My 25ACP loading fun

[RED333]

These little boogers re a bit trying at times, but all in all things go well with a plan.
The home made measures are, top .5 gr for titegroup, bottom right 1.3 gr green dot, the bottom left is just a test.
Got out and shot a few, the Bauer in the pic is the pistol I shot the most. at 10 feet I can hit a paper plate 6 for 6.
Much more and the hits get less and less. Fun little round to play with. The boolits are cast from the RCBS 25-50-RN mold.

[WebMonkey]

Sweet!

[lightman]

I bet those little buggers are a challenge to work with! Cool post!

[RED333]

Well I did knock a case or 4 over full of powder, but at 1.3 grs you dont lose much.:roll:

[RED333]

So I got out the MiHec 25 HP mold and made a few up, powder coat with Smokyes gray and loaded some.
Cool thing is they drop at .251 and with powder coat the boolits are just right to load.
At 45 grs with the HP I did drop the green dot back a bit. Yes that is my finger, surprise, surprise, surprise!!!

[ghh3rd]

At least you are playing with 'safe' ammo... those things can't hurt you, can they? :kidding:

[RED333]

At least you are playing with 'safe' ammo... those things can't hurt you, can they? :kidding:
You make a funny!!!:coffee::violin::drinks: It is a little round, at just 40 to 50 grans and at around
900 FPS it is not for a "fire fight".
I call it my "get off me" pistol.

[robg]

Found 9 mm fiddly enough to load ,take my hat of to you .

[psweigle]

They look good.

[alfloyd]

They work great for bear protection when you are hiking with a buddy.
If the bear comes after you just shoot the buddy in the knee and run.

Lafaun

[psweigle]

I had afriend that said that to me one time, I think he was serious. We never did go bear hunting.

[Chev. William]

BE CAREFUL! My Ruger .25ACP Single Eight Fires 63 Grain FN Lead Bullets at about 1224fps using 1.89 Grains of Bullseye (Verified by Chronograph).

NOT a Load for most Semi-Auto .25ACP pistols indeed.

I have also fired 63 grain FN Lead through it using 3.0 Grains of BE-86 but have not Chronographed this load yet.

In both Loads the Overall Cartridge was .905" long and Used WSP primers in GFL Nickel Plated cases.

Best Regards,
Chev. William

[6622729]

BE CAREFUL! My Ruger .25ACP Single Eight Fires 63 Grain FN Lead Bullets at about 1224fps using 1.89 Grains of Bullseye (Verified by Chronograph).

NOT a Load for most Semi-Auto .25ACP pistols indeed.

I have also fired 63 grain FN Lead through it using 3.0 Grains of BE-86 but have not Chronographed this load yet.

In both Loads the Overall Cartridge was .905" long and Used WSP primers in GFL Nickel Plated cases.

Best Regards,
Chev. William

Yes, my wife just got her father's 25acp semi auto. It looks like it is completely a blow back design so if it's typical that all 25acp semi autos are blow back, be careful with those loads.

[RED333]

Thanks for the heads up, I have not seen that data for "rifle" in my books.

[Chev. William]

It is custom WORK to Get a RIFLE suitable for Firing .25ACP or similar Cartridges like CF Wildcats such as:

"6.36x26mmSR" (a .25 Magnum Auto sized Cartridge of 1.020-1.055" case lengths); "6.35x 28.6mmSR" (a CF Wildcat similar in Dimensions to .25 Stevens (Long) RF Cartridge of 1.125" case Length);

or "6.35x32mmSR" ( a CF Wildcat with a 1.220-1.260" Case Length).

All Are Made from Swaged down Cases of either "5.7x28mm" or ".22 Hornet" Brass.

Swaging seems to Be Easiest if done in Four Stages to reach the Final diameter of .276". i also Expand the Necks and shoulders out with a .250" Diameter Tapered Expander Punch before the Final Swaging Step.

This gives me almost 100% yield of reformed Cases from either Parent Brass. LUBE Both Swaging Dies And The Expander Punch or You WILL get "Bellows Formed Case" Swaging Failures!

I use Lee Carbide Ring "Opened" .25ACP Sizing dies for my Swaging Set, at about $60 for each size ($28 Die plus $30 "Opening Fee" from Lee Precision).
I size my Bullets to about .250" for Jacketed ones and .252" for Lead ones.

A retirement "Putter Project set That I have been Doing for about four years now.

Best Regards,
Chev. William

[Chev. William]

Further Clarification on my Experiments:

I have a Ruger ".22 CAL Single Six" that I bought Used and had my Local Gunshop Gunsmith Customize into a Ruger "10-5.8" Long Barrel .25ACP Single Eight" by converting from RF to CF, installing a Custom Barrel made from a Lothar Walther Cr-Mo Steel .25 Auto / 6,35 Browning Barrel Blank. The Firearm in a Blued finish and, after initial 'teething' problems is now very Nice and fun to shoot. I have purchased multiple .22WMR 8-shot 'replacement cylinders, both from 'gunpartscorp.com' and on Ebay for further caliber conversion use.

I am still a Little weak in my Single handed Hold but am getting better.
A Friend shot it at 12" x 100 yard away steel 'Gong' at the commercial rifle range with consistent Hits so I believe the revolver is more accurate than I am at the Moment.

Best Regards,
Chev. William

[psweigle]

I would be happy just to have a converted 25 rim fire for a 25acp rifle. Or a sleeved h&r single shot shotgun. I'm not picky.

[Chev. William]

There is a Stevens "Favorite" for Sale or Trade on this Forum in another Thread.

Since it is a .22RF, it would need a Reline Job, I would Suggest starting with Lothar Walther .25 Auto Cr-Mo Steel Barrel Blank and Have a New Barrel machined for The Favorite Action. The Blanks are about 1.1" OD by 23.7" Long and Are six land/Groove at 1 turn in 9.8" twist.
Since it has a "Broken Firing Pin", it is a Prime Candidate for Conversion to Center Fire.
The Extractor would need Careful modification to fit and extract .25ACP cases properly.

Best Regards,
Chev. William

[psweigle]

The barrel blanks are $200 correct? The firing pin hole needs re-cut, and a new one made from drill rod. I'm assuming most gunsmiths can do this. And a chamber reamer needs rented. You've had this done correct? What reamer do you recommend?

[Catshooter]

I would like to buy four to five inches of a Walther barrel from either of you gentlemen.


Cat

[Chev. William]

The barrel blanks are $200 correct? The firing pin hole needs re-cut, and a new one made from drill rod. I'm assuming most gunsmiths can do this. And a chamber reamer needs rented. You've had this done correct? What reamer do you recommend?

The Lothar Walther Barrel Blank current Price is on their web site but I believe that is about right.

The firing Pin Might be large enough so it could be offset Drilled for a .078" Diameter Dowel Pin to use as a replacement tip positioned to fire a CF Primer.

That would save A lot of Machine time.
Of course the Hole for the New tip would need To be drilled into the Breech Block at the Correct angle to match The original pin bore axis.

I have discovered that Standard SAAMI ".25ACP" chamber reamers are made with a TAPER to the Chamber body for ease of function in a Semi-Auto Pistol. This Allows the Fired Case to "Bulge" if the Chamber is more to the 'Large End' of the SAAMI Tolerances.
Not Good For Reloading Life of the case.

I have Ordered a Custom, Straight Cylindrical Body Chamber reamer at .2795" Body diameter for .25ACP from JGS Precision Machine of Coos Bay, OR; to see if that will correct this problem. you might give Grant Gulseth at JGS a Call (541-267-4331) a call to see if he could make a similar Reamer for you at the same time. The JGS Drawing is "job_407237-25_ACP_WS.pdf".

Best Regards,
Chev. William

[Chev. William]

I would like to buy four to five inches of a Walther barrel from either of you gentlemen.


Cat

I have the Remainder of my Barrel Blank i was saving for a second Custom Barrel.
I believe it is about 12 inches Long (from memory or about Half the original Blank Length.

