New and wanting to learn Reloading
- Thread starter BIA17
- Start date
Depending on what calibres you want to load for and the amount of shooting you will be doing, the press type can differ.
For rifles and moderate shooting -> target/hunting a solid single station press like the RCBS rock chucker will do.
Look for stuff on Equipment Exchange here.
I've had very good results from the Dillon progressives for high volume handgun and rifle, with practice you can hit 150 rounds per hour.
Manuals are available from Hornady, Nosler, Sierra and others.
Check for downloadable information on Google... you can find a lot of calibre specific information there and YouTube has some howto videos that are pretty good.
Shotgun reloading is a whole issue unto itself.
For rifles and moderate shooting -> target/hunting a solid single station press like the RCBS rock chucker will do.
Look for stuff on Equipment Exchange here.
I've had very good results from the Dillon progressives for high volume handgun and rifle, with practice you can hit 150 rounds per hour.
Manuals are available from Hornady, Nosler, Sierra and others.
Check for downloadable information on Google... you can find a lot of calibre specific information there and YouTube has some howto videos that are pretty good.
Shotgun reloading is a whole issue unto itself.
Not trying to be rude but if you do a search there's been a few threads like this in recent months with tons of good info. A lot of the tools are really personal preference and budget decisions. You can load pistol on a single stage if it's all you can afford, you can load match ammo on a cheap Lee setup, you can pump out hundreds of rounds an hour on a good progressive, you can spend over a grand on a powder dispenser. Best bet is to pick up a manual or 2 to read or hit up youtube. Don't try to regard your first purchase as a lifetime investment that you need to get right the first time. If you stick with it your tool collection will grow as you grow and expand. I started by piecing my setup together with Lee stuff after starting on a classic Lee Loader. For years I stuck with Lee for the value but now I have RCBS, Forster, Redding, Lyman etc tools. I loaded thousands of rounds on a Lee Breechlock Challenger press and still have it, though I scored a deal on a BNIB rock chucker that became my main press. At the very minimum you will need:
A press
A scale (digital or balance beam, don't cheap out too much here)
Calipers
Trimming and chamferring tools
Priming tool (most presses have one built in but you may prefer a hand held or bench mounted)
A manual (very good idea, they contain a wealth of important knowledge that you are going to want to know in order to make safe, reliable ammo)
Reloading dies for the cals you want to load
Shell holders (some die sets like Lee and select Hornady sets come with a SH, most do not. Some presses use a universal SH like the Forster CoAx)
There are a ton of options for each of those items plus a lot more you can add that may help you. First you need to decide what you want to reload, how many rounds per week, month, year etc, how much time you can devote to it and your budget. A competitive shooter will have very different needs from someone wanting plinking ammo for occasional range trips. A single stage press will do everything a progressive or turret will do but it can only do one operation at a time. It's a perfect choice for lower volume and usually lends itself well to precision ammo. A progressive does all operations at once and crank out hundreds of rounds an hour. The downside is they can't match the consistency of a good single stage or turret for precision ammo. Great for pistol shooters, 3 gunners etc but not a top choice for long range or bench rest. They cost a lot more than a comparable single stage making them a better choice for the shooter who shoots a lot and doesn't require top accuracy. Generally starting on a single stage with the above list is a great way to learn each operation individually to help you learn the right way to do things before you move up to a progressive and try to learn how to do every operation at the same time. So decide your needs and match your setup to it and your budget.
A press
A scale (digital or balance beam, don't cheap out too much here)
Calipers
Trimming and chamferring tools
Priming tool (most presses have one built in but you may prefer a hand held or bench mounted)
A manual (very good idea, they contain a wealth of important knowledge that you are going to want to know in order to make safe, reliable ammo)
Reloading dies for the cals you want to load
Shell holders (some die sets like Lee and select Hornady sets come with a SH, most do not. Some presses use a universal SH like the Forster CoAx)
There are a ton of options for each of those items plus a lot more you can add that may help you. First you need to decide what you want to reload, how many rounds per week, month, year etc, how much time you can devote to it and your budget. A competitive shooter will have very different needs from someone wanting plinking ammo for occasional range trips. A single stage press will do everything a progressive or turret will do but it can only do one operation at a time. It's a perfect choice for lower volume and usually lends itself well to precision ammo. A progressive does all operations at once and crank out hundreds of rounds an hour. The downside is they can't match the consistency of a good single stage or turret for precision ammo. Great for pistol shooters, 3 gunners etc but not a top choice for long range or bench rest. They cost a lot more than a comparable single stage making them a better choice for the shooter who shoots a lot and doesn't require top accuracy. Generally starting on a single stage with the above list is a great way to learn each operation individually to help you learn the right way to do things before you move up to a progressive and try to learn how to do every operation at the same time. So decide your needs and match your setup to it and your budget.
