Bought an old reloader it’s a tank

Michele

Michele

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Tired of paying for ammo and jumping hoops for the state of CA to enjoy our rights. Hubby bought a new rifle and they required proof of gun safe. Geezzzzz. What’s next ? Here’s the new equipment.
Any suggestions / recommendations what else we should acquire.



IMG_3526.jpeg
 
Very cool! First time reloading? I have not gone down that rabbit hole... yet.

Michele said:
Tired of paying for ammo and jumping hoops for the state of CA to enjoy our rights.
Click to expand...
Stick it to the man! ;)

Michele said:
Hubby bought a new rifle and they required proof of gun safe. Geezzzzz. What’s next ?
Click to expand...
Who? The gun dealer asks? What constitutes "proof?"
 
Yes. You want the whole list, or just the top 10? ;)

What you have there is a turret press. It is suitable for loading pistol ammo, but doesn't have the required leverage for bottle necked rifle cartridges.

To load rifle ammo, I recommend looking for a used RCBS Rockchucker press. (Not the Rockchucker Jr.)
The Rockchucker has two struts that run from the frame to the toggle to provide compound leverage to resize rifle cartridges. Lyman, Hornady and Lee all make a similar press.
Do not be afraid to buy a used one, they are built like a tank. The one I use is 45 years old and works just fine.
You should be able to find a used one for less than $100. $75-80 is typical. If it looks like this one, it may sell for less. It will clean up fine, even the rust.
1758910264006.png


When you buy pistol dies for any straight wall cartridges such as 9mm/38/357/44 etc. always buy a die set with a carbide sizer.

You will have a bunch of questions. Read these first, then ask away.

Tutorial - Pistol Reloading 101

@no4mk1t submitted a new resource: Pistol Reloading 101 - Tutorial: Basic reloading typical pistol and revolver cartridges. Pistol Reloading 101 This will be a basic overview on how to load typical pistol and revolver cartridges. We will only be talking about the most basic of reloading...
www.patriotgunbuilders.com www.patriotgunbuilders.com

Tutorial - Rifle Reloading 101

no4mk1t submitted a new resource: Rifle Reloading 101 - A basic overview on how to do it Once again, this is a basic look at rifle reloading. Consider these instructions applicable mostly to a bolt action. Reloading for auto loaders and lever guns have some additional steps. The M1/M14/M1A...
www.patriotgunbuilders.com www.patriotgunbuilders.com


Tutorial - Powder Coated Cast Bullets

If you've ever done much cast bullet shooting, you know that in exchange for less expensive bullets, you have to deal with things that are not a problem for jacketed bullet shooters. Powder coating makes shooting cast bullets as easy as jacketed and no more sticky lube, lube smoke, melted lube...
www.patriotgunbuilders.com www.patriotgunbuilders.com
 
Racer88 said:
Very cool! First time reloading? I have not gone down that rabbit hole... yet.


Stick it to the man! ;)


Who? The gun dealer asks? What constitutes "proof?"
Click to expand...
Yes newbie reloading.
Gun dealer. Had to send him a photo of the safe. Was good nuff 😂😂😂
 
no4mk1t said:
Yes. You want the whole list, or just the top 10? ;)

What you have there is a turret press. It is suitable for loading pistol ammo, but doesn't have the required leverage for bottle necked rifle cartridges.

To load rifle ammo, I recommend looking for a used RCBS Rockchucker press. (Not the Rockchucker Jr.)
The Rockchucker has two struts that run from the frame to the toggle to provide compound leverage to resize rifle cartridges. Lyman, Hornady and Lee all make a similar press.
Do not be afraid to buy a used one, they are built like a tank. The one I use is 45 years old and works just fine.
You should be able to find a used one for less than $100. $75-80 is typical. If it looks like this one, it may sell for less. It will clean up fine, even the rust.
View attachment 35248

When you buy pistol dies for any straight wall cartridges such as 9mm/38/357/44 etc. always buy a die set with a carbide sizer.

You will have a bunch of questions. Read these first, then ask away.

