? ? On a Budget ? ?

[gwpercle]

Needle nosed pliers , I didn't have the skill to make a "special tool ". It does work .

[gwpercle]

Another good idea from Ben. But, is anyone on this forum on a budget?

Seems like I've been on a budget my entire life. Being poor leads you to be creative with what you do and how you do it. Remember, there is always more than one way to skin a cat.

[dikman]

....or dog.

[EMC45]

I have used the needle nose and twist method and my favorite (before I got the Lee Universal) was to use a automatic punch tapped with a hammer. The taper on the body was just the right size to flare my .308 caliber cases.

[paul h]

I use a 1/8"-1/2" reamer for bottle neck cartridges, works like a champ and not to expensive at a hardware store or from Amazon

[MaLar]

Another good idea from Ben. But, is anyone on this forum on a budget?

A budget would be a step up here.

[Dave Bulla]

Yea, a budget implies you have some choice on where your money gets spent...

[s1120]

I used the neddlenose trick, and did not care for it. I have a oddball mismatch die that was in a box of stuff that has a small taper in the inside that works well, but is a bear to setup correctly. Ill try making a punch like that. Im also in a budget. Not that I cant afford it, but with kids, wife, house, bills etc.... well we have all been there. Luckly I was brought up to know that you first try to make/work with what you have, before you spend. If nothing else you have/can build works... then you go out and buy.

[6bg6ga]

Thanks, the thread brought back memories.

[blueeyephil]

I've been one that can usually afford to buy a tool when I want or need it, but I've been watching youtube videos this last week on forge making and black smithing. Brings home the idea that you can make what you need with a little ingenuity and some hard work. Lots of ways to skin the cats and occasional the DOG. Enjoyed reading some of those ideas.

[dikman]

More than "some" hard work! But good fun, nevertheless. S1120, I was brought up the same. I'll usually try and make something first, if that doesn't work try and modify an existing "something" (I'm particularly good at that ) and if that doesn't work then I let the moths out of the wallet!

[karlrudin]

This might be off topic, but I did make a bad mold work better through innovation. The mold I bought had the area where the gas check poured to large no matter what I did. The rest of the bullet was in spec so I started thinking how to solve the problem, which was the check area. So remove it. I went to my local hardware store and bought a Forstner drill bit a little larger than the diameter of my bullet, which was 8mm. I took to small blocks of wood, clamped them together and drilled a 1/2 deep whole at the junction of the 2 blocks with a 5/16 drill bit. I took one of my cast bullets and put it in the hole I just drilled and put it in the drill press vise, tightening just enough to hold the bullet still. Poor man's v blocks. Then I chucked up the Forstner bit. I drill the base of the bullet until the check area was removed. To those who don't know, a Forstner bit is used for drilling a square bottoming hole in wood. This time it was used to put a square bottom on a lead bullet. Groups tightened up because I was using square base bullets, instead of using a gas checked bullet with no gas check. Cost $15 total. Now I can still use the mold and shoot my k-98. Just saying.

[woodbutcher]

Around our house budget wise,is like the Missus said the other day."Honey,we`re so poor we can`t even pay attention".
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

[KuunLB]

what a wonderful idea, love the ingenuity! A friend has learned i got into reloading so has asked me to load some .308 for him. i've never loaded .308 before so knowing i've got to flare the mouth is a good thing! i'll prolly end up improvising something myself, i've always been good a re-purposing things i have on hand.

Another good idea from Ben. But, is anyone on this forum on a budget?

in this day and age, who isn't? it almost seems futile to even budget, as there never seems to be enough incoming to compensate the outgoing with a family.

[woodbutcher]

Then too,like my Father used to say"If it were`nt for the outgo,the income would be pretty good".
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

[mold maker]

Well, I get mail addressed to "Bakers Poor House". The USPS can't be wrong.

[clearcut]

When I started loading cast in rifle cases I had the same problem I just used a empty .223 case and a small hammer and I still do now.
CC

[gbrown]

That's what I love about this forum. Innovation and tricks for the new and old. I've made similar tools--necessity is the mother of invention. It's just good brain exercise to devise and make things. Like making Kake Cutters out of old, odd cases and nails, even though you could afford the "Store Bought." Yes, I was a 16 yo kid when I started reloading and the minimum wage was $1.25/hr. The $19.00 C&H press on the clearance table was a big ticket item for me and pushed the budget back then. (That equaled 15 hours of hard work.) I still use it. For young people who want to do this, they don't have the money to spend when there are young'uns to clothe and feed and the economy isn't as healthy as some would want us to believe. Good going, Ben. Great Thread!

[Wayne Smith]

I was loading some old 38 Special on my TrueLine Jr and kept breaking the primer pin. I found out that the RCBS headed pin really doesn't fit! I had a thought and went out to the garage and checked my brads. Found one that fit tight and works well when snipped off. Unfortunately the lable was gone. Now I've got to figure out what diameter they are!

[Harter66]

That $40 Kung Pow drill press I bough 15 yr ago with a house full of teens has paid off a dozen or so times. I think this was an 8mm expander to get up to 325.
I have a whole box full of pins like this like the 314 that flairs for the by 39

For those that I don't have a pin for or don't load enough to make 1 for I have a 20mm cannon bullet . It was drilled and taped for 1/4 20 so I use it on new brass to polish the chamfer too.