- Location
- Western Manitoba
As previously stated, your first purchase should be a reloading manual - and read it. First 1/3 or 1/2 of most contains step-by-step how to reload. Can not go far wrong following that - how many of us with no mentors or experience at it learned. Speer, Hornady, Nosler, Sierra - probably doesn't much matter what brand - you will end up with all of them, most likely. Youtube - I have seen some VERY BAD stuff there, and some very good stuff. No way that I know, ahead of time, to tell which is which. Always good to cross check with a different reference. Within past few months, I was helping a guy loading for a 7mm STW - pure chance, he was using the data published on Nosler website for 175 grain bullets - was different than in my manuals - found that they had listed the same data for 160 grain bullets, in their 175 grain tables - not good!!
Do not have visions of shooting 1/4" MOA groups or magically becoming as good a rifleman as a Seal Team scout sniper. At the beginning, be satisfied with loads that chamber, fire, and extract. For some, that is an achievement to be happy about! After a few hundred of those, you will notice things that could be changed, perhaps. Many highly technical reloading "tweeks" produce results on very expensive, extremely low-tolerance, small clearance bench rest rifles - much of which has no discernible effect in a store bought, production hunting rifle. You will learn for yourself about your rifles - no one else has the same - what they experience may or may not apply to yours, and your experience may not mean much in theirs.
Do not have visions of shooting 1/4" MOA groups or magically becoming as good a rifleman as a Seal Team scout sniper. At the beginning, be satisfied with loads that chamber, fire, and extract. For some, that is an achievement to be happy about! After a few hundred of those, you will notice things that could be changed, perhaps. Many highly technical reloading "tweeks" produce results on very expensive, extremely low-tolerance, small clearance bench rest rifles - much of which has no discernible effect in a store bought, production hunting rifle. You will learn for yourself about your rifles - no one else has the same - what they experience may or may not apply to yours, and your experience may not mean much in theirs.
Let's start with safety. Reloading is not a spectator sport. Don't have others with you distracting you so you forget steps. I've done it. The left hand and right hand have to know what the other hand is doing. That press lever is easy to move but transmits a LOT of force. You can crush fingers and a decaping pin will go through a fingernail real easy. I've done it. Have only one container of powder out on the bench at one time. Otherwise you end up putting one type of powder into another container that you don't catch till you go to load again down the line. I've done it. Leave your social media/communication devices elsewhere. Reloading is the priority and not what your friend had for supper.
You won't go wrong getting a good single stage press. You will always find a use for it even if you have a progressive/turret press. Usually salvaging cases messed by the progressive/turret press. Don't focus on how many rounds an hour you can put out. Focus on making safe, reliable, consistent ammo.
Brass preparation is the most time consuming and can be tedious. Knuckle down and do it right. Stuck cases in the chamber are not fun to deal with.
Others will chime in.
You won't go wrong getting a good single stage press. You will always find a use for it even if you have a progressive/turret press. Usually salvaging cases messed by the progressive/turret press. Don't focus on how many rounds an hour you can put out. Focus on making safe, reliable, consistent ammo.
Brass preparation is the most time consuming and can be tedious. Knuckle down and do it right. Stuck cases in the chamber are not fun to deal with.
Others will chime in.
1. Buy the Lyman reloading manual and read the front part of the manual covering the fine points of reloading.
2. And remember load data varies depending on the firearm and the components used. Also, there are three methods used to measure chamber pressure, copper crusher, transducer, and strain gauges glued to the barrel. And all three will read different pressures and if a specific firearm is listed a strain gauge was used.
