picking up speed

[svandamme]

It was only late september that i got a hold of my permit, and picked up the PM7.. Less then 2 months and so far i've gone through 600 rounds of ammo.:eek:

I'm sure some will probably have a higher burn rate, but i'm pretty chuffed about my efforts so far. So much in fact, that i've gone ahead and dropped some moolah on reloading gear.

I'm just gonna post this thread, to keep track of my own progress in these matters.

Well, since i decided to quit my previous hobby, eg old Porsches, aka Moneypits. I've sold off my stock of parts... So basically i'm trading one really expensive vice for a less expensive one.. It don't hurt much that way.


So what did i get?


The press.. well, i figured if i'm going to do plenty of shooting, i need volume.
Progressive , people be telling me Dillon, don't look back.
So Dillon it is.

Square B, 550 or 650?
Square B was tempting, but no case feeder... So that's one down with 2 to go, coz i'm lazy
550, No auto indexing...And only 4 stations... That would rule out the use of the powder check die. I like the idea of the powder check die , might save my bacon one day..

so there we go, 650 XL... It arrived last monday.
Carbide dies
case feeder

So far i've figured out, that i should not have gone cheap and figured i'de mount it as is.. It's a royal pain in the ass to keep such a big thing steady..

Strong mount already ordered to cure that problem
also got the Dillon powder check Die
couple of Dillon 100 rnd boxes
spare part kit and decapping pins
Lyman 1000 xpdigital scale
Lyman pro 1200 tumbler
kinetic bullet puller, primer flip tray

1500 fiocchi primers,
accurate arms powder #7 (all they had in stock, we don't have gun supermarkets here)
and 500 HN 190 grain semi wadcutters.


Hope to get the mount early next week, but in the mean time with some clamps i can start getting a feel for the thing.

I test one station at a time.. the decapping was first.. pretty easy really
The only tricky part is that it sometimes doesn't go square in the shell, of the rig wobbles to much , strong mount will cure that.

The re-priming station... ain't rocket science either... just need to start counting the number of pulls till the first primer comes up ...

As a test i primed 15 rounds, fired em off in the gun
then ran those 15 rounds through again, decapped, reprimed..
i love it.. The cheerful "plink" when yet another round ejects into the basket...

this might become an addictive thing... Like a one armed bandit , except it's a Blue one. :D

Next week, the strong mount, final setup, and the first loads..

[Hoss in IL]

Congratulations on the new equipment! I can't give you any "Dillon" advice, I bought a different color.

As far as the case feeder and bullet feeders go, I figure I was born with a perfectly good one at the end of my left arm :D I've seen the you tube videos of the case and bullet feeders and listening to the cases and bullets rattle around in the hoppers would drive me nuts, that's just me. You didn't ask but I'd spend the money for the feeders on more reloading components.

I noticed you're not in the U.S. so it may be difficult for you to get supplies/limited options and availability. I'd try to buy smaller batches of powder and bullets until I found what shot best out of my guns and then load up on the magic receipe. Maybe you've already done all of the trial loads and found that what you bought will be a great combination.

Good luck with the operation. I like reloading. Put some pictures up when you get rolling.

Take care,

Hoss

[svandamme]

The Bullet feeder noise it did seem loud on the youtube vids, but it's not that bad in real life.
Case rattle sound yes, but you get that when you grab shells from a bin too.
The motor itself is reasonably quiet.

The only thing annoying about it , is when it keeps starting/stopping on every pull of the lever. But i simply turn off the feeder if i'm not quick enough for it.

Supplies is a problem, basically the gunstores are small, few have reloading gear and those who do, well, they are reloaders and pretty much sell what they use themselves.
No mail ordering either.

Found one in close proximity, all he had was accurate powder #7
I figured i needed to start somewhere, so it's good to start with.
Next time i'll have to drive a bit more, to get some more choice.

[douglas_knott]

Reloading is addictive imo. I enjoy it.

