Brian in Montana
Well-known member
Very good point on the lead poisoning. I didn't think of that at all.
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Brian in Montana
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Powder trickler - is it possible to use one with a standard, mechanical balance beem scale, or does one need to have a digital scale?
MThuntr
Well-known member
Powder trickler works with all scales. Sometimes you'll have to put the trickler up on a stand to get things lined uo
Personally, I wish I hadn't wasted my time or money on a beam scale or trickler. I prefer the RCBS Chargemaster. I'll check it against my GemPro 250. That's way more accurate than my RCBS beam scales and much much faster.
D
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Been using a trickler and beam scale for many years.
fishing4sanity
Well-known member
Brian in Montana and Addicting, run, either run headlong into reloading or run away from it. Shooting the rounds you develop & reload yourself is the best part, but the reloading has its own satisfaction. In awhile though you may find yourself buying multiple 8 pounders of your favorite powder to stay in the same lot longer, thousands of bullets at a time for the same reason. Several Christmases ago, my sons bought me an RCBS reloading kit, still use the same press, but the trickle charger & beam scale couldn't keep up. The cost per round is lower than it used to be, but the volume went way up - along with the fun.
Addicting
Well-known member
Headlong it is. Santa brought me almost everything I need to make ammo. I spent the afternoon reading and getting the bench set up. A question came up on the workbench top size. I have an 8’ room that my wife and I share for hobbies. The plan was to span the distance with butcher block counter tops mounted to the 5’ metal bench I already acquired. Leaving me 18” on either side for a trash can and a stool.
I started looking at the price of the counter top and don’t really want to spend 150. I can get a sheet of 4x8 3/4 13 ply birch for 50 and cut it in half to get a 26 ply 1.5” top. Or, I can get 5/4 pine/popular top for a little more. So the question was how sturdy does the top need to be? Go with the 1.5” top or is it ok to step down to the 5/4 at 1”?
I started looking at the price of the counter top and don’t really want to spend 150. I can get a sheet of 4x8 3/4 13 ply birch for 50 and cut it in half to get a 26 ply 1.5” top. Or, I can get 5/4 pine/popular top for a little more. So the question was how sturdy does the top need to be? Go with the 1.5” top or is it ok to step down to the 5/4 at 1”?
VikingsGuy
Well-known member
For what it's worth, to save bench space for multi-use, I drilled holes in the bench surface and then expoxied nuts in the bench surface for the turret press, the small de-priming press and the brass trimmer. That way I can securely mount in a minute or two, but then be back to a clean bench in a few minutes after being done. I also recessed the holes so I can put the bolts back into the bench surface to prevent junk from building up in the nut treads. Not a professional job, but seems to work pretty slick. It's my take off on the folks who mount to boards and then C-clamp to their bench, as my bench has front facing that won't allow use of C-clamps along the edge.
I counter sunk my bolts on the bottom side of a scrap piece of 2x6, so they wouldn't be sticking out the bottom. I then attached the board to my kitchen table with two C-claps. It's very sturdy and can be removed if need be.
Brian in Montana
Well-known member
So when working up a load; I figure I'll start with the minimum recommended, load 5, then go up half a grain of powder for my next 5.
Should I do that or just increase each load by a full grain?
Should I do that or just increase each load by a full grain?
MThuntr
Well-known member
1/2 or less...1 grain is too big of a jump
BuzzH
Well-known member
If you're starting at minimums I would jump a grain until you're within a grain of max...then slow down.
Brian in Montana
Well-known member
Should I load 5 of each charge? Why not 3 while, at least while testing loads.
huronmtns
Well-known member
Depends on how consistent and confident you are at shooting your rifle. If you feel your shot execution does not contribute to point of impact variation shoot 3 while early in the load development cycle. If you not certain about your shot execution, shoot 5. Once you get close to having what you feel is your final load start shooting 5. The more data you have will tell the real story of what your rifle likes and how consistent your reloading techniques are.
Don Fischer
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Don Fischer
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All a powder trickler does is dump out small amounts of powder and it doesn't care what kind of scale you have!
Don Fischer
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Depending on who you ask, a real group need's a min of 5 shots. Depending on who you ask, a real group need's to be 10 shot's. For most people I think you'll find three shot's is more than valid. Keep in mind anything past three shot's is probably more than any animal is going to let you shoot at it before leaving. And the accuracy is generally more dependent on the shooter than the load. Very seldom do I see group's of more than three that don't have a flyer in them! Most likely its not the cartridge but rather the shooter! If you are a competitive bench shooter, every shot will count. My understanding is that any group 1/4" or larger will not get you close to the top. If your a hunter, you probably will never get more than three shots and a 2" group will work just fine!
Brian in Montana
Well-known member
So do you guys find that brass that has been fired once, in the rifle you're loading for, to be more accurate than brand new? Or does that really make much difference?
OhHeyThereBen
Active member
Although I don't have experience with this, I did ask the same question in my other thread and have researched it a bit. I'm assuming that you're referencing neck sizing vs. full length sizing your brass? As far as I can tell, the accuracy edge isn't all that huge using neck sizing, but it will increase the amount of shots that you can get out of your brass by a whole lot, depending on caliber.
If you're strictly talking about new vs. once fired and full length or neck sized, I have no idea if that matters.
If you're strictly talking about new vs. once fired and full length or neck sized, I have no idea if that matters.
