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Reloading On The Fly

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posted on Nov, 17 2013 @ 11:24 AM
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I was looking at getting back into reloading, not necessarily as a means to save money, but more as a hobby and started looking at reloading equipment. As I was doing my research I found the Lee Precision Hand Press and the Lee Classic Loader and thought these two items would be perfect for those on the go or out in the field.

The Lee Classic Loader is a very compact and light reloading kit containing everything one might need to reload out in the field. This loader is NOT for use with semi-auto as it does not full-size the case, it only neck sizes. This would be a good kit to have if you are using a bolt action rifle, which I do. You do need to purchase a plastic or rubber mallet. Here's a quick video showing it in action:



Not too difficult and, when I rec'd mine in the mail, decided to take it out into the woods to see what problems I might encounter. First, I'm loading 7.62x54r and it wasn't that difficult. I found an old stump and set up shop. It was very easy, loading five rounds in a few minutes. The first two were a little slow since I was a little weary of beating on a case trying to seat the primer but, once I got a little confidence they wouldn't "POP" the last three went much faster. I think it's a great little kit and is in my pack.

As I also want to reload for my semi-autos (.30 carbine, 7.62x25 Tok) I decided to buy the Lee Precision Hand Press Kit. This one relies on leverage to unprimed, full-size, prime, and seat the bullet but does not require it to be mounted to a bench. The Hand Press is light and utilizes the full die sets just like a regular reloader. You can also purchase a kit that has a priming attachment. Here's a video showing it in action:



As you can see, if you watched the video, it's a nice little tool that does a very good job. This kit cost me about $50 from Amazon. I have not tried it in the field yet, but it does a very good job on .30 carbine. It is slow but effective and, again, does not require much space. Perfect for apartment dwellers or those "on the go."

Neither of these kits are going to be as fast as a turret press but they do a very good job and easily fit into a backpack. The dies for the hand press would require more space but for those with only 1 or 2 types of ammo could find this useful. Looking at my situation, I can use the same type of bullet (.308 110gr RN) for both the TT33 and M1 Carbine. I can also use the same type of powder for both (H110). For the Mosin, I don't necessarily need to reload as the surplus is still plentiful and cheap but, I can't use the surplus for hunting since FMJ is not allowed in my state and the Soft Point ammo is rather expensive.

For those reloaders who would never use the powder measure that comes with the kits, you could premeasure your powder before heading out and store it in plastic tubes. You would just need to label them so you don't over or under load the rounds...that could cause a bad time.

Thought this might be good info to pass along and didn't see anything on the boards. Hope you enjoy!



posted on Nov, 17 2013 @ 11:51 AM
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My son just got me some Lee dies for the 7.62x54R. A Nagant fan I assume?
I found that the expander was .308 - Why would they do that? Only Finnish models use the .308 cal.
Have a SE2358 expander rod ordered.


edit on 17-11-2013 by sageturkey because: Add



posted on Nov, 17 2013 @ 12:05 PM
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sageturkey
My son just got me some Lee dies for the 7.62x54R. A Nagant fan I assume?
I found that the expander was .308 - Why would they do that? Only Finnish models use the .308 cal.
Have a SE2358 expander rod ordered.


I am a huge fan of the venerable Soviet Mosin Nagants! In fact, I use a 1936 Soviet Sniper (PU Scope) for deer hunting. I slugged my barrels and all came out .310-.311. If I used the .308, they'd rattle down the barrel and fly all over the place! The Classic Loader does not have an expander and, from my bit of experience with it, doesn't need it. I was easily able to seat .311 SP RNs without it. I was just happy that I bought them when I did, I can't find those bullets anymore.



posted on Nov, 17 2013 @ 12:14 PM
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reply to post by Feltrick
 


LEE is the kits mits In my opinion.
Great prices and great gear.
I use nothing but.



posted on Nov, 17 2013 @ 12:15 PM
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reply to post by Feltrick
 

Sweet! I'm going to try some Hornady .312, #3120.
I haven't slugged my barrel, I know I probably should.
By the way the .310 surplus shoots though, you can tell that there's some spare room in there...

