Reloading tools needed to start loading.

[CECannonJr]

This made me laugh out loud. :...

" I don't shoot any one gun enough for it to matter. Plus I'm getting up there in years. I'm not going to wear anything out."

Only because it is SO true.

I'll admit it, I'm overly cautious about my firearms..
I clean them too often, try new cleaners & lubes, handle them carefully, keep them locked away,
and transport them inside soft cases, within a hand-made sleeve- made by my wife, from an old, soft blanket.

I've owned old coins, fresh new Krugerrands, .. but consider my handguns my real "precious metals"

Your habits concerning your guns sound identical to my own. My wife thinks I'm a clean freak with the guns ONLY.

 

[CECannonJr]

Another fan of Lee dies here, work very well in my RCBS press. And I also use RCBS hand primer over bench setup, easy and I can move setup around. Added the Lee FCD to all my pistol die sets, yes another step, but I'm all about the best quality ammo and not necessarily the fastest to completion.

As far as extra steps, after deprime and sizing, I was my brass in hot water with dawn dishsoap and a splash of CLP. After very thorough rinsing , its laid out to dry well prior to use.

Been considering using the "pins" for tumbling. Have used organic media but always looking for best alternatives. Will the pins work in a vibratory type tumbler?

Great thread, encouraging. I need to get back to the loading bench. Thanks for the bump to get going

Stay safe, stay aware, its truly nuts out there

I don't see any reason why the pins wouldn't work in a vibratory tumbler. I have one of those too. I'll try it and report back to you.

 

[Mike A1]

 

[Mike A1]

 

[Mike A1]

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[joepistol]

Watched the video " Powder Coating Tips and Tricks" ...
that's a waste of 13 + min of my life I won't get back.. didn't really inform me of anything, except :
1) use quality powder 2) stand up bullets to bake .. not very helpful, as I wouldn't bother casting bullets, much less, powder coating them.

Reason ? Too much work / time/ expense (for the equipment) ..when I can just buy already cast & coated bullets.
If I were 20-30 yrs. younger, maybe it'd be worth it, but I won't live long enough to begin to recoup the expense , @ my age.
I did have a friend that cast bullets, he let me try making a few. I learned 1) Molten lead is HOT..
2) you can burn yourself doing this , and 3) doing any quantity, it's a lot like WORK.
Decided I'd rather just buy my bullets. Buy in bulk, keep a god supply of what I use in my inventory.
I can (could ) even buy my polymer coated bullets when they're on sale !
Bayou bullets sent out a "Christmas sale" on their bullets a few days ago

Guy in video says he's shot a bunch ( 3 K ?) of his rds through his Glock the past year and there was no fouling in his barrel.
O.K. Not really news. I've used Hi-Tek coated bullets in .380, 9mm, 38, 357, 44 Spec, 44 Mag, and 45acp .. a variety of weight & shapes.
I've never had any barrel fouling. Which is why I switched to polymer coated bullets years ago.

What would have been more informative (& useful,.. IMO) is if he loaded his bullets with a set charge , & chrono'd them.
Shoot your 3K (or more) rds using the same charge, then a year or so later, after shooting the 3K rds,
re-chrono the same load..to see if the barrel had worn any, if the speed had dropped due to bore wear,
from the friction of the powder coat against the barrel.

This is the info I'd like to see, or read about..though it would probably take >3K rds. to see if there was any measurable wear.
Maybe using a lead slug to slug the bore , before & after rds fired, may work to determine if any wear had resulted.

I would think that someone , somewhere has done some experimentation to record the wear characteristics of powdercoated bullets,
as compared to lead or FMJ bullets.
Unfortunately, I have not seen anything about this anywhere.

 

[Mike A1]

I'm just too old & well heeled with cast bullets, grease in grove old fashioned types to worry about it now.
However I have shot lead, pure & cast boolets for many many moons & have one observation about coating cast lead bullets.

Why pay more for cast bullets? With a Lewis lead remover or a stiff brass cleaning brush you can clean what little lead is in your barrel
from cast or lead.
If you say under 1000fps with cast or lead it's not that bad with leading anyway.
Remington loads a 240gr Gas check ( Soft lead ) bullet at over 1500fps you can't get that fast with a jacket pure lead only with GC!

If that colored stuff has ceramic or the likes, you bet it's harder on you barrel than cast lead alone.

We don't get worried when we shoot thousands of .22s through our Rifles & pistols & I have not cleaned
a single .22s barrel. I read Rick Jamison's article in Shooting times ( 1980s ) about how .22s did not need the lead/ wax
removed from their barrels.

I have just not had that much trouble with cast bullets cast by someone not me I do not like smellin melting lead, I have
enough trouble with my brain already. LOL

 

[joepistol]

a point that I didn't mention,about casting lead bullets. It's the danger of breathing in lead fumes..which attaches to your blood.
Elevated levels of lead in your body is NOT good.. causes all kinds of problems, esp. with the CNS...
This is why lead was removed from paints.. Once lead enters the body, it tends to stay, .. collect, and build up in the blood & tissue .
Difficult -to-impossible to get it out of your system. Lead is considered a toxin..not good.

The Sportsman's Club to which I belong was forced to replace the air filtration system for the indoor range, where I shoot most of the time.
I don't know the cost, but it was an expensive upgrade, and they were required to do this after testing was done ( several yrs. ago)

A number of organized shooting events are held there weekly .. there's the Bullseye league, PPC shoots, IPSEC (?) , Bowling Pin, shoots,
as well as JR pistol& jr. rifle clubs, CCW classes, and they hold beginning pistol shooting classes as well. Our range is usually a busy place.

I shoot late @ nite, as I'm a retired PM & MN shift worker, I'm used to late hrs., so I have the benefit of having the range to myself, as well as NO traffic on my drive to & from the range.... I was SO happy when our club announced the indoor range would be open 24 hrs..instead of closing @ 11pm.
It's a lot like having my own personal range. Though on a few ocassions, I have gone there and had 1 or 2 other shooters shooting late.

 

[CECannonJr]

a point that I didn't mention,about casting lead bullets. It's the danger of breathing in lead fumes..which attaches to your blood.
Elevated levels of lead in your body is NOT good.. causes all kinds of problems, esp. the CNS...
This is why lead was removed from paints.. Once lead enters the body, it tends to stay, collect.
Difficult -to-impossible to get it out of your system.

This is a genuine concern. It should probably be done outdoors. It was something to consider for me, but I don't think I will ever get into it. I really don't shoot enough to justify it anymore anyway. I'll keep buying 'em.

On a lighter note (or maybe a heavier note), I think I have several who work for me who have this condition because I think the lead may have collected in their arses.

 

[joepistol]

I should have made this additional comment..if you shoot @ an indoor range,when others are also shooting, it's probably
a good idea to ask your MD to do a lead level blood test, when you are in the office for any other reason.
Might be good to know, if there's lead in your blood, & how much is there, and recheck this every few yrs.
I do have trace amounts in my blood, not seriously bad level, but it's there. I had my MD do a test a few yrs. ago, after talking with a club member
that shoots in most my club's competitive events. He learned his levels were higher than he wanted, he started doing his practice shooting @ the outdoor range, instead of indoors...at least during warmer weather.