*Ventura County Reloading Club-First Class of 2016 Date Change!

[Grendl]

Great photography Cap, going pro?

I greased up that old press and everything seems to work. The odd thing with the ball top sticking out the top of the farthest die in the turret appears to be a door hinge pin my grandfather used to tap out stuck cases :-)

[liberty47]

this is really awesome to see. I have some brass I can donate to the cause. And when I shoot I can continue to collect brass and donate if someone is interested.

[Capybara]

We will take any brass you would care to give us, even the obscure caliber stuff because we never know who is going to ask for what as far as students. If you are local to Camarillo, I can give you an address to drop it off at or I can meet you or I can give you a PO Box to send it to.

Thanks!

[Capybara]

We would like to announce the next TWO Ventura County Reloading Club Clinics!

Dates: Sunday, April 6, 2014 and Sunday, June 1, 2014
Location: The Super Secret VC Reloading Facility, Camarillo, CA 93010
Time: 9:00 AM to whenever we are finished (mid afternoon probably)

Purpose: For participants and members of the VC Reloading Club to learn how to reload in a hands-on, educational environment and to have some fun.

Donation to participate/cover reloading supplies: $70.00, this will include your membership in the VC Reloading Club. If you are already a paid in full member, donation will be $50.00. Membership will have its privileges including discounts on future clinics, reloading educational seminars, group reloading supply buys, etc. You must bring cash only to the reloading clinic, we are not setup to take donations by credit card or check. $20.00 Membership is for one year and will get you into any of the California Reloading Club Clinics Statewide for a $50.00 donation, you will be notified and will receive special discounts on the Extreme bullet buys, component buys, reloading gear discounts and more.

PM Capybara if you plan to attend, here is the information needed:

1. Your Calguns Name
2. Date of the clinic you want to sign up for?
3. Your #1 and #2 ammo choices
4. What is your reloading experience?

Class will commence at 9:00 am and Instructors should arrive at 8:00 am to set up. Your donation will include our famous Bacon Cheeseburger/Hot Dog lunch, reloading components for 40 rounds of .223, 20 rounds of bottle necked large caliber rifle (.308/.30-06) cartridges or 50 rounds of straight walled pistol cartridges. We are limited to the dies and components we have available, so "normal" calibers will be better to work with than 9x18 Mak or .338 Lapua, unless you want to bring your own dies, brass and projectiles.

Your donation DOES NOT include brass. Reloaders save their brass or scrounge their friend's brass so if you are going to become a reloader, it's time to begin saving your brass, you have months to do so. If you have dirty brass, bring it to the clinic and we will exchange it, free of charge, for de-primed, cleaned/tumbled brass. If, for some reason, you have no brass available, we will have de-primed, cleaned/tumbled brass for sale for a small donation as follows:

50 rounds of 9mm $3.00
50 rounds of .40 S&W $4.00
50 rounds of .45 ACP $7.00
50 rounds of .357 Mag $8.00
50 rounds of .38 Special $4.50
40 rounds of .223 $8.00
20 rounds of .308 $5.00
20 rounds of .30-06 $6.00

The address will be sent out to those who have committed to attend just prior to the event. There is only room for 18 students so sign up asap or wait until the next one. Once the first 18 students have signed up, we will also have a sub list in case people don't show up. If all 18 students do show up, as a sub, you are still welcome to observe and learn. The donation for a sub/observer will be a $10.00 to cover lunch.

ID will be required. Must be 18 years old or must be 21 to load Pistol ammo unless with a parent. Just to clarify, this rule, because of insurance requirements, means NO children may attend, NO pets may attend, NO concealed carry! NO observers, friends, acquaintances, hangers on, groupies, various misc. people who are not signed up. Every person attending must be on the sign up list and if not reloading, we will need a donation of $10.00 to cover lunch costs.

