30 Luger Cartridge Conversion

[Patronen]

I noticed your case trimmer is a forester the same as mine. I converted mine to take more brass off faster for case forming.
I don't have any TV but play old cassette tapes once in a while.
Nice setup you have.

[sheepherder]

Originally Posted by Patronen

I noticed your case trimmer is a forester the same as mine. I converted mine to take more brass off faster for case forming.
I don't have any TV but play old cassette tapes once in a while.
Nice setup you have.

It's not as nice as my old house. But it's what I got.

The Forster case trimmer is very nice. I've had this one since the '70's...When I bought the new RCBS Rockchucker reloading 'kit' from a GB seller several years ago, it came with the RCBS case trimmer. I've never used the RCBS because I got used to this one, and have several pilots and reamers for it. I think I have another collet too.

Does your drill attachment have a 'flex' joint, or a universal of some kind??? (I used to have a drill like that...Inherited from my father)...

[sheepherder]

I thought it was in this thread, but I don't see it...Anyway, someone commented on milling the bullets instead of drilling them...I couldn't do that with the drill fixture (holes are too deep) so I made a new fixture...

Two strips of 3/8" aluminum drilled & pinned and then top & bottom milled flat. Four 5/16" holes drilled with a .022" plastic strip as spacer between them, to allow for clamping.



Fixture with four .110" dia M1 Carbine bullets clamped in position. I milled every .020" and weighed between cuts. The final measurement was .115" to get a ~86gr bullet.





Final weighing before starting run. 86.2grs...Close enough!



Comparison of 85gr Tokarev bullet, my shaved 86gr carbine bullet, and 110gr carbine bullet.



I chamfered the bottom edge with a file to ease loading, but I think I will make a 'cap' that will press a round edge on the bottom...

I also want to make a run of 95gr cut-down carbine bullets...

[sheepherder]

Ran some more Midway .308" dia 30 Carbine FMJ bullets through the mill today...Made these ~93gr, for the Luger...

I'll call these milled bullets 'shavetails'...

First two are 'shavetails', last is OEM Midway 30 Carbine...

For more comparison, a Sierra .308"/85gr was .536" OAL, and a Tokarev 'pull' was .307"/85gr and .542" OAL...

I thought I had a 5/16" radiused edge end mill, but I can't find it, so I'll have to make do with a chamfered-by-file base on my 'shavetails'...

[sheepherder]

Originally Posted by Patronen

.
Nice setup you have.

You're looking at my lathe with a plywood shelf on the bed and the press bolted to the table. It all comes off in less than 2 minutes, including putting it away. It's not the best I could do, but it's 'good enough'.

I was out today trying to get some IMR 4895...Only place left that sells powder locally was full of yahoos wasting the proprietor's time...I waited ten minutes and left. The line hadn't moved.

I'll try my regular LGS tomorrow. (He's closed Mondays). If he doesn't have any, I'll try ordering from Midway. They have a couple things I been meaning to get anyway...