What are your reloading quirks.

[30378]

Document EVERYTHING and Anneal nothing.

 

[TTE]

Oh and I forgot to mention.

I don't clean the powder funnel.

But I'm going to start doing that (maybe).

 

[Richard Jones]

"Everyone's quirky but me and thee, and sometimes I'm not sure about thee..."

When you're my age, you BETTER write it down. I write down everything that I think can influence anything.

 

[ebb]

When i started reloading the very first case I resized I got stuck in the die, and I have stuck many since then. I cussed and swore at every case lube I ever tried and thought they all were junk. Then one day a realized that about 95% of them were with one set of 223 small base dies. I took a sized case and drilled the primer hole and tapped it for a 1/4-20 bolt that i chucked up in my drill and coated it with valve grinding compound and ran it in my 223 dies for about 20 seconds. I kissed and made up with Hornaday one shot and ordered the biggest can they make, and have not stuck a case since. The very first case I sized I was reloading from verbal instructions no one mentioned that you need case lube, so that one is on me. I am still like dynamite with short fuse when I have to size 223 cases.

 

[K22]

I endeavor to keep the reloading process as simple and cost effective as possible. Over the years, like most, I have read a variety claims and assertions on the net.

Maybe some of these processes are necessary for some shooting disciplines but applying them universally can create unnecessary complexity, costs, and time with no discernable results for some disciplines. In other words, load to produce the results needed for your discipline. My reloading processes are geared to produce, "acceptable results for my shooting discipline."

I can't tell you the number of times a fellow recreational shooter / hunter or someone on this site has said to me, "but all the top match shooters do this or that." I am not a match shooter, and neither are most of the serious shooters I meet at then range so why in the world are they trying to apply advanced complex processes when shooting a factory rifle where sub 1 moa will meet all their needs?

Maybe we need a forum category for "semi-precision shooters".

 

[paul castelli]

After 40 some odd years of doing this I can honestly say the music playing during makes the time go by better but still doesn't improve the group size. Even tried Beethoven, the 5th seems so perfect to me, so trancendental, so relaxing, so enabling to the flow of things. But then again so does Mahavishnu Orchestra. YMMV

 

[Charliemac]

After 40 some odd years of doing this I can honestly say the music playing during makes the time go by better but still doesn't improve the group size. Even tried Beethoven, the 5th seems so perfect to me, so trancendental, so relaxing, so enabling to the flow of things. But then again so does Mahavishnu Orchestra. YMMV

I’m a Viking Death Metal and such kinda guy when I’m reloading. You know Black Sabbath, Amon Amarth, Behemoth, Slayer and Slipknot etc. What’s funny is my dad who would be well over a 100 today if he was still alive liked metal bands 40+ years ago. To each his own!

 

[Straightshooter1]

After 40 some odd years of doing this I can honestly say the music playing during makes the time go by better but still doesn't improve the group size. Even tried Beethoven, the 5th seems so perfect to me, so trancendental, so relaxing, so enabling to the flow of things. But then again so does Mahavishnu Orchestra. YMMV

I listen to a lot of classical while do my brass prep. But . . . Blue Man Group keeps me moving along to the beat.

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

I have 5 223's(1 556 NATO, 2- 223 Wyde, 2-223Rem chambers) I size all my 223 brass the same, using a Lyman 223 ammo checker. Hornady one shot. Never had a case seperate, and have shot prairie dogs with all of them. I do clean the brass before sizing.

 

[Marklincoln]

I clean the primer pockets, never removing any brass.
Otherwise same as you and I’ll add I NEVER drill a flash hole

 

[long40shot]

I only load powder to an even decimal point. Never odd.

 

[snert]

I will get going on loading a batch and notice something...maybe some cases with primers going in a scootch (scientific term, look it up) easier than others. Then I'll grab up a sharpie and mark the cases on the base with an X or sumsuch marking. Then I will close up that batch and two months later open it up at the range and think "who is the dumazz that marked these up and why?" I am staring at a box of 6x50 right now with three! different markings on them and no note. And no clue as to what I was doing.
Semi-Accurate Shooter here...

 

[Forum Boss]

If a shot goes significantly outside a group, I move that brass case outside of the "good" batch and use it only for foulers.

My scores improved over time. I can't tell you why, but culling the bad-shooting brass did help over time.

 

[paul castelli]

I listen to a lot of classical while do my brass prep. But . . . Blue Man Group keeps me moving along to the beat.

turn it up!

 

[rr2030]

Engage the internet of things. Listen to Live Air Traffic Control from a local airport of my choosing.
Maintain records
Wipe everything the powder will come in contact with using a fabric softener sheet
Bottle of powder behind powder measure with label in view
Mark any case or loading deviation with sharpie (IE: short, pulled/reseated bullet)

 

[Benchrest Braxton]

Boots Obermeyer used to have section on his company’s website that had notes about various things related to barrels and such. One thing that I do after the final tumbling (walnut shell blasting media) is to use compressed air and blow out the dust still in the brass case. He said that the dust residue caused excessive wear on the barrel. And recommend blowing out the brass. It’s not really a pain to do, it goes quite quickly. That’s my quirk and sticking with it for the last 25 years.

switch to rice, no more dust or residue, thank me later

 

[ShtrRdy]

I'm very OCD when it come to my brass prep. . . and I don't shoot competitively. Every case has to be as uniform (perfect) as I can make it.

Once in a great while I'll have to leave my reloading table due to some interruption and when at the shooting range I find I missed putting powder in a case. I blame it on my advanced age. But, when that happens, I do find out if how well I'm pulling the trigger or not.

One of my current shooting buddies turned 95 this year. A few weeks ago while at the range he asked me if I had a cleaning rod in my pickup. I said sure and got it for him. He said he forgot to put powder in the case and stuck the bullet in the throat. He uses moly coated bullets and was able to tap the bullet out. I figure that's okay when you're still reloading and shooting at 95.

 

[Infrequent Shooter]

great thread here

 

[rjtfroggy]

I prefer it to be quiet in my reloading room. Only one I like in there with me is the dog, he doesn't talk or complain about the mess.

 

[358WCF]

When i started reloading the very first case I resized I got stuck in the die, and I have stuck many since then. I cussed and swore at every case lube I ever tried and thought they all were junk. Then one day a realized that about 95% of them were with one set of 223 small base dies. I took a sized case and drilled the primer hole and tapped it for a 1/4-20 bolt that i chucked up in my drill and coated it with valve grinding compound and ran it in my 223 dies for about 20 seconds. I kissed and made up with Hornaday one shot and ordered the biggest can they make, and have not stuck a case since. The very first case I sized I was reloading from verbal instructions no one mentioned that you need case lube, so that one is on me. I am still like dynamite with short fuse when I have to size 223 cases.