Baldrage's reloading log

[1SOW]

What Wobbly said for sure!

I've been "improving" loads I've been shooting for YEARS.  The load  is the same,  but the biggest variable,  the SHOOTER,   changes over time..   

Reloading let's you keep up with your changes.

[Wobbly]

Reloading let's you keep up with your changes.

[Que the David Bowie background music here.]

 

[amada8]

Queue the speling Nazi responses

[painter]

Queue the speling Nazi responses

Speeelling counts.

[amada8]

That's too

[Wobbly]

Speeelling counts.

Misspeelling discounts.

Or, as the sign in my dad's wood shop read.... "Zero Defecks !"

[IDescribe]

We're not spelling Nazis.  We're the alt write. 

[painter]

Speeelling counts.

Misspeelling discounts.

Or, as the sign in my dad's wood shop read.... "Zero Defecks !"

I have a sign...

in my paint shop.

It says DILLIGAF.

[baldrage]

I've been loading up the Extreme 124 gr RN at 1.125 COAL, using both 4.2 gr HP-38 and 4.3 gr, with WSPP.  Have shot a couple of hundred of each, and went ahead and loaded up the remainder of the 1,000 extreme bullets I purchased, 400 using 4.3 gr, and 300 with 4.2 gr:

extreme_124gr_stockpile by baldrage, on Flickr

extreme 124 gr by baldrage, on Flickr

My plan is to finish shooting off this batch, then go back and look at my targets to see if one load was more accurate than the other.  Based on the results, I'll pick either 4.2 gr HP-38 or 4.3 gr as my "standard" Extreme load. 

Going by the empty WSPP boxes, I've now loaded 1,600 rounds in my short career as a reloader.  Still a newb, but at least my technique is improving (getting only about 1 primer not fully seated every two hundred rounds or so, and my QC process catches it when I do).  I'm able to crank out 200 rounds in 90 minutes on my SDB, working at a methodical, steady pace, and that includes getting all the components out of storage, getting everything set up, loading the rounds, then putting everything away again.

It will take me a while to use up the Extreme rounds I have loaded, so thought I would try out the sample packs of Blue Bullets 125 gr LRN (250 rounds) and Rocky Mountain Reloading 124 gr plated RN (500 rounds).  Appreciate a sanity check from the tribal elders before I make up my initial test ladders ...

Plunk testing with dummy rounds and my empty SP01 Shadow barrel revealed that 1.128 COAL for the Blue Bullets would plunk, but not spin or fall out of the barrel without a little assistance.  1.125 COAL would plunk, spin, and fall out with no issues.  So, subtracting standard .015 off-set gives me a nominal COAL for my barrel of 1.110.  Looking at Hodgdon's load data for HP-38, they show starting load of 3.9 gr and max load of 4.4 gr for 125 gr LCN (no brand listed).  Since I don't know which brand of bullet they used, I can't hazard a guess as to bullet length compared to my Blue Bullets.  Therefore, because my COAL is shorter, I should shift the load window down, correct?  Starting load of 3.8 gr HP-38 and max load of 4.3 gr make sense?

Similarly, plunk testing the RMR 124 gr plated RN revealed 1.141 COAL would plunk, spin, and fall out, so I subtract .015 off-set, and get a nominal COAL of 1.125, same as I have been using for the Extreme 124 gr plated RN.  These RMR bullets are .584 in length (based on average of 5 randomly-selected bullets), compared to .583 for the Extreme, so .001 longer (is "smidge" or "skosh" the correct terminology for measurements of one one-thousandth of an inch).  Hodgdon data has 1.150 COAL for Berry's 124 gr HBRN TP, with starting load of 3.9 gr and max load of 4.4 gr HP-38.  Per previous discussion in this thread, I understand that both Extreme 124 gr RN and these RMR 124 gr RN are shorter than the Berry's HBRN, so I do not need to move the load window even though I will be using a shorter COAL, correct?

[nicky]

Personally I feel you are ok with the Blue Bullets.

You are probably good with the RMR's too but I would start my ladder at 3.8 up to 4.2 and see how it goes. That's just me.

[baldrage]

One other question I forgot to ask:  should I be concerned if it takes 10-15 whacks with the kinetic hammer to take apart a dummy round?  To date, I've been sorting my empty brass and loading with only brand of brass at a time.  So far I've used only Blazer Brass and FC brass for all of my reloads.   Today, I used Winchester brass for the first time to work up some dummy rounds for plunk testing the BB and RMR bullets and setting the OAL on the press, but I noticed when trying to take the dummy rounds apart, it took me 15 or 16 whacks with the kinetic hammer for all 20 or 25 dummy rounds I had made.  Previously, using FC/ Blazer Brass and Extreme or RMR FMJ bullets, it would only take me 2 or 3 whacks.  I did not change the crimp setting (.377) from what I have been using for my previous 1600 rounds, nor did I suddenly lose 75% of my arm strength, so my first thought was maybe it had something to do with the BB and new RMR bullets.  However, I just loaded an Extreme bullet into the Winchester brass just to check, and it still took me 10 whacks to remove the bullet, so I'm thinking it's the brass. 

Is this an issue, or just a minor annoyance?  Is it common to see different types of brass behave differently when it comes to pulling bullets?

[IDescribe]

should I be concerned if it takes 10-15 whacks with the kinetic hammer to take apart a dummy round? 

Yes, you're going to want to work on your lats, triceps and core.  I'd recommend overhead press, deadlifts, and maybe dumbbell skull-crushers to start out. 

[1SOW]

 
WIN brass is harder, thicker or whatever.  It's my go-to choice for brass.  Seats well,  good neck tension and allows a lot of reloads before it shows signs of being tired.

Without your good methodical loading learning curve,  I once loaded 300 rds that had to be "hammered".  I learned to do it in two hits with Win brass.

It did increase my hammer blaster rating up to Master Blaster.  Your anvil is important.  Mine is 4x4 treated post,  standing on end and mounted to a 1/4" thick steel plate.


 

[baldrage]

Shot off my test-ladder of 125 gr RN Blue Bullets - nominal 1.110 COAL, WSPP, Winchester brass, 5 rounds each at 3.8, 3.9, 4.0, 4.1, and 4.2 gr of HP-38.  I say "nominal" COAL, because I had more variation (+/- .007) then what I have been getting for the hundreds of X-treme bullets and FC and Blazer Brass (usually +/- .003) rounds I have loaded. 

Anyway, all functioned and fired fine.  I was more concerned about function then accuracy, but they all seemed to have about same felt recoil and accuracy shooting free style at 7 yards. 

Hodgdon load data for 125 gr LCN says 1,009 FPS for 3.9 gr at 1.125 COAL and 1,085 for 4.4 gr.  I need 1,000 FPS for PF and am loading a bit shorter, so maybe 4.0 gr? 4.1 gr?  I will load up 25 at 4.0 and 4.1 gr and see if one is more accurate for me than the other.

[Utah Shooter]

Cannot wait to see how it goes. I have some rounds loaded up at 3.9 grains just no time to shoot.   

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