Reloading with a non-progressive press: Part I

Remember how I told you I was having problems with my Dillon XL650, and I was gonna ask them to fix it for me?

Well, I never did get around to it.


That's why I spent the better part of eight hours today loading 200 rounds of 10mm to prepare for the Match later today. (Yes, I am up WAY past the bedtime of any Honest Man to get this task finished, and to "boast" about it.)

Very big grin here. I'm not actually very proud of how long it took me to set up a Lee Turret Press from scratch for a 'new' caliber ... I haven't actually reloaded on that press for a few years, and never for 10mm.

But I did have a LEE Sizing Die (which I used to full-length size 10mm brass ... it is reputed to be 'better than' Dillon or RCBS dies to get the FULL length of the case squeezed down to a diameter which fits in an STI chamber.

I also had several hundred rounds of once-used 10mm brass which had been full-length resized by a vendor, including in the deal a complete primer-decapping and a liquid-tumbling which left the brass shiny-new inside and out.

Anyway, this is grist for the mill of an entirely different (and Geek Length) post about my experiences of the actual process.

For now, it's enough to state that I decided to use my STI Edge in 10mm for the forthcoming match at Dundee (which starts in about 7 hours, and it's an hour driving time --- so I better close this soon so I can get some sleep!).

I may not post on Saturday night; I expect to be entirely worn out. Besides, I don't have enough pictures yet. Nor do I have the results (consequences) of my untimely reloading session.

By tomorrow evening, at a minimum, I expect to be able to provide a "Range Report" on the results of loading ammunition "On Spec" from specifications which are several years old, and which have NOT been tested before the match.

It's all smoke and mirrors. I have need of counsel from a Professional Reloader.

Wish me luck!