Share Your Tip Of The Day

[kbstenberg]

To add to Ghh3rd. Unscrew the washer that puts pressure on the lube before filling the reservoir.
Kevin

[fourarmed]

This has probably been posted before, but... I use a spare primer flip tray to handle gas checks. Dump some in and use all the ones facing up, then put the lid on, flip, and do the rest.

[abqcaster]

=Thanks. And welcome to the forum too.


Cat

Thank you, Cat!

[308Man]

If something does not fit easily or like it should-don't force it...

[Hydroshock]

Good day Guys

For the guys that would like to try some boat tail cast bullets, I made my own mould for casting paper patched bullets for my 303 BR P14, and cut a boat tail profile on the back of the bullet by using a normal single blade pencil sharpener.
It makes a really smooth cut and looks neat. I have not tested the boat tail bullets in my rifle yet but will report back once I loaded some test samples.
I guess you would be able to cut a boat tail on any cast bullet that is small enough to fit in a pencil sharpener but obviously that will eliminate the step for the gascheck which can cause leading.
I would really like to know what some of the other forum members think of this idea.

Happy shooting
HS.

[Joe504]

Put your load data online. Use Google Drive to create a spreadsheet or other document for all of your data. Once there, it can never be lost and you can access it from anywhere you have net access.

I use it to keep track of my inventory so I do not buy something I allready have.

Its free, and easy to use, all you need is a gmail account, its at the top of the gmail page.

[kbstenberg]

My Lee 4-20 started really running a full stream or dripping so fast it was almost a stream when the valve should have been off.
Yesterday after work. I took the valve stem out of the pot to clean the stem and the spout. I thought everything looked clean. Put everything back together. Heated it up. It dripped worse than before the cleaning.
Tonight I took it apart again for another cleaning. This time all I did to the stem was to rub some steel wool on the tip while the stem was spinning in my drill just to shine it up.
To clean the spout. I used a 30 cal. brass cleaning brush spun in my drill. I alternated putting steel wool or pieces of paper towel on the tip of the brush and spinning it in the hole of the spout till the cloth came out clean. Put it together again and went out to test it. It now works just as good as new. When I closed the stem in the spout not a drip came out. I hope this helps.
Kevin

[I'll Make Mine]

I made my own mould for casting paper patched bullets for my 303 BR P14, and cut a boat tail profile on the back of the bullet by using a normal single blade pencil sharpener.

How's your bullet weight consistency and tail concentricity with those? Failing that information, how do they group? FWIW, there's no reason one couldn't make a mold that would case a boattail and eliminate the pencil sharpener step. Still can't be gas checked, but if you're paper patching, you don't really care...

[largom]

May have been posted before but, If your loading press has a spring clip to hold the shell holder in place on the ram, remove it. This allows the shell holder to float and align the case more even with the die, especially for sizing.

Larry

[boatworks]

I'm a noobie and here's my first post-I use a Lee single stage press and I bought a second one and mounted it about a foot away from my first one. When I charge the cartridge I move it to the second press where I have the seating die. This eliminates the need for a loading block and makes it easier to charge the cartridge without double-charging. It is also faster than using the one press and loading block.

[Idaho Mule]

If any of you load 32-20, and I know some do here is a tip I have. Starline, wich is very good brass is just a tad (scientific term) thicker in the neck walls. I use Lee trimmers and the one for 32-20 would bing in the thicker necks. Went to using length gage for 30 carbine and it works great, you may have to adjust the length by grinding tip off, just measure them.

[Chicken Thief]

May have been posted before but, If your loading press has a spring clip to hold the shell holder in place on the ram, remove it. This allows the shell holder to float and align the case more even with the die, especially for sizing.

Larry

I replaced mine with an O-ring

[steve249]

When pan lubing for my .50 M/L i use an old .50 BMG case as a kake kutter. I resized the case mouth and cut the head off. Boolits pop right out the top.

[zomby woof]

Never tumble .38/357 brass with 30 Carbine. I'm finding carbine brass stuck inside 38"s.

[MT Gianni]

Never tumble .38/357 brass with 30 Carbine. I'm finding carbine brass stuck inside 38"s.

Yep, the same goes for 38's and 9mm with anything 40 and 40 S&W with 45.

[jaysouth]

When you buy anything new with set screws, take the new item(dies, etc), a set of hex keys and your reading glasses to Ace Hardware.

Buy two new coarse thread hex set screws BEFORE you lose the originals.

[ShootNSteel]

Yep, the same goes for 38's and 9mm with anything 40 and 40 S&W with 45.

9mm or 38spec can seriously disappear in longer 460S&W or 454 casull cases. Only did that once.

[WashingMike]

I mounted my case trimmer to a square piece of 3/4" plywood. Easy enoungh, then screwed a 2 x 4 to one edge running parallel to the case trimmer, forming an "L". Then you C-clamp the 2 x 4 "L" to the bench so the case trimmer is mounted parallel but hanging over the edge of the bench. Raise a waste basket up on something to a height just under the trimmer so all the cuttings fall straight down into the lined waste basket.
If you can imagine using the case trimmer in front of you on the bench, you are just hanging off the edge of the bench in front of you, using it sideways. A small paint brush keeps the stuff falling in the waste basket if you have it handy. Kinda hard to explain, but it works like a peach.

WashingMike

[mdevlin53]

I picked up a couple of those 3/8 inch dia. rods that they set out in parkin lots so the snow plow knows where the curb is. I cut them down to about 36 inches and use them for pushing things that get stuck in the barrels of my guns(every once in a while when working up a dummy round a boolit or case will get stuck).
With the short parts left over i have:
cut one to about 3 inches to get the last boolit out of a lee push through die
one cut to about 6 inches is used to put dacron fil in larger cases
one about 6 inches is used to push peices of papertowels with some mineral spirits through dies to clean them
one about a foot long helps retrieve a dropped case when it is just out of reach
I used a 4 inch peice to reinforce the wrist of a stock that had a crack
And they are bright orange so you can find them on the bench.

[trapper9260]

Thank you for all you all wrote ,it help me alot. I have some tips also that works for me .
For not to have a 2 charges of powder in a case I have the cases after I prime them upside down and then you have them up side up after when you are done charge them .Also for when you test rounds on different powders or weigth of powders i mark the primers with different color sharpie and make a dot of it and note of it ,then you know what one you are usen.Also you know what load will work for you .
As for keeping track of what your data you have for each weight of each cal and catriage I put it all on a index card and then the holder you have for index cards you put what catriage is on it then you just take the card and load it have all your info you need on it .
For you lube sizer ,get a heater for it will make it easyer for the lube to flow and less pressure on the sizer.
When you size and lude different cast bullets use a candy try that have different candys that you can get at Christmas time and just write on a paper of what size and bullet and just put it for the ones you have szie and use right away if you are doing different ones at a time .
When you have powder in a scale or powder despencer you have write on a card board and put it on the scale with the same powder and then you will always know what you have for the powder and alsoif you charge the cases and need to leave for some reason take a sheet of card board and put over the ones that is not finish and write down on a paper and put on it to know what you have done.
for bullet lube make a mold for the lube and then you will not have to deal with hot lube in the sizer.
Used corn cobs that you think is no good use as flux for your lead
when you put your lead in igots cast one bullet to test for hardness and take metal stamps and mark the ingots and then you know what you have and hardnest
If there is any more that I can think of I will post later.Hope any of this will help anyone