Well the doc has me sidelined and I'm bored to death so I decided to try and make a dent on the buckets of spent brass I have.

My questions

When I start reloading do I need to sort my spent brass by maker before priming it. Also what should be the first caliber I reload

Using a RCBS Rock Chucker for my first reload experience.

pistol brass
38sp,357mag,9mm,40S&W,45acp, and 10mm

Rifle
.303,30-40Krag,.223/5.56, 300WinMag


thanks in advance

Any of the straight wall pistol cases are a good place to start.

Probably the 38 special is the very best IMO to begin the learning process.
There is no real reason to separate brass by maker, unless you are one of those 'special CDO' people. Just confirm all the brass is the same caliber & free of defects such as cracks, bulges, are not aluminum (or steel) and you'll do fine.

Welcome to the Reloading Bench, hope it helps speed your recovery.

__________________
Dum vivimus Vivamas

Sounds good. I'll start my reloading with the 38sp then.

When I started reloading again I bought 1500 once fired cases in both .38 Special and .45ACP. All mixed brass and I just reload everything I have regardless of the headstamp. The only thing I've noticed is some have tighter primer pockets than others.

I'm extra careful with powder weight though. I'm also very careful reloading .38 for my Model 52. Has to be flush seated wadcutters and the right load for the gun.

Headstamps? What difference does it make?

I started reloading 2yrs ago and it is great therapy for me after hectic days at work
Certainly make sure there is no aluminum cases mixed in and toss them. Your 45 ACP's may have small and large primers so sort those out.

For me 38spl is where I started and I think 45acp is a good one too, that way you have one that takes a standard crimp and one that will be a taper crimp. De-prime about 100-200 of each, watch for dented cases, dinged up rims and anything that looks bulged or any sign of a split.

I manually clean primer pockets then ultrasonic clean. Your choice of cleaning may vary, wet, dry or a combo. Clean primer pockets will insure proper primer seating.

Bullseye or HP28/W231 powder will nicely cover both calibers and both meter very very nicely.

I use Extreme plated bullets or Missouri or Bayou coated bullets. You might use lead if you shoot outdoors, I shoot indoors For 38spl 148-158 SWC's are nice, 200-230 gr on the 45acp's.

You will need some tools, scale, digital calipers. Hodgdon and Alliant will give you internet reloading data but having a few reloading manuals will make for a nice reference too. Check and double check everything! And again!

Get good die sets, they will last a lifetime basically and are worth every penny you invest.
Hope the little bit I offer helps, enjoy the learning experience, it is rewarding when you make up your first handloaded bullets!
Get well soon
Karl

Ditto on on the 38 special... for rifle .30 govt. (30-40) is a good place to start. I never sorted brass by make. Brand can make a slight difference in extreme target work (bench rest, etc) due to minute changes in case volume. Just be aware that some calibers are made in both small and large primer sizes so you might want to separate those so you don't try to smash a large primer in a small primer pocket. Good luck and enjoy the new experience. You never run out of new things to learn in reloading or new experiments you want to try or problems you want to solve. (eg. how can you make 44-77 Sharps bottlenect brass out of anything else or how can you make a 40 S&W shot shell). OK, so I started reloading back in the early '70's and still got a lot, lot to learn.

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Randy
Provenance nerd

In general I agree with the advice regarding brass sorting - it's just not needed in pistol calibers.

I'l add however that Federal has an annoying habit of using small primer pockets in .45 ACP brass, so thanks to Federal and companies like them, you'll have to sort out the small primer pocket brass from the large primer pocket brass.

I agree the .38 Special/.357 Mag is easy to reload, but it will probably involve using a roll crimp, and that adds an extra level of complexity.

The semi-auto rounds like the 9mm Para, 10mm and .45 ACP head space on the case mouth so you use a taper crimp, which is a little easier your first time out. Also, you will inevitably get a .357 Mag in with your 38 brass and end up crushing a .357 mag case, or alternatively, you'll get a .38 in your .357 brass and end up with an odd looking shallow seated bullet in a .38 case. Don't worry, that's just par for the course. A kinetic bullet puller is your friend for fixing mistakes.

I've found that in the long run having separate .38 and .357 Mag dies makes loading both calibers easier as you avoid the die adjustments switching from one to the other.

The main thing is to be organized, keep everything labeled and inspect the process at every step - most importantly the level of the powder in the cases. The .38 and .357 cases are large for smokeless powder purposes and it's easy to get a double charge in one, so you ALWAYS want to inspect the powder charge in each and every case, even if you eventually move on to a progressive press. On a Rock Chucker single stage press, you'll want to inspect the charges in a loading block, then again as you place the charged case in the shell holder to seat a bullet on it.

That's another argument for starting with the .45 ACP or 9mm. It's a lot harder to get a double charge in the case without it being very obvious with powder spilling over the top.

----

Theres's also no need to sort .223/5.56mm brass. Military or civilian it is all the same - with the possible exception of some European head stamped brass.

