A little time on the lathe

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I made myself some loading tools today.

Left to right:

-Brass 16 gauge x 2 1/2" freshly loaded with 2 1/2 drams of FFg and 1oz mixed 7s and 8s
-(at rear) Support tube, case rests on this tube (inverted) to be primed on arbor press
-(at front) Decapping punch
-(at rear) Powder/shot measure - I turned off the rim, but this is a .500 S&W case, perfect size
-(at front) Decapping and loading base (keeps primer off the deck while pushing down the innards of a live shell)
-Rammer - it has sharpie marks from my first time through, making sure everything was seating how it should. Tomorrow it gets a line turned on it to indicate proper wad compression.

Re: A little time on the lathe

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Thanks for the kind words. Especially kind from Mason, who does this kind of stuff too.

I was sitting around with the calipers and the calculator and a bunch of medium-large cases trying to figure out which case to cut down to what length to get a 2.5 dram powder measure (which is also a 1oz shot measure). The .500 Magnum came out exactly right as-is. Everybody file that away in the back of your heads for the zombie apocalypse.

The one thing I discovered in this process that really seems worth passing on is that the Magtech brass shells have pretty roughly formed primer pockets. I haven't got a reamer for them on hand, but I'm getting one. Some of the primers sit high, even though they are fully seated. Not a big deal as long as I don't snap the gun shut on them vigorously, but it inspired me to only load shells on the base with a hole where the primer is.

Re: A little time on the lathe

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Fukshot wrote:To be clear (realized I might not have been) the loaded shell is Magtech. I didn't make that on the lathe.
About the only thing I use my lathe for anymore is to thin the rims on Magtech 24 and 32 ga brass shells as part of the process of turning them into big bore British cartridges.

Re: A little time on the lathe

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So...

I took the rammer in to the shop today. I was going to cut a little groove in it to mark how far in to the case it gets pushed for proper wad compression. One thing led to another and the next thing I know, I'm figuring what the best way to chuck a tagua nut in the lathe. Tagua nuts are big and inedible and are also known as vegetable ivory. I had a couple laying around (like ya do).

Here's my new 16 gauge shotshell rammer:

Re: A little time on the lathe

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...and the decapping punch. I used the pin and retainer from an old die, so the pin can be replaced if it ever gets bent or broken. This is 4140 chromoly and I'll be bluing it this weekend some time, but I took some snaps in the white because it will probably show the details better than the final color.

Re: A little time on the lathe

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Fukshot wrote:
gendoikari wrote:
Fukshot wrote:90% of the tools in this post could be free-handed on a watchmakers lathe. I did all of this on a little Sherline.
what would the exact cost for all this to set up be?
The tools I made this stuff on, or for me to make a set of these tools for someone?
the tools you made them on, it'd be a fun hobby
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Re: A little time on the lathe

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Fukshot wrote:
spara wrote:Wow, just wow! It's so rare to see someone make anything by hand that it's a rare treat.
Thanks. Making things is my day job AND my hobby.
I am pretty totally over making things right now! I really don't feel like stepping back into my workshop so I guess I'll just go and do that. I am getting paid, I am getting paid, I am getting paid....
'Sorry stupid people but there are some definite disadvantages to being stupid."

-John Cleese

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