How would Half the LW list price (currently $208.00), plus shipping charge sound?

Best Regards,
Chev. William

[Catshooter]

I don't find your price unreasonable, but's that quite a bit more barrel than I need. However, I may have to go with it. Would you be interested in cutting off four inches for say, $50? You would then have eight inches left and still could use it for another project? :)


Cat

[Chev. William]

I don't find your price unreasonable, but's that quite a bit more barrel than I need. However, I may have to go with it. Would you be interested in cutting off four inches for say, $50? You would then have eight inches left and still could use it for another project? :)


Cat

Catshooter,
I measured the remainder and it is about 12-5/8" long. If I Part off about 4" that would leave me with enough for a 8" Barrel so I guess I will consider your counteroffer further.

To part off the Section I will need to use A Friends Special Effects Machine Shop to do the Work and will lightly Champfer the cut end(s) to remove any sharp Burrs prior to packaging for Shipment/Mailing. This will Need to be done on a Weekend, probably Sunday Afternoon due to my friends' Scheduling.

I will Ask him today if I can get the Shop time.

Best Regards,
Chev. William

[RED333]

Talk about thread drift, from loading 25ACP to selling barrels, aint the internet great!:drinks:

[Catshooter]

Thank you Chev. William! If you have no joy with your friend, I am capable of cutting off a piece. You could ship me the whole barrel and I could ship yours back to you. I can even do an 11 degree target crown on yours if you want.

And yes, Red, the internet is a wonderful thing!

:)


Cat

[Chev. William]

Talk about thread drift, from loading 25ACP to selling barrels, aint the internet great!:drinks:
Its Still All about .25ACP and Similar DIAMETER Cartridges!!!
The Barrel is FOR 25ACP sized Bullets!
And I hope Catshooter is going to use the Blank For Something .25ACP sized INTERESTING!

Laughing,
Chev. William
Not a "redneck' as I need to limit my Solar exposure due To medication Limitations.
But A Disabled And Retired U.S. Navy Veteran with over 40 years honorable service.

[Chev. William]

I am tentatively scheduled into his shop for Thursday Morning as that is the first Free time he has on his schedule. My friend recently received his UNION Special Effects Coordinator Card and has been working steadily this year. he has been in the special Effects Business for over 45 years and worked up through the Union 'Qualifications Sequence after Moving into Los Angeles City and County. He formerly had an Effects Shop in Orange County.

Best Regards,
Chev. William

[Chev. William]

More Puttering:
This Morning, while it was Cool in the Morning Overcast and Fog, I finished De-capping my last Batch of Once Fired 5.7x28mm Cases, found one with a Live Primer AND a Bullet Inside! Set it aside until i had completed the De-capping of the rest! Then used my Lee "Universal Expander Die to Over Expand the Neck far enough to let The Bullet drop out, it was a Jacketed Flat Base one that weighed about 30 Grains.
This makes about 3000 Cases de-capped and of that about 700 that have been resized down and trimmed for my Experiments so far, with another 410 in the downsizing process.

I think Now I have almost A "Lifetime supply' for my experiments.

Most of the Current lot seem to be Date Coded as 2014 Manufacture FNB 'military' as they had Crimped in Primers.
They Probably will reform And lengthen to about 1.230" Length and I will Trim Them as Needed for my experiments.

1.125" for .25ALS; 1.055" for .25 Magnum Auto; .960" For .25ALR as Needed or as they Neck split to extent The useful life. Annealing is NOT a Choice as these Are Polymer coated cases.

Best Regards,
Chev. William

[Catshooter]

Chev,

I have a Beretta .25 auto that will put a mag into 2.5 to 3 inches at 25 yards. This is just with Privi ammo, I haven't loaded for it yet. I'd like to make a barrel long enough to put a silencer on as I think that'd be a hoot. And I'd like to see how well it shot with a match-grade barrel.


Cat

[RED333]

Not calling any one out guys, just a poke at some fun. I have thought about a 25 ACP rifle just no money to play with on a project.

[Catshooter]

I've wanted a .25 rifle for years! :)


Cat

[Chev. William]

Stevens Favorite (1915) or Model 44 with a Stevens .25 Stevens (Long) RF Barrel rebuilt into a CF Rifle will Digest .25ACP if Carefully Set up to Extract The Empty Reliably.
Marlin Model 56, or 57, or 57M, or 62 "Levermatics" can be reconfigured To fire CF and re-barreled and chambered for .25ACP (use a Model 62 Bolt assembly reworked to fit The .25ACP case head).
Winchester 1890, or 1906, or Model 62/62A can be Reworked to CF and Re-barreled to .25ACP (Use a .22WRF Magazine tubes and a reworked .22WRF Cartridge lifter).
These are only Three examples of what can be done with a Used Rifle And patience on a Retired Social Security/Military disability pension.

Look around and Think What might work or What can be Modified inexpensively.

Best Regards,
Chev. William

[psweigle]

Stevens Favorite (1915) or Model 44 with a Stevens .25 Stevens (Long) RF Barrel rebuilt into a CF Rifle will Digest .25ACP if Carefully Set up to Extract The Empty Reliably.
Marlin Model 56, or 57, or 57M, or 62 "Levermatics" can be reconfigured To fire CF and rebarreled and chambered fro .25ACP (use a Model 62 Bolt assembly reworked to fit The .25ACP case head).
Winchester 1890, or 1906, or Model 62 can be Reworked to CF and Re-barreled to .25ACP (Use a .22WRF Magazine tubes and a reworked .22WRF Cartridge lifter).
These are only Two examples of what can be done with a Used Rifle And patience on a Retired Social Security/Military disability pension.

Look around and Think What might work or What can be Modified inexpensively.

Best Regards,
Chev. William
Ain't this guy great! I love reading his posts about .25 auto and anything .32 caliber.

[Chev. William]

I've wanted a .25 rifle for years! :)


Cat

Your 4-1/4 inch Section of Lothar Walther .25 Auto/6,35 Browning Cr-Mo Barrel Blank is Cut And ready for Shipment. it will go in a Small Priority Mail Box so The Shipping is basically fixed unless You want Insurance or Certified Mail Tracking.

I would Prefer a USPS Postal Money Order for $50 Plus Shipping/postage Fees.
Please Make it out and send it to:
William J. Stewart
8376 De Garmo Avenue
Sun Valley, California 91352-3568
USA and Include Your Shipping Address with it so I can Address Your Package.
I think I can Include Some samples of the Untrimmed Swaged down 5.7x28mm cases I have Prepared for my experiments also, as I don't think the Barrel section Exceeds the Weight limit.

Best Regards,
Chev. William
William J. Stewart ETC USN Retired
NRA Life Member
CRPA Life Member
USCCA Member
Proud Member of The Trump "Deplorables" as labeled by HRC.

[Catshooter]

William,

That is great news. How much for shipping? Seven dollars enough? I will mail it off to you tomorrow.

Thank you.


Cat

[Chev. William]

Yea, that is close Enough.
Best Regards,
Chev. William

[RED333]

So I told yall the Internet is great, now who is paying my commission. :drinks:

[psweigle]

Lol. What's a commission going for these days? How do you like that rcbs mold? I hated mine and sold it. Going to be saving up for an aluminum mold.

[Chev. William]

How About "A hearty Hand Shake"?
Laughing!
Chev. William

[Catshooter]

I'll double it to two hearty handshakes! And throw in a thanks a lot, too.

William, your money went out in todays mail. Thanks.


Cat

[rondog]

I'm not even sure my fat fingers could get ahold of a .25acp.

[psweigle]

Lol. You would. E surprised when your son looks up at you and says "that's the last one? But I'm not done yet!"

