Information for a new reloader

[Choupique]

The math CAN work out more favorably of course. I have norma brass on its 7th reload, 230gr ELDx caught on sale for $50 / 100, Big Game powder at ~ $44 / pound. That comes out to ~ $1.25 a pop with some extrapolation on the brass cost. Vs a box of hornady 230gr ELDX factory ammo at $2.80 a pop, one of the cheapest loads available on the shelf. Of course you can spend far more on components and far more on factory ammo if you want.

Being I have the minimal of required equipment, I feel like I can say with a straight face I've probably saved money reloading in the 300 ish rounds I've sent down the pipe of this rifle. The time, I write off. Being I have the minimal of required equipment, reloading is a tedious and time consuming task. 30 rounds from start to finish takes me about 3 hours, but it's 3 hours of peace and quiet.

The savings get less pronounced as you go down in caliber. I don't bother reloading 5.56 for example. Factory ammo can be found on sale for so cheap at times that it would take a lot of rounds to break even with those.

 

[steve white]

I will save if I ever get around to loading all I've got! Shocking to take inventory yesterday on how much I have forgotten I have--holy cow. I sure don't need to find any sales that might tempt me to pile it higher.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Hello everyone,
I just recently became interested in hunting internationally, and with that has came several purchases of new toys that I'm having trouble finding ammunition for. I'm very interested in learning more about reloading but the lexicon has me pretty confused. Do you all have any recommended reading for someone who's interested in reloading with no prior knowledge? I'm a firm believer in the KISS method so any information no matter how simple would be greatly appreciated.

Happy hunting!

@Hamhock95
Grab as many books as you can on reloading and read them
Even tho it's not rocket surgery you need a modicum of grey matter and be prepared to make mistakes along the way( like putting a primer in upside down, getting a stuck case in a die etc)
If in doubt don't do it and ask a lot of questions it could save you a lot of problems.
A good quality budget outfit like the Lee single stage press and appropriate dies will make you a lot of precission ammo and last a long long time.
One essential accessory for any reloader is a stuck case remover, it's not a case of if it happens it's when it happens. It has happened to me.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

The one thing I have learned in my journey is not to chase the highest velocity. The greatest benefit to reloading is consistency. That and being able to tailor your loads to a specific game or hunt. The world is your oyster in regards to bullet and powder choices. Plus you can save a little money if you shoot a lot.

@MS 9x56
I DON'T chase velocity, just ask anyone that knows me.
Problem it it just happens to find me and if it works safely and give the desired accuracy I'll take it every day.
No use having a fast 25 if you can't get it to go fast and accurate. Slow and accurate is good as well but not as much fun
One of my fun loads for my 25-20 is 3.4 gn of trail boss and an 87 gn cast bullet. It's that quick I fire a shot, go make a coffee and return to the bench. By the time I look thru the spotting scope the bullet is just reaching the target. It's great fun.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Almost all my guns shoot best at about 90% of book max loads. With one a little less than that.

You can really save money on things like pistols where you can get acceptable accuracy for most shooting with very basic components.

With my rifles I have had success loading practice ammo with cheaper components but my best accuracy tends to not be with components that give big savings.

@Russ16
All rifles are a law unto themselves. There are cartridges out there that won't shoot a damn unless loaded to them to the hilt like the WSM range.
Some of the older cartridges benefit from improving their ballistics like the Roberts, 30-06 and the Whelen.
Some of the new data like Hornady can be on the conservative side and conversely some of the old dat is dangerously high.
It pays to work up a load to suit your needs.
I have used starting loads from a reputable company that in the cases I was using gave high pressure,the same loads in a mates rifle gave the same results. Using a different brand of case an three grains more of the same powder was safe in both rifles.
It is a learning curve figuring out what your rifle kikes. Some like 85% other 105% but in average as you say 90-95% seems to be a happy medium.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Also a new reloader (still getting things together before I start) and would love to chuck a couple of questions into the mix.

