Old School Reloading
I don't need bushel baskets of ammo these days, so I enjoy sitting at my desk for some of the chores. I deprime with an Ideal No.3 or Lyman 310 tool and reprime with a standard RCBS priming tool. Not fast, but relaxing and enjoyable. ![[image]](images/uploaded/2012111417550650a3dafaddbd8.jpg)
![[image]](images/uploaded/2012111417555050a3db2627d95.jpg)
Old School Reloading
by lee jurras 
, Hagerman,NM, Wednesday, November 14, 2012, 12:50 (4394 days ago) @ Charles
I too load in the single stage manor, works well with 300 Win Mag, my Varmint rifle. And 475 and 500 Linebaugh's for all else. One should enjoy loading, not make a chore of it.IMHO 
Old School Reloading
I started reloading in 1958 at age 16 and found the process to be a gateway to being around adults, acting like and adult and being accepted by shooters as an adult. Therefore the process has always been pleasant and enjoyable for me. It continue to be so and most of my practices and tools have not changed much.
I have deleved into progressive reloading, but back away real quick when I double charged a 38 Special case and fired it in a good Colt Officers Model. No damage done, but that cured me of progressives.
BTW..I picked up a couple of boxes of Super-Vel 45 ACP ammo a few months back on a trade. It is still as fresh as new. I have fired one box and keep the other box for loading my 1911 mags, for serious social use.
Old School Reloading
by lee jurras , Hagerman,NM, Wednesday, November 14, 2012, 14:55 (4394 days ago) @ Charles
Charles I started similarly but at age 12 in 1946. Was fortunate to be mentored by such stalarts as Jerry Gebby, Lyle Kilborn and spent the summer of 1950 hanging around Whelen's gun shop in DC. Quite a few of the old timers came in and a real education listening to them talk guns and hunting. Used straight line stuff back then Had a 22-250 builtb by Hervey Lovell in 1939. The only components I had were what was available prior to WW2. Old metal IMR cans, member them? Some homemade bullets and some old Sisk bullets. Those were the good ole days. Huda thunk some day my LR varmint rifle would be a 300 Win Mag that puts 3 shots into 1/2" at 500 yds?? Back in the late 40's a 250 yd shot was a long one. Now its a 44 Mag shot.
Charles.... come over to the Dark Side. :-)
I know you don't like progressives, but I wouldn't shoot as much as I do without them - I just don't have the time it would take to load on a single stage. Granted, I agree there are way too many people jumping right in the deep end with progressives before they understand the basics. Bad News. However, properly adjusted, maintained, and operated, they are fine. It's the operators that are the problem. I run four Dillon 550Bs, one Dillon 1050, and one Redding T7.
Here's a couple of pics of the 1050 as I was loading M855 equivalent 5.56 ammo:
![[image]](http://home.comcast.net/~johnk454/pics/1050M855a.jpg)
![[image]](http://home.comcast.net/~johnk454/pics/1050M855b.jpg)
Also, it is pretty simple to use a 550 as a single stage if needed. My BPCR and fancy 6.5x55 ammo I load on the T7.
John K.
Charles.... come over to the Dark Side. :-)
by lee jurras , Hagerman,NM, Wednesday, November 14, 2012, 15:02 (4394 days ago) @ John K.
John K. I too have been on the dark side, my equipment made the Dillons look like single stage. I too shot a lot more, its easier when you own an ammo factory, that allowed me to shoot 100K of 44 Mag per year when I was running around the world hunting with a handgun. But I still like single stage and it allows me to shoot as much as I want. Cheers, LEJ
Of course, they aren't commercial grade - the big boys
would have really impressive automation.
What did you use back in the day? A few years ago I helped a friend set up a Camdex production machine for 40S&W - stations were inline, left to right, and advanced by way of a dog. Intermittant motion machine, all powered of course. Bullets, brass, primers, etc., all autofeed. Cost about $30K IIRC.
John K.
Of course, they aren't commercial grade - the big boys
by lee jurras , Hagerman,NM, Wednesday, November 14, 2012, 19:03 (4394 days ago) @ John K.
Much modified Mag-na-Matic,for powder charge and seating bullets. priming done on separate priming machines we built.All pieces fed by syntron bowels. Each primer machine would prime at the rate of one per second. The syntron bowls were aluminum, bowels had to be rebuilt after every 3-4 million rounds. just because of the primers feeding around the bowl would cut grooves where the primes were feeding. People can kinds understand the number one million, but have no concept of a million pieces of anything, much less handling a million parts.
Interesting - I have spent the last 27yrs as an engineer in
manufacturing; designing/building/programming/maintaining all sorts of equipment for military and commercial products. Used a lot of FMC vibratory bowls and Hoppman centrifugal bowls also.
Lots of people blink a few times when I tell them a normal day in our factory packaging condoms was 700,000 pieces... Machines wear out quickly at that rate, even when well built.
It's all about scale.
Interesting - I have spent the last 27yrs as an engineer in
by lee jurras , Hagerman,NM, Wednesday, November 14, 2012, 22:10 (4394 days ago) @ John K.
So true John..Have you ever seen a Manuhrin loading machine ? Absolute poetry in motion.
