Tell me how to reload...please?

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Ljungman

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Ok...I'll make this as simple a question as I can because I need the simplest answer, as I am the newest of Newb to Reloading and I want to start by this fall.

Ok...so....lets start small. Say I want to reload some .38 S&W rounds for my Webley. I go out and get some brass (lets say once fired commercial), some pistol primers, and some lead .38 bullets.

What kind of power should I be looking at getting and what equiment do I need to reload this round? And what elese should I know?

PS:.......NEWB = Me
 
Agreed, buy a loading manual, read loading manual. Then ask specific questions. Understand the basics first.
The Lymans Manual has some decent loads and the first set of sections of the manual describe in detail the re-loading process simply.
Always compare a few manuals/sources before loading anything, the last thing you want is having the only set of notes for your specific caliber that happened to have type-O's.
Safety first, always.

M.
 
waynesixgun said:
1) Purchase at least one reloading manual.
2) Read it cover to cover twice.
Click to expand...

:agree:

I would suggest buying two and reading each of them cover to cover twice. After that, you'll be very well prepared to undertake reloading.
 
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you have to think of reloading like a recipe:
you have to follow the directions to a "T".
"a little of this, and a little of that" will get you seriously injured.

in the reloading manuals, it tells you what to do, how much to use, and how to do it.

read the book, buy some dies, then get back to us with specific questions. We are more than happy to help you out, but its not something you can just start doing with no understanding of what the reasons are for doing it.

be safe,
get back to us later,
 
When reloading:
1) no watching TV
2) No drinking beer
3) No diddling around with wife/GF/SO
4) NO Smoking

Although reloading is very safe and enjoyable, if you make a stoopid mistake:
1) You can experiance first hand a KABOOM!
2) You can burn your house down.
3) You can cause serious injury or death.
If you can find a kind reloader, ask them to show you the ins and outs. In over 30 years of reloading, I have only had the occasional squibb load. Always be conscious when shooting reloads that if a shot goes pop instead of BANG, do NOT squeeze off a follow up shot... otherwise you could experiance a KABOOM!
Scared yet? Well you shouldn't be, just be aware that reloading in not an activity to be taken half-heartedly. It is serious stuff. Enjoy your new passtime.
 
it's AMAZING how often this comes up- almost sounds like a troll alert- I CAN'T THINK OF WHEN I'VE THOUGHT OF DOING SOMETHING AND NOT RESEARCHED IT FIRST- MAYBE WE NEED A STICKY THAT SAYS " NEW TO RELOADING?- READ THIS FIRST" the text that follows doesn't need to be extensive, maybe just the 5 elementary steps with no specific powder charges to avoid liability problems- deprime, resize, reprime, powder charge and bullet seat- 6 if you count lube( bottleneck cases) i know that doesn't cover the half of it but i said it was BASIC-
 
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The biggest hurdle I ran into when I started reloading was understanding the dies. The actual recipe part was stupid simple. But getting the resize and neck dies to where they actually need to be took a bit of practice. Especially for handguns/straight cartridges.

But hey... thats just me.
 
Yes I was a lost soul when i started way back when, what i did was went and spent a saturday with a great old friend that walked me through the basics, than went through a hornady manual with me! Than we loaded a few boxes of sammi spec shells, and went throught the manual , burn rates and back through again!
Than he sent me home with 2 manuals and said come back and do it your self a few times, than go buy some equipment!
I had my hand held.
I was lucky to have a teacher.
 
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And then go online and watch ALL the RCBS videos so you can watch someone do it. Great site by the way and very instructive. Ditto on the reading too. The shop where you get your reloading supplies will also have someone there to answer questions-they want you to have fun and buy lots of loading supplies so it is in their best interests to make it easy for you.
 
You're not likely to find once fired commercial .38 S&W. Fortunately, there's lots of new brass and ammo around.
"...getting the resize and neck dies to where..." Easier than it looks. Most of it is easier to do than explain. Put in the shell holder and run the ram all the way up. Screw the die in until it just kisses the shell holder. Lock the die with the set screw. The other dies get set up the same way. Then you adjust the expander button rod until the primer pops out when the ram is all the way up. Lock it. A bit of a tighten with pliers keeps it there.
The seating plug is a bit more tricky but not by much. You adjust it down until you get the desired OAL with the bullet you're using and lock it.
If you're neck sizing only, you adjust the sizer die up until it does that. You can see the sizing on a processed case. If you're using a special neck sizer die, you set it up the same as the regular die.
 
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