• How important is case trimming for a double rifle (9.3x74r)?
• Is a Lee autodisk powder dispenser 'good enough' or do I need to measure the charges on a scale as well?

@idiot101
All cases should be trimmed, chamfered inside and out. This only needs to happen once before loading new cases then when the grow to long.

Whilst the auto dusk is pretty good my rule of thumb is a good quality powder thrower ( the Lee one is pretty consistent) then check weigh each charge in an electric or beam scale. A bit slower yes but you don't end up with overloads or squib loads
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I see someone already listed a RCBS link that details the steps for reloading. It really isn't rocket science as I'm sure you've figured out by now. That link does a good job of explaining it.

But, at the risk of being labeled "that guy on the internet giving questionable advice", I do take issue with one of the steps that RCBS details. This step is where you set your resizing die. RCBS says to screw the die down until you hit the shell plate with the ram in the full upward position. Then lower the ram and screw the die down 1/8 to 1/4 of a turn.

That may work fine for some rifles, but definitely not others. For some rifles that is excessively resizing, bumping the shoulder of the case back to far. This results in excessive case stretch upon further firing. Case head separation can and does occur. It happened to me.

My gunsmith said that I was likely oversizing. I did a little more research and basically ended up in most cases just turning the die in further by just a smidge. Just enough to kiss that shoulder back in about 0.002". This ensures the case will fit, but limits the stretch that occurs on next firing.

This leads to longer case life and hopefully not a full case head separation once you get to end of case life.

@PHOENIX PHIL
I only screw my dies down to the shell holder if I need to bump the should back a bit. Otherwise I leave the die about 1/16-1/8" off the holder. This sizes the neck and partially sizes the body.
Works well for me
Bob

 

[Roosterlund]

For me reloading has been a journey. Start with the basics. Sometimes a certain caliber can shoot extremely accurately with very little development and sometimes I can be very frustrating to find the right load. Use only quality components. As your knowledge grows you will find yourself buying gadgets that you hope will improve your results, like the Hornady O.A.L gauge or turning necks, using neck bushings. Always trying to pick up a trick for a tighter group.
But finding that magic load is so satisfying and addicting. If you love shooting guns it makes the experience complete!!!

 

[MS 9x56]

@PHOENIX PHIL
I only screw my dies down to the shell holder if I need to bump the should back a bit. Otherwise I leave the die about 1/16-1/8" off the holder. This sizes the neck and partially sizes the body.
Works well for me
Bob

That’s how my dad taught me.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

The best reloading advice you will ever get is to read the first part of the reloading manuals before you ever attempt to load ammo.

There are chapters on setting up your dies in the press, pressure signs, burn rates, headspace, and dozens of other things you need to know before starting.

Read those things FIRST, not after you start to have trouble.

@skydiver386
And after you have read it re read it there's bound to be something you missed.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

My best advice to a new reloader, in addition to everything stated above, is the following:

Regardless of what dies you end up buying, make sure to still pick up and use a Lee factory crimp die. Use it as a final step. Consistent pressure curves and consistent neck tension= better accuracy. Regardless of where you are in your powder and bullet and bullet seating depth experiments.

The basic process, in short:

1. Case cleaning
2. Case resizing (and then trimming if needed)
3. Priming
4. Powder charge
5. Bullet seating
6. Lee factory crimping
7. Check final overall length and ability to chamber in your rifle before loading 100 rounds that don’t fit…

Just a few Aspects of those steps that affect accuracy/ brass life/ die performance:

