Reloading confusion, just starting out... Help lol

V

ValleyGunNut

Regular
Rating - 100%
25   0   0
Location
Almonte
Okay so Ive made the jump into reloading, went and bought a rcbs rock chucker kit, even built a new work bench for all my reloading to take place on. And this is where there confusion begins lol... I understand that I have to purchase dies for each caliber that I plan on reloading, but Im unsure of anything else that I need to buy (besides primers, bullets, powder etc.) Ive done some searching on CGN and the net but from me doing this reading Ive determined there is a pile of different opinions on things and Id like to get good solid info, this has just left me more confused lol.

Calibers I want to Reload:
338 RUM
30-06
308
22-250

Now to keep this simple to start off with I want to start with the 338 RUM, I already have some previously fired brass for it, and the load data from my buddies dad that reloaded them before for me. So from what I read theres 2 different types of dies, a full length and a neck sizing die, along with finding this out, Ive also found out that there is a huge debate as to whats better to do lol, Im not looking to start a huge debate just looking for the best thing for me to buy personally. I dont wanna get into buying a set of dies only to go out and have to buy another set.

So I guess the questions are:

What dies should I buy... Brand/full length/neck size?
What else should I invest in? Im not really concerned about price (within reason lol) Id much rather buy something now and spend a few dollars more then have to spend more money later.

Thanks for any help, and sorry for the newbie questions in advance! lol
 
You can only neck size for bolt actions if that makes a difference for you. It works the brass less but you may have to full length size after a few neck sizes anyway. If you're just starting out just get the full length dies. Your kit is probably pretty complete for all the nessary things. You might want to get a tumbler for cleaning brass before putting it through your dies. Also makes the brass really shiny which I like but doesn't really matter. As for brand of dies I buy rcbs but I have others and they all do the job.
 
Okay perfect, It is a bolt gun (Remington 700) It does make sense though like your saying to buy the full length set if you have to full size regardless anyways after a few reloads. Looking into getting one of the Hornady supersonic cleaners as well. As for the the brand of dies, it seems to be a very opinionated discussion lol, some guys swear by one brand, other guys have a bunch of different brands, Im not all that concerned with brand, I just want them to have some quality thats all.

Thanks for the help!
 
I purchase Lee dies for no other reason than that is what I started with. In the Lee dies there is a deluxe set. It contains a full size die, a neck size die, and a seating die. The only thing that would be nice to add to this set is a factory crimp die.
Very general description;
Full size die: used for brass fired in a different rifle, used for semiauto rifles, used when neck sized brass no longer chambers without force.
Neck size die: used only for fired brass for the rifle that you intend to shoot it out of, bolt action only, extends length of brass, no lube required.

Purchase a scale you can trust. It is your best investment.
 
Well, first of all I recommend a reloading handbook. I use the Modern Reloading, second edition, by Richard Lee. Beyond just numbers, it has some good information as well and explains the purpose for the various types of dies. I've never seen the RCBS book that comes in the kit, so I have no idea what's in there.

To a certain degree, be a little suspicious of other people's load data. What works for one person in one gun might make your gun explode in your face.

Next up would be a good scale. This may vary from one situation to another, I started with a Lee Safety Scale but it was a pain to have to bend down to check it. I quickly switched to a digital RCBS RangeMaster 750 digital scale, and I have not had a moment of regret. So much easier for me to use.

Calipers are very nice for checking dimensions, which really helps for determining if you need to trim a case.

Utility boxes are wonderful. Once my brass is cleaned and inspected and sized and primed it goes into the box with the primer facing up. That way I know for sure that it has been primed. Then when I pour the powder in the case it goes rightside up, so I can see it has powder. It has helped prevent me from doing something silly like trying to dump powder in an unprimed case, or seating a bullet in a case with no powder. I usually only do batches of 50 cartridges at a time, so the 50 capacity utility boxes work just fine.

For sizing dies there's Neck Sizing and Full Length Sizing. Full Length sizing is generally necessary for reliable function in automatic firearms, or when the ammunition is going to be shared among multiple firearms. The reason is this is when the cartridge is fired, the brass bulges and conforms to the shape of the chamber before shrinking down again. Not all chambers are made equal even among the same make and model, what chambers easily in one gun might get stuck in another gun. The downside of FL sizing is that you generally get a shorter case lifespan, some people report as few as 4 uses. Case life is strange voodoo though, some people seem to get unlimited uses, and other people destroy their brass in only a few firings, lots of factors play into it.
With Neck Sizing, only a portion of the brass is sized and this means it is stressed less. Due to the brass being fire formed for your specific chamber you can possibly get improved accuracy, but I haven't personally noticed any difference because I suck.

