clearer - I was having a difficult time disassembling the powder measure because the instructions weren't clear - but I went to their website and the had a video instucting how to do it.
Woohoo!
I have found that videos are your friend as most instructions are spoken in assumptive engineer speak.
I have found that videos are your friend as most instructions are spoken in assumptive engineer speak.
Oh I've got miles to go - I'm going to make a shelving unit for reloading supplies, etc etc, pimp it out good
Yeah - or cover multiple models/styles - or focus more heavily on safety crap - or leave out crucial steps, or maybe don't highlight 'em....
QUESTION FOR FRANK OR ANYONE IN THE KNOW:
What is the tolerance for OverAllLength of a .40 cartridge? I read that seating the bullet too deep can cause excessive pressure - but I couldn't find a +/- tolerance on OAL.
Depends on your bullet Dan. Let me know what your loading and I will look it up. The minimum of all OALs is 1.115 but that is with light, cast bullets.
Just follow tht OAL for weight of bullet in the manual. All of the weights and lengths designs basicly will be the same and wont's change much to worry about.
The OAL basicly is determined by the magazine. No reason to go deeper than the maximum. Yes it's true setting bullets in the case deeper than required will raise the pressure. A 9MM really seems to be bad for this.
Just follow the reloading book recommend legnths for each weight and all is well.
The OAL basicly is determined by the magazine. No reason to go deeper than the maximum. Yes it's true setting bullets in the case deeper than required will raise the pressure. A 9MM really seems to be bad for this.
Just follow the reloading book recommend legnths for each weight and all is well.
Nosler 135gr hollow point
Was shooting for 1.125 oal had a few come in at .003 or .004 under. I just didn't see a tolerance listed anywhere
The lyman book showed 1.085 for a 135gr bullet but the ref that listed my powder said 1.125. I set one at 1.085 and it was waaayyyyyy deep. The 1.125 "looks" right
Mine has 1.125 also for most powders. I wouldn't recommend going below any listed minimum AOL. Do a plunk test and make sure you are over minimum OAL...all is good.
Plunk test...
[video=youtube;cdJLNox1hpk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdJLNox1hpk[/video]
Plunk test...
[video=youtube;cdJLNox1hpk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdJLNox1hpk[/video]
I'll be darn as I never heard of a plunk test. I have alway used the barrel as a testing medium. If it fits in the barrel, not under OAL listed in the manual and not over the OAL for the magazine you are go to go.
Just like what Frank said basically.
Plunk test is an easy way to see if your loads are in spec and if they will run in your firearm well. Take the barrel off your pistol and drop a round into it. It should "plunk" into the barrel...freely fall into it. You should be able to rotate the round freely. The case should also be level or just under the chamber.
If all of the above is true and your are not under minimum OAL then you shoulg be GTG...as long as the powder measure was correct.