[RED333]

The RCBS mold is just fine, my MiHec is better as it drops more boolits per cast. Hand shake will do just fine. :drinks:

[Chev. William]

Just for Drill and Giggles:
Today I loaded Two Dummy cartridges using Swaged down Hornady #2510 60 grain Soft Flat nose Jacketed Bullets (.250" Diameter) into Two different Cases with my Just Received Lee Precision Custom .25ACP FN Seating Stems.
- First case is a Swaged down 5.7x28mm one trimmed to 1.125" case length and Bullet seated to 1.395" overall Cartridge length Then 'Taper Crimped' using the Lee 25ACP Seat/Crimp combo die.
- Second case is A Brass "CBC" case of .612" Length and Bullet seated to .905" overall cartridge length then "Taper Crimped" again using the Same Lee .25 ACP Seat/Crimp combo die.

I think They Look Great in Their Shiny Brass And Copper Colors with the Small Gray Lead nose for Contrast.

Best Regards,
Chev. William

[RED333]

Just for Drill and Giggles:
Today I loaded Two Dummy cartridges using Swaged down Hornady #2510 60 grain Soft Flat nose Jacketed Bullets (.250" Diameter) into Two different Cases with my Just Received Lee Precision Custom .25ACP FN Seating Stems.
- First case is a Swaged down 5.7x28mm one trimmed to 1.125" case length and Bullet seated to 1.395" overall Cartridge length Then 'Taper Crimped' using the Lee 25ACP Seat/Crimp combo die.
- Second case is A Brass "CBC" case of .612" Length and Bullet seated to .905" overall cartridge length then "Taper Crimped" again using the Same Lee .25 ACP Seat/Crimp combo die.

I think They Look Great in Their Shiny Brass And Copper Colors with the Small Gray Lead nose for Contrast.

Best Regards,
Chev. William

Pics man, pics!!!

[Chev. William]

The "castboolits" thread "6.35x28.6mmSR Stewart, a Viable Modern Cartridge conversion for .25 Stevens Firearms." has some Photos of the Longer 6.35x32mmSR cases And dummy bullets so you can View upon the Process. My Photos are still in my "Photobucket" account that still seems to be allowed to 'host' - so far.

My Thread "My Ruger "Single Eight" in ".25ACP+" vs "Handloader" .250 Magnum Auto." has photos of my custom Ruger Single Eight Revolver and also still seems to be visible.

I will Try soon to upload photos of the Dummy cases I told about.

Best Regards,
Chev. William

[Chev. William]

Catshooter,
I found your payment in today's Mail delivery too late to mail the Barrel Blank section today so I will mail it tomorrow in a Small Flat Rate Priority Mail Box, along with two samples of my ".25 Auto Long Rifle" case made From 5.7x28mm "FNB" Brass (diameter of a .25ACP but Case Length is .96" nominal). Please see my Letter for further notes.

Please Let me Know How My Packing Method works.

Best Regards,
Chev. William

[Chev. William]

Catshooter,
Your Package went USPS Priority 2 day with delivery confirmation this Morning from the Sun valley Post Office.
The 'tracking Number is: 0505 5150 6742 7235 1102 17.
USPS expected Delivery Date is Friday, 08/25/2017.

Enjoy!

Best Regards,
Chev. William

[Chev. William]

My Current Wildcatting Frustration is with my two Lyman Universal Cartridge Trimmers not Gripping the Rims on either .22 Hornet Reformed Brass or 5.7x28mm reformed Brass Reliably. To Trim a reformed Hornet or a reformed 5.7x28mm case, I have to stop and Reinstall The case in the Gripper Jaws several times.
The New one with a Black Gripper is worse than my old one with a Grey Gripper.

I have emailed Lyman Customer Service asking for their suggested solutions.

I need to Deeply Trim about 400 Hornets and about 3000 5.7x28mm cases to suitable lengths for my "Mildcat" experiments.

Best Regards,
Chev. William

[Catshooter]

Thanks Chev! I'll keep you posted.


Cat

[Catshooter]

Chev,

I just tried a Hornet case in my RCBS trimmer (collet #2) and it grips it well. I didn't try to do the aggressive trimming you need of course. Just FYI.

Good luck with Lyman's customer no-service. I have experience with them and it wasn't pretty.


Cat

[Chev. William]

Uh Oh! Maybe I should look into that "RCBS" trimmer.
Chev. William

ADDED at 1510PST: Looked at RCBS Trim-Pro Power Set up and it looks Nice but the List Price is Scary for a Retired Person's Budget.
Also It seems their shell holder and Pilot are Specific to each Case so now I would need to figure if RCBS has, or will make as Custom Shell Holders / Pilots for:
.25ACP;
5.6x28mm reformed to .25ACP body diameter; and
.22 Hornet reformed to .25ACP body diameter.
- Chev. William

[psweigle]

Chev, I use the lee 3 jaw chuck in a lee zip trim. You can very easily make a depth gauge from drill rod.

[Catshooter]

Chev,

My trimmer is an old, no power unit. Manual. I bought it off of Ebay for $75. It doesn't use caliber-specific collets. It's collets are for multiple calibers. The Hornet fit tight. I don't have a 5.7 case or I'd try it. Come to think of it, didn't you include one with my barrel stub? If you did, I'll see if I can make it work.


Cat

[Chev. William]

Catshooter,
There Are Two Trimmed Down reformed 5.7x28mm Cases included in your Package; Which USPS tracking says was Delivered Today, 'Handed to Individual', so enjoy the Blank Barrel section this weekend!
Look for the Letter I enclosed explaining which end is which on the Barrel Blank Section.

Best Regards,
Chev. William

[Catshooter]

Chev,

The post office did not lie, I have it all and thank you.

"A" should be the muzzle end, correct?

I tried both of the cases in my RCBS trimmer: no go. Not even close, so I'm at a loss for your trimming problem.

Thanks again.


Cat

[Chev. William]

Pics man, pics!!!

Per Request:
http://i839.photobucket.com/albums/zz316/chevwilliam/250ALxx%20Family%20Cartridge%20project/c8fe7e32-b369-477c-956d-726b177c4396_zpszp8ajiqx.jpg
Left to Right: .25ACP @.905" OAL; .25ALR @1.293" OAL; .25 Magnum Auto. @.1.566" OAL; .25ALS @ 1.407" OAL. All With .250" sized Hornady #2510 60 grain Jacketed Soft Flat Point Bullet.
Note: .25ACP Case Length = .612"; .25ALR Case Length = .960"; .25 Magnum Auto. Case Length = 1.055"; .25ALS Case Length = 1.125".

Best Regards,
Chev. William

[Chev. William]

A Pair of Modified Tools:
First, A Lee Champfering Hand Tool that is TOO TALL to use with .25ACP Cases was Shortened in a Lathe to allow holding the case and champfering the Outside edge of Mouth.

http://i839.photobucket.com/albums/zz316/chevwilliam/250ALxx%20Family%20Cartridge%20project/04705ca1-760a-4678-8b71-34a62a620a31_zpssgfoqow2.jpg
Left to Right: .25ACP Case; Stock Lee tool on a .25ACP Case; Modified Tool on a .25ACP Case.

And Second, A Lee Universal Expander Die Small Case Punch is Modified to make a .250" Diameter Case mouth Expander.

http://i839.photobucket.com/albums/zz316/chevwilliam/250ALxx%20Family%20Cartridge%20project/2dffb27f-ec69-4db4-be41-a75d942e6efb_zps4iuat4gk.jpg
Left to Right: Stock Lee Small Case Expander insert; Modified Lee Small Case Expander Insert with Lathe turned shank of .250"/.240" diameters.

Best Regards,
Chev. William

[9.3X62AL]

You guys are having far too much fun with your mouse gun antics.

Chev--I imagine your Sun Valley temps are a lot like mine in Redlands--way too darn hot to be casting bullets, and 20-30 minutes of bullet sizing/lubing or case processing is about all I want at one stretch in the ambient-temp garage interior. Things weren't bad earlier in the week, but summer returned with thermostat set at BROIL a couple days back. Mizzable!