Tutorial - Pistol Reloading 101

@no4mk1t submitted a new resource: Pistol Reloading 101 - Tutorial: Basic reloading typical pistol and revolver cartridges. Pistol Reloading 101 This will be a basic overview on how to load typical pistol and revolver cartridges. We will only be talking about the most basic of reloading...
www.patriotgunbuilders.com www.patriotgunbuilders.com

Tutorial - Rifle Reloading 101

no4mk1t submitted a new resource: Rifle Reloading 101 - A basic overview on how to do it Once again, this is a basic look at rifle reloading. Consider these instructions applicable mostly to a bolt action. Reloading for auto loaders and lever guns have some additional steps. The M1/M14/M1A...
www.patriotgunbuilders.com www.patriotgunbuilders.com


Tutorial - Powder Coated Cast Bullets

If you've ever done much cast bullet shooting, you know that in exchange for less expensive bullets, you have to deal with things that are not a problem for jacketed bullet shooters. Powder coating makes shooting cast bullets as easy as jacketed and no more sticky lube, lube smoke, melted lube...
www.patriotgunbuilders.com www.patriotgunbuilders.com
Click to expand...
Will give your information to Patrick. He’s doing the labor. When he came home with that old used hunk of metal I was delighted he didn’t get a new one. Love old real iron tools. Don’t make them like that anymore.
Thank you- knew you had our 6 on this process 🥰🙌🙌🙌
 
Michele said:
Will give your information to Patrick. He’s doing the labor. When he came home with that old used hunk of metal I was delighted he didn’t get a new one. Love old real iron tools. Don’t make them like that anymore.
Thank you- knew you had our 6 on this process 🥰🙌🙌🙌
Click to expand...
Understand that is a very basic overview. If you want more details, ask. (y)
 
Also, buy reloading books...
I have a few versions of the Hornady manual, including the newest

You can also just buy data for the cartridges you plan to reload

I cross reference the data from the manual with data from the powder manufacture (In my case it's all on the hodgon site)

Reloading Data Center – Hodgdon Reloading Data Center

hodgdonreloading.com hodgdonreloading.com

I also look at the bullet manufacturer's site. If they have no data you can usually go with the reloading information for a similar bullet.
Start close to the low end of the powder range and test.

For my 45ACP with 230 grain round nose copper plate I did 30 each at 5.6, 5.8, and 6.0 grains of CFEPistol where the low range is 5.4 and the high range is 6.2.

That's a little over three magazines of each load.
Then I take them to the range and shoot them at a target with my pistol on a solid rest to attemt to eliminate as many variables as possible.

Sadly, the day I was testing my first 90 the targets were swaying in the wind, but so far the best seems to be the 5.8 grain versions.
I use a paper plate withe a 4 inch circle in the center and a round count of 5 per each. the 5.8's were closer together than any others, with 3 touching each other.

Now I need followup testing incliuding without the rest, and with my new chronograph.

I do the same with rifle cartridges.

I'm mostly a newbi though, so I expect some feedback from no4mk1t 🤣
 
NavyVette said:
I'm mostly a newbi though, so I expect some feedback from no4mk1t 🤣
Click to expand...
You seem to be on the right track. Incremental powder increases to find the sweet spot.

If you haven't seen this thread, build one of these.

PVC Target Stand

Made a couple of these about 20 years ago and they've worked great. If you have private land to shoot on, and especially if you have to carry it any distance, these are super light and a lot more convenient and inexpensive to make compared to just about anything else that isn't free. Being you...
www.patriotgunbuilders.com www.patriotgunbuilders.com

If you want some of these targets, DM me your info and the Postman will bringeth. ;)

1758940163126.png
 
Be prepared to through-bolt that press to a sturdy table. No clamps or wood screws please... ;)

Debay is a good source for parts and dies. GB for the rarer stuff. Zamazom (and debay) for loading manuals.
 
Precision Reloacing has free hazmat now:

Shop Rifle & Shotgun Reloading Supplies | Dies | Bullets | Hulls | Wads | Powder - Precision Reloading

Shop online for shotshell and metallic reloading supplies, shooting supplies, metallic presses, rifle reloading components, shotshell reloading components, shooting accessories, rifle reloading brass and Bullets.
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I forgot to mention in my load ups I also compare primers if I have multiple brands - so on my target I will print something like 45 ACP 6.2 FIo for fiocchi or Win for Winchester, etcetera

I'd do the same if I was comparing powder.

So, my 45 load up was 30 each of the three powder loads and the two primers or 180 total rounds.
 
So California now require you to show pictures inside your home to provenyou have a safe before they'll sell you a firearm.. wow... how you store your weapons in your home is none of their business.. typical communist B/S.... wouldn't catch me in that toilet under any circumstances
 
If I had to show a picture of a gun safe it'd probably get me in trouble in commiefornia. Here in Texas they'd probably reply with "That looks like a nice little starter kit".

