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Old September 15, 2010, 04:47 PM   #1
willrussellville
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case block

I have a case block but it is too deep for small pistol rounds (9mm amd 380). There must be some common contraptions that people use for this. I have a rack from a medical lab that test tubes are shipped in but it is too deep also. Let's here what some of you guys utilize..
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Old September 15, 2010, 04:51 PM   #2
noylj
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I charge a case, inspect the powder, and then seat a bullet. Never liked loading blocks.
You can look at the MTM Universal Reloading Tray Compact 50-Round Plastic Gray on sale at Midway for $4.99.
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Old September 15, 2010, 04:52 PM   #3
mikejonestkd
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Visit Midwayusa.com and order the appropriate sized blocks for the cartridge that you are reloading. They are cheap and worth it. I use one on one side of the press with the unprimed cases and another on the other side for finished rounds.

Here's the ones that I use for 9mm:

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct...tNumber=125282
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Old September 15, 2010, 06:26 PM   #4
BigJimP
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You can make your own ....with some hardwood and a Forstner bit ...of the appropriate size.

Its easier with a drill press so you can set the depth ....but you could use a stop-collar and do it with a portable hand drill as well. Just lay out the grid on the board ....and drill out the holes.
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Old September 15, 2010, 06:29 PM   #5
Uncle Buck
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Get a block of wood and drill holes in it to the depth you want/need.

One of the advantages of this method is you get to make the holes far enough apart that clumsy fingers like mine can actually pick up a cartridge from anywhere in the block instead of just along an edge.

Also, Why in the heck do the RCBS loading blocks hold 80 cartridges, but most plastic boxes to store the ammo in comes with 100 holes? Seems it is like hot dogs, ten to a pack and eight buns
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Old September 15, 2010, 10:01 PM   #6
Lost Sheep
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No special drill bit required

If you don't want to deal with a Forstner bit (I had to look it up), just get a 3/8" sheet of plywood about 12"x12" and drill 50 holes of an appropriate diameter all the way through. Then glue it to another piece of plywood with another 50 holes drilled in it (but off-set from the first 50 so a cartridge cannot drop through, and large enough in diameter to accommodate 45 ACP). Just in case you go up in caliber some day.

Presto! Flat-bottomed holes just the right depth and custom-spaced for your fingers. Or you could leave out the second board and just have a board with holes drilled completely through and just leave it on your loading bench.

Personally, I have two MTM Case Gard 150 trays/blocks and 9mm cases are plenty long enough for me to grip. 380s are only 2mm shorter, so I imagine they would do OK as well.

Good Luck

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Old September 16, 2010, 08:05 AM   #7
Sevens
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I use four different kinds. I started with the 80-hole RCBS load block and used it for many years. I'd pick up each piece of brass and charge it and then place it in the load block. Works, is safe. Not fast. I also have an MTM and a couple of the made-for-each-caliber wood blocks.

Later, I began to move the load block under the powder measure and drop charges in to the cases that are already in it. With this method, it's much faster but you have to be certain that you don't double charge any cases. And you also need a compatible block that isn't so large that you can't get the tray under your measure.

It's that last reason that led me to using multiple load blocks. When they are too big, you can't fit the load block under the measure and only some of the holes become "usable."

For me, the crucial part is to have a load block -- any load block, with all the charged cases in it so that I can hold them up to the light and peer inside each and every case to make sure the powder level is the same as the others. How I get to that point varies, just so long as I can look at each single piece to have the piece of mind.

Lately, I've not used the load blocks so much and have been using actual plastic trays from factory ammo boxes which I have a ton of. (I haven't bought factory in years, but I still get them from friends and other shooters)

For rimless semi-auto rounds, the box for that caliber works great. In 9, 10 and .45, I use their own trays. For rimmed revolver rounds like .38 and .357, I just use a .40 cal or .45 tray. These trays work well because they are very compact and the entire tray easily fits under my powder measure.

With this method, I keep a good pace AND I still have all the quality control and checks & balances that I demand at the bench.
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