.303 reloading (newb)

BobSock

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Hello, I was interested in reloading .303 British ammo. I've never done this before and was wondering what the initial costs for this are?

I'd be looking at the most basic/easy/cheap setup to do this. Any websites where I can check prices for the equipment that I would need?

Also is this a fairly simple skill for someone with no reloading experience to pick up?
 
Everything you need to get started can be found on this site in the EE. I started reloading for .303 about a year and a half ago and now I reload for all my toys. I have found it to be a very rewarding and with endless combinations of loads bullets etc... it makes a lifelong hobby.
Pete.....
 
You can probably get a manual Lee Loader for $35-40. Add powder, primers and bullets and you can start reloading perfectly serviceable ammo for not much more than $100. The cost per round drops dramatically thereafter.

When your arm gets tired, it's time to step up to a press. That costs... more. Maybe $100 for the press, $35 more for used dies. More for scales. Usually, you can get a package for less. You'll soon find that you need more and more little bits, so bring your wallet along.

When you get to the point that you want to produce a lot of ammo, welcome to the progressive. Don't bother asking prices, just bring your first-born son and deed along.

Spend another $35 whatever you buy and get a good reloading manual.

.303 British is a very useful round - take anything on the continent if you do your part. Good choice.
 
If your up for it, find someone in your area that reloads. Its no different, reloading 303 or any mid sized centerfire case. A good beginner press like the Lee classic turret press and the dies and all the peripherals and your good to go($200), plus components. What with today's prices 8 boxes of 20 rounds and you have paid for the press. I also cast and gascheck my own bullets. Then fling them out to 500 yards at large targets. Its also a feel good factor that your using something you have assembled and shoots more accurate than factory ammo. Never fails to make me smile when I hear a report that I hit the target at 500 yards. Mind you its 8' high and 8' wide at the base, christmas tree like.
Read lots of books and check out google videos on reloading. Have fun.
 
Welcome. There are several routes you can go. I started loading a 303 with a "Lee Loader" 40 years ago but as soon as I could afford it I went to a single stage press (RCBS) . If you can afford it go to a press, all manufacturers have kits that reasonably priced and well made, the Lee Classic is probably the most economical and I have had no issues with any of their products. I'd consider getting the lee collet dies for the 303 if they sell them in this caliber as this will give you less stretch on the cases and more case life. Once started reloading is an addictive and relaxing hobby letting you shoot more , becoming more proficient with your rifle.
 
You would be far better off starting with a single stage press than a Lee Loader. The Lee Loader might be inexpensive, but I think you will find it painfully slow. Also, it neck sizes only. Even if you normally neck size, you will still want to have the ability to full length resize for two reasons:

1. You can use once fired brass from other rifles.
2. Cases may occasionally require FL resizing to chamber after being neck sized several times.

Reloading manuals generally have an overview of the process that should help you get started. The Lyman manual is a good one in terms of having data for a wide variety of different bullets. Hodgdon also has lots of data on their website for Hodgdon, Winchester, and IMR powders.
 
Step 1: Buy a good reloading manual.

Step 2: Read the item purchased in step 1.

Step 3: Start searching through the EE- Reloading Equip forum & purchase your reloading gear.

Step 4: Constantly read the Reloading forum. A lot of your questions will allready have been asked & answered there several times.

Step 5: Pass on any knowledge you gain to other reloading noobs
 
You could also get the LEE Anniversary kit: press, scale, powder measure, funnel, reloading manual, etc, etc for $130. Mine has reloaded tens of thousands of rounds.
 
Thanks for the feedback.

The price for the Lee Loader is good but if you can't use once fired brass with it it may not be too good.

The Lee Anniversary Kit seems to have all the components that I would need at a good price and if I start with the Lee Loader I'd probably be upgrading to a press anyway in the future.

Unless I can find a Lee Anniversary Kit in the EE forum (or something similar that has all the same equipment) the best prices seem to be in the US. I know that most items cannot be imported from the US regarding firearms, ammo, some optics, etc.

Anyone know if the Lee Anniversary Kit would be allowed?
 
Bobsock.....why can't you use once fired brass in a Lee Reloader? I think the whole purpose of a reloader (regardless of brand) is to reload fired brass.