3. Always make workup loads starting at the suggested start loads and work up. And examine each fired case and study the effects of low to higher pressure and learn to read the primers.
2. And remember load data varies depending on the firearm and the components used. Also, there are three methods used to measure chamber pressure, copper crusher, transducer, and strain gauges glued to the barrel. And all three will read different pressures and if a specific firearm is listed a strain gauge was used.
3. Always make workup loads starting at the suggested start loads and work up. And examine each fired case and study the effects of low to higher pressure and learn to read the primers.
langfordbc
CGN Regular
- Location
- On the high line, BC
I highly recommend Panhandle Precision on Youtube. I haven't found anyone online that puts the concepts and practices of reloading into such understandable terms as well as he (Sam Millard) does.
Welcome to the addiction!
If you prefer reading text and really don't have a good idea where to start, check out "the ABCs of Reloading", pretty sure you can find it on Amazon. Reloading manuals are excellent too, usually have some instruction as well as all the load data you need to get going. I typically get manuals for each bullet manufacturer I use when reloading. So say if you know you want to load lots of Nosler bullets for hunting, try and grab yourself a Nosler manual. Not essential, but nice to have.
YouTube is a good source too if you learn better that way.
The best you can get is find another experienced fella in your area and get them to show you the ropes.
One last thing, its tempting and sometimes daunting all the pieces of equipment needed, and the associated price tag. I would suggest starting small, get yourself a good quality press with a basic kit to start. Do some loading with it, and then see where you want to spend your money on upgrades from there!
If you prefer reading text and really don't have a good idea where to start, check out "the ABCs of Reloading", pretty sure you can find it on Amazon. Reloading manuals are excellent too, usually have some instruction as well as all the load data you need to get going. I typically get manuals for each bullet manufacturer I use when reloading. So say if you know you want to load lots of Nosler bullets for hunting, try and grab yourself a Nosler manual. Not essential, but nice to have.
YouTube is a good source too if you learn better that way.
The best you can get is find another experienced fella in your area and get them to show you the ropes.
One last thing, its tempting and sometimes daunting all the pieces of equipment needed, and the associated price tag. I would suggest starting small, get yourself a good quality press with a basic kit to start. Do some loading with it, and then see where you want to spend your money on upgrades from there!
If you do get a kit, get one with a beam scale (excepting Lee) and not one with a digital scale.
This would be a good start. But if your budget is a bit more robust I’d buy your equipment piecemeal.
https://www.redding-reloading.com/online-catalog/74-pro-pak-reloading-kits
This would be a good start. But if your budget is a bit more robust I’d buy your equipment piecemeal.
https://www.redding-reloading.com/online-catalog/74-pro-pak-reloading-kits
First thing is to gain some knowledge about handloading, as others have stated a good handload manual to get the basics, there are lots of You tube videos on the subject, be careful, some of these folks are real good at producing a video but have many have misconceptions about the subject, go with a good handload manual, Lyman ,Hornaday, Speer are good for the basics.
Tools, if it is for a rifle cartridge, a good single stage press, a balance beam or digital scale, vernier or dial calipers, Lee case length gauge/trimmer combo, cartridge base to ogive measuring tools (Hornaday offers these), powder trickler, Lee dippers (you will thank me later), inside/outside case mouth chamfer tool, nylon brush and handle, a hand held priming tool (the one from Frankfort Arsenal is good), appropriate shell holder, get two of them, bullet puller (impact style), Dies: a few ways to go here, I use a combination of the Lee ultimate die set, Forster bullet seater (the one with the dial is nice but not necessary, the regular one will get you where you need to be), Redding body die.
With the addition of knowledge the above will grow with you.
Tools, if it is for a rifle cartridge, a good single stage press, a balance beam or digital scale, vernier or dial calipers, Lee case length gauge/trimmer combo, cartridge base to ogive measuring tools (Hornaday offers these), powder trickler, Lee dippers (you will thank me later), inside/outside case mouth chamfer tool, nylon brush and handle, a hand held priming tool (the one from Frankfort Arsenal is good), appropriate shell holder, get two of them, bullet puller (impact style), Dies: a few ways to go here, I use a combination of the Lee ultimate die set, Forster bullet seater (the one with the dial is nice but not necessary, the regular one will get you where you need to be), Redding body die.