[Thedragonslayer]

[QUOTE=svandamme;9612]As a test i primed 15 rounds, fired em off in the gun
then ran those 15 rounds through again, decapped, reprimed..
i love it.. The cheerful "plink" when yet another round ejects into the basket...


Makes a guy want to take-up re-loading!!!:D

[Hoss in IL]

I got ya Stijn.

Do y'all have lead bullet casters over there, like we do here, or are you relagated to shooting jacketed/fmj bullets? What bullets are you shooting?

I'm surprised Vihtavuori powder isn't readily available (maybe it is), it's made in Finland. If you could get it, I'll bet it would be expensive. It's crazy expensive here (my opinion).

Keep us updated on the goings on.

[svandamme]

I got ya Stijn.

Do y'all have lead bullet casters over there, like we do here, or are you relagated to shooting jacketed/fmj bullets? What bullets are you shooting?

I'm surprised Vihtavuori powder isn't readily available (maybe it is), it's made in Finland. If you could get it, I'll bet it would be expensive. It's crazy expensive here (my opinion).

Keep us updated on the goings on.

Leadcasting gear is available, haven't decided yet if i wanna cast lead bullets or not. For the time being i'll use HN 190 grain semi wadcutters. and see how that works out.. Got a box of 500 to keep me busy

Just buggered around some more with the Dillon, powder die set, seater and crimp die set.
Ran a bit of test cases.. no powder yet, as i don't have any scales to measure the load yet, that arrives tomorrow..
Left the primers out as well, as i don't want to risk having a powder less but finished looking shell laying around to get mixed up in the rest.. potentially causing an issue @ the range.


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploads19/IMG00126+20111127+13441322398377.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploads19/IMG00127+20111127+13441322398454.jpg


For all intent and purpose, these shells ran the merry go round, no jams, the assembly works.I cycled them through the 1911, no issues there either..


All i gotta do now, is
- Bolt the big sucker to my desk when i get the strongmount
- install the powder check sensor
- run the cases through the corncob tumbler
- look up what loads to use with the powder i have and the 195 grain bullets
- Run some test batches

I'm almost good to go.

[Snipersnest]

Sold all my reloading stuff several years ago, and am now kicking myself. Getting the urge to start rolling my own again.

[Hoss in IL]

Stijn, I hope the rest of your stuff shows up quickly. The wait is the most nerve racking part for me.

I'll tell you what.....shows how much I know, I was under the impression that Europe had pretty much put the hammer down on gun ownership. I'm glad you can shoot and reload with out being an outlaw!

How common is gun ownership in Belgium? I was surprised to see that there are a number of small gun stores around you. What kind of stuff (firearms) do they have to choose from?

[svandamme]

It's not to bad as far as ownership, though the legislation has gotten a bit more strict the last 10 years. But pretty much anything goes except full auto. Did have to go to a club, rack up range time.. did theoretical exam(about laws, very basic) and a practical, safe handling exam for pistol, rifle and smoothbore.. no biggie either.

Common, hard to tell, estimates are about 2000 000 guns for about 11 000 000 Belgians.
Obviously many of those guns are grouped with people owning more then 1 gun. Of those 2 000 000 gus, about 800 000 are registred, eg legal. A lot of people have a shotgun in the attic, mums the word.

Ammo is not available over the counter you need a permit. But i'm sure somebody who really wants to buy ammo without a permit, will find somebody selling it.. That speaks for itself.

The reality is, Belgium is a crowded country, there isn't much free room , you'll be hard pressed to find a single spot in Belgium where you aren't within a mile of a house, especially the Flemish part is "full".. the Frech part (ardennes) probably less.
And as such it's not possible to shoot in your backyard as you would in more rural regions of the world...

As for choice, because it's rather strict,you gotta buy what's available.
A lot of gunstores have closed down because of strict regulations.. and one store closes, other store buys up the stock, etc etc..

Belgium as far as strict laws, it's not to bad... I got my permit in about 9 months, there is mandatory club membership with minimum amount of range attendance..
Holland is ok, but very regulated as well, France is worse (free guns for hunting, .22 is free,blackpowder too.. but lot's of limitation on types of calibers, any war caliber is no-no, hunting is ok).. UK as far as i can tell is ultra strict..I think Germany is slightly easier then Belgium. Switserland is gun country.. Austria, dunnu, but i think it's like Germany....

