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reloading questions/advice if you would please?

4.0 is fine. Most of my sources use exactly this weight for a starter load. Even if it dropped to 3.8 gr. it would still exit the barrel. You would have to drop to a very low charge to get a round stuck in the barrel (squib). This is no where close. Once you fire your rounds, you can always examine the primer in the fired cases. Low powered loads will not push the primer back into the case. This is very evident with a revolver, but I would think it would also happen with an automatic. Anyone, correct me if I'm wrong.
With normal reloading, a powder dispenser will stay within a tenth of a grain at most. Not enough to worry unless you are a bench rest shooter or long range shooter. I had no issues with the Lee powder discs way back when I used those machines. I had issues with the primer part of those presses. Powder can clump, so most people return unused powder to the containers. I load often enough I leave it in the hopper and stir the powder before starting. With the Lee presses I had, the dump performed quite well. The only issue that could arise on mine was if it didn't return all the way.
 
@jumpinjoe and @youngolddude ,

thanks for the responses.

i didn't think that a couple of tenths of grains would be a whole lot to worry about, but still had to throw that question out there.

the Lee book, may say the low end of a 45 ACP charge is 4.5, i dunno, i haven't that book yet. but as you said here, i am at the low end of the charge, so i'll at least compare notes.

i did what was recommended by one of you guys here, (i'd have to go back several pages to find it), about static cling. it was recommended that i get a spray can of "anti static spray", which i did, and sprayed inside both press powder drop containers, as well as tried my best to get some spray into the metal part of the system.

i was beside myself to completely empty the press of all powder, and just left a small amount in there (below my line of sight), as to not have to run several cases thru the press, to make sure the charge is the same, each time i start reloading.

probably what i said, isn't making much sense. but suffice it to say, both my presses have a "small amount" of powder in them.

i did not know of "clumping" powders. now too, the bait/tackle store (where i buy my reloads from), down in the stores basement, where he has like 10 Dillon presses (i think the 1100??), all his presses have powder in them until his next reloading day, which is usually on saturdays..yeah, i can see the cloudiness of the plastic containers, from leaving powder in them. but he reloads weekly, and he has a lot of presses, might be to his advantage to not empty them out each time.

in my case, i only have thus far reloaded a combo of 9mm and 45 ACP, all for about 36 rounds in total, as i mentioned, to "dial in" the presses and to make sure my reloads shoot, which they do.....

i don't know when i'll reload anymore ammo, maybe i'll finish up the remainder of the 100 SPP's that i have for a split reloading of both calibers. then i have 1 more box of 100 SPP's, i might split 50/50 for both calibers...so what I'm getting at is, my reloading isn't weekly for sure.

we get very high levels of humidity here, (in the summer time) i have a de-humidifier, i cannot say i saw one at the shop. which i'd suspect that will help in staving off "clumping"?
 
I never filled my Dillon powder hopper full. The most it ever saw was about 25% filled. I also lived in a house with no AC, the press was on the second floor so basically the hottest area of the house. I live in Illinois and our humidity can be atrocious. I never emptied my hopper when I was done loading.
Not once did I ever have a clumping problem.
 
When I dump the hopper, I also cycle the action to remove as much as I can and dump some more. Most will come out. I'm in Arizona so moisture is mostly an issue when the monsoons come. If I leave a press for a week or more, it can clump. It isn't one solid mass, but I use the primer follower to stir the contents and I do feel chunks I want to break up. When I get going, I may go from 7/8 full down to 1/4 and at times, I've added more. If you're loading only a few, you're probably not going to fill the hopper.
I'm not concerned with static like others I know who load black powder. It isn't an issue with my beam scale, either. As long as the tray is clean and dry, it's not a problem. The bigger risk is not putting the powder back in the case after you've checked the weight. It's not a good feeling to discover powder left on your scale and the loaded round bin on your press has a bunch of rounds in it.
 
