Ammunition & Hand Loading > Cartridge and Shotshell reloading

Fly's Most Excellent Adventure in Reloading Continues

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OnTheFly:
I have been putting the press to good use.  I have loaded just under 5K rounds of 9mm with my Dillon XL650 with case feeder.  A few glitches here and there.  For example, the primer assembly that screws up into the press had worked it's way out after only 1K rounds.  That took about an hour of thinking, a call to Dillon, and nearly a dozen crushed primers, but I eventually got to the correct fix.

Other issues have been related to the wrong cases getting mixed in with the scrounged brass.  On a related note, I think .380 auto and .380 super comp should be banned from all ranges.   ;D

I have been using Federal primers, and I had previously been warned (by Dillon and fellow reloaders) that they are very soft.  Tonight I experienced why.  Attached are photos of a case that went "boom" when I seated the primer.  The odd thing is that I have had several where the primer was snug going into the case, but the one that went boom didn't have any significant resistance.  Other than being startled by the bang, and some ringing ears afterwards, nothing happened to me.  However, I'm glad I was wearing eye protect in case something did go flying.

Just for fun, I have been timing my reloading and came up with the following averages after pumping out exactly 1,000 rounds in 1 hour 14 minutes 26 seconds.

* 13.42 rounds per minute
* 402.68 rounds every half hour
* 805.37 rounds per hourThe time did not include...

* Case prep
* Primer tube loadingBut it did include...

* Pulling the press handle over 1,000 times
* Minor malfunctions (e.g. wrong cases, etc.)
* Replenishing the necessities (Reloading primer feeder, Filling powder drop, Filling the case feeder, Filling the bullet tray, etc.)
I have figured that at pre-panic prices, I will need to load around 8,000 rounds to break even on the cost of my reloading setup.  At panic prices, I only need to load 5,000 rounds.

Fly

SemperFiGuy:

--- Quote ---I have been using Federal primers, and I had previously been warned (by Dillon and fellow reloaders) that they are very soft.
--- End quote ---

Interesting...............

Reloading literature from Lee clearly sez "Don't use Federal primers in our equipment."   

Federal's packaging kinda gives a hint:   Bigger package w/more room between primers.   To keep them from serially exploding, some say.

I'm with you on the .380 Exclusion.   You can always tell when you've just de-primed a .380.   Press handle goes limp.

Now you gotta go shoot some of that 9mm.   Otherwise, you wind up with ice cream buckets full of the stuff.   Ask me how I know.

sfg

bkoenig:
.380 and 9x18 are the devil.

Dan W:
Fly, I have used Federal small pistol and large pistol for many years, and despite smashing a few dozen up like the one's in your pics, I have never had one detonate ...yet

abbafandr:

--- Quote from: SemperFiGuy on October 27, 2013, 09:27:20 AM ---Reloading literature from Lee clearly sez "Don't use Federal primers in our equipment."   

Federal's packaging kinda gives a hint:   Bigger package w/more room between primers.   To keep them from serially exploding, some say.
--- End quote ---

Fly is using a Dillon press, but that doesn't make federal primers any harder.  If case size is indicative of hardness, CCI must be bricks that case is so small :laugh:

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