[Chev. William]

My "Reloading Shop" is my Back Patio which has A Northeast exposure and is under a 10x20 foot Temporary Cover.
I do get some breezes here to moderate the Current High temperature and Humidity "Problems". I also Try To Do my 'Work' in the Morning or Evening and Avoid the hottest times of The day.

'Coping' and 'Survival' are Friendly Terms as I am Retired mostly now at going on 75 Years old.

Best Regards,
Chev. William

[9.3X62AL]

I run fans to keep things moderated. Those almost help. A little. Humidity is the bugbear--105* in Ridgecrest was dry and tolerable, 105* in Redlands is a sweat lodge. I wouldn't be surprised to see us moving back to the desert in some form--and fairly soon. This Spring's allergy onslaught reminded me why I left this area in 1977, and the increased humidity since that time is another strong vote against staying here.

[Chev. William]

This Sunday Early AM I was outside in The Smoky air cleaning up the Redding Manual Trimmer JBelk Graciously sold me.
I found that it had been used for Probably something '.30' in caliber as it had a .304" Diameter Pilot in it.
The Collet had been 'over-tightened' in the past as the Petals were Bent inward about half the width of the Slots in it. Once i got that Straightened up and cleaned and oiled all moving surfaces, it would Grip a 5.7x28mm Rim. so now i need a Correct Pilot for the .25ACP (NOT the standard Redding '.25 Caliber' one for .257" diameter).

Now to find out if Redding MAKES a pilot for .25ACP AND if my Local Reloading Store can get me a couple?

Best Regards,
Chev. William

[9.3X62AL]

This past week has been BEASTLY-HOT, Chev. And some fool playing with fireworks set off a 3300 acre brush fire in San Timoteo Canyon yesterday, about 4 miles east of us. Smoke and ash all over the place. Supposed to cool down a bit today, hoping to do some garage stuff later. Or get evac'ed, if the wind shifts.

[Chev. William]

At Least My Home is Down on the "Flat Land" Alluvial Deposits from The Canyons And ravines that Cut into the Verdugo Mountains (Hills?) there is About a half Mile from the toes of the hills to my home. My Niece Lives in Sunland, north of the hills North Slope but is about 1/4 mile from the Brushy Hillsides.

She has Taken and Posted Photos of the Fire near her; on Facebook. NOT Happy Photos, sad instead.

Best Regards,
Chev. William

[Chev. William]

Monday, the Local "Air Quality" improved throughout the day PLUS Temperatures were Lower!

This evening I got out on the Patio and Worked with the Redding Manual case Trimmer I Purchased from JBelk.

Here is a "Progress Report" on my setting up and initial use of the Redding Model 1400 Trimmer JBelk graciously Sold me.

I received it and started out by Cleaning and Oiling it; and checking it out before Trying to use it.
I found the collet appeared to have been tightened without anything to clamp; thereby over compressing the collet's Petals so they took a 'set'. This was remedied by Removing the Collet and 'prying' the gripper ends apart until the Slots visually appeared to be Parallel for their Length.

Before i reassembled the collet into the Holder, I Trial fitted a 5.7x28mm Case rim into it and found it is just within the range fo the Smallest step inside the Collet. This indicates there will be minimal insertion clearance when the collet is assembled into the holder body.
I Will Need to take Extra Care to insure rim IS in the Grip point BEFORE tightening The collet!

Next I put Oil on the Adjustment Ring Threads, and Loosened the set screw to allow it to turn, Which took Considerable Effort to Get to move over its range the first time, less for subsequent passes.

The Design of the Trimmer appears To use the Cutter shaft for "Coarse" Length adjustment and the Threaded Adjustment ring for a "Medium" adjustment; as it has No reference marks to help gauge fine adjustments.

Note: The Lyman Length adjustment collar has Marks that can be used to approximate .001" fine adjustments IF the Coarse adjustment is locked properly.

I found out Redding apparently does NOT list a ".25ACP suitable Pilot" (~.246" diameter) But do list a ".25 Cal" one of .253" diameter; so I bought Two from my Local Reloading Store and, by chucking in a portable drill motor and using a Fine Single Cut Mill file, managed to work their Pilot diameter down to .246" needed.

"Tuning" the trimmer length Adjustments took me six cases to get it to cut 1.125" -0.0/+0.0015" and I then continued to cut a total of ten cases to verify it was stable in length Setting.

This 'trial' appears To be Successful and I will continue trimming a batch of 100 Reformed 5.7x28mm cases down to nominal 1.125" case length of my ".250ALS/6.35x28.6mmSR" "Wildcat" design.

Next, I believe i will try it on reformed .22 Hornet cases, trimming to the same Length for what is similar to a ".25-10 Halsted"; except for intended .250" diameter Bullets. Mr. Halsted Designed to use .257" Diameter Bullets in re-cut barrels previously Chambered For .25 Stevens (Long) Rf Cartridge (he also Trimmed the rim to .340"x.050" and converted the rifles to CF from RF).

Best Regards,
William J. Stewart ETC USN Retired.
Chev. William

[9.3X62AL]

Good stuff, Chev. The air got a bit less dense out here in Redlands yesterday as well.

I am no sort of machinist, but I do like all the precision I can muster while trimming cases. My first case trimmer was an RCBS from the late 1970s with a draw-collet that grabbed the case rim. This worked well, except that variations in rim diameter = variations in cut length/placement. Not the end of the world, but it annoyed me. 8-10 years later I upgraded to a Forster trimmer with its stop-collet system, and things were much mo bettah instantly. Variance is on the order of .001" ES. 20+ years later, I am still using the Forster trimmer, with powered upgrade. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. I am still not enthused about case trimming, sort of a necessary evil for safety and accuracy. So I plod through it.

[Chev. William]

Further Work with the Redding Hand Case Trimmer:

I now have done Twenty Reformed 5.7x28mm Cases; trimming them to about 1.125" length and found that the Length Variation is Greater Than I had thought.
it is Running from 1.125" up to 1.130" possibly due to 'drift of The Length Setting in use but not yet Identified As to cause or Causes.

Resetting the 'Fine' Length adjustment is an interim 'fix' but seems to drift again with Further Use.
Due to "Problems" with my Fingers; I seem to have a "One Sitting" limit of about ten cases on this hand trimmer. Then I need to take a break until my fingers recover again. This may be An Age Related problem for me.

"Cogitating" upon the Drift in settings:
Is it possible the Coarse Setting is 'Slipping' slightly due to exerted Cutting Forces?
Is it Possible the 'Fine' Adjustment is moving due to Friction of the Ring Against the Stop Surface?
Is there possible 'Wear' to either the Cutting lip(s) OR the Stop Surface of the Trimmer Body?
Is this variation in Trim Length due to Variations in Rim diameters?
Is this variation in Trim Lengths Due to Variations in Clamping Force Applied?

It Does NOT appear To be Temperature Related as no Part of the tool or work piece seems to get Warmer in use as I try to keep the Moving surfaces of the Tool Lubricated with light oil. Touching the Cutter, work piece nor Rotating Holder gives any Perceived feelings of Warming.

Clamping Forces seem to be Consistent by feel when I close and open The Collet.
Further Observation of Clamping effects needs to be done.

Theoretically, I believe I could make a "Collet Adapter and Closer" to Fit the Lyman Trimmer Body in place of the Lyman case holder assembly. My thinking is that the Collet Adapter would be clamped in the Body like the Lyman hold is presently; Be a hollow Turning with the Collet end extended out the face of the Lyman body and using a Spiral Spring Pin to index the Collet. The Opposite end would need external threads and a retainer nut along with sufficient 'Tail' top provide a surface for the Collet closer internally threaded tube to seat against in tension. The Closer Tube would need a Hand Wheel of adequate Size to make use Comfortable.
Obviously this will take further Measurements, Thinking, and Drawing up Plans to work from.

In the Interim, some solution to the 'Drift' of trim Length in use needs to be discovered.