When i wanted to buy my pistol, i wanted a SA 1911.. but couldn't find any, just a SA1911 doublestack, which didn't feel comfortable. As i was looking around i foudn a DW1911, asked some buddies in the US, they told me , what, that price, go get it now, those are great guns and they are best bang for the buck.. so i went and got it the next day.

Reloading is actually a bit of a grey area.. i can buy the equipment , i can buy shells, primers, powder..
But actually putting it together... it's not entirely clear if that's legal. In fact i can't find jack chit about reloading regulation.. all i know is that many do it.
I have actually sent in a request for information to the Wapenunie (Belgian NRA) about reloading, curious to see what they tell me..

[Hoss in IL]

Permit for the ammo, no over the counter sales.......I wouldn't be surprised if that is the direction some of our politicians try (harder) to steer things here. There has been talk about each factory made cartridge having it own "numbers" on it. Don't remember where I read it, internet I'm sure :eek: so I don't know how reliable or true it is. I think it read that Califronia was going to be the testing ground.

"Let them keep their guns, we'll just make it near impossible for them to shoot them." I hope this isn't a campaign slogan we see in the future.

I'll quit clogging up your thread with banter. Good luck on getting all of your equipment and rolling out the ammo.

Take care,

Terry

[svandamme]

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploads19/IMG00131+20111128+20231322508509.jpg


bit confused now..

Bottle says Accurate Powders #7

label says Explosia, Lovex D-036 Selling as #7


Accurate Powders website says

SPECIAL NOTE CONCERNING WESTERN POWDERS, INC. PRODUCTS IN THE EUROPEAN UNION:

Western Powders, Inc. currently does not supply any of our brands/powders to the EU. There is also no relationship with the CZECH company “Explosia”. As a result, Western Powders, Inc. has no quality control of the powders distributed in the EU by Explosia, which they claim to be “Accurate® equivalents”.

Please contact Explosia® directly regarding any powders distributed by them under the LOVEX® brand.

When Western Powders, Inc. supplies data for Accurate® powders, it is relevant only to the powders currently certified by Western Powders, Inc., Montana in the USA.


Owkay, that's clear..

So off we go to www. explosia.cz

reloading guide
http://www.explosia.cz/en/streliviny/download/reloading_EN_2011-02-17.pdf


caliber/powder matrix
D-036 , ok for .45 ACP
#7 is supposed the slower burning of the handgun powder they have


for 230 bullet

grams------grains------m/sec--------- fps
recommended
0.390 ------6.0 ---------230 ------------754
Maximum
0.470 ------7.3 ---------260------------ 853

Owkay, that all kinda makes sense.
Except , i only have 195 grain copper plated semi wadcutters instead of FMJ 230 ball.
and they don't list nothing else.

So i'm kind of confused now as to what would be the safe load
dude at the store showed me the Accurate Powders load page.
But it's not AA#7 at all, it's Lovex D-036-07 as far as i can tell.

That listed 9.5 GRain for 230 grain FMJ, that's a chitload more then the lovex the D-036 load instructions.. So my gut feeling says, bad idea. He obviously didn't read the warning on AA's website, or bothered to check the paper label on the bottle.


So if i use the Lovex data as the reliable source.

And if i understand correctly lighter bullets=
lower chamber pressure & higher velocity..

I suppose i should be able to load with 6.5 grain of powder and still be well in the safe zone to start with..I also read that .45 acp is sort of a round with bigger tolerances in terms of pressure, because of the wide case... That's it's not like 10mm auto where the line between safe load/pressure vs over pressure is very, very thin?

Does that make sense? or should i research it some more?

other then starting off gently if i fire these trial loads @ the range.. Slow, shot per shot, making sure nothing jams or get's stuck in my barrel...
Anything else i should take into account as far as powder charge goes?
Does it matter that the bullets are copper plated, not FMJ ?

