Crashbox

I think I'll provide an update to this even though it's been over a year now- I have in fact changed the solution I use. I found that Maintex Neutral Floor Cleaner (sold at Costco Business Centers) mixed about 1:32 with water and two teaspoons of citric acid per gallon, ran at 120 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-14 minutes, performs considerably better. Adding the citric acid makes a ***huge*** difference not only in the speed of cleaning but it will also "passivate" the brass, helping it resist oxidation. Someday I ought to post "before" and "after" photos of the casings...

+1. IMO you really do get what you pay for with respect to firearms, and purchasing a reliable automatic pistol is no exception. For the record, I have a SIG Pro SP2022 chambered in .40 which was not inexpensive relative to other autoloaders (but a good price for a SIG); however, it has been virtually 100% reliable (only one or two hiccups when I first got it). It is my primary CCW FWIW.

Hmmm... that IS strange, less than a year and bagging the hobby. It's only been a little over a year for me, though, so maybe I shouldn't talk Actually, I thoroughly enjoy reloading in the wintertime- didn't do any at all during spring/summer of 2010, though... Glad to hear you got a great deal on the 550B! If I ever turn blue it will be a Super 1050 for me...

I have yet to use my RCBS dies for my .40 (just bought 'em) but I do have Hornady and Redding dies for my .357 and Hornady in .40... I really like the belling die on the Redding set (the other two dies are very high quality as well), the Hornady beller is very touchy to get just right but it is functional. For me it's a really tough call but I think I would give a slight-to-moderate nod to the Redding set. I have a set of dies each for single-stage and progressive loading.

I think I'll provide a range update on this stuff. I bumped the charge to 7.5 grains and shot 70 rounds of these using 180-grain FMJ Montana Gold bullets. Recoil was quite manageable and the accuracy tightened up as well, in fact I found it impressive. I think I just found my pet load for my SP2022!

+1 on the A-Zoom's. Very high quality IMO.

I've read many very good things about Vihtavuori powders- I wish the prices were better on them, though...

Oh, yeah, that too I think my brain took the day off. The accelerated frame and slide wear from the sizzlers was in the back of my mind but never made it to my typing fingers... D'oh! I should probably state that my main reason for reloading .40 is to replicate the recoil and muzzle report of self-defense ammo.

Thanks for the information and sharing your experience, Wayne. Much appreciated. I did notice some smudging due to insufficient sealing (low pressure) but when I got the loads around 7.2-plus grains they cleaned up. I'll definitely keep an eye on the cleanliness or lack thereof- True, higher velocities will wear a barrel faster (.220 Swifts don't last very long at all!); I do like the lower pressures of it, though. My SIG has not as much meat around the chamber as my GP100 has, that's for sure! I definitely agree, TiteGroup is a superb powder; I have almost 16 pounds of it for use in my .357 Magnum plinking loads. TiteGroup is truly fantastic for medium-strength rounds.

...anyone else here try this powder out? I tried using it with 180-grain FMJ's and I seem to be having moderate success. One thing I really like about this powder is the high velocity/pressure ratio- much easier on autoloading pistols IMO. I've also read in other places about people saying it tends to give a very loud report but I have found it no different than anything else I put through my SIG...??? Just wondering if any other folks here have used this stuff and your opinions yea or nay-

The LNL Classic is a really nice single-stage press in my opinion, have one myself for de-priming and other tasks which are best suited for a single-stage. The only thing I don't really care much for on it is the hokey spent primer catch; I seem to get primers scattered all over the place! Since I use other tools to prime my cases, though, I just filled the slot in the ram with silicone RTV caulk and it now does a much better job of dropping the spent primers in the little catch tray. But I do wish the assembly thicknesses were the same on both the classic and AP presses... maybe I can have someone turn me a bushing for it... Congrats on your purchase!

My gun came with (I think) the Hogue Monogrip which is quite comfortable. I handled the other style of grip in the store, though, and for me it wasn't too bad- I suspect the Monogrip is a noticeable improvement while shoosting, however.