.223/5.56mm makes a good place to start with rifle brass as it's easy to reload, particularly with ball powders like H335 and BLC-2 that meter very well through a powder measure. The possible snag are primer crimps in some military brass, but that's easy to rectify with a primer pocket swage die for around $25.

The .303 and .30-40 Krag are rimmed rounds with shallow shoulders, but in many cases it makes more sense to adjust the die so that you don't move the shoulder back and the round then head spaces on the shoulder. That will extend brass life. Basically, just adjust the die back in very short increments, until the sized case chambers easily.

The .300 Win Mag, as belted magnum, head spaces on the belt, and in practice that tends to produce poor head space. It's another case where sizing the case just enough to size the neck and not moving the shoulder back any more than necessary to easily chamber the round works well to extend brass life.

Save those last 3 for last.

Revolvers are a good place to start. Semi-autos have their own set of problems that have been known to confound experienced reloaders.

The 38 special is friendly , not too much grief with the 45 acp either. Save the 9 mm for when you have some experience. It's the only round that gave me problems, and I been reloading since 1967 . I started loading for it about 3 years ago and it made me cuss at it, it's a little stinker with cast bullets and if you have multiple guns , getting them to work in all three guns makes you cuss some more at it.

I have started to use a Lee Hand Press to reload indoors. You can sit at the table , in an easy chair or on the bed and reload. I use it for all handgun and 30-30 . I had some once fired , 303 british cases that required my bench mounted press to fully resize, but after I fire them in my rifle's chamber should be able to load with the Hand Press. It's a neat tool if confined , I found it so useful I bought another !
Gary

I no longer bother to sort pistol brass. It just isn't worth the trouble. As noted above rimmed revolver cases like .38 special are an excellent place to start. Since these cases are based on black powder cases the cases are relatively large for smokeless powder and it is possible to double-charge them if you do not exercise caution. Have fun. I find loading very therapeutic myself.

Straight wall cases are easier than bottleneck,though I did learn by reloading 243,30-06 and 30-30 before I moved on to pistol rounds.I do sort rifle brass by brand looking for tighter groups,but I don't with handgun calibers.I would start with whatever caliber you like,but I wouldn't make many until you can test them for function and accuracy.Its a fun hobby,good luck!

I only sort brass by headstamp--not manufacturer, as manufacturers use many different headstamps--when I'm playing chronograph games. Which usually don't even correlate to accuracy.

.38 Special is a great place to start off with. No bad habits, easy to handle on the press. There are many powders that will produce an excellent light target load. Alliant Bullseye and Winchester SuperTarget are two of my favorites.

.45 ACP is also straightforward, although for simplicity's sake, you may want to stick to a conventional bullet design. There's a lot of data and a wide variety of powders available for 230-grain LRN, for instance. Trying to work up a load for 185 HBRN can be trickier, and you would do well to try out semiwadcutters in your gun before investing in a big pile of them (unless you're lucky enough to have a Model 625).

Which, point of interest, whenever you venture out to buy reloading components, bring your reloading manual(s) with you.

For handgun reloading, I highly recommend checking out Patrick Sweeney's Reloading For Handgunners. He talks about the basics of getting started, some common pitfalls, and then goes on to describe reloading for common calibers (all the ones you mentioned) in detail.

Welcome to the hobby. I give it about a year before you buy a gun just so you can justify reloading for it. Took me about 8 months.

Unlike many others, I sort my brass by make. I don't know that it make a lot of difference but I am trying to get the best ammo that I can.

It takes a little time but gives you a chance to check each case for dents and splits. You only have to do it once, after it is sorted I put it up in lots of 50 that I keep together after it is fired for reloading again.

I'd consider starting with th 10mm since I expect to get the biggest cost savings there. 38 special is another huge cost savings as well, and is probably the best place to start not considering cost.

To get started, probably nothing easier than 38sp. For that, I don't sort headstamps.

__________________
NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

A manual or two are recommended (by me). Speer and Hornady are the two I use, there are many others. Reading the "how to" sections will give you all the information you need without any internet ambiguity.

Looks to me like you've had solid advice from the posters above. A single stage press and the forgiving 38 special are a great place to start. My only other thought would be to stick to powders that fill more than 50% of the case volume. That will greatly reduce the likelihood of an overcharged case.

Welcome to a satisfying hobby.

Serious competitors often take great pains to guarantee consistency from case to case, drill uniform flash holes, uniform primer pockets, match case wall thicknesses and even more meticulous tricks to try to get their ammo perfect for that little edge that might make a difference in the score like reducing groups from 1.5" to 1.4".

Me - I get rid of problem cases and have a great time shooting what and when I feel like it.

__________________
"He was kinda funny lookin'"

I separate my .45 auto RP brass because I don't want to use it in my auto. It gives me setback problems, so the RP brass is used in my 625.

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Common sense isn't so common.

