Going to give loading a go......any advice

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regulate34

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Hi
I am going to give rifle reloading a go. I have done shot shell reloading but never rifle. It has never been cost effective for me. Now with a 375Ruger on route its time to start. my rough math puts factory rounds at 3.90$ ea. hand loading is about 1.65$-1.70$ per round. So some figuring got me out to paying for a Hornady lock-N-load kit and dies in 250 rounds. I have a 30-06 I will load for and the wife wants to hunt so I can make some low recoil rounds for he

So basically I have done a lot of reading and digging but in the end I would like to hear form the experienced.


Any tips, Loads or advice you would care to share
 
When I first came to CanadianGunNutz for some help when I started reloading the 1st thing I was told and ended up being the best advice I was ever given was..." Buy yourself a very good Reloading manual and read it. Just about anything you will want to know will be in that book." It has been 3 years now of reloading and I now own Hornady, Sierra and Nosler reloading manuals. There is alot to learn from how different bullets will create different pressures. Even though there the same weight, one manufacture to another could result in an over pressured load. I find it nice that you can go online and find alot of reloading data from different manufacture to help keep yourself in the Safety Zone. I personally like http://data.hodgdon.com/main_menu.asp.. Here there is alot of data for IMR, Hodgdon and Win Powders for any Caliber I have ever needed to look up.. There is also the Alliant Reloading page if you want to use the Alliant powders http://www.alliantpowder.com/reloaders/RecipeList.aspx?gtypeid=2.

Second i would get yourself a good scale.. I had the Lee Safty Scale.. its now a target at my range.. I personally think it makes a better target than scale.. WHAT A POS!! I now own an RCBS 502 and an Charge Master. The Charge Master works great when im doing 50 -100 rounds.. it saves you half the time and its is very accurate.

If your looking at saving money.. I personally think it can be done cause I am doing it.. The Secret to Saving money is to not shoot 50% of the rounds. Find a load that works and stick with it.. Im also a victim of having to try new things and its starting to cost me money.. Different powders and projectiles.. is all adds up.

Im sure I have missed many many things but I hope I could help a bit! I also like to take this chance to thank everyone else on this form for helping me when I first started and its good to have a bunch of knowledgeable members here on this site that love to help new comers out! without you we couldnt do it!
Thanks again!
Josh A
 
Start in a single stage press for what you do, change anything, best to start 10-15% lower and work back up, be 100% of what you are doing while loading, no distractions. Try to be accurate as possible for consistancy, ie case length, ogive measurement, not coal. I test accuracy in batches of 3 or 5. Rifle is alot less forgiving in doing something wrong then shotgun, and if ever unsure double check, its the only way to learn. Also be organized, sharpie markers on reload groups to tell them apart help alot when they get dumped by accident and record everything if you leave it for a day like powder, measurements, bullets etc.
 
If you don't have a tumbler you can deprimed the brass. Some lemishine some dawn and warm water shake up and agitate. And let soak for about an hour should remove all contaminates and Make brass shiny. Let sit out for a few hours to thoroughly dry.
 
I got by without a tumbler for many years. As long as the cases aren't terribly filthy it'll be OK. Vibratory tumblers are a little cheaper if you feel the need. I'd say you're probably off to a good start with a good quality press. Get the manuals, follow the manuals and use a good scale and calipers. As suggested, stay away from the Lee scale, I find it annoying and inaccurate compared to my Lyman balance and Hornady digital.
 
READ THE SPEAR RELOADING MANUAL COVER TO COVER !!! Then follow up with any questions you have on the accurate shooter web site !

Add this link to you favotrites ... google any reloading question and put accurate shooter at the end and your answer will come up and the information will be correct

http://www.accurateshooter.com/

Good luck ... if your like any of us you will find reloading very rewarding and your only regret will be that you did not start earlier
 
First read - ABCs of Reloading. Short on recipes, but is the best general introduction to reloading out there.
 
kenneth carlson said:
And yes double check all loads. I after a few years if loading still double check all cases. I even weigh my cases after being loaded to make sure they are done correctly.
Click to expand...

I also weigh each case individually as I charge them. The measure throws charges accurate to within 2/10ths of a grain, but it is nice to know each and every single case is EXACTLY the same for charge weight.
 
to get a proper weight you need to tare the case weight and bullet weight, otherwise it will be off by a small amount. not worth the hassle IMO unless your doing a small batch, and even then it's pointless.
 
kenneth carlson said:
And yes double check all loads. I after a few years if loading still double check all cases. I even weigh my cases after being loaded to make sure they are done correctly.
Click to expand...

Knottybuoy said:
I also weigh each case individually as I charge them. The measure throws charges accurate to within 2/10ths of a grain, but it is nice to know each and every single case is EXACTLY the same for charge weight.
Click to expand...
Do you weigh each case and record each and every weight BEFORE you charge them? If not, then your variance could be inaccurate. Not that it would matter for hunting ammo, but precision rounds...you would need to weigh and separate by weight your primers, cases, and bullets, and THEN make sure of those powder charges.

pick a load that more than half-fills the case, then a double charge is evident. My Lyman 55 measure throws quite consistent loads and they are checked every 10th round. That's always been sufficient for accurate hunting ammo out to my limits.
 
OP,
I cannot stress the importance of enough reloading manuals. You may start with one, but you will end up with several.

When you begin to load, you REALLY need to know your requirements...
Are you one of the guys who has nothing but money...or a more humble lifestyle? You will be told that LEE products are garbage, but Lee has gotten more people reloading than any other company. Watch the comparisons...compare apples to apples.

Both of your cartridge choices are the top of the non-magnum action length. A Lee Classic Cast single stage press will easily handle this length, and will even handle the .50 BMG cartridge. It is also a press built for life.
 
Spawn-Inc said:
to get a proper weight you need to tare the case weight and bullet weight, otherwise it will be off by a small amount. not worth the hassle IMO unless your doing a small batch, and even then it's pointless.
Click to expand...

Exactly checking the case with a light after may be just as good
 
regulate34 said:
I know with shot shell reloading loads are "hull brand" specific. Is this that case with rifle?
Click to expand...

No, for general plinking and hunting and match rounds it doesn't matter. If your trying for super accuracy, cases are sorted by brand and weight of each case. There is small differences in case thicknesses, etc that effect how much powder they hold and the pressures they produce. But to my knowledge it's not an issue for the everyday person unless a bench rest shooter.
 
I do my reloading in batches of chores.
I bought a de-capping die just to knock out the spent primers.
Then clean, polish, tumble or wash the brass.
After I size the brass, I chamber a few in the rifle before I move
on to the next step.
And always, always chamber your hunting rounds in a safe manner.
Nothing worse than trying to load your rifle and the bolt won't close.

Find a reloading manual (or two) that you find easy to read. When the
info starts to overload your nogg'in, time to give it a rest.

Snoop around and find someone whom will adopt you for a wee bit and
see if they will invite you over to watch and maybe help them when they
are reloading.
It's easier to see something done than reading about it.

Don't get distracted and always look into your charged cases to see
if the level of powder compares to the other charged cases.

Develop a routine. My brass is always primer up in the trays before the
powder is dropped in.
 
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