Poor Mans Reloading

[W.R.Buchanan]

Speaking of the Lee Handpress, I really wish more manufacturers will make portable presses that take standard dies so we have some competition and choices out there. Right now, it's Lee or nothing if you shoot a semi and cannot simply neck size with an Arbor type press. Lee is not without its shortcomings... good luck using a RCBS competition die with the side window for the bullet unless you have three hands.

The only other one out there is here www.buchananprecisionmachine.com

It's better than the Lee. and it will work with Competition Type Seating Dies or any other dies, and doesn't require three hands to operate.

Randy

[tonyjr]

dwightlooi
I probably have 25 to 30 reloading books . None have all the load data .
Every year they add powders , bullets and sometimes cases .
They drop off less popular " stuff " . Check a couple of sites for the 25 ACP , 32 ACP , 38 41 AE and 50 AE .
A lot of us reload a bunch of calibers and seldom buy less than a brick of primers .
If you like a certain brand , email them and they will send you catalog of their stuff .
BTW - Lee charges for their's .

[Calguns77]

The only other one out there is here www.buchananprecisionmachine.com

It's better than the Lee. and it will work with Competition Type Seating Dies or any other dies, and doesn't require three hands to operate.

Randy

http://buchananprecisionmachine.com/products/15-inch-jeep-seat-riser-kit-for-tj-style-wrangler-1997-2006

Is the riser kit compatible with a '98 Camry?

[dwightlooi]

dwightlooi
I probably have 25 to 30 reloading books . None have all the load data .
Every year they add powders , bullets and sometimes cases .
They drop off less popular " stuff " . Check a couple of sites for the 25 ACP , 32 ACP , 38 41 AE and 50 AE .
A lot of us reload a bunch of calibers and seldom buy less than a brick of primers .
If you like a certain brand , email them and they will send you catalog of their stuff .
BTW - Lee charges for their's .

I use very few powders. Basically, I have the CFE223 for 223 and 308. I have Longshot and CFE Pistol for 9mm, 40 & 45. Once the Longshot is gone I'll only have CFE Pistol.

[tonyjr]

dwightlooi
Thanks - I have CFE , HS6 , HP38 and H110 - I also have the one for the 308 - Varget - a very dirty powder.
All hodgdon - last year when powder got tight , we bought when we saw .
When it is gone , Like you I will be using just CFE 223 and CFE Pistol + H110 .

[stand125]

Here is a long but pretty good video that some goofy studdering reloader made for somebody interested in the hand press

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=I6oanhbk9P4

[dwightlooi]

dwightlooi
Thanks - I have CFE , HS6 , HP38 and H110 - I also have the one for the 308 - Varget - a very dirty powder.
All hodgdon - last year when powder got tight , we bought when we saw .
When it is gone , Like you I will be using just CFE 223 and CFE Pistol + H110 .

CFE223 like Varget doesn't like to be loaded light. It is going to be cleanest and most consistent at or near max load. God help you with the cleaning if you go near or below minimum loads. Whatever the "copper fouling" reducing agent they dump in there, it does nothing for the sootiness if you load it light. Some people say it is more temp sensitive. I didn't find that to be so at all in the SF Bay area's mild summers and comfy winters. But, again, I have not tried freezing my butt in 20 degrees below arctic conditions or sun baking it in Qatar to test the limits of powders I use. I suspect, most casual shooters won't either. Good thing is it is a BALL powder not an extruded powder, so it meters like a charm.

CFE pistol has less flash than Longshot. Longshot is better for pushing velocity in small case, high pressure, stuff like the 40 and 357 SIG though. Good thing about CFE is that I can use it for all my handgun calibers and I prefer to keep my supply assortment simple. Besides, I don't push 45 loads anyway -- it's futile and meaningless.

[W.R.Buchanan]

http://buchananprecisionmachine.com/...gler-1997-2006

Is the riser kit compatible with a '98 Camry?

Jeeps only,,, might work for others but I really don't know as I have only sold about 11,000 of them since 1997 , and so far nobodies bought one for a Camry.

