Reloading

RCBS just released a die set for the 224 Valkyrie, which is a huge step forward for this fledgling cartridge. And I got my grubby paws on them, just in time for prairie dog season in the Potato State.

This week, the amateur reloading show got some upgraded tools. If you are stepping into the roll your own game, you are going to want to put these high up on your list not far behind the press.

Not far into my journey to reloading, it became obvious I was going to need some case prep tools. Never one to shy away from keeping Visa in business, I decided to go big from jump street rather than piecemeal the products along the way. I picked the biggest and baddest options available from Hornady.

The Hornady Iron Press is an extremely smooth operator. Priming was so easy I was certain it wasn’t working, only to find primed brass on the other side.

I’m going to start reloading. As a noob, I decided to the best place to start was to take an entry-level class. Learning from an expert in the flesh can save you hours of heartache and head-scratching.

RCBS has come to market this year with several updates. First off, they’re offering 30-pound pound Rotary tumbler with ergonomically friendly embedded handles. Let’s face it, dropping 30 pounds of brass and media isn’t something you want on a bare toe and these handles are a welcome and improved design. The RCBS lead furnace is also upgraded to a 25-pound capacity with a digital temperature control. Building from the same technology, they’re also offer25-pound pound lead pot is now available with a digital control.

Soldiers at the Anniston Army Depot in Alabama found a machine gun that’s been around for nearly a century, in perfectly working condition.

The very last step in the reloading process is inspection and packaging. After all is done, I like to combine the inspection and packaging steps. As I put each completed cartridge into a box, I look it over to make sure everything is in order.

Crimping gets a bad rap. Just as we sometimes tend to fix construction mistakes with a hammer rather than taking the time to properly fit parts, we tend to view crimping as a way to “fix” a less than perfect bullet seating. The problem with crimping is that it sounds so logical. The word “crimping” kind of implies the process of locking a bullet in place. But, there is more to it than just that.