tapehoser
Elite
Yup, good old Winchester W231 has been my most accurate powder for .45 ACP.I really like 231 for .45. Looking at my notebook, I settled on 5.0 gr for 230gr bullets—FMJ, coated/plated lead, and JHP’s; worked well, burnt clean.
Yup, good old Winchester W231 has been my most accurate powder for .45 ACP.I really like 231 for .45. Looking at my notebook, I settled on 5.0 gr for 230gr bullets—FMJ, coated/plated lead, and JHP’s; worked well, burnt clean.
yeah, all my revolvers will shoot semi wad cutters. i have been able to get .38 special either factory new, or reloaded. so all my revolvers work flawlessly with them EXCEPT my Korth Mongoose.....When I first starting shooting handguns, circa 1993, wadcutters were common and readily available everywhere I went. I started on revolvers, so cycling an action was not an issue...and this was before reactive targets (or before I knew of them), thus it was EASY to see your hits with a wadcutter without retrieving your target. I have not seen a wadcutter or semi-wadcutter as a retail cartridge in well over a year...maybe longer. Now I read about guys having actual self-defense applications in some calibers and guns...funny how the circle of life keeps spinning.
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yeah, i am stoked to start a new phase of the sport. in the morning, if i get up alive, i will build a bench for the press. nothing fancy, it'll be a lot of mis-matched pieces of wood, some of that, "pressed" plywood, from those "you build it bookshelves, tv stands, whatever" that i got from various family members. heck, i even save the screws, and locking doo-hickeys" the screws fit into for added (cough-cough) strength.I'm happy for you.
I just loaded about 1,000 .38 Special and changed over to .45 Schofield. I'll do a bunch of those tomorrow. I enjoy pulling those 100 round count plastic boxes off the shelves and heading out to shoot.
originally i wanted to go with the square deal B....but they were back ordered, then the dies were also back ordered, so as it stood, i have been waiting for about a year, to get into reloading, but gathering as much information as i could, and will still be asking for more information/advice, in the coming days, weeks, months, as i have seen others on various websites, still asking for help as well.I use a Dillon 550b and have for 30+yrs, I'll never buy another brand. I will move up the ladder maybe one day. They work great, the Dillon dies are excellent and there's a very good reason why they're so popular.
Honestly afaik the only difference between the B + C models is a grease zert on the piece the handle goes into. I've put untold thousands of rounds through my machine and not one problem.
I can add a case feeder and other stuff on mine like the upper machines, I like the manual feel of handling the brass. Over the years I can get in a rhythm and crank out the cartridges.
funny you posted about a work bench.If you want space on your bench for doing other things, you can fasten the press to a piece of plywood and mount it to the bench with one bolt. My 650 is permanently mounted, but I have 3 others that are attached to plywood. I have a t nut attached under the top that I can fasten any press with one bolt.
I can't believe it took me decades to buy an electric heater for reloading. I also have a pedestal fan for when the seasons change. If you have room, you can get a metal shelving unit to store your reloading stuff. The particle board shelf on one broke under bullet weight, so I replaced that shelve with real wood. No messes so far.
I didn't like the t-nut being on top, so I drilled threw and put the t-nut on the bottom. Made it more sturdy.If you want space on your bench for doing other things, you can fasten the press to a piece of plywood and mount it to the bench with one bolt. My 650 is permanently mounted, but I have 3 others that are attached to plywood. I have a t nut attached under the top that I can fasten any press with one bolt.
I can't believe it took me decades to buy an electric heater for reloading. I also have a pedestal fan for when the seasons change. If you have room, you can get a metal shelving unit to store your reloading stuff. The particle board shelf on one broke under bullet weight, so I replaced that shelve with real wood. No messes so far.
I know you earlier said you had ordered the "Lee" Breech Lock 4000 Pro and all the accessories you expected you'd need. I think you made a great decision and won't be sorry. Again I'll say you may find it's more press than you actually need, but you'll never regret having too much rather than not enough.originally i wanted to go with the square deal B....but they were back ordered, " ................................... "
several guys at the range, and one of the LGS's i go to have said (and it's true) that Dillon is the Rolls Royce, of reloading, while Lee may very well be the Toyota....
" .................................... "
will the Lee hold it's value as a reloading press..??
most likely yes, it just will not command a higher resale price than a Dillon, but it'll get the job done for me, a newbie in reloading.
it's a toss up, what to buy, but many others here on this site nad other sites have Lee presses, and don't regret thier choice.
actually i do believe i will have to do some sort of "bracing". but my situation is this, one one wall, i have a brick support column, and very little actual wooden area to support bracing, that's one area.Old Me, looks like you're well on your way...keep up the good work! If you find your bench wobbles from the force of operating a press, you might consider triangular braces on the bench legs, as well as a bracket for bolting the bench to a stud wall behind its eventual placement position. It might be sturdy enough as is, but if it's not, pretty simple fix...if you have concrete walls in the basement, anchors are cheap and easy to install with a hammer drill (heck, a regular drill would be plenty for only 3 or 4 anchor holes...). Sorry if you already addressed this in an earlier post...
yes, as i was searching for reloading equipment back in the middle of the pandemic, as prices of ammo and availability were nearly non existent, the one thing i would see, is that Dillon IS proprietary. this did not rattle me away from Dillon, but the back orders of xx number of weeks, and that just would not do for me.I know you earlier said you had ordered the "Lee" Breech Lock 4000 Pro and all the accessories you expected you'd need. I think you made a great decision and won't be sorry. Again I'll say you may find it's more press than you actually need, but you'll never regret having too much rather than not enough.
I'll also mention that the "Dillon" Square Deal you were considering is very proprietary. It will not accept and/or use normal dies manufactured by/for any other press than the Square Deal, regardless of manufacturer. In other words you would not be able to buy any other manufacturer's dies for use on that particular "Dillon". That in itself is not a 'deal killer' normally, but there may be other parts/pieces/accessories for the Square Deal that are not common to the industry and must be specifically "Dillon". I don't know of any other "Dillon" models that may be proprietary.
None of this says anything bad about "Dillon", only the question do you really need the 'RR' of loaders when the Toyota will do exactly the same things at a much lesser cost, and just as efficiently? You said yourself you're on your 3rd Toyota with nary a regret .... likewise you will be with your choice of reloading presses/tools.
The "Lee" will never resale for the same amount a "Dillon" will, but then it never cost originally what the "Dillon" would have cost up front. But I'll wager the resale return on the "Lee" will be closer to it's original cost (% wise) than the "Dillon" will ever be.
And by your own words...... "but many others here on this site nad other sites have Lee presses, and don't regret thier choice." ....... and you won't regret it either.
And finally, the "Dillon" equipment is all top notch stuff designed more for the high production loaders like world class competition shooters and some smaller retailers whereas the "Lee" stuff is typically for the blue collar loading crowd. And keep in mind, you can load ammo every bit as accurate using a simple hand loading tool and a small hammer as with any progressive press, regardless of manufacturer. Some of the finest shots in the country use them right on the tailgate of their trucks, etc.
Congratulations on your wise purchase, and welcome to the world of 're-loading'.