new to reloading, need advices..

H

herbeapuce

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Hi. I just bought myself a nice single stage press. so far my entire reloading equipment concist of ....a... the press and that's it.... Now I need to buy all the rest.
my goal is to reload for my 25-06 and achive the most precision. I don't think I will be reloading more than 100 rounds a month because I can't shoot much.

I am new to reloading, never did it before . I did a lot of reading and youtube watching...
my question to you is....In order to be able to make top quality rounds, do I have to inverst in match type dies ? my intention was to get something from redding or foster, or wilson. , but not their die kit at $250.... more like a normal kit.. is this a good thing?
how much should I invest in a FL die kit if I want to shoot in 1 hole ?

what make and model would you use if it were you ? thanks
(my press is a Foster Co axe)

stef
 
I can sell you the MRC (Wilson copy) most precise 25-06 in line bullet seater available, but arbour press is required for it. Buy Lee Deluxe set of dies with collet die included and not other set of dies, no matter how expensive would beat that combo.
 
I have a single stage Lee press I use Hornaday three die sets for .308 and my .303 and have no problems making nice tight groups. dies matter nil as far as accuracy your best to fire form your new brass and neck size only/FL size when they get tight. what you need to figure out is what powder/bullet/load works with YOUR rifle. I have a few .303s and a couple .308s blah blah blah they all have different barrel lengths and twists and what ultimately matters is finding what yours wants to shoot.

Congrats on finding what I realized as a totally separate hobby aside from shooting, Frustrating as it can/will be at times its pretty rewarding when you load your own and make way more accurate and consistent loads than anything out of a box
 
do you think I can make an attachement to transform my press into a arbor press when needed ? I would say yes .. ?

@ RossArms and everyone else, ca you show me a few good websites for seeing lots of recipes and shooting results ?

stef
 
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There is no magic pill, to allow you to shoot into one hole, unless you only fire one shot.
There are just too, too many variables.
For starters, what guarantee do you have that your rifle is capable of the accuracy you are after?
Or that it is bedded properly, in order to get the best out of the rifle?
 
Theres not a lot out there as far as recipes due to liability(DONT TRUST RECEPIES OFF MESSAGE BOARDS) Grab a few loading manuals and look in them all and find a happy medium. Lyman makes my favorite due to its variety of bullets tested not to mention they dont produce bullets themselves so its pretty honest.

that being said software is available out there check these out


"Pointblank" is great software for doing you math on paper..... its a free trial for life you lust have to wait for a minute when you start the program, if you pay you dont have to wait. reloaders reference is great for inventory and record keeping
 
H4831 said:
There is no magic pill, to allow you to shoot into one hole, unless you only fire one shot.
There are just too, too many variables.
For starters, what guarantee do you have that your rifle is capable of the accuracy you are after?
Or that it is bedded properly, in order to get the best out of the rifle?
Click to expand...


I understand that.
I will also work on the gun a bit...

stef.
 
I agree whole heartidly with H4831.
Then there is the "are you capable of this task also?"
The 25-06 I recently sold was capable of the task, but I can't make more
than a big cloverleaf.
The Swede I have in the EE is also capable, but not I.
You can beat yourself to death with this but can You do it?
My eyes won't allow me and on a good day I can make a one inch group...
if the stars are in order.
 
herbeapuce said:
do you think I can make an attachement to transform my press into a arbor press when needed ? I would say yes .. ?
Click to expand...
I've used my Co-Ax to run my Wilson neck die, it's awkward; but you can do it.

herbeapuce said:
@ RossArms and everyone else, ca you show me a few good websites for seeing lots of recipes and shooting results ?
Click to expand...

I'm a subscriber at ammoguide.com there's lots of recipes, use with caution.

As for software, if you have a scanner, On Target is a great piece of software for keeping track of your shooting.
 
Define 'top quality'.

If you mean competition-grade ammo suitable for bringing home trophies, maybe not. The super-accuracy crowd spends a lot of bucks on their equipment, trying to hone out the last fraction of a decimal of accuracy.

H4831 is absolutely right. There's no point in investing a mortgage payment on ammo that a) won't be fired out of a rifle capable of the same level of accuracy and b) fired by a shooter that cannot take full advantage of it.

