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reloading questions/advice if you would please?

update to the Lee and reloading 9mm (slightly long)

ok, the dies were all properly set and adjusted. Lee carbide dies, like all my other dies in the Dillon or in the storage container...

set up the Lee and starting producing 9mm's..

got maybe all of about 60 done and KA-BAM.....the powder drop went for a consistent 3.4 (starting charge per Lyman book for Bullseye powder), down to like 1.2....2.3....1.4.....

like WTF now...???

this is where my sawzall is waiting for me

i have had enough of the :poop: with the Lee.

i went to my pc desk, went to Dillons website, and ordered up another powder drop, then the stand as well, so that i can put that onto the DIllon tool head that i have set up for 9mm, and ran flawlessly about 200 rounds....PERFECTO.....job well done Dillon.

ok, so after talking with the store owner and another reloader, the conclusion came that somehow, the shell casing is not going all the way to the top of the powder drop, resulting in low output.

so, i readjusted the powder drop ever so slightly.......nope...still not dropping 3.4 grains.

took out the baffle i had bought for the powder drop.....nope, still not dropping 3.4 grains.....like WTF...

left it alone, went the next day to try again

got a handful of polished casing,s and had at it......1 by 1....3.4 drop...>!!


like WTF, did elves come in the night and straighten out my Lee..??

over and over again.....3.4 drop...!!

this is amazing.....

i am going like gangbusters now....

i hit about 75 then KA BAM.......1.2...2.3...1.2 drop all over again...........

well, the new powder drop form Dillon is coming..Saturday.....

the powder drop die just did not do it's job.

for one reason or another...i removed THAT casing to look at it....

looked ok to me, no cracks...but also no flare....????

i'll be a SOB.......

it was a 380 casing.......

i tossed it aside.....

and KA BAM......3.4...3.4....3.4......

then i recall what the 2 reloaders told me, that 3.4 is way too low for a 9mm, try going up a bit..

well the lyman book says that 4.2 is the end....

so i adjust the drop to 3.8

and i was getting 3.8...3.8...3.8.......then....1.2....1.3....2.2.....

dang it...another 380...!!!!!

now, i have to go thru all my polished casings to ensure NO MORE 380's..........

but, i am still going to set up that new Dillon powder drop onto that tool head, with the 9mm dies....it'll make switching over that much easier.....

and i ain't the least be embarrassed to admit my faults, this serves as a learning lesson to me, and maybe another newbie reloader..

then too, the 2 guys at the bait/gun store..?? who each have like 40 years experience..???

they too never came up with a different shell casing as a possible cause.......

it was "assumed" by all of us.......all the shell casings were.......9mm.....
 
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I have the occasional odd cartridge at times, but the feel of the machine is different. Too easy? The case is short (such as Schofield when running .45 Colt) or the case is split. Too hard? I have a tall case (such as .357 when running .38 Special) or .44 WCF when running .45 Colt. I also notice when the primer seating doesn't feel quite right. Sometimes it's nothing, but other times I find it didn't seat all the way or it went in crooked. Hard education lessons are not easily forgotten.
 
youngolddude said:
I have the occasional odd cartridge at times, but the feel of the machine is different. Too easy? The case is short (such as Schofield when running .45 Colt) or the case is split. Too hard? I have a tall case (such as .357 when running .38 Special) or .44 WCF when running .45 Colt. I also notice when the primer seating doesn't feel quite right. Sometimes it's nothing, but other times I find it didn't seat all the way or it went in crooked. Hard education lessons are not easily forgotten.
Click to expand...
yes, i still get what feels like a hard primer install,, so i remove the casing, and inspect it, before the powder drop. sometimes however, there is no hard install, and when i go to measure the OAL, the measurement is way off, THEN i inspect and see the primer not fully seated, so i simply re-seat it.

and yes, specifically on the Lee press, a few times, the primer is crooked, where as the Dillon....the only issue that i have, (as well as the owner of the store), the occasional upside down primer...which to me, i find that interesting, as i pick them up, (all shiny side up) and drop them into the blast tube..... somehow, 1 or 2 of them "turn over??? while going down that tube..???

i dunno.....

and it still beckons to ask, why did the new Starline brass give me a tough time with the Lee carbide dies, in the Lee press, yet in the Dillon, with Lee carbide dies, work with no issues? (both presses have thier own Lee dies)

and with "used brass" no issues in the Lee press...???

that is still the mystery, but since the Lee is set up now for 9mm, it's no longer going to matter much.
 
