getting started .30-06

hey their

the first die is a full lenght sizing die. it brings the case back to spec. if u had a neck sizing die u would use it instead of the full lenght die but only after the case has been full length sized and fired. then u would neck size instead of full length size.

after i size my brass i then trim it and chamfer it and polish with steel wool. ( i use the lee case length gauge and cutter on the end of a cordless drill) takes a second. then inspect make sure case doesnt have and trimings in it or is dented or damaged and then clean out the primer hole (lee has a tool for this)

then prime all case, then put the primers away when finished!

then start adding powder. i weigh every charge out of my powder measure. i add powder to one case at a time then seat the bullet right away.once the bullet seating die is set its just repeated. but i check every case after seating with a caliper.

then once all cases are charge and bullet is seated put in your crimp die and lightly crimp bullets. and check OAL again.

check and double check everything. be carefull and dont get distracted.


anyone see something i missed feel free to correct it!

also get a couple reloading manuals. i like the lyman 48th edition. it has clear instructions on reloading and has very good info. i also have a barnes manual wich is good but only lists barnes bullets.

don't be afraid to read!! i red my lyman manual over and over and any other questions i had i asked on here their is a wealth of information

good luck!!
matt
 
I would suggest new dies. I have bought a few used ones,good enough shape,but for the little extra it's nice to have the shell holder or in my case the correct one.

My last step is the Lee Factory crimp die. It does work as advertised,just not as much.It's about a 10% improvement in accuracy for a hunting rifle.From my tests,it also takes seating depth out of the equation. Other brands of seating dies will crimp,but they make a mess of the cases.They work on a different princple.

My Lee aniv. kit came with the hand primer,so no help from me on that question.
 
I'd pick up some Winchester brass, it seems to be the most available. Any large rifle primer should work, I currently use Federal 210M match primers. Varget & RL15 work good with 150 grain loads, but H4350 works better for bullets weighing 165 grains and more. RL19 would be another good choice. For a good deer/black bear bullet that wont make you poor shooting at the range, I'd take a look at the Hornady 165 grain Interbond. Around 57 grains of 4350 is the classic load for the 30-06 with 165 gr :evil:
 
todbartell said:
I'd pick up some Winchester brass, it seems to be the most available. Any large rifle primer should work, I currently use Federal 210M match primers. Varget & RL15 work good with 150 grain loads, but H4350 works better for bullets weighing 165 grains and more. RL19 would be another good choice. For a good deer/black bear bullet that wont make you poor shooting at the range, I'd take a look at the Hornady 165 grain Interbond. Around 57 grains of 4350 is the classic load for the 30-06 with 165 gr :evil:
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funny you should mention....
I picked up some winchester brass, WLR primers, some RL15 powder and a box of Spitzer SP 150gr today. I was gonna get a box of 165gr Interbonds and some IMR-4064, but they Didn't have either in stock.

The clerk suggested RL15, to be quite honest I wasn't enthousiatic about his suggestion... I've been searching CGN and IMR-4064 & IMR-4350 seemed to be a crowd favorite. I kinda had my mind set on one of those two.

anyhow, I settled for what they had in stock. When I got home I did some googlin' ... seems like RL15 with a 150gr bullet is a good choice afterall, pretty much duplicates the M2 ball (-FMJ).

I'll still need to go with a 165gr bullet in the near future (next batch).... Do you recommend I stick with RL15, or go with what I first had in mind?
 
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You may as well use up your powder, I'm sold on 4350 in my 06 but RL15 works very well. If you haven't bought your priming tool yet, I recommend the RCBS unit although I'm a Lee fan, the RCBS is a better built unit. I like the LEE deluxe die set and their factory crimp die. I neck size for hunting or target, before charging the case, i test fit it into the chamber, tight ones go for full-length resize easy ones are good to go for priming and charging. Happy experimenting.
 
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