New to reloading - couple question!!!

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Duncan71

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Hey all,

Got a reloading kit for christmas so I am gonna dive right in... I have a few questions as to the powder, bullet, primer combos Im going to be using. I am mainly (only) going to be reloading for 308, 30-30, 30 06, 303, and 8mm. I would like to use as similiar components as possible, but looking at a lot of reloading books, its all specific to each individual round. If a 150gr bullet in barnes is safe with load X, will a 150gr Hornady (provided same style - jacketed, soft point) bullet is used? Also, how much difference does each primer type make? Maybe someone on here could give me some suggestions, as to a relatively common powder and primer that can be used with as many of those cartridges as possible, and if there is bullet that can shoot OK in 3006, 308, and 303? PS. I am not as of yet reloading for extreme accuracy, mostly just budget, so I dont need/want all the fancy stuff.

Cheers,
Duncan
 
For the most part you can use different makes of the same bullet weight. IE Hornady 150 gr sp or Seirra !50gr. bk. If your load is at or near max in your rifle back off and work up. You`ll need some different style of bullets for the 30-30 if it`s got a tube mag. Can`t use pointed bullets and round nose bullets are not your best performer in the others. Some of the special long range bullets require a different load. You can use .308 bullets in a 303if you must but i wouldn`t. Primers i usually buy in a carton of 1000, win,cci or what ever make i can`t see any difference in hunting ammo. If possible look around gun shows for partial boxes of bullet, lets you try different styles and makes without having a bunch of leftovers you don`t like. Powder i wouldn`t do that with. For sure get some good books ABC`s of reloading is good, lots of good info on the web as well as some good youtube vidios. If you get stuck ask away, lots of knowledgeable guys here.
 
Generally speaking, .308 bullets are interchangeable with others of the same weight.

As dead meat noted, you can indeed fire the pointier ones from a .30/30 but there are safety issues in tubular magazines, so flat or round-nose bullets are needed. The .303 British is a different calibre, so it needs its own special bullets.

Primers are all the same size for those rounds. There are standard primers and magnum primers, but primers are dirt cheap, so buy what you need.

Powder - I'm with dead meat; I wouldn't try somebody else's old can of propellant unless I personally knew and trusted the guy. Figure out what weight bullets you want to reload and then compare the loads in your manuals (I wouldn't take anything off the internet until you know what you're doing and can recognize good data from macho BS). I strongly suspect that there will be one powder type that is recommended for all. That's your starting point, although you may want to experiment later.

Welcome to the dark side.
 
As others mentioned, a reloading manual (ABC's of Reloading) is a good place to start. There are others, including those published by Hornady, Barnes, Hodgdon, Sierra, and so on. There are also plenty of on-line resources. For example, Hodgdon Reloading has a wealth of data on their site. There, you can compare powders, etc., with your various calibers, to see which ones are common among them. Likewise, load data for similar weights of bullets...ie: .30 caliber, 150 grain. And so on. Have someone mentor you on reloading basics, if that is possible. There are also plenty of highly experienced reloaders on this forum. Feel free to tap their knowledge. Reloading is a simple, safe and rewarding hobby, once you know what to do. Best advice: Learn the basics. Go slow. Pay attention.
 
As already mentioned, the ABC's of reading is strongly advised.

Also take what Dead meat & Atom said to heart. If you completely trust the guy about what powder he is giving you, then ok. If not, go and get a generic powder like IMR 4895 or similar. Don't forget the most important rule of all, NEVER more than one powder on the bench at one time!!! Using load data for one powder A and using powder B will have a life changing result, load as per the manual.
 
Gettin started. If you buy 150 gr round nose bullets, you can use them in 308, 30-06 and 30-30.

Several good powders will work in those claibers, plus 303 and 8mm: 4895, 748, RL15, Varget, H335, BLc2.

If you use a ball powder and have a powedr thrower, it will throw very uniform laods and you won't have to weigh each charge: 748, H335, BLc2
 
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