On the other hand, for most of us, you can produce some very good ammo using normal dies. Depends on you and your rifle.

I also agree with RossArms. Until you get a feel for what you are doing, take your load data from manuals published by the major players. Thee's much good info on the net, but there are also some stone-cold idiots out there.
 
I assume the Co Ax has the parts to seat primers and it holds the shells with it's own jaws not a standard shellholder like other presses use.

You will need;
1 a manual like Lyman 49th
2 Calipres to measure case length .001" ($30 digital at home depot)
3 Some type of case trimmer
4 .25-06 FL die set RCBS, Lee, Hornady etc (learn neck sizing and all the fancy stuff after learning standard safe reloading first)

Also empty cases, .257" bullets you want to use, large rifle primers, and a powder found in your manual suitable for this calibre and bullet weight.
 
ATOM said:
Define 'top quality'.

If you mean competition-grade ammo suitable for bringing home trophies, maybe not. The super-accuracy crowd spends a lot of bucks on their equipment, trying to hone out the last fraction of a decimal of accuracy.

H4831 is absolutely right. There's no point in investing a mortgage payment on ammo that a) won't be fired out of a rifle capable of the same level of accuracy and b) fired by a shooter that cannot take full advantage of it.

On the other hand, for most of us, you can produce some very good ammo using normal dies. Depends on you and your rifle.

I also agree with RossArms. Until you get a feel for what you are doing, take your load data from manuals published by the major players. Thee's much good info on the net, but there are also some stone-cold idiots out there.
Click to expand...

thank you all for the help

I will not morgage the house for this...

top quality for me means better than commercial.. I believe every gun is different and they all have a sweet spot... this is what I am aiming for. finding the sweet spot and building deacent ammo. if I could put 3 in a dollar at 200y..I would be in heaven

(I am not a great shot. since I split my forehead with the scope on a magnun rifle a few years ago ...it left me with fear and clinching... but 25-06 is small enought that I dont`fear it... i am getting better the more I shoot.)

thanks.
 
Gotcha. You should be able to do that with Chevy-level dies.

Other stuff to consider, above and beyond dies, press, shell holder and components:

Must-Haves

• a workbench of some sort. It can be custom built, a folding work-mate or even a way to use your kitchen counter, but you must have something reasonably solid.

• some way of lubricating cases as they go through the first (sizing) die. Otherwise, they stick - Bad. I prefer Imperial Sizing Die wax, but others have their own favourites.

• scales. Electronic or balance.

• a reloading block - a tray to hold your cases as you work through the process. You can buy them or make them with a piece of 2x6 and a drill press.

• a legal way to store primers and powder. Lockable box with EXPLOSIVES written on the outside is the starting point.

• a book of some sort to record your efforts so you can tell what works and what doesn't. You can buy specially-printed ones but a school notebook works just as well

• good lighting. If your reloading place isn't bright, buy a cheap gooseneck lamp. I got mine (a floor model) at Ikea

• often overlooked - safety googles and a fire extinguisher. Chicken Little only has to be right once.​

'Should-have-but-not-critical' stuff

• powder measure. It dumps a measured volume of propellant.

• powder trickler (the 'throw low and trickle up' concept is useful for high accuracy loads)

• small flashlight

• a primer pocket resizing tool (different kinds) and primer crimp remover if you are trying to reload military ammo cases

• automatic primer feed, strip or tube, to avoid having to handle individual primers​


'Nice-to-have' stuff

• primer pocket cleaner

• magnifying glass

• a small funnel for pouring powder into cases

• tumbler. You can reload without one, but asides from making things shiny, they also make it easier to examine your brass for cracks, etc

• case trimmer. You'll need it eventually, especially if reloading hot ammo

• a deburring tool to 'round off' neck edges, especially after trimming.

• bullet puller. Everybody makes mistakes. Most people use a kinetic one, shaped like a hammer, but they're slow for large #s. There's another type, like a reloading die. They're faster, but are more expensive and require you to remove the dies you are loading with to use it.​

Some things you won't need until you really need them, and that will 10 minutes before your buddy is due to pick you up for the Big Hunt
• a couple of spare depriming pins for your dies

• a stuck case remover.

You can get both for under $10 and they'll save you a lot of grief​
 
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