rugerla1

  I won't answer anything technical because I just started on the same press last night (congrats by the way). But, I had the same thing and mostly from brass that had been crimped and it was shaving a tiny piece off as I press in the new primer. I could feel that it was a little bit tighter when pressing the primer in, but not hard. I've just been keeping an eye on the area around the area where the new primer comes in at the shell plate and removing any grit or slivers of brass. I am not trying to go fast at all, hell I am pulling each case out and making sure the primer is inserted correctly even though it feels good. I'm just making sure each step is correct until I get used to the feel. There are tons of people on here who know reloading inside and out, they'll be along soon to answer in more depth and proper terminology, I'm still learning it all myself.

  Thank you Mike!

Well a big thanks to LukeE for coming over last night and helping me set my dies and giving me a tutorial on using the my new press and general reloading knowledge as well. It took a while to set everything but mostly due to him explaining everything that each piece and adjustment does and of course all of my questions. It really is a lot of information to try to absorb at one time and a lot of things to watch for that will hopefully soon become habit.   I loaded 92 rounds last night and another 60 or so tonight. It's almost surreal sitting out in my garage working that press when a couple of days ago I was excited yet worried a little bit about how the first run would go and if I'd mess anything up. Actually I wasn't sitting and doing anything, I was standing/squatting because my garage is full of stuff for the Labor Day yard sale and I can't get to my damn stool!  :rant: But it has been really fun and interesting the first two nights. I'll go ahead and tell y'all that I've went out to the garage about 20 times and just stared at it, grinning because I'm so happy to actually be doing this after being really interested in starting for the past 6 months or so. Anyway, a tray and a half of .223 Vmax rounds sure puts a smile on a man's face! Thanks for the help LukeE and to all those who offered advice and tips, and of course to Sam1 for the Dillon. I'm a blue Koolaid drinker now!!  :rock:

Yessir he's been talking me through so much of this. And thanks, I'm sure it will be even more satisfying than I'm imagining it now.

  Hopefully after tonight I have this problem!   LukeE is coming over to help me set my dies and get started. Like a kid on Christmas Eve I am :rock:

Actually I think I got so frustrated from a couple of things. Lack of sleep/late night web browsing and reading too much into reviews when I know that half of them probably just complain about every little thing that they don't like. Thanks for all of the tips and information. The no air movement will be what I'll have to watch while it's warm outside. I set my press up in my garage and use a box fan to keep some air moving. But I'll just have to turn it off while measuring powder even if the fan is facing away from me.

Thank you, I hadn't heard the sock idea but think I saw somewhere about a different option for the handle to avoid blisters as well?

Lmao, very true! By the way, nice to meet you and enjoyed talking to you about all 50 subjects we covered Haha.

Thanks! I plan to be checking a lot of things for peace of mind for a long time. I know I will 2nd guess things since I'm new, but I'm fine with that. I will mess up like everyone who is new but hope I catch all of my mistakes quickly due to "over checking" and I doubt you can over check too much in reloading, I don't plan on making records for speed. I just want to learn the process and be safe.

Sam1 when you said you were getting something different, I wasn't prepared for what I saw behind that counter lol. It really is worth getting it for the same reason you stated "Just to have it"! Definitely a conversation starter :up:

Welcome to TGO!

Thanks, I will be doing .223 a lot. But I have to tell you that out of all the tools I'm researching, scales are the most frustrating! Balance scales are slow but seem to be the ones people fall back on and check against their electronic scales. But with all the technological advances made, reviews on electronic scales from $30 to $250 are all over the place! Won't measure consistently, warm up time issues, etc.

Just picked up a Dillon 550b from a member on here, some dies and powder from another TGO member and I can barely sit still with exictement  :rock: I have some of my Dad's old shell holder trays, powder funnels, 30-30 dies, and some odds and ends that I have to dig out and go through.   LukeE has been helping me along the way with decision making and every time I started straying towards something else, he steered me back. I'm so glad he did. I've got it started pretty well but going to wait for assistance setting the dies so I don't have to fix it later.   I've never reloaded before even though I spent many a night watching my Dad reload in his shop for 30-30, 30-06, .357 and .44 mag. What I did learn has long been forgotten since over 20 years have passed and I was mostly the case lube technician  :yuck: But I am so eager to get started and learn this process that I should have stuck with out of high school but didn't.   I picked up some primers and some .223 bullets today just because I'll need them but have several things left that I'll have to have.   Reloading manual  Caliper  Case lube media tumbler/ultrasonic cleaner or both Primer tray (may have one of my Dad's old ones) Electronic powder scale Case trimmer/deburring tool and primer pocket cleaner Hand primer (not necessary but a want more than need) Bullet puller 50 count ammo boxes and labels for data on each   Feel free to add anything I might have left off. I'm really excited about getting this press! 

Planning on trying to make it too.

Ouch! I can barely walk on flat ground 8n flip flops, so I won't have to worry about that. Hope you heal up quick!

Dang! Sorry to hear that, what happened?

  Thanks!!   I need to do an update picture on this last one. I "smeared" the lighter colors with the dark brown so it wasn't such a drastic difference in color. I think it blends better in the woods. I'll try and snap some this weekend.

I really like that one. I need 3 or 4 of them, just can't do it right now

Very, very nice looking setup!

Man, I was already pumped up but those pictures made it worse!! Nice pictures by the way!

  Yep, he's good to go and does great work!

While her's was hanging and drying I started on another one of mine. I like the way it looks although it's so different from my others, but I'm going to alternate the sponge technique, light spots on dark areas, and dark spots on light areas. I think it will mesh better.....at least I hope so anyway :up: And Roman doing a photo bomb in the background :rofl:

Thanks Trekbike! Here are pictures that capture the pink a little better.

Been tinkering with it off and on. Here are some pics I took while working on it. First a brake cleaner bath Two light coats of high heat primer. The light in my garage doesn't show the pink very well so sorry about that. But this picture inside shows the pink and of course the dark brown helps contrast. I was actually liking it this way and was going to add some more directional brown and leave it. Wife said "No, I want OD green on it too!" I was worried about it since I wasn't sure how it was going to look. And here is the way it ended up with the green. It looks better in person and really turned out looking good. I'll snap another picture later and post it so the colors show up better. The pink is pretty much a faded light pink, so it looks white in the picture no matter how I took it while it was drying. The green actually added depth to the scheme and I'm glad she asked for it. I just had that "I really hope she's happy or it'll be back to the ole drawing board" thought process. But she absolutely loves it which makes me happy!

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