Finally did it

[FishInTx]

I used the Promo code this morning also.
I order my powder when Midway sends the promo code. Ordered $300 in powder and saved $30. That covers the Haz-Mat fee.

BTW, the Haz-Mat fee has gone up to $27.50 from $25

That's what I did. Ordered over $300 and they took off $30. Forget where I found the code. I went to bing.com and searched for "midwayusa promo code" I think.

[FishInTx]

If your not figuring on saving much money, I'm assuming that you are purchasing brass. The real savings come into play when you pick up brass. I am spending just over $0.13 per round for 9mm, but I'm picking up brass. That's a signifigant savings over factory.

Golf?? I thought that was for people who couldn't get to the range on weekends.

I guess when I factor out the cost of the press, dies and assorted doo dads the savings goes way up. It'll take a few rounds to get there though. We've been saving brass for a few months now but we need to find or buy more.

Not sure what it is about golf. I like to fish but the boat can just sit there for months. I like to hunt but that's just in the fall. I really like to shoot and think it's important to protect myself and family but I just love to golf. I spend hours and hours just chipping around in the pasture. Shooting well and golfing well require similar aspects I guess. Training the right technique, getting the mind and body focused. Confidence, trust. All that good stuff. Maybe doing one will help the other.

[FishInTx]

The warning about reloading .40S&W (most commonly in Glocks) applies to 10mm and .357 Sig as well. These cartridges are all related and are all very high pressure cartridges. You must ensure that you have a barrel that supports as much of the case as possible when you are reloading them, unfortunately to increase reliability Glock does not support a significant portion of the case head which can lead to the case blowing out and causing a "Kaboom." Glock is not the only manufacturer that does this. I know that there are aftermarket barrels that support the case head better and they also use cut rifling so you can also load lead bullets (WARNING: EVEN GLOCK SAYS NOT TO SHOOT UNJACKETED LEAD BULLETS IN THEIR GUNS).

Think I'm gonna hold off on reloading .40s&w for now. I need to do a lot more reading and perhaps buy a new barrel. A lot of conflicting info out there. Yes you can reload/No you can't!!...I've got a few hundred 9 and .45 brass to keep me busy for a while. I'll load them for starters and see what happens. I did read about the unjacketed lead. I got the fmj's in all calibers.

I'm still working on the bench. Started to just throw a piece of plywood on top forget about it and go to work. I'm now sanding and filling cracks and resanding. Gonna stain, polyurethane and attach to desk tomorrow. Night

[G.A. Heath]

The warning about reloading .40S&W (most commonly in Glocks) applies to 10mm and .357 Sig as well. These cartridges are all related and are all very high pressure cartridges. You must ensure that you have a barrel that supports as much of the case as possible when you are reloading them, unfortunately to increase reliability Glock does not support a significant portion of the case head which can lead to the case blowing out and causing a "Kaboom." Glock is not the only manufacturer that does this. I know that there are aftermarket barrels that support the case head better and they also use cut rifling so you can also load lead bullets (WARNING: EVEN GLOCK SAYS NOT TO SHOOT UNJACKETED LEAD BULLETS IN THEIR GUNS).

Think I'm gonna hold off on reloading .40s&w for now. I need to do a lot more reading and perhaps buy a new barrel. A lot of conflicting info out there. Yes you can reload/No you can't!!...I've got a few hundred 9 and .45 brass to keep me busy for a while. I'll load them for starters and see what happens. I did read about the unjacketed lead. I got the fmj's in all calibers.

I'm still working on the bench. Started to just throw a piece of plywood on top forget about it and go to work. I'm now sanding and filling cracks and resanding. Gonna stain, polyurethane and attach to desk tomorrow. Night

As long as you take your time, inspect your cases, don't push the pressure limits, and reload in a smart manner you should be fine. If you want extra piece of mind then check out this barrel: http://www.lonewolfdist.com/Detail.aspx ... 67&CAT=238. In addition to that keep in mind that you need to get to where you trust your own reloads, for myself that was the hardest part.

[FishInTx]

As long as you take your time, inspect your cases, don't push the pressure limits, and reload in a smart manner you should be fine. If you want extra piece of mind then check out this barrel: http://www.lonewolfdist.com/Detail.aspx ... 67&CAT=238. In addition to that keep in mind that you need to get to where you trust your own reloads, for myself that was the hardest part.

