reloading Super newbie here, looking for advice.

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Rifter

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What i want to do, load some .308 rounds.

What i have:

Lee 50th anniversary breech lock reloading kit
RCBS Dial caliper


A friend who no longer uses .308 gave me some stuff he said would get me started that he had left over, he reloads as well, what a great friend lol.

He gave me:

2 bags of winchester brass, he said its old but never used, from like year 2000. 100pcs total
CCI LR primers 100pcs
Sierra bullets .308 168 grain match king HPBT 50 pcs
1 lbs of IMR 4895 powder

Is this enough to get started and load up the 50 bullets i have? i dont have an resizing dies, do i need to resize brand new brass? so do i need to order those before i begin? Im obviously going to order it anyways but unsure if i need it for the first time i load up new brass.

Any advice would be helpful.
 
Do you have any die at all?

Anyone here could tell you if you need to resize new brass. Actually, I'm fairly certain someone will. But the answer is also in the book that came with the Lee anniversary kit (and if it isn't, it should be). You should read that book. All of it except the load datas for the cartridge you don't load.

You said Any advice would be helpful. Here's mine: read at least one reloading manual.
 
no dies yet, im going to order dies for .308 today or tomorrow.

The manual with the kit says to resize it, but ive also seen it said to just check sizes with a caliper and if the brass size is in spec then resizing not needed. hence me asking the question
 
Best to size. Brand new brass usually has a lot of the necks of the case out of round from banging together in the bag/box or what ever it came in. Measure your case lengths they will vary from case to case. This will affect crimping to some degree. should trim to the same over all length then set die accordingly. Inspect primer pockets you some times get some with defective or badly punched primer hole. not often but it happens
 
thanks guy, will resize it. I measured a few that were in specs and a few that were not. I like your idea of cutting them all to same OAL thats a great idea.
 
Rifter said:
no dies yet, im going to order dies for .308 today or tomorrow.

The manual with the kit says to resize it, but ive also seen it said to just check sizes with a caliper and if the brass size is in spec then resizing not needed. hence me asking the question
Click to expand...

Good thing you read the book. Confirming what's in the book by looking it up on the internet is good too.

The book was right: resize new brass. Actually, other than tumbling it, you can treat new brass like once fired. Inspect it, make sure nothing is bad with it, then resize it and cut it to OAL.
 
I'm green too.

What I've learned so far;
1) Take your time
2) Keep your work area tidy. 1 powder at a time, 1 step at a time.
3) Ask questions.
4) Don't be afraid to weigh each charge, measure each bullet etc.
5) Start low and work up.
6) You will make a mistake. But you're not the first, won't be the last.

Side note, the reloading section of this forum is probably the best. No (or very little) egos, just great help.
 
My advice is to have an experienced reloader with you for your first batch and not to trust any load data you get off the internet without verifying it with at least one fairly new reloading manual (I have 3 manuals and a binder full of data I've collected from reputable internet sources).
If you use a digital scale keep your cell phone in another room and don't use a fluorescent light over your reloading bench. Both will mess with your digital scale.
 
I don't bother to resize new brass - if its good enough for the factory its good enough for me. You cant load up anything without the bullet seating die. FWIW - As these are the first reloads you are making, the objective should be to make rounds that go bang safely. Some tips:

1) start with small batches.
2) use the cannelure to set cartride length
3) stay near minimum loads
4) when resizing already fired brass, check for chamber fit before loading up the cartridge with powder and bullet.
5) get a bullet puller.
 
Pick up a set of 308 Win dies. I like the Lee dies because they are reasonably priced and commonly available.

Also pick up a Lee Quick Trim Die for 308 Win: http://leeprecision.com/308_win_qt_die.html

This will let you use the Lee Value Trim thing that's included with your Lee 50th Anniversary Kit.

I always trim and size factory new brass, just to ensure that all my cases start from the same known state.

If I were working with your materials, I would do this:

* Lube all 100 cases. You just need a light film of lube -- look on YouTube for videos of how to lube cases.

* Resize all 100 cases. Follow instructions with the die set.

* Trim all 100 cases. Follow the instructions with the Value Trim and Quick Trim Die. This will trim and chamfer your cases.

* Wipe off the lube. I just polish the cases a bit with a soft rag or even a paper towel.

Your brass is now ready to load.

Find a storage box where the brass will not bang around and damage itself. I use a lot of Frankford Arsenal and Dillon storage boxes, like these: http://www.btibrands.com/brands/frankford/?archive=ammo-boxes

Label the box to note that the cases are sized and trimmed and ready to load.

You can now reload as many of those cases as you want.

When I started I loaded in batches of 20. There are usually 20 in a commercial box, so 20 is what I went with.

Start with a load from either the Lee manual or from the instructions that came with the Lee die.

Load exactly according to the instructions and load the minimum load. Don't try to reinvent aything. Don't try to be a tough guy by starting with the maximum load.

I recommend loading the first time with the Lee dipper that comes with the Lee die set. You can learn to use the scale and the Perfect Powder Measure later.

Get used to the process and work from there. You'll pick it up quickly.

As someone else said, get a bullet puller, like one of these: http://www.cabelas.ca/product/61231/lyman-magnum-inertia-bullet-puller

You'll likely make a mistake or two the first time around and they help you undo those. More expensive pullers, like collet pullers, are available but you don't need to drop cash on those yet.

Good luck with it. Post pictures of your loads if you can.
 
The case mouths of new cases have to be champfered. Otherwise they scrape the bullets upon seating. The moths are not now nice and round, so the cases need to be sized at least to 3/4 of the length of the necks, to true them up.

Load 40 gr of that 4895, seat the bullets to an OAL of about 2.800 and shoot.
 
You aren't quite ready, a few things you are missing:

1. You need dies to set the bullet even if you don't resize new brass. Buy a 2-die set of 308 Winchester dies.
2. You should chamfer the case mouth on new brass. Buy a handheld chamfering tool.
3. You need a device or tool for measuring or weighing powder charges. 40gr IMR4895 was mentioned and that's a good load, but you need to be able to measure it. Lee scoops would work, or a balance scale.
4. You need reloading data - online or buy reloading manual/s. I recommend the Lyman Reloading Manual, 49th or 50th edition.

Otherwise you have everything you need, except the knowledge and you can get on youtube or from a book.

Budget Shooter Supply is located in Surrey, he can set you up with everything you need and probably give you some good advice on what to buy. Good people.
 
One other tip: before you load any live rounds, load up a couple of dummy rounds (no primer or powder), to the length you plan on, and make sure they function through the action.
 
PM me your email address... I got a bunch of reloading books in PDF format that I can share with you.

Cheers and keep us posted!
 
OldDude said:
One other tip: before you load any live rounds, load up a couple of dummy rounds (no primer or powder), to the length you plan on, and make sure they function through the action.
Click to expand...

Actually, your dummies should be primed, but without a bullet or powder. The idea is to check whether your headspace is set correctly. If the shoulder is set too high, the case will be hard to chamber. If too low, you will get light primer strikes and some FTF.
 
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