Old School 45 Colt loading

[Outpost75]

Char-Gar and I are from a parallel universe and probably knew each other long ago on another planet far away in another galaxy.

Attachment 89458

This isn't my .45 Colt bullet sizer, but I have one of them too.

[Char-Gar]

Ahhh...Ideal No. 3 tool. I use them also for the same purpose. My first one was for the 45-70 and it had the bullet mold connected to it. I cast bullets, pan lubed, sized, primer etc. with the same tool. Mostly black powder shot in my Trapdoor. I paid $25.00 for the rifle back in the day. I spent many fun hours plinking at "targets of opportunity" across the Rio Grande River into our "sister republic to the south" i.e. Mexico. The black powder created a cloud of smoke through which I would yell "Remember the Alamo" from time to time. Today, that would create an international incident and land me in jail or get me killed by somebody along that river way today. But, in the late 50's, it was just clean (more or less) teenage fun.

I have two of those Ideal No. 3 for the 30 US (30-40) and the bullet sizing chambers size to .3125 if anybody is interested in that factoid.

I do about 99% of my depriming and priming with 310 tools. I mostly size cases with the bench press, but often expand necks and seat bullets with the 310 tools as well. I am talking mostly handgun ammo here. For the rifles I deprime and prime with the 310 and then go to the bench for everything else. However I used three old Pacific presses (two pre-war) and an RCBS A2 so that is still pretty much old school. I do have a Redding turret that is permanently set up for the 38 Special round with all sorts of special dies living there.

[powderburnerr]

one thing people failed to notice is his old brass didnt work with modern equipment ,
I use a 310 tool to load my 44-77 because it was a pain in the rear to find proper dies and such . I had one made custom for the brass and do not feel handicapped at all , I load 100s at a time with it .
I think they have their place ,mine is in a loading kit with 100 pieces of brass, bullets, and components to reload 300 rounds , one box in the car and the rifle and I am good to go for a match or a shooting session wherever I want to shoot.

[charliek]

Some one comments on the value of their time in praise of progressive presses. Valuing my time is one reason the blue press is on the floor under the bench. Too much time was spent on the phone to the Tech Line. A 310 and a CH four station keep my shooting up and my blood pressure down.

[opos]

Mucho old guy here with Mucho old school ways...don't begrudge anyone for how they load or what tools they use but I've never owned anything but single stage...don't use a measure...have a beam scale...until a year or so ago never used a tumbler and often do not today. Frequently if sitting in my "office" (Wife calls it my lair)...I'll shut the cats out by closing the door..turn off the phone..hang out the do not disturb sign and pull out my Lee hand loader (not the whack a mole but the nutcracker) and process brass that I've washed or tumbled..then when I feel like it I use the old round style Lee Auto Prime and when time and my attitude permits...weigh each charge and load my rounds one by one...really slow and boring and exactly the way I like it. If I were to make up 200 rounds a night it wouldn't be long before I'd have a lifetime supply of "excess"...I might shoot 50-100 rounds a visit to the range and that's a cake walk with my silly little set up...been doing this since the 50's...recently got a Lee Classic Cast press..I really like it for 30-06 , 8mm and 7.62x54r loading...never use it for straight case pistol shells. Even with the press on the bench...I still move very slowly, weigh every load (dip with a dipper into the scale pan and trickle the balance with an RCBS trickler...usually I'm only a couple of tenths off because I've been "dipping" for so long)...Whatever works for anyone is dandy with me...had a friend (now deceased) that had 2 Dillons in his specially built "loading room"...he looked like a production shop..he loaded for other folks and shot a ton himself..he used to really laugh a my way of doing things but we had different goals...

I remember the 310 tools well as well as the first C and H single stage I had....long time ago.

[Char-Gar]

I had no particular agenda to my original post except to share some recent fun I had loading old school 45 Colt ammo. I enjoy using old/vintage/antique reloading tools to produce ammo. I no longer have the need or desire to crank out buckets of ammo and my time is all my own, now that I am retired. Each hour has the value I assign to it by what I do with the time. Time spend old school reloading is indeed "quality time" for me.