So, if you are going to have multiple guns in a caliber or use automatics, use FL sizing. If you are going to use a single gun for each caliber, use whatever makes you happy. Also, you can get Carbide dies, as opposed to the regular steel dies, if you're feeling fancy.


As for which brand to buy, any of them will work, but some will apparently give you +1 to your Reloading skill roll. I've got RCBS FL Die Set .308 Win that did not come with a Neck Sizing die at all. I also have a Redding Deluxe Die Set for .223 Remington and it has a seating die, FL die, and Neck sizing die. Also I have Lee Deluxe Pistol Sets for 9mm Luger and .40 S&W, and they both came with Carbide Factory Crimp Die, Powder Through Expanding Die, Steel Shellholder and power measure, Carbide Sizing Die, and Bullet Seat and Feed Die...whatever the hell that means, haven't even opened the pack yet since I haven't needed to do any reloading for pistol yet. I just bought it because it said Deluxe on the wrapping and has lots of pictures of things.
In short, I recommend looking for whatever gives you the most as it is probably cheaper to buy it now rather that buying it later individually, especially if you need to get it shipped to you. Buying expensive now might save you some money later if you decide you want to get into precision or long range shooting and need to make every little bit count. You might not need a crimp die right now, but just think of all the missed opportunities if you don't have one.

In closing, you're probably never going to get people to agree on anything. Buy once, cry once.
 
for dies i like redding and rcbs followed by hornady. lee is waaaay at the bottom except for their crimping and cast bullet sizing dies they are pretty good

you also need shellholders as they do not come with most die sets
 
ValleyGunNut said:
Okay so Ive made the jump into reloading, went and bought a rcbs rock chucker kit, even built a new work bench for all my reloading to take place on. And this is where there confusion begins lol... I understand that I have to purchase dies for each caliber that I plan on reloading, but Im unsure of anything else that I need to buy (besides primers, bullets, powder etc.) Ive done some searching on CGN and the net but from me doing this reading Ive determined there is a pile of different opinions on things and Id like to get good solid info, this has just left me more confused lol.

Calibers I want to Reload:
338 RUM
30-06
308
22-250

Now to keep this simple to start off with I want to start with the 338 RUM, I already have some previously fired brass for it, and the load data from my buddies dad that reloaded them before for me. So from what I read theres 2 different types of dies, a full length and a neck sizing die, along with finding this out, Ive also found out that there is a huge debate as to whats better to do lol, Im not looking to start a huge debate just looking for the best thing for me to buy personally. I dont wanna get into buying a set of dies only to go out and have to buy another set.

So I guess the questions are:

What dies should I buy... Brand/full length/neck size?
What else should I invest in? Im not really concerned about price (within reason lol) Id much rather buy something now and spend a few dollars more then have to spend more money later.

Thanks for any help, and sorry for the newbie questions in advance! lol
Click to expand...

30-06
308
22-250 all use the same shell holder

and all you need for primers is Large rifle or if data calls for it Mag Large rifle, for the above 4 cals

Hornady makes good dies and there design helps seat the bullet straight, I also like RCBS Dies, your best to start off with full length dies and if you want to change later you can pick up a neck sizer die in the cal you need
 
Reading a few books before you purchase anything else would be prudent, try books like ABC's of Reloading, Modern Reloading by Richard Lee and
attachment.php


Wooters.jpg
 

Attachments

  • Wooters.jpg
    Wooters.jpg
    22.5 KB · Views: 12,523
If you are just making hunting and informal target ammo i would just buy full lenght sizer type dies, and as Cleftwynd says get some good books on the subject. Have fun and enjoy your time making ammo, i have always liked reloading except for case trimming.
 
For what it's worth a few things that will increase your odds of a kaBOOM:

Inadequate bullet jump (the distance between the bullet and the rifling, to put it simply). This is controlled with seating depth.
Double charges. Don't reload when distracted, such as by watching TV etc.
using incorrect powder. I always put a little sticky label on my powder hopper indicating what it's loaded with. In case I have a few days and can't remember. In any case, when in doubt, discard the powder. That's cheaper than a kaboom.

