What are yall working on?

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Shadow9mm

New member
Ill start out. Just got around to working up my first loads for 6mm arc. Had to buy some factory ammo to get brass, and have 250pcs of starline on backorder. Factory ammo shot just ok, not great.

Put my first loads together today, just a small batch to check for pressure signs, function in the gun, and a rough idea on velocity. Using the once fired Hornady brass and CCI Small rifle magnums due to being in an AR.

107g SMK CFE 223, 29.1g, 28.8g, 28.5g, 28.2g, 27.9g expected max velocity 2575fps
85g Nosler Partiton, CFE 223, 30.9g, 30.6g, 30.3g, 30.0g, 29.7g expected max velocity 2800fps
75g V-max Ramshot TAC 30.5g, 30.2g, 29.9g, 29.6g, 29.3g expected max velocity 3000fps

I am using Hornady's gas gun data, which tests with an 18 in barrel, however I have a 20in barrel. Really curious to see how the velocities pan out.

Really been slacking on my 223 reloading got a lot of brass processing to do. But working up this 6mm arc has been more fun.

What project are yall currently tinkering with?
 
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hammie

New member
@shadow: All my reloading has been mundane lately. Nothing near as challenging as what you're doing. I hope you get your starline brass quickly. The availability of components has vastly improved in the last few months.

Since this is the reloading section, I hope reloading gear is within the boundaries of your topic. I just mounted a new, RCBS single stage, "Summit" press. The linkage seems a bit loose, but I like the totally open front, and the lack of a ram extending below the bench surface. (I invariably bang my head on my rock chucker ram when reaching for things stored below the bench.) The Summit press is like the old hollywood presses. The cartridge is fixed and the die moves down on the cartridge brass.

As mentioned, I haven't used it yet, but have some 7.62x39mm and .30-'06 on the bench and ready to start.
 
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bamaranger

New member
work

Regrettably, I've not shot enough lately to need to load much, but I've got several projects staged:
-bamaboy wants 6.5CM ammo and we have brass prepped and components
on hand. All I need is for him to appear and help with the project

-back before spring turkey season, I tinkered with the 10mm 1911,
working for a practice load using 200 gr LSWC and running about 1050.
I'vecome up with the combination, loaded about 100 rds. Running the
single stage Rockchucker for 10mm as I do not want to tweak the Blue
Press

-the Dillon is set up for .45acp/200 LSWC and I finally landed some
standard large pistol primers, I should run off some .45/200, as I
have been enjoying shooting .45acp after a long hiatus
 
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Nathan

New member
I’m having some fun on the press lately.

I’m working on 30 Herrett. I’ve got a 125gr SST running about 2280 fps from a 14” barrel with 3/4” groups at 50 yards. Fun stuff!

I’m also trying to get a load going in 300 Sherman with mono’s……struggling a bit there to get good accuracy. Would like to get under an inch at 100 yards. Which is terrible for a custom rifle!

7-30 Waters 14” Contender and 28 Sherman Magnum tuner setting next!
 
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Shadow9mm

New member
hammie said:
@shadow: All my reloading has been mundane lately. Nothing near as challenging as what you're doing. I hope you get your starline brass quickly. The availability of components has vastly improved in the last few months.

Since this is the reloading section, I hope reloading gear is within the boundaries of your topic. I just mounted a new, RCBS single stage, "Summit" press. The linkage seems a bit loose, but I like the totally open front, and the lack of a ram extending below the bench surface. (I invariably bang my head on my rock chucker ram when reaching for things stored below the bench.) The Summit press is like the old hollywood presses. The cartridge is fixed and the die moves down on the cartridge brass.

As mentioned, I haven't used it yet, but have some 7.62x39mm and .30-'06 on the bench and ready to start.
Click to expand...
Gear is 110% fair game. Hasn't seen that press before, looks really cool. Curious to see how it does with the 06.
 
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Shadow9mm

New member
Nathan said:
I’m having some fun on the press lately.

I’m working on 30 Herrett. I’ve got a 125gr SST running about 2280 fps from a 14” barrel with 3/4” groups at 50 yards. Fun stuff!

I’m also trying to get a load going in 300 Sherman with mono’s……struggling a bit there to get good accuracy. Would like to get under an inch at 100 yards. Which is terrible for a custom rifle!
Click to expand...
Are you shooting for optimum charge weight? Or tuning seating depth? What monos? 300 sherman is a cool cartridge.
 
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Nathan

New member
300 Sherman: I’m trying the Hornady method. It has been a bit of a struggle, but on powder #2, AA4350, I feel close. I’m hovering around 1.5” for 20 shots….trying a bigger jump to lands next….0.050”-0.070” or 0.080” next. Groups were pretty good, but some flyers. I may try OCW next, but need something decent for October. It’s hot now, so I’m shooting rifle less. Hmmm.

That 1.5” sounds big, but several great groups in there….about 70% going into 0.6”….so, I think seating depth may pull in flyers. I need a range press to work more on depth! I might build a mount to bring mine to the range!
 
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Shadow9mm

New member
I generally tune in 0.003 increments for seating depth. usually 5-7 groups tell the tale. Tried the larger jumps years back, I think it was bergers seating depth test for their VLD bullets. got me nowhere fast. 1.5"... I guess it really depends on how far your shooting with it, how small of a target you need to hit, and the condition of the barrel.

