What ammo to start reloading stock with?

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ShawnRich

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I purchased a Howa 223 last week and picked up a couple of boxes of Winchester 55 grain FMJ to go with it. The store did not have much in stock. I figure I will eventually get into reloading so will be saving my shells.

Couple questions

As I experiment with factory ammo to see what the gun likes, do I need to keep the shells separate? ie all Winchesters together, then all Remingtons together for consistency in reloading. I would think not but thought I would ask. I know nothing about reloading now but can see me moving in the direction so want to build the right stock.

How many times can I expect to reload a shell? In my searches I feel it is between 4 and 10 times? Sound about right?

I have been looking at kits to get started and watched several videos. Almost everything I see says for beginners to start with a single press. The turrets look much more efficient. Practically speaking, why does most literature point to singles? What am I missing? Just cost or is the single more rigid, therefore less chance of an amateur to botch it? Ooorrrr....?

This one keeps popping up in searches as a good starter https://www.cabelas.ca/product/3534/lee-50th-anniversary-reloader-kit

Is the extra cost at the start worth it for this one? https://www.cabelas.ca/product/77040/lee-precision-classic-turret-press-kit

I know there are other brands out there but those two look like a good price point to get in at, knowing lots more to buy, and Lee seems to have good reviews.

I won't be hopping in for a while yet as I just got the gun and not even fired it yet, but thinking ahead till I can get going. It would be nice if one brand of ammo is better for reloading than others since I will buying factory for awhile.

Thanks
Shawn
 
best results will come from brass from the same manufacturing lot

Brass life will vary greatly, on the load's pressure and how much you're resizing the casing. Hot powder charge and setting the shoulder back too much will greatly reduce brass life compared to a moderate pressure, 2 thou bump shoulder, and properly annealing the case every firing. Could be 2 firings vs 20+ in this example
 
Turrets are for bulk loading ammunition that goes bang and is ok- generally pistol rounds - as it's a measured charge vs a weighed one. You use a single stage with a good scale for accuracy. I recommend a single stage and a turret or progressive press later if you find you need the volume. Single stage is also more precise generally.

Keep all your brass. Sort by headstamp. Getting fussier than that is for guys shooting accuracy based competition. Even mixed headstamp is fine for hunting or having fun as you can easily achieve sub moa with this. Sorted is better. Sorted and weighed is for splitting hairs.

Winchester's White box is horrible for accuracy, but the brass is good. If you find the gun isn't shooting well, Buy some decent ammunition and try again.

I should address a few more questions. Lee is fine. I have used it for years with great results. All the others I find pretty equal. Pick your color. Starter kits will get you going and you can expand from there as you progress.
 
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Thanks. That is a good start for the questions I have now. I think I have a few local guys that will show me the basics to get going, when I get there. Just like to think ahead.

Cheers,
Shawn
 
Number one: what are your accuracy requirements and expected volume?
Number two: what calibers are you going to load for?

For maximum flexibility, I would suggest skip the single stage and get a Dillon 550. Some best PRS shooters in the US have been successfully loading match grade ammo on the 550. I bought one to load 6.5CM, it works great, but ironically, sees most action cranking thousands and thousands of 9 mm. If I had more space, it would be 550 plus a true progressive, e.g. 750 or 1050.
 
I have and still use the Lee turret press. It is NOT just for loading bulk ammo. You can, literally in 10 seconds or less, remove the post which turns the head, turning it into a manually indexed press which is more than adequate for rifle cartridge reloading.

The primer loading mechanism can be a bit of a pita at times - normally when only 1-3 primers remain in the slide, but if you treat it carefully it works very well most of the time. If you go full goon on it it returns the favor and won't work at all.

I don't think much of the balance scale. It works but can be very frustrating and slow. There are better alternatives, but it will work. I think you will quickly find it wanting and it will be the first item in the kit you will be looking to replace.