Old_Me said:
yes, i still get what feels like a hard primer install,, so i remove the casing, and inspect it, before the powder drop. sometimes however, there is no hard install, and when i go to measure the OAL, the measurement is way off, THEN i inspect and see the primer not fully seated, so i simply re-seat it.

and yes, specifically on the Lee press, a few times, the primer is crooked, where as the Dillon....the only issue that i have, (as well as the owner of the store), the occasional upside down primer...which to me, i find that interesting, as i pick them up, (all shiny side up) and drop them into the blast tube..... somehow, 1 or 2 of them "turn over??? while going down that tube..???

i dunno.....

and it still beckons to ask, why did the new Starline brass give me a tough time with the Lee carbide dies, in the Lee press, yet in the Dillon, with Lee carbide dies, work with no issues? (both presses have thier own Lee dies)

and with "used brass" no issues in the Lee press...???

that is still the mystery, but since the Lee is set up now for 9mm, it's no longer going to matter much.
Click to expand...
It can be a "circus" when pulling the pin on the pickup tube so all will fall the correct direction on a Dillon. Turning it upside down fast instead of slower can give some time enough to get the wrong direction. With primer cost being stupid I hand prime and remove decapping stem on the sizer. Always the right feel on an easy hand prime. I've become accustomed to it. Getting the primer slide adjusted correct can help in stiff or cockeyed primer issues. Even though most get installed correctly. Sometimes the slide doesn't align well enough, so if it starts to feel tight or grind.......STOP and look at primer position. It has saved some primers. Adjust and check primer slide while progressive is completely empty. Cycle slower, turn the indexer, receck, cycle and repeat. I've found that occasionally when not adjusted well enough the hole in the shell plate and primer slide is off just enough. Make sure no powder is in the spring area of the primer slide. You'll know when it starts building up, you will hear "crunch". Well I have before. That pesky powder works its way around from the powder station via indexing when some seeps out from moving/reloading at high rate. My B model has less issues than the C model. Weird as the design is the same with the exceptions of the handle and grease zerts.
 
Jfal said:
Don't feel bad, Old_Me, I've watched dozens of videos on reloading and 90% of them say they don't trim straight-walled pistol brass, only necked cartridges. I am NOT saying you don't have to measure and trim the brass....just concurring that GavinToob and many others have said this.

Regarding primers, the going rate I see is about $125/1000, when you can find them (which will be very rarely). I've seen them for as much as $220/1000.

The one thing that always bothered me about SOP with reloading is cleaning used brass with the old primer still in the case, rather than removing it to allow cleaning of the primer pocket. Seems no one cares how dirty the pocket gets on a pistol casing. Others I've heard complain of media getting stuck in the primer pocket when you remove the primer before putting in the shaker....If I were to reload, I'd darn-well remove the used primer before cleaning to make sure the pocket gets cleaned...I know, go ahead and tell me that's a waste of time and effort...
Click to expand...
Walnut hulls are especially good at blocking the flash hole. I don't want to run dirty brass through my dies so I leave them in and then use a primer pocket cleaning tool to check each one individually after the decap/resize. This also lets me check for that pesky blockage. It's a minor job once you get moving with an in box cleaner in hand and out box. grab twist look drop...over and over.
 
