...and the final test -- SHOOTING my reloads!

[Rick the Librarian]

The good news is that nothing blew up!

The reloads did seem to have a little "poop" to them - more than it seemed that I remembered from a .45 auto, but it has been a while since I shot my .45.

Some of the cases that were ejected seemed to be a little (not a lot) discolored on one side - maybe the load a little hot? Also noted on maybe 3-4 that it looked like someone had taken a very light piece of sandpaper and slightly rubbed the upper 2/3 of the case all around.

Had only one case of a failure to feed. I tried it a couple of times and it still failed to feed. Probably should have brought it back and measured it, but I loaded it "singly" and it successfully went "boom".

I took both my Army .45 and the new Rock Island commercial auto and both worked successfully, except for the one cartridge above.

What do you think? Maybe lower the powder load to 4 grains?

Again, the load was 4.5 grains of Red Dot using 230 grain FMJs with once-fired cases.

[joem]

Consider buying a chronograph. It's a tool that tells you if a load is too hot or underpowered. Soot is sometimes produced by incomplete burning of powder. Also a max length case gauge is a very big help for new reloaders and insures correct die setting. If your reload goes in the gauge it will chamber.

[Jim in Salt Lake]

Better yet, see if one of your shooting buddies has a chronograph, once you have your load where you want it, you may not have another immediate use for it. Another piece of basic reloading equipment to consider is a case tumbler. Get your cases clean before you begin reloading, it's not just to shine up the brass. Dirt on your cases can dent them when you size them. Also, dirt on your cases will transfer to your dies, build up, and affect your quality. You can also tumble off the sizing lube on your rifle cases when you get to that.

[Rick the Librarian]

Some of those gadgets sound really good. Certainly a electronic micrometer and maybe an electronic scale. But mainly, I need to just learn to make adjustments. I think I have the basic steps down in reloading. Turned out 20 more rounds a little bit ago, including some cast bullets. The cast bullets seem to mike a little longer, but stil within specs - about 1.270" vs. 1.265" or so for the FMJ, using the same settings.

I noticed a slight waxy buildup on the cast bullets - should I have wiped them clean before I "mounted" them, wipe them before I shoot them or do nothing?

I almost forgot - decided to load these with 4 grains of Red Dot vs. the 4.5 I had been using.

[Tuna]

Your load is not a hot one at 4.5 grs of Red Dot. The darking on a side of the case quite often is from low pressure not allowing the case to fully expand and seal. Not a big thing and the wax build up on the bullet will not harm anything. It can allow a build up on the feed ramp but that is easy to remove when you clean your pistol. How was the accuracy with the 4.5 grs of Red Dot?

[Rick the Librarian]

It was acceptable - although my mind was more on the function of the pistols (I used two - my new RIA and my shooter Remington Rand.) than that. I had no "issues" except the one cartridge I mentioned in the first post.

I'll try the bullets I made with 4.0 grains and see how they work. I can see I'll be looking for some more bullets (probably cast) at this rate!!

I'm still not happy with the Lee scale or the accuracy of the Lee powder measure. The latter may be my fault - I don't seem to understand the adjustment. I have trouble getting consistant powder "throws" and have to tweak them (I still measure every one).

[sid]

The Lee scale and Lee powder measure are both plastic junk. Eventually you are going to need quality and these do cost money. The RCBS scales and powder measures are excellent and are what most of us reloaders use.

[Parashooter]

While the Lee powder measure is undeniably cheap and made mostly of plastic, it is still capable of throwing a 4-grain charge of Red Dot with ±0.1 grain accuracy if operated consistently. The key element is to develop a pattern that works for the powder and charge in question - and then stick to it with ritualistic devotion. The tedious 3-minute movie inserted in this post shows one way of operating the measure and also the results of inconsistent operation. The scale is set for 4 grains and the powder is Red Dot. There's nothing special about the operating pattern shown (fill, knock, dump, knock, knock, knock). Another pattern might work as well or better for you.

[Rick the Librarian]

I've been trying to use the same "operation," but sometimes (again using the scale as the test) the load is heavier than the 4-4.5 grains I want, and sometimes lighter. So far, the powder has been the one frustrating part of reloading for me. The other operations (depriming and priming, putting the bullet in) have gone very smoothly, once the dies were adjusted. I admit I need to figure out how to adjust the bullet seat and feed die. I plan to move to cast bullets fairly soon and eventually, to lighter cast bullets, as was suggested.

I used to develop black and white pictures about 25-30 years ago and I'm amazed/amused at how similar the processes really are!

At this point, I can't really afford to invest in a lot of expensive reloading equipment. I want to get an electronic micrometer (I'm currently borrowing my friend's) and do something about the powder measurement - either an electronic scale or better balance. I think my knowledge of the powder "throw", especially the adjustment, may be deficient, so I'd like to give it a little more time.

As I said at the outset, my goal is not to be able to crank out hundreds of rounds at a time, but maybe 50-100, max. Using the photo-developing comparison above, I also bought a "kit" that had a lot of cheaper parts. However, as I got more experienced, I replaced a few of the components that weren't accurate or didn't work right, but still had about 2/3 of the kit after I got established.

[joem]

I have a electronic caliper and a mechanical one. I sold the electronic one and kept the manual. I can read it faster than the electronics. Same with a powder scale, have both, Dillons, use the manual scale, faster easier to read.