[QUOTE=AlHunt;139093577]
My only other thought would be to stick to powders that fill more than 50% of the case volume. That will greatly reduce the likelihood of an overcharged case.

The trouble is that the only .38 powder that will fill the case 50% is Trail Boss. TB, tough to find and expensive.

Those who use full moon clips (for example TK Custom) purchase different thicknesses (of moons) and thus separate their 38 special brass by headstamp.

I generally use Federal brass however others will work OK in TK Custom .025 thick moons but for Starline and Winchester you must use .020 There are others that will not fit the .025 also.

I am of the opinion that one should start on a magnum revolver cartridge.
You can think of your 357 much the same as you do 38 special, but with a ton of latitude.

__________________
it just needs more voltage

Funny, I sort of prove my own point above, to rely on manuals instead of things you read on the internet.

In that case, I might choose a different cartridge.

Get some plastic cartridge trays for each cartridge base size and when loading powder.....charge the whole tray and then use a low powered flashlight to look down into each and every case to check for possible double charges.

Don't skimp on equipment prices. A good mechanical powder measure with a powder baffle in the tube will throw benchrest quality powder charges after being set and locked. Just be consistent in method and effort. So, one must have an equally good powder scale......I have always been suspect of electronic powder scaless, therefore I use a top quality balance beam scale. Make a dedicated place on your bench for the scale, level it, and check it with the check weight before starting to measure loads. A powder trickler is of great help when getting the right weight of powder for loading individual small lots and not using the powder measure.

While lots of people are totally self taught in reloading, it really speeds things up if you can find an experienced handloader that can tutor you for a few sessions. Simple things like taking in to account whether or not you're left handed or right handed will dictate the optimum layout of your reloading bench. if you live in a high humidity area be careful to tightly seal powder containers and do not leave any powder in the powder measure holding tube between reloading sessions.

Get a pre-printed reloading history tablet from Midway or others and record everything you can about every loaded batch of cartridges. Most are three hole punched for binders. Also, get sticky labels and record the minimum data on every box of loaded cartridges. BTW, the plastic cartridge boxes of 50 ea for pistol and 20 or 50 ea for rifle are worth it.

Wear safety glass protection while loading. I have a friend that let a tube of primers for his Dillon roll off the bench and it hit on a concrete floor. They exploded and he lost his left eye. That accident could have been prevented by safety glasses or just being more careful in the handling of the loaded primer tube.

I just thought of......a local retail store here in the Vegas Valley that specializes in reloading equipment and supplies is now giving the beginning reloading class instruction once a month. You might look around your area and see if the same if available for you. Or take a three day vacation in Las Vegas and spend one morning in their class. :-)

I am 77 yrs old. I started loading at the age of 16 in order to afford shooting my new to me 16 ga. shotgun more. I have taken this hobby all the way to being a winner in Benchrest Rifle Competition. In this age of our complicated lives with nothing absolute, I found the necessary exactness and order of cartridge reloading gives me the chance to absolutely control something significant in my life. The satisfaction of achievement is a huge bonus when one takes a firearm of average accuracy and makes it into a tack driver. ......... Good luck, keep us informed of your progress. Always ask questions of people more experienced than you, BUT as a very nice man once said, "Trust, but Verify". I'm sure that he was referring to the reloading hobby. .... :-)

Opinions will vary.

The .45 is a joy to reload - it has a fairly small but wide diameter case that is easy to visually inspect and hard to double charge, it head spaces on the mouth, isn't roll crimped, taper crimps are generally easy to apply, and most .45s are not too particular about load data and tend to work well if you stay with the published OAL.

The 9mm is about the same to re-load, with the exception of loading cast bullets. The keys to cast bullet loads in 9mm are to 1) ensure any shoulder (if any) on the cast bullet stays below mouth of the case regardless of the published OAL you're trying to match and 2) recognize that the 9mm has significant taper and understand the variance in brass and the effect the slightly larger .356" cast bullet can have on that. The two are related to some extent as well.

The slightly larger cast bullet and the "spring back" of the brass case can result in the diameter of the cartridge at the mouth being too large to allow the cartridge to fully chamber and thus fail to allow a semi-auto to go fully into battery. A Lee factory crimp die using a collet to taper crimp the bullet works well, but in some extreme cases with over sized bullets or exceptionally thick brass, you may find you need to post size the round by running it partially into a sizing die (just enough to allow it to drop into your 9mm barrels or into a case gauge) from which you have removed the de-capping assembly. Careful choice in cast bullets is essential if you're trying to shoot them in multiple 9mm. Here is also where leaving a shoulder above the mouth can cause issues as any irregularity or over width condition will not be sized out and will cause a too tight head space condition.

OAL can be an issue. If you want to be able to adjust the OAL for reliable feeding in multiple pistols, you need to use a cast bullet with no shoulder, and truncated cone designs are usually your best bet to allow a particular OAL.