Best Regards,
Chev. William

[Chev. William]

Chev,

The post office did not lie, I have it all and thank you.
"A" should be the muzzle end, correct?
I tried both of the cases in my RCBS trimmer: no go. Not even close, so I'm at a loss for your trimming problem.
Thanks again.
Cat
Cat,
I do not think I ever Knew the CORRECT Answer to your question as I did not Make my Barrel; Willie Clark of "American Gun Works", Glendale, CA Did the work.
I have read That You can learn Which end is which by Slugging each end separately and Carefully Measuring the Slug Land And Groove Diameters to at Least .0001" accuracy. The smaller diameter End should be the Future Muzzle.

An Alternative is to Query Lothar Walther in the USA as to the Marked End of Blank compared to which end should become the Muzzle end.

Best Regards,
Chev. William

[Hanzy4200]

Where are you guys getting .25 acp molds? I've been scouring the web and have come up completely empty. Aside from the $200 Lee custom option.....

[Chev. William]

"Hunter's Supply" has an "out of production .257" Diameter "Air Rifle Bullet" of 63 grain cast weight it has Driving band forward behind a flat meplat round nose then a 'bore riding tail with a "Lube Groove" in it. I was Able to plead for them to run it as a hand cast run of 1000 for a surcharge. I tumble lube them then run them through a .251" Lee sizing die using a Longer than normal push pin to get each bullet completely through the sizing zone before the next bullet enters the die.

I have fired this bullet in front of 3.0 Grains of BE-86 from G.F.L Nickel plated .25ACP cases with WSP primers out of my 10-5/8" barreled Ruger Single Eight with NO evidence of Leading.

Hunter's supply also currently lists a "48" grain design both as solid and Hollow point in .257" diameter that could be sized down to .251".

Lyman still seems to be making their 257420 Bullet Mold (two Mold cavities).

NOE has an Open "group buy" for "Ranch Dog TL255-50-RF" Molds with some open Reserve places left.
See: "NOE RD-TL255-50-RF (25acp)" on this Forum.
Or: "Ranch Dog Mold RD-TL255-50-RF (25acp)" also on this forum.

Then there are other 'custom' mold makers that still catalog .25 caliber mold designs for 'one off' production to order.

These are what I know of from personal Purchases.

Jacketed seem to currently be limited to either 35 grain JHP or 50 grain FMJ RN in 251" diameter and Hornady #2510 60 grain JFP soft nose in 247" diameter.

Best Regards,
Chev. william

[Catshooter]

That makes sense Chev. The ideal bullet/boolit path tapers from beginning to end. Thanks.

Hanzy,

I'm an old guy, been casting a long time and collecting moulds just as long, so that's how I got mine.


Cat

[Chev. William]

Catshooter,
Off Topic But you reminded me of an OLD Science Fiction Story I read Long Ago. It was about a Future Mercenary Group that had 'air cushion Vehicle Tanks that fired 'Osmium' Armor Piercing Bullets Through Tapered Bore Barrels to 'Insane Velocities'; some where over 5000 fps if I remember the story line correctly. Supposedly the bullets were continiously swaged down in diameter as they traveled down The Barrel's bore and came out Both Hot and Fast at the Muzzle to Wreck Havoc, and Ignite any flammables inside their Intended targets, Punching through armor like a 'hot Knife Through Butter'.

As I remember it, the tale Was Very Good Reading and Entertaining at the time.

Best Regards,
Chev. William

[Catshooter]

Sounds like a fun story.

I cast from my Ranch Dog .25 ACP mould today for the first time. With half pure and half WW they are dropping out at .260. ! Hell, I can use 'em in my .25-20! :)


Cat

[Chev. William]

Sounds Like you have a RD TC256-50-RF mold; am I correct?
What is your as cast Bullet weight?
Best Regards,
Chev. William

[Catshooter]

I do. They drop, with 1/2 pure 1/2 WW at 51 grains, .260 diameter.

I'm gonna try 'em in my .25-20 too.


Cat

[Chev. William]

If I remember correctly, "Ranch dog" wrote that he designed the TL256 Bullet slightly oversize to fit the Actual barrels on his Tarus(sp?) and other .25ACP pistols whose barrels showed "Daylight" when a .251" Jacketed Bullet was set in their Muzzle and 'slugged' over SAAMI bore/groove dimensions.

He also wrote he later did the TL255 Design to make them Sizable down to .251" diameter for other firearms.

Best Regards,
Chev. William

[Chev. William]

Please Check Out my new topic:

.25 Auto Long rifle Wildcat.

Chev. William

[Chev. William]

Please Check Out my new topic:
.25 Auto Long rifle Wildcat.
Chev. William
Ammoguide interactive has added the .25 Automatic Long Rifle cartridge of .960" case length as their Cartridge number 1011 in thier Cartridge Master Data Base.

Now there is a 'Published' case drawing for this "Mildcat"!

Best Regards,
Chev. William

[Chev. William]

I noted that "Midway Supply" now Lists Jagemann (JAG) Empty .25ACP brass in 100 piece Bags.
I have read the Jagemann is a Quality Brass Maker.
Has anyone tried their .25ACP offering Yet?

Best Regards,
Chev. William

PS: I have ordered two bags of the Jagemann .25ACP empty brass to try out. Chev. William

[Chev. William]

Today i received a refund and spent it on an order of 1000 each Cast and Lubed 'Lyman 257420 nominal 65 grain bullets from "Matts Bullets" along with an order of 1000 each Accurate Mold 311090A Heeled Inside Lube bullets for .32 Colt use.

I estimate I will have the Bullets in about two to three Weeks.

More fodder for my experiments!

Best Regards,
Chev. William

[Chev. William]

Today i received Two 100 piece Bags of Jagemann .25ACP New empty Brass Cases and upon Measuring the Length of Seven, a random sample, found the Length varied from .603" to .607" with three cases at .604".

It seems the Recommended SAAMI length is .615" +0.0"/-0.020" so the range should be .595" minimum and .615" maximum with the center value being .605" for SAAMI Length.
The European CIP States a legal Maximum length of 15.55mm, or 0.61220+".

Magtech, PPU, and Fiocci (sp?) all seem to Measure close to .612" case length.

Now I guess I will Need to Measure ALL of the 200 Cases And sort them by Length first, Then see what they will need to be Trimmed at
to make common Length lots for Loading.

Best Regards,
Chev. William

[RED333]

Today ?i received Two 100 piece Bags of Jagemann .25ACP New empty Brass Cases and upon Measuring the Length of Seven, a random sample, found the Length varied from .603" to .607" with three cases at .604".

It seems the Recommended SAAMI length is .615" +0.0"/-0.020" so the range should be .595" minimum and .615" maximum with the center value being .605" for SAAMI Length.
The European CIP States a legal Maximum length of 15.55mm, or 0.61220+".

Magtech, PPU, and Fiocci (sp?) all seem to Measure close to .612" case length.

Now I guess I will Need to Measure ALL of the 200 Cases And sort them by Length first, Then see what they will need to be Trimmed at
to make common Length lots for Loading.

Best Regards,
Chev. William

You got me thinking, I just went a checked my stock of 25ACP brass.
G.F.L. nickel .612, checked 6 cases all the same. These are new stock and factory primed.
W-W brass .612, checked 6 cases all the same. These are old stock and factory primed.

[Chev. William]

I completed measureing the lengths of one bag of 100 Jagemann .25ACP empty brass with the following results:
.595" through .600" zero examples.
.601" = 1 ea.
.602" = 6 ea.
.603" = 31 ea.
.604" = 32 ea.*
.605" = 5 ea.
.606" = 6 ea.
.607" = 11 ea.
.608" = 7 ea.
.609" through .615" Zero examples.

I also have some PPU and G.F.L. cases and they both measure .612" long. Found some Empty C.B.C. that seems to measure .610" to .612" over 8 sample size.*

It seems SAAMI says Length of .615" with minus .020" as the Tolerance and CIP says 15.55mm (.61220+") as the Specified length Measurement.
Since CIP is Enforced By Laws in Europe it makes sense that European ammo makers Would "Toe the Line" at .612".

