Jeep's loading chronicles

[jeep45238]

• Dillon 650, Mr. Bullet Feeder kit
• 9mm Luger
• Mixed brass
• Bullet: .358 125g RF Lee 6 cavity mold, DIY Hi-Tek coating
• Winchester 231 - ball, 3.8-4.5g
• Dies - Dillon sizing, Hornady Custom Grade for all others Seating has micrometer attachment w/ gasket removed:
• CCI primers
• COAL: 1.010, dialing this as development continues
• Chronograph data (if possible):N/A
• Goals intended with this load: Accuracy while making minor, fast production speeds
• Using a bearing kithttp://hitfactorshooting.com/products/products.html

Working on load development for 1 Sig P226 and 1 Glock 19. Goal is to find optimum OAL/charge for each for minor load out, focus on accuracy with production cost second, reducing total time of investment 3rd priority.

Methodology for initial development

• 1-Starting OAL = pass case gauge
  2-Bullets are unsized .38 loaded in 9mm cases
  3-Dial charge load
  4-Run 10 pieces of brass through for plinking ammo to settle powder measure
  5-Run 10 rounds for load development
  6-Reset powder measure for next charge amount
  7- Repeat 3 through 6 for .2 grain steps

Bullets are .358 grain, DIY coated with HiTek powder for 2 cycles. Currently unsized, later this year will be adapting existing bullet collator for semi-automated bullet sizing on sigle stage press.

Bullets are cast with scrap wheel weights, using a Lee bottom pour 'drip o matic' pot. Temp knob kept at 6.5, takes 2-3 pours in the mold to get good fill out and bullets. Temperature isn't consistent, as diameters change a bit during a casting session from not having PID temp control. Only matters when using with bullet feeder, can get caught in the dropper assembly.

#Dillon650

[jeep45238]

Can't load anything if you don't have the bullets. Took an hour or so and cast these, then coated and sized them today. Mold is a Lee 6 cavity .358 125 grain. Going to make some 105 grain semi wadcutters in a month or so as well.

I'll likely add another mold that is more traditional of the 9mm projectile, which should be very friendly on my bullet feeder and hundo case gauge.


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[ranger]

I never could get into making my own projectiles. I will cut all the other possible corners, buy in bulk, etc. but I just cannot justify the lead thing. Please be careful with the lead projectile process.

[jeep45238]

Thanks, it's something that I don't take lightly. All casting and coating is done outside for great ventilation


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[jeep45238]

Came up with a way to automate my bullet sizing (kinda). Was doing this while I had a batch of bullets in the oven getting coated, 10 pounds of lead melting, and a load of bullets drying in the dehydrator.

https://youtu.be/g8VB7mw1Qwc


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[jeep45238]

Bought 10K S&B primers - 3K were small rifle on mega sale, so those will feed the Sig with a full-power hammer spring.
Bought up 11 pounds of Prima-V powder. My stock of W231 is on it's last pound.
Cast a crudload of 127 RNFP and a decent amount of 107 SWC this week. Will be coating them in the coming weeks.

Bought some goodies for the press from Inline Precision, DAA, and Stoeger - will make it much easier to stay comfy/focused during long loading sessions now.

I'm fighting a leading issue right now, which I'm pretty sure is due to too-large DIA bullets, a bit long in the seating, and/or too high of a velocity. Amateur hour coating is certainly a potential factor. Started a one-book reloading journal to keep by the press for reference, filling it now with load data, SAAMI drawings, and burn charts.

Going to start from square one and figure out the leading while I still have 231, so when the new powder comes in I'm only messing with one variable. I did notice that my loads I've been working out of for years are out of a Speer manual, which has no lead data for 9mm in it. Previously I just downloaded by 10% and called it good, since that's what worked for my .45's. My new Lyman however, does have load data, with starkly different OAL's - and that's probably a hint of where my problems are coming from.

[jeep45238]

Getting out of casting my own - price is right but I don't have the time. Haven't had this many problems with .45, but 9mm is a whole different beast that you can't shortcut anything on for casting. Settled on 135gr sns round nose.

Put a daa click wheel on the powder measure to quickly get my loads dialed in. This and the micrometer on my seating die make it cake to change loads within caliber repeatably.

Upgraded the press with some goodies, but the inline fabrication handle is the largest improvement. Really looking forward to getting my press light from reloading innovations. Stoked to get my bulk order of bullets made and shoot a lot more.




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[jeep45238]

https://youtu.be/v_KvMtKyvTg. And it goes so much faster/smoother....


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[jeep45238]

Got a separator for my wet tumbling, decided to give it a go with the pins. Holy cow! With the separator, the pins come right out, and it's amazing how much filth they get out of cases that are already clean.

Necessary? No - not going to do it for brass I sell. But for me and my hobby, sure - something's right in the world when you can bring something from the grave to brand new. Time to get the pins out is on par with getting dry media out of cases.










And the leftover crap - the cases were previously wet tumbled, without pins. It's way worse in person.




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[jeep45238]

after the bubbles settled.


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