Boy did I screw the pooch!

[Perplexed]

I still think I'd like to try a progressive setup for plinking loads. Using a single stage for plinking range fodder pretty well sucked.

I had two Dillon 650’s and sold one since I wasn’t doing anything with them. If I was routinely shooting esoteric calibers, I might gird my loins and do battle with the reloader, but since I shoot common calibers, like you said I’d rather buy commercial ammo and save myself the time otherwise spent reloading.

 

[rickm]

If you think of reloading as a chore then it becomes a chore and you wont like it, you work on it in your spare time doing one step at a time and move on to something else til you get better at it trying to make everything precise in the beginning will make it frustrating, I understand that you want to make something the best you can but alot of people over thinks this and it turns them against it or put it on the back burner. Just slow down do what it is suppose to be something to do so you can get out and enjoy the sport of shooting the quickness and precision will come with time and experience. It can be a very relaxing hobby if you make it one or it can go the other way if you let it.

I have been on a 2 week lock down home quarantine the last 2 weeks and to pass the time i worked a couple K of brass slowly and even got 80#'s of lead melted down into ingots while i was off just to keep me busy and keep from having a funeral in the back yard cause me and wife was getting on each other nerves since she wasnt ready for me to be home 24/7 for 2 weeks. (J?K on the funeral).

 

[Okie4570]

I've never cleaned a die in my life

 

[rickm]

I've never cleaned a die in my life

I wish i could say that but by fault of my own i have had to clean a few sizing dies cause i used to much lube while resizing till i learned .

 

[Glock 40]

To the Op I wouldn't worry about it. Load a safe load and shoot it. I promise you lots of ammo has been fired like that without the reloader knowing they were just under. Most folks aren't measuring headspace I would imagine. It will grow a bit after being shot and you will be all good.

As for reloading, it can be tedious for sure. I wouldn't enjoy loading pistol on a single stage. I have to be in the right mood and when I am I kick on some tunes and go to my happy reloading place. I do spend money to invest in things that make the parts I don't enjoy go easier and faster. Throwing powder and case prep are time consuming boring pieces. So I bought tools to help it go faster.

I can tell you while I value my time as money. I can build a superior rifle load to what I can buy usually for well under half the cost of match loads. For pistol I wouldn't bother messing with it without a progressive press. Either way its extremely satisfying to see your loads make tiny holes in paper or ring steel.

My son has done prep for me since I started messing with reloading. He turned 11 in January, and built his first AR. I helped him develop a couple loads for it. He successfully rung steel all the way to 640 yards the farthest our range goes. That is exciting for anyone with a gun you built and ammo you made.

 

[Cowcatcher]

I’m assuming you’re not wanting to full length size? If you’re running a full length size die, I don’t see how you could overdo it. My full length dies are set to bottom out on shell plate and then just enough more to create cam over. What I’m saying is, I don’t see how it’s possible with what I understand, for you to create unsafe ammo due to resizing brass down too far. Now, if you like to size and just bump the shoulder back to a spec that you’ve chosen based on your experience with your gun, yeah you could produce ammo that doesn’t meet your personal specs but it has nothing to do with specs that are safe.

edit: I just read the op a fourth time. Full length sizing is the wanted result. A full length die is set to bottom out on shellplate plus a tick more in my experience. I must be sizing all my brass down too far.

 

[thor447]

I wish i could say that but by fault of my own i have had to clean a few sizing dies cause i used to much lube while resizing till i learned .

That's why I cleaned mine.

 

[thor447]

I’m assuming you’re not wanting to full length size? If you’re running a full length size die, I don’t see how you could overdo it. My full length dies are set to bottom out on shell plate and then just enough more to create cam over. What I’m saying is, I don’t see how it’s possible with what I understand, for you to create unsafe ammo due to resizing brass down too far. Now, if you like to size and just bump the shoulder back to a spec that you’ve chosen based on your experience with your gun, yeah you could produce ammo that doesn’t meet your personal specs but it has nothing to do with specs that are safe.

edit: I just read the op a fourth time. Full length sizing is the wanted result. A full length die is set to bottom out on shellplate plus a tick more in my experience. I must be sizing all my brass down too far.

That's exactly what the instructions on my die set said to do. No matter, honestly I'm not a fan of the Lee turret press, as the turret plate has some play in it (as designed by Lee). There is a smoking deal on RCBS Rock Chucker presses right now at Cabelas and I think I'd like to switch to a more traditional single stage press that does not have a any movement with the dies as the press is ran. I think this will allow me to dial in much more precision within my process. I've been able to play around with one recently and it just seemed like a better setup for my purposes. If I can find one in stock locally, I'm going to pick it up and sell of my Lee turret press which is only about 4 months old (nothing wrong with it). Then set my dies with Lock & Load inserts in the single stage press, and begin anew.

 

[okierider]

Not for me I’ve reloaded perhaps 700 pistol rounds including mouse fart loads, and would much rather be working on something else like a shop project. The fiddly and tediously repetitive nature of reloading isn’t my cup of tea.

I have shop projects all day everyday and constantly have this voice in my head going over every small detail all day!! So being able to put a little music on and just shut everything out except this 1 task for a few minutes is just relaxing. Knocking holes in paper or hunting with what I put together is icing on the cake.

 

[swampratt]

I'm not a fan of the Lee turret press, as the turret plate has some play in it

By all means get a single stage..Can't have too many presses..well maybe.

I tested my 4 hole turret press against the single stage and they both produce the same ammo accuracy.

I did not like the play either.
I have different shell holders and different .308 dies and each one will act a certain way.
One shell holder will allow .008" set back and another sets my shoulder back .001"
I have no issues with my guns and .223/5.56 and my dies. but my buddies gun has a short chamber and Instead of just touching the shell holder I need to turn the die in another 3/4 turn.
There will be slack in threads that will play games with reloading.

Another thing I found is if I very lightly lube the case and lube the inside neck I will have a different shoulder measurement than if I forgo the inside neck lubing.

I get longer shoulder without the lube..I can actually pull it longer than a fired round by .003"

I tried this for lubing necks.
https://www.amazon.com/Redding-Imperial-Convenience-Application-Media/dp/B00PFY0M90

Wow hated it!
Had to apply a lot of force to size the cases and they came out all different.