What Handgun Reloading Did You Do Today?

Discussions covering the components and techniques of reloading for your handgun.
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Re: What Handgun Reloading Did You Do Today?

Post by Crash40SW »

YAY! I feel like I won the lottery. I managed to score a 1000rd box of CCI 500 primers, AND another 1000 bullets in a single trip! More 40SW on the way (once I get my bullet feeder fixed)
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Re: What Handgun Reloading Did You Do Today?

Post by horseman »

Today I did my first venture into 45 super. I have been remiss in starting this as I have been doing lots of other "stuff" with the plain ACP version and enjoying that, but I have Starline Super brass and was able to pick up a couple pounds of Accurate 7, which is ONE of the recommended powders for 45 Super. Using 230gr. Hornady xtp bullets. The load data I have is from Western powders so I'm comfortable using it. The data they sent me shows using a Speer Gold Dot but said I could use the same data for the XTP. The difference I see is the OAL is different than what I've been using in other loads with the
XTP bullet vs the Gold Dot. They feed well, no failures so that is what I'll stick with. Data says start load is 10.8gr. AA#7 under a 230gr. Gold Dot OAL not mentioned (?) but I have my own for the XTP. This load shows an avg. of 981fps. I got a mild surprise with this load as I've found "usually" Western is a bit optimistic with their numbers. I have their reloading guide and have NEVER reached "their" velocities with THEIR data. This time was different. 10.8gr. #7, 230gr. XTP bullet, OAL 1.230 using a Federal match LPP. (I have never used these before in any of my loads but just picked up a thousand as that is "usually" the primer Western uses in their data). Hi was 1022, low was 997.6, avg 1008 ES 24.86 SD 11.87. Now how good is that for first try... 8-) Gun is set up with a 25lb mainspring, flat bottom firing pin stop (small radius) and an 18lb recoil spring. I set it this way just to see how it would handle LOW 45 Super rounds BUT THIS LOAD IS STILL 1.2gr. ABOVE +P MAXIMUM SO CAUTION. There are some that are loading this up to 13.5gr. :shock: Recoil was nothing to write home about in fact after the first shot I had to look at the readout to make sure I hadn't loaded a "regular" round. I couldn't believe it when I read 1013. Western shows a max load of 12gr. I "may" go up to that just to see, but I'm thinking for a "full house" 230gr. 45 SD load that 10.8-11.0 may be just right. I was mildly surprised to say the least. +guns

EDIT: thought I should add that the mtys were landing about 5-6ft. to my right. That was another surprise as this gun usually flings them in a shotgun pattern up to 10-12ft. Not sure why the difference with only going up 2lbs on the RS weight. ?? :geek:
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Re: What Handgun Reloading Did You Do Today?

Post by larryw »

Sometimes it dont take much ???
A day late & A dollar short? Story of my life +guns
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Re: What Handgun Reloading Did You Do Today?

Post by horseman »

Just started loading the 230gr FMJ for the 45acp I managed to find a few weeks ago. Got 1000 of them for 144 dollars shipped. I've only loaded a couple mags so far as I want to shoot a few to see how 6.2grs of Herco at an OAL of 1.250 works before doing to many. I suspect they will be just fine, but still want to chrony them and check all the numbers. Also to see if I need to make any spring changes for function. It will be awhile before I do any shooting around here as it's so darn dry and we don't need any "sparks" igniting anything. Perhaps not a huge danger of that but not taking any chances. Hopefully we'll be seeing some wet weather in a couple weeks, September is usually the start of that here. That will still give me time to get them all loaded in time for the elections. :lol:
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Re: What Handgun Reloading Did You Do Today?

Post by Ranch Dog »

horseman wrote: It will be awhile before I do any shooting around here as it's so darn dry and we don't need any "sparks" igniting anything. Perhaps not a huge danger of that but not taking any chances
This is the point I'm at. Dry as a bone; heat, and heat index all into the triple digits. Ammo for testing backed up so I've stopped making any new stuff and trying to get motivated to increase my inventory of "proofed" ammo. I've found, the last couple of years (okay, maybe the last decade), I like making the new stuff more than I do just being a handle puller.
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Re: What Handgun Reloading Did You Do Today?

Post by horseman »

Just finished up a small reloading session a couple days ago, (although I have been doing small bits here and there) a little over 150 rounds of 45acp using 6.5(ish) of Herco under a 230gr. FMJ. Herco doesn't meter very well so they bounce between 6.5 and 6.7. Lee book says 6.2 is max at a bit over 16,000psi with 1.250 OAL, I've been loading 8 rounds at a time from below the max load and working up to that level to see just how things would go. Got to the 6.2 max load, fired some of those and didn't hit the "expected" velocity by about 70fps so bumped up the charge to the 6.5(ish) and extended the OAL to 1.270 (yes the gun still functions fine) but haven't fired any of those yet. Still running the 18lb RS, may change after shooting a few, we'll see.