__________________________________________________


Sunday, April 6, 2014 Clinic

Students:
PackRat1 .40S&W, .30-06 - Thread
Grendl .38 SPL, .45 ACP - PM
Deemen 9mm, .223 - Thread
Seafarer .223, .357 Magnum - Thread
Cheezypanda321 9mm, .223 - Thread
Francisco R. 9mm, .223 - Facebook/Gmail
Squids30 .308 - PM
Lobo Grande .38 SPL, .45 ACP - E-Mail
Lobo Grande 2 .338 Lapua, .223 - E-Mail
Jesus F. .223. 7.62x39, Facebook
Portcullis .223 - PM
Eric (Friend of JJ805) .300 WSM, .308 (If he does .300 WSM, he will bring components/dies?)

Standy Subs/Observers:
Chevy95 .40 S&W, .45 ACP - PM

Instructors:
Big Bronco
JJ805
Bumslie
Intoforever
Capybara (Assistant/Helper)
Stardunk (Assistant/Helper)
Yellow Wing (Assistant/Helper)
Bubbala (Assistant/Helper)

__________________________________________________


Sunday, June 1, 2014 Clinic

Students:
Art L. .45 ACP, 9mm - Facebook
805Drum .223, 9mm - Facebook
Bosko .223, .40 S&W - PM
HoosierD 9mm, .223 - PM

Standy Subs/Observers:
B W E (Observer only) - Facebook


Instructors:
Big Bronco
JJ805
Bumslie
Capybara (Assistant/Helper)
Stardunk (Assistant/Helper)

__________________________________________________


Thanks,

The Ventura County Reloading Club Team

[PackRat1]

I would like to get in on the April 6th class!! .40 or .
.30-06
Thank you

[Deemen]

I would also like to get in the April 6th class.
currently do not own a gun(taking my first pistol101 this weekend)
so no idea which set of ammo i should go for.ill probably have it all sorted out by then.

[Capybara]

Added you to the list Deemen. Let us know what you end up liking as far as calibers. I am betting it might be 9mm or .45 ACP. Most beginners won't like .40 S&W, but you never know. Have a good class.

[Seafarer]

As one of the students at the most recent class, I wanted to say a big thank you to all the instructors and coordinators who put this together. I will definitely want to do another class, this time to learn rifle cartridges.

I loaded 50 rounds of .40 S&W at the class and shot most of them yesterday out at Oak Tree, a little bit of rain and drizzle notwithstanding. They all went bang, so what more could I ask?

Capy, can I get on the list for the April 6th class, with a preference to do .223 Rem, and .357 Magnum as a second choice? Thanks.

If I could be indulged a followup question about reloading the .40 S&W cartridge:

So I came home all fired up to do some reloading on my home equipment, and I pulled out my brand-new Redding die set for .40 S&W. I was going through my stash of range brass, decapping and resizing. I was about 100 casings in before I noticed that every casing had a fair-sized scratch, really almost a gouge, at the base, near the rim. These were not scratches up the length of the casing, this was a gouge going almost 3/4's the way around the brass, down near the rim.

Fearing that perhaps there was foreign material on the die or the casings, I thoroughly cleaned the die with Hoppes and a bore brush. I also cleaned and lubed a few fresh casings in case it was tumbling media or other debris on the casings and ran them through the die - the gouge at the base kept occurring.

I spoke with the guys at Redding and they said it was most likely due to my firearm (a Springfield XD40) which was causing bulges at the base of its fired brass. He had a couple of recommendations, and if experienced folks on this thread could opine on these recommendations I'd be much appreciative:

First he said measure the head and base of my range brass before the resizing. I did that and really couldn't see too much of a difference (example: 0.424 at the head, 0.426 at the base. Is that a bulge? None of my fired brass seemed to be much worse than that). I have a case gauge on order and I'll re-check with that when it arrives.

Second he said back off the sizing die from the shellholder as much as two full turns, see if it still gouges the casing. I tried that and in fact the die still leaves a mark (albeit less of a gouge) further up the casing. It also seems to me to be a bad idea, since backing off that much would fail to resize a significant portion of the casing (when I expressed that reservation to the Redding guy he said "well, it seems to work for some guys." Not the level of confidence I wanted to hear from the manufacturer).

