Equipment you’ve bought… and hate

I'm sure some around here would want you to believe that they've never done that but I call bs. I did it with my lyman msr dies for 223 when loading up and right as I felt the shoulder crunch I just looked over at the wife and said well fuck....
 
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I'm sure some around here would want you to believe that they've never done that but I call bs. I did it with my lyman msr dies for 223 when loading up and right as I felt the shoulder crunch I just looked over at the wife and said well fuck....

I do hate the Hornady sizing dies, but I didn’t know the shoulder-crushing was even an issue. I haven’t crushed a case… yet. Give me time though. I’m pretty good about finding every possible failure mode with a piece of equipment. 😁
 
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I'll be an outlier here. Forster micrometer seating die. Why can't they be like the hornady or redding where it adjust up and down instead of just one direction
I still don't get it ,i guess im gonna take apart my Hornady and Redding tomorrow, aside from all that the only other seating die better than the Forster is a Wilson in my opinion.
Hornady sucks ass and Redding almost as good,just make sure you have minimum neck tension. The
 
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I still don't get it ,i guess im gonna take apart my Hornady and Redding tomorrow, aside from all that the only















You can adjust the Hornady up and down incriminatly (sp) right. The forster you use the stem on top that has no graduations to go down then you can adjust it up by turning the micrometer part
 
Forster bench mount priming tool, and Redding Big Boss 2 were duds.

My misguided purchases haunt me far more, and the list is endless, or long. Viable products that really didn't fit my process.
Then the worthless, primer pocket gauges, or those felt cleaning pellets and adapters I spent 60 bucks on only to dump on the dirty garage floor while closing the cute little plane organizer box, back to a jag and reg patches.
 
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I'm sure some around here would want you to believe that they've never done that but I call bs. I did it with my lyman msr dies for 223 when loading up and right as I felt the shoulder crunch I just looked over at the wife and said well fuck....

I've done it. I think everyone has done that, they might not admit it, but I think at least most have. It happens... I even forget stuff I already knew sometimes. Then I ask someone and they tell me and I'm like "oh yeah, that's right I knew that, I'm just really stupid is all"....
 
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Forster bench mount priming tool, and Redding Big Boss 2 were duds.

My misguided purchases haunt me far more, and the list is endless, or long. Viable products that really didn't fit my process.
Then the worthless, primer pocket gauges, or those felt cleaning pellets and adapters I spent 60 bucks on only to dump on the dirty garage floor while closing the cute little plane organizer box, back to a jag and reg patches.
Glad you said that man, I've been looking at those pellets..... of course since I finally got the balls to use a nylon brush and go back and forth with it + Foaming gel bore scrubber, my whole world of barrel cleaning has been made a metric ton easier.
 
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Glad you said that man, I've been looking at those pellets..... of course since I finally got the balls to use a nylon brush and go back and forth with it + Foaming gel bore scrubber, my whole world of barrel cleaning has been made a metric ton easier.
I think if the pellets stayed on the adapter, be fine. I never got that far, lol
We all have our myths on cleaning.
 
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Magnetospeed barrel cooler is a POS. Worthless. I returned it. Not really reloading but…

Same with Dillon 50 BMG primer pocket swager. Simply did not work. Returned.
Funny, the Magnetospeed one was head and shoulders above the barrel cool, little yellow POS. Yet moves little air.
I pulled the little filter and it did better. I wonder if I am alone, but using the riflekuhl, and not letting the whole barrel cool to ambient temp, seemed to cause the most errant first shot ever, I asked myself if I should even be reloading on a couple of those shots.
 
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Couple items. First is spray on case lube. Soemthing wasn’t right because I stuck more cases and the gloop covered a loading block making it completely unusable for any purpose. Second was a Gift. A Pact Chronograph. Christmas present from our son. Never worked. Sent it back to the factory, they said it was fine. Worked part of one day and never hit a lick since. I’d sell it but I would be cheating the person I sold it too. (Don’t ASK, its against the rules to sell on this thread and this Is Not a Backdoor effort to sell something. Besides, the thing don’t work. ).
 
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Funny, the Magnetospeed one was head and shoulders above the barrel cool, little yellow POS. Yet moves little air.
I pulled the little filter and it did better. I wonder if I am alone, but using the riflekuhl, and not letting the whole barrel cool to ambient temp, seemed to cause the most errant first shot ever, I asked myself if I should even be reloading on a couple of those shots.
I bought a rechargeable air mattress inflator and attached a 90 degree 1/2" plastic pipe elbow to it. Moves so much air it doesn't matter that it's not a tight seal. I measure 5MPH+ coming out of the suppressor!

The better idea is now Ryobi makes a blower attachemnt for their batteries. Rig up a flexible 1/2ish" tube to that, jam it in the chamber and if it's even close to fitting, you're GTG.
 
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I bought a rechargeable air mattress inflator and attached a 90 degree 1/2" plastic pipe elbow to it. Moves so much air it doesn't matter that it's not a tight seal. I measure 5MPH+ coming out of the suppressor!

The better idea is now Ryobi makes a blower attachemnt for their batteries. Rig up a flexible 1/2ish" tube to that, jam it in the chamber and if it's even close to fitting, you're GTG.

