- Messages
- 9,364
- Reactions
- 23,647
can be a RPITA for a number of reasons, but the biggest one, for me, is trying to get a GOOD load of BP in that seemingly HUGE case.
The eponymous 70gr of FFg just ain't gonna happen, especially with modern cartridge cases and their somewhat rounded inner volumes. 60gr? Nope, even using a three-foot long drop tube.
How's about 55gr, then?
Hmmm, well, that almost fills the case and I have a 405gr bullet to get in there without necessarily crushing that powder load. Most mavens on the subject allow a compression of around 1/8th inch, but I'm aways from that right now.
Let's settle on 50gr - that at least allows me to get most of the bullet in, but even so, there's an awful lot of compression needed that I'm not happy about. At that point I went into the house, and made myself an instant coffee from a new jar, noting, as I did, how much that coffee had settled in the jar over time from vibration. At that moment, a little light came on in my otherwise empty head, and I hobbled upstairs to the bathroom and smuggled out a new electric toothbrush....you can see where I'm going, right?
I loaded up a measured 50gr of FFg, decanted it into the case via my three-foot long drop tube and then, carefully locating the case against my fingers, without holding it, I switched on the toothbrush and rested it against the case, moving it up and down as I did so against the case so that it really did vibrate.
Ten seconds of this, and I had the powder settled enough to be able to get that 1/8th inch compression, using a spare die and compression button, and load that 405gr bullet, seat it and apply a little crimp.
Job done.
tac
The eponymous 70gr of FFg just ain't gonna happen, especially with modern cartridge cases and their somewhat rounded inner volumes. 60gr? Nope, even using a three-foot long drop tube.
How's about 55gr, then?
Hmmm, well, that almost fills the case and I have a 405gr bullet to get in there without necessarily crushing that powder load. Most mavens on the subject allow a compression of around 1/8th inch, but I'm aways from that right now.
Let's settle on 50gr - that at least allows me to get most of the bullet in, but even so, there's an awful lot of compression needed that I'm not happy about. At that point I went into the house, and made myself an instant coffee from a new jar, noting, as I did, how much that coffee had settled in the jar over time from vibration. At that moment, a little light came on in my otherwise empty head, and I hobbled upstairs to the bathroom and smuggled out a new electric toothbrush....you can see where I'm going, right?
I loaded up a measured 50gr of FFg, decanted it into the case via my three-foot long drop tube and then, carefully locating the case against my fingers, without holding it, I switched on the toothbrush and rested it against the case, moving it up and down as I did so against the case so that it really did vibrate.
Ten seconds of this, and I had the powder settled enough to be able to get that 1/8th inch compression, using a spare die and compression button, and load that 405gr bullet, seat it and apply a little crimp.
Job done.
tac