Lockdown Reloading

Extend your shooting experience while reducing the cost of your ammunition!
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donhuff
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Lockdown Reloading

Post by donhuff »

With all this time at home, I'm able to get a bunch of casting and loading done, that I have been wanting to do for a while.

I got some 30-357s loaded yesterday, along with some 38 supers, and pulled some 458 winchester magnums that I didn't like the looks of, and reworked the brass and reloaded with 13.0 of 800x and some Ranch Dog 350 grain cast. This load makes the 458 actually FUN to shoot. Not painful at all and pretty accurate.
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Don Huff

to bad those that know it all, cant do it all!
16" SS 92 357
20" BL 92 357
20" SS 92 44
20" BL 92 44
20" Bl 92 45C
20" Bl 92 454
SS Rio Grande 30-30
Bl Rio Grande 45-70
donhuff
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Re: Lockdown Reloading

Post by donhuff »

then today I got back at it and loaded some new 45 Auto Rim brass with 230 grain RFP bullets and 5.0 grains of a new powder Sport Pistol.

That powder seem to work good in auto pistols being really clean burning and east to make the action work. Thought that I would try it in the revolver just for the heck of it.

I also loaded up a bunch of those danged oddball cases that seem to accumulate on my work bench. You know the ones that seem to show up right after you just finished with that caliber and have put the dies up and moved on to something else. The one that drop to the floor and roll up under the bench, only to be found next time your loading, when you drop three of a different caliber, and you decied that's enough that you should pick them up right now. Then you pick em up and put them in that "special place" where you put the ODDBALLS, and then there they sit! I move them to the left for a month or two, then put them over there cause their in the way. Then next time there's a few more, but naturally there in a different caliber!!! Then after six months or so there is a double hand full of them and there aint 12 of them in the same caliber. ... Well I got them suckers loaded today damit. I spent more time changing dies and shell holders, that I did pulling the handle. BUT FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, there isn't a single oddball empty case sitting there wishing it had been included with the other one hundred and ninty nine that got loaded last year!
Don Huff

to bad those that know it all, cant do it all!
16" SS 92 357
20" BL 92 357
20" SS 92 44
20" BL 92 44
20" Bl 92 45C
20" Bl 92 454
SS Rio Grande 30-30
Bl Rio Grande 45-70
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kaycee
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Re: Lockdown Reloading

Post by kaycee »

I really like the looks of that 30-357. I know you were talking about rechambering you're 92 a few years back looks like it got done. How do they shoot? I too have been reloading like a madman since this virus crap started, but thankfully I have plenty of supplies to keep me busy for awhile. When all this virus stuff is over with we'll have to get out and shoot some. Take care.
Kevin
________
20" SS 92 - .357 Mag
20" SS 92 - .44 Mag
20" SS 92 - .45 LC
20" SS 92 - .454 Casull
donhuff
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Re: Lockdown Reloading

Post by donhuff »

Hey Kaycee, long time no see.

Well, I did get something converted to the 30-357 round, but it's not a rossi. I had a cylinder left from my 45 colt blackhawk. It Is a convertible model 45c and 45 acp. Sine I bought the gun in 1975, I think that I had used the acp cylinder twice! Rimless rounds in a revolver SUCK period! Maybe if you used nothing but factory rounds they would be ok, but for me and using reloads exclusively, they are just not worth the extra trouble involved in making them function correctly. To short and the firing pin wont reach, to long and the cylinder wont rotate, have to be careful with the crimp, and bullet diameter.

So that acp cylinder has been on the shelf above the loading press for several years, and one day while loading up some 45 colt, and wondering WHY they made the chambers so danged big, and we resize so little, I mean there is like a 10 thousands difference, and that is working the brass to death. Then it dawned on me that the acp was smaller in diameter (I think), and yes it is. And the chambers are not as big as the colt by a few thousands. And if I were to lengthen the chambers in the acp cylinder, I could actually make them even a little smaller in the extended part to get a better fit up closer to the mouth of the case. Well. It worked. I didn't keep it as small as I hoped, by the time I got it polished up, but it is a few thousands smaller than the colt chamber.

