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boresnake

boresnake

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Hi, I'm new to shooting and firearms in general, and want to become a better shot. I was given advice by a guy who's training me to start reloading, as I could shoot more economically. I went out and bought a RCBS partner press kit, and a RCBS 30-06 die, some powder. primers and speer 180gr round nose bullets.

I set up the press and the scale alright, and was playing around with attempting to put a shell in the press to resize it, and realized in the manual that they talk about a cartridge holder for 30-06, #3 to be exact that I need. The kit doesn't come with one of those, so I guess I have to pick one up, cause the shell wasn't going in anyhow.

Here is a link to the kit I got,
http://www.rcbs.com/default.asp?menu=1&s1=4&s2=2&s3=8

what other things should I get?
I want to reload 45 acp, 9mm, possibly 223 and 308 as well. Right now I only have the 45 and 30-06 but I am planning on getting the other calibers in the future.

Also, how do you guys clean your shells, do you wash them in water, or what? How dirty do they have to be for you to clean them before reloading?
Any other tips are greatly appreciated!!!
:D :shotgun:
 
reloading

You will need to get a shell holder for each size of cartridges you want to reload for. I purchased a set of Lee holders (~$23), RCBS also has them. Then you are good for almost any cartridges. For cleaning many systems are used. One way to go is with a case tumbler. The main thing is to make sure that the case does not have "dirt" on the outside such thatit would scratch the dies or chamber. You should also get a neck deburring tool (like RCBS), a lube kit of some type (if it did not come in your package), some method of determinig case and loaded cardridge length, and primer pocket cleaning tool. This should get you going. I may have missed something but the next responces will add or correct this. Be care full and have fun.
 
Thanks for the reply..

So I should get a vernier or dial caliper to determine case/finished ammo length....ok.

RCBS sells a kit that has all the different shell holders? Cool, I didn't see it on their site but maybe I'll find it somewhere else. Are the different makers shell holders interchangeable like dies are?

Do you have to use the tumbler to clean cases, or can I do it by hand with maybe some steel wool or something?

What about the little lathe for trimming cases, is that really necessary? I already spent about 500$ on stuff and don't want to spend too much more if I don't have to! :eek:
 
reloading

The case holders are interchangable. You can use steel wood to clean BUT use 0000 and be careful, also could use scotch bright (sp). You can check case length with a Lee system ( not very expensive), I use a trim die mostly but again there are mnany ways of doing this.
 
do you need the special tool for cleaning out the primer pocket, or is there a way around that with maybe the cartridge neck brushes that came with the kit for example? again, thanks for the tips, I have a lot of brass I want to reload and I want to get started, without making multiple trips to the shop!
 
You do need a special tool for cleaning primer pockets, but they are not expensive. For calipers I like the dial type, a lot of guys here seem to prefer the digital units, both are easier to read than the old style vernier's in my opinion.
 
New to reloading

Before you run out and fill the basement with new toys and tools, you might consider buying Lymans reloading manual. Read through the front sections of it before you attempt to reload anything. You need to understand what the process is and the basics of how it is accomplished, also the safety aspects.
The book also has loading data that will make sense AFTER you read the front sections. Safety first, one of us might be standing next to you when you test your experiments, laff.
:D
There are other peoples manuals you can use but Lymans is a decent choice for learning the beginnings.
 
The partner press I bought came with the speer reloading manual, version 13. It has everything in there, it's like 500 pages....will that do? I finally have all the stuff I need aside from a case trimmer, so I was going to give it a go today.
 
I just went through this whole process myself not to long ago. Here are my recommendations.

1. Buy a second manual. I bought the Lymans 48th edition, but any will do. You will need this to cross-reference load data. I believe lymans and the lee manual are particularly noob friendly.

2. Get yourself a caliper

3. You can interchange dies, shellholders from different companies on your rcbs press.

4. Buy lee... it cheaper and it works. (shellholder (buy one for now... you'll save $$$), case trimmer with case lenght gauge + shellholder + lock stud, deburring tool, primer pocket cleaner)

5. I highly recommend you get the lee auto prime (priming tool).... You may also want to buy a powder dispenser and trickler in the near future (you can make due for now without these).

6. You can wash your shells in boiling water and dish soap. rinse, then sponge excess water with newspaper or scotttowels and then let them Air dry upside down.

7. Did I mention you should read those reloading manuals?

8......read some more.

9. when your not sure.... ask a ton of question!

10. your good to go!!!!




