Reloading Advice

[EugeneNine]

I recently started myself, well its been a bit over a year now but still pretty recent.
I always thought I might someday so I started saving my brass, figured when I got up to a few thousand rounds I could start planning. Well factory ammo dried up so I ended up buying some brass when I found a deal.
Many say to buy a few books but then I see a lot of "book a says this and book b says that" so instead I bought just one book. I bought the Lee book because I see a lot says they are real conservative with their loads and I just wanted soft target/plinking rounds so that seemed to be the best to start.
I read through the whole book then bought stuff to clean with then finally a press and decapped all the brass I had cleaned. Just kept going one step at a time referring back to the book to make sure I didn't miss anything.

 

[roundgunner]

PICKING OUT AND SETTING UP A PRESS

What about those reloading kits?
Complete reloading kits are sold by RCBS, Hornady, Lyman, Lee and perhaps others. They contain all, or most, of what you need to actually start reloading. Some kits are more extensive than others and contain things like powder dispensers, case trimmers and the like. All contain the basics, such as a load manual, powder scale, press and small tools. In addition, you'll need the proper loading dies for your caliber and expendable components such as primers, powder, bullets and brass shell cases. One tool you'll need, but is never provided (don't ask me why!) is a set of calipers to measure loaded ammo and spent cases. Eventually, you'll be adding a powder dispenser, a micrometer, a case trimmer, a brass tumbler and lots of other goodies. But for now, the basic kit, some components, dies and a caliper will load real ammo.

My first press was a LEE turret press. It is still with me and has never let me down in over 30 years of service. All but one of my rifle loads are still made with this press.

If I was starting over with a limited budget and I wanted ammo as good as standard factory stuff I would get a LEE turret press, Lee dies, a digital scale, a set of LEE powder dippers, a couple reloading manuals downloaded from the internet and a caliper.

Once you have picked the press for you mount it on the most secure bench you can. I have used portable benches with a whole lot of weight on the lower shelves for stability but by far the best I have used is a 2x6 bench screwed to 2x4s that are in turn screwed to the studs in the wall. Again the more solid the better.

 

[H Richard]

Look at estate sales and garage sales. You can often find lots of equipment from those who have ceased reloading. A good press can't be worn out. I'm still using a 1950's Texan turret press as one of my presses. A Dillon for volume loading.

 

[federali]

Much to learn but worth it.

The best advice I can give is to find an experienced reloader who is willing to coach you through the early stages. I generally don't recommend multi-stage presses to beginning reloaders although you'll eventually end up with one.
There are a number of things to learn and doing it right requires some investment. Based upon my experience, I'm a big fan of uniforming the primer pockets to insure perfect primer seating but others here might tend to differ. A high primer will often prevent a gun from firing. As someone else said, you should not use lead bullets. Go with plated bullets. They're inexpensive and prevent leading.
The main danger of a multi-stage press for a beginner is becoming pre-occupied with a problem at one station and inadvertently throwing a double charge. With some rounds, a double charge will overflow the case while in others, they don't. A double charge will get you into trouble real fast.
If you go with a multi-stage press, get into the habit of looking into each and every case as it leaves the charging/belling station to guard against either a double charge or no charge at all.

 

[daniel lawecki]

Read up on reloading then buy one press and make it be your last. You don't want to out grow your first press to soon . A single stage press makes good ammo but that's a lot of time and steps. If time is a factor then go with a progressive.

 

[muddocktor]

There is some good advice already posted in this thread for you. One book I haven't seen mentioned that I think a lot of is the Sierra reloading manual. The present edition is getting a little old, but they have some of the best explanations I've read for the reloading process in print and the manual is done in a binder format where you can add and remove individual pages instead of a bound book. Another book I bought in the last few years is the Hornady 9th edition. It is also an excellent book, with a lot of help in the front for new reloaders.