Now, I had a left over colt cylinder sitting on the shelf for a few years. Then one day another inspiration hit me and I was wondering if I could make an insert/adapter to fit in the old cylinder, to reduce the ID of the hole, like the old S&W model 53 22 jet. Then ream the hole to fit the 30-357! And use it in my 30 carbine blackhawk. The 45 cylinder fit into the 30 carbine frame OK, it has a pretty wide frame/ cylinder gap, but big deal. I already had the case forming resizing die, and the other loading dies made, and was waiting for some way to rechamber a gun for it. I made one adapter, made it on the tight side, and had to use a press to push it into the cylinder. I got to thinking that this might actually work! It would be so nice to finally have a rimmed cartridge to fire in the carbine blackhawk, Straight walled rimless is bad enough but that tapered case of the carbine, in a revolver, is pure reloaders madness!!!!

I loaded up a few rounds, with UNIQUE (of course), and gave it a try. IT SHOOTS! It looked promising enough that I went ahead and made five more adapters and got them press in. I then loaded some more rounds and was able to shoot a whole cylinder full. But after two firings, to my surprise, the adapters were backing out. I pressed them back out and cleaned them up good with acetone, then slathered them good with Locktite and pressed them back in. It hold liners in barrels so I figured it might hold the adapters in too, and it does.

Now it's time for the real test, can I even hit a target! To my surprise again, it's as accurate as it ever was. So then I started on the usual new cartridge reloading schedule. Fire forming and powder testing. I pushed an 85 grain hollow point to right at 1900 fps! And loud, or should I say LOUD!!! OMG it is ridiculously loud.

To date I have shot it maybe 1000 to 1200 times, and it took a bit of redoing the dies and reshaping the chambers smoothing and straightening the case walls, tapering the chamber walls a little, and during all that the shoulder got mover forward more than I really wanted but it finally chambers and fires right. And the cases do not setback and lock up the cylinder rotation like it did at first.

I need to load them both up one day (carbine and 30-357) with the same powders and bullets, and have a head to head compassion to see what the real difference is. But the rimmed case makes it worth it in my book.
Don Huff

to bad those that know it all, cant do it all!
16" SS 92 357
20" BL 92 357
20" SS 92 44
20" BL 92 44
20" Bl 92 45C
20" Bl 92 454
SS Rio Grande 30-30
Bl Rio Grande 45-70
donhuff
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Re: Lockdown Reloading

Post by donhuff »

Then a few months ago I got another one! A revolver that shoots rimless I mean.

Another convertible blackhawk, in 40 S&W and 10mm. This one doesn't even have a rimmed bullet to use. So I reamed the 40 cylinder to 401 powermag and it is turning out to be a good cartridge.
Don Huff

to bad those that know it all, cant do it all!
16" SS 92 357
20" BL 92 357
20" SS 92 44
20" BL 92 44
20" Bl 92 45C
20" Bl 92 454
SS Rio Grande 30-30
Bl Rio Grande 45-70
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Re: Lockdown Reloading

Post by NavyDoc76-80 »

Had to come back today to relearn some things from a few years ago. It was good to read my ole’ friends posts again. Saw this heading from Don and thought, yeah, this has been a catch up year for me too. Last few months alone has seen more bench time for myself, then last few years. Most of my bench time last two years has been loading for a friend who does long range stuff with the 6.5 Creedmoor in Montana. But now it’s time to get back to my Rossi rifles. Have 500 45Colt cases belled and ready to load. Trying to decide to go Ruger/Contender only loads ( saw RD’s comment on 30kpsi is his preferred load) or go wimpy standard loads. This for a 250gr and 200 gr. In short, the books don’t list the 200 for hotter loads. Have plenty of H110/296 & Li’gun for the 30kpsi and 250gr.
Happy Shooting & Happy Holidays
Dave M
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20" SS .357
16" SS .44
20" SS .45C
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