[dennisc]

Stijn,
I don't know how Explosia is, but American powder companies have knowledgeable test experts on site to help the handloader. It would be worth your time to give Explosia a call or drop them an email. This could be a problem if they only speak Czechoslovakian, but since their guide is in English, you may get lucky.

The Reloading Bench portion of the 1911 forum has many members more qualified than me that also may be able to help you. http://forums.1911forum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=58

It looks like you have a good understanding of pressure and velocity, but the rule of thumb I've always heard was to begin 10% lower than the recommended load and then work up. Better to be safe than sorry. Some people like shooting hot loads, but I have always enjoyed light loads so would start light and work my way up. Do you have a chronograph? It will be a useful tool for accurately measuring the velocity of your rounds.

Also, I've been using Dillon equipment for 20 years and they have the most outstanding customer support service I've ever had the pleasure of working with. I've called a few times to ask for help and it has always been a positive experience -- the last time they sent me some new parts for free.
Be Safe,
Dennis

[svandamme]

from what i read on several forums Explosia is not good at providing information.
Think i'll just make some calls and see about getting me powder from a decent supplier, decent brand, decent load data for that brand/type..


I ain't risking my hands, my eyes or my gun over 35 bucks worth of Czech powder.

[svandamme]

Can't find a gunstore with powder in stock, in the reasonable vincinity. Called 5-6 shops, notthing.. they can order, but no stock.

Called the dude from the shop who sold me the Accurate #7 with Lovex D036 label.. He says he uses it himself, with the Accurate load data.

So went a head and made a small batch with the "mistery" powder.

I did however, start on the very low side of things.
Set the bugger to 6.5 grain, weighed each load.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploads19/IMG00133+20111129+19091322590381.jpg

There is something to say at the precision of the powder dropping, mostly that it wasn't precise at all.
I'm sure the variation has a lot to do with the press not being fully stable yet.
Once i get that sorted (strongmount arrives tomorrow or thursday) i'll be able to fine tune the powder delivery..

But it's ok for now, i just loaded, measured each load and sorted them

ranging from
6.3
6.4
a bunch of 6.5
bunch of 6.6
3 x 6.7
and a single 7.0.

That's all well on the low side of what Accurate table posted as minimum safe
And also on the safe side of the Lovex D-036 guestimate.

For a first batch, to figure out where i am.. i think it will do just fine.
I'll fire em one a a time, check for proper ejection, proper feed and clear barrel

If they are weak, then i guess the dude was right, and the AA #7 load data is indeed right.

for chits and giggles, this is just practice and getting used to the Dillon.
In the mean time i can source a better dealer, who can provide me with better powder and data...

As long as i don't double tap with potentially weak ammo, at worst the action doesn't cycle and lack of accuracy.
Guess i'll feel right away if they are much weaker then my regular factory Fiocchi ammo or not..

[Grizzman]

Thanks for the information.

I'm considering getting a Dillon for myself for Christmas, and am quite interested in the little details.

I've been using an RCBS single stage for years and I need to load up a few thousand rounds.

In the states, we typically use handloading manuals for the load data. I would think that you'd be able to by them from Amazon.com or somewhere similar. The powder manufacturers also generally have a section on their website dedicated to load data.

Good luck!!

Grizz

[svandamme]

Took half a day off work to go shooting and drinking beer (after shooting)

The handloads were way to weak.. gun did not cycle, hardly any recoil.
I could see the bullet fly, drop, and bounce off the ballistic plates at the back of the range.. they were terribly slow. It was more "plop" then "blam"

Guess the dude in the shop was right, the Accurate #7 load table is the right one.
But better safe then sorry, so it's all good.



And when i arrived home, had a present waiting for me... The strongmount arrived.
Obviously i got cracking and bolted the thing up.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploads19/IMG00140+20111130+21451322687135.jpg

It's a great piece of kit, even when just bolting the press to the mount, not even bolting the mount to the bench, it was incredibly stable... bolting it to the bench.. well, rock steady is the word.