Old_Me said:
set up the Lee and starting producing 9mm's..

got maybe all of about 60 done and KA-BAM.....the powder drop went for a consistent 3.4 (starting charge per Lyman book for Bullseye powder), down to like 1.2....2.3....1.4.....

like WTF now...???
Click to expand...
Without an internal baffle which most drops no longer have, the powder has a tendency to shake down and pack, causing fail to fill like that. Also, make sure you wait a solid 2 count to let it pour. I adopted a double up double down tap which has helped. The old ancient herters drop was the best though.
Also make sure to keep your powder dry(not just a pun) Humidity in the room can play games with your drop.
 
blues_hawk said:
Without an internal baffle which most drops no longer have, the powder has a tendency to shake down and pack, causing fail to fill like that. Also, make sure you wait a solid 2 count to let it pour. I adopted a double up double down tap which has helped. The old ancient herters drop was the best though.
Also make sure to keep your powder dry(not just a pun) Humidity in the room can play games with your drop.
Click to expand...
Do you have experience with a Dillon 550?
 
TEXASforLIFE said:
Do you have experience with a Dillon 550?
Click to expand...
I wouldn't mind having a progressive like that one but all my stuff is either my dad's ancient Herters or collected from gun shows lee rcbs, and lyman singles. I know that full length sizing .270 can be a bear and that the little open lee press runs and hides whenever I buy once fired brass to work down(or lake city 30-06 :eek: ). I worry that turret presses might not hold up well with that, but I'm sure they're great for straight wall stuff, neck sizing(after you fireform for your rifle) and most things. I wouldn't hesitate to set up the whole goldberg contraption for pistol but my rifle rounds get much more attention for accuracy.
yymv and opinions w/o experience are worth what you pay for them. :p
 
blues_hawk said:
I wouldn't mind having a progressive like that one but all my stuff is either my dad's ancient Herters or collected from gun shows lee rcbs, and lyman singles. I know that full length sizing .270 can be a bear and that the little open lee press runs and hides whenever I buy once fired brass to work down(or lake city 30-06 :eek: ). I worry that turret presses might not hold up well with that, but I'm sure they're great for straight wall stuff, neck sizing(after you fireform for your rifle) and most things. I wouldn't hesitate to set up the whole goldberg contraption for pistol but my rifle rounds get much more attention for accuracy.
yymv and opinions w/o experience are worth what you pay for them. :p
Click to expand...
Ok, just getting a feel for your comments. 3 or 4 of us actually have/own experience with this model/brand. If he does have a dillon powder funnel it does have a baffle in it. The way it's setup to work has safety measures so it doesn't dump powder without a case present. You can however move the powder bar by hand and make it dump. It would take force, not just a bump. Lee and Lyman are good products, so no shin off for those. I do own several of those products and wouldn't give them up for anything. As you stated a good 2 count wouldn't hurt or a pause. The pause or 2 count comes in the way of moving the indexer, inserting a bullet and inserting another case. If you mean 2 count by holding down the lever and making sure the all the powder dispenses, then yes that's good.
 
blues_hawk said:
Without an internal baffle which most drops no longer have, the powder has a tendency to shake down and pack, causing fail to fill like that. Also, make sure you wait a solid 2 count to let it pour. I adopted a double up double down tap which has helped. The old ancient herters drop was the best though.
Also make sure to keep your powder dry(not just a pun) Humidity in the room can play games with your drop.
Click to expand...
I don't think he used media to clean. I'd have to check other pages for that or another thread.
 
TEXASforLIFE said:
Ok, just getting a feel for your comments. 3 or 4 of us actually have/own experience with this model/brand. If he does have a dillon powder funnel it does have a baffle in it. The way it's setup to work has safety measures so it doesn't dump powder without a case present. You can however move the powder bar by hand and make it dump. It would take force, not just a bump. Lee and Lyman are good products, so no shin off for those. I do own several of those products and wouldn't give them up for anything. As you stated a good 2 count wouldn't hurt or a pause. The pause or 2 count comes in the way of moving the indexer, inserting a bullet and inserting another case. If you mean 2 count by holding down the lever and making sure the all the powder dispenses, then yes that's good.
Click to expand...
Ah I see. I totally missed where he got a progressive setup. Yep, that's exactly what I mean by the delay. It's even more important on the big rifle cases. That big cylindrical powder takes forever to slide in.(rip imr4831)
 
TEXASforLIFE said:
I don't think he used media to clean. I'd have to check other pages for that or another thread.
Click to expand...
Do you mean this side note? If not, sorry for the confusion.

