Starting Out

be patient, be careful and always double check everything.
some of the loads you make may be really crappy, but you will eventually find a powder/primer/bullet combination that gives you match grade accuracy....
all in time.
 
Avoid making large batches in the early days.... Keep meticulous records... Try to have someone show you the ropes.... Dont watch TV while reloading...
Buy one of the all-in beginner kits... Lee, RCBS, etc
 
Check out this Forum. Good bunch of guys there with a wealth of information.

http://reloaders.gunloads.com/index.php


Get a good single stage press (RCBS Rockchucker is excellent), Invest in some manuals:

Hornady puts out a good one. In addition get a copy of ABC's of Reloading.

Most of the powder companies publish reloading data. THe Hodgdon Site is good:

http://data.hodgdon.com/main_menu.asp

Take Care

Bob
 
Picking up a good manual such as the Lyman manual is a good place to start. You can read through it and familiarize yourself with the process. Reloading is actually quite easy once you learn what you need to do for each step of the process. It will also help you learn what sort of equipment you need to get started. There are a lot of "kits" that you can by from manufacturers like RCBS, Lee, etc. These kits usually have pretty much everything you need to get started other than dies and components.
 
As per the above:
manuals & comprehension
patience & focus
small initial batches & their performance
DO NOT CHEAP OUT ON YOUR CAPITAL PURCASE OF RELOADING EQUIPMENT, QUALITY TOOLING WILL YEILD DIVIDENS IN A LIFETIME OF PREMIUM SERVICE!
 
Look into an RCBS Starter Kit. It'll give you everything you need less the dies and shell holder. You'll need a die set and a shellholder for each cartridge. Cartridges with the same case head(like the .308, .30-06, .243, etc) use the same shellholder. Your's are all different. Start with the cartridge you shoot most and buy the dies and shellholder for the other two later.
It comes with a Speer loading manual, but buy another one anyway. The Lyman book gives you more loads for more bullets weights than the Speer book. Not that there's anything wrong with it. It's just that it only gives you loads for Speer bullets.
Then:
Beginning with the starting load, load 5 rounds only. Go up by half a grain of powder, loading 5 of each keeping them separate until you get to the max load in your manual.
Then go shooting. Shoot at 100 yards, for group only, slowly and deliberately off a bench.
Change targets between strings of 5 and allow time for the barrel to cool.
For your .308, when you find the best group, sight in 4" high at 100. That'll put you on target out to about 300 yards with no hold over.
And don't forget that we're here to help you. Feel free to ask any questions you may have.
 
"Whats the diff between a lee and RCBS press??"

Price,quality and features.

762shooter - "If you are loading for accuracy buy good bullets or you're wasting your time and powder."

Or cast your own for real accuracy.:D

Take Care

Bob
 
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