You believe that the hammer nose is stuck in the hole and pressing on the snap cap?
Have to tried sticking a rod down the barrel and tapping the snap cap lightly a few times while holding the gun upside down with the barrel tipped up? That’ll probably dislodge the broken part.
Good luck with your project. I was just a little skeptical when you said you'd pay $50 for 1000 primers, and then seeing what they were selling for online. Heck, I wish I could find primers at that price.
If I only had 100 primed cases, I'd work up a load, test it, then recalculate it if needed. You don't want to load up hundreds of rounds and then realize they they're not "right."
How are the gun related laws in WA? Here in MA, you need at least an FID card to buy loading components.
I checked out the IMGUR site where you posted your pics - I'd never heard of it but I don't get out much. But, geez, that is one Trump hating site.
We're starting to have a lot of gun shows around here again, that's where I'd look. Last weekend I went to a local show where a guy was selling all kinds of primers for $45 a thousand and he had a lot, just wouldn't sell more than 1000 to a single customer. I didn't need any, but it was good to see.
Dude, now is not the time to stock up. Things will loosen up after the election and have a vaccination for Covid.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“If someone has a gun and is trying to kill you, it would be reasonable to shoot back with your own gun.”
― The Dalai Lama, Seattle Times, May 2001
I have access to my club's reloading equipment. Let me see if they have a 38 Spl. shell plate (I have the same press). If they do and if you want, I can prime your brass for you for the cost of the primers and shipping. This will get you started and give you more time to source your own. Of course, how you reload the brass is controlled at your end and is at your own risk.Originally Posted by VariableRecall
Last edited by kevin c; 10-02-2020 at 01:24 PM.
I just used it as a way to host images at a higher resolution than the not so great methods of posting images locally. Imgur is pretty cringy, but it works.
I have some long wooden dowels that I use to jam my windows shut to try that out. I also have my cleaning rod I can use too. Keep in mind that the cylinder is filled with Tipton Snap Caps, which are made of plastic with a brass, springloaded primer area. I'll give that a shot when I get the chance but I'm pretty busy with school things at the moment.
Either way, my Numrich Hammer Nose is currently being prepared for shipping, so that's a step in the right direction. Have a look at the imgur links I posted if you want to get a look at the situation.
The only way I can manipulate the hammer is by taking that side plate off and moving the hand out of the way myself. I'm thinking that I can remove the hammer to prevent it from being damaged, and allow for clear access to the area that the hammer travels through. It will also allow me to open the cylinder independently from the trigger position, looking at the internals there.
The trouble is that I only have 14 FMJ cartridges of .38 Special left to put to use, and I'm saving those for self defense, not practice. By some miracle, not realizing the imminent shortage, I managed to get a box of PPU from a local sporting goods store. I had went on a trial run with my revolver, getting more acclimated to the smaller grips and double action trigger pull by running 36 rounds through it. I had seen the writing on the wall regarding the ammo shortages but I knew that it was more important to get to know my revolver to build enough confidence to trust myself to use it properly should the dire need arise.
The indoor range that's available to me is a reasonable 40 min commute, but it would be tricky to justify going there if I'm going to only squeeze off six rounds and pay for half an hour of range time there.
Why not load up the 100 primed brass cases that you currently have? Save the 14 FMJ rounds for carry, as you said.
You lock up your ammunition? You would hate to see my reloading shop. There's tens of thousands of rounds in there, not a single one locked up.
It will be about 2 years before primers are available again. This happened in 2008 when Obama was elected and again in 2011 or so. Make sure when primers become available again, you get enough that you can weather at least 2-3 years without them being available at retail.
This is going to be literally my first time reloading cartridges. As far as I know I've done everything by the numbers after taking a good long look through the Lyman manual that was provided to me. I'm thinking I could just take the leap of loading 100 for my first run. I don't have a Powder dispenser, so I'll be measuring and charging all of my cartridges by hand. That way, I can make absolutely sure I am putting the correct amount of powder.
I keep my ammunition in a plastic ammo can with a lock on it. The lock is definitely not on the strong side, and you could probably use some tin snips to cut the plastic lock hole apart, but my imperative is that it will take an active, conscious effort to open it up. I dry fire with snap caps in my home (until the whole hammer nose thing), and I want to make sure that when it happens, ZERO ammunition is available for anyone to accidentally load into the revolver for any reason.
My Sportsman’s warehouse was well stocked with primers today. Yesterday they were out.
It sounds like you are being very safety conscious, a very good thing. All the same I'd be willing to say most reloaders will assemble rounds that, for unanticipated reasons, are not shootable, despite care in the reloading process. Those get set aside, broken down or otherwise disposed of. Mistakes like that are much more common starting out.
Given the current scarcity and expense of components, and the fact that these will be the very first rounds you assemble, even going by the book I wouldn't recommend committing all the primer stock you have to your first batch. Yes you can break down your mistakes and usually can reuse everything, but it's much easier to break down a dozen cartridges than a hundred.
You should have a coach!
Wow I didn’t know primers are getting to be expensive not long ago I purchased them for $23 per 1000. And last I checked a week ago they were still available at that price. Definitely do some searching around locally.
I'm thinking of starting off with a 24 round batch, that way, I can get used to the rhythm of measuring powder and dispensing. I've already tested about six brass cases seated with bullets and my latest four I haven't been able to pull out with a kinetic puller without probably scaring the neighbors. I'll drop an image of the four I've discussed with in the other thread.
https://imgur.com/rrVup56
They look just right to me. All of the cases are from different manufacturers but the Lee Crimp+Seating die did a fantastic job with all of them.
its too bad your so far away I would be more than happy to help and maybe do some coaching.
have you checked, arms list dot com, local to you for primers?
I agree with BrassMagnet. Finding a good mentor is a good way to get started.
All of you fine people are doing a pretty good job!
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