Newbie Q's please help

Alex

Alex

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Alright, I'm all set I've got my press my scale and all the rest. I never reloaded a bullet in my life but I think I'm ready to begin. A couple of questions for the pros before I start.

Decap die; do I need one?

I figure that I deprime the casings with the decap die, clean the pocket then clean the case. Instead of cleaning the cases, lubing them, size/deprime and having to clean the pockets (of lubed cases) and risk dirtying the cases with ''pocket residue''.

How do I clean the cases?

I don't intend on buying a tumbler. Too costly and I don't plan on mass reloading.

Case lube;

I bought it in a spray can. The die instructions warn not to spray the shoulder of the case. The instructions on the lube say to spread the casings on a cookie sheet, spray on both sides and wait some time...

Reloading manual;

I bought a used manual, Speer #11 should I buy an up-to-date one; have the powders and bullets changed?

And last but not least. How do I know when to up the charge?

Don't worry; I know never to start by the max. charge and never go over it. My question is how will I know when I have reached the maximum pressure my rifle will handle. What warning signs should I watch for?

Thanks a lot guys I can't wait to join the reloading community!

Alex
 
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A for Alex: Buy an up to date manual, new powders , and better pressure testing equiptment, dictates the need.
A: just wipe the case shoulder with a rag, prior to sizing.
A: Read the manual they all discribe a procedure for working up to pressure.
Suggestion: hook up with a member from the board who is experienced, and learn.
I made some mistakes when I got into reloading some 25yrs. ago, it would have been nice to know someone who could have trained me, but no I knew no one who reloaded.
 
Decap die; do I need one?

I figure that I deprime the casings with the decap die, clean the pocket then clean the case. Instead of cleaning the cases, lubing them, size/deprime and having to clean the pockets (of lubed cases) and risk dirtying the cases with ''pocket residue''.

How do I clean the cases?

I don't intend on buying a tumbler. Too costly and I don't plan on mass reloading.

With the first two, my tumbler was a cheap investment. I don't "mass reload" either, but I like nice clean cases. Drop in and forget about for a while.
I: clean, deprime/resize then check/clean primer pocket. The case gets lubed just prior to being reloaded.

Case lube;

I bought it in a spray can. The die instructions warn not to spray the shoulder of the case. The instructions on the lube say to spread the casings on a cookie sheet, spray on both sides and wait some time...

I tried that stuff a couple of times. Not impressed. Went everywhere but the case sides. Used Lee lube for a bit. Worked well, but kind of messy. Now I use Imperial sizing wax and some mica for the throat.

Reloading manual;

I bought a used manual, Speer #11 should I buy an up-to-date one; have the powders and bullets changed?

You'll need an up-to-date copy. Preferably several manuals. Like beers, one is never enough. :D :D

And last but not least. How do I know when to up the charge?

Don't worry; I know never to start by the max. charge and never go over it. My question is how will I know when I have reached the maximum pressure my rifle will handle. What warning signs should I watch for?

As stated before, read the manual(s).

A chronograph is nice to have, see numbers on what you're doing. Load for group size, not max pressure.
My $.02

(E) :cool:
 
todbartell said:
buy a chronograph for $90, it will prevent you from reloading blind
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Click to expand...

For sure, I'm planing on gathering all the info. of each load in a nice little binder...


acrashb said:
1) 2) "Nevrdull Magic Wadding Polish", available at Canadian Tire. You can thank me later.
Click to expand...

I'll try that first, thanks. I'll probably buy a tumbler later.


(((Echo))) said:
I tried that stuff a couple of times. Not impressed. Went everywhere but the case sides. Used Lee lube for a bit. Worked well, but kind of messy. Now I use Imperial sizing wax and some mica for the throat.
Click to expand...

Imperial sizing wax. Where can I get it?
 
My 2 cents:

Don't be too concerned with having to work a load up to max. pressure. My most accurate loads are mostly quite mild and shy of the published maximum, while still pushing factory-spec velocities. Speed and pressure are not always your friend and in my experience, almost always lead to worsening bullet groups.

The Speer manual is good, but I would temper it with the addition of a Lyman manual - you will be surprised on how similar bullets and powder combos differ from manual to manual - the "truth" lying somewhat in between the statistics in both manuals.

No need to get a tumbler right a way - but truly worth it in the long run. It's always best to examine clean cases for defects (splits) BEFORE reloading - you'd be surprised what you might miss while examining a dirty case.

If reloading for rifle calibres, you must check and trim resized cases to ensure that you have not reached the over-all max length for that cartridge. A cheap micrometer and lee trimmer is all that you need. Not an issue when reloading pistol, as the pressure rarely stretch the cases to exceed over-all length. A weigh scale is a must (later, get a powder dispenser - you will not regret it)

Good luck and pay attention, you might be surprised how easily it is to get distracted while reloading.

Cheers,

Rich

PS: Don't need a de-capping die
 
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