First batch successful

[rd2play]

Thanks to everyone who helped with their advice. Today I fired successfully my first batch.

With my Lee Pro auto disk I had to go up three holes from what they recommend for Unique.

I thought I would do 6 rounds of 38 Special, but then my wife wanted to come too, so I made another 6 for her. While driving to OnTarget I had for a second images in my mind with my hands blown up, wondering what the insurance would pay and crazy things like that. I shut off the stupid thoughts and everything was fine.

The rounds had less bang and kick than the 38 Special that they sell there. They felt very much like a 9 mm (or at least what I remember from a 9 mm). Accuracy was good. I kinda missed the kick, don't know why, but my wife loved them (and only a few days ago she was against me reloading; now she's excited).

All in all, great experience. I'm looking forward to learning more and more about this.

[barbasol]

Congrats! Looking forward to cranking some out myself

[jonzer77]

I remember my first time......I was nervous, palms were sweaty......wait we are talking about reloading lol.

I was about to crap a brick when I shot my first reloads because I was worried I was going to blow my hand off. Everything went fine and I was hooked )

[Bill Steele]

Great news. Welcome to the addiction.

As you move up in charge weights, just remember that Unique may drop a little less consistently than some other powders (like W231, Bullseye, etc.), so as you approach maximum load levels, you really want to make sure when you weigh, you are getting a good idea what the maximum drop is and not just catching one of the lighter throws. As others have noted on your other thread, the charge bar is a good way to get a load that lands between cavity sizes. Your AD Pro probably came with one, if not, Lee sells them pretty cheap.

Also, Unique is not the most linear powder as you move up in charge weights. That is, you will tend to get a ho-hum, ho-hum, ho-hum, oh-wow, kind of effect. So move slowly as you approach maximums with Unique.

After you have loaded your 1500 or so rounds with Unique, give W231 a try. You will find the Lee chart very close for a given cavity/weight with W231, you will get a little more pop even at start levels and it will be more linear as you move up towards max load levels. The downside to using this and other more dense powders in your .38 is it will be pretty far down in the case, harder to see before you go to set the bullet. An LED light pointed down in the case is a good addition to your reloading bench.

Good luck, have fun.

[rd2play]

Also, Unique is not the most linear powder as you move up in charge weights. That is, you will tend to get a ho-hum, ho-hum, ho-hum, oh-wow, kind of effect. So move slowly as you approach maximums with Unique.

Do you think that the RCBS lockout die would help with the charge, or is it just a marketing gimmick?

[Bill Steele]

A lot of guys swear by this kind of device. I think there is little doubt it can help you avoid a no powder squib or a double charge.

For me, I have found paying attention and looking into each case before setting the bullet, illumintaed by light, is pretty much all I need for anything other than the most dense powders in the largest cases. The good news is there is no shortage of powder choices that address these kinds of concerns.

Everyone is different, some people can't focus for more than a few minutes at a time, others can stay focused for extended periods of time. Some people are terrific at being very precise at repetitive assembly line processes, others can't get through one cycle before things start going awry.

I think knowing yourself and what you are good at has a pretty big bearing on these kinds of choices.

I mean, there are guys with an auto-indexing progressives that have safety interlock powder drops that will not drop a double charge into the same case no matter what you do, that will not load without a lock-out style die. There are others that load on a press like the one I use (Dillon 550b), that will absolutely drop a double charge with two handle pulls, that have produced hundreds of thousands of rounds without ever producing a double charge. It really depends on the person.

[rd2play]

Good points.

I think the chances of me double loading are very remote, but being part of the human race it means that I could make mistakes. I'm generally quite obsessed with safety since one of my other hobbies is working on sometimes live guitar amplifiers where the voltages can reach 500 Volt. First big mistake there means lights out and a mourning family.

I'm thinking of getting the lockout die for practical purposes and also for peace of mind.

[glock7]

Good job. Just don't get complacent. Good luck to you!

[Fyathyrio]

Do you think that the RCBS lockout die would help with the charge, or is it just a marketing gimmick?

It works, no gimmick about it. There's a few grains variance once set though, it's not 100% accurate at your exact charge weight. I once did a test on mine originally set for 4.0 grains and going up in 1/2 grain increments it didn't stop the press until 7.0 grains.