Re: How for 100 rds .308 with...
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: wlwaldock</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Are some of these longer times with manual equipment?
I just don't see how there can be such a spread in timing esp with a chargemaster and giraud?
I must be missing something </div></div>
A lot of people break up the job into many evenings or do some while watching TV. So, their time estimates tend to be very low comapred to what you would get if you measured time accruately!
I count all time used, including pulling the equipment and supplies out of cabinets, setting things up, and then doing each operation, quality checking upon starting (to ensure nothing has moved or been bumped in storage), and during the "production run".
Also, a lot of people don't "count" tumbling, cleaning prime pockets, measuring, trimming, cleaning, and chamfering the cases, as they do not do this each time.
And yes, some of us sue completely manual equipment, because it provides far better feel and control, so we DO get results with less variance from round to round.
For example, here is my current typical routine JUST for the case cleaning ALONE, and that's a pretty small part of the total:
During "off" day when not reloading:
Pull out tumbler from storage cabinet
Check condition of cleaning media
Replace cleaning media if too dirty
Put sensible number of cases into tumbler
Seal tumbler, take outdoors (NOT on a riany day!), plug in, and run for 4 hours (outdoors so the noise does not drive me and wife's cat crazy!)
After 4 hours, pull plug from bottom of tumbler. Wait a few minutes for most (not all) media to drop out into bucket
Take lid off tumbler
While tumbler is running, scoop out 2 cases at a time, hold upside down against central tumbler tower to vibrate any media inside the cases OUT
Place emptied, clean cases into open box
Re-pour media from bucket back into tumbler
Seal tumbler lid on for storage
Put tumbler and bucket away
Notice that I did not bother to derpime before tumbling. When I did THAT, the procedure was just too lengthy (set up press with decapping die, decap each case, tumble cases as above, then clean damn media out of primer flash holes while cursing, clean primer pockets, . . .)
Guys who think they get 50 or 100 PRECISION prepared cases per hour, ALL THINGS CONSIDERED, are simply not truly "clocking in and clocking out" as they do EACH and EVERY step required.
Heck, when I had THREE Dillon 650s and one 550 and TWO primer tube fillers, and had to do virtually NO setups, when I included all my case prep time and my machine maintenance and troubleshooting (powder drop drifts, or bullet seating die gets dirty, or case refusing to go into sizing die because slightly bent and so screws up FIVE cases at various steps on the 650 shellplate, etc), I was doing well when I averaged 150 quality inspected rounds per hour.
So, when I hear 50 or 100 rounds per hour with manual, slow, high precision equipment and processes, I chuckle. If your time is really important, get a Dillon setup. The ammo won't be quite as perfe3ct, but probably close enough for most people. I'm just after perfection, not volume now.
Jim G
