What caliber gives you the most trouble reloading, and how did you overcome?

[lonewelder]

44-40 even when seating and crimping in two stages I still lose a case sometimes.

[Bullshop]

The 14 Johnes
Sell it at the S&S forum on CB

[wistlepig1]

Taking a lead from Osteodocs current "hate reloading 9mm" thread, what caliber gives you the most fits and what tricks did you learn.

For me, 22 Hornet has been a tough battle. The case is so fragile, that I've gone back to single stage when loading it (seems appropriate since both guns I have in 22Hornet are single shot anyway - T/C and Handi).

If the brass tipped the least little bit, either sizing, dumping or seating, the case would crumple (and these are NOT cases you find lying around at the range, and ordering them new is iffy at best). The mouth also needed a generous chamfer when loading GC boolits. It's one area where boat tail J-words seem to save brass. Also the Hornady inline seater helps keep thing straight as the projectile heads for the case mouth. A Lyman M die also helped a lot with GC boolits. I also use the Lee collet sizing die to keep from overworking the brass (I just need to keep the T/C round separate from the Handi rounds).

After 22Hornet, everything else seems easy.

Amen on the Hornet, I to have had all the above problems. Don't you just love the LiL jewel?!?

[Harter66]

As of today something that is almost a 280AI but short to the shoulder and long necked ,and fat necked. I don't know how to thicken the necks maybe 338 06'? The HPX 06' leaves the id at 296 to go w/a leade that would be happy at 286-7 and a 277x284 bore . Mean while it is key holeing w/a 27-130 so its on to a slightly fatter paper patch .

The 2nd runner up is an 03A3 I have run loads and boolits and bullets and loads from 1 end to the other. Nothing seems to work. Last weekend I found something that actually may work. 9yrs I've had it ,9 yrs.

[Brett Ross]

7.62x25, I think my issues are more gun related. Bore and chamber dimensions in my Polish Tok are not cast friendly.

[JeffinNZ]

To this day I still can't get my .310 Cadet to shoot with smokeless. I have tried a myriad of powders, two different correct sized projectiles, alloys, that lot. I now shoot it with a duplex load of H4227 under a compressed charge of Swiss 3Fg black powder. Shoots so clean the bore is shiney after each shot and accuracy is great.

[MT Gianni]

Since you stipulated reloading in the thread title I think I'll need to choose the .30-30. This is simply due to the nature of the beast. Since I find it necessary to crimp the necks on hunting ammo it the requires the brass be trimmed too frequently for my tastes. It not an overly onerous task but one I undertake with less exuberance than unclogging toilets. That's why I got rid of my hornet years ago.

Try the RCBS X dies for trimming solutions. I have not needed to trim a 30-30 case since buying them.

[dubber123]

.22 Hornet. I had a really joyous time seating the boolits straight in the thin necks, and after finally fighting my way through and making rounds I felt good about, it rewarded me with 6" patterns at 50 yds. It's been WAY back burnered. 9mm wasn't much fun until I figured out the bores on all of mine are looser than my loosest .38 Spl. Fat boolits fixed most of my issues with that one.

[Doc1]

I don't like reloading any of the smaller calibers, to include .223. I "can" and do do it from time to time, but find wrestling the tiny cases and components to be much more of a PITA than larger calibers. Of course that's a different subject than accuracy, but it's admittedly less enjoyable working up loads when you don't enjoy working with the basic materials!

Best regards
Doc

[Digital Dan]

Don't understand why so many here have trouble with the Hornet.

Reload everything I shoot except for a .380 auto and rimfires. Never found any of the rest to be difficult in any particular fashion and I shoot quite an array of cartridges.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Positively the .44-40! Those thin cases wrinkle easily if they aren't expanded quite enough for the new boolit, and crimping must be gently!

[mannyCA]

22 hornet. No matter how carefully you neck size and chamfer I still get the occasional bulged neck when seating. Very irritating to say the least.

[texassako]

It has to be 7.35 Carcano with cast bullets. Did you know they cut those chambers super tight like they were going to be target shooting? You can't fit much more than a .300" bullet in the neck before it will not chamber and bores run .300-302". I had to make a .300" mandrel for my Lyman neck turning tool, turn the necks to fit a .302" bullet, make a custom expander to expand that neck, hone out sizing dies for my custom mold from Accurate. All the Carcano haters are now shaking their heads "Why?!", but the one with a scope will shoot sub MOA after all that.

[Garyshome]

9mm, I just kept at it and worked all the pain out of it.

[CplOswald74]

After long study I have decided to not cast for 9mm,any variation of 30 cal. or 375, so that leaves me with casting for .452 or larger. Have not had any issue's loading or casting for calibers .45-.729.

[Artful]

I will fight with a cartridge only so long, then....I say So long!

I did the same with 256 win mag - forming the cases - a PITA - getting cast to shoot with it - PITA

[Artful]

.375 Winchester in a Marlin 375. Still working on it. I've tried almost everything that has ever been mentioned about combination here, from Marlinowners, and just about everywhere else. Will continue to work on it.

Which rifling do you have?

[Artful]

Still have problems in spades with the S&W SD9VE.........
But the accuracy of this little piece of work is like shooting at the side of a barn. Total garbage. Boolits (even factory FMJ's) pretty much land where they want out just only 25 feet. Rarely shoot it anymore.

banger

Do you still have the factory trigger spring or did you upgrade with an APEX?

[.22-10-45]

I've never had much trouble with the Hornet..shooting mainly cast now in mine. But the most frustrating rifle/caliber I have ever encountered was trying to load for an 1895 Winchester-Lee straight-pull sporting rifle (6mm Lee-Navy). The twist is a quick 1-71/2"..the chamber is LONG!.. 100gr. Ideal 245498 seated with only gas-check in case mouth..bullet still doesn't reach rifling. And the chamber throat is .001" SMALLER than groove dia.! No matter how tight I sized neck, the bullets were being pushed back into case when bolt was closed. I finally had to size entire bullet to groove dia. & size first driving band .001" under BORE dia. The annealed gas-checks did spring back .001" so I was hoping this would at least seal bore..but I wasn't expecting much in accuracy dept. That fast twist had me worried..cast up batch of hard Lino..as well as my usual moderate-hard range-lead-WW mix. Lube was Luman Super Moly. Found some cast bullet loads in an old Ideal manual from the 1930's..IMR 4227 was listed..so this is what I first tried. I set up at 50yd. on account of the sights..German silver front blade & buckhorn open rear. working up charges gradually..at 10grs. 3/4" groups were right on top of front sight & centered for windage. Next I tried IMR TrailBoss..again working carefully..suprisingly 10grs also gave 3/4" groups to P.O.A. The 4227 loads..no matter how heavy always left case necks sooty..with TrailBoss..even the light start loads left necks clean. Muzzle blast was greater with 4227. I tried it out to 100yds & got 1 1/4" groups. I never did get around to shooting the hard bullets..the softer ones gave no leading whatsoever. Sure learned alot with this old rifle.

[M-Tecs]

204 Ruger. Got a smoken' deal on a rifle about six months ago. Having a heck of a time finding brass and bullets at a reasonable price. No brass or bullets is a big problem. Never had issues with the Hornet or 44/40. Hated loading 17 Rem. Powder would bridge in the neck. Sold the rifle so no more issues.