...a few days ago, .357 Magnum, 3-1/16" barrel. Took it out to the range last Saturday and shot some holes in paper, single- and double-action, with two different loads I use in my GP100. Not at all unpleasant to shoot, either with 7.2 grains of TiteGroup or 17.2 grains of 2400 pushing 125-grain JHP's out the pipe. HOWEVER... Even when using *both* high-quality ear muffs and ear plugs, the hot '2400 loads left my ears ringing!!! And I only shot about 20 of them. Evidently that 15/16" of extra barrel on my GP100 makes a difference in the report. The muzzle flash was also spectacular! In sum, a great semi-little(???) five-shot revolver which can handle full-power loads. But this gun is not light in weight. I plan on using this gun to rotate CCW duty with my SIG SP2022, .40. I now realize I need even better ear protection-

The real Hickok45... the one who can hit a dime at 400 yards with his Glock? WAY COOL!!! Welcome aboard. I thoroughly enjoy watching your YouTube videos!

It would be nice if the chambers could store additional mail while one was on vacation-

I have a Hornady Case Trimmer which I have never used (loading only .357 Magnum so far) but since I'll likely be loading .40 S&W pretty soon I may need to use it to trim all my cases to uniform length. Just received my shipment of 1000, .40 S&W brass from Starline today! Interesting that the website indicates availability around 3/15/10 or sometime in March but they were certainly on the ball with my order- maybe it's because I'm a return customer...?????

I did fill my LNL Classic primer lever slot with silicone caulk and now the spent primers go out the proper hole and land in the little catch tray where they should. It works. No need IMO to build a new catch tray- at least for now! If anyone wants a photo I'll be glad to snap one and post it.

I've ran my LNL AP for about two months now and have loaded probably close to 1800-2000 rounds through it. They sure do run smooth when the timing of the pawls/star wheel is set up correctly but getting there can take considerable time. I've also heard of others fighting with the primer feed but for me it was only a little tweaking and ensure the feed area does not get ANY powder around it. I've "fixed" my case-rattling problem, so to speak. I bought another Hornady Powder Measure so I can do bench-style loading. My current plan when I need to load the sizzlers is to resize/prime/bell on the LNL AP, then charge the cases individually- perhaps using my LNL Classic as a powder measure holder- then seat and crimp on the LNL AP using stations #'s 1 and 2. It remains to be seen how well this will work...

I've taken a real liking to my LNL AP. They are quite a bit less expensive than a Dillon, and in my opinion a great value for the money. The one thing I found out is that running near-full cases can cause powder to shake out of them and scatter about, eventually working its way into the primer feed and causing jamming and frustration. There is a trick which was told me on another board (he goes by Mongoose33) where you can hold your finger along the edge of the shell plate while it's indexing, thereby smoothing out the sudden stop. It does in fact work but it takes some getting used to and developing the knack. Such a problem, though, is apparently typical of progressives which move the shells along as opposed to the die set. The LNL AP is a fine press IMO. Too bad they reduced the free bullet offer to only 500 now

WOW!!!!! I don't know what else to say except WOW!!!!! Great deal indeed.

Does anyone else own one of these? I just picked one up last Saturday and it seems well-made with one exception: the spent primers are patterning all over my floor in addition to the plastic tray! Kind of hokey design of the spent primer disposal feature if you ask me, otherwise a good press so far. Since I have no intention of ever using the priming function on this press (I have the LNL AP and a hand priming tool), I think what I'll do is seal off- or partly seal- the side where the priming lever sits, with silicone caulk. Then I'll see if I can build a catch tray out of RTV silicone or urethane molding compound which surrounds the ram and perhaps even extend it out toward the right-hand side. I'll post photos and details if I do so.

This bill is ultra-scary IMO. It sounds like it would make it illegal for me to keep a gun in a place where I could defend myself if need be. Not to mention licensing (ARRRGH!!!)... When are people going to recognize that restricting guns only further empowers the criminals? In reality I think we need a federal law which mirrors the town of Kennesaw, Georgia.

And after about six weeks of reloading, here's what it looks like so far: And the powder/brass storage vault: I just finished loading 100 rounds of medium-power target practice loads and I figured it wouldn't hurt to show what I've gotten into

I checked last night and Cabela's had some Federal primers in stock. However, they were small pistol *magnum* primers, at least what I saw... Yeah, the situation is tough but it appears to be improving. I went to a gun shop about 32 miles from me and they had lots of primers, more than I'd seen in a very long time.

"The ABC's of Reloading" by Bill Chevalier is a definite must-have for reloading IMO. I've only been at this very addicting hobby for two months and I found said book to be a veritable gold mine of information. A tremendous help indeed.