[blizzardscout2]

I believe I have finally dialed in the resizing of the brass. I was having difficulty pushing the shoulder back to .910 and the neck to .954. Plus the Hornady shell holder I was using was deforming the base of the case, so now I have the MK custom shell holder and that fixed that. I am having difficulty now with seating the 40 V-Max bullet. It will not fit completely in the case gauge. I have played with different seating depths to see if that would help, and it is hit or miss. I do trim the necks which I have also played with different lengths to see if that makes a difference. A few of the rounds have fit, but then I load another after having success and that one doesn't fit. ::FF:: Any suggestions? I am using the RCBS 2 set dies with the Lee classic turret (indexing rod removed). Thanks.

Reese

 

[Bazzer]

Reese, what will not fit into the gauge ? Is the OAL to long or is it the case that will not fit into the gauge ? If it is the latter, have you set the resizing die correctly ? You need to set it with the ram at the top of its travel then screw the die in until it touches the shell holder and then a eight of a turn more. If it's correct the case should fit into the gauge before proceeding further.

 

[mjk1]

PM sent.

 

[HK SD9 Tactical]

Get better dies and a single stage press.

 

[Justin Bove]

Loading 5.7 rounds is a PITA simply put. I look at it as a weekend project. I use Hornady reloading products, but I've used RBCS reloading equipment at my father-inlaw's to load his cast lead rounds. In my opinion reloading equipment is basically the same. I choose Hornady because of the rebates and continue to buy because I figure less problems if I stick to one brand. Here are a couple of things I've found through the years that make reloading 5.7 rounds go smoothly. I do a two part case cleaning. Once in the tumbler then two times(120-198mins) in the ultrasonic cleaner. Then pull the basket and put in a plastic bin with a gallon of distilled water. I agitate all the brass get the cleaning solution off then pull the basket and blow off as much water as possible. After that I stick it in my toaster(It's a garage sale find I only use in my workshop) and bake off the remaining water. Then comes the time consuming process of inspecting each case and putting them in a bin. That seems to be the longest process for me because I'm anal about dimensions. Here are two things I've found that for whatever reason seem to make things run smooth. After I'm done priming them and putting them in trays I use Hornady case lube and the bullets I use are 35gr V-Max's instead of the 40gr V-Max's. They look and feel the same, but for whatever reason the 35gr bullets have less seating problems. A bunch of folks recommend using Sierra bullets. Which I might try after I go though all the V-Max bullets I already have. Loading 5.7 rounds is a PITA because you really have to take your time. Heck I spend more time reloading 5.7 rounds then I do reloading .308 completion rounds. The hardest thing for me is loading that 50 round magazine knowing how much time I spend making each round.

 

[SONYtec]

The shoulder really gets blown out on the 5.7. One reason I won't reload them.

 

[blizzardscout2]

So I ended up buying the Hornady custom grade 5.7 dies which are very nice. After setup, I reloaded one to give it a go and was successful on the first try, all within spec and slid in and out of the case gauge perfectly. I have since reloaded a few more, making sure to inspect and measure them to be sure of appropriate dimensions. I am using Vihtavouri N340 at 4.3 gn (min weight) with 40gr v-max. I will test them possibly tonight in my newly SBR'd PS90.

 

[blizzardscout2]

Here is the few. :bullets: :shock:

 

[HK SD9 Tactical]

Looking good. I do not know about the powder though. What recipe are you using or is it your own?

I like my Hornady 5.7 dies. I had the RCBS but dumped them, got the Hornady and the Lee. Lee isn't bad but I still prefer the Hornady, better quality dies.

 

[blizzardscout2]

The recipe was out of the Lyman manual. As powder is scarce I was willing to use whatever powder I had a recipe for and this powder came up so i grabbed 4 lbs of it. Yeah the RCBS dies were quite dissapointing.

I did venture to the range to test drive my SBR PS90 with the new reloads. They ran flawlessly through it. They provided very tight groups at 25 yards (i know that isnt far, but im limited to 25 yards). It feels pretty awesome to reload and shoot my own rounds that i put together. Plus i really enjoy it. I had sized, trimmed, and primed about 100 cases ready to load to the same weight if they cycled alright. So i put together 70 more this morning. I think i found another lifelong hobby. Next on my list is 9mm. That will be a cinch.

 

[MikeK29340]

The shoulder really gets blown out on the 5.7. One reason I won't reload them.

I've only seen that from the pistol not the rifle.

 

[jaflowers]

I've only seen that from the pistol not the rifle.

I've had it on the PS90 when using SS197 and a suppressor. Factory loads and no suppressor the PS90's spent brass is easy on my reloading.