Finally bit the bullet

[Royal27]

I feel bad now. I have a hundred yard range in the back yard and I didn't shoot today. I did go outside and run around with the dogs. They were pretty funny playing around, first time they have ever seen snow.

It is the one thing I hate about where I live here in Atlanta. There isn't a decent range any closer than just over an hour from here. And they are either expensive, or have rules that don't suite me, like bench rest only.

So I just shoot at my deer lease mostly, and that is two hours away. I can shoot pistol and short range here in town, but that is it.

 

[ZG47]

Royal27

Re. case stretching.

I took the expander buttons off my full length dies years ago, after getting some Lyman (neck expanding) M dies. I did that because the action of pulling the button back up through the neck was stretching my cases and that is why ... an earlier contributor to this thread mentioned excessive case stretching through use of progressive presses.

I now have minimal case stretching and less trimming/chamfering to do!

NB In my environs those people who make serious use of progressive presses, tend to be pistol shooters who buy them for case processing but return to their single stage presses for reloading. Yes, there are some Service Rifle Competitors who load .223 Remington with their progressive presses but they are in the minority.

 

[ActionBob]

It was so cold here this morning there was dew on my windshield!

Thanks for rubbing it in, we get dew on our windshields in MN this time of year also... Except we call it ICE!

I'll be thinking of you this summer though.

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

Thanks for rubbing it in, we get dew on our windshields in MN this time of year also... Except we call it ICE!

I'll be thinking of you this summer though.

The first couple of weeks of that I'll be in Africa......of course there are the other 106 weeks of summer I have to deal with.

 

[matt85]

weve had no snow this year in WA... i like snow.

you guys are a bunch of sissies, i shoot in the rain, snow, wind, and strait up stormy weather. that 458 Lott of yours thowen 500gr pills isnt going to care about weather. i probably shoot 100+ rounds a month from guns in 416 and up.

another note: Royal you should check out those 550gr bullets for your Lott!

-matt

 

[lcq]

I feel bad now. I have a hundred yard range in the back yard and I didn't shoot today. I did go outside and run around with the dogs. They were pretty funny playing around, first time they have ever seen snow.

Open a window, lay the gun on the sill and shoot in comfort.

 

[Rob404]

I have a Rock Crusher Jr and added a Lee single Stage last year also bought the RCBS Powder Measurer I also use a Lee Hand Primer, I thought about a Multi stage loader but two single stages get the job done

 

[ZG47]

I also have two single stage presses. Bought an old RCBS Junior over 20 years ago and bought a brand new Simplex (essentially the same as the big Lyman but I don't know who copied whom) about 5 years ago for the same money! The previous owner had bought it and never even installed the handle. I know that. Because I had to remove a burr from the block before the handle would screw in.

I use the Simplex for case resizing and the RCBS for bullet seating. The older press is so worn that I have to grease the shaft whereas the Simplex shaft can only be oiled.

I do my priming with a Hornady handheld priming tool. The Lee tool is too small for my hands and I also found the RCBS tool too uncomfortable (I use size 12 gloves for cycling, tree work and some carpentry, size 9-10 in loose-fitting concreting gloves) but if you can use a smaller/cheaper tool than me and do not mind single-feeding primers, go for it.

I weigh every charge, using a Hornady balance scale. I recently upgraded my trickle charger to a Redding. NB If you use a Redding trickle charger you may need to raise it slightly. I used a 1-1/2 (38mm) hole saw to cut partly into a piece of ply and used a 3-1/2 (89mm) hole saw to cut right through the sheet and give me a nice secure raiser block which matches the charger to the scale pan.

 

[Rob404]

slip a piece of PC pipe or rubber hose over the Lee hand primer to increase Diameter( re-loader tip of the day)

 

[ZG47]

slip a piece of PC pipe or rubber hose over the Lee hand primer to increase Diameter( re-loader tip of the day)

Rob

I see where you are going but that Lee tool is simply too small and fiddly for me.