9mm shooters seem to be obsessed with set back and that bleeds into hand loading the 9mm as well, as they seem to be religiously fanatic about using a specified OAL, even when it clearly doesn't work well for them. The reality is that pressure isn't an issue with shorter OALs if you start the powder charge low and work up to what you need, using whatever OAL works for feeding.

The.38 Special can be difficult to hand load with some component combinations. In addition to the potential to over charge the case and not notice, the case walls are thin and easy to wrinkle if the case isn't belled quite enough for a flat based bullet and/or if a little too much crimp is used on a bullet, and the amount of crimp that it will tolerate is dependent on the presence of a crimping groove and the depth of that groove.

For example, due to their thin plated jackets, these plated Xtreme 158 gr RNFP bullets have a very shallow crimping groove knurled into the bullet. Despite a great deal of care to find the optimum crimp for a heavy load with them, about 1 in 10 did this in mixed brass:



and the crimp had to be backed off about 1/8th turn to get a 100% success rate.

It's not a big deal, but unless the hand loader knows what's causing it, it will drive them nuts. As an aside, this kid of minor wrinkle is also fixable, by pulling the bullets, and re-sizing the cases, leaving them ready for another reload, and with slightly less crimp applied they loaded just fine the second time around.

In that regard, I'm still strongly in favor of the .45 ACP over the .38 Special as a "first" hand loaded cartridge, particularly, if the hand loader is getting off the page with different components like cast or plated bullets.

I stared with .38 2 years ago and moved on to 9MM six months after that. I use the 4 die set from Lee with the crimping die. Lee has great videos on adjusting them. I've had no difficulty transitioning from 38 to 9 MM.

Can't really add much to the already good advice, just wanted to chime in and say welcome to the madness of reloading. You'll do just fine with that Rock Chucker, I have loaded several thousand rounds with one. I don't worry about headstamps but that's just me, some folks do. Above all, be safe and have FUN!!

Remember three things:

1 ) There are some safety related habits and practices you need to develop:
- keep the reloading bench reasonably well organized;
- keep only the particular powder you are actively loading on work surface;
- keep a card in or taped to the powder measure with the load data on it;
- keep priming systems and primer magazine tubes marked with the primers they have in them;
- visually observe the level of powder in the case for every round you load; and
- if you are ever in doubt, pull the bullets and start over.







2) There is plenty of room to do things your own way but it may take a little experience to sort out the optional stuff from the mandatory stuff. For example, some people sort pistol brass, some people don't, and aside form the .32 ACP and a few other calibers where it can be an issue it's mostly an option - along with cleaning primer pockets.

The same applies to rifle brass as some calibers seldom need sorting (.223 Rem) while others are important to sort (.22 Hornet).

Some folks just like to reload and they don't mind putting huge amounts of effort into "perfect" ammo, while others focus on quantity to spend less time at the bench and more time shooting. And still others do both depending on the need.

When I load precision rifle ammo, I'll hand sort and hand weigh the brass after trimming it all to a uniform length, then uniform the flash hole and primer pocket, which might knock the SD down from 15 fps to 8 fps, turning the necks inside and out to ensure they are concentric and uniform thickness, use a bench rest primer, hand weigh the powder charge, hand weigh and sort the bullets, then index the case from the rifle through the reloading process to ensure maximum consistency.

In contrast, on (most of) my non precision pistol ammo, the cases never get sorted, the primer pockets will never get cleaned, and the cases may never get trimmed at all or in rare cases only get trimmed when absolutely necessary.

You'll have to decide when and where additional effort makes sense of you.

3) You won't save a dime reloading.

You'll just shoot 3 times more than you do now for the same basic cost in consumables, becoming a much better shooter and a much more avid shooting fan.

drill uniform flash holes?


As far as saving money that is not my goal. I want to be flexible and not find myself in the same position I was in in Jan 2013 when I got caught short. I just want to be able to continue shooting.

I have Dillion and RCBS balance scales

For presses I have a Dillion 550B, lee hand press and my RCBS Rock Chucker.

Dies are Lee,Hornady and RCBS

Uniform the flash holes only if you are bored with nothing else to do or are looking for the utmost attainable accuracy.

You have good equipment. While using the RCBS Rock Chucker you will need a powder measure other than the Dillon mounted one. I like Redding products across the board. Midway has a decent price on a middle level Redding called the "3BR". I suggest the purchase of it along with a 3BR Powder Baffle. For accurate powder throws you must have a baffle at the bottom of the powder tube. I am very opinionated when it comes to tools and it has been my considerable experience that any piece of reloading equipment that has "Lee" on the side is of lesser quality than most all of the other available brands. Not trying to start anything. It is just my humble opinion formulated over the years. I like Redding, RCBS and Forster dies the best. Buy three die sets for pistol and two die sets for rifle. It is not necessary for normal reloading to purchase the "Benchrest Quality" versions. It is money well spent to buy carbide sizer dies for straight wall pistol cartridges. Carbide is not necessary except under unusual conditions for rifle reloading as you are going to have to lube all cases anyway.