There are lots of other ways to hurt yourself. At the very least, buy a good manual and follow the guidelines. Always start with the starting loads and work up slowly. Being impatient and taking shortcuts can lead to disaster. Start out loading to factory specs, and only with experience, start moving out seating depth to improve accuracy (there's more to this but you can read about it in your reloading manual). If you're not sure, ask. Trial and error isn't the way to go with reloading.

Enjoy!
 
Lol definately am not looking for anything to go kaboom! This is the reason Im asking these newbie questions... Im a heavy equipment mechanic so Im used to the importance of measurements etc when rebuilding motors/transmissions and also the patience involved. Would much rather have good info now and ask dumb questions then have anything go kaboom lol.
 
Stevebot-7 said:
Well, first of all I recommend a reloading handbook. I use the Modern Reloading, second edition, by Richard Lee. Beyond just numbers, it has some good information as well and explains the purpose for the various types of dies. I've never seen the RCBS book that comes in the kit, so I have no idea what's in there.

To a certain degree, be a little suspicious of other people's load data. What works for one person in one gun might make your gun explode in your face.

Next up would be a good scale. This may vary from one situation to another, I started with a Lee Safety Scale but it was a pain to have to bend down to check it. I quickly switched to a digital RCBS RangeMaster 750 digital scale, and I have not had a moment of regret. So much easier for me to use.

Calipers are very nice for checking dimensions, which really helps for determining if you need to trim a case.

Utility boxes are wonderful. Once my brass is cleaned and inspected and sized and primed it goes into the box with the primer facing up. That way I know for sure that it has been primed. Then when I pour the powder in the case it goes rightside up, so I can see it has powder. It has helped prevent me from doing something silly like trying to dump powder in an unprimed case, or seating a bullet in a case with no powder. I usually only do batches of 50 cartridges at a time, so the 50 capacity utility boxes work just fine.

For sizing dies there's Neck Sizing and Full Length Sizing. Full Length sizing is generally necessary for reliable function in automatic firearms, or when the ammunition is going to be shared among multiple firearms. The reason is this is when the cartridge is fired, the brass bulges and conforms to the shape of the chamber before shrinking down again. Not all chambers are made equal even among the same make and model, what chambers easily in one gun might get stuck in another gun. The downside of FL sizing is that you generally get a shorter case lifespan, some people report as few as 4 uses. Case life is strange voodoo though, some people seem to get unlimited uses, and other people destroy their brass in only a few firings, lots of factors play into it.

With Neck Sizing, only a portion of the brass is sized and this means it is stressed less. Due to the brass being fire formed for your specific chamber you can possibly get improved accuracy, but I haven't personally noticed any difference because I suck.

So, if you are going to have multiple guns in a caliber or use automatics, use FL sizing. If you are going to use a single gun for each caliber, use whatever makes you happy. Also, you can get Carbide dies, as opposed to the regular steel dies, if you're feeling fancy.


As for which brand to buy, any of them will work, but some will apparently give you +1 to your Reloading skill roll. I've got RCBS FL Die Set .308 Win that did not come with a Neck Sizing die at all. I also have a Redding Deluxe Die Set for .223 Remington and it has a seating die, FL die, and Neck sizing die. Also I have Lee Deluxe Pistol Sets for 9mm Luger and .40 S&W, and they both came with Carbide Factory Crimp Die, Powder Through Expanding Die, Steel Shellholder and power measure, Carbide Sizing Die, and Bullet Seat and Feed Die...whatever the hell that means, haven't even opened the pack yet since I haven't needed to do any reloading for pistol yet. I just bought it because it said Deluxe on the wrapping and has lots of pictures of things.
In short, I recommend looking for whatever gives you the most as it is probably cheaper to buy it now rather that buying it later individually, especially if you need to get it shipped to you. Buying expensive now might save you some money later if you decide you want to get into precision or long range shooting and need to make every little bit count. You might not need a crimp die right now, but just think of all the missed opportunities if you don't have one.

In closing, you're probably never going to get people to agree on anything. Buy once, cry once.
Click to expand...

Good advice.

Much of the hue and cry about brands is akin to the Ford-vs-GM hoopla you can see elsewhere. Most reloaders wind up with a rainbow on their bench.

Strongly recommend ABCs of Reloading as an introductory read.
 
If you make or have some friends that reload, you can definitely split on some of the equipment. Certainly thing you may eventually want, such as chronys, don't get used enough to need one of you own if you can share/borrow one. Once you get a load you're really happy with and start mass-producing, you might even consider sharing things like dies. Personally, I like to crank out 1000 rounds at a time, meaning I am willing to trade/lend out my dies quite a lot, to people I trust of course.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom