What did you reload today?

[Mikej]

Sized, tumbled and flared a few .30-30s with my 'new' neck flaring tool!
View attachment 731053

I just love shiny clean .30-30 brass. Too bad they have pants on. I prefer them naked. I found some brand new, fired, out int he Tillamook last year when we were hunting mushrooms. Still have it sittin' around where i can look at in once in awhile. I'm sorta looking for a decent shape pre-68 win 94 in .30-30. I've seen a couple here and sorry I didn't jump on 'em.

 

[drstrangelove]

After a not-so-fun recoil session with Leverevolution powder and 150gr bullets that caused my Marlin 336 bolt to get sticky, I decided to tone things down a bit and grabbed some FMJ 110gr Speer RN. Loaded over BLC2, I expect these 50rds should be more pleasant steel plinkers, even at 2400fps.

 

[Lesliet]

Kind of a rump-kicker of a day. I think I have just enough brain cells left to sort brass...

 

[fuqyeahammo]

Kind of a rump-kicker of a day. I think I have just enough brain cells left to sort brass...

Haha more cells than me if that's the case.

 

[Lesliet]

it's been a heavy week at work; yarding engines and transmissions in/out of vehicles.

 

[Mikej]

it's been a heavy week at work; yarding engines and transmissions in/out of vehicles.

Next week try using.....





It will help. I promise.

 

[Lesliet]

*sigh*

 

[Lesliet]

That top one is quite a bit nicer than the HF pos we have....

 

[ron]

I just love shiny clean .30-30 brass. Too bad they have pants on. I prefer them naked. I found some brand new, fired, out int he Tillamook last year when we were hunting mushrooms. Still have it sittin' around where i can look at in once in awhile. I'm sorta looking for a decent shape pre-68 win 94 in .30-30. I've seen a couple here and sorry I didn't jump on 'em.

Reloaded my first 30-30 cartridges (5 quantity). I got some 150 grain blems from Midway. Used some loaner Lee Collet dies with no crimp? The bullets
seem to be held firm when loaded in the tube magazine but after firing pushed in. I ordered a set of RCBS 30-30 2 die set. I have read that
the 30-30 needs a good crimp. First time I have loaded on a single stage press in years. My new to me Model 94 'Pre 64'. First lever action
I have ever owned.

 

[RVTECH]

I have read that
the 30-30 needs a good crimp.

Yes they do and I highly recommend a Lee collet crimp die as opposed to using the roll crimp during the bullet seating operation.

The long neck of a .30-30 is susceptible to slight 'bulging' during roll crimping unless the cases are all 100% the same length and the collet crimp die eliminates this problem.

Quite frankly the collet crimp die facilitates crimping ANY round that requires crimping.

 

[Mikej]

Reloaded my first 30-30 cartridges (5 quantity). I got some 150 grain blems from Midway. Used some loaner Lee Collet dies with no crimp? The bullets
seem to be held firm when loaded in the tube magazine but after firing pushed in. I ordered a set of RCBS 30-30 2 die set. I have read that
the 30-30 needs a good crimp. First time I have loaded on a single stage press in years. My new to me Model 94 'Pre 64'. First lever action
I have ever owned.
View attachment 732260

That's scary stuff right there. How far did the bullets sink in the brass?

What's the difference between a Lee collet die set and a Lee regular rifle die set?

Yes they do and I highly recommend a Lee collet crimp die as opposed to using the roll crimp during the bullet seating operation.

The long neck of a .30-30 is susceptible to slight 'bulging' during roll crimping unless the cases are all 100% the same length and the collet crimp die eliminates this problem.

Quite frankly the collet crimp die facilitates crimping ANY round that requires crimping.

This is good info here. How does the collet crimp die work? As far as a roll crimp goes, I'm used to trimming my .38/.357 brass all within .002 so the roll crimp will be uniform and no folding cases. Is .30-30 brass known to be thinner. And I presume your loading .308 bullets with a cannelure?

 

[RVTECH]

How does the collet crimp die work

It has a four part 'collet' inside the die and when the case is pressed up into it the collet is pressed into a tapered area which 'squeezes' the four parts equally around the neck.

And I presume your loading .308 bullets with a cannelure?

Typically not but if I do I just seat the bullet a bit high above the cannelure so the collet crimp die has a uniform, smooth surface to crimp on.

 

[HighlandLofts]

I have been depriming buckets of .brass and getting it all wet tumbled with the SS pins.

I picked up a dillon 650 and will be getting a Hornady progressive press kit here shortly when they become available again.