Have you checked how well it works? I've got a few of the whatever the other one not mentioned here are but I like what your thinking here and I already have some stuff but hate to add to the crap I have to haul and drag to the range. I already look like I'm going camping when I show up
 
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but hate to add to the crap I have to haul and drag to the range. I already look like I'm going camping when I show up
I kept my 07 GMC just for a range truck, I may look streamlined, but I have tools, accessories, etc... up the ass. Plus, enough rimfire steel to make most 22 matches look like child's play.
One day I was digging under the rear seat and was pulling out rear bags I forgot I owned, think I found one of those renowned golf wind flags too.
 
Like this? Most pissed I've been in a while. Back when .300 Win Mag brass was harder to come by than it is right now.

I went back to my RCBS sizing die... May not be the greatest die ever but it doesn't smash the hell out of new brass.

Mike

View attachment 8068746

You done good 👍.......looks like what I did to a couple 7 why cases with an rcbs die 30 yrs ago
 
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Thankfully I did the "buy once cry once" with my reloading equipment.

However, there has been some stuff I stopped using quickly or upgraded.

Here are some of them:

- ditched the hand primer for a CPS. Hand priming sucks for any real duration.
- have a Harvey de-primer which I never really used. Doesn't make sense to hand de-prime when I can de-prime while sizing brass
- upgraded the rings on my Giraud trimmer inserts to Hornady lock rings
- currently in the process of upgrading the trickler on my V2 autotrickler with the IP trickler. The OEM trickler is starting to get sticky. Also upgrades to the V3 board.
 
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- have a Harvey de-primer which I never really used. Doesn't make sense to hand de-prime when I can de-prime while sizing brass
-
A lot of people, me included, have taken out the expander ball and decapping setup in the sizing die. I really don't mind it as much as it's actually pretty fast to decap, I can do other shit at the same time I am decapping.
 
A lot of people, me included, have taken out the expander ball and decapping setup in the sizing die. I really don't mind it as much as it's actually pretty fast to decap, I can do other shit at the same time I am decapping.
All that and using my hand deprimer gives a good sense of primer pocket condition. 👍🏻

I am also one that removes the expander and pin from my sizing dies
 
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My regrets all involve the same step in reloading... Priming.

Started with a Sinclair hand primer. Nice tool but single feed and slow, so started to look for things that would make the job faster.

Bought a Frankford perfect seat hand primer from the recommendations here... It was certainly faster, but it would not fully seat primers in some of my brass even adjusted for max seating depth. Exchanged it and the replacement had the same issue. Sent it back for a refund.

Then bought a 21st century depth adjustable tray priming tool hoping it would be better; turns out it was just a fancy machined stainless wrapper around a lee auto prime XR plastic mechanism and primer tray, and quickly found out those suck. Between either not feeding primers or simply breaking I spent more time messing with it than priming.

Finally said to hell with it and bought a cps knowing if I didn't like it I could sell it for about what I paid for it. I don't buy into the primer seating depth vs accuracy claims, I bought it because it's fast and very comfy to use with great feel for primer pocket condition-- fast and comfy enough that I can mostly overlook its inflated price.
 
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My regrets all involve the same step in reloading... Priming.

Started with a Sinclair hand primer. Nice tool but single feed and slow, so started to look for things that would make the job faster.

Bought a Frankford perfect seat hand primer from the recommendations here... It was certainly faster, but it would not fully seat primers in some of my brass even adjusted for max seating depth. Exchanged it and the replacement had the same issue. Sent it back for a refund.

Then bought a 21st century depth adjustable tray priming tool hoping it would be better; turns out it was just a fancy machined stainless wrapper around a lee auto prime XR plastic mechanism and primer tray, and quickly found out those suck. Between either not feeding primers or simply breaking I spent more time messing with it than priming.

Finally said to hell with it and bought a cps knowing if I didn't like it I could sell it for about what I paid for it. I don't buy into the primer seating depth vs accuracy claims, I bought it because it's fast and very comfy to use with great feel for primer pocket condition-- fast and comfy enough that I can mostly overlook its inflated price.
I like the looks of it, but ya that price is what’s kept me from purchasing. I haven’t ruled it out, just right now that amount can be put into other items that to me will gain bigger returns.
 
A lot of people, me included, have taken out the expander ball and decapping setup in the sizing die. I really don't mind it as much as it's actually pretty fast to decap, I can do other shit at the same time I am decapping.

I personally haven't found a need to take out the same expander ball and decapper, so I like to keep things as simple and efficient as possible.
 
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but hate to add to the crap I have to haul and drag to the range. I already look like I'm going camping when I show up
It's comforting to know I'm not the only one...

Range day for me probably resembles the scene in the "The 10 Commandments" when the Hebrews are packing all their crap out of Egypt.

Mike
 
It's comforting to know I'm not the only one...

Range day for me probably resembles the scene in the "The 10 Commandments" when the Hebrews are packing all their crap out of Egypt.

Mike

I know when the other guys see me coming and open up my truck and start dragging stuff out, they probably take bets on how many trips I will make..... it's sort of embarrassing. I can't wait until I can have my own range on my own property. Got to get my last phase of addition and such done on our house and then I will probably be truly ready to buy some land and move towards that.

Until then..... I will just have to be that guy.... get all your crap out and finally set up with chrono and bags and bipods and 3 different boxes of hand loads....