Been reloading 9, 40, 44Mag, 5.56, 223, and 300BLK. Need to get a set of dies for 308 though. Double check everything before starting, get a good scale and check loads often (especially if you are using a progressive), and write down everything you can think of along the way as far as powder, weights, projectiles, even primers as no4mk1t says, and brass by brand. I haven't figured out how the make of brass effects accuracy but it does on precision loads. Use multiple sources to get load data. You'll also want to track how many times that you've reloaded a case as brass can only handle so much pressure so many times. Lighter loads will last longer but precision doesn't always like light loads.

Other equipment to get if you are reloading bottle neck cases is a trimmer and dial caliper or micrometer to check and adjust case length. I haven't had to trim any handgun cases yet but I do check them periodically when prepping them. And trays for setting out cases when you are reloading. You can 3D print these as well and customize them to fit your needs/wants.

Carbide dies are great for handgun ammo as they don't 'require' case lube but I still use a little bit with them. There's a few different ways to lubricate your brass depending on what type of lube you use. I use a lube pad and roll my brass on it.

Then you're going to want a brass cleaner of some sort. There's ultrasonic and tumblers that I am familiar with (I use a tumbler with walnut shell). Some methods are quicker than others but in the end nothing beats nice shiny clean brass.

I really hope you weren't trying to avoid going down a rabbit hole with this. It CAN be as addictive as building pmf's. And get costly if you allow it. But knowing you have the equipment, ability, and supplies to keep you shooting can be more than just satisfying.
 
I dont think that base is heavy enough :)
 
Did a little internet checking.
What you have is a vintage Texan Model T turret press circa 1960.
While it does not have the force multiplication of the Rock Chucker type press, it is capable of resizing 5.56X45, and 7.62X51 cases, but it will take more effort. Use a good Lanolin based case lube.
 
no4mk1t said:
Did a little internet checking.
What you have is a vintage Texan Model T turret press circa 1960.
While it does not have the force multiplication of the Rock Chucker type press, it is capable of resizing 5.56X45, and 7.62X51 cases, but it will take more effort. Use a good Lanolin based case lube.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info, I also did research and correctly identified the press. I thought is was RCBS at first due to the powder thrower being labeled as such. I soon realized my mistake. I have been looking for a manual however the only ones I could find were for the texan progressive shotgun shell loader. I am primarily going to be loading .38 Spl & .357 Mag for my Henry rifle, I may reload for my other handgun calibers in the future.
 
Patrick said:
Thanks for the info, I also did research and correctly identified the press. I thought is was RCBS at first due to the powder thrower being labeled as such. I soon realized my mistake. I have been looking for a manual however the only ones I could find were for the texan progressive shotgun shell loader. I am primarily going to be loading .38 Spl & .357 Mag for my Henry rifle, I may reload for my other handgun calibers in the future.
Click to expand...
Aside from a little lube on the moving parts, you're not going to have any adjustments or anything on the press. All the set up and adjustments are done with the dies. The instructions that come with the dies will guide you on that.
Holler if you need help.
 
High altitude overview of what you have there.

A fine older press that will serve well for pistol caliber reloading tasks. For that style press, things have evolved and they are much stronger and stiffer than what that one was. The multi hole concept was way ahead of its time and took a long time for single stage press people to warm up to it. I don't know if you can still get turret plates for that press. If you can, it allows you set up once and run that ammo without having to change out and reset dies. That is a huge time saver. Disassemble and clean and lightly lube that press. Make sure it is smooth operating with no hang ups or wobbly spots in the stroke.

I have an RCBS powder measure just like the picture. It is a pain in the rear. It can throw 100 good charges the go off the rails for no reason. Then it's on again without messing with anything. I've had better luck with the cheapest Lee adjustable powder measures. Improvements to these have been incremental over the years. A modern one is far more reliable. I don't know what they have done to make them better or if yours can be smoothed over to work better. For perspective, the RCBS powder measure was a huge improvement over scooping and weighing each charge which is how it was done before powder measures were a thing.

It looks like you have dies with it. Almost all pistol dies try to seat the bullet AND crimp in the same step. All it really does is inconsistently seat the bullet and crush the case at random. Seat bullets and crimp in separate steps. Lee Factory Crimp dies are great. You prevent the seating die from crimping by unscrewing/raising the die until the crimp area doesn't touch the case.

You have a good start but will need a lot more stuff to get started. A tool here, a trimmer there. It won't be cheap and you can't reload for much cheaper than you can buy. No price tag on making your own ammo.

Before you get to making ammo you need these tools as minimum:
A way to clean used brass
A scale to weigh powder
Dies for each caliber
Trimmer
Kinetic bullet puller

That's a good amount to digest, I'll check in later.
 

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