I stated my explicit reasons for not using either the Lee or the RCBS as, over the years I have witnessed too many incidents where gun writers denigrate a product simply because it is not perfectly sized for them. The above mentioned products obviously work perfectly well for plenty of other people or they would have been taken off the market years ago.

Thank you for the tip. It might be useful to someone else down the line.

 

[Rob404]

I like the rubber hose trimmed to fit as it's softer on my hands..I do a lot of range time in the summer and prime 2-300 rounds on a saturday night. I scrounge e-bay frequently looking for used ones

 

[sestoppelman]

weve had no snow this year in WA... i like snow.

you guys are a bunch of sissies, i shoot in the rain, snow, wind, and strait up stormy weather. that 458 Lott of yours thowen 500gr pills isnt going to care about weather. i probably shoot 100+ rounds a month from guns in 416 and up.

another note: Royal you should check out those 550gr bullets for your Lott!

-matt

You mean no snow in Western WA don't you? Pretty sure the other side has had some snow. And I don't miss it at all after the last half dozen or so years when we had more than our usual share of the funny white stuff.

 

[lcq]

slip a piece of PC pipe or rubber hose over the Lee hand primer to increase Diameter( re-loader tip of the day)

I like the Lee primer tool. It is very easy to feel for loose primer pockets and I know when they are seated properly. Lee dies aren't the best but make good ammo.

The two dies I won't do without are Lee neck sizers and the factory crimp. My preference in dies is Redding

 

[Nicholas Barcomb]

Wow, nice ankle deep snow you have Bob! I was in snow shoes last Sunday and sank up to my thighs in it! Still got in some shooting and will be going out again this weekend. Temperatures should be in the low 20Fs which is a heat wave here right now, still below 0F at night with some even -10F and below still. Pretty crazy and long without a break.

 

[Rob404]

weve had no snow this year in WA... i like snow.

you guys are a bunch of sissies, i shoot in the rain, snow, wind, and strait up stormy weather. that 458 Lott of yours thowen 500gr pills isnt going to care about weather. i probably shoot 100+ rounds a month from guns in 416 and up.

another note: Royal you should check out those 550gr bullets for your Lott!

-matt

Come to Minnesota where it's only -7 and when you take the wind into consideration it's a Balmy -20

 

[matt85]

ive spent plenty of time hunting in sub freezing conditions and i have the discolored marks to prove it. i learned the hard way on my first hunt in eastern WA when it comes to properly dressing for the cold.

Royal, you need to come visit me in WA. we can do plenty of shooting and i can lend you a hand in developing loads for that 458 Lott. personally id like to see you try some 550gr bullets in that beast!

-matt

 

[Royal27]

ive spent plenty of time hunting in sub freezing conditions and i have the discolored marks to prove it. i learned the hard way on my first hunt in eastern WA when it comes to properly dressing for the cold.

Royal, you need to come visit me in WA. we can do plenty of shooting and i can lend you a hand in developing loads for that 458 Lott. personally id like to see you try some 550gr bullets in that beast!

-matt

I always think about getting in shape for a hunt. But with you it will mean building up my tolerance to big bore rifles!!!

 

[matt85]

if you can shoot the 458 Lott then you shouldnt have any trouble with most of my guns. if i ever get the 505 Gibbs back it should recoil about the same as the Lott. the 585 HE will be a "little" more but it should be managable. if your feeling really frisky i can load the 585 HE up to 2300-2400 fps, then your 458 Lott will feel small.

-matt

 

[Royal27]

Oh, I'm not worried about the recoil from a single shot. With you, I'm afraid of the volume!!!

Right now I'm good for 4-5 shots out of the Lott before my shooting quickly degrades. I know with range time that will increase. Just have to get the range time in!

 

[matt85]

4-5 shots?!?! that's just getting the shoulder loosened up!

sound like I need to come visit you and get you into proper shooting shape. expect to burn threw about 20-30 rounds a day from each of your guns chambered in 375 and up (plus ill bring mine). by the time im done with you, you wont be able to use your right arm for 2 weeks. but once you regain full range of motion you will be able to hammer out twenty 458 Lott cartridges like they are 30-06's.



note: we need a "big bore" smiley!

-matt