A WHOLE BUNCH OF RELOADING QUESTIONS

[killerbee]

well i figured i could make 5 new post or just throw them all in one

so feel free to pick just one, if you have a good answer, or pick em' all ( i do appriciate it, although i cant spell it...)

SOOOO

1: im going with the neck sizing, it is working good. but what i cant figure out is--

i'll load 10 bullets, they will all turn out great( i chamber every round) but then i will have "1" that pushes the shoulder of the case almost flat? this was my original problem ( why i had to fire form the 20 shells tonight) that round wont chamber, or is very hard to close the bolt on, but then the next 10 or so will be great?? WTH? everything is tight, i even went as far as to steal an extra nut off another set of dies to lock my nut on the die into place?

2: what scale is more accurate- my RCBS digitol scale, or the older version balance scale?

i've been weighing every round with both scales, it seems the balance scale is more accurate?
sometimes i can add 5-8 grains of powder before the digitol will change, but the balance scale will move with almost every granual of powder. sometimes i get a reading of 79 gr on the digital, move it to the balance it will be low- the next one read 79.0 on the digital , and it will be way high? WTH?

3: am i being to picky one my weighing?

i had a full factory box of weatherby bullets givin to me, they are probably 10 yrs old, but great brass. i decided to just pull the bullets so i can reload them with these tripleshocks.
out of curiosity- i weighed each charge. they varied from 88.2 gr to 89.9 gr? and there was no 2 loads the same?

i try so hard to get them exact , but apparently the factory doesn't see a need to be that exact?

4: kinda on the same level- but in my book 79 gr is the "max load", i've always loaded 79 gr, so now with the question of my digital scale, my balance scale, and factory ammo not being very precise, is it really unsafe to go up to 80 gr? ( i'm not planning on it- just a ?) in my theory, with the inconsistancy, i'm probably shooting a few bullets that are 1 gr. over?

again, i'm measuring EVERY load 2 times, and they are not getting dumped in the case untill my balance scale says they are perfect( again, the digital just doesn't seem that accurate) ( sometimes i drop 2 grains of powder IN the scale, and the readout goes to a LOWER number )

sometimes i think i might be just as good setting up the powder dump, getting it as close as possible, and just dumping every load and set the bullet

what do you think?

[sneekeepete]

Springville shooter where are you!!!

I have only been studying reloading and actually reloading for 3 years or so but I will do my best to answer what I can.

1. When neck sizing if I remember right you don't really need to lube the case before sizing. You didn't mention if you have been or not but if not you might want to try it and see if that helps. I know on my cases the shoulder is what I have problems with after I've fired them a number of times.

2. I have stuck with my manual lyman balance scale. It is very consistant and measures every grain of powder. Through my readings I have found that measuring the powder by volume not the weight is more Accurate. So I went and got this: http://www.leeprecision.com/cgi/catalog ... whan2.html
It seems to speed me up and keep a consistant level of powder.

3. I don't think you are being too picky about weighing your powder because I am the same way. it does slow down the process but I beleive consitancy created better accuracy.

4. I think that Max loads in these books are more to protect the manufacturer of the books and not the shooter. With that being said with most loads and rifles you would be safe to load them past the max load but you should always test some of the lesser loads for their pressures and velocities out of your rifle before stepping it up past suggested max loads.

Just my .02 and I am sure others will have better advice.

[BIG R]

Well killer you not the only one having problems I have all of a sudden started getting dents on the neck of every 7 mag i'm doing and dont know why.Can anybody help me out on this one also.

[a_bow_nut]

Well killer you not the only one having problems I have all of a sudden started getting dents on the neck of every 7 mag i'm doing and dont know why.Can anybody help me out on this one also.

Could we see a picture of these dents?

It sounds like something got stuck up in your die. Does the dent show up in the same spot each time?

[Tonoonyi]

Just a thought, but are you trimming the cases back down to the correct length? sometimes they grow a lot more than one would think.

[Springville Shooter]

Killer, I'll get to your post later tonight, been working alot. Big-R, sounds to me like you might be over-lubricating your casings, or that there might be a buildup of lubrication or some other substance in your die, check that first. I have over-lubricated and caused dents just below the shoulder on the body of the case.---------------SS

[killerbee]

about the shoulders getting pressed to flat- i still dont know why, but after about 25-30 rnds, with 2-3 of those "issues", it never happened again? i never changed a thing, the die didn't move, i have no reason whatsoever in my head on why the 3 random bullets pressed diferently?


SS- no worries, just when you get a chance, dont take time from life to worry about it. no problem AT ALL!!

[TheGreatwhitehunter]

Could we see a picture of these dents?

It sounds like something got stuck up in your die. Does the dent show up in the same spot each time?

Big-R, sounds to me like you might be over-lubricating your casings, or that there might be a buildup of lubrication or some other substance in your die, check that first. I have over-lubricated and caused dents just below the shoulder on the body of the case.---------------SS

Right on with what SS said, lube will cause case dents if you are over lubing them or if the die has something stuck in it or a build up of lube.

Take your die apart and clean it really good and then follow the manufacturers recomendations after that. What brand of dies are you using that is giving you trouble, Big R and Killer Bee?

My Lyman digital scale requires calibrating before and during use to make sure it satys accurate, a balance scale should be used in conjunction witha digital to verify accuracy every so many rounds IMO. I like to use a redding BR comp, powder drop and then weigh the charge on the digital scale, I then trickle to the exact amount and then pour into the case witha charge funnel. This is the most accurate way for me to ensure consistency with my loads.

Killer Bee maybe spend the money and get a neck sizing die or check out the X sizer die I sent you the link too. A neck sizer die is not necessar but seems you are having issues, you also may want to take the die apart and clean it, as you may have a build up of lube as you state that it happens like ebery 7th or something case?


Springville shooter will be able to probably give you a good idea of what may be happening, but the Wby cases have a double radius shoulder and I dont load any wby's right now but I am curious is the shoulder would be affected easier than a satndard shoulder due to lube build up.

[killerbee]

everything i have is RCBS. now i'm curious about the to much lube issue. i know for a fact my first 5 bullets had alot of lube on them. i had a brand new case lube pad, tried to rub it in really good, rolled the cases, and had a noticable amount on them before they were pressed. this seems really likley to be the problem.

[Springville Shooter]

Killer, here are some of my thoughts:

Weatherby cases inherently have problems due to their double-radius shoulders, you must use care when sizing and seating to avoid putting excess pressure on the shoulder. Try using a neck lube when sizing, or maybe even getting a tapered expander for your die to reduce friction. Be sure to chamfer your cases well before seating bullets, this is where I always smash Weatherby cases. The shoulders get weaker with every firing, so keep that in mind.

As far as your scale issues, STOP using the digital and send it in to be serviced right away. Pick up a powder trickler and use your balance scale until the digital is repaired and works properly registering tenths of a grain as powder is trickled. You must have total confidence in the accuracy of your powder charges for safety and accuracy. I can usually see deviation on the chronograph with a 2-3 tenths of a grain difference in loads, so be meticulous.

The differences in charges of factory loads is common, but could be explained by the cartridges coming from different boxes originally. Manufacturers often change loads and every lot af ammo could be a little different.

Approach Max loads with caution looking for pressure signs on your cases. Most of the time you can achieve conservative published loads, but do it one step at a time and carefully. I find that most of my guns perform best a little below published maximums and gun/case life are extended with milder loads. I don't think the deer or targets can tell the difference.
Hope this helps, ----------SS