Get a small resealable container like an old 35 mm film canister and fill it with No. 12 bird shot up to within 1/4" of the top. Then pour into that about 1/4 tube of WHITE graphite. This will be used to 'dip' individual rifle cases into up to the depth of the neck and to leave a nice lube job behind. You can use black graphite, but there will come the day that you will regret using the black version. Don't ask me how I know.

I used the RCBS's version of a reloading tool mounted primer arm for primers for years. I finally gave up on that and went to the hand held RCBS handheld primer system. I found it to be much faster with better quality control possible. I have two of them, one for small primers and one for large. .........

You are going to have to have a measuring device in the form of a vernier caliper. It is worth it to pay a little more and get one of a name brand with a dial to read instead of the vernier graduations. You can find them used on fleabay. You will need to break down loaded cartridges once in a while. Use the inertia hammer bullet puller for soft lead bullets like mainly in handgun cartridges. I found it best to use the die set made specifically for pulling rifle bullets while mounted in the RCBS. I have a collet specifically sized for most all rifle sized bullets.

Be aware that the neck resizer mandrel that is inside the sizer die is a precision made of really hard steel. You might find that for optimum resizing of the interior diameter of your cartridge that mandrel needs to be of a different size. Other sizes are available from your die manufacturer. Copper jacketed bulled today are of amazing uniform sizing. Cast lead bullet are not. Getting the proper neck tension on cast bullet might require a different size sizer mandrel than what came with your sizer die.

Get a resuppy package of the proper decapping pin for your resizer dies. S**t happens sometimes and you will need to replace one once in a while. Redding and RCBS are usually not interchangable.

You will need the case mouth uniformer that one end chamfers the inside of the case and the other end chamfers the out side of the case. RCBS make a good one. You might like the version where you purchase two tools one inside, one outside, each with a screwdriver like handle.

Get a couple of primer flippers to have on hand to flip all the new primers over to be ready to be picked up by the primer tube. Dillon used to make a large version out of brass. I really like that one over the plastic ones. They are pricey so get one brass Dillon and one plastic from anyone else.

Lastly of my sage advice; Don't hesitate to go and look at what us old guys are sell when selling out of the reloading hobby. You might have to purchase a few pieces of junk just to get a really good piece of equipment, but it has always proved to be profitable for me. As said prior, I have been reloading for over 60 years. I will probably be done with it in the next three to five years. I have 2 ea. Dillon 550s, 2 ea. RCBS Rock Chuckers, 1 ea. Redding Turret 7, 2 ea. Shotshell loaders, several powder measures, 2 ea. balance scales and over 50 die sets. Oh, and one moveable out building devoted to my reloading. Someday either myself or my wife will be selling this lot off. I am not an isolated example. Shotgun News used to be a good source for purchasing used reloading equipment. I think some research on the Internet would turn up other ad sources.

If you just want to puts around you don't need to sort your brass....
but if you might want better accuracy, sorting brass, generally, can improve your groups
due to more standard pressures from the same specs. in the cases used.

Pistol or revolvers..?
You don't have to chase after brass if you use the revolver but you can get more shots from a pistol.
Both are fun but you might want a soft 38 load for right now.

Love the 30/40 Krag but the little .223 is a great load that makes less noise, if that is a problem.

Lots of choices.................. good luck on your decisions.

Wow, LadyT, you came to the right place for info. These guys are speaking from decades of experience. I have been loading since about 1970. I still use a RCBS Rock Chucker press. I love to reload, but like you, see it as a way to isolate myself from the vagaries of the marketplace.

Towards that end, remember that once you find the components that best meet your needs, stock up. The other thing that happened during the last ammo shortage was a shortage of primers and powder. Once you find those that work best for you, don't be afraid to stock up. If stored correctly, it will keep for decades. Or longer. I am still loading primers and powder that I bought in the seventies. Works as good as new.

Best of luck with a rewarding hobby. Once you get all the equipment and supplies, I think that you do save a certain amount of money. You might even want to try your hand at casting, sizing and lubeicating your own bullets. I have a limited number of calibers that I do this for.

PS: anything Big Cholla and BB57 says is gospel.

Best Regards, Les

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SWCA 3084, SWHF 495, PGCA 3064

Been loading since early '70's, and there ^ are three gems I didn't know about, esp the brass primer flipper. I hate the flimsy plastic ones that bounce and flex all over the place.

This post is so good, concise and comprehensive, it should be a sticky.

So I have another question.

Do you check the weights on the bullets you are going to reload? If not why? How much variation in weight between one bullet to the next is ok?

OK that is 3 questions.