Third he recommended running the brass first through a Redding GRX push-thru sizing die, which he said would press out the bulge without causing the gouge.

In any event I'm disappointed that I can't resize my .40 S&W brass fired from my Springfield XD. I'm also confused - I brought my own brass to the class, resized it without any gouging, reloaded it and fired it yesterday without a problem. My instructor in the class said he thought he saw some bulges in my brass but we put it through a case gauge and he was comfortable that it was fine and as I mentioned, I inspected all of those reloaded cartridges and they didn't have any scratches or gouges from the dies we were using in class.

Any thoughts from the seasoned reloading pros? Anyone happen to know the brand of the reloading die I was using in class for my 40 S&W (I think it might have been Lyman?) Maybe I should just get a new set of dies.

Thanks a bunch.

Bob

[Capybara]

Hi Bob:

You are added to the list.

I have PM'd Chknlyps2 who was instructing you to see if he has any ideas about your questions.

Personally, to me, it sounds as if your die set may have a problem, but there are a lot of variables at work here. The easy fix would be to borrow a resizing die from someone and just try it and see what happens. That would confirm or eliminate your Redding die as the issue. Generally Redding gear is top notch but it is also possible that you have a die with a burr somewhere inside of it, it happens to the best of brands. Generally, I don't hear about case bulge causing a gouge as you describe. Can you post a picture of the gouge? That would help the instructors figure it out. We'll figure out the problem, but pictures really help to diagnose.

[Seafarer]

Thanks Capy.

Unfortunately my smartphone camera is just not good enough to get a clear picture. However, in searching the net I found a picture that is EXACTLY what I'm experiencing:

http://home.earthlink.net/~alank2/brasssize.jpg

This picture was posted on a thread by a guy who appears to be having the same problem I am having (also with the exact same die, a titanium carbide 10/40 combo Redding set), although it is a Glock-related thread and I own a Springfield XD. Here is the thread:

http://glocktalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1433688

I'm pretty sure my casings are not bulged. As I mentioned below, the case mouth vs. case rim width measurements are fairly close, and this brass has been shot out of a Springfield XD which supposedly has a "fully supported chamber" which does not cause the bulge. And the rounds were not loaded hot, to the best of my knowledge (they were reloads from LAX Ammo).

So I'm thinking it is the die as well. Darn, I paid a lot for this die set (bought it at the height of the shortage).

I'd be interested in what Chickenlyps has to say.

Thanks!

Bob

Originally Posted by Capybara

Hi Bob:

You are added to the list.

I have PM'd Chknlyps2 who was instructing you to see if he has any ideas about your questions.

Personally, to me, it sounds as if your die set may have a problem, but there are a lot of variables at work here. The easy fix would be to borrow a resizing die from someone and just try it and see what happens. That would confirm or eliminate your Redding die as the issue. Generally Redding gear is top notch but it is also possible that you have a die with a burr somewhere inside of it, it happens to the best of brands. Generally, I don't hear about case bulge causing a gouge as you describe. Can you post a picture of the gouge? That would help the instructors figure it out. We'll figure out the problem, but pictures really help to diagnose.

[chknlyps2]

Originally Posted by Seafarer

Thanks Capy.

Unfortunately my smartphone camera is just not good enough to get a clear picture. However, in searching the net I found a picture that is EXACTLY what I'm experiencing:

http://home.earthlink.net/~alank2/brasssize.jpg

This picture was posted on a thread by a guy who appears to be having the same problem I am having (also with the exact same die, a titanium carbide 10/40 combo Redding set), although it is a Glock-related thread and I own a Springfield XD. Here is the thread:

http://glocktalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1433688

I'm pretty sure my casings are not bulged. As I mentioned below, the case mouth vs. case rim width measurements are fairly close, and this brass has been shot out of a Springfield XD which supposedly has a "fully supported chamber" which does not cause the bulge. And the rounds were not loaded hot, to the best of my knowledge (they were reloads from LAX Ammo).