Powder check is up there as well, so friday imma be loading some more..
6-7 was totally weak... so gonna load a spread from 8 to 9.5 at .1 grain steps to see where the gun starts to cycle Once it cycles, i'll run a bigger batch ranging in the ball park, to see what feels good to shoot.

Oh, and i found a supplier of Vihtavuori so next time, no more powder misteries just the good stuff.

[dennisc]

Stijn,
Great looking set-up, and even better news about the Vihtavuori powder.
Sounds like everything is coming together just fine - congratulations.
Dennis

[svandamme]

got the Vihtavuori N340 powder, case lube, also some HN 230 grain ball bullets so i can try some different things...(other was HN 195 grain Semi Wadcutters).


Gonna run the tumbler tomorrow morning, load up a test batch 'round noon and head to the range in the afternoon.Ellison

[Grizzman]

Vigtavuori N340 is slower than unique, but faster than Accurate #7 or Longshot. That should work out just fine.

My Sierra manual shows a maximum charge of 6.8 grains with 230s. This should be around 900 fps.

My Hornady book shows 6.7 as the maximum charge at 900 fps, so I'd say this is solid info.

Have fun, and load safe.

Grizz

[svandamme]

Got this from Vihtavuori's load tables



Test barrel: 150 mm (6"), 1 in 16" twist
Primers: Large Pistol
Cases: Remington, trim-to length 22.70 mm (.893"


14,9 230 FMJ-RN Hornady
gram grain m/s fps gram grain m/s fps
N340 0,38 5,9 253 830 0,41 6,4 278 912


12,0 185 TMJ-SWC Speer

N340 0,46 7,1 303 993 0,50 7,7 330 108


I'll start the 230's at 5.7
5 x 5.7
5 x 5.9
5 x 6.2

The SWC's at 195 grain
i'll batch those at 6.9

5x 6.9
5x 7.1
5x 7.3

Guess that should give me a good idea if i'm in the ball park.

I'm stayin .2 grain below the max load, don't feel like pushing the max unless i got good data on my lower loads first.. Gonna ask around in the club if anybody has a chronograph for validation... else order one..

[Grizzman]

I'd say you're definitely down the right path.

It's quite surprising how few people seem to have chrono's, or even that they understand what they're used for.

Every time I use it at the range at least three people come up to ask what it is....and the rest are probably just not outgoing enough to ask the question.

They're really not very expensive (the price of a single stage press), so I do suggest you pick one up. They really are helpful for working up loads.

Grizz

[svandamme]

That went well

230
5 x 5.7
5 x 5.9
5 x 6.1

5.7 felt very weak, but the gun still cycled just fine

5.9 & 6.1 was fine, not a heavy recoil, easy to shoot

The SWC's at 195 grain

5x 6.9
5x 7.1
5x 7.3

all three loads felt fine, soft recoil, but not weak. the gun cycled fine with em.

None of the 6 loads felt anywhere near the 230 gr Fiocci factory loads in terms of recoil... So i think i got plenty of margin.. I think the copper plated bullets have something to do with that as well vs FMJ ammo..

gonna make a bigger batch now..
2 100 boxes
195 gr semi wadcutters with a 7.5 powder load
230 gr ball with a 6.2 powder load

Or just .2 below the list max,

The idea now is to make the Dillon throw reliable powder loads.
So far it's been hit and miss, to much variation.. I'm doing something wrong so gotta see what i can do to improve on that.

The test batch was hand measured and checked, but that was tediously slow.

[svandamme]

Ran 200 rounds of 230 grain ball, at 6.2 grain of powder.

What have i learned:

- Don't tumble deprimed brass with corn cob. it's a PITA to pick the corncob out of the flashholes

- I want that roller handle. Must have for bigger batches.

- pay attention when picking up primers with the pickup tube..
had a couple the wrong way..

- Must pay attention on the downstroke, forgetting the primer is tedious as i have to disassemble the bullet again and start over.

- Couple of crushed primers, not sure how that happened, maybe i didn't push down on the downstroke enough, primer not seated properly and then banged up when the shellplate rotated..