Once I get the Hornady set up I will be cranking out the ammo in volume.

When I went tumble the brass I put the bras on my drying racks and hitvthem with the air hose to get 99% of the water off then let them sit out in the sun to dry.
If the weather is overcast I will let them sit outside and then bring them in before dark to finish drying. If I want the brass sooner I will put it in the oven set at 190 hor a half an hour or so.

Ithe drying racks I had made up would hold 2,000 pieces of brass.
This past week I made more drying racks that will hold another 2,000 pieces of brass. It will take a couple of days to get all this brass tumbled & dried.

I will be getting more brass today or tomorrow to proccess.

My new drying racks.





Some of my old brass drying racks.


The reason I wet tumble, look at the crud that gets removed fron the brass.
Dry tumbleing doesn't compare to wet tumbleing.

 

[Mikej]

It has a four part 'collet' inside the die and when the case is pressed up into it the collet is pressed into a tapered area which 'squeezes' the four parts equally around the neck.


Typically not but if I do I just seat the bullet a bit high above the cannelure so the collet crimp die has a uniform, smooth surface to crimp on.

The question would be what part of the cartridge pushes the collet closed? The shoulder I presume? As the length from base to shoulder would be the same on every case if the sizing process was done properly? In that case, that means that brass would need to be VERY close to equally trimmed for the crimp to be in the right place? I'm not being argumentative here, just maybe a little dense on my part? derp? We are talking a roll crimp right?

I had one experience, early on, when I bought a K of .357 projectiles with no cannelure. I didn't feel I was getting a proper crimp and sold them to another member. There were jacketed, or plated, you're crimping into cast? If so, I guess you can get a decent bite into the alloy. But a plated bullet? Not so much without a cannelure I feel.

 

[RVTECH]

We are talking a roll crimp right?

Not at all.
Like I said the collet is pressed into a tapered area which 'squeezes' the four parts equally around the neck. The 'mouth' remains untouched - unlike with roll crimping.

The question would be what part of the cartridge pushes the collet closed?

Basically the neck of the round pushes into the four collet sections and as it is pressed upward it 'follows' the taper and closes the collet around it.

I guess you can get a decent bite into the alloy. But a plated bullet? Not so much without a cannelure I feel.

The collet crimp die crimps any bullet, plated, cast etc.

The only concern with a collet crimp die is with cast bullets in that if the crimp is set too heavy it can slightly 'undersize' the bullet but it should never be set to crimp that heavily anyway.

 

[Mikej]

Not at all.
Like I said the collet is pressed into a tapered area which 'squeezes' the four parts equally around the neck. The 'mouth' remains untouched - unlike with roll crimping.


Basically the neck of the round pushes into the four collet sections and as it is pressed upward it 'follows' the taper and closes the collet around it.


The collet crimp die crimps any bullet, plated, cast etc.

The only concern with a collet crimp die is with cast bullets in that if the crimp is set too heavy it can slightly 'undersize' the bullet but it should never be set to crimp that heavily anyway.

I guess I thought you were roll crimping. Then I remember you needing to flare you case mouth some so you weren't shaving lead. I would have though that case neck-tension would have been enough? No, in your case. I can feel a good amount of resistance when seating bullets. The only long gun I've loaded for is Garand and Swede Mauser. I suppose I should chamber/eject a live round several times in the Garand and see if there's any set-back? Swede too perhaps.

 

[Caveman Jim]

I dug out yet another couple of large ammo cans full of verifiable once fired 5.56 TAA 09 fired by Mega Arms employees some years ago. I weighed it all in 100 rounds increments, 620g/100 = 3,450 +\- cases...
It's a 7/8 full 5 gallon bucket o brass that I'm going to put in my classified ad...

 

[Caveman Jim]

Kind of a rump-kicker of a day. I think I have just enough brain cells left to sort brass...

Sometimes that's all I can do some days, it's all good though at least I'm not sitting on the couch as much. LOL

 

[RVTECH]

I would have though that case neck-tension would have been enough?

Actually it is and the collet crimp is mostly advantageous in that it evenly 'closes' the mouth flare.

I really only have the die adjusted for a light crimp is all. When crimping I feel very little resistance.

 

[ron]

That's scary stuff right there. How far did the bullets sink in the brass?

I used a FL Sizer Die but no crimp. Bullets seemed very tight in the case. Could not push them in.
Bullets moved back to barely see the end of the cannelure. It was a light load of W748.
I shot them no signs of pressure. Going to try the new RCBS dies.