Things you wish you knew when you first started reloading

T

Theycallmejohnnycash

Member
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Location
Moose Juice Saskachatoon Eh !
Hey guys,
So I wanted to start a post that all the experiences reloaders and bullet casters can comment on. Sort of a "I wish I knew that BEFORE I started reloading" type of deal. It can be rifle, pistol. Black powder. What ever. Just more or less sharing your experiences on lessons learned that everyone else can benefit from. Annnnnd....GO !
 
I wish I had learned how to set up the Lee quick trim die for .44mag before I did 1400 of them by hand. The .223 die works awesomely well now after fixing the trimmer that I damaged btw.
 
Theycallmejohnnycash said:
Haha yes... I did a crap ton of .357 this evening using the quick trim. When I first started I was using a lathe trimmer. Live and learn :)
Click to expand...

Turns out that they really mean it when they say don't turn the cutter backwards....I took it apart and straightened the blades and now it works properly. About 12 seconds for a trimmed to .001" nicely chamfered case.
 
I wish I knew how accurate my first rifle was. At 18 , I was new to rifles and rifle reloading, having grown up shooting trap and skeet. My first rifle (I still have it) was a Rem 700 sporter in .222. I got a few pointers from club members, read a few basic books (no Internet then), and proceeded to load for my rifle. The only thing I had for a measuring tool was a case length gauge. Within a couple of months of loading throughout the week and shooting on Saturdays, I had 2 or 3 bullets that would shoot 1/2" 5 shot groups at 100 yards. Those were also the days when Southern Ontario was overrun with groundhogs. :)

As the years went by and my collection grew, my reloading became more refined and polished, but those consistent 1/2" groups sure haven't appeared as easily as they did with my old .222.

Knowing what I know now, I should have started with an SKS!
 
* If you ask ten different reloaders, you will get 10 different responses.
* There is good gear available from almost all manufacturers, it doesn't all have to be high end names you buy, but some items are worth their money.
* Finding the right load for each rifle can be addictive and rewarding at the same time.
* Be methodical in your steps, do not get distracted. Somehow I ended up with 10 rounds that didn't have primers a few weeks ago - that should never happen.
 
If you are loading with accuracy as your main goal I would recommend you get an account with Sinclair International.

When you get looking for some of the more specialized items required for precision or benchrest level of accuracy, they can be hard to find at your local shop.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom