Going to try reloading

[Will H]

I am going to start off very simple, and only for .38 spl.  I bought a pound of Unique powder, a box of 100 Hornady bullets (the only kind they had) three boxes of CCI small pistol primers, and ordered a Lee manual reloader along with their powder measuring spoons.  I went with the manual kit to begin with due to money, but also due to the fact that I would want one even if I had a press.  I like the idea of being able to eventually reload in the field.

 

The test gun will be my Ruger GP100, just in case I overload I would not want to blow a Rossi to smithereens.  LOL

 

I am sure to have some questions along the way, and sorry if some seem a bit dumb.  Here are a couple to begin with...

 

Anyone have a good base recipe for Unique in .38 spl?

Where can I find a chart for CC vs. Grains for unique?

The manual kit says not to use it in basically anything but a revolver...  Why?

[Caster]

Why would you convert grains to or from cc? Smokeless powder is measured by weight not, NOT NOT volume.
Get a scale.

I despise Lee dippers. I have a pile of them, and I only ever use them for trickling powder into my scale pan. I have measured time and time again the same dipper with the same powder and you'll get variances every time.

Be careful my friend. Edited December 19, 2012 by Caster

[jb980]

If you have bought a new set of lee dies or a copy of Lee's Modern Reading the information on the cc's should be in the load sections for your chosen caliber.

[gregintenn]

Please buy a scale. Frankfort Aresenal makes one the size of a calculator for twenty something bucks. I'm a Lee fan, but do not care for the use of the dippers for measuring smokeless powder. There is a very small variation between minimum and maximum loads in some handgun recipies. You really need to KNOW what you have; not estimate it from a conversion chart.

Edited December 19, 2012 by gregintenn

[Jonnin]

you can mess around with the chart from the lee auto-disk (which is online in pdf format in many locations) to figure out the volume to mass ratio "roughly".   These charts are notoriously incorrect, but its ballpark.  

 

The right way to do it is to tare a scale to the weight of your dipper spoon, fill the spoon, re-weigh it.  Repeat about 20 times & average it.   A little math and you can find the weight in grains for any of the dippers this way. 

 

That means having a scale....

 

As others said, you should not use a dipper for any but the crudest loads.  You have air-pockets and hard to scoop exactly full etc issues all over the place --- its as much as +- 1 grain per scoop on a good day!

 

I know a scale costs money but mine was like $20 and is good to .25 grains.  Its a million times better than the scoops.  

 

Also the alliant page (makes unique powder) has load data.  Its a good starting point. 

Edited December 19, 2012 by Jonnin

[Will H]

Looks like I might have jumped the gun with question 2.  As jb980 said the chart should come with the loader.

 

Yeah, I am also thinking I need a scale.

[Jonnin]

Looks like I might have jumped the gun with question 2.  As jb980 said the chart should come with the loader.

 

Yeah, I am also thinking I need a scale.

 

Depends, a lot of charts only give grains.   The info is out htere on the web and the powder manufacturer will provide it with a phone call or email as well.  Its not a secret or anything, but its a PITA to extract it from existing load data sometimes.  If you cant find it, when I get settled in tonight, I will math it out and give you the volume to mass if you still need it.

[Will H]

I went ahead and ordered a scale.  Thanks for the help so far yall.

Edited December 19, 2012 by Will H

[RED333]

Pick a fair digital scale, 20 bucks, well worth it.

The Lee is OK, weight twice before you load the bullet.

[Jonnin]

my lee 9mm data says...

 

6.4 grains of unique is .70 cc exact

5.1 and .56 for another load

 

or 1 grain is .109 cc 

or 1 cc is 9.14 grains

 

for whatever that is worth.

[Will H]

Thank you sir.

 

 

Yeah, I decided that an electronic is prolly easier to use so I got the Frankfort Aresenal suggested above.

[Patton]

I actually have used the lee measuring spoons with unique and for 38spl. How odd right? I use 4.7 grains of Unique for 158 gr LSWC, measured out on a scale. I bought the powder dippers just for checking my scale and sometimes to keep from reseting the powder dispenser and scale.
The powder dippers and chart are really conservative. I'll look later and measure the spoon (is it the .5cc?) to see what that amount of Unique weighs. Honestly I see no issue with using dippers if you are positive it's the right amount. Also the Lee Nanual Loader is good for occasionally reloading. Edited December 19, 2012 by Patton

[Will H]

Thank you.  That helps quite a bit.

[Patton]

Ok with Unique and level across the top:
.5cc dipper was throwing about 3.8 gr
.7cc dipper was throwing about 5.8 gr

Use this information at your own risk. These are just my findings and your results may differ.

[Will H]

Well, I loaded my first 10 rounds.  The first one failed to fire.  The primer did not go off, although it looked like a good hit.  I don't know what that was about.

 

The other 9 fired fine, and seemed very consistent.  I am using 4.6 grains of unique, and it seemed like a pretty good target load.  Mixing 3 reloads with 3 new rounds I could not tell the difference.

 

I think I might look at a hand priming tool.  I don't really like using the hammer to put a primer in with this manual loader.

[gregintenn]

Well, I loaded my first 10 rounds.  The first one failed to fire.  The primer did not go off, although it looked like a good hit.  I don't know what that was about.

 

The other 9 fired fine, and seemed very consistent.  I am using 4.6 grains of unique, and it seemed like a pretty good target load.  Mixing 3 reloads with 3 new rounds I could not tell the difference.

 

I think I might look at a hand priming tool.  I don't really like using the hammer to put a primer in with this manual loader.

Money well spent!

 

You probably didn't get the primer seated fully; thus the reason for your misfire. I'll bet the firing pin seated the primer. Did you try to fire it again? It probably would have the second time.

[Will H]

Yeah, I let it sit in the gun for two minutes, unloaded it, reloaded it after looking at the primer, and attempted to fire it again.  Still nothing.  I am figuring I messed it up somehow.  The other nine were fine, and I am going to go ahead and buy that hand primer from Egay, so that should be the end of it.  I figure it's just the learning curve.

[Caster]

Bad primers happen. Doesn't mean you did anything wrong. Maybe you did, maybe you didn't. Well never know. Keep on trucking.

[gregintenn]

Likely a bad primer if it didn't fire on the second attempt. Not common; but they do happen. If you encounter several, you probably have a weak spring.

[Will H]

Thanks yall.  Yeah, it may have been bad.  I am not too worried about it, and dang sure not discouraged.  9 out of 10 for my first loads ever is not bad. imo

[Jonnin]

In my box of pull aparts sits a 9x18 that is perfect in every way... except somehow a used primer got stuck into the case, or it never got deprimed....  duh!

[Will H]

Question:  can I use small pistol magnum primers in .38 special?  The supply of regular primers seems to be drying up.

[Guest Fruit jar]

After watching the ragtime publication here for over a month. I offered the seller $75. for a Lee breech kit and a Lyman tumbler, with a set of 9mm dies and .223 dies. I'm waiting on my order of spm, 223 primers and powder to arrive.

 

I was told that there was a little difference in sp and spm primers, not enough to hurt.

[Jonnin]

Question:  can I use small pistol magnum primers in .38 special?  The supply of regular primers seems to be drying up.

Absolutely.   You will want to drop your load data just a bit, try taking off like 1/2 to 1 grain and it should even up to where it was before roughly, depends on powder used etc. 

[Will H]

I am using a conservative charge of 4.6 grains of unique shooting 158 gr plated round nose.  I am shooting them out of a Ruger GP100 .357 magnum, so I am thinking I should be able to use the magnum primers and keep the rest of my loading the same...

Edited December 27, 2012 by Will H