What is your Winter Reloading Project this year?

[btroj]

I too cast and load all year. I just want to use this time of year when it is tough to get to the range to get ahead on my casting and loading. I tend to load handgun in bulk, but not rifle.I like to keep more rifle brass unloaded as I am much more likely to want to load it for a specific application.
I do have 400 plus 405 plain base cast for the 45-70. I will probably end up casting that many more as the year goes by.

[Doc Highwall]

This is the topic I started on my dies and how I modified them.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=90241

[BSkerj]

I just recently put in a order for a Big Timber Sharps 45/70 and now am gathering up the components so I will be ready when it is done. It will be awhile so I have plenty of time. In the meantime reading everything I can get my hands on about Black Powder cartridge loading and shooting.

[MakeMineA10mm]

Thanks Doc; I'll be reading that next!

I have and do reload all year long, but casting is situational. My casting set up currently is outside, and in my neck of the woods, it's too cold in the Winter generally. (It's too hot in many parts of the Summer too, so it's hit-and-miss there.) Spring and Fall is open season on casting for me. If I were to move my casting to a heated out-building, that would be perfect, but no heat for now...

[TCLouis]

357 Herrett in a 10" and 14" tube for the contender.

I want to find a load for both barrels using my LAR45's 35-180 RNFP GC GB boolit of long ago and the 35-220 grain FP GC GB boolit from last year.

I need minute of deer heart load from both of them.

That will keep me out of trouble for part of the winter anyway.

Then there are the RCBS 30-150 FP GCs to get worked up in the 30-06 and 30-30 . . .and then the 120 PBs in .265 for the 6.5 TCU.

[geargnasher]

Lessee here, finished developing a keeper load for the 45/90 Shiloh today, put a new scope on Dad's .22 Marlin, doped out a new custom mould and load for .45 ACP and then ran 900 through the Pro1000, designed a new boolit for most of my .45 Colts, almost finished my long-term #4 rolling block rebuild, straightened the terribly bent-from-the-factory frame on Mrs. Geargnasher's Model 36 Smith, developed a load for my NEF Buffalo Classic, plus several general casting/reloading sessions to restock the ammo coffers. Busy week.

Gear

[.357]

Find some time to load, cast, and shoot!

[94Doug]

Right now, I am working on this 35 Whelen project...but none of the other projects are forgotten; there are just so many. My son is doing a project for highschool that has cast boolits involved in it. He wants to try using 3 different lubes and test out the results on targets, so that is my main one, I guess. I hope I get an A.

Doug

[MakeMineA10mm]

Right now, I am working on this 35 Whelen project...but none of the other projects are forgotten; there are just so many. My son is doing a project for highschool that has cast boolits involved in it. He wants to try using 3 different lubes and test out the results on targets, so that is my main one, I guess. I hope I get an A.

Doug

Be sure to present your (I mean, HIS) report here first, so we can criticize (I mean, HELP!)...

[Harter66]

I really want to get my Mauser started and work out the 38/357/357 rifle loads w/ the new SWC bullet . Maybe find a Carcano stock and bbl of oppertunity for 7.62x39 or a 38-357mag/max. Get a house deal done so I don't have to move the lead horde again start the 59 Ranchero restoration . Maybe I should pick just 1 to start with.

[MakeMineA10mm]

Yes, I've found if I think about all the things that should be done, I never start them. I've gotten really invigorated this winter. I think there's a few things involved - 1) this website abounds with good information, assistance and encouragement; and 2) my daughter is finally getting old enough that she's getting a little independent, and so I have free time once again.

I had a REALLY good day today (over more than just this hobby, too)!!

I got all 1000 pieces of my "LC 5" 30-06 brass processed in citric acid and about half of it or a little more is done in the tumbler and looks like brand new brass! Another couple days (wrapped around work now that vacation is over), and the rest will be done with the cleaning stage...

Also got 19 rounds of my last test loads of 30-06 light loads w/ pistol powder done. (Why 19? I'm using the culls from my weight-sorted boolits, and this is how many underweight boolits I had to use for this load.)

Got all of my commercial 30-06 brass cleaned, resized and deprimed, and re-primed and sitting there waiting for the next step in my casts boolit loads: the 200-yd load. Also found a half-can of 1970s Hercules 2400 hiding on a back shelf, so I'm in business with enough powder to at least test "the load" of 16.0grs. Also dug up my can of IMR-4227. (I got it, 3031, 7625, and a can of something else from a guy who bought it at a garage sale -- all sealed, unopened, full cans from about the late 70s/early 80s.) Also super-glued gas checks on my weight-sorted boolits, so all that remains is to open up the case necks, charge with powder, and seat, and I'm ready for more adventures with the '03 Springfields!

