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Reloading: Reloading Scales

Reloading: Reloading Scales

A few weeks ago I stupidly drowned my portable scales. Details are pointless but suffice to say it was my fault. But more to the point: what are the consequences of abusing reloading kit and what should I have learned?

AGED TO IMPERFECTION

Some of my oldest kit was second-hand when I got it around 47 years ago. My first press was a lightly used RCBS Jr, still boxed, together with a near virgin set of steel .38/.357 dies. It was not long before a .357 Mag case seized solid in the sizer die and had to be beaten out with a hammer and steel rod. The victim for these first attempts at reloading was a venerable S/A Uberti Cattleman. It was a piece of junk, worn out several owners before me, but I didn’t know it at the time. The bore looked like a ploughed field after years of neglect! Out of any box of 50 38 Smith & Wesson cartridges it would chamber and fire at least 45, and with a new shell holder, cases could even be reloaded!

My technical introduction to reloading largely came from a new copy of the 44th Edition of Lyman’s Reloading Handbook. It talked a language I barely understood. Indeed, it was only after reading it in detail that I discovered the need for sizing lubricant!

Looking back, the quality of my early reloads more or less matched that of the revolver. It was the appendix of this manual that revealed the wonders of tungsten-carbide in parallel wall sizer dies. But by that time my steel die set and most of the cases were trashed. So much for early housekeeping!

LUBE CLEANING

We understand the need to lube cleaned cases or case necks for use with plain steel dies, but how much other cleaning do we carry out? Whilst cleaning (as well as polishing) cases has been well explored in other articles we need to consider the tools. Leaving old case lube to build up in the sizer die bodies is a bad idea; it traps any residual crud and in extremis can cause case deformation during the operation. When it comes to mind I put a batch of steel sizers and lead bullet seating/ crimping tools in the ultrasonic cleaner. Lube pads have a finite life and are cheap enough to bin from time to time.

Almost all presses have bearings of some sort, many made from sintered bronze such as Oilite® (a porous, highly compressed powder), impregnated with a lube. Whilst it is fit for purpose, the material is highly vulnerable to contamination by primer, combustion and trimming residues. Once it has foreign material embedded in it, the bearing is wrecked. Regular brushing or airbrushing around the bearings is the only solution!

GUNGE AND GUNK!

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Then we have that ‘other’ lube. The hardened gunge in the lube sizer. I strip the tools out and soak in boiling water. A scrub with brass bristle brushes and detergent finally ends the fight. As for the collection of runt cast bullets and worse, those rejects that have been lubed… I start a grand cook-off in the melt pot. But only on a day when external ventilation is safe from rain, bird shit and anything else that may drop from the sky! The process uses lots of flux and the cooled dross is added to the metal salvage heap.

If cartridge cases are left on the range I generally scavenge what I can – not to reload but to examine for collectable or interesting head stamps and noteworthy defects, the rest gets stored. Every few years I purge that scrap bin, de-prime everything and give it a brief clean. Together with bags of nails salvaged from the wood burners, odd copper, aluminium and iron from the workshop I head to the local scrappie and cash it in. On the last trip I got the equivalent of £20.00 per 1000 scrap .308 cases.

THREADBARE?

Amongst our kit, threaded components abound. Dirt causes binding and wear. Whilst die threads are easy to sort, those in the press body, powder measure barrel, trimmers and other tools require individual attention. The presses and Dillon die holders are easy, a rolled duster and household silicone polish will do the job. I clean the finer metal threads of powder measures and trimmers using a kitchen cloth and fingernail or cocktail stick with a tiny amount of light machine oil. Plastic threads are just dry wiped. Mechanical scales should be protected by a dust cover but balance bars, pivots and fulcrums can also benefit from a quick air blast. Older threaded body micrometers really need specialist cleaning as recalibration will be necessary. In common with Verniers and other measuring instruments they must be kept dry and ideally, in a dust proof box or cover.

Electronic tools such as scales, dispensers and measuring instruments must be kept dry, dust free and away from strong magnetic fields. If you’re not a regular user, consider removing the batteries or inserting a piece of inert plastic across one terminal. Talking of plastic, I used to have a Pacific powder measure with a huge flexi plastic hopper. In use it would build a massive static charge causing some uncoated propellants to stick to the walls. Whilst it was not a cleaning issue, the only safe option was to make sure that it was totally empty and zap it with an old hi-fi anti-static gun. These days I’d use an anti-static earthing kit or wipe the hopper with an anti-static cloth. My Dillon RL550B kit has earthing straps from the chassis and the powder measure to a bolt set in the concrete workshop floor. An aftermarket all metal hopper is available, as is a low powder level warning device. However, I prefer to actually eyeball the level.

REPEATABILITY

Having taken kit apart it may need recalibration or resetting. Never assume that the position of a lock ring or dial will stop in the same place or read exactly the same. Check the reading of your mechanical or electronic scales with either the check weight supplied with it or make use of a calibration set from Lyman. If you have chambering dummies of your favourite cartridges, remember to use them when resetting all your dies.

How many cases have been tumbled in that rank smelling media? A couple of packs of treated corn cob will hardly break the bank. Are you having to lean on the case trimmer to make it cut? The cutters don’t last forever! Inside/outside neck de-burr tools also wear out, especially if they’re only used on a single calibre. Do you use a hand priming tool like the Lee Autoprime? That little cam inside might benefit from a tiny dab of lubricant – I use petroleum jelly but the choice is yours. How old are your safety specs? If they’re scratched or cracked then add a new pair to the order for a replacement box of nitrile gloves and new nose-bags for use when casting. Job done!

 

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