So I'm thinking it is the die as well. Darn, I paid a lot for this die set (bought it at the height of the shortage).

I'd be interested in what Chickenlyps has to say.

Thanks!

Bob

WOW, yours look just like the pic in the first link?

Questions,

1 does the line go even all around the brass or more on one side?

2 When you backed the die out 2 turns like the customer svs rep said did the line go higher on the case?

3 The inside of the die where it slides over the brass, is the edge sharp or rounded over?

I think you were using Lee dies at the class, I think I remember the red box with a clear lid.

If the ring is the same all the way around I would say the die is not right, if it is more on one side the shell holder might not be seated all the way or the brass might not be pushed in the shell holder all the way or the press may be missaligned.

[Seafarer]

Thanks for the quick response, here are my answers:

Yes, my brass is almost as bad as those in the picture (the three casings in the picture appear to be varying in their degree of crease, I would say my casings are not as bad as the really bad one in the picture, more like the middle. But yes, pretty much that bad).

1. The line/crease goes about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way around my resized casings. This is consistent across dozens of casings that I resized before I noticed it was happening, and was consistent for the five or six casings that I did after I noticed it was happening (and on those 5 or 6 casings I took special care to clean the die, as well as clean and lube the casings. Still got the crease, albeit maybe just slightly not as bad).

2. Yes, backing the die out two turns created the same crease higher up on the casing, (higher meaning more in the direction of the case mouth). I didn't try a lot of casings with the die backed out two turns, but based on the ones I tried I would say that the crease, while higher up on the casing, was less impactful (a lighter appearing scratch). But also 1/2 to 3/4 of the way around the casing.

3. The end of the sizing die is definitely rounded over. It also appears smooth and unblemished, at least to my untrained eye.


You mentioned the press possibly being misaligned if the crease didn't go all the way around the casing. Now that you mention it, I was thinking that as I was pressing out those casings, I was noticing a real "wobble" in the press as I was pushing the arm down. Not a wobble resulting from the press being weakly mounted to the workbench (it is pretty well secured to the bench), more of a wobble in the arm and the shell lifting mechanism itself. Let me see if I can figure out how to tighten it (I thought that degree of play was normal, I guess maybe it isn't). I'll also check the shellholder to make sure it is sitting in its seat on the press properly (the shells are definitely sitting snugly in the shellholder though, but I need to make sure that the shellholder is snug in the press.)

Would an imbalance in the way the shell is driven up into the press cause a crease like that during resizing? I guess I can see where it might, given that the torque pressures would be uneven. Oh wait, that reminds me - thinking it was the press, I did try an experiment yesterday when all this was happening. I pulled out my .38 special die set (not a Redding), changed out the shellholder and tried resizing a number of .38 special casings. They all came out fine, properly resized and no scratches or creases. I don't know if that proves or disproves the "wobby press" theory, just thought I'd mention it.

Bob

Oh, I should also mention that the press is a single-stage Hornady Lock-N-Load, and I've probably only pressed no more than 300-400 shells through it since buying it a few months ago. Relatively brand new.

Originally Posted by chknlyps2

WOW, yours look just like the pic in the first link?

Questions,

1 does the line go even all around the brass or more on one side?

2 When you backed the die out 2 turns like the customer svs rep said did the line go higher on the case?

3 The inside of the die where it slides over the brass, is the edge sharp or rounded over?

I think you were using Lee dies at the class, I think I remember the red box with a clear lid.

If the ring is the same all the way around I would say the die is not right, if it is more on one side the shell holder might not be seated all the way or the brass might not be pushed in the shell holder all the way or the press may be missaligned.

[chknlyps2]

Originally Posted by Seafarer

Thanks for the quick response, here are my answers:

Yes, my brass is almost as bad as those in the picture (the three casings in the picture appear to be varying in their degree of crease, I would say my casings are not as bad as the really bad one in the picture, more like the middle. But yes, pretty much that bad).

