A personal request for Reloading Radio

[Jim Fleming]

Folks, this is going to be short and sweet.

I NEED suggestions for what you want to hear, in the Reloading Radio shows.... PLEASE!

My strategy is to start from Safety, and go through the basics. Working my way slowly up to the advanced techniques. Casting, Swaging, Sizing, procurement of materials, annealing, and best of all, how green us Reloaders are, with our recycling!

Give me suggestions and requests, please!

Jim

Sent from my Droid

[Charlie Foxtrot]

Jim;

Just some rambling from a tyro reloader - finally getting back into reloading after decades away.  BTW: Listening to your first podcast right now - sounding good!

• Reloading manuals: Opinions, ratings, recommendations, etc. Which one for lead, long range, self defense, plinking, etc...
• Reloading resources: recommended websites, books, etc.
• Cleaning fired cases
• Recommended presses: Single stage, turrets, progressives, whys, and wherefores  
• Recommended Scales: ie: Is that little Franklin Armory electronic scale worth the 20 bucks?
• Choosing components: brass, primers, bullets, lubes, etc
• Error trapping practices: ie: using a flashlight to see if all cases have similar amounts of powder
• Little tips: ie: Bounce sheets in the polishing media
• Good sources
• Great deals!

We get an incredible amount of data: catalogs, ads, reviews, etc. We're drowning in the possibilities!  What we desperately need is information and guidance, especially from an experienced reloader like yourself.  

I'll be updating this list as additional brain cells recover.  

[Jim Fleming]

Charlie, sounds great!

EVERYONE OUT THERE: As much as I appreciate the flattery that Charlie's sending my way. I am nowhere near the expert he seems to think. For example I do not even own a shotgun. Therefore I can't give advice on to what sort of reloading press you would need for shotgun ammunition.

 Yes, I have experience. But bear in mind that my experience has been limited of my own choosing. I reload metallic cartridges. That is not to say that I should not reload shotgun ammunition. I know for a fact that I should if, for nothing else in case when the balloon goes up! In other words for contingency reasons.

 Charlie: Every suggestion you have made shall be given due consideration. This is exactly what I asked for. (Ever hear the old saying, be careful what you ask for you might get more than what you want?) Just kidding Charlie, good job sir!

Sent from my Droid

[SteveZ]

EVERYONE OUT THERE: As much as I appreciate the flattery that Charlie's sending my way. I am nowhere near the expert he seems to think. For example I do not even own a shotgun. Therefore I can't give advice on to what sort of reloading press you would need for shotgun ammunition.

That one is easy...Shotgun = MEC, Metallic = Dillon. 

[Jim Fleming]

There you have it, folks! You're absolutely correct Steve! It was easy!

LMBO!

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[Devereaux]

So now you can just shut down the Reloading podcast and sit back and drink a couple tall ones, Jim.

Just kidding, Steve. I DO like simplicity, although I also have to say that there IS other reloading besides MEC and Dillon. But that's just me.

[Jim Fleming]

Dev, a nice tall cold Rum and Coke sitting to the right of my keyboard totally agrees with you, sir!

Jim

[SteveZ]

Actually to be completely truthful about all of this...way back when I was just a wee lad I got my Grandfathers Remington model 31 in 16ga. My dad shot his Remington 870 in 12ga. My dad had a MEC 600jr and I got a Lee Load-All for my shotgun. I remember the price tag still today, $29.95.

When I graduated to 12ga, I got a MEC Sizemaster which I still use today (literally, I loaded 275 shotshells today). When I began to get interested in metallic reloading, I started with a Lee Turret press which was a great press but when I started to shoot more IPSC, it just couldn't keep up and that's when I moved up to a Dillon 550B but for what it did, the Lee Turret was great.

Trust me Jim, there is enough stuff regarding reloading that it will keep you in the podcast business for years.

[Jim Fleming]

From what I'm told the fully progressive Lee 1000's DO KICK BUTT when it comes to handgun ammo...

Interesting that you still have that old MEC, Steve. I like that, sort of nostalgic... 275 rounds in scatter gun dang sure ain't nuffin to sneeze at! 'Specially done in one day, one at a time...!

[Devereaux]

 May as well get my colours in there. Dillon first, Dillon forever. But my VERY FIRST press was a 12 ga. Ponsness-Warren that made some great shot shells.