Re: buying from USA. I think you are good 2 go on that topic. I've bought directly from USA companies (Lee, Dillon..etc). Reloading items are tools, not gun parts. Your biggest problem with buying from USA is supply.
 
Bobsock.....why can't you use once fired brass in a Lee Reloader? I think the whole purpose of a reloader (regardless of brand) is to reload fired brass.

Lee Loaders only resize the neck. If you're working on brass fired from your own weapon, it's cool. If on the other hand you're working on brass fired from another weapon with a slightly larger chamber than that of your own, the LL may not get it small enough to chamber.

That's not a condemnation. The Lee Loader produces fine ammo - some very accurate - but it is a limitation.
 
Bobsock.....why can't you use once fired brass in a Lee Reloader? I think the whole purpose of a reloader (regardless of brand) is to reload fired brass.

Re: buying from USA. I think you are good 2 go on that topic. I've bought directly from USA companies (Lee, Dillon..etc). Reloading items are tools, not gun parts. Your biggest problem with buying from USA is supply.

I agree, but also try http://www.midwayusa.com/ I just bought a Frankfort Arsenal Caliper for $13!!!
 
Unfortunately, Midway won't ship to Canada as a result of getting burned by the US State Department a few years back.
 
Bobsock, I stand corrected. I have no hands-on experience with the Lee Loader. I use Lee dies, but with RCBS & Dillon presses.

See.....all this free info, yours for the taking.
 
Lee Loaders only resize the neck. If you're working on brass fired from your own weapon, it's cool. If on the other hand you're working on brass fired from another weapon with a slightly larger chamber than that of your own, the LL may not get it small enough to chamber.

That's not a condemnation. The Lee Loader produces fine ammo - some very accurate - but it is a limitation.

So if I only plan to use/reuse brass fired from a .303 british I could go with the Lee loader? And I could still reload factory ammo brass that I have already fired?

If so I may go with this route first do to the cheaper startup cost since I will only be reloading for the same gun at this time.
 
BobSock - You can use the Lee Loader reliably on brass fired in your own rifle. Brass fired from another rifle might be workable, but on the other hand, it might not. It comes down to slight differences in the dimensions of two different rifles chambered for the same round - and there are always slight differences.

That's not much of a hassle, really. Use the cases from commercial .303 fired from your rifle.

The Lee Loader is more work than a press and it's a bit slower, but it's by far the cheapest setup going and turns out ammo every bit as good.

Oh, one last thing - Lee Loader or progressive press. A lot of WW2 .303 was made, even in Canada, with Berdan primers which will break your depriming pin. Always check with a flashlight.
 
Bobsock, the Lee manual tool works. It is how many of us with brightly illuminated birthday cakes started. I did, in .303. Its biggest advantage is very low cost. It's biggest drawback is its inflexibility. One tool comes with one powder dipper. For a specific bullet weight, it will list three or four powders, one dipperful of which will be safe in a .303. Staying with Lee manual systems, the next step is a set of Lee dippers, so you can use multiple powders, in varying charge weights. And so begins the process of acquiring reloading equipment. It stops when you have no more room, no more money, or there are no more gadgets you do not own!

.303 Brit in a Lee Enfield headspaces on the rim. If you fire a factory round in your rifle, the Lee tool will resize the neck, and the cartridge will chamber in your rifle. If you scrounge a fired cartridge at a range, it may have been fired in a rifle with a chamber of slightly larger dimensions. It may also have been fired and reloaded to the point where the previous owner has decided he has expended the useful life of the cartridge. You won't know.

Since the Lee tool only resizes the neck, if the previous rifle had a larger chamber, a neck resized cartridge will not chamber. No problem. The remedy is to buy another tool - a bullet puller - and beat the bullet and powder out of your handload, (to re-use)kill the primer with a bit of oil or ammonia - think Windex - and discard.

Lee Enfield actions lock on bolt lugs located at the rear of the bolt. Hence, when fired, the bolt compresses, while the brass is temporarily seized in the chamber. The case then stretches. Each firing stretches the case a tad more. At some point, varying between rifles, case manufacturer, pressure peak and duration, phase of the moon, the case head will separate from the body of the case. Out comes the stuck case remover (another favorite tool of handloaders), and you are back in business.