The powder loading mechanism is ok. It is based on a volume system which is ok for most low pressure handgun ammunition (I wore mine out reloading 9mm and 40S&W when I was shooting quite a volume of it) but is nowhere near accurate enough for good quality rifle ammo. Powder loading is one of those steps that is pretty unforgiving in long range rifle shooting.

Consistency in brass type/volume, powder type/quantity, and seating depth is most important in safety and accuracy. Lots of other minor details are next, such as shoulder bump and casing length. If shoulders keep getting pushed back too much then you will eventually end up with case head separation. If the cartridge length isn't trimmed to spec then you will end up with cases which eventually get long enough to get their necks jammed into the lands creating potential for severe over pressure.

These are the basics. The Lee Turret kit is an ok starting point and you will end up being happy you bought it. I still have my Lee Turret and it still gets used well over 20 years after I bought it. I have a rack of 8 heads loaded up, properly set up for 8 different calibers. Within a minute or less I can be ready to go from .223 to .357, or 45-70GOVT to .45ACP small primer and go from manual to 'auto' indexing. If I don't have to change out the primer set/seat, it takes 10 seconds or less. While I have added other presses to better suit my needs (or is that actually just my ego/wants?), the Lee still has its place.
 
Thanks

I am just moving up from 22lr to a .223. I am thinking, maybe, handgun reloading is in the future, but at this point, I am only planning rifle loads. Probably something larger than 223 eventually, but I am not a hunter, just intrigued by the longer stuff. I am liking the technical stuff so can see at least giving reloading a try. I will never get to the volumes you discuss rick357 but appreciate the input on the Lee. 5.45, I will explore the Dillon 550.

Thanks
Shawno
 
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and, to answer your main question, yes, use whatever ammo you want to, but try to get at least 160-200 pieces of same headstamp so that you are working with similar weights and volumes for reloading. If you treat it right, and reload to one of the lower pressure nodes for accuracy rather than loading it to the max for power, it will last a lot longer. Some of the things you are going to learn from doing are related to this. When I started with my first .308, I bought the same way you are buying now. I eventually bought about 7 or 8 boxes of Winchester 'Silvertip' I think it was called ammo and saved the brass. Once I had the brass I decided to start reloading while I kept shooting factory ammo. I bought the reloading parts piecemeal though with a Lee Turret press as the centerpiece. I bought a RCBS 5-0-5 Beam Balance scale which I eventually sold when I upgraded to electronic dispensing scales. It worked well and was still working like new when I sold it. I think it is now known as a M1000 or some such. I used the Lee powder scoops that came with their dies to scoop and dump the bulk portion of the powder in the tray and trickled up manually with a hand operated powder trickler. With these simple components I loaded some pretty good quality rifle ammo. I eventually bought the Lee Autodisk measure to use once I got into handguns. It worked good enough to dole out Titegroup into my 9mm to 44M cases for plinking/rapid fire use. For full power magnum loads a bit more accuracy was required and it was back to the trickler and beam balance.

So, bottom line, if you beat up the brass it probably won't last more than 2-4 reloads. If you treat it right and don't push it too far you could get well over 20 reloads. I don't anneal (yet) but have anecdotal evidence that if you do AND you treat your brass well, you may be able to get significantly more reloads. I have found that I tend to lose most brass due to loose primer pockets at 15 to 25 reloads depending on the caliber and pressure, or my own error in misplacing the brass in the press shellholder, than to any other failures.
 
the Lee 50 Anniversary is a great kit
later, you may replace items (like the scale, etc) but the press is solid.
you will also need dies, shellholders for 223 and a few breechlock bushings
 
My opinion would be stick to a single stage. Consistency is the key. With very basic tools you should be able to do 20-40 rounds an hour start to finish. Once your using the stuff you can start to upgrade areas that are slow and tedious. I Still load on a single stage and can do about 150/ hr of precision rifle rounds.
I agree with what others are saying about brass life ect
 
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