Just use 1 thin card wad over the shot, you will get less shot disruption and better patterns.
Just use 1 thin card wad over the shot, you will get less shot disruption and better patterns.
The wad also took care of the dimples on the brass. I looked for the wad to inspect it and never found it. I need a punch to cut cards. Using a 45acp case is slow.
Set of harbor freight arch punches or steel case 7.62x54 shoulder dia is .457 cut off and sharpen
So after playing whack-a-mole with cards I had an idea, yay the arbor press. Folding the card over I can cut 4 cards at a time with the card on a piece of cardboard with a chamfered 45acp case. I can make cards in a hurry like this.
In .44 magnum (reformed .303 cases) and 45-70 I found two wraps of wax paper inserted on a dowel then filled with shot stopped barrel leading and gave even patterns.
When I think back on all the **** I learned in high school it's a wonder I can think at all ! And then my lack of education hasn't hurt me none I can read the writing on the wall.
So I tried the harbor freight punch thing and that will go on the shelf to never be used again is my guess. Arbor press with 45 case is much faster and produces a tighter fitting card. I can also control size by crimp or flare on a case where as the punch I cannot. My opinion is if you have an arbor press skip the HF punch. At least I got 25% off. Might work better for a thicker tougher material though.
I use a 308 case, cut off at the shoulder and the primer pocket drilled out to 1/4", I opened up the body of the case with a 45 colt expander plug, then put the case in a drill and spin it to cut wads from thick cardboard or the sides of milk jugs, then use a 1/4" bolt to push the wads out. cut 4 wads, push them out... If you get too many wads cut, it's a pain to get them pushed out of the case.
The Harbour Frieght punches work better of you hammer on the end grain of a 4x4 or log. At least for me it was much easier.
For me the HF punch seemed to fit loose because I haven't been resizing. It's quite possible if I resize the brass each time the punch will work well. So far if I keep the case in the same rifle I have no chambering issues or if I use the tight chambered pointer brand 410 it fits the others. BTW 5.6gr of TG left a very rounded primer but I'm sure powder compaction, case sizing, wad pressure can all play into this. This is my first go atreloading shotgun outside of replacing shot with rice or bird seed for bees in a factory round.
Last summer My wife and I went back to NJ to visit my son, dil and new grand kids. Before going to my son's house we stopped at an old neighbor's house for two days. While there and having a few adult beverages in the large garage someone came in and we started talking about reloading I started to introduce myself to this person and he said he knew me. We had been on the same pool team 30+ years before!
He said he found some powder cleaning out an old garage and if I would like it, to which I said yes.
the next day there was a unopened 4# canister of 2400 and three #'s of BP a1# ffg and 2# fffg no charge!
I just realized after rereading my original post that I didn't put the FCD caliber. 45acp crimp die.
BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |