What did you reload today?

[The Pontificator]

Over the past 3 weeks Ive been reloading both 380 Auto and 9mm.

380 Auto
Precision Bullets 380 95gr Round Nose (poly-coated)
Hodgdon CFE Pistol 4.4 grains
Winchester Small Pistol Primers
COAL: 0.965"

9mm
Black Bullets International 9mm 125gr Cone Nose (truncated cone) (poly-coated)
Hodgdon CFE Pistol 4.7 grains
Federal Small Pistol Primers
COAL: 1.110"

These 9mm rounds were specifically craated at this COAL to be a "one size fits all chambers" esp. pistol with "tight" chambers (short bore leads)

Both loadings provide exellent performance and accuracy.

 

[nortac]

I loaded 100 rounds of .38 Special. 125 gr. plated RNFP over 4.9 gr. Unique tripped off by Federal SPP.

 

[shoelessjoe]

Using up the last of the Blue Bullets cache (125gr/.355) for the 38 Super & in researching load data, I discover that no small number of folks who shoot competitively, push those polymer-coated bullets @ velocities up to 1500 fps … not wanting to temp the gods, I feel much better about keeping them somewhere around 1225 fps

 

[nortac]

Yesterday I loaded 50 rounds of .380 ACP for use in the LCP Max. I previously had loaded 3.8 gr. of Unique under an 88 gr. JHP for use in my SIG P230 and thought it a bit mild, but of course the P230 is a heavier pistol. I upped the charge to 4.2 grs. Depending on the source of your reloading data, that may exceed max, it may not. Well, it proved to be a very stout charge for the lightweight LCP Max. No damage done, but not comfortable to shoot at all. I will go back to the lower charge and work my way up if needed.

 

[nortac]

In the process of reloading 50 more .380 ACP loads with the previously used 3.8 gr. Unique loads for the next session with the LCP Max. Hopefully they will cycle properly with the #13 recoil spring from Galloway.
This is slightly tedious as I don't have my Dillon 550 set up for .380, so going single stage. For small charges, Unique doesn't meter very evenly through the Redding BR3 powder measure, so a bit of trickling is involved. I need to use a finer granulated powder like WW 231 for more even metering.

 

[Whiterook]

This afternoon I used some of my few remaining large rifle primers and some of my meager supply of IMR3031 to load 25 rounds of 8x50mm Lebel. The Berthier is going to the range when next I can go.

 

[nortac]

Yesterday I cranked out about 250 rounds of .38 Spl, 125 gr. plated flat point over 4.9 gr. of Unique. A relatively mild load, but enough to knock down steel plates at 25 yds. or bowling pins at 15 yds.

 

[nortac]

Loaded 200 rounds of .223, mixed range brass, most with military crimped primer pockets, crimp removed with Lyman powered brass prep station. AA2230 24.6 gr., 62 gr. BTHP boolits. My standard plinking and close-range match load, not precision target ammo.

 

[Rudy Vey]

In the last few weeks I did reload some 600 357mag, and about 750-800 9 mm. Opened the last pack of small pistol primers from 2018, but I have some from 2019 ;-). Used Precision Delta bullets for both; Fed mag primers for the 357 with Vectan 9 1/2 and the above mentioned small PP from Winchester with Vectan Prima V. Really like these powders, too bad no one is selling them anymore in the states. Glad I have some squirrel syndrome....

 

[nortac]

Cranked out another 200 .223 rounds.

 

[Ad Astra]

Need to make more 45 Colt. It IS one of the easiest rounds to reload, though ...


AA

 

[nortac]

300 rounds of 9 mm.

 

[alpster]

50 rounds 45 ACP, only 250 rounds to go.....LOL

 

[nortac]

250 rounds of.45 ACP, 230 gr. plated RN over 5.0 gr. of Win. 452 AA. I have a little less than a pound left of this powder, which is discontinued. Once it's gone, I'll probably switch back to Win. 231.

 

[nortac]

Resized a few hundred .30 Carbine cases and primed 100 of them. I'll prime another 100 and load them up within the next 24 hrs. probably.

 

[cvixx]

The Marielitos seemed to come to L.A. I walked a foot beat in the McArthur Park area as a cop and the Cubans, all of whom were tattooes on the inside of their lower l, lived in local fleabag hotels n the area. It had been a community of elderly retired people but changed to a crime ridden ghetto within months. Thank you Carter.