Well, for me it sort of depends... Let's say I have just opened a carton of 500 pre made bullets. I would probably check a reasonable number of bullets on the scale and jot down the weights. If they are within a couple of grains, and there is not a lot of variation between them, even if I dig down into the box and pull a few from the bottom, I would then make a note on the box showing the average weights, and the min and max weights, and then when working up a load, would keep this in mind when determining the starting powder charge. Then fire a few rounds and see if everything still looks good, before loading a lot of rounds.

I never load hot loads anyway, most of my firearms are older vintage arms, and I just enjoy shooting safe, non stressful loads in them. When I want maximum performance for modern firearms that I might be carrying for self defense, I have different criteria.

Not sure if I answered your question, but it is a complicated hobby, and there are literally dozens of philosophies on loading. A lot of it is common sense, coupled with care and attention to detail.

Always keep detailed notes on everything you do, and keep it organized so that you can easily dind it later when loading the same calibers.

Best Regards, Les

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SWCA 3084, SWHF 495, PGCA 3064

I haven't changed bullets in quite a while, but I did check for consistency when I was trying new bullets. I'll occasionally check the ones I currently use, but they always come in within a grain of advertised weight. If I had bullets that varied by a few grains or more, I'd be looking for a different supplier. If you're loading minor power factor, bullet grain variation is pretty much a non issue. I load major power factor so it's a bit more critical for me. Interesting thing happened at the Area 1 championship a few weeks ago, they recorded my bullet weight as 127.6 (I shoot 124's), so when I got home I weighed about 20 bullets and they were all less than 1 grain variation from 124 (most were exactly 124). Later, talking to other competitors, they all said their bullets were reported as being heavy. I'm thinking the scale was wonky.

I just started loading 38 spl with a new Lee turret press. I shoot almost exclusively 38 spl so that's what I started out loading. I probably loaded a good 300 or so rounds the first time.
I checked my powder charge weight and I even checked total load weight. I found my total weight would vary from 194 to 204 gr. I think the difference might have been in the bullets or the cases because the powder charge never varied more than 1 gr. when setting up the powder charge. The difference might have been in my digital scales fluctuating also. I also checked my OAL on the first 100 or so. Only had one problem there and it came from not being centered and shoved the bullet down flush into the case. That was my only oops and it wouldn't have happened if I had stopped when it didn't feel right. Like I said it was my first time loading. That's no excuse because like I said I should have stopped when detected something out of the normal.
I guess I fired off about 100 so far and I had no problems with any of them. For the most part I had about a 3" grouping from 9 yards out free handed with a S&W 627-5. For me that's good shooting.
If you get distracted or notice some action out of the normal then stop and check for possible problem.
Oh my ears are burning now for some reason.

I've found that weighing the loaded round is pretty much useless. There is so much variation between case weight that one couldn't tell from total weight whether or not there is any powder in it at all. I weigh my powder charge by putting the empty case on the scale, zeroing the scale, and then weighing it again after adding powder. This gives me the weight of the powder in the case. I don't like pouring powder out of a case, into a pan, and then try to put it back in the case. Too much sticking to the pan or case. I don't think I've ever put a case on the scale that weighed the same as the one I weighed before.

Hello! I guess that I get to be the fly in the ointment, call me a segregationist!

I have been hand loading since the mid 70s. I don't have OCD, and I don't consider myself to be anal. When I sort my brass, I try to complete many operations, as you will see, explanations after each stage of segregation.

1. Look for split and cracked cases. (Case failure due to a damaged case can damage the gun.)
2. Separate civilian brass from military brass. (Military brass that has not been reloaded usually requires the primer crimp removed.)
3. Separate and dispose of all Berdan primed cases. (Berdan cases damage dies for boxer primers, and while they can be reloaded, they require special tools and primers.)
4. Separate cases by head stamp. (Case capacities CAN vary by manufacturer, and once the bullet has been seated, case capacity variations will affect case pressure, which WILL affect bullet velocity and the resultant groups.) [I shoot mostly in competitions, and group size has a bearing on scores. For rifle ammo this is an absolute necessity. When I shoot precision pistol (bullseye), it is one handed shooting, and I like to remove as many excuses as possible.]

My belief is that if you have a goal other than blowing up ammo and making noise, you owe it to yourself to sort your brass.

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Judge control not gun control!

Quality and safety demand that you check all your components, to include weighing and measuring a few bullets from any new lot you use. I know, I know ... someone will chime in here and say they've never checked this or that. That's fine, their ammo, their firearm. But, if you don't check for yourself, you don't know for certain.

I agree with all of the above with One Exception. That is that I find sorting handgun brass after the intitial reload to be a complete waste time. Because the volume differences between headstamps is small enough that any change in velocity or accuracy will be completely masked by the typical accuracy exhibited by most handgun shooters. BTW, if you can shoot a handgun under 4 inches at 25 yards while shooting offhand you are NOT typical, most of us just cant shoot that well without using a rest.