- Pain in the neck to get the powder charge dialed in.. But once dialed, it throws reliable enough .. I do look in the shell before seating the bullet, but the powder check is my 1st line of defense.

[Grizzman]

This is good info so far.

What's your definition of "reliable enough" powder dispensing?

Grizz

[svandamme]

pretty much .1 grain..


wanted 6.2, i'm getting 6.2 on the scale, with the odd 6.1 and 6.3's
Seems well within the advertised tolerances of the powder dispensing and the scale....

[Grizzman]

Wow. + or - .1 grain is barely worse than my RCBS electronic powder dispenser and scale can deliver (it's generally either right on or +.1).

I guess that takes care of the powder charge consistency question.

Grizz

[svandamme]

I think it's depends a lot on how you pull the handle.. slow-ish with a decent pause at either end of the up or down stroke..steady as she goes.

Obviously my scale isn't more accurate then .1 grain either, but if it throws nicely inbetween 6.1 and 6.3 it's decent enough.. At that point my main risk would not be powder, but foreign objects, such as a bit of corn cob stuck in a shell and raising the pressure..

But again, with .45 ACP, i believe there is plenty of margin in terms of pressure..
From what i can tell, my PM7/45 will eat +P ammo and not break a sweat.
Maybe not a good idea to make +P the steady diet, but the gun won't blow up of it does eat a box of +P

Now +P is rated 23000 PSI vs 21000 PSI for regular .45 ACP
That's +9.5% over regular.
But i'm not going for max load either, so my reloads are probably below 21000 PSI, probably a fair bit below 20000 PSI..

So overall i got at leat 15 % safety margin going on.. t would take a big ass corn cob to cause trouble....

Got 200 rounds, all with good primer all with powder that should be in the ballpark (visual check and powder check die).. So they should be reliable..
The only question left is "are they accurate and consistent enough?"

This is not self defense ammo, got factory Fiocchi for that.. All it has to do is go bang and put nice groups in.

[dennisc]

Stijn,
200 rounds loaded and ready to go, sounds like enough for a good trial. Glad to see you've got a handle on it. :)
You may be able to tweak your Dillon powder measure a little more by cleaning it. There could be a some residue from the original machining oils, or some of that Czechoslovakian powder you started with inside that die. I use rubbing alcohol on a swab or cotton rag to clean out excess gunk.
Dennis

[svandamme]

That's pretty much what i did, took the shellplate off, cleaned it , reassembled it as snug as i could and it made the world of a difference. Before that, the plate was wobbly at #4 and it was spilling powder as station 2 moved to 3. Now no more of that.

[svandamme]

back from the range, did some serious shootin'

first 4x20 shots for the competition in .22, offhanded at 25 meter
169
146
146
142 (out of 200)

Not gonna win, just need to shoot another 2 so i got my 20

Then shot some .45 selfloads
them wadcutters are still to light at 8.4grain AA7 powder, they barely cycle and i can tell fom the sooth on the outside of the casing, that they simply don't expand enough for a gas seal..
one of the 7.8 loads was even weaker then it should have been.. it was so weak the bullet went to 25 meter, bounced off the ballistic plate without deforming and rolled back to the firing line, go figure.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploads19/IMG00163+20111217+16571324137599.jpg


The soft loads did something to the gun as at one point the gun chambered a round, it went to battery
but my trigger would not pull, hammer did not fall and the slide seemed jammed when i tried to cycle.
another round, same thing, a factory round, same thing.field stripped the gun, couldn't find anything wrong no change after i reassembled.

Only when i got a snap cap in there did the hammer fall ..
Ran 2 mags of Fiocchi through it, all good again.

Me thinks that the weak loads got some dirt in the trigger mechanism. dunno what else could cause this?


My 230 grain ball with Vitha Vuori N340 was good to go , no problems with that, that'll be my plinking ammo



After that a friend introduced me to the 100 meter rifle shooting.
Shot a 7.5 Swiss , standing, iron sight
first shot was on the card,
then 2 shots from bench rest, got a 7 and 8 out of that.