1. The line/crease goes about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way around my resized casings. This is consistent across dozens of casings that I resized before I noticed it was happening, and was consistent for the five or six casings that I did after I noticed it was happening (and on those 5 or 6 casings I took special care to clean the die, as well as clean and lube the casings. Still got the crease, albeit maybe just slightly not as bad).

2. Yes, backing the die out two turns created the same crease higher up on the casing, (higher meaning more in the direction of the case mouth). I didn't try a lot of casings with the die backed out two turns, but based on the ones I tried I would say that the crease, while higher up on the casing, was less impactful (a lighter appearing scratch). But also 1/2 to 3/4 of the way around the casing.

3. The end of the sizing die is definitely rounded over. It also appears smooth and unblemished, at least to my untrained eye.


You mentioned the press possibly being misaligned if the crease didn't go all the way around the casing. Now that you mention it, I was thinking that as I was pressing out those casings, I was noticing a real "wobble" in the press as I was pushing the arm down. Not a wobble resulting from the press being weakly mounted to the workbench (it is pretty well secured to the bench), more of a wobble in the arm and the shell lifting mechanism itself. Let me see if I can figure out how to tighten it (I thought that degree of play was normal, I guess maybe it isn't). I'll also check the shellholder to make sure it is sitting in its seat on the press properly (the shells are definitely sitting snugly in the shellholder though, but I need to make sure that the shellholder is snug in the press.)

Would an imbalance in the way the shell is driven up into the press cause a crease like that during resizing? I guess I can see where it might, given that the torque pressures would be uneven. Oh wait, that reminds me - thinking it was the press, I did try an experiment yesterday when all this was happening. I pulled out my .38 special die set (not a Redding), changed out the shellholder and tried resizing a number of .38 special casings. They all came out fine, properly resized and no scratches or creases. I don't know if that proves or disproves the "wobby press" theory, just thought I'd mention it.

Bob

Oh, I should also mention that the press is a single-stage Hornady Lock-N-Load, and I've probably only pressed no more than 300-400 shells through it since buying it a few months ago. Relatively brand new.

Well if your .38 cases came out fine I would think it was something with the shell holder, shell holder not seating all the way or the die itself.

[jj805]

Chknlyps2. Seafarer was using a Lee Carbide die set. I didn't see his brass after sizing, but I am assuming it came out fine. If the only things that have changed from Sunday are the press, shell holder, and dies, all we have to do is eliminate the possibilities.

Seafarer, do you know anybody that you can borrow a sizing die, and a shell holder from that is closer to you than I am. If you don't know anybody, shoot me a PM. We will try to figure this out.

[cheezypanda321]

Please put me down for the April class. 9mm and 223

[Capybara]

Originally Posted by cheezypanda321

Please put me down for the April class. 9mm and 223

You are added to the list. Wow, we are 1/3 booked and it is barely February!

[Capybara]

Calgunner B W E has signed up for the June 1st Reloading Clinic. He has very generously offered to apply $50.00 for his donation for the clinic as a student to a fellow student who may be going through hard times, but would like to learn how to reload. B W E will be there as an observer but wants to donate his place to a fellow Calgunner. We (The VC Reloading Team) are going to take PMs to decide who will be the recipient of B W E's generosity, we would like to see B W E's "Scholarship" go to the most deserving person. If you or someone you know wants to attend the June 1st clinic but can't swing $50.00 of your $70.00 donation (assuming you are a first timer), PM me (All requests will be confidential) and we will make a decision before the June 1st clinic on who will be the lucky recipient of B W E's generosity.

Thank you for your kind gesture B W E, the giving and generous nature of Calgunners never ceases to amaze me. Hopefully through your donation, we can grow yet another reloader in the state of California.

[cheezypanda321]

Just saw my name on the list. Cant wait for the class!!!

[CSACANNONEER]

Well, I walked off my job of almost 16 years last Tuesday and haven't even started looking for a new job yet. So, I have no idea what, if any, my work schedule might be. But, for now, put me down to help in April. I may need a free meal and this is one way to get it.


June first is definately out for me. I've got a 1000 yard match in Coalinga that weekend.