1. Case cleaning: decreases grime and particles that make it into your resizing die. That makes resizing cleaner and more consistent. Also this makes your reloads look nicer!
2. Case resizing: in terms of accuracy this can be a deep rabbit hole that might be a bit too much for a new reloader. In short, your cases are already slightly optimized for your rifle just having been fired in it. You need to choose how much more to “work” them. Neck sizing or barely “bumping the shoulder” could yield accuracy gains and increase case life. It could also result in an overall larger case that is now out of spec enough doesn’t chamber in the moment of truth. No amount of accuracy or case life is worth that, so maybe for the beginner a full length resize per the die instructions is the best place to start. Also, A case that is longer than SAAMI maximum length is an easily identifiable hazard and should be trimmed or just thrown out if you’ve gotten acceptable use out of it.
3. Priming: Consistency is relatively easy here and can yield accuracy benefits. Look for match grade primers if available.
4. Powder charge: Easy to experiment with this and accuracy differences can be impressive. Good reloading manuals list their most accurate powders and charges for any given bullet weight. These are good powders to target. To a large extent pressure= velocity. Therefore, a chronograph can help keep you safe from too much pressure. If you are getting more velocity from a given power charge than is listed in the book, and especially if you are over max listed velocities for a given powder, don’t push too much higher unless you really know what you are doing. The “My .308 WIN is pushing 180 grain bullets to 3000 FPS with NO PRESSURE SIGNS” guys are asking for trouble.
5. Bullet seating depth: Consistency here is huge for accuracy. And don’t be fooled by polymer tips on bullets. Your die might be seating the bullet consistently, but you keep playing with the die because inconsistent polymer tip sizes make it look like your overall length keeps changing! It’s probably not. Anyway, variations in seating depth is also an easily modified variable that can influence accuracy. But I’ve found the suggestions in the manual for overall length usually yield good accuracy.
6. Lee factory crimp: as per above. This is WAY easier than using your bullet seating die to apply a roll crimp.
7. Many handloaders cycle every single handload through their rifle before going to the field with it.

My 30-06 Hunting Load is pictured below. I get a little into labels, but it makes the next round of reloading real easy. To end up at that finished product, which shoots consistently 1/2-3/4 MOA, I tried: Different bullets, then when I found a consistently accurate bullet, I tried different powders, different powder charges, different bullet seating depths, and two different types of primer.
View attachment 746414

@Cooposo
That's what my mate gred does. For his 308 he has fired over 800 rounds in load development and has a few good loads. He has probably shot 59 rounds at game along the the 900 other loads. I keep telling him he will wear his barrel out before he has shot anything. He said yeh I know but it's fun.
Me I'm entirely different.
I pick the bullet I want for the game I hunt.
Pick a powder that gives the best velocity for the lowest pressure and 90%-105% case capacity.
Work up until I get the best velocity and best accuracy ( sometimes best accuracy is at just under max some right at max).
When I get the desired results call it quits and go shoot stuff. Usually takes around 20 rounds. Four lots of five different powder charges. No playing with seating depth just work out the distance I want to be from the lands and that's it.
The first loads I did with my son's 308 and 150gn accubond with 50gn of CFE223 in Federal premium brass. 4 three shot groups measured an average of 0.3" straight off and we called it done.
Bob

 

[Cooposo]

@Cooposo
That's what my mate gred does. For his 308 he has fired over 800 rounds in load development and has a few good loads. He has probably shot 59 rounds at game along the the 900 other loads. I keep telling him he will wear his barrel out before he has shot anything. He said yeh I know but it's fun.
Me I'm entirely different.
I pick the bullet I want for the game I hunt.
Pick a powder that gives the best velocity for the lowest pressure and 90%-105% case capacity.
Work up until I get the best velocity and best accuracy ( sometimes best accuracy is at just under max some right at max).
When I get the desired results call it quits and go shoot stuff. Usually takes around 20 rounds. Four lots of five different powder charges. No playing with seating depth just work out the distance I want to be from the lands and that's it.
The first loads I did with my son's 308 and 150gn accubond with 50gn of CFE223 in Federal premium brass. 4 three shot groups measured an average of 0.3" straight off and we called it done.
Bob

The more I do it, the more my process looks like yours and less like your friend’s! I got to a good load faster with my 30-06 than rifles of the past. But I really enjoy the process and especially the shooting, so taking the long road is sometimes intentional. Costs more money though.