[SteveZ]

Jim-- the MEC Sizemaster isn't real old however mine is about 18 years now. MEC still produces it today however many of the parts have been replaced with plastic where mine are metal. I think its the perfect single stage press for what it does and costs. If I'm on my game, I can reload a box in 5 minutes. I don't shoot shotgun competition sports so it more than keeps up with my weekly shooting of about 150/week. If I shot more, I'd probably have to look at a progressive.....which is what bumped me from Lee to Dillion for metallic.

Dev- I've never used a PW but I've heard they are REALLY good machines.

[jmstevens2]

Dillon may be nice, but my Lee gets the job done.

[Devereaux]

Pretty much ALL the presses "get the job done". It's a question of the little things - IF you are buying "fresh" so to speak.

Steve - I stumbled into the PW without knowing anything about presses, etc. I went to the only shop in the area that actually carried shotgun reloading stuff, and the press they liked was the PW. Didn't have enough money for the progressive, although I DID drool over it some, so I got the single stage, and it has been really outstanding. I particularly like the full length hull holder - guarrantees the shell will load in anything. Sort of a built-in case checker. But the whole thing is built kind of like a tank.

[melski]

Jim- 

Charlie has a pretty good list and it will take a long time to cover that.  How about even why we reload.  Usually it is saving money, but some of us started when ammo was relatively cheap for accuracy, hunting or as a hobby.  I'm sure you could make a show out of deciding what to reload; pistol, rifle, shotgun.  How about the type of ammo; for accuracy, hunting, plinking, and shear volume pistol competition.  Even selecting each component be it primer, powder, or bullet with all the options and manufacturers out there would make a show or two or three.  For those of us that reload, I'm sure we would listen to hours of any topic.

Presses I use...  Shotgun: MEC 650 with a MEC supersizer.  Metallic:  RCBS Ammomaster

Melski

[Jim Fleming]

Guys, you have given me so much good information, that I think I'm going to make this a sticky. Now I just need to figure out how to do it.

Melski, you're absolutely correct!

Sent from my Droid

[SteveZ]

Guys, you have given me so much good information, that I think I'm going to make this a sticky.

Watch this!    Actually its really easy to do..you click the "Set Topic As Sticky" button at the bottom.  Go ahead and try it!

[Charlie Foxtrot]

   
RockChucker III here. 

Intended for low-volume rifle cartridges: 45-70, .308, .30-06, Thuty-Thuty.  My buddy has a Dillon 650 with all the bells and whistles for our Cowboy and PPC needs. 

[Devereaux]

CF -

?Does he have a complete large and small primer assembly.
?Does he have TWO electric primer tube fillers, one for large, one for small.
?Does he have the automatic bullet placer (so you don't have to place the bullet manually over the prepared case)

Inquiring minds want to know.

Myself, I'm waiting for the powered advance, so you only have to step on the pedal instead of cranking the handle.

But I DO believe the 650 may be Dillon's best press. 1050 is too much of a single cartridge manufacturing machine, and the 550 has one less slot on the tool head.

[Charlie Foxtrot]

CF -

Yep  ?Does he have a complete large and small primer assembly.
Yep, his wife :^)'  ?Does he have TWO electric primer tube fillers, one for large, one for small.
Nope. Just because we didn't know there was such a thing. Dillon? Aftermarket?   ?Does he have the automatic bullet placer (so you don't have to place the bullet manually over the prepared case)

Inquiring minds want to know.

Myself, I'm waiting for the powered advance, so you only have to step on the pedal instead of cranking the handle. Isn't that the Dillon 1050?

But I DO believe the 650 may be Dillon's best press. 1050 is too much of a single cartridge manufacturing machine, and the 550 has one less slot on the tool head. Complete agreement! I'm waiting for the day I buy mine!

[Devereaux]

Yup! Bullet placing gizmo is aftermarket. Don't have one myself, but I thought it was kind of cool that someone invented it.

I DO have a neat dial that replaces the nut on the powder bar. Allows you to make adjustments much more easily, and to know which way you are going. It was like $2 but a friend said they aren't available any more. Too bad - nice addition (I bought about a dozen, for various toolheads).

I wouldn't let my wife anywhere NEAR primers, primer tubes, etc. I have the second electric primer loader on my wish list, but right now the wifey is spending all my available cash for a new bathroom(s) - and anything else she can find to fix in the house.