Tips, tricks, and things that have helped you...

[azhank]

Along the way.

Please share the anything that has helped you when it comes to reloading, cleaning, or anything gun related.

I wasn't a fan of slopping my hoppes around the bench. So I put these two together.

A little fineness later I put together this. Now I can add a few drops to a patch before it runs through the bore.

 

[DeadNoise]

Re: Tips, tricks, and things that have helped you...

great idea, looks like my ole lady is gonna hafta go buy some more contact solution cuz after seeing this shes gonna be out

 

[azhank]

Re: Tips, tricks, and things that have helped you...

I wont tell

 

[RottenII]

Re: Tips, tricks, and things that have helped you...

Great idea!

 

[eagleskier]

Re: Tips, tricks, and things that have helped you...

Make sure that she doesn't get your Hoppe's instead of her contact solution!

 

[High Binder]

Re: Tips, tricks, and things that have helped you...

3x5 note-cards.
Canned air.

 

[aloreman]

Re: Tips, tricks, and things that have helped you...

buy lots of load manuals and read them cover to cover

 

[Ghogs Nightmare]

Re: Tips, tricks, and things that have helped you...

To keep the primer tray on my rockchucker (the one that catches
spent primers) I looped a piece of paracord around it an knotted
it off. Holds quite snug an doesnt rot like rubberbands.
.
To keep brushes organized in my cleaning box I got one of those lil plastic boxes like you use in a tackle box. Sharpie the side
toward the hinge for each caliber and can have numerous an keep
neat and handy.
.
I also keep one of those small magnetic trays or pads around when working on guns. Keeps small parts from running away.
.
An really simple on the DUH level but grabbed some of that foam padding and makes standing working at bench a lot more comfortable when there for awhile on cement.
.
Oh and if you happen to come across some of those teeny ziplock bags *if ya have a friend in LE they may help ya with this* they work GREAT for storing small AR parts, detents, springs etc. They'r just a bitch to get open.

 

[Leaddog]

Re: Tips, tricks, and things that have helped you...

Things that helped the most. Not necessarily in any order of preference:

Stainless steel cleaning
Benchsource Annealer
Giraud Trimmer
GD503 with Omega Trickler

 

[Whiskey Tango Foxtrot]

Re: Tips, tricks, and things that have helped you...

wrote on my RCBS Chargemaster clear powder bin in red sharpie;

CLOSE DUMP VALVE

has worked so far

 

[rusty815]

Re: Tips, tricks, and things that have helped you...

A little trick I learned, that I'm sure most of you know but aided me when I used to reload with my uncle, is getting a large jar and throwing the bullets in there with a little bit of alcohol, swishing it around a bit, then taking them out and drying them off. It seemed to close our groups a lot after we did this and know we do this to every batch of bullets we get.

 

[RottenII]

Re: Tips, tricks, and things that have helped you...

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: WhiskyTangoFoxtrot</div><div class="ubbcode-body">wrote on my RCBS Chargemaster clear powder bin in red sharpie;

CLOSE DUMP VALVE

has worked so far </div></div>

Learned the hard way enough times doing that!

 

[Tripwire]

Re: Tips, tricks, and things that have helped you...

Once I get a powder charge dialed in as THE load, I make check weights to check "zero" on my beam scale periodically through a run of charges. The check weight is the exact weight as the powder charge and will always remain constant. It's a helluva lot quicker and more precise than returning the scale to actual zero each time I want to check it. Stamped with the charge weight and the powder type, and stored in the die box. I make them different than this now, but this is just a plain old 3/8" steel washer that I drilled holes in until it matched the weight of the powder charge.

I use a magnifyer craft light to read my scale too....much easier on the eyes.....

To return a sizing and/or seating die to exactly the same dimensions, to the .001" an inch, I made a torque wrench adapter to fit the Hornady lock rings that I use. No fuss, no muss, just screw it in and torque it to exactly the same tightness every time....I use 200 inch pounds as a standard for everything. Absolute repeatability.

The biggest thing that I started doing at the bench, that helped me produce premium ammo, is paying very close attention to runout.....

 

[Hookturnr]

Re: Tips, tricks, and things that have helped you...

I use the leftover plastic jars from planters nuts to keep all of my brass sorted by caliber, gun, Headstamp, # of times fired and current state of prep. The large containers are big enough for 100 or so 30/06, 60 300RUM etc. and a quick masking tape label tells me "30/06 Remington, 3x raw" at a glance.

 

[plh]

Re: Tips, tricks, and things that have helped you...

THIS! All the way! Thanks Trip
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Tripwire</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Once I get a powder charge dialed in as THE load, I make check weights to check "zero" on my beam scale periodically through a run of charges. The check weight is the exact weight as the powder charge and will always remain constant.
</div></div>