You said mono bullet, Barnes, Hornady, cutting edge, hammer... ?
 
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Nathan

New member
Hornady CX….

I know 1.5” sounds bad. It is made mostly of groups under 1”, if I remember right. That is max dispersion from 4 5 shot groups.
 
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Shadow9mm

New member
Nathan said:
Hornady CX….

I know 1.5” sounds bad. It is made mostly of groups under 1”, if I remember right. That is max dispersion from 4 5 shot groups.
Click to expand...
1.5 is subjective imho, neither bad nor good without context. Does the gun shoot better with different bullets?
 
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Nathan

New member
Good question….I’m still trying to quantify how good 1.5” is…my opinion now is it is pretty bad.
 
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Nick_C_S

New member
Everglades now sells a .431" diameter bullet (240gn) for 44 Magnum. With that bullet, my Marlin lever-action is no longer completely useless. In fact, it seems to shoot rather straight - for the first time in the over ten years that I've owned it.

I did a work up with 300-MP and those worked well. But I decided to just stick with W296 as my go-to "magnum" powder. Been using it since 1985 and I just don't see a compelling need to change. (Even though the MP-300 delivers about a 100 f/s increase.)

However, over the years, I've "de-tuned" my 240gn/W296 loading from the max charge weight in Speer's #10 (the latest edition back in '85), to reducing it by more than two full grains under that charge amount. But now days, even the "de-tuned" loading in a revolver just beats me up and I have no desire to shoot it any more. I'm done. (I've made a 210gn load with a reduced charge of AA#7 for my revolver ammo now.)

But in the Marlin rifle, it's no problem. So that said (I'm long-winded, sorry), I need to do a "re-work up" of 240/W296 for my Marlin (i.e. rifle specific 44 Mag ammo). And even tinker with accuracy and that sorta thing. So that's my current project.

Another I'm tossing around in my head is for 357 Magnum. A 125gn JHP with 2400. I find 2400 to be too "boomy" for my liking (in a 4" revolver) unless it's under a heavy 158 - then it's okay. But in my tinkering with 158/2400, I tried an experiment using magnum primers. It didn't work out because I got signs of high pressure with less velocity than when using standard primers. But it got me thinking: maybe that would be a good thing with 125's. So I may give that a try here pretty soon.
 
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Metal god

New member
Nothing ! :-(

I put a custom rig together last year put about 100
Rounds down range and then put it up . I need to get a recoil lug since I lost the one I bought originally. Lost …. Maybe misplaced is a better word , I just put the old stock one on to go shoot it . I still need to bed the action and can’t do that until I find or buy the new lug so there it sits a proud safe queen :rolleyes: .

Other then that I don’t have much to work on . My dad passed away a couple years ago , maybe a few now and I got his Ruger PR . I’ve never done any real proper work up for that yet . When he first got it I worked up a 168gr SMK / Fed GMM duplicate load that it shoots pretty good and I just load that for it . Now that it’s mine I’d like to test a few other bullet/powder combos .

I pretty much just go plink with no real rhyme or reason right now . I guess what’s happened is I’ve come up from the rabbit hole and I’m a little hesitant to dive back down in there . Haha .
 
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ocharry

New member
it is HOT outside and is gona be HOT...really HOT for the next couple days

so the plan is to get caught up in the load room....get some grendel stuff loaded and get things ready for cooler weather

so loading is the plan

ocharry
 
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riverratt

New member
The last couple of months, I've been working on a finding a good shooting load out of my 7mm-08 with what I consider a good woods bullet. I got a few hundred 154gr interlocks from Midway and have had issues getting a load that wasn't a 4" group. About 2 weeks ago I found a load that produced 3 separate groups under 1".

Currently, my goal is to find an alloy that will make a good bullet/ boolit that will provide a little bit of expansion but still shoot good in my .44 mag. I think I may have something right now, but I'll have to do some more testing to verify the results I had Sunday. So far I have a 265gr rnfp bullet with a 4/1 mix of pure lead and linotype. The bullet is pretty soft, my best guess is about 10 BHN. The bullet is powder coated and put over a charge of 23gr of H-110, giving me a muzzle velocity of about 1350fps out of my 7.5" SBH. If I can get everything aligned out, I plan to solely use my handgun this year during modern gun season.
 
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jpx2rk

New member
Almost too many to list but:
load development for 6BR Norma, 20 Practical, 223, verify a 6x45 load,
decide what to do with a Savage 223 with 7 twist, it shoots 68gr factory loads sub MOA,
decide whether to pull a Savage 204R barrel off and screw on a aftermarket 204R barrel, (I have about 300 rds for the Savage barrel on hand and not all that interested in pulling those rounds down) and then do load development for the new barrel
working on a new 22LR for rimfire matches (CZ 457 MTR), finding good ammo is the primary goal now as I have the trigger and bipod sorted out. LOL
 
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MarkCO

New member
I go into my gunroom about 4 or 5 times a week. I almost always knock out a few hundred 9mm or .223, whichever is set up on the 650XL. Or, I decap a few hundred rifle cases, or load 50 large primer rifle cartridges on the T7.

But I do need to knock out about 500 9mm in the next day or two for matches next week. The kid took all 1K of my 9mm supply to practice for the TAG match he shoots next week. He is shooting State Skeet this weekend and I'm shooting the PCC match.
 
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