Pitdogg2 said:
I never filled my Dillon powder hopper full. The most it ever saw was about 25% filled. I also lived in a house with no AC, the press was on the second floor so basically the hottest area of the house. I live in Illinois and our humidity can be atrocious. I never emptied my hopper when I was done loading.
Not once did I ever have a clumping problem.
Click to expand...
yeah thanks..!!

my hoppers (thanks for reminding me the name) are just at the "sight line" from the metal part of the hopper, so basically, if you were to look at mine, you'd think they were empty.

me cellar or basement in other parts of the country, is actually very cool during the summer months. i do have a dehumidifier running and it does collect water. so some humidity does creep down there.

when it was mentioned that some powders can clump, my first thoughts were humid areas, as it'll collect that moisture.
 
youngolddude said:
When I dump the hopper, I also cycle the action to remove as much as I can and dump some more. Most will come out. I'm in Arizona so moisture is mostly an issue when the monsoons come. If I leave a press for a week or more, it can clump. It isn't one solid mass, but I use the primer follower to stir the contents and I do feel chunks I want to break up. When I get going, I may go from 7/8 full down to 1/4 and at times, I've added more. If you're loading only a few, you're probably not going to fill the hopper.
I'm not concerned with static like others I know who load black powder. It isn't an issue with my beam scale, either. As long as the tray is clean and dry, it's not a problem. The bigger risk is not putting the powder back in the case after you've checked the weight. It's not a good feeling to discover powder left on your scale and the loaded round bin on your press has a bunch of rounds in it.
Click to expand...
yes, when i finish up what powder i have (now just under 2 pounds of Bullseye) and switch out to maybe 231, i will be certain to get as much of the old stuff out as possible.

i dying to get those LPP's, but not so much to lose any sleep over it.
 
i just went to Dillon's website, and ordered the roller handle.

the Lee has one, and i like the way it feels over that tall stick with a ball on top Dillon.
 
i updated my loading bench, from my home made short one, to a Husky (Home Depot) longer one, and there is a "back story", i'll post in another minute..


it is 4' long, by 20" deep, and 37" tall. channel steel, and adjustable legs.

cost not including taxes, is $125.00

i took me from 9 AM, when i got home with it, till 1PM to finish, and this includes cleaning up, vacuuming the floors, and cutting up the shipping box for the recycling bin.

super easy to put together, i couldn't ask for more ease

the most time taken, was removing the 2 presses from the other bench, drilling holes, and mounting the presses, and of course, putting things back as normal as possible.

the "old" homemade bench

1653682813093.png


the new bench and "some" shelving i added

1653682873168.png


1653682907731.png
 
now, the "back story" on my new bench.

i went to the Home Depot, about 5 miles from my house. i looked around, didn't see them. i asked a salesman, he said, "see that guy up on the hi-lift"? "that's the guy to help you, that's his section"

so, i wait for him to come on down, he's "driving" the hi-lift out of the isle, and i ask, "could you please show me where this bench is"?

his response...."i'm busy, you'll have to wait 5 to 10 minutes"


i'm like...oookkk...i got money to spend, and i AS A CUSTOMER HAVE TO WAIT..???

so, i was about to leave, another salesman came by and i asked him, he said, "yeah, that guy over there, blah, blah"

i said, "he told me he was busy"....

so this now "3rd salesman", actually walked around, but he said he does not see it, best bet is to see the man that told me to wait.

i thanked him for his time, and since he DID try to help me, i waited until he was out of sight, and i walked out

i went home, to drop off my carry, as i am not permitted in MA, and it's 1 year jail time...

the next Home Depot, is not only like 6 miles from my house.

i go inside, find a salesman, ask him for help, and he says', "oh yeah, i know just where they are, but let me make a call just to be sure, as they keep moving them"

he calls, confirms with another worker, where they are, he points down the isle, and i tell him of my BS at the other location.

he shows me his 25 year employee badge, and says to me, "that's the difference".......

and home i went, with my new reloading bench.......
 
Nice bench. Mine is a 9 foot steel Craftsman that I got from the widow of a friend of mine. My other "bench" is the cabinets and countertop from our homes kitchen remodel.
Most of the help at big box stores are actually pretty good at knowing where things are and being helpful. We have both Lowes and Home Depot in town, so I feel blessed.
 
youngolddude said:
Nice bench. Mine is a 9 foot steel Craftsman that I got from the widow of a friend of mine. My other "bench" is the cabinets and countertop from our homes kitchen remodel.
Most of the help at big box stores are actually pretty good at knowing where things are and being helpful. We have both Lowes and Home Depot in town, so I feel blessed.
Click to expand...
yeah, i wish that i had more room where thigs are now. as it is, the vibrating cleaners are in another room. it's a rather large house, but all small rooms, either in the living areas, or the basement.


an "open concept design" works wonders for a kitchen-dining room and living room, it should work well in reloading rooms too...lol

yeah, in my state, just like there is a Dunkin Donuts on every street corner..??

there are home improvement stores just as well. so no want for finding something nearby...

but hey, morons gotta work too, right...??

and he wasn't a "kid"...had to have been in his 60's........which to disrespect a disable senior citizen is kinda ballsy.
 