If I were starting from scratch nowadays, I think I would go ahead and start with a turret press instead of a single stage, as the turret will be a bit faster and you can still use it as a single stage press. But either would do the job splendidly. I still load all my rifle stuff on my old Pacific 007 single stage press, including mass quantities of 223 in batch loads (200-500 at a time).

If you buy a kit, it will probably come with some sort of scale, be it mechanical or electronic. The one in the Lee Deluxe Turret kit looks to be a cheapo, for instance. A good, accurate scale is a must-have, so be prepared to spend for a good quality scale over the cost of the kit. I can't help you if you want an electronic scale as I still do mechanical, but the best mechanical scale on the market IMO is the RCBS 1010. It is spendy as hell, but it was designed by Ohaus, whose specialty is scales. I don't know if the present ones are still built by them or they farmed it out to China, but the design is still the same. You will also want a powder measure to go with the scale if your kit doesn't already have one. I am using a Lyman 55 I bought in the 70's or early 80's. It is a good powder measure, but I think that time and other companies have caught up with it. The main drawback I see to it nowadays is the small powder capacity without having to buy a larger powder reservoir.

Also, if your kit doesn't contain one, think seriously about getting some kind of vibratory case tumbler for cleaning cases before reloading them. Cleaning the cases will keep you die sets from getting scratched up if the cases are dirty. You don't have to spend a lot for a vibratory tumbler.

Read this thread carefully and then decide how you want to go. There is a wealth of information for you already posted here. I just wish there would have been this kind of information available to me when I started reloading, but there wasn't even home computers then, much less the internet.

 

[smokindog]

Good thread here -

http://smith-wessonforum.com/reloading/406473-so-youre-thinking-about-getting-into-reloading.html

 

[federali]

Oops

I forgot to mention one of the most basic and widely practiced safety measures: store your gunpowder somewhere other than your reloading bench. Have but one powder on the bench, the one you're loading. It's too easy to replenish the throw with the wrong powder. Put a sticky on the powder throw to identify the powder and the charge weight you're using. This comes in handy if you take a brief hiatus and forget for the moment, what powder is in the throw. Many also empty the throw when they're finished loading as long term storage of powder causes the clear reservoir to become yellowed or cloudy with time.

 

[smokindog]

Although not as critical, but I believe the same holds true for bullets, and ALL expendables for that matter. I unknowingly ordered two different bullet weights from Xtreme and had both boxes on the bench. I caught it BEFORE I actually used any but nonetheless, I did have my hand in the wrong cookie jar!

Someone else in some thread gave me the idea. I've got 3 separate cabinets in my room, on the OTHER side of the room, Powders, Primers, and Bullets. Only the product being assembled gets a front row set on the bench!

I forgot to mention one of the most basic and widely practiced safety measures: store your gunpowder somewhere other than your reloading bench. Have but one powder on the bench, the one you're loading. It's too easy to replenish the throw with the wrong powder. Put a sticky on the powder throw to identify the powder and the charge weight you're using. This comes in handy if you take a brief hiatus and forget for the moment, what powder is in the throw. Many also empty the throw when they're finished loading as long term storage of powder causes the clear reservoir to become yellowed or cloudy with time.

 

[YNC(AW) TangoCharlie]

My thanks to all of you for all the information and advice, it provided me with a much greater insight on where to begin. Based on all this information, I'm going to first purchase a couple books and start reading, and while I'm reading start the process of accumulating supplies.

Again, my thanks to all of you for your replies. I appreciate the benefits of all of your experiences.

 

[roundgunner]

Merry Christmas Chief,

I wrote a simplified book on reloading that I sell along with a class I teach. Pm me if you would like a condensed copy that I could e-mail you.

 

[Bugkiller99]

Chief, keep your ears open. There are forum members down your way who may be willing to give you a little hands on help. I'm a little too far away, but there are some folks closer who MAY chime in.

 

[revolver club prez]

Hello , All .
The only thing I can suggest is , it is a good a good day when you go home with all your spent brass , better if you go home with some one else's discarded once fired cases .