Randy

[tonyjr]

dwightlooi
Thanks , I have not tried CFE 223 - YET .
CFE pistol seems to be O K in mid range for the 25 ACP .
All my powders are ball . [ hodgdon ]
Right now I am using HP 38 in the 9's and 45's

[dwightlooi]

dwightlooi
Thanks , I have not tried CFE 223 - YET .
CFE pistol seems to be O K in mid range for the 25 ACP .
All my powders are ball . [ hodgdon ]
Right now I am using HP 38 in the 9's and 45's

CFE Pistol is flake like most pistol powders. CFE223 is ball.

CFE Pistol is not very good for 45 ACP though. It is best with 40, 357 SIG and 9. I get 1500 fps out of a 135gr 40 load in a G35 with CFE Pistol. You'll get about mid-800s with 230s on a 45 at or near max load. With 185s you get just fast enough to be transonic (about 1100 fps) which is exactly where I don't want to be. If you care about USPSA power factors (I don't) it can be annoying because you also cannot use CFE to make those "barely major" 185 gr JSWC loads at 900~925 fps without going way below minimum loads. Titegroup is perfect for that, but I am sick of stocking a bunch of powders so I just shoot the 45 with what I can get out of CFE.

[readysetgo]

Did you get your gear OP?


Scale:

1) New RCBS 505 (Chicom?)
2) Used Dillon Eliminator (Ohaus)

Figure roughly same price, which do you choose?

[steelholder]

I started years ago loading 45acp on a classic loader and still keep a 223 and 45acp loader in my bug out bag. I bought the kit, a 1.99 plastic slide caliper, a 1.99 small hard platic mallet, 3.99 for a sleeve of primers, 1 lb of powder and the brass i had from picking it up off the ground. I got the LEE manual and I made 50 rounds and was hooked on reloading. I quickly realized though that i wanted ( NOT NEEDED ) a reloading press and got the best all around press ever which is the LEE CLASSIC TURRET PRESS. You will probably always keep the Classic Loader for field loading and you will only spend the cost of the kit more than if you went directly to a press so no money really wasted.

The powder dipper throws a minimum powder charge amd only neck sizes so you will get way more than two reloadings, LEE CLASSIC LOADER IS RECOMMENDED FOR BOLT ACTION ONLY RIFLES, so would not work for semi auto rifle.

can something be added so it can reload for semi autos ? I was about to pull the trigger on the classic turret.

[NapalmCheese]

can something be added so it can reload for semi autos ? I was about to pull the trigger on the classic turret.

The Lee classic loader is NOT the Lee classic turret.

The Lee Classic Turret with full length dies will be fine for reloading semi-autos.

[dwightlooi]

can something be added so it can reload for semi autos ? I was about to pull the trigger on the classic turret.

Just get the Lee Handpress. The Classic loaderis $28, the Handpress (w/o the kit) is $32. To me it's the same price and both can be put a bag and taken to the range or anywhere you want.

A traditional reloading press will require that you have a work bench to bolt or clamp the press to. That's nice and study and makes reloading faster. But the bench takes up space -- space which many apartment dwellers do not have. Also, portable stuff like the Classic loader and Handpress allow you to do load development at the range. This is A LOT more productive (IMHO) that making a set of loads before hand, drive to the range, shoot them and having the need to go home before you can make changes to your loads.

Lee's Classic Loader (or the Arbor stuff for that matter) only neck size. That means that they only resize the neck and allow a new bullet to be seated properly leaving the body bulges from firing the way it is. This is both good and bad. It is good because it means the ammo is fire formed to match your gun's chamber and because the less you change the geometry of the brass the longer they last. Full length dies return the case to factory new dimensions.

It is said that you neck size for bolt guns and you full length size for semi-autos. That is not strictly speaking true. The problem with neck sizing is that the ammo may not chamber properly in another gun of the same caliber. If you don't plan on doing that, feel free to neck size stuff you run through your semi-autos or any gun. If you plan on using the ammo on a variety of guns or share it with your buddies, you should full length size. The thing about semi-auto vs manually worked actions is that if a round does not chamber in a bolt gun well, that's too bad but you will feel it and you will deal with it. Some Semi-Autos will slam the really tight ammo home and fire it in an almost chambered but unlocked state. That is when things go BOOM! Well designed semi-autos should not do that, but as a precaution there are those who advise against neck sizing for them.