Just Loaded my First 10 Rounds!!!!

[PhillyG29]

woohoo!!! Just came up from loading my first ten rounds of 10mm ammo! I have a sense of accomplishment now, and can start earning my equipment investment back!!!!

Looks like Midweek I'll head to the range to pick up my G29 from the shop and have some fun at the range with the last of my factory purchased ammo and my 10 test rounds.

[thomae]

Congratulations on your official entry into yet another money saving, but expensive, part of the shooting sport hobby. Be careful you don't fall into the trap (I speak from personal experience, here) of collecting components more than reloading. It is good to stockpile a reasonable amount of brass, primers, powders, bullets, etc...but when I actually inventoried what I had, I had to laugh at myself; I realized that I probably have more than enough to last the rest of my life. I need to get out and SHOOT more!

Keep good records so you know what works and what does not work.
Be Careful: reloading is like shooting: accuracy and precision are paramount, speed only secondary.
Have fun(most important!)

[Guns N'at]

woohoo!!! Just came up from loading my first ten rounds of 10mm ammo! I have a sense of accomplishment now, and can start earning my equipment investment back!!!!

Looks like Midweek I'll head to the range to pick up my G29 from the shop and have some fun at the range with the last of my factory purchased ammo and my 10 test rounds.

Very nice!

It really is satisfying; especially the first round fired. Seems the universal feeling after apprehension is "it actually worked", "I still have all my fingers, and the "gun is still in one piece". May not another round of factory ammo soil your gun again .

[glocknick]

before you head to the range make sure the fit in your mag and also that they chamber. before you chamber them make sure you measure the oal and measure it afterwards to see if the bullet setback. i say this from experience because my first reloads where 38 specials. i took said reloads to the range and they would not fit in the cylinder. the crimp die was not adjusted properly.

[dregan]

before you head to the range make sure the fit in your mag and also that they chamber. before you chamber them make sure you measure the oal and measure it afterwards to see if the bullet setback. i say this from experience because my first reloads where 38 specials. i took said reloads to the range and they would not fit in the cylinder. the crimp die was not adjusted properly.

My thoughts exactly. I did almost the same thing, my OAL was perfect, although the crimp die was off. They didn't jam but, they didn't chamber real smooth either, fired them and readjusted the crimp die, smooth sailing from then on.

Welcome to the art.

[PhillyG29]

Thanks Guys. As you guys suggested I double triple checked everything. No problems at the range today. I feel alot better now I put a few of the "home brewed" down range.

I'll be making some more rounds throughout the next week for my range trip on the 19th.

[smitty56]

before you head to the range make sure the fit in your mag and also that they chamber. before you chamber them make sure you measure the oal and measure it afterwards to see if the bullet setback. i say this from experience because my first reloads where 38 specials. i took said reloads to the range and they would not fit in the cylinder. the crimp die was not adjusted properly.

Case Gage
Case Gage
Case Gage
Case Gage.

You absolutely have to check your ammo to see if it fits but trying it at your house is not the greatest thing. A case gage allows you to drop in your loaded round to see if your loaded round meets factory specs.

Do a Google search for "Dillon case gage" or Wilson case gage" and you will find them for $15 for pistol and up to $25 or so for rifle calibers. Yes, you can take the barrel out of your auto or just drop them in the cylinder of your revolver but you can't do that with semi auto rifles. Others may argue differently but I think having one for each caliber is essential.
You will be glad you did.

Smitty56

[shortthrow50]

i always check each individually round for oal to make sure they fit into magazine before i crimp them. Yeah i screwed up my first batch of 5.56 rounds lol. One extra step is worth it for checking length. Especially with military surplus bullets. It seems like with those bullets no 2 are the same length. I verified this with my gauge. So when you set your bullet seat die, The bullets still come out .10 - .20 difference

[Pkspawn]

I've been following these reloading threads for a couple weeks now. I bought a used Dillon RL550 and just this week picked up the caliber conversion kit that I needed.

I have the RCBS 505 scale. I noticed that the powder charge varies a tiny bit.. Most I could tell is +/- .1 . I did 10 charges, it was supposed to be 38, it came out 39. I'm at the low end (starting) charge, so this doesn't concern me much.

The OAL seems to vary a little, around .01 range. That tamper crimp seems dead on to the specs listed in the lyman manual. I set it up to just barely bell out the case, enough to place the bullet inside. It will almost fit in the barrel without going through the crimp die.. I then did the taper die just so that the round falls into the barrel with no issues.

I think/hope I did everything correctly, LoL. manually measure every other powder charge to be sure it was staying consistent. We'll see about the primer seating when I get to the range. Don't wanna test that at home for obvious reasons.

I did make up a bunch of rounds without primers as I was learning the machine and steps. Basically ran it single stage to learn each stage and the feel. I did push a primer in sideways, and learned how to remove that stuck shell from the plate , and why/how that happened. I love the "Do Over" Hammer.. Bullet puller

So, after work today, I'll find out if they go bang or boom in my G21. Gotta admit though, this is fun and does seem it could become just as addictive as shooting. Might start reloading for calibers I don't own yet .. I already have a lot of other brass, 9, 40 and 38/357, even save my 22lr cases. haha

Quick question: The Dillon turret does the deprime and prime in the same station. I am only loading up target ammo to kill paper with mostly. Is there an issue with not cleaning the primer pocket? When I was practicing in single stage, I popped the primer out of a bunch of cases. I noticed some are kinda clean, and some will be all black. they weren't all consistent. I am also concerned with the tumbler media making its way into the pockets, Could that cause issues?? or is this more of a concern when I want more consistent, match quality stuff?

Thanks.

[Rundownfid]

No issue with the primer pocket for normal everyday use. Now if you were shooting in bench rest comps you would want to clean and uniform the pocket and flash hole. Most of
us can't tell the difference, even off a bench.