To top it all off, a buddy calls me and we find our schedules let us meet up today. He had bought a bunch of stuff at an auction and had no use for about half of it. I ended up getting a Tipton Rifle Vice, 400 rds of processed 30-06 arsenal brass ("LC 54"), 1000 M-2 Ball 152gr FMJs, 60 pieces of 44 Spl. brass, an M-15 grenade launcher sight, some cleaning rods (1 is I think for an M-14, two others are for AK-47s), an M-16 cleaning kit in the nylon Alice case, some lead (he knows I'm a caster!! ), and a few assorted odds and ends... All for the princely sum of $70!

Did I mention I had a really good day today?!?!?

[lyktohunt]

Trying to get my Win 94 32-40 to shoot boolets that do not enter the paper sideways or not enter the paper at all.

[MakeMineA10mm]

Find some time to load, cast, and shoot!

I've actually started a blog to motivate me to do this. I know I have the time, I just need to prioritize and plan correctly to spend the time, at the right time, to get things going. By blogging it, I'm giving myself some good pressure to encourage myself to do something each day or two so I have something to write about...

Everyone's situation is different, but I finally have a little bit of time for me. I also need to quit spending as much time in front of a TV or this little screen here... (Sorry, Ken!!)

[HollowPoint]

For the longest time I've been looking for a light weight 30 cal bullet mold to use as a high-speed fragmenting varmint load. (100 grains or less)

My original plan was a two stage affair.

I had planned on making my own light-weight bullet mold but when I crunched the numbers; buying the material and doing the work myself would have cost more than buying and modifying one of the cheap Lee two cavity aluminum molds.

I bought a Lee 100 grain .32 cal round nose plain base mold and added some length on the tail to hold my gas check. Since I wanted to keep it at-or-about 100 grains, the added weight on the tail would have put me over my intended weight so, I added a modified cramer-style hollow pointing fixture.

This modified hollow pointing fixture is similar to the ones that Eric over at the hollowpointing services website uses. It's a pretty slick setup. My hats off to Eric for coming up with it.

The second stage of my plan was to complete the Boat-Tailed Gas-Check-making jig I've been working on and off with for the past couple of months.

I want to modify the bases of the 100 grain cast bullets from the .32 caliber mold I mentioned above so that I can use these Boat-Tailed Gas Checks on them.

I finished up the work on the bullet mold today. Now I have to get started on the Boat-Tailed Gas Check jig.

It may be a bold and possibly unattainable goal but, I'm hoping to be able to drive these little bullets up to 3000 fps.

I can just imagine the comments that my previous sentence may bring forth but, I HAVE A PLAN.

Wether it pans out for me is yet to be seen.

If it does work I'll post my results under a new thread titled: Fragmenting BumbleBee.
Heck, I'll post my results even if it doesn't pan out. I know some of you guys are like me in that we learn more from our failures than we do from our successes.

I tip my hat to all the other guys who were bold enough to post their plans or intentions. May you succeed beyond your wildest expectations.

HollowPoint

[MakeMineA10mm]

NICE post! Wish we had a "like" button here!!

[rtracy2001]

My reloading/shooting project this winter is building my first rifle. (I have umm several rifles, this will just be the first that I have built myself). I picked up a cheap turkish mauser and I am rebarreling to 308 win, installing it in a sporter style stock that I am refinishing, and I am still undecided as to the metal finish, I may blue it, I may use the heat cure paint that Brownell's sells. I am doing as much work as I possibly can myself (my regular gun smith seems a little put out at that, but I think it is fun). So far the only things I probably won't be doing myself is turning down the bolt handle (no welder, and I don't want it forged) and maybe finish reaming (costs more to rent a reamer than have a smith do it.)

[thegreatdane]

wow, HollowPoint, that was a nice post. "like" also.

[firefly1957]

I am working on swaging dies for a pointed 60 gr bullet for my 256 Win. Mag. the biggest problem I am having is expanding the spent 22 case to the larger diameter. Then working up a accurate load to use in ten inch Contender.

[Wayne Smith]

Should get the first stage of my benches done today! Second stage will be the finish frontal pieces - and then the shelving. Not exactly a "reloading" project, but one that will make my reloading much easier and available - and allow me to teach as well.

Put the final finish coat on the top last nite. Got to make the front pieces, but have all the original holes drilled. Need to screw the inserts underneath, make powder measure stands and locate them and screw them down, move everything up to the gun/reloading room. Also gotta count my bolts and make sure I have enough! Then need to make the shelves, but gotta wait for some good weather to get the planer out and plane down some 5/4 wood for that.

[steg]

Smelting is done outside, can't take the cold anymore, so thats out, casting is done in a confined space using a drawfan, that cools the house down too much, so thats out, reloading is mostly loading favorite known loads, can't get to the range to experiment on new loads, so to me winter is just about boring downtime..........................steg