New venture, just changed the press over to 9mm. Loading 147gr XTP bullets over Accurate #7, cci primers, mixed brass with an OAL of 1.115. Book says 1.095. Data says 6.0 to 6.7gr, I'm starting out at 6.2 (yeah, I'm THAT guy) plunk tested loaded rounds, all's well there. I did purchase a gem for the 9mm and that's a Lyman M die for station two on the LM. I've read about them for years but never figured it would be all that much better. Well, all I can say is I will be buying a few more of those. That's about it. Will report back as to results of both. Oh, we finally got rain so I can go out and shoot now.... +guns
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Re: What Handgun Reloading Did You Do Today?

Post by mr surveyor »

I haven't actually loaded anything since Tuesday, but went to the range yesterday to plink some 44 mag stuff that need to "go away". It was loaded in mixed brass, less than magnum charged, but most of the brass was from a batch of older R-P brass a buddy gave me in 2012 when I first started loading for the .44 mag. Had my first case head separation in the R92 from those loads several months ago and after getting that disaster solved I put that batch of rounds on the bench trying to decide what to do. Yesterday, I finally decided to take a chance on just shooting them and then trashing the brass. All went well until after about 20 rounds .... then a case head separation again. This time was lucky .... I was able to just drag the bore snake through from the muzzle to the breach and the case remnant came out. So.... today, I broke down the remaining rounds in the box, regardless of case head stamp, and trashed the brass. Then went through all of the unloaded, bagged brass and removed every piece of R-P brass (a lot had to be deprimed - and later used the primers). I still have quite a few loaded rounds in various boxes of "mixed brass" that could be suspect so I'll have to decide what to do with them when the time comes.

After pulling out 120 or so pieces of brass from my current using batch, I pulled out a hundred pieces of new Starline from a big bag in storage. They got deburred, sized and flared - ready for use.

I know for a fact, especially when my old buddy said he was getting rid of all his R-P brass, something was a bit suspiscious. He's the type that pushes everything to the max and I'd imagine he really stretched and strained a whole lot of that brass.

Anyway, today was .44 mag brass day for me.

jd
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Re: What Handgun Reloading Did You Do Today?

Post by GasGuzzler »

185 grain Hornady XTP .45 over 7.0 grains AutoComp in random primed brass I got for a song before JB and the China Virus.
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Re: What Handgun Reloading Did You Do Today?

Post by horseman »

Loaded two boxes of 45acp 230gr. Hornady XTP bullets over 7.5 grains of Ramshot Silhouette. (this is a plus P load 7.7 is max) Federal LP match primers, Starline +P brass, OAL 1.230(ish). I shot some exact loads through the chrony a couple months back, according to my notes the high was 970.6fps, low was 928.2 fps, ES 42.36 - SD 12.4 from my 1911 with 5 inch barrel.......accurate, clean burn. Good load.

Also as I was "relocating" some items around my bench one of which was a bunch of primer strips for the APS system, I found three strips full of small pistol primers.. +guns so instead of 300 spp's I have 375 to last me until who knows when. I also found a box of 1000 124gr. plated truncated cone 9mm bullets I had no idea I had. Let's see, 1000 bullets, 375 primers, nope the math isn't good. :lol:
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Re: What Handgun Reloading Did You Do Today?

Post by horseman »

Crummy weather today so not doing much. Decided to load a box of some 45 Super rounds. Haven't done much with that round for awhile. New Starline 45 Super brass, Federal LP match primers, Hornady 230gr. XTP bullets over 13.0gr. Accurate No. 7 powder. OAL 1.230, crimp .471. Info I have shows 13.5 as a max load for the 45 Super, however I have seen references to some who load up to 16gr. Not me thank you. That would be in the 460 Rowland area I would think. I fired some of the same 13.0gr loads over my chrony last summer and the average was right at 1250fps which was a bit faster than the load info I have indicates at that charge weight so that's where I stopped. Plus, that was the velocity I was looking to achieve. The ones I fired earlier on showed zero sign of pressure and could see/find no issues with the gun. I will not be shooting a lot of these, actually not sure WHAT I WOULD NEED to shoot with this round, but there they are if I feel like it. Loaded all on a single stage, batch mode, weighing and measuring EVERYTHING closely, each round. Took me a couple hours but I was in no hurry. I was eye ballin' the Load Master press though.....
Guess I should add I have setup my 1911 to handle 45 Super. Ibbida, ibbida, that's all folks.... :D
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