I can also tell you that the handgun brass to watch for that will require reforming the primer pockets for crimps are S & B, Speer, and any cases embossed with the NATO crosshair. In addition some Winchester cases I've seen recently have an embossed ring surrounding the primer pocket which I've found to to be a type of crime, so those will also need to have the primer pockets reformed.

BTW I use the RCBS Pocket Reformer and it works but the center pin is soft steel and will buckle if you adjust it to apply too much force. As a result it's best to sort cases that need reforming by headstamp and adjust the pin for each brand of case. Or, make one up using O-1 Tool Steel and harden and temper it so it's strong enough.

Please do not use Bullseye powder until you get a huge amount of experience reloading & learn to have a set routine that you use & never deviate from while doing all your reloading. You can easily double & maybe even triple charge handgun cases with maximum loads of Bullseye...leading to damaged/ruined handguns & injured shooters.

Never reload if there is even the slightest thing going on to distract you...you must have 100% concentration on what you are doing.. do not let the pets, children...ballgame on TV or radio ever distract you while you are loading.. you can easily forget to drop a powder charge or double charge a case...

If you are using a powder thrower like RCBS's... a gent above gave exc advice to first set your powder thrower to throw consistent charges of the weight you desire... & then load your entire tray of cases...then as he said...visually inspect each case to make sure they all have the same level of powder.

When using that type of powder thrower & when you graduate to using a Dillon 550B or Dillon 650 to reload large volumes of good quality ammo... try to always use the same amount of force when working the handle.. this will lead to more consistent powder charges...

I'd also advise to NEVER purchase electric scales or electric/digital calipers... nearly everyone who has purchased them report problems with them & that they are not as accurate as mechanical scales & calipers...

RCBS, Dillon both have great warranties on their reloading gear... 100% no questions asked... except for their electric powered gear... My understanding is that Hornady & Redding have the same great warranty... but I've never had to get any of their dies etc repaired or replaced yet to find out...

Lee has one of the worst warranties of all reloading gear... but some folks here have reported that Lee is starting to repair defective dies & gear either free or at reduced cost due to the bad rap they get on reloading boards like this one. It's better to pay more& get great gear than it is to cheap out...I've come to despise the friction locking rings that Lee puts on their dies... they flat out do not work...

The RCBS split type with the set screw works 100% every stinking time... & 5 years later & thousands of cases reloaded, they will still work...If you purchase extra RCBS locking rings for your Lee dies to replace the ones that will not work... that die set will then end up costing the same as if you had purchased the better RCBS set to begin with...

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be safe,enjoylife,journey well

Well, I agree with the excellent advice that da gimp gives above with a couple of minor caveats. I agree 100% about distractions. You must pay attention as though your life depends on it: it might just do that!

He is also correct about Bullseye. I use it, and love it, but it takes such small quantities of powder, and the 38 special case, for example, designed for black powder, has so much room in it, that you could get enough powder for a double, triple, or even larger charge. You have to be very attentive and constantly check to make sure you do not do so. Even a double charge can blow up your firearm.

I have balance beam scales, and use them to check my electronic scales regularly, but the electronic scales have been very accurate, and I have never had any type of problem with them I find them very useful. But in the words of a famous American: trust, but verify!!

And finally, I use RCBS and other top tier dies for the calibers that I reload the most. But I do have Lee dies, and use them for calibers that are rarely reloaded. They have their uses, but as da gimp says, be careful with those locking rings.

In general, with these minor quibbles, da gimp is right on, and you will not go wrong following his sage advice.

Best Regards, Les

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SWCA 3084, SWHF 495, PGCA 3064

I'm sorry, but I'll have to disagree.

You can double-charge almost any reasonable to semi-reasonable powder in the .38 Special case. Filling up the case is not your path to avoiding double-charges. Weighing your first 50/100 cartridges, keeping your eyes on the press, and going slow is.

In fact, I would suggest that Bullseye is an excellent powder to start off with. It's very finely-gained, which allows it to meter well and avoid bridging even at light charges. WST, as well. On the other hand, a larger-flaked powder like Universal can bridge unexpectedly and create a squib.

Keep your eyes open. Follow the rules. Use that scale and use it often. Take your time.

How many reloading accidents have we read about where the guy starts off by saying "I've loaded hundreds and thousands of rounds..."? Powders and presses don't cause accidents.

But complacency kills.

Well, Wise, we agree on some points here. I love Bullseye. I've even worked up a plinking load for the 303 Brit with .32 caliber pistol bullets and Bullseye. For straight walled pistol cartrige cases like 9mm or 38 special, I always do as you say, and also use a loading block. When all the cases are charged, I shine a light over the cases from the side, and you would be easily able to spot an abnormal or even missed charge.

And you are spot on about never allowing your attention to wander. I on,y load when I'm alone, with no distractions, no radio, no tv, no music or talk shows, no kids running around, no visitors asking why you do what you're doing the way you do... Just concentrate on the job.

I see your point about being a good powder to start with, the only reason that I think we worry about new loaders is that they may not have that focus and thouroghness needed to control the situation.