*note to experts... feel free to correct me if im wrong.
 
Thanks for the input guys, I appreciate it. I started reloading some 30-06 today, and I ran into something, the once-fired cases I have are not all uniform in length. They vary by up to .011 inches in length. The shortest one is 2.489 inches and the longest one was 2.500 inches, with the longest allowable case length listed at 2.494 inches, and trim to 2.484. I was told by a guy at a gun shop who is an old timer with a lot of experience reloading that you don't need to trim cases on 30-06 for at least 3 or 4 firings.

So far, I resized the neck, deprimed, cleaned out the primer pockets and am about to start charging the cartridges, but I'm not going to if I have to trim cases...I gotta go back to the store :rolleyes:

Is the caliper wrong? I paid 36$ for it at the gun shop, it's digital.
How exact do the cases have to be in length? Is the finished bullet length more important?
Do I need to trim the cases of these once fired cartridges?:confused:

Do some guns stretch out the cases after one firing? I have a tikka t3 lite stainless.

cheers!
 
Reloading

The good news is that there probably is no better cartridge to reload for than the 30-06. One plus is that the necks lengthen very little with shooting. In other words, it takes a few reloadings before you can detect them being longer. By comparison, a 243 may have to be trimmed after nearly every shot.
If you want to start out without all the gadgets, compare the case you are reloading with a new one, or a factory cartridge. If your case is a bit longer, file some off! After you have filed some off, carefully, so it is even, take your jack knife and trim the inner edge, so the bullet will seat OK. If the necks too long, they may force into the chamber and squeeze the bullet too tight, increasing the pressure. No harm is done if they are shortened a bit too much, like maybe ten thousands or so, they will soon lengthen again.
Many years ago I made a shell trimmer that worked perfect, with a stop on it, so I could just trim until it hit the stop and it was perfect length.
 
I have the same brass, winchester. I just checked the size on some unfired winchester ammo and the case length is 2.489 inches. So I filed down the cases to that length, because I know that works good with my rifle. This took a while to get it square, like an hour and a half for 14 cases. I set the lock nut on the gauge and rotated the case inside it to make sure it was correct. Then, I unlocked the nut, and individually measured them. The case sizes were all over the map....:mad: But they were all under the max case length listed in the speer manual.

I want a case trimmer. A cheap one, preferably...I found a Forster Case Trimmer on ebay for like 6 bucks with a 30 cal collet that is hand driven, are these any good? Its a bit rusty but still turns, so I could just wd-40 and steel wool it new again I think.
 
boresnake said:
I have the same brass, winchester. I just checked the size on some unfired winchester ammo and the case length is 2.489 inches. So I filed down the cases to that length, because I know that works good with my rifle. This took a while to get it square, like an hour and a half for 14 cases. I set the lock nut on the gauge and rotated the case inside it to make sure it was correct. Then, I unlocked the nut, and individually measured them. The case sizes were all over the map....:mad: But they were all under the max case length listed in the speer manual.

I want a case trimmer. A cheap one, preferably...I found a Forster Case Trimmer on ebay for like 6 bucks with a 30 cal collet that is hand driven, are these any good? Its a bit rusty but still turns, so I could just wd-40 and steel wool it new again I think.
Click to expand...


Go to my previous post and read # 4., 7., and 8. again:)
 
I loaded up 14 cartridges yesterday, with 55 grains of imr 4831 and a 180 grain round nosed bullet, and they worked pretty good! I was actually more accurate with my reloaded ammo than I was with the factory winchester powerpoints! Except for one that misfired, I think the primer was too high. The firing pin hit the primer and dented it but it didn't go off...I waited a minute in case it was a hangfire then ejected the cartridge but didn't know what to do with it. The range I go to didn't have a place to put duds so I just left it there pointed downrange....I've never had a dud before. What do you guys do in this situation?
 
what to do

well, yes, a bullet puller will be a much needed tool, with any luck you won't need it too often. When you have a round that doesn't go off there a few things that you can do with it but you DONT LEAVE IT LAYING AROUND,:eek: down range means nothing if its not in a barrell. It just blows up of its goes off at all. You could put it back in the rifle and try firing it again, if it wasn't hit quite right maybe it,ll go off this time. You could put it in the dud box (something most ranges supply, ask them) Or you could put it in YOUR pocket for disposal/dismantling at home later with your new bullet puller.
That way if it goes off in a pocket its yours not somebodys kids pocket.

Just a suggestion.
 
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