The Lee tool, in that it resizes the cse neck only, actaully extends the case life, but not forever. A FEW reloads are in order in Lee Enfield. How many? Can't say. As above, it depends, and phase of the moon is probably as important as any other factor!

Oh, and I forgot. With the Lee manual tool, you need a place where you can quite forcibly hammer the tool, with a good plastic hammer. Chippendale dinner tables, hardwood floors, vinyl floors, desk tops, probably not best places for this activity. Wives, residents of other apartments, dogs, cats, sleeping babies, may all register their objections in their own way. But they do make excellent ammunition, and you will be able to afford to shoot probably three times as much for the same $$ Enjoy.
 
Thanks again to everyone for this great info.

ykkid, just so make sure I'm understanding this I could use some .303 dies to resize brass fired from other guns, then use these casings and just resize the neck after firing them from my gun?

And as you said that there are too many factors to determine how many times you can reload a case is there any approximate amount if you had to guess some number range, 2-5, 5-10?

Just trying to determine what the saving may be like. Local CT sells new for ~$30 for 20, so >$1.50 / round.
 
I've never used a Lee loader, but from the description, it seems like the sort of kit you'll be selling fairly soon in order to upgrade. Just get a single stage press and be done with it. They're not that expensive, especially if you cruise the EE for one.
 
just so make sure I'm understanding this I could use some .303 dies to resize brass fired from other guns, then use these casings and just resize the neck after firing them from my gun?

WRT your first - NO!! which means "It depends' which means 'Sometimes-But-You-Can't-Depend-On-It'. It hinges mainly on what dies you are using.

When a cartridge fires, the pressure inside the chamber forces the case to expand in every direction. It's minor (1/100ths or even 1/1,000ths of an inch) but it's there. It's definitely a Good Thing because it provides rearward obturation - seals the chamber and prevents incandescent high-pressure gasses from combustion from rearranging your iris.

A fraction of a second later, the pressure drops and the case contracts, just enough to allow itself to be extracted from the chamber. But it has not - not - returned to its original size.

A die that only resizes the neck (like the Lee Loader) leaves the main body of the casing the size it was ejected at. If you just neck resize and try putting that into your own rifle's chamber, it will fit.

If however, you are 1) using brass fired in another rifle and 2) if that rifle has a chamber just a hair larger than that of your rifle, then it will not - not - fit. And tolerances in firearms manufacturing are such that this can happen very easily, particularly if the other rifle is a bit older.

Now, if you use a die that resizes full-length, the casing will be squeezed down small enough to fit into any chamber. To do that however, you need a reloading press, proper dies, etc.

So - using a Lee Loader, no, you cannot depend on being able to use cases fired from other rifles.. Using a more expensive setup, yes.

And as you said that there are too many factors to determine how many times you can reload a case is there any approximate amount if you had to guess some number range, 2-5, 5-10?

That too depends. It depends on the quality of your brass. It depends on the size of your rifle chamber (if it's larger and you are full-length resizing, the brass is being worked just that much more). It depends on the loads you are using. It depends on a bunch of things. A .303 with normal loads, easily five times, probably more.

Just trying to determine what the saving may be like. Local CT sells new for ~$30 for 20, so >$1.50 / round.

Generally, the most expensive bits of a cartridge are the bullet and the casing. Reusing your casings is the biggest money-saver possible in this context.

I haven't bought .303 bullets lately, but let's say that they're $40 per 100. That's 40¢ per reload. Primers are, call it, 5¢ apiece. Your powder is, say, $40 per pound (7,000 gr) and you use (picking a number) 50 gr per round, that's 140 rounds per pound or 29¢ per shot. (Note that I've not done precise research so please don't hold me to the numbers - they're in the right time zone, I think.) You've already paid for the brass when you bought commercial ammo, so you can call that essentially 'free'. Total cost for a reloaded round is therefore 74¢ - half what you are now paying.

Now you have to factor in the cost of the reloading setup you buy. Reload 20 rounds, you lose. Reload 200 rounds, you save. Reload 2,000 rounds, you save a bundle.

Plus which, you can tailor the loads to suit your needs and your individual rifle. (Easier with a more complex setup.)
 
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