desertdweller
Senior member
- Jan 6, 2001
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Yeah, I already took it down with some 600grit sandpaper. I'm not too worried about that, for sure...that hole would have to get a lot more worn out for me to worry. But what I was saying about the firing pin is that it's simply grown in diameter over the years and lost its point. So instead of looking more like the end of a knitting needle, it looks like a flat pin punch- way too much surface area contacting the primer.
Here are my casings from yesterday-
Unfortunately, my dumb ass seems to have broken something when I was trying to force the cylinder around. The lock at the bottom of the frame that engages the outside of the cylinder is not retracting. I believe that's a common weak spot in Colts and straight-up clones (newer guns like the Rugers may have refined it a bit).
Also, could Merad or anyone else that reloads recommend me some starter gear that I could use for .45? I've never seriously looked into reloading, but it seems to make sense to start here. Just wanting to see what I'd have to spend.
Press and something solid to mount it on
Powder
Powder Measure (May come with press)
Dies
Primer (May come with press)
Scale
Calipers
Case Lube
Tumbler
Cleaning Media
Bullets
Primers
Casings
Bullet puller for when you screw something up
Primer flipping tray
You really need to know your budget on it all though and how much you shoot. I use a Hornady progressive press with a combination of Redding and Lyman dies. My initial setup costs for this type of press was around a grand. But, I like being able to crank out 350 to 400 rounds in an hour. However, I would not suggest this type of press for extreme precision. If you're after precision, you will probably want a single stage press and trickle instead of a powder measure.
You need to figure out if you want a single stage press, a progressive press or turret type. The Lee Classic get a lot of really nice reviews and isn't all that expensive, but, really you should probably plan on somewhere around $500 to start if you don't go with a progressive press.
You don't have to buy the most expensive equipment, I'm using a Hornady digital scale that like $50, a cheap Hornady caliper that was about the same. But good dies are worth the extra money. I mostly load .40 and the dies I'm currently using for it cost me about $125 because I mixed and matched and bought them all individually.