 

[Bocephus]

Case Gage (Gague)

Merry Christmas

Many good suggestions here. I have reloaded for years and use Dillon 650 & 550 so I can crank them out if I desire to do so. Even the best press can have fallacies so I learned long ago to use a good case gage for all my semi auto loads. If a length problem, size problem, etc, shows up the gage will normally catch it. Of course the gage will not determine powder charge. I don't gage each one as I load but run a batch and then test them. Better to catch them before going to the range to shoot a match. Have fun! Be safe!!!

 

[jag22]

Plenty of good advice already posted. I'll just add a plus for the Lee manual. I have several but 95% of the time that's where I go. Most of the other manuals have a slant to them, Lee's is a compilation of lots of other's data so it gives you a more rounded picture and more useful info. The ABCs is pretty much a standard that most everyone has used when starting out and the Youtube videos are great, wish they were around when I started. Personally, I have never seen one promoting any dangerous practices but they may be out there.

My best suggestion (don't think anyone else has said it) is don't start out on a limited budget. Well made quality equipment will last a lifetime so don't regret buying something based only on price. A few years down the road you will regret it when you are buying it's replacement. Its a great hobby, and how many hobbies can actually say they save you money. Enjoy.

 

[YNC(AW) TangoCharlie]

Based on everyone's advice I just ordered Lyman's 49th Edition and the 2nd Edition Lee Manuals from Amazon, and will be ordering Hornady's and Speer's Manuals shortly. Let the studying begin.

 

[smokindog]

If you are "that type of person", the Hornady manual is available on iTunes (I know) and Google store (I think).

UPDATE: looks like iTunes and Kindle. Anyway, came in handy on my iPhone during the "will this powder that is is stock work" times we've been through!!!!!!

http://www.hornady.com/store/Hornady-Handbook-9th-Edition/

Based on everyone's advice I just ordered Lyman's 49th Edition and the 2nd Edition Lee Manuals from Amazon, and will be ordering Hornady's and Speer's Manuals shortly. Let the studying begin.

 

[AveragEd]

While I started on a single-stage press, whatever the smallest RCBS was back in the '70s, and a single-stage seems like a sensible thought today, I suggest going with a progressive or at least a turret style. I started with .38 Specials but when I expanded into rifle reloading, I needed a press with more leverage and bought a Rock Chucker. Years later, I started loading long cartridges like 7mmSTW and the Remington Ultra Mags and needed a Rock Chucker Supreme's larger window opening. I should have bought that one up front as I would have saved money and I still use it for all my rifle reloading.

Then I expanded my handgun reloading to six calibers and since you shoot a lot more handgun rounds at a sitting than rifle ammo, I was spending a LOT of time at my loading bench and my arthritic shoulders were complaining about all the arm movements required with the Rock Chucker. I broke down and bought a Dillon 650 for those handgun cartridges and my shoulders enjoy reloading again.

Based upon my experience (and money spent), since you can use a progressive loader as a single-stage until you learn its nuances and they are easier to sell if you loose interest in the hobby, I suggest starting with one.

Ed

 

[B3500]

Yes, start with a couple of manuals and imagine there may be some youtube videos that show the process.

If you don't know someone who can go over the steps in how to do it, check around locally at places like shooting ranges, gun clubs, hunting and gun related stores to see if they know of a class being offered.

Is it required to take a course, no, but having a mentor can make it go a bit smoother and inspire confidence.

 

[aurora40]

FWIW, I was in the same boat a year ago. The first thing I bought was powder. It was already drying up, and I didn't want to be stuck when I was finally ready. The next thing was primers, though those seem more available now.

I had a goal in mind (.44 Mag max loads), used freely available load data, forums, etc, to get a list of suitable powders, and then bought when something from that list was available. I didn't buy a press and such until about 4 months later, at which point pistol powder was all but impossible to find.

So, my two cents, if you want to start gathering stuff but aren't quite ready to buy everything, start by gathering the things that are hard to find, as they will take the most time. The day you are ready to take the plunge, you won't have trouble buying a manual or a press or whatever.