"Because I always do it that way..."

[rbstern]

Ever fall into a routine "because I always do it that way," and not change anything, when maybe you should?

I'm just about out of Hodgdon Clays, and it seems there is none to be found anywhere. I use Clays almost exclusively with the Lee 125 RNFP for 38 special plinkers in 357 lever guns, a variety of 38 and 357 revolvers, and a 357 Handi. 3.8 grains gives good accuracy, doesn't lead the barrel (lubed with Carnauba Red), and stays subsonic for use with a suppresor on the Handi.

Last night, I'm sitting at my workbench, lubing a batch of those boolits, thinking about what powder I will use as a substitute. Got a few different choices on the shelf, most of them slower pistol powders that I've migrated away from because of how well Clays works for 38 special plinking loads. Remembered that most of a jug of Royal Scot is tucked way back under the bench. Dig out the Scot load manual from the pile of reloading books. Hmm. Similar charge weights to Clays in 38 special. Check the burn rate chart. Right next to Clays. OK, maybe we have a winner?

Then the air feed for the Lubrisizer starts leaking somewhere. I'm tired, don't feel like running it down, leave it for the next day.

I come back to the bench today, start fiddling with the lubrisizer and running boolits through again. The wife is in the workshop doing artwork. She says "Isn't there a faster way to do that?" I answer affirmatively, but explain that this way produces ammo that really works well and, "it's what I've been doing for a long time now."

Then I start thinking...why am I lubing my subsonic 38 specials with a lube that is made for high pressures and high velocities? Well..."it works!" But other stuff works, too. Go through some drawers, find a bottle of Lee Liquid Alox. Do the tumble lube routine with the Lee .358 push through sizer (that die hadn't seen the light of day in I don't know how many years). Wow, forgot how fast that goes. Big pile of lubed boolits, in a fraction of the usual time. Leave the boolits out in the cool breeze to dry. Come back a few hours later and load them up over 3.8 grains of Royal Scot.

After supper, I sat down at my shooting bench to test the loads through the 357 Handi with the suppressor mounted. Target out at 25 yards. Put a few rounds thru. Takes a bit to get used to the heavy trigger of the Handi Rifle again, as I haven't shot it in about a month. Scope needs a few clicks up and a few clicks left. Now I'm hitting bullseyes and getting clover leafs. Put the target out at 85 yards. Put a few rounds downrange. Impact is about six inches low, but the grouping is quite passable. Raise my point of aim six inches and fire for effect.

Went through fifty rounds, tearing up the center a 100 yard precision target. The rounds are remarkably consistent, and everything remained subsonic. Noise level is about the same as a pellet gun, which is perfect. Back to the workbench to check for leading. If there's any, it's minimal. Two passes with a bore snake and the barrel is clean and shiney. The tumble lube did the job. This is a very good load for that rifle.

If the wife hadn't made the comment to me, I would have continued to spend the time lubing those bullets the same as always. And there's nothing wrong with that. I've been following the same, succesful recipe for a number of years now, as time for experimentation is usually scarce. I'm glad she pushed me off the path a little bit. Kinda fun. Maybe it's time to stop following my old recipes and find more new ones...

[tazman]

Been doing a lot of that recently. Different lubes, different coatings, different powders, different boolits, different mold manufacturers, the list is almost endless.
With the powder changes I managed to find a couple of powders that work better for me than I was using before.
Maybe it is a good thing to get shaken out of my groove sometimes.

[TXGunNut]

I'm too new at this to fall into that trap, seems every trip to the range or shooting bench involves trying or re-testing something new. LLA is indeed a first-quality lube IMHO, quite a winner in the KISS category as well.

[Janoosh]

We are creatures of habit. Ease and comfort of mind put our minds to sleep, as ot were. I have done that also, just repetition of process, "that's how I do it". Good to see you broke out of it.
This is why I also have, and use, the 310 tong tools, just to break the mental process up.

[Larry Gibson]

Yes, LLA is a quality lube when used correctly. Excellent post BTW.

