A little trouble with compression

[Eric Johanen]

Loading up the 45-90 with the PJ money bullet and 1st try with OE 1&1/2 FG. Trim length @ 2.400, Fired brass: Starline neck sized and expanded with a .456 expander. Bullet dia.=.459. I used a cork wad and a .030 vegi wad for the wad stack. 82.0 grains by weight of powder with compression set for .460 to seat the bullet with the 1st two lube rings exposed. Using the Shiloh inline seater things came up about 3/8th's inch short of the case fully entering the seater die. Chambered with a bit of thumb pressure and a noticed a very slight bulge where the wad stack was seated. I lubed the brass and thumb seated the cartridge in the seater die. Now chambers with slight thumb pressure engraving the 1'st driving band. 82 grains by weight appears to be a little heavy with this powder. 5 rounds loaded in this manner. So with this lot of OE I'll give 76 grains by weight a try. I want to use the cork and vegi wad stack to prevent gas cutting. I'll load 5 more with the 76 grain charge and see how things work out. Saturday looks like decent weather and I'll be testing these loads. Lodi creedmoor is coming up fast and loading and practice is needed!