[jj805]

Originally Posted by CSACANNONEER

Well, I walked off my job of almost 16 years last Tuesday and haven't even started looking for a new job yet. So, I have no idea what, if any, my work schedule might be. But, for now, put me down to help in April. I may need a free meal and this is one way to get it.


June first is definately out for me. I've got a 1000 yard match in Coalinga that weekend.

Good Luck with the job search. If you need anything, let me know.

[Capybara]

Sorry to hear that, although if you walked, it must not have been fun. You'll land on your feet CSA, glad you can join us for April, we'll miss you in June but the match sounds like a good time.

[jj805]

More donations! Paper Boy donated some brass and some projectiles to the club. Along with some case lube, and a powder trickler. Thanks Paper Boy.

[Paper Boy]

No problem, enjoy guys and gals

[Capybara]

Very nice of you Paper Boy! And from a free state too! Our students will put all of this to good use. Thank you.

[Paper Boy]

As I collect more I don't use I'll send it out.

[Capybara]

Just a reminder folks. Our next reloading clinic is on April 6th, less than one month away. We have eight slots left for the clinic, ten students are signed up. Don't wait until the last minute to sign up, you will regret it.

[Yellow Wing]

I'll be up to assist.

[Capybara]

Added you to the Instructor Roster, thanks!

Originally Posted by Yellow Wing

I'll be up to assist.

[Capybara]

Added Lobo Grande and Mr. Lobo Grande to April 6the date. Now only four slots left open for April 6th, if you are on the fence, better sign up before we are full!

[jj805]

I just meet up with CGN member orangeusa, who was gracious enough to donate a Lee Pro 1000 press, a Lee Perfect Powder Measure, a set of .45 ACP Lee dies, a RCBS 5-0-5 scale, and one pound of Hodgdon HP38 powder. Thanks again orangeusa.

[Capybara]

That is so cool JJ805! Thank you to orangeusa, what a generous donation.

[Bumslie]

Thank you orangeusa. That was very generous of you!

[orangeusa]

Originally Posted by jj805

I just meet up with CGN member orangeusa, who was gracious enough to donate a Lee Pro 1000 press, a Lee Perfect Powder Measure, a set of .45 ACP Lee dies, a RCBS 5-0-5 scale, and one pound of Hodgdon HP38 powder. Thanks again orangeusa.

JJ805 contacted me about the Lee 1000 I was whining about in another thread. He said it would help the Ventura chapter and they could make it sing.. Twas not a big thing. I have benefitted so much from the CG reloading chapter, I wish I could have given more.

And I was at Oak Tree picking up a pistola and shooting with my buddy.

(Is that chicken in the background? hmmm )

.

.

[jj805]

Originally Posted by orangeusa

JJ805 contacted me about the Lee 1000 I was whining about in another thread. He said it would help the Ventura chapter and they could make it sing.. Twas not a big thing. I have benefitted so much from the CG reloading chapter, I wish I could have given more.

And I was at Oak Tree picking up a pistola and shooting with my buddy.

(Is that chicken in the background? hmmm )

.

.

Thanks again Orange. It was really nice meeting you. And yes, that is chicken on the counter, but don't worry, I wrapped it in bacon before cooking it.

[PackRat1]

Is everything for the class 6th still a go? I havnt heard much lately.

[Bumslie]

Originally Posted by PackRat1

Is everything for the class 6th still a go? I havnt heard much lately.

No news, is good news

[jj805]

Originally Posted by PackRat1

Is everything for the class 6th still a go? I havnt heard much lately.

Yes, everything is still a go for the 6th. I will see you there.

[Bumslie]

Sinclair makes a great short series. I recommend you guys watch this before class. It will make so much sense! (it will also start the next video once the first one ends.)

[Capybara]

Yes, we are definitely a go for the 6th, I have just been super busy with other reloading club business BTS so I have not been posting much. We don't have a full house yet, but we are looking at 14 so far have signed up, a pretty decent crowd.

[bubbala]

i'd like to attend and help if needed. thanks