Thanks for the link. I've got pretty good brass and will not be pushing any load limits. If I can afford a barrel down the road I'll be sure to get one. Trusting my own reloads?....Not very relaxing at first I bet. Detonating a small bomb at the end of my hand. What could go wromg? My 18 y/o son and I are working together. He's really the brains of the group. We'll cross check and double check each other. Then he can shoot the first group of reloads .

[Gyrogearhead]

Even if you use a progressive press that automatically drops the preset amount of powder it's vital to look into the case before you put the bullet on top.

Only forgot that step once, very early on and came just that close to a "KABOOM" at the range. Scared the beetlejuce out of me when I realized how close I'd come to loosing a good gun and maybe a finger or two with it.

Gerry

[ghostrider]

One bit of advice to you: check each case for powder before you put a bullet on top

I have an LED booklight clamped to the side of my Dillon press so I can better see the powder
level in each case.

Its similar to this light:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/p/home-gi ... 1935009252" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Jumping Frog]

One bit of advice to you: check each case for powder before you put a bullet on top

I visually verify the powder level in every single case before placing the bullet and cannot recommend this strongly enough.

[FishInTx]

I visually verify the powder level in every single case before placing the bullet and cannot recommend this strongly enough.

Being new to loading I voted against a progressive. Watching the videos it just seemed like there was too much going on at once for this novice to keep up with. Feeders and the press swirling, buzzing and clinking. I'll be in single stage for a while checking every step, especially powder.

[Jumping Frog]

Being new to loading I voted against a progressive. Watching the videos it just seemed like there was too much going on at once for this novice to keep up with. Feeders and the press swirling, buzzing and clinking. I'll be in single stage for a while checking every step, especially powder.

I have an easy little checklist that runs in my head for every press cycle: "pin, case, primer, powder". This means for every press cycle, I visually look at:

1. Pin: at top of stroke, is the decapping pin still in place. If the pin slides up, it means the case in station one didn't decap which will cause priming problems (can't insert a primer when the old primer is still there).
2. Case: approaching bottom of stroke, is the next case present and oriented right side up. If the case feeder has run out of cases in that tube, address it. Sometimes a case will be flipped upside down. Turn it over.
3. Primer: at bottom of stroke when the shell plate indexes, watch the primers slide down the chute. If there is no movement, then something is wrong and fix it.
4. Powder: look in the case at the powder level. If something is wrong, remove the primed case and set it aside.

What this means in real life is I am watching different portions of the press in different parts of the cycle to make sure everything is running smoothly. If something is a problem, I stop and address it before it creates bad ammo. It is more complicated to write out than it is to actually do it.

[FishInTx]

Got the bench/desk put together and polyurethaned. Need some good bolts to hold the press to the bench, a good desk lamp overhead, and a good chair or stool. I used liquid nails and some small 1 inch wood screws to attach the plywood to desk. Might start actually getting the dies into the right positions tomorrow. Thats got me a little confused. Do you have to put a case in and run it a bit to determine the right height to set them at? Saw video of it some where but can't remember it now. Bing video search should find it. or youtube. We'll make some dress rehersal rounds tomorrow. I'm off on Tuesday so depending on how things go we just might have our very own little babies that go BOOM!!!!Wish us luck if you don't hear back from us with more questions. We'll keep you posted with medical reports and lost limbs

[G.A. Heath]

Sounds good. Your dies should have come with instructions on how to set them up. Different dies have different setup proceedures and just to make things more confusing different brands do things a little different. When setting your bullet seating depth you will need a good set of calipers and a little time.

[FishInTx]

Sounds good. Your dies should have come with instructions on how to set them up. Different dies have different setup proceedures and just to make things more confusing different brands do things a little different. When setting your bullet seating depth you will need a good set of calipers and a little time.

When all else fails...read..the..directions!!! I was trying to "use the internet". Got the paperwork out and had them in in no time. I did use youtube for directions on how to read the balance scale. I don't like it. Need a digital. I used youtube to help with the auto powder measurer too.

Cranked out 6, yes, a whole 6 .45 rounds this evening. The auto measure said 4.4 grams but the scale read it at 4.0 grams. I tinkered with it a for a while but wanted to err on the light side so left it alone for now. Books say 4.4 to 4.9. Only 4.0 might be pretty weak. We'll find out tomorrow. It took me a couple rounds to get the seating depth right too. Way too deep at first. Took 4 uh oh's before I got it adjusted just right.
The powder feeder bumps in the primer feeder when cycling. Need another auto riser to keep from having to take the primer feeder off every round cycle. It'll take a little while to get it all working right but I'm excited and looking forward to really cranking out some ammo.