With the addition of knowledge the above will grow with you.
Mission dictates the equipment.
What are you going to be reloading for? A reloading system designed around reloading precision rifle will be much different then for volume loading pistol rounds, for example.
Before people start throwing lists of equipment to buy, you should probably establish what your mission is, so the feedback can be directly tailored to what you are trying to accomplish.
What are you going to be reloading for? A reloading system designed around reloading precision rifle will be much different then for volume loading pistol rounds, for example.
Before people start throwing lists of equipment to buy, you should probably establish what your mission is, so the feedback can be directly tailored to what you are trying to accomplish.
If you're near Edmonton, I'd be happy to walk you through it. - dan
- Location
- Western Manitoba
I had thought some things were common knowledge, but was proved wrong a few days ago when an acquaintance dropped in and was astounded that I reload cartridges. So a few things he seemed very surprized about, for reloading rifle cartridges, and he has been shooting rifles for at least 10 years.
You do not buy "gunpowder" and then fill up brass. You buy a specific type of powder, often different for different bullet weights, often different again for different cartridges. So the stash of powder containers grows quite a bit if you have any variety. You dispense powder into a cartridge brass usually by weighing it carefully - to the 1/10th of a grain accuracy is common - that is one 70,000th of a pound. That is one 4,375th of an ounce. So, yes, you need a weighing device that can get that accurate.
To reload any specific cartridge, will need a shell holder, a sizing die and a seating die for that cartridge, to fit into the reloading press. Some may interchange with other cartridges. But if you want to load something like a 28 Nosler, probably going to have to buy a shell holder and a die set, as well as powder, bullets and primers, because no tooling that I have here will work or could be substituted. Some of the powder, bullets and primers might be common with other cartridges.
Just as for powder, there are multiple kinds and sizes of primers - a "magnum" pistol primer is not likely a good choice for a magnum rifle cartridge. A 209 primer is not helpful for loading a 30-06. A Berdan primed case is not easily re-done. And so on...
Many, if not most, do not find it dangerous at all, yet repeated stories of guns blowing up, fingers and eyes lost and so on - I can not explain that, unless some people feel the "rules" are for others to follow, and they can do things their own way?
So, a lot of partial truths, misconceptions and errors out there? So easy to clear up with an hour's read through first part of almost any reloading manual, or 15 or 20 minutes with a "safe" and knowledgeable mentor...
You do not buy "gunpowder" and then fill up brass. You buy a specific type of powder, often different for different bullet weights, often different again for different cartridges. So the stash of powder containers grows quite a bit if you have any variety. You dispense powder into a cartridge brass usually by weighing it carefully - to the 1/10th of a grain accuracy is common - that is one 70,000th of a pound. That is one 4,375th of an ounce. So, yes, you need a weighing device that can get that accurate.
To reload any specific cartridge, will need a shell holder, a sizing die and a seating die for that cartridge, to fit into the reloading press. Some may interchange with other cartridges. But if you want to load something like a 28 Nosler, probably going to have to buy a shell holder and a die set, as well as powder, bullets and primers, because no tooling that I have here will work or could be substituted. Some of the powder, bullets and primers might be common with other cartridges.
Just as for powder, there are multiple kinds and sizes of primers - a "magnum" pistol primer is not likely a good choice for a magnum rifle cartridge. A 209 primer is not helpful for loading a 30-06. A Berdan primed case is not easily re-done. And so on...
Many, if not most, do not find it dangerous at all, yet repeated stories of guns blowing up, fingers and eyes lost and so on - I can not explain that, unless some people feel the "rules" are for others to follow, and they can do things their own way?
So, a lot of partial truths, misconceptions and errors out there? So easy to clear up with an hour's read through first part of almost any reloading manual, or 15 or 20 minutes with a "safe" and knowledgeable mentor...
Ya I did post a bit too early before really looking back but I have gone back and looked at some of the posts that are similar to mine and got alot from it. Thanks to everyone for the input it has really helped me go in the right direction I think. As for the mission dedicates equipment, I'd probably prefer precision over mass for now.