Also shot a Springfield 1903 in 30-06, standing, got two 6'es out of that

Not bad considering it was my first go at the 100 meter, at least that's how i rate it.. 2012 i plan to get routine done with the 1911, and practice long rifle with club weapons, while i wait for the M1a to be found, delivered, and permitted.

[BadOscar]

Do you ride the thumb safety with your thumb? Sometimes I will not fully engage the grip safety when I use that grip style. It doesn't happen if I have slim grips on the gun. Maybe your problem is something else but I doubt it is related to light loads.

[svandamme]

No, it was a full on jam
Safety would not even engage
The slide only racked with more force the usual

In the garage now, gonna take it apart and see if I can find something more

[BadOscar]

Check the ejector for signs of rubbing on the top. A couple of my DW's needed a little stoning because of of rubbing there. One locked up much like you describe. A too tight extractor could also cause the jam you describe.

[svandamme]

took er down to the trigger , can't say i found any obvious signs of damage or unusual wear.

bit dirty, but that's it.

The top of the ejector :
http://www.cotep.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=75&stc=1&d=1324147613
There is a slight hint of wear on the right edge of the ejector.. not sure if that is what you mean? I mean, it's barely visible..

[BadOscar]

Ejector looks fine. How's the extractor? Dave has a good post about extractors here http://www.cotep.org/forum/showthread.php?t=566

[svandamme]

extractor looks fine too.

It really felt like something in the trigger/safety mechanisme.
It did not jam after firing, it jammed before.
Even after i field stripped, and reassembled.. i racked a fresh round and it jammed again.. so it's not an ejection or feed problem.. the slide was closed, in battery... Really weird..

But on the plus side, i've now gone past the normal field strip and taken it apart to the frame with the help of http://how-i-did-it.org/detail-1911/reassembly.html

That's a great tutorial..

So though it's not clear what caused this, i think it's to do with them SWC's i made.. something was wrong with em.. The gun is fine..

[BadOscar]

Only thing related to trigger I can think of would be the overtravel screw in the front of the trigger. If it's in to far it will not allow the hammer to fall. Maybe if it came loose something like that could happen.

[svandamme]

The screw was fine, it would not explain why the thumb safety also refused to engage.
I still think it was dirt, it happened right after that weak load , the one that bounced back undamaged from impact.

And i did find a lot of flakey powder residue on the rear underside of the slide, the area between the slide and where the hammer is pushed down..

back in one piece, all safeties work, i'm calling it a day.
Now i can focus my attention to that other noble time waster : beer !

[m60g]

It was only late september that i got a hold of my permit, and picked up the PM7.. Less then 2 months and so far i've gone through 600 rounds of ammo.:eek:

I'm sure some will probably have a higher burn rate, but i'm pretty chuffed about my efforts so far. So much in fact, that i've gone ahead and dropped some moolah on reloading gear.

I'm just gonna post this thread, to keep track of my own progress in these matters.

Well, since i decided to quit my previous hobby, eg old Porsches, aka Moneypits. I've sold off my stock of parts... So basically i'm trading one really expensive vice for a less expensive one.. It don't hurt much that way.


So what did i get?


The press.. well, i figured if i'm going to do plenty of shooting, i need volume.
Progressive , people be telling me Dillon, don't look back.
So Dillon it is.

Square B, 550 or 650?
Square B was tempting, but no case feeder... So that's one down with 2 to go, coz i'm lazy
550, No auto indexing...And only 4 stations... That would rule out the use of the powder check die. I like the idea of the powder check die , might save my bacon one day..

so there we go, 650 XL... It arrived last monday.
Carbide dies
case feeder

So far i've figured out, that i should not have gone cheap and figured i'de mount it as is.. It's a royal pain in the ass to keep such a big thing steady..