My first "bench" was a shelf fastened to a bedroom wall. It's been a long time, but it was around 10" x 2 ft. in a spare bedroom. I later moved to a WWII metal desk (800 lbs.). We then moved to a new house where loading was confined to the garage. The smaller the space, the more planning and efficiency come into play.
 
ok, question(s)

my Lee reloading manual arrived today. (printed 2021)

i was looking up, 45 ACP, 230 gr, lead bullets with Bullseye powder

no listing for lead, with the bullseye

but they do list 230 gr, jacketed bullets, at 5.0 grains (Bullseye powder)

i WILL NOT load my lead bullets to 5.0 grain.

so my question is,

"is it common to just not list all the powders, for all the bullets?"

i already bought 500, 230 grain lead bullets at the store at a price of $43.00 + sales tax.

for the time being, when primers become more available, i'd rather use those. now the Hornady and Lyman both list 230 gr lead, with Bullseye at Lyman @ 4.0 and either 4.1 or 4.2 grains for the Hornady (can't recall right now).

thanks in advance
 
I have a Speer #11 manual that lists a 230 grain Lead Round nose bullet in 45 Auto using bullseye.
(Copyright 1987/1988)
Starting load 4.7 gr bullseye velocity 778 fps
MAX load 5.1 gr bullseye velocity 844

Speer cases and CCI 300 primers
These loads do not exceed 19,900 cup according to Speer.

My earlier Speer manuals did not list the 230 gr lead in 45 Auto.
 
Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook with 225 gr. lead:
Start 4.0 @680 fps Max 5.0 @ 815 fps
Sometimes loads are not shown if the powder for the bullet is too fast or too slow.
Lasercast shows 4.5 @ 819 fps to start and 5.1 @ 881 fps for a max load
Read the section in the Lee manual about what powders to choose. The guy is kind of a gas bag, but he does know a lot. If you look at jacketed and lead loads that list Bullseye for each, check the difference. You can extrapolate for some loads, but if you go with 4-5 gr. you don't have to worry.
 
shanneba said:
I have a Speer #11 manual that lists a 230 grain Lead Round nose bullet in 45 Auto using bullseye.
(Copyright 1987/1988)
Starting load 4.7 gr bullseye velocity 778 fps
MAX load 5.1 gr bullseye velocity 844

Speer cases and CCI 300 primers
These loads do not exceed 19,900 cup according to Speer.

My earlier Speer manuals did not list the 230 gr lead in 45 Auto.
Click to expand...
yeah, right now, the Speer book is not available, neither is the Sierra.

youngolddude said:
Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook with 225 gr. lead:
Start 4.0 @680 fps Max 5.0 @ 815 fps
Sometimes loads are not shown if the powder for the bullet is too fast or too slow.
Lasercast shows 4.5 @ 819 fps to start and 5.1 @ 881 fps for a max load
Read the section in the Lee manual about what powders to choose. The guy is kind of a gas bag, but he does know a lot. If you look at jacketed and lead loads that list Bullseye for each, check the difference. You can extrapolate for some loads, but if you go with 4-5 gr. you don't have to worry.
Click to expand...
thanks. i would like (for a long time yet) to keep the charges at the starting rate. all i do is plink/practice as i have mentioned. plus, i'd not be using too much powder, so it'll last me a bit longer.

for the self/home defense stuff, i use Federal HST's, both 9mm and .45 ACP.

i just wondered if maybe the Lee people omitted the Bullseye for the lead bullet only, or was it somehow "forgotten" to be included(?), cuz they do show the Bullseye for the FMJ 230 grain.

i found it to be interesting too, how the Lee if i recall (i am not at my reloading bench, where the books are), has a staring charge of about 5.0 grains, and the max is about 5.4? (or so)

the other books, show the 5.0 + to be max.

just curious as to why Lee "jacked up" the starting charge, from the others.

so many things to learn, and questions to ask.

thanks again guys..
 
I started looking for out of date reloading manuals online after reading your post. I found several older manuals in PDF format after a short search and downloaded them for free. You and others might find them handy. For myself, I still have a quantity of Winchester Superlite (WSL) and looked for data for you besides the WSL data which is generally not shown today. I also tried to find when WSL was discontinued, but was unsuccessful. Back in the day, lead was more prominent in reloading books than today and since Bullseye is an old powder, it was listed in many loads. Sometimes powder formula changes over time and may not be what it used to be any longer, but I believe Bullseye to be similar regarding data despite decades of time. Just for grins, check it out.
 
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