I also Sent an Email to Jagemann Stamping to find out if my Measurement distribution is typical for their Product. I will post what they reply.

Best Regards,
Chev. William

[RED333]

Seems Jag brass is a bit short, could be an issue if trying to keep a good group. Please let us know what the company comes back with.

[Chev. William]

I received a Telephone call This morning, Tuesday, and the Summary is:

1. They Will verify my Measurements of one Bag of their .25ACP cases against their Production Data and will consider adjusting the Trim Length closer to .612"-615" maximum lengths. It depends both on ?what their Production Tooling will Allow as adjustments and what Their QC Data shows as mean case lengths.

2. Making Longer Cases on the same tooling is Very Difficult/not Practical for them.
He did say that; yes, it may be possible with new Tooling at about $20,000 for The Tooling costs. The Decision would depend upon what the Market would buy or on a Custom order for a Production Quantity and paying the Tooling costs in addition to the cost of The product ordered.

My Impression is that they Valued my input about the present trim length and would look into possible increase in trim length mean value for their Production of .25ACP cases.

Best Regards,
Chev. William

[RED333]

At least is was a positive response.

[BC38]

Any of you guys willing to sell any of your 25ACP cast bullets?
I'd like to start reloading these, but finding bullets is nearly impossible and when you do they are so expensive you might as well just buy factory ammo.

[Chev. William]

Matt's Bullets is on the Internet and is a Commercial Supplier of Cast Bullets.
He does hold, and does Cast, from a Lyman 257420 Mold and the Nominal 65 grain bullets can be sized Down to .251" if you have a Bore /Groove dimensioned Barrel of the nominal SAAMI dimensions. Obviously sizing can be adjusted to match your actual Barrel dimensions.

Hunter's Supply sells 48 and 49 grain Bullets cast for the .25ACP sizes. And They are listed on the Internet.

PPU does intermittently package their Bullets and Cases as individual components for Reloaders. I Believe Angeles Reloading Store in Pacoima, CA has some of each at the Moment. They Are also on the Internet.

C.B.C. occasionally Packages Bullets and Empty cases for Sale For Reloading also.

Once in a while Remington .25ACP Bullets Are Available.
I have not seen Any of the Winchester .25ACP bullets sold as Components for a Very Long Time.

There are also the .36 Grain Hornady bullets offered for Sale as components.

PM me with your Shipping information if you Would like some samples of my latest Purchase from Matt's Bullets.

Best Regards,
Chev. William

[Chev. William]

The Nominal 65 grain Lyman #257420 Mold seems to Drop bullets Heavy. The Lubed And Sized 257420 bullets weigh between 73 and 74 Grains!

Chev. William

[Chev. William]

Calculated in "QuickLOAD" for the 74 Grain Lyman 257420 sized to .251" diameter and .610" long.
In a .612" long .25ACP case at .905" +.005"/-0.0" Overall length.
A 2.0 grain Charge of Power Pistol would be a 100.6% fill (compressed) and would yield a Pmax of 25330psi @ .13" bullet travel. From a 12" barrel it gives 1062fps MV/ 185ft.lbs. ME and 87.3% Propellant Burnt.

Since My Ruger Single Eight gives about 2.1% lower than Calculated MV; it would be about 1039fps MV estimated.

NOTE: Pmax occurs While the Base of the bullet is Still Inside the Case mouth.

NOTE: This 74 grain Bullet is almost 150% of the normal 25ACP 50 grain Bullet!

Seems Like This bullet and Propellant may warrant further Investigation and Testing.

Best Regards,
Chev. William

[Chev. William]

As of Nov.18th, I Spent the Last Week Working on Clearing MALWARE out of my Home computer. Very Frustrating Work!

Also I now have on hand a Stainless Steel Used Ruger ".22 Win. Magnum" roll marked 6 shot cylinder that has been Reamed to take ".32 Colt (Long) Cartridges of .318" Diameters using a PT&G finish Chamber reamer.
The Chamber to chamber Webb measure About .145" narrowest, and Chamber to outer surface about .072" narrowest. Some of the chambers show circumferential Tool Marks sadly, but it seems Typical of reaming hardened Stainless Steel With a HSS Alloy Reamer.
Chips Just don't seem to clear well Unless A Pressure Flooding of coolant is used in a Machine Reaming Process.

As the revolver is still with my gunsmith who is fitting other used 6 shot cylinders to it, I have not fired Andy cartridges through this Cylinder yet. He will also be reaming a Blued Steel Used Ruger Cylinder to accept .32ACP semi-rimmed Cartridges for my revolver.

Best Regards,
Chev. William

[RED BEAR]

Well finally took the plunge ordered every thing I will need to reload 25acp. Been wanting to for a while GAF and sons has brass 4.49 per 50 midway has jacketed hollow points 5.78 per 100.(I know that jacketed is an evil word but on a budget and can't afford mold until after holidays) can't wait that long to go shooting. We will see how it goes only thing that gives me pause is my sausage fingers and the little cases. And yes I've heard it all from all my buddies how I would be better off with a rock but none are willing to go to range I will try to catch there rocks and they catch the slugs they can even throw first. Alliant web sight shows 1.7 gr bulleye for 1040 fps not a magnum but no rock either. Plan on using as back up pocket gun.

[Chev. William]

Well finally took the plunge ordered every thing I will need to reload 25acp. Been wanting to for a while GAF and sons has brass 4.49 per 50 midway has jacketed hollow points 5.78 per 100.(I know that jacketed is an evil word but on a budget and can't afford mold until after holidays) can't wait that long to go shooting. We will see how it goes only thing that gives me pause is my sausage fingers and the little cases. And yes I've heard it all from all my buddies how I would be better off with a rock but none are willing to go to range I will try to catch there rocks and they catch the slugs they can even throw first. Alliant web sight shows 1.7 gr bulleye for 1040 fps not a magnum but no rock either. Plan on using as back up pocket gun.

Red Bear, You Might consider ordering a .251" Lee "Lube and Size" set in the future.
This will Size Your cast Bullets the Same nominal size Ans the Jacketed ones you bought.

Later, you might consider buying Lee "Lube and Size" sets in .252", .253", 255" to make available the Range of nominal .257" bullets (both Jacketed and Cast) by Swaging them down in stages. I have found Jacketed .257 Hornady #2510 bullets will Swage nicely if first Tumble lubed then run through Decreasing size Swage dies in succession. The End result is a 60 Grain Semi-jacketed Soft Flat Point Bullet that works in my .25ACP Experiments using .612" long cases and also in my "Mildcats" of Longer case dimensions.

Traffer has made and sent me some 67 Grain Swaged and Powder Coated Wad cutter/Hollow base or Hollow Point/Flat Base bullets to try As soon as I can get some more unfired .612" long .25ACP cases (of .278" body diameter preferred) so I can get comparable results to my past experiments with Heavier than nominal Bullets in this caliber.

I want the Unfired cases, which Measure .278" Diameter, to use as my Reloading dies yield .276" diameter cases after firing and Resize. Smaller diameter case gives Higher MAP upon firing, so is NOT comparable to data from Unfired cases.

Best Regards,
Chev. William

[RED BEAR]

Have ordered .251 sizer for my luber sizer. Truly hate to admit this but I wount have the gun until December. Been wanting one for quite a while . going to trade some extra measuring tools for one. Retired so do not use them much anymore. Must keep at least one of every thing because dream of lathe and small mill in my garage. Not sure it will happen but keep hope alive.

[Chev. William]

Red Bear,
Keep that Dream Alive! I have been S-l-o-w-l-y getting a fire damaged Craftsman Commercial Long Bed 12 inch Lathe back into usable condition. I bought it for $300 from the Late owner of Hollywood Engineering after a shop fire dropped the roof onto it. Getting the Melted covers and roofing tar embedded with gravel off has been a Long term project. Next stage is going through the 1-1/2 horsepower 3 phase Motor and replacing the burned wiring and drive belts.