Reloading…I have dies for 43 calibers from .22 Hornet to .577 Snider, and most military calibers between.. And At 77 years of age, not so much as before. Mostly pistol now…38, 40 and 9mm, although I am considering buying a 10mm. Still have enough powder and primers for a while.

It's real. I lived in Miami in 1980, during the Mariel boat lift! and beyond.

The cocaine cowboys, Santeria people, the Yahwehs, the shootouts in Dadeland, Suniland etc.


AA

 

[Mhinagoya]

my issues with the sig were numerous. due to the bottle neck, you need to run the brass thru a 40 die to size and decap it. then, you need to do it again on your regular .357 dies to actually size the neck. crimping was a nightmare, too little or too much can both be enourmously problematic. there is just so little brass for the bullet to actually bite it becomes very difficult to get proper neck tension. there are very few bullets specifically designed for the sig, not any old 9 bullet were work. it needs to be "long" to allow the most contact area with the tiny neck. the amount of flare needed is way more sensitive that any straight walled round. I would crush so many case necks on the seating step because the mouth can only be flared a hair. but due to some bullet tolerances not being perfect, if it was just a touch oversized, you have a ruined case (and usually a mangled unusable bullet too). all that to say I love the round and believe it to be the finest semi auto round every produced. it is just a pain for every day reloader.

My experience with the 357 Sig has been similar, but I seem to have worked out a lot of the kinks. I am all in for running the cases through a .40 S&W carbide die first, then through a RCBS full length sizing die to size the necks. Even with Imperial wax case lube, it takes entirely too much pressure to full length resize in only one pass. With the 40 carbide die first, the neck pass is easy.
I too had a few issues with flaring, but once I got my Lee powder through crimping die set up correctly, the cases have flared without incident (so far. Fingers crossed). I have been using 115 grain hollow points from Everglades ammo, then crimping them with a Lee factory crimp die. Yes, this has all taken a lot of work, but I am usually successful 99 out of 100 rounds (lose one per hundred on average). I also anneal my case mouths after every firing. Early on, I was losing a lot to cracking (even on the first reload). The annealing seems to have solved the cracking problem.
I have two full length sizing dies. A Redding and a RCBS. The Redding die does NOT have an expander ball. The RCBS die does. As much as I love Redding dies, I fought this one and lost. I wasn't able to make it work no matter how hard I tried. Without the expander ball, the case mouths were so non uniform and/or undersize, flaring them was a nightmare (virtually impossible). With the RCBS die, I have no such problem, so the Redding die sits in its box looking expensive and pretty.

I am retired and have both the time and patience to do something like this. If I still had a job, no way would I invest the time and effort needed to reload this cartridge. As it stands, this is one of the many 'projects' that keep me occupied, out of trouble, and in my wife's good graces.

My formula.
Anneal case necks and tumble after every firing.
Resize with carbide 40 S&W die, followed by lubing cases and full length resizing with RCBS die.
Reprime with Frankfort Arsenal hand priming tool.
Use Lee powder through expander die with automatic powder measure.
Seat bullets.
Crimp with Lee factory crimp die.

This may be pure voodoo and only work for me, but it turns out good, consistent ammunition.

Bill.

 

[Whisky]

@Mhinagoya what are you using to anneal your brass? Do you have an actual annealer or do you do the torch and a bucket of water method?

 

[Mhinagoya]

@Mhinagoya what are you using to anneal your brass? Do you have an actual annealer or do you do the torch and a bucket of water method?

Cases mouth up in a pan of water (enough to cover 1/3 to 1/2 the case), propane torch on case mouth. Since copper and copper alloys can only be hardened through work hardening, heating to a sufficient temperature will take the alloy back to dead soft. I've been doing this many years and know not to 'burn' the brass. I use this method on all my pistol and rifle cartridges.
I have tried both the molten salt and molten lead method and prefer water and propane torch to either.

I own a Swift Ackley and a 22-250 Ackley. The Ackleys really need annealing after fire forming because of the rather extreme material deformation and the pan-o-water and torch method has served well. . . so far.

Bill.

 

[eightysixCJ]

Worked up some no-lead Nosler E-tip 130gr .270 loads recently.