Category: Reloading

Pyrex glass powder hopper

Just got this in today. Same capacity, this is good old pyrex glass, which will handle the chemicals in powder that turn the factory hopper into dark and cracked plastic.

Got this from http://wardlance.com/dillon.html Custom deflector and turned alum lid. Nice job overall!

Dillon OEM size replacement hopper
Pyrex hopper with same volume as OEM plastic version
2″ taller than the OEM plastic one

110K Primers

Placed a new primer order, Price break was at 100K. 110K Primers isnt as impressive as I thought it might be. This should last a couple months…

30 Carbine reloading

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After months of procrastination, I’ve finally reassembled everything to load some 30 carbine. This puts 300AAC on hold, because they share a powder funnel on the Dillon 550B, but thats ok.

I went back to my logbook, and realized that last time I loaded this, I used 12 graisn of Accurate #9, behind a Phelps lead bullet. Phelps closed 15 years ago, yikes!

Fast forward to some FMJ 110 bullets, and I need a new powder!

Options:

Accurate – AA #9
Alliant – 2400
Hodgon – H110
Hodgdon – Lil’Gun
IMR – IMR4227
IMR – SR4759
Ramshot – Enforcer
VihtaVuori – Viht N110
Winchester – 296
Winchester – W-680

I really wanted something clean, because I intend to use this in pistols as well as rifles, so my pick for today is…

Hodgdon H110

13.5 grains of Hodgdon in front of some small rifle primers. (some people have concerns and upgrade to small rifle magnum primers, but I’ve not had that problem, yet)

As a starting point.

A new press, and some bench cleanup

I’ve found the need for a press that can handle larger sized dies, and it was time to mount a few presses that haven’t been in service in a while.

As seen, my Dillon 550B with case feed in 38spl and my new RCBS rock chucker in 375Cheytac!

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Nothing has made me want to give up reloading, until recently

Never before has the relative simplicity of a reloading machine frustrated me so much.

My 1050 and I have been friends for years, with pretty much no issues. But I recently added a GSI bullet feeder into the mix. Eight weeks I have been working on this thing, a day here, and a day there. Call for help, get new parts, call for more help, get weird suggestions, work some more, call for support, get more parts. As of today, I had visions of just tossing the whole mess into a trash can. The problem (for me) seems to fall into their custom tool head, and its bullet indexer. In an otherwise well built and great design, this part is the where it all just falls apart.
I cant keep the unit indexing reliably, which makes the loading speed closer to that of my 550b. So far it seems like I’d have this thing working 100% for about 40K rounds, to make up the time I’ve wasted screwing with it.

This is about 900$ and 4 weeks of my life that I’m just not going to be able to get back.

This thing is just not working, and short of dragging my entire bench to Phoenix, I don’t feel like I’m gonna get it working.