Larry Gibson

[bdicki]

I'm just about out of Hodgdon Clays, and it seems there is none to be found anywhere. I use Clays almost exclusively with the Lee 125 RNFP for 38 special plinkers in 357 lever guns, a variety of 38 and 357 revolvers, and a 357 Handi. 3.8 grains gives good accuracy, doesn't lead the barrel (lubed with Carnauba Red), and stays subsonic for use with a suppresor on the Handi.

Look for Alliant clay dot. For shotgun loads it uses the same data as Clays.

[Bullshop]

Just a short story to go along with this. A husband asked his wife when she was preparing the Thanks giving turkey why she cut the tail off. She replied " that's how Mom always did it. He calls MIL and asks the same and she replies, "that's the way my Mon always did it. So finally he calls Grand Ma and asks the same question, " why did you always cut the tail off the TG turkey. She replied "" because the pan was too small for the turkey to fit otherwise""
When driving down the road of life stay out of the ruts. Ruts are areas devoid of learning. If your not learning check your pulse.

[rbstern]

Just a short story to go along with this. A husband asked his wife when she was preparing the Thanks giving turkey why she cut the tail off. She replied " that's how Mom always did it. He calls MIL and asks the same and she replies, "that's the way my Mon always did it. So finally he calls Grand Ma and asks the same question, " why did you always cut the tail off the TG turkey. She replied "" because the pan was too small for the turkey to fit otherwise""
When driving down the road of life stay out of the ruts. Ruts are areas devoid of learning. If your not learning check your pulse.

Got a good LOL from the wife when I read her this.

[searcher4851]

I've been forced out of the 'that's how I've always done it' mindset due to the difficulty in acquiring my old stand by powders. I've been gleaning information from this site and others to work out loads for calibers using the powders I have on hand. Never hurts to have options.

[woody1]

Yep, if you always do what you've always done you'll always get what you've always got! Said another way perhaps, "Do you have 20 year's experience or one year's experience 20 times?" Regards, Woody

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

I started using tight wad not to long ago , i think it has a number of uses in the same sub sonic range in a lot more cartridges than hogden is publishing data for but they do have 9mm 38supper and 45acp data out now , for the longest time they just called it a 12ga only powder

I am using it in some pinker rounds , but I could see it in 38 subs easily

and it seems to be available every time i look at the store , which is hard to say for so many powders

[357maximum]

I am too "frugal" to fall into the powder rut.

My Dad offered me a HUGE box of assorted shotgun powders many years back, I am still creatively using some of that stuff up. Being the neighborhood gun nut I also aquire the occassional "gift" from the non-handloading folks of my community....I always find a way to use it if it is good. Having an H&R that has an 18inch 38Special barrel sleeved into it makes alot of the "oddballs" go downrange instead of being used to fertilize tomatoes. A full 70% of my LLA has also been sent down that 38SPCL barrel.....it simply prefers LLA and a slight dusting of MotorMica. My 30/30 plinker loads have eaten up the rest of the LLA/Mica/ asst. shotgun powders for the same reasons. I have (2) Lyman 45's and a SanDiego STAR, but some gun/load combos prefer them tools not be used.

[TXGunNut]

I've been forced out of the 'that's how I've always done it' mindset due to the difficulty in acquiring my old stand by powders. I've been gleaning information from this site and others to work out loads for calibers using the powders I have on hand. Never hurts to have options.

Necessity (and shortages) are the mother of invention.

[bigted]

Just a short story to go along with this. A husband asked his wife when she was preparing the Thanks giving turkey why she cut the tail off. She replied " that's how Mom always did it. He calls MIL and asks the same and she replies, "that's the way my Mon always did it. So finally he calls Grand Ma and asks the same question, " why did you always cut the tail off the TG turkey. She replied "" because the pan was too small for the turkey to fit otherwise""
When driving down the road of life stay out of the ruts. Ruts are areas devoid of learning. If your not learning check your pulse.

very nice Dan ... that story has many meanings and also has a warning or two I would recon.

this is a nice thread. it is just what I need rite now as im going to be doing a lot of driving in a day or two and this is exactly the kinda thing to spark the imagination for a long trip. thanks all.