Milsurp Reloading

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Eaglelord17

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Ok so I am looking into getting into reloading for the reason that I happen to like to shoot some guns with some obscure (or expensive) calibers. What I am trying to do is replicate the original military rounds used for these rifles. No high-end precision rounds or such (need to learn to shoot a lot better before that becomes a necessity).

Basically what I was wondering is what is a good reloading book for old military rounds and if I bought this kit here
ht tp://www.cabelas.ca/product/3534/lee-50th-anniversary-reloader-kit
what exactly would I need to go along with it for starters besides the dies. That looks like all I would need from my perspective (probably isn't though).

The caliber I am looking at starting with is 8mm Mauser, I already have some PPU brass which I can reload. I have never done any of this before so any help would be appreciated
 
The Hornady reloading manuals work good. They have data for many different old military cartridges. They have about 20 different military cartridges listed. Good to use manual and check with milsurp forum for data, some rounds like 7.5x55 Swiss use different COAL depending on which rifle is being used.
 
That kit is a great way to get started.
Things you will need in addition, dies, caliper, reloading manuals and components.
A couple of loading blocks make things easier, too, but you can easily make them from scrap wood.

Do yourself a favour and buy some extra breech lock bushings. It stinks getting a new set of dies home and realising you have no bushings for them.

The Lee scale is good, accurate, and amazingly sensitive, but maybe not the easiest to use.
It reads on a vernier scale, which is not as intuitive as some others.
Even if you buy another scale, the low price of the kit makes it worthwhile. There are usually one or two used scales in the EE.

Do lots of reading, any questions you have can usually be answered with a quick search.
If not, the reloading section is about the one place you can expect straight answers on CGN ;)
 
What obscure calibres are you looking at? Lots of knowledge on these boards so people could point you in the right direction on specific cartridges.
 
Thanks for the comments, I'll do some more searching in regards to getting the other items. In regards to the Breech Block Bushings can you use the one with other dies by just threading the other dies into the same bushing (as in take one out put one in?).

The obscure calibers I will be looking at in the near future are 8x56r and various other extinct military rounds but I wanted to start with 8mm Mauser because it is still relatively available round and there is plenty of info on it out there. Plus it will be the round that I will see the quickest returns back on (as right now I am paying a dollar a round).
 
Just remember when collecting milsurp rifles, military chambers are traditionally fatter and longer than civilian SAAMI standards. This means when reloading your dies will be smaller in diameter and shorter than a military chamber. So always neck size when possible for longer case life and when full length resizing adjust the dies for minimum shoulder bump and do "NOT" adjust the dies per the instructions because you will over resize the case and shorten you case life.
 
Due to everyone trying to protect their hinie, I don't think you'll find any reloading manual today willing to put their collective butts on the line by giving you data to reproduce exact milspec loads.
 
Eaglelord17 said:
Thanks for the comments, I'll do some more searching in regards to getting the other items. In regards to the Breech Block Bushings can you use the one with other dies by just threading the other dies into the same bushing (as in take one out put one in?).

The obscure calibers I will be looking at in the near future are 8x56r and various other extinct military rounds but I wanted to start with 8mm Mauser because it is still relatively available round and there is plenty of info on it out there. Plus it will be the round that I will see the quickest returns back on (as right now I am paying a dollar a round).
Click to expand...
Yes, you can leave the bushing in the press, and just screw the dies in and out of the bushing.
The bushings are a bit of a gimmick, but they spoil you quickly.

If you really want to see some economy with your old milsurps, look into using reduced loads with cast bullets and a fast pistol powder. Less wear and tear on the firearm and the shooter ;)
 
Rory McCanuck said:
Yes, you can leave the bushing in the press, and just screw the dies in and out of the bushing.
The bushings are a bit of a gimmick, but they spoil you quickly.

If you really want to see some economy with your old milsurps, look into using reduced loads with cast bullets and a fast pistol powder. Less wear and tear on the firearm and the shooter ;)
Click to expand...

and the precious brass!
 
Thanks for the advice, I'm just figuring out what is required at the moment and how much it will cost. I will definitely look into the pistol powder and cast bullets less wear and tear on the firearm and shooter are always good things.
 
I picked up reloading basically because of .303 British. I dearly love pulling the trigger on my guns in that caliber, and it was costing more than $1 each time I did. In that regard, it was immediately apparant that reloading was the right answer.

Yes, you can just change the bushings from one die to the next, but they are not all that expensive, and while they may be a little gimmicky as someone mentioned, they really do spoil you - I have a bushing for each die... Set them up once, lock them in place, and they even fit back in the die box perfectly with the bushing on. I use some of the ring lock bushings for the seating and neck sizing dies because I found the perfect setting, and now I don't really have to worry about sorting that out again. Worth considering.

I don't know if they cast in that caliber, but I have been using bullet barn casts for my .303, they have one with a gas check that can be pushed faster, and they shoot very nicely; quite economically. If they have something similar in a caliber you want to get into, I'd probably recommend it.

One item I did pick up that wasn't absolutely necessary was the vibratory case cleaner. I really don't care about having brass shiney and reflective enough to check my makeup in, but after a few reloads I did have some ugly brass. Pop them in with the dry media for a few hours and they come out perfect.

I have the ABC's and Lyman's 49th manual - it has data for some historic military cartridges in it, not sure about yours specifically, but it's a good manual.
 
"...exact milspec loads..." That's because military ammo was expected to meet specific velocities with a specific bullet weight. The load would be different from one powder lot to another. So there actually is no such thing as a milspec load with a specific amount of powder(not all militaries used IMR4895 for .30-06 M2 either), primer, etc.
"...like to shoot some guns with some obscure (or expensive) calibers...." Buy a copy of Cartridge Conversions(your local gun shop or Amazon) and be ready to spend a big pile of money for some obscure military cartridges. The book tells you what other cartridge(s) can be used to make a certain cartridge and how to do it.
 
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