Guns and Ammo Thread

[Honkey_Kong]

I mainly shoot 9mm and .45ACP. There are spells where(if I have time) I will load and shoot through quite a decent quantity of ammo. So, I generally shoot lead and basic loads using W231 or the like.

For my jacketed HP rounds, I'm spoiled and pay the extra for Vihtavuori.

Pretty sure I've posted this pic before, but this is an old defunct dorm room type refrigerator that I keep stocked. It doesn't look like there's that much there, but I've got is stacked deep.

Damn Lyman dies? Those are pretty nice. Most of my calibers are with Lee dies. They're good enough and meet the specs. I've heard they wear out quickly, but I've been generous with the lube so I've never had one wear out after thousands of handloads.

Normally, with jacketed pistol rounds, I like to use Power Pistol. But a lot of times lately, for cast rounds, I've been using WST (mostly because my local store keeps it in stock).

[almostgone]

Damn Lyman dies? Those are pretty nice. Most of my calibers are with Lee dies. They're good enough and meet the specs. I've heard they wear out quickly, but I've been generous with the lube so I've never had one wear out after thousands of handloads.

Normally, with jacketed pistol rounds, I like to use Power Pistol. But a lot of times lately, for cast rounds, I've been using WST (mostly because my local store keeps it in stock).

Yes sir, I learned with Lyman dies and have just stuck with them. I have a Lyman T-Mag turret press and a Redding Big Boss single stage press.
2 Lyman 55 powder measures. One for pistol powders and one for rifle powders....I know, lol, I'm weird like that.

[Honkey_Kong]

Yes sir, I learned with Lyman dies and have just stuck with them. I have a Lyman T-Mag turret press and a Redding Big Boss single stage press.
2 Lyman 55 powder measures. One for pistol powders and one for rifle powders....I know, lol, I'm weird like that.

I've been using the Lee powder measure I've had since I got in to it. If you don't know how to tap the base of the measure, it won't pour the right amount in to the casing. If I give it 4 good taps when you raise the lever up to fill the base, it's pretty close within .1 grains (according to my measure). If you don't do that or if you tap top much, I've been as many as 3 grains off before. Which for a rifle load doesn't make much difference, but for pistols it's a huge difference.

Also I've found the measure is more difficult to get to work properly if you're using flat flakes of powder like in shotgun powders.

[almostgone]

I've been using the Lee powder measure I've had since I got in to it. If you don't know how to tap the base of the measure, it won't pour the right amount in to the casing. If I give it 4 good taps when you raise the lever up to fill the base, it's pretty close within .1 grains (according to my measure). If you don't do that or if you tap top much, I've been as many as 3 grains off before. Which for a rifle load doesn't make much difference, but for pistols it's a huge difference.

Also I've found the measure is more difficult to get to work properly if you're using flat flakes of powder like in shotgun powders.

Yes sir, once you develop a method to give a consistent charge, stick with it. For me, I cycle the knocker 3 times every charge. If it's been a while since I loaded, I throw a charge and weight it. Then I'll throw 10 more individual charges and check that last one. After that I spot check as long as I'm still on the same lot # of powder and haven't changed anything.

Flake powder can be a pain to meter properly. If I had to deal with it a lot, I'd probably consider a trickler.

[almostgone]

I've been using the Lee powder measure I've had since I got in to it. If you don't know how to tap the base of the measure, it won't pour the right amount in to the casing. If I give it 4 good taps when you raise the lever up to fill the base, it's pretty close within .1 grains (according to my measure). If you don't do that or if you tap top much, I've been as many as 3 grains off before. Which for a rifle load doesn't make much difference, but for pistols it's a huge difference.

Also I've found the measure is more difficult to get to work properly if you're using flat flakes of powder like in shotgun powders.

If you get the chance, buy a pound of Vihtavuori that is appropriate for the caliber you're loading. It's not the cheapest, so that's why I reserve it for my defensive loads. The reduction in muzzle flash from Vihtavuori compared to most other powders is noticeable.