Best Regards, Les

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SWCA 3084, SWHF 495, PGCA 3064

I was asking because I was weighing out some 148grain plated double ended wadcutters and they ranged from 146.8-148.6

That's less than one percent variation, and I personally would find that acceptable. YMMV.

Best Regards, Les

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SWCA 3084, SWHF 495, PGCA 3064

I'm glad to know you're double checking. That's not enough variance to worry about for most practical purposes. If you were loading for some kind of long range shooting you might whittle them down to closer groups.

I double check diameters, too. One of the calibers I load for is 44 magnum. There's quite a difference in maximum loading data between .429 and .430 diameter bullets.

It sounds like you're taking due care and not rushing things.

To me, there is simply no other way to do it.

Somewhere in another thread, someone posted about their exotic new press and how they'd loaded 100 rounds in 5 minutes. There's no way a visual check was done on any of those rounds.

It depends.

If I am loading rounds for my precision .308 AND I am seeking maximum accuracy, I weigh the individual bullets. With a quality target bullet like there 168 gr Sierra Match King, it's normal to not see more than a .1 grain difference and I won't bother weighing after confirming the weight is 168 gr +/-.1 gr for the box.

However, back in the day when we could get 173 gr FMJ match bullets through DCM (the same bullets used in M72 Match, M118 match and M118 Special Ball ammo then) it wasn't uncommon to see the bullet weighs vary by almost a full grain. That was a result of worn tooling used to make the bullets as different machines produced bullets of slightly different weights - and that degradation in projectile quality was one of the prime movers for the military to adopt the 175 gr SMK for the current M118LR ammo.

The same thing occurs today with "Mil-Spec" 168 gr BTHP and 173 gr BTHP bullets. They are a little less expensive than 168 SMKs, but you'll see a wider spread in weight of .5-.6 grains or so. If maximum accuracy is needed, you'll want to sort them into groups with a range of .2 gr or less.

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At the other extreme are pistol and revolver bullets. I'll weigh one from each box to ensure I got the right box. For example, a 170 gr LSWC looks a lot like a 158 gr LSWC when they come from similar molds and you don't want to make a 12 gr mistake on a maximum load. On the other hand, you seldom shoot LSWCs anywhere near maximum so even a 12 gr too heavy error might not cause a problem.

In that regard, I don't worry too much about a 1-2 grain variation in a pistol or revolver bullet when it comes to cast lead bullets as i don't use them in maximum loads anyway - and a 1-2 grain difference doesn't make a difference even in my most accurate .38 Special and .45 ACP cast bullet target loads.

When I load a maximum level load in a handgun, I use a quality bullet like the Hornady XTP, where the quality control is very good. XTPs are generally some of the most accurate bullets you'll find in any handgun caliber. Weighing bullets here just isn't needed, beyond identifying/confirming you've got the right bullet weight (for example a 140 gr XTP looks a lot like a 158 gr XTP and you can pick up the wrong box by mistake, so cross checking the weight before you start is never a bad idea.

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Where bullet weight variation actually matters is in the heavy cast bullets used in some centerfire rifles. Cast bullet weight depends on a variety of factors including actual mold diameter, the temperature of the alloy and the specific alloy used. More antimony will reduce the weight, as well as reduce the diameter, and higher casting temps tend to reduce the diameter as well.

It's not uncommon for two identical looking bullets for a .38-55 to weigh, for example, 255 grains and 264 grains, if they are made from a harder alloy versus a softer one. The differences are even greater in a .45-70 where you may have mullet weights from 350 to 525 grains.

With my .38-55 and .45-70 loads, if I use a commercial cast bullet, I will weigh and sort them by weight if I'm seeking an accuracy load as commercial cast bullets tend to vary a lot in weight due to alloy and casting temp variation. And some brands are much worse than others.

Back when I lived out west and shot in black powder cartridge rifle matches where the distances were long, I only used bullets I cast myself, as I had much better control over the alloy, and casting temperatures. Even then in a Lyman 457468 mold using Lyman #2 alloy it was't uncommon to see 480 gr bullets vary between 479-481 grains. That's still only a .2% difference in weight from the nominal 480 gr weight.

Ah, I have never used a loading block. I started on a turret, and still use a turret. Eyeballing isn't as practical. I did batch process my first 25 cartridges of .45.

When it comes to new reloaders, my take on it is that the ones that read books and ask okay questions aren't the ones we need to worry about sharing a range with. Those guys are probably alright. My, I worry about the guys that say things like:

"The max load for this bullet/powder delivers 900 fps, my chrono says I'm only getting 825, I can keep loading up."

"The book says this load runs at a maximum of 16,000 CUP, but this cartridge is spec'd for 18,000 PSI, so I can load up some more."

I do allow myself some music. Passes the time more enjoyably, and I find it harder to lose focus. But nothing else, and no flipping tracks with a cartridge on the press.