ETA: I see that the Archangel stocks have come way down in price, any opinions?



edit on 17-11-2013 by sageturkey because: (no reason given)



posted on Nov, 17 2013 @ 12:20 PM
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reply to post by g146541
 


I agree, and from what I've seen they've got more options when it comes to reloading. My local shop tried selling me a Dillon Press for $500 with no bells and whistles. For under $150, I was able to get a press, dies (.30 carb/7.62x25) and case length gauges/trimmer thru LEE.

There are pros and cons with LEE, just as there are with RCBS and Dillon. I guess it all depends on what you want for reloading.



posted on Nov, 17 2013 @ 12:27 PM
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reply to post by sageturkey
 


Before you buy, you really should slug the barrel just to be sure. I did put the calipers on the Prvi Partizan SP BT that I bought and it came out to .3115; fire well at the range and the cases are good for reloading. Here's a pretty good video on slugging:



I did check some of the boards and there were a few people who had bad experiences using dowel rods for slugging. One member had a dowel break and jammed everything in the barrel. I used a lot of grease and the slug went down rather easily.

Good luck and let me know how it turns out.

ETA: I would NEVER use an Archangel stock on my Mosins, just doesn't seem right to me. I did remove the shellac off the sniper and I'm sure some purist would go nuts over that!
edit on 17-11-2013 by Feltrick because: (no reason given)



posted on Nov, 17 2013 @ 12:38 PM
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Yeah, I suppose I should. Have everything except the dowel to do it...
Already bought 2 boxes of the .312, so I hope to see something in that vicinity. You talked me into it, looks pretty simple in the vid.

ETA: haha yeah I hear ya. I'll keep the 1916 Izhevsk as is, but the 1938 Tula I may play around with...
edit on 17-11-2013 by sageturkey because: Add



posted on Nov, 17 2013 @ 01:42 PM
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reply to post by sageturkey
 


Just use a lot of grease, I'd hate to know that you have a jammed piece of lead with bits of dowel in your barrel. Again, let me know how it turns out for you.



posted on Nov, 17 2013 @ 03:21 PM
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reply to post by Feltrick
 

Allrightey then!
Looks like about .3125 to .313 on the lands using my Lyman dial micrometer.

P.S. Didn't mean to sidetrack your thread on field reloading with Mosin talk, but I sure appreciate the advice.


edit on 17-11-2013 by sageturkey because: Add



posted on Nov, 17 2013 @ 03:28 PM
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reply to post by sageturkey
 


Good stuff! I just rechecked my Prvi Partizan SP BT and they measured .312. I then measured my sweet Bulgarian Surplus and that measured .3115. Both I have shot and both have performed well with the Bulgarian performing better than the Prvi.

Thanks for the update. Enjoy and shoot straight.

ETA: No need to apologize, always a pleasure to meet a fellow Mosin lover.
edit on 17-11-2013 by Feltrick because: (no reason given)



posted on Nov, 17 2013 @ 03:43 PM
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reply to post by Feltrick
 

That's good to know about the PRVI, a buddy of mine just bought a few boxes for hunting. I was going to as well and would have used it without a second thought about it possibly being too large. At $18 a box, I decided to go the manual route with the Hornady instead. Based on what we've discussed, I think I'm good to go with them. Still need to check the 1916, but I don't use it much and will probably just use surplus in it.
It's very similar to the top one in this video, Tsar's Eagle scrubbed indicating it's most likely a capture.



posted on Nov, 17 2013 @ 05:43 PM
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reply to post by sageturkey
 


There are quite a few of us that see the utilitarian beauty in the Mosin.

Glad this post helped. Hopefully others will see that reloading on the go is possible and relatively cheap. In a SHTF scenario, I believe most will clean out the Ammo and weapons, leaving the powder behind. Others may grab the stuff, but without knowing what they are doing, will likely screw up and hurt themselves. Those who know how to reload and have the equipment and dies could be very useful to those who don't.



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