Strong mount already ordered to cure that problem
also got the Dillon powder check Die
couple of Dillon 100 rnd boxes
spare part kit and decapping pins
Lyman 1000 xpdigital scale
Lyman pro 1200 tumbler
kinetic bullet puller, primer flip tray

1500 fiocchi primers,
accurate arms powder #7 (all they had in stock, we don't have gun supermarkets here)
and 500 HN 190 grain semi wadcutters.


Hope to get the mount early next week, but in the mean time with some clamps i can start getting a feel for the thing.

I test one station at a time.. the decapping was first.. pretty easy really
The only tricky part is that it sometimes doesn't go square in the shell, of the rig wobbles to much , strong mount will cure that.

The re-priming station... ain't rocket science either... just need to start counting the number of pulls till the first primer comes up ...

As a test i primed 15 rounds, fired em off in the gun
then ran those 15 rounds through again, decapped, reprimed..
i love it.. The cheerful "plink" when yet another round ejects into the basket...

this might become an addictive thing... Like a one armed bandit , except it's a Blue one. :D

Next week, the strong mount, final setup, and the first loads..


Hey, you live in Ypres, that's where Paschendale was fought. I'm a big military history buffClyde

Sorry for the Hijack:p

[svandamme]

Hey, you live in Ypres, that's where Paschendale was fought. I'm a big military history buffClyde

Sorry for the Hijack:p


No worries,

check out this thread

http://www.cotep.org/forum/showthread.php?t=856

[svandamme]

Ran some better SWC loads, at 9.2 grain it's almost there.
I'll run a small test batch at 9.4, 9.6, 9.8 that should do the trick

The 6.2 Vihtavuori with 230 Ball batch i made earlier is perfect for plinking, not a hot load , but i can shoot volumes of that and not get tired. No jams whatsoever, they are all consistent ( these were all loaded with the Dillon in mass production mode, with the powder check die)

And i found out what that jam was previously with the weak SWC's.
Had one again like it, turns out, with the weak loads it sometimes does not fully go to battery, but very difficult to see, it's just a hair from being fully closed.
If you look from behind, you can't even see it.
It went away at 9 grains or more AA7 powder..

Anyway, had fun today, broke my personal best in the .22 club pistol competition at 25 meters, got me a 173/200 , with a club Ruger.

25 test SWC's 10 meter, not for accuracy yet
40 of my homemade 230 grain ball @ 25 meters, worked out fine , good group. offhanded

Then ran through 2 full mags of Fiocchi Rapid fire and quick reload at 10 meters...
all in the black..that rotten piece of cardboard target didn't walk away from that , no sir.
nanner

[svandamme]

Ran the 195 grain copper SWC up from 9.2 up to 10 grains of AA7, no problem
Going to settle on 9.6 as the middel ground, make a bigger batch of those to work the AA powder out..

Also snatched up some 200 grain LSWC , with the VVN340 and a 6.3 load according to the VV load tables, all good..
Eventually going to make this the steady diet for the PM7, barrel will last longer with LSWC and those bullets are about half the price of the copper plated ones...


Another fun day at the range, ran about 100 rounds with the .45 , then went to the 100 meter to log some rifle time , so i can send in my permit request (need about 10 rifle days logged for that)..

So shot with the club .22 bolt action rifle, some russian made thing.
With a diopter , i managed a group of 50 rds about the size of a stretched hand.. without any flyers. so that's not bad for a first try
9 more sessions to go, then the club chairman can print out a certificate that i'm a regular rifle shooter, so i can get the permit for the M1a. Can't wait.

[Hoss in IL]

Glad to hear your loads are working out for you. I just finished 1300 rounds of .380 auto for my brother in law. I hate those tiny bullets, hard to grab.

I didn't read through all of the thread pages.....did you end up finding a good source for your powder? It would be terrible to spend all of that time and components working up to a "perfect" load and then not be able to get your powder for a long time. Not trying to put a hex on ya, I just remember you saying that you were at the mercy of the local suppliers for components.

Keep up the good work!

[svandamme]

1300 rounds of 308? does he shoot full auto or sommin? :D

Did get the good powder sourced, found a number of good reloading shops that carry VithaVuori..

[Hoss in IL]

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