125 gr vs 158 gr

[Guest Jamesmb]

Hi musicman

I am grateful for the advise, but altogether I have accidentally popped 12 primers so far and seems just like you would hit a cap with a cap gun when you were a kid. I am not advising this, however. What I really worry about is accidentally setting off a round when I am crimping with this kit.

I did have a chance to try out one of the hand primer tools, think RCBS, and noticed that set the primer a little deeper then I can get with Lee Classic Loader tool. Mine are usually flush, but the RCBS was slightly inside the primer pocket, maybe that gets a better charge off. Also on my magnum reloads with my Lee I am finding some unburnt powder falling out of the empty shell, not sure if because I am using regular primers instead of magnums primers or the powder is a slow burning kind, AAN9.

On the unfired round, do not have a tumbler so tried washing all the shells after I decapped them, I think this one round the shell might not have gotten all the water out of it before I reload them. The primer itself was just set in like the others I have done, not any deeper. The primer seemed not to have gone off even though struck with the firing pin.

[Mike.357]

I have yet to have a home rolled .357mag round not go bang when I pull the trigger.

I do not do anything to my cases other than visually examine them for flaws before reloading them. I do wipe off all the cases once they are reloaded to remove any residual lube. I have never set off a primer while seating it in a .357 mag. The primers do not sit inside the lip of the casing but flush with it.

I also have suspended all reloading until the humidity goes up some. Dang static in this house is terrible. I don't know if a static spark would set off powder but I am not chancing it.

I also am not reloading anymore until I get a handheld priming tool. I do not mind the Lee loader method but I am not priming that way any more.

So James does this mean you got your S&W back from the gunsmith? What was wrong with it and what did they do to it?

[Guest Jamesmb]

Well Mike, the gunsmith still has the gun, I shot some rounds with it and it locked up again, so he is going to try to see what the problem is as I left it in the locked up mode. When the cylinder is out and you hold the thumbpiece down you can pull the trigger fine, but when you put the cylinder back in it locks up again. He did polish some rough edges on it and while firing was feeling much better too shoot then ever before. In fact I shot 50 or so of my reloads, 357s but when I got to some factory load 357s and there is a BIG difference, after about 12 rounds of them it was pretty well locked up.

Also do you clean your primer cup area of your shells after you decap? They make a little wire brush tool to do this, I think when doing that you get a better seating of the primer. According to the diagram in the NRA Reloading manual I have, it shows the primer being seated slighty in. It says it has to be seated fully to the bottom of the primer pocket. I can not get it seated that deep though with the kit primer tool.

[Mike.357]

I look at the primer pocket and if there is crud in it I run a coarse pipe cleaner through it.

Maybe mine are slightly set in, never worried about it. They definitely do not stick out.

I use magnum primers on the .357's btw.

[Mike.357]

Okay, from Midway USA I just finished ordering a Lee Hand Primer, Shell Holder set (11 piece) and Primer Pocket Cleaner. Shipped to my door it was $35.

No more hammering primers in for me.

I tried to get it from Cabelas but they had it on backorder, was about the same price anyways even though from Cabelas the Primer and Shell holder set came in a package deal.

Taking a screwing on shipping I guess but what can you do?

[Guest Jamesmb]

Hey Mike

I think I will order mine when I do from Wideners.

http://www.wideners.com/itemdetail.cfm?item_id=4038&dir=210|212|238

and buy the shellholders individually, probably only do 357 for me for now.

http://www.wideners.com/itemdetail.cfm?item_id=2056&dir=210|212|238|374

this should come to $18.10 excluding sales tax and shipping.

Don't know what they charge for shipping though, and they might charge sales tax because of in Tennessee.

I think the primer tool though is the way to go instead of what the Kit uses.

I went to the gunshow today, None of the people selling reloading gear had any, nor did they have any scales. There was one person selling primers by the hundred box instead of thousand at a time, but he did not have any small magnum pistol primers out yet.

I have been loading my shells to light according to an answer I got from over on the firingline forum. I am going to try 13.5 gr and see how that goes when I get my scale.

They had a SP101 there for $425 at the gunshow and a GP100 but that was over $600. That 100 looks like you could fire magnums all day with no problems. Saw some nickel plated or stainless steel model 19's had thought they only came in blue version. Saw a S&W model 13 for $285 that is a magnum too.

[Mike.357]

I have been loading my shells to light according to an answer I got from over on the firingline forum.

too light for what? I do not see any need to max out a round just for paper punching or plinking.

[Mike.357]

Finally put the Lee handprimer use this past weekend. it made rolling my own cartridges a pleasure. The entire process is faster, know worries about popping primers anymore so resizing the cases went very quickly.

Resizing and placing the primer in the casing when wacking it out of the sizing tool was the time kill in the process before.

Way better using the handprimer. Very enjoyable process.

[Guest Jamesmb]

Yes I got a Lee hand primer too. Have not popped any primers accidentally yet since using. Much safer.