Best Regards,
Chev. William

[Chev. William]

FRUSTRATED!!!
I ordered 10 bags of PPU .25ACP New Cases (50 each per bag) from "Graf &Sons" expecting they would be like previously purchased PPU empty new cases at .612" length and .278" diameter.

They Are NOT! body diameter measures .274" and lengths of the 50 measured run from .617" to .620" !!!

Now where am I going to get some New Unfired Empty .25ACP brass that meets my needs?

Yes, i can 'expand the necks' and Trim the cases to length; but that still will leave the lower case under the size desired.

Best Regards,
Chev. William

[Chev. William]

Thinking overnight on my frustrating results with the new PPU brass.
I will be able to expand the neck area and load them as "plinking rounds"; so "all is not lost".
I also will need to trim them to suitable length. i will try my Lyman Universal trimmer with a power Stem to see if it will adjust down to this Length reliably.

The Same applies to the Jagemann Brass I reported on earlier; suitable for "plinking" but not for my testing Needs.

Best Regards,
Chev. William

[Chev. William]

the winter here has been Windy, Wet, and relatively Cold compared to my local normal. so Very Little usable time in my outdoor back patio "reloading shop" with its Northerly Exposure to the weather.

Perhaps later in the season, when it is warmer out , will be better.
Chev. William

[brassrat]

Good luck Bill shame on that Hollywood fire

[Chev. William]

Midway Supply is selling Hornady .25ACP Empty Cases in 200 piece Bags inside cartboard Red "Hornady Cartridge Cases" Packages.
I received two bags of them and one sample at random measured .277' body diameter by~.615" case length.
This IS encouraging! I will do a proper Receiving inspection on this lot at a later time.
Chev. William

[Chev. William]

Completed measuring the Length of the lot of 400 Cases of Hornady .25ACP New Empty Brass with the following Results:
.595" through
.600" = Zero Examples.
.601" = one example.
.602" to .607" Zero examples.
.608" = 7 examples.
.609" = 97 examples.
.610" = 197 examples.
.611" = 117 examples.
.612" = 37 examples.
.613" = 2 examples.
.614" = one example.
.615" = one example.
Total number received = 421 in two "200 each" bags inside two Red cardboard sleeves.
NONE had any distorted case mouths; so this packaging seems to keep the mouths intact from Manufacturer to user.

Traffer:
As noted above 37 are of the length and close to the desired OD for my testing of your Swaged 67 grain Bullet samples you sent me a few months ago.
I still need to deburr flash holes and uniform the Primer pockets before I load them.

Best Regards,
Chev. William

[Thin Man]

Several years ago a friend (I think he wanted to torment me) gave me his new .25 acp die set that he had bought by mistake. He had no interest in loading that caliber, not sure if he even owns a 25 auto. This is how I got started with this caliber. I refuse to pay the scalper prices that 25 auto molds are bringing these days. I found a source for factory bullets and started loading 25 auto brass. My strongest memory of loading this caliber is that I will drop the powder into the case from the measure and immediately place the case in the shell holder of the press. Seat the bullet and move on to the next case. I don't have a suitable loading block for this cartridge and this is my way of managing the handloading process. Since I don't go through a huge number of rounds this has done well enough for me.

[Chev. William]

A while back in time there was an Auction on Ebay for Loading blocks made from Aluminum and i bought two for '.25ACP' which I found also would just accept 5.7x28mm Case rims.

Perhaps a search of Ebay would bring up a current supplier of .25ACP Loading blocks.

Thin Man, I also Load my cartridges 'one at a Time' to reduce the Possibility of either a 'Squib Load' (no Powder in the case) or a 'Double charge Load' which would 'ruin my day'.

NOTE: I also have a "Frankford Arsenal" sold Plastic Loading block supposedly for .25ACP that is too Large in its holes to be comfortable to me in use.

Chev. William

[Chev. William]

I finally transferred the remaining 450 PPU .272" diameter .25ACP cases I bought from Graf&Son into plastic boxes to eventually load for "plinking".
Chev. William

[Chev. William]

Since my Last post I have 'gathered' tooling to convert .25ACP brass into .22 Ladybug, .22 Remington Auto., .22 Winchester Auto., and .221 Askins Center Fire cases.
I now 49 cases swaged down and 10 of them completed as .22 Winchester Auto CF replacement cases as Proof of Process examples.
Also, "Ammoguide Interactive" has added case drawing s and data on the 5,5 Velodog and .221 Askins to their Cartridge Master database so the information is preserved again.

The 5,5 Velodog case, at 1.12" long, probably is best made from 5.7x28mm Polymer coated Brass.
The .221 Askins could be made form either already formed 5,5 Velodog or from .25ACP as the case length is .613".

I find the .221 Askins Intriguing because of the application it was originally developed for: a CF replacement for the .22 Long Rifle RF cartridge to be used in a CF pistol.

I would like to use it in a Converted Ruger Mk1 Standard Auto with a 6" target bull barrel I own. Conversion seems like it would only require a modified Bolt and firing pin as the cartridge is supposed to work in the Same magazine and chamber/barrel as the .22 LR.

I have a used spare Ruger Mk1 Bolt assembly on hand already.

Chev. William

[Chev. William]

I picked up a few sample Redding Sizing Bushings from my Local Reloading Store. these are in the Stock number 78xxx series and are TiN (Yellow) coated Hardened Alloy Steel.
The Sizes I believe i need are covered by Redding in .001" increments so picking intermediate step sizes is going to be much less A compromise. The Prices seem to be in at least two ranges $17 and $26 each, depending on ID.
The Redding bushings measure roughly 1/2" OD by 3/8" high so I will be buying more PT&G reloading die blank bodies to machine to fit.

Chev. William

[Chev. William]

Things are getting to be interesting around me.
I bought a Used Ruger MKII .22LR Pistol and then got a estimate for converting it to CF and machining a .25ACP barrel that I just could not refuse; so it is in the process of Becoming a Custom 'Ruger' .25ACP Standard Auto MKII Pistol.

The Used Pistol came to me fitted with a molded Rubber Volquartsen Target Grip on it that seems to fit my hand well.

I am Thinking of "Cut and Weld" of parent Beretta "950" .25ACP magazines to make one long enough to fit the Ruger Grip Frame; with the Feed Lips reformed to the Ruger feed angle.

Also I found that Fiocchi "Pistol Shooting Dynamics" .25ACP 50 gr FMJ is listed as '800 fps MV' (UPC 762344001418) which is faster/slightly higher MAP Pmax than the PPU ammo I have as my "standard MV calibration' lot.

My Local Gun Shop is ordering me 6 each 50 round boxes of this ammo.
California now is going to require ALL ammo sales to be through A Local Licensed Gun Shops; so no Mail in Purchases anymore here. BOOOOOO!!!!!!

Chev. William

[RugerFan]

Things are getting to be interesting around me.
I bought a Used Ruger MKII .22LR Pistol and then got a estimate for converting it to CF and machining a .25ACP barrel that I just could not refuse; so it is in the process of Becoming a Custom 'Ruger' .25ACP Standard Auto MKII Pistol.

The Used Pistol came to me fitted with a molded Rubber Volquartsen Target Grip on it that seems to fit my hand well.

I am Thinking of "Cut and Weld" of parent Beretta "950" .25ACP magazines to make one long enough to fit the Ruger Grip Frame; with the Feed Lips reformed to the Ruger feed angle.

Also I found that Fiocchi "Pistol Shooting Dynamics" .25ACP 50 gr FMJ is listed as '800 fps MV' (UPC 762344001418) which is faster/slightly higher MAP Pmax than the PPU ammo I have as my "standard MV calibration' lot.

My Local Gun Shop is ordering me 6 each 50 round boxes of this ammo.
California now is going to require ALL ammo sales to be through A Local Licensed Gun Shops; so no Mail in Purchases anymore here. BOOOOOO!!!!!!