Jfal said:
...The one thing that always bothered me about SOP with reloading is cleaning used brass with the old primer still in the case, rather than removing it to allow cleaning of the primer pocket. Seems no one cares how dirty the pocket gets on a pistol casing. Others I've heard complain of media getting stuck in the primer pocket when you remove the primer before putting in the shaker....If I were to reload, I'd darn-well remove the used primer before cleaning to make sure the pocket gets cleaned...I know, go ahead and tell me that's a waste of time and effort...

I was responding to his decapping before cleaning and described how I do it.
(Just trying to help :p)
 
blues_hawk said:
Do you mean this side note? If not, sorry for the confusion.

Jfal said:
...The one thing that always bothered me about SOP with reloading is cleaning used brass with the old primer still in the case, rather than removing it to allow cleaning of the primer pocket. Seems no one cares how dirty the pocket gets on a pistol casing. Others I've heard complain of media getting stuck in the primer pocket when you remove the primer before putting in the shaker....If I were to reload, I'd darn-well remove the used primer before cleaning to make sure the pocket gets cleaned...I know, go ahead and tell me that's a waste of time and effort...

I was responding to his decapping before cleaning and described how I do it.
(Just trying to help :p)
Click to expand...
I guess I came around the corner :ROFLMAO:
 
blues_hawk said:
Without an internal baffle which most drops no longer have, the powder has a tendency to shake down and pack, causing fail to fill like that. Also, make sure you wait a solid 2 count to let it pour. I adopted a double up double down tap which has helped. The old ancient herters drop was the best though.
Also make sure to keep your powder dry(not just a pun) Humidity in the room can play games with your drop.
Click to expand...
well, since i have found the issue to be an errant 380 or 2 casing, i will put the baffle back in the Lee Hopper..

i got the red colored ones.

1668716372459.png



i also was talking with the guys at the bait/gun store, and they mentioned a shell casing "shell sorter", set.

but for me, all i really want/need is the 1 piece for removing the 380's, from the 9 mm's.

1668716512644.png


i can rig up just the one plate, inside a bucket, using bailing wire, or even cut up clothing hangers.

i cannot see rhyme nor reason to get the full set, as i only have what sweepings i get at the range.
 
well, the new Dillon powder dispenser came earlier than expected Saturday, like at 9:00 AM rather that at end of day or like 8PM, but i had to wait till sunday to set it up.

the tool head already had the die mounted, so the extra die just went into the parts box. i also had to "reset" the flaring of the brass, as i had just a wee bit too much belling from the previous runs of the 9mm.

i ran off only about 100 rounds, set at the new charge of 3.8 grains, as per the Lyman book. max is 4.2 if i recall.

also got the tool head stand.

the Dillon was set back up for 45 ACP again, after this 9mm run/set up.

i had taken a picture, but, i must have deleted it from my camera, before i saved it, but you Dillon guys know the stand/toolhead assembly.
 
Old_Me said:
well, the new Dillon powder dispenser came earlier than expected Saturday, like at 9:00 AM rather that at end of day or like 8PM, but i had to wait till sunday to set it up.

the tool head already had the die mounted, so the extra die just went into the parts box. i also had to "reset" the flaring of the brass, as i had just a wee bit too much belling from the previous runs of the 9mm.

i ran off only about 100 rounds, set at the new charge of 3.8 grains, as per the Lyman book. max is 4.2 if i recall.

also got the tool head stand.

the Dillon was set back up for 45 ACP again, after this 9mm run/set up.

i had taken a picture, but, i must have deleted it from my camera, before i saved it, but you Dillon guys know the stand/toolhead assembly.
Click to expand...
Don't but a toolhead stand from them, I'll send you 1, 2 or 3 if needed for free! I made my own with pvc for about 3 bucks.
 
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