The Reloading FAQ

[GSXRK5]

Congrats! (no sarcasm)

Haha thanks! And just got done going through them! Not one problem. Thanks C.J. For putting up with all the questions! Going to load a few hundred more this week!

[Bassics]

You Must have

Press, dies, calipers, scale, headspace gauge, lube, a way to cut the brass down to length, and a way to clean range brass if not buying new.

If you buy brass from places you can buy it processed, That will add 13-15cents per round vs range pickups and doing it yourself.

If im forgetting something please chime in.

I am posting for bottle neck rifle cases. Handgun is alot less tedious as far as case prep.

A bullet tray is one thing people tend to leave out. Just for the convenience and safety. A primer pocket tool and chamfer tool are generally something you'll want that may or may not come in a kit. If you can get carbide dies then do so.

for a cheapie though, i loaded many many 38 & 357 rounds with a wooden hammer and a lee loader, and nothing else. And generally was pleased. I had a pretty good system going that overall matched a smooth but not too fast single stage operation, and I often did it on a bench at the range.

Speaking of that, if you will mount a powder drop and single stage to a board, grab some big c-clamps from harbor freight, and set it up on the tailgate or shooting bench at your choice of venues, you can safely knock out some load tests on the spot. In your load room just clamp it to your workbench and leave it most of the time. It has the advantage of letting you easily take it all down when you need the bench cleared for other work.

[71chevellejohn]

As far as a case trimmer goes, are these any good?

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4vrMAaLWmk[/ame]


They go for about $40 on ebay, but there aren't any for sale right now

[CJ]

As far as a case trimmer goes, are these any good?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4vrMAaLWmk

They go for about $40 on ebay, but there aren't any for sale right now

That's interesting. I might buy one now that I've seen it has such a nice cut. If you can find a cheap trimmer that deburrs also, that's the holy grail. When it comes to prepping rifle brass you have 4 basic stages.

1) resize
2) trim
3) deburr inside
4) deburr outside

If you can take 2-3 out with one tool, that's the way to go. I just wonder how long it will cut the cleanly, when it dulls down I expect it will start to fan the edges. I like that it apparently runs in a drill and you can hand hold the cases. For large volumes having another person trimming is the way to go.

[71chevellejohn]

On youtube in the vid description it gives a email addy to contact the guy that makes them. Or you can search "CTS case trimmer" on ebay. I looked at "recently completed/sold" and saw multiple calibers available.

[71chevellejohn]

Used reloading equipment

I was recently informed that a friend of a friend has a reloading setup that he picked up through an estate sale. He's not in to reloading, it was just part of a package deal with some other stuff he bought. I'm going to take a look at it later today to see if I want it.

Is there anything to look for/things to avoid? Anything common that breaks/breaks down?

Thanks in advance.
(I know it's kind of vague since I don't even know what brand any of the equipment is)

[CJ]

I was recently informed that a friend of a friend has a reloading setup that he picked up through an estate sale. He's not in to reloading, it was just part of a package deal with some other stuff he bought. I'm going to take a look at it later today to see if I want it.

Is there anything to look for/things to avoid? Anything common that breaks/breaks down?

Thanks in advance.

As long as the powder is sealed you should be fine, Most all reloading equipment is good to go.

[71chevellejohn]

Supposedly it'll be around $300 for press, dies, and tools. Plus a bench to put it all on. If I get it, I'll post up the haul.

[CJ]

Supposedly it'll be around $300 for press, dies, and tools. Plus a bench to put it all on. If I get it, I'll post up the haul.

Yeah first make sure you have everything, rarely do you get a complete setup at an estate sale.

[71chevellejohn]

Went ahead and bought it. All the hardware is Lyman branded. Die sets for .223, .243, .270, 30-06, 38sp, and a few others that were stacked in the cabinet. A drawer full of projectiles - all Hornady and fairly old looking. A few 25 lb sacks of bird shot for 12ga. reloads. Various primers and plastic cases, there was a little bit of powder(not sure the condition), and a decent size work bench. There's more but I didn't dig through it all yet. I'm gonna move it soon and inventory it all to see what I have.

The press is a old Lyman ST turret press. Not really what I was wanting to use, but it is considerably cheaper than what I was looking at(Hornady LnL ). Now if I find I like reloading, I'll probably buy a nice progressive press.

[slowyellow]

Sounds like a good start. What was the final price?

[71chevellejohn]

$300

[Semper299]

One thing to add...

Reloading is addicting! You will get hooked very quickly, especially when you realize you can make rifle ammo cheaper and more accurate than factory.

If you are new to reloading, I would highly recommend starting with an easy low pressure round like the 45acp. Big case mouth, lots of reloading data, lots of powders available (well usually), and pretty difficult to screw up. Personally, I would get comfortable reloading before moving to a higher pressure round like the 40 or 9mm.

Someone else mentioned this, but get a good set of calipers, and use them. Calipers will be needed to get your bullet seating die set to the proper OAL. This all depends on the caliber you are reloading, but it is critical that you get the OAL within the proper range. Also, get a good scale that measures grains.

Once you get started loading your caliber, I highly recommend checking a few things every now and then while you are loading. There is nothing worse than loading 500 rounds, only to find something was off and you have to pull bullets out and start over. Ask me how I know this.

For example, when you set your powder measure for your load, in theory it should stay right there. However, that is not always the case. If you are loading 25.5 grains of Ramshot Tac in .223 case, you want it to stay pretty close to that. About every 50th round, load the powder and before you seat the bullet weigh the powder in the case. Pour the powder into the little tray and make sure that you are still at 25.5 grains (give or take a tenth or two).

Also about every 50th load or so, check the OAL. Again, theoretically your bullet seating die should stay where it is, and every load should have the same OAL (overall length). Load your powder and seat a bullet, then pull that round out and check the OAL. Make sure that you are making all your bullets the length you want them.

Finally, and especially if you are using a progressive press, PAY ATTENTION! Have a good light shining down on your work, especially where your powder goes into the case. Eliminate any distractions and concentrate on what you are doing. One of the mistakes that reloaders make is to "double charge" a case. Some powders and calibers will not let you do this. If you accidentally double charge, or put twice the amount of powder you need in a case, the powder will spill out all over the place and you will know that you double charged a case. But this is not always the case. For example, Bullseye uses less powder, and you can double charge a .40 cal case without it spilling over. You can imagine the problem this could cause if you ever shot a high pressure, double charged case. I visually inspect the inside of each case as I put the bullet on top of the case to make sure that the approximate amount of powder is in the case. This only takes about 1 sec to do, and it is simply a means to add safety to my loads.

Sorry if this is long winded, but reloading is a passion that I hope anyone reading this thread will get into and enjoy. I only reload 9mm, 40, 45acp, and 223, and I have a Dillon RL 550b. If I can ever help, don't hesitate to ask.

[71chevellejohn]

Damn, I didn't realize it had been so long since I actually bought this. I finally got around to picking it up and taking some pics








Not pictured is a box of plastic cases for the completed rounds(and a bunch of empty cardboard boxes).Most of the stuff is for .270 and 30-06. The powder cans are all almost empty. I need to do some cleanup on the bench because a can of oil spilled in a few of the drawers.

[CJ]

Jealous!