Chev. William

"Custom 'Ruger' .25ACP Standard Auto MKII Pistol." Sounds like great fun! Do keep us posted.

[jdfoxinc]

How will Ca. Enforce that law?

[WRideout]

How will Ca. Enforce that law?

The same way they enforce the ban on shipments of illegal drugs.
Wayne

[Chev. William]

In My Opinion, California will only "enforce" laws on the Law Abiding Citizens and ignore the "Criminals and Those of Criminal Intent" until some Individual Criminal is caught 'in the Act' of Committing a Crime using a firearm; then, and only then, will the Prosecutor consider Firearms laws as being violated and then "Plea Bargain" anything away needed To obtain a 'guilty' Plea without Court Trial expenses.

Any 'firearms Transgressions' by otherwise Law Abiding Citizens seem to get the Full Force of the Books of Firearms Laws, Regulations, Rules, and Ordinances Piled on as Felony Charges gleefully by the Local Prosecutors.

Just my opinion,
Chev. William

[Chev. William]

"Custom 'Ruger' .25ACP Standard Auto MKII Pistol." Sounds like great fun! Do keep us posted.

Please Also See: "My Ruger Auto Pistol conversion Project " thread on this Forum.
Chev William

[Chev. William]

Today, December 10th, I received back my receiver with the Mounted .25ACP custom barrel and the CF converted Bolt along with my Two 'takeoff 4-3/4" Ruger Barrels and My custom chamber reamer.
Now to get an Adjustable Rear Sight installed and make the magazines for the Firearm.

My Christmas Came early this year!

Chev. William

Added 20181212: My Local Gun shop and gunsmith added a 'bit of rain' on my happy Holiday, they said that current California Gun Laws and Regulations would deem an Assembled Semi-Auto Pistol with a Threaded Muzzle as an "Assault Weapon" and be charged as a FELONY!
So I am Planning to remove the threads this weekend before any Assembly is attempted.
I am Hoping my Friend's Lathe is available fo ruse this weekend and our Schedules allow me its use.
Chev. William

[Chev. William]

Photos of my Modified Ruger "Standard Auto MKII Pistol" it is now a .25ACP 'single shot' until I make magazines to feed it .25ACP Cartridges:
http://i839.photobucket.com/albums/zz316/chevwilliam/Ruger%2025ACP%20Standard%20Auto%20MKII%208%20inch% 20Barrel/1132a89e-68c0-4733-b5f3-1cc6f8507482_zpsfax2euw1.jpg
The Modified Bolt Face. Note the enlarged Rim rebate to fit the .25ACP rim and the Centered round firing pin tip.

http://i839.photobucket.com/albums/zz316/chevwilliam/Ruger%2025ACP%20Standard%20Auto%20MKII%208%20inch% 20Barrel/dea93ba0-c689-49c1-94b9-47faab8563de_zpsjmpo81nu.jpg
The top view of the Bolt with recoil assembly removed to show the new firing pin in its channel.

http://i839.photobucket.com/albums/zz316/chevwilliam/Ruger%2025ACP%20Standard%20Auto%20MKII%208%20inch% 20Barrel/689ba1d1-360a-40e6-b683-ccdf682b8b0a_zpsysgn9g92.jpg
Left side of Modified MKII pistol with its new ~8" Barrel.

http://i839.photobucket.com/albums/zz316/chevwilliam/Ruger%2025ACP%20Standard%20Auto%20MKII%208%20inch% 20Barrel/0d25132f-0c8d-444d-92ee-414db2a33622_zpsn4jgp6ay.jpg
Right side of Modified MKII pistol wiht its ~8" long Barrel.

These Photos were taken by my Friend, John Eggett, with a Camera that has a "Macro" Photo Capability.
The Barrel Machining and finishing and the Bolt modifications and New firing pin were done by John Taylor of Taylor Machine in WA.

Chev. William

[Chev. William]

I purchase another 100 case bag of Jagemann Stamping Co. .25ACP empty Brass to see if they had changed anything:
Case diameters measure .276" at base and mouth.
Case lengths measured:
.595" through.602" = 0 samples
.603" = 05 samples
.604" = 45 samples
.605" = 23 samples
.606" = 20 samples
.607" = 08 samples
.608" through .615" = 0 samples.
As SAAMI recommendations are .278" maximum diameter and a Case length of .615" (+0/-.010") they seem to have standardized around middle length and .002" below maximum diameter.

So far Hornady .25ACP Brass is running closer to the Maximum length limit and about the same diameter area.
Since I have not noticed any 'Length growth' in my reloading of .25ACP to date, it seems the Hornady Marked Product is yielding closer to Maximum case dimensions, which is what I prefer.

Chev. William

[Chev. William]

This 'Winter' has Been Too Cold, or Too Wet, or Too Windy, or a combination of them to do anything in my Outdoor (rear Patio) Reloading shop. Then my Friend who Owns a Special Effects Shop has been Too Busy with work to give me Time on his machines so No work on adding to my case forming dies or to work on a prototype magazine for my Ruger .25ACP MKII Pistol.

Oh well, Spring is Coming, I have Faith!

Chev. William

[Chev. William]

Today I ordered a lot of 500 ea. .25ACP once fired cases from "Diamond K", an LLC vendor. At $14.00/100 they are about the Same as the Least Expensive New .25ACP cases available. I am looking forward to see how these turn out.

Spring is beginning to show it's presence, or at least it's promise of Coming, around here. The winter Rains have turned the once Gray and Blackened hillsides to Green and Brown (mud slides/flows). The brush that was baked but not burnt has changed from orange-black to Green, wild grass is growing and seasonal Waterfalls are still showing in the drainage ravines along the Hill Roads. I am guessing there will be fresh Fodder for Wildlife this Spring and Summer yet may not be enough for another Wildfire Season this year.
The Mountain streams and ravines have another new layer of fresh sand to be panned by summer prospectors in search of 'Color' in our urban hills; which have a history of Gold placer deposits. I wonder if there might be other precious metals also in the sand and gravel washed down?

Chev. William

[Chev. William]

The Lot of Once fired .25ACP arrived today.
Typical 'Range Tarnish' so I dumped them into a vibratory Tumbler with Crushed Walnut shell Medium for an overnight 'polish' job.
I will sift them out tomorrow.

40% chance of rain tonight so may be damp/wet tomorrow, oh well, the few days of 70+ degree days was nice after the winter of lower Day temperatures.

Chev. William,

[Chev. William]

Yesterday Morning I separated the tumbled Brass from my Crushed Walnut shell media, and was pleased at its appearance. Nice Clean shiny
Brass-Gold color. I moved the Cleaned Brass to a Clean 'Fat50' ammo Can to be Decapped, sorted by Head Stamp, and counted at a later date; as it was Sprinkling and i did not feel comfortable in the Damp.

Today is still Sprinkles and Rain; so no work in the Reloading area outside.

My Back yard trees are beginning tio leaf out with the first ones near the Base branches and the uppre one s still bare and grey.
The Ground is covered with Bright green wild flowers and Grasses, With my Rear Lot about a Yard tall now, it only gets mowed once or twice a season due to the added Costs and Strain on my budgets.
The Yards, both Front, Side, and Rear (where my dogs run) get 'attention' every two weeks; so far still feasible in my Budgets.
During the Summer the last few years I have had to let the yards go to Yellow stubble due to the Drought Watering Restrictions; so this Green Respite is truly appreciated. I do Water My Trees through the Summer to keep them alive and growing in spite of the Water Restrictions.
I have one Tree, a Monterrey Pine, that was originally our First Christmas Tree in this home back in 1955. it was also our first Live Tree we had ever had, as previously we lived in Rental Housing and could not plant trees around them.
My parents first bought the Land on a Mortgage, and when they had it 'Free And Clear', took out another Mortgage to build our home. The Home was completed and we moved in in august 1955, and they Paid Off this Second Mortgage in 1968, when my father retired for the First time. He Retired two more times before he died in 1984 one month before his 84th Birthday.

Chev. William