I have never heard of a Manurhin, much less seen one.
I did look around the web for pics and only found text references - including where one was installed at Lake City in 2008 for 7.62 ammo.
Will keep looking; I love machinery.
Thanks!
I have never heard of a Manurhin, much less seen one.
by lee jurras , Hagerman,NM, Thursday, November 15, 2012, 15:42 (4393 days ago) @ John K.
Manuhrin in France like Westinghouse or GE in the US. They make everything from Locomotives to pistols and about everything in between. Make for most arsenals. Was designed for loading FMJ projectiles. Just sitting running empty is a pleasure to watch. You would enjoy it. Should be a pix somewhere on the web. I've seen them just don't remember where. Back 25 years ago, for 308 loader ran about 160,000 us dollars.
Old School Reloading
I love the old RCBS priming tool like you pictured. It gives the best feel of any method I've ever tried.
I use a Lyman turret press and an old Bear press.
Primer seating
Seating primers with a tool that will allow you to feel when the primer is firmly seated in the bottom of the pocket will teach you much about just how much variety there is in primer pockets. They vary in depth as well as diameter. Accurate ammo requires proper primer seating.
Using tool that don't allow for this is not for me. Uniforming primer pockets helps, but still the primer needs to be seated with uniform pressure against the bottom of the pocket. The only way to do this is by feel.
Primer seating
by lee jurras , Hagerman,NM, Wednesday, November 14, 2012, 22:35 (4394 days ago) @ Charles
Yep, when the anvil legs make contact with the bottom of primer pocket this moves the anvil closer to the bottom of the cup, thus sensitizing the primer.This reference is to the Boxer type.The primer or igniter ignites the powder by heat rather than shock. Altho the priming compound seems like an explosive rate, the powder is actually ignited by heat from the flame rather than the shock of the priming compound which ignites at some 18-20,000 fps. FWIW dept. 
Primer seating
I still do my priming on a press. BUT I have a set of ancient Lyman concave priming punches which contact only the outside circumference of modern flat-cup primers. They give wonderful feel and just enough stress between anvil and cup with no danger of crushing the pellet. In 35 years of reloading, I've never primed with anything else and never crushed a pellet. I can remember having one primer that wasn't fully seated and didn't fire - brain fade on my part, more'n likely.
Primer seating
by lee jurras , Hagerman,NM, Thursday, November 15, 2012, 22:48 (4393 days ago) @ Catoosa
I too on occasion use a press, But have at one time or another used about all on the market. Including the tried and true 310 Tong. My favorites are the RCBS and Lee. The Lee feels better in the hand, buts that is only a personal thing. The Sinclair is probably the highest quality, also the highest price. Whatever the choice its a very important step.
Primer seating
by lee jurras , Hagerman,NM, Thursday, November 15, 2012, 23:10 (4393 days ago) @ Catoosa
I guess at one time or another have tried about all on the market. Still use a press on occasion, but mostly a Lee or RCBS, Lee gives a better feel in hand, but that is a personal thing, RCBS seems more positive feel. But whatever the personal feeling, feel hand seating is best for total dependability. Still MIL-SPEC allows 6 misfires per million. When you get one of those six, just hope it isn't during a Bear charge.
I remember one year the Nat'l Police PPC Championships held in Bloomington, IN
Al Sayge the defending Nat'l Champ at the 7 Yd. Line, got 3 rounds misfired, blew the primers and locked up his gun. The cartridge cases didn't have flash holes.....
This was out of a lot of 1 million rounds purchased by the City of NY for their pistol team. Odds and Stats...
Old School Reloading
All . . . BUT ALL of my reloading and cast sizing for my 44 was done on one of those 310 tong tools!
And in those days I shot many a round, at least for the days.
Now with a 550 I may burn a lot more some days.
All my priming for single stage loadin is done with a lee Autoprime. That was 800 - 1000 7mm Mags last year.
Mag is a fun plinker with cast projies.
Old School Reloading
by lee jurras , Hagerman,NM, Thursday, November 15, 2012, 22:52 (4393 days ago) @ RidinLou
Man, there sure is a bunch of old farts on this board. 
Old (Fart) School Reloading
We ain't old farts, we's just sophisticated, mature and experienced gentlemens who happen to like Mexican food. (Just got back from Jalisco out on Highway 70)
Old (Fart) School Reloading
by lee jurras , Hagerman,NM, Thursday, November 15, 2012, 23:39 (4393 days ago) @ Catoosa
Glad you told me , I thought based on equipment some of you mature gentlemen might be as old as I.
Old farts
At 52 I'm not all that old, but I started handloading (shotgun shells) before I was old enough to drive. Started loading rifle ammo when I got my first centerfire rifle (a .243) a couple of years later.
Old farts
by lee jurras , Hagerman,NM, Friday, November 16, 2012, 13:53 (4392 days ago) @ Warhawk
Warhawk, no you are practically a teen ager. My oldest daughter is just two years older than you. She was helping me load in the basement at age 9-10.But has forgotten most of the details, never did load on her own, but understands the basics, not really why one would ream primer pockets and or flash holes.