45 / 50 Caliber Reloading

[eightmillimeter]

Originally Posted by KeithB

what is the difference between the 3 or 4 die sets?

Thanks

The 4 die set includes the factory crimp die. It is worth it's weight in gold. The Lee factory crimp die not only crimps but it post sizes the entire loaded round with a carbide ring. You get a great crimp die that is easy to adjust and you will never have a stoppage from an oversized round. If you are new to reloading the 4 die set is a must, as a lot of inexperienced reloaders' techniques will cause small case bulges that will prevent an otherwise good round from chambering.

[Rustynuts]

A lot of progressive presses have even 5 or 6 holes for dies. This allows you to be creative. You can put a powder check die between powder feed and bullet feed, you can use the factory crimp die after the bullet seat/crimp die, you can use a separate decapping die and use the resizing die in the primer slot to keep the brass steady while priming. Lots of ways to do it, depending on the press.

My Loadmaster has a 5-hole turret, so my order is;

1 - decap only with universal decapper
2 - resize and prime
3 - flare and powder feed
4 - bullet seat, no crimp
5 - factory crimp
DONE!

Wish I had 6 holes for a powder measure AND factory crimp. You can also do some of these as a separate operation, like decap all brass first, then clean & polish, or run the factory crimp separately (you might have to crimp first with the seating die to ensure the bullet doesn't move while handling between operations).

[XDPete]

Great thread on reloading. I am going to get a machine eventually - lots of good explaination here!

Pete

[one-eyed-fatman]

Bummer, I was looking for any 185 or 200 grain bullet loads for 45.

[Liquid Rhino]

I was looking at the Speer #14 manual and it's listing 230gr FMJ's w/ load of 5.6gr start - 6.2gr max using 231... thing is, every other guide & web resource lists 231 at 4.8 start - 5.3gr max. That would set the Speer guide to be awfully high past max!

I'm worried that if I follow the Speer guide, the load might be too strong, but as I understand, it's not safe to go below the minimum either. Anyone can lend a hand here? I'd like to keep my XD & my face, too!

[fredj338]

Originally Posted by Liquid Rhino

I was looking at the Speer #14 manual and it's listing 230gr FMJ's w/ load of 5.6gr start - 6.2gr max using 231... thing is, every other guide & web resource lists 231 at 4.8 start - 5.3gr max. That would set the Speer guide to be awfully high past max!

I'm worried that if I follow the Speer guide, the load might be too strong, but as I understand, it's not safe to go below the minimum either. Anyone can lend a hand here? I'd like to keep my XD & my face, too!

WHen starting w/ a new bullet/powder combo, I consult 2-3 reliable sources & then average the data. It's diff. because of exact components & test guns used.

[ormandj]

Originally Posted by Liquid Rhino

I was looking at the Speer #14 manual and it's listing 230gr FMJ's w/ load of 5.6gr start - 6.2gr max using 231... thing is, every other guide & web resource lists 231 at 4.8 start - 5.3gr max. That would set the Speer guide to be awfully high past max!

I'm worried that if I follow the Speer guide, the load might be too strong, but as I understand, it's not safe to go below the minimum either. Anyone can lend a hand here? I'd like to keep my XD & my face, too!

Hornady 7th has 230 FMJ-RN ENC (#45177) as 5.0gr (700fps) to 5.7gr (800 fps) max load (with 231). This is with a Colt Government 5" 1 in 16" twist, Winchester WLP primer.

[wbyrd]

I reloaded my first batch of .45 this weekend. I used Laser Cast 230gr w/ 5gr of Accurate No. 2 and CCI primers. They seemed to shoot ok, but were very smokey and about 30% of them would not go fully in to battery, I had to just give a little push with my thumb to get it locked it.

Looking for feedback regarding the load I'm using and suggestions for what I can do differently to get full battery lock-up on every round.

Thanks!

[ormandj]

Originally Posted by wbyrd

I reloaded my first batch of .45 this weekend. I used Laser Cast 230gr w/ 5gr of Accurate No. 2 and CCI primers. They seemed to shoot ok, but were very smokey and about 30% of them would not go fully in to battery, I had to just give a little push with my thumb to get it locked it.

Looking for feedback regarding the load I'm using and suggestions for what I can do differently to get full battery lock-up on every round.

Thanks!

What's the diameter at the widest point of the case (with bullet)? What's your OAL?

[wbyrd]

Couldn't tell you what the diameter was as we shot them all and I didn't take any measurments before hand. The OAL was running right around 1.230 give or take a few thousandths and we were checking every 10 rounds.