Others utilize their time in other ways depending on what is going on in their lives. I don't think one way is better, superior or higher than another. It is just how we want to utilize the finite number of hours and days we have on this earth.

A friend once told me when I lived down in South America.."You North Americans say that time is money, but we Latinos say that time is life.".

[45sixgun]

"You North Americans say that time is money, but we Latinos say that time is life."

That's one to remember. I'll be writing it in my journal.

Where in S. America did you live? I spent the first 18 years of my life in Suriname and Brazil (mostly Brazil).

[Char-Gar]

Quito, Ecuador

[bhn22]

Charles, you and Outpost75 are going to convert me to the dark side yet. I spent all this money with Dillon and Redding to be trendy, and now all I want for Christmas is a 310 (and an older gun to feed it with).

I hope you're pleased...

[Wayne Smith]

You don't need an older gun ... just a 38 Special!

[Char-Gar]

Charles, you and Outpost75 are going to convert me to the dark side yet. I spent all this money with Dillon and Redding to be trendy, and now all I want for Christmas is a 310 (and an older gun to feed it with).

I hope you're pleased...

The old ways are still strong in you Grasshopper! Here is what you want and need..

http://www.ebay.com/itm/221330159270...84.m1438.l2648

Here is old...1913 to be exact

[Char-Gar]

Not old, but still cool, and 38s to boot!

[DRNurse1]

There is a Blue man in this thread, but he agrees with y'all! I usually use a tong type loader for working up a load.

But those blue (or red, or green, or brown) things can sure make a lot of cartridges in a short time.

[1bluehorse]

Char Gar, congatulations on your good fortune but I'm curious to ask.....with those old balloon head cases, aren't you just a wee bit tempted to load up some of that nasty black stuff ....? By the way I'm 67 and have never even seen a balloon head case, so a little envy here....also, to add to all the others, I've used the Lee "tool"..and bought a 310 setup when I bought my first 06' in 1969, sold that "nutcracker" years ago ..when I want to feel "as one with my reloading" I'll break out my oldie shotgun stuff and put a few together complete with an old style roll crimper....about 10 is all it takes and I'm back to the PW 375... It might be a bit of fun to use one again, (310 tool) but I wouldn't want to make a habit of it ...and it has nothing to do with "speed"....

[Char-Gar]

Balloon head cases are not as common as the were some years back but I have several hundred in 45 Colt, 45 Auto Rim and 44Special. I have loaded lots of black powder over the years but it doesn't interest me much these days.

[Catshooter]

I use RCBS progressives/single station for most of my loading but I have to admit there is a certain charm in the 310. I have 'em in most of my important calibers.


Cat

[KCSO]

When you shot them did you wash the cases? You eed to wash out the primer residue on the old ones or it eats into the case. I had a balon head seperate on me ONCE with a 44-40 and it taught me a big lesson. They split right at the base and boy do you get sprayed.

[bhn22]

Charles, you really are merciless at times, but in the good way...

[Char-Gar]

When you shot them did you wash the cases? You eed to wash out the primer residue on the old ones or it eats into the case. I had a balon head seperate on me ONCE with a 44-40 and it taught me a big lesson. They split right at the base and boy do you get sprayed.

The old primers that contained mercury would attack the brass causing it to fail and should not be reloaded. The ammo in question was loaded with "non-mercuric" primers. I would have to check, but mercuric primers went out of fashion way before WWII. I don't think you could wash out the mercuric primer residue. Folks are aware of old chlorate/corrosive primers but not so much mercuric primers. Chlorate primer residue can cause rust to form in the barrel, unless cleaned out with water or a water based solvent, but won't harm the brass.

[Char-Gar]

Charles, you really are merciless at times, but in the good way...

Not merciless, just childish. My wife says I am the world's oldest ten year old.