Reloading- How Technical!?

[Stephenbuck2489]

Ive been offered a reloading setup at the cost of some time during my work hours, so free really.

ive never had the space to set up and give it a go, but in my new house i do have space so thought hell il take it and give it a go.

.243 is what i have brass for laying around, so thought id just do them atm to get to grips.

my question is. is it reqlly as technical as it seems? or is it on of those things that becomes as complicated as you make it!?

i want to keep it as simple as possible to start with.
my .243 loves a 95 and 100gn round and i feel confident with them.

i had some 76gns but just didnt stay as tight in a pattern. so il probably just do some 95 and 100gn stuff.

also because im new. im well aware il f##k it up in some way to begin so i want to keep it as cheap as possible to begin with.
so qny "cheaper" heads,powder and primer recommendations would be great. im also well aware that you get what you pay for so cheap aint always best

 

[Leec6.5]

Ive been offered a reloading setup at the cost of some time during my work hours, so free really.

ive never had the space to set up and give it a go, but in my new house i do have space so thought hell il take it and give it a go.

.243 is what i have brass for laying around, so thought id just do them atm to get to grips.

my question is. is it reqlly as technical as it seems? or is it on of those things that becomes as complicated as you make it!?

i want to keep it as simple as possible to start with.
my .243 loves a 95 and 100gn round and i feel confident with them.

i had some 76gns but just didnt stay as tight in a pattern. so il probably just do some 95 and 100gn stuff.

also because im new. im well aware il f##k it up in some way to begin so i want to keep it as cheap as possible to begin with.
so qny "cheaper" heads,powder and primer recommendations would be great. im also well aware that you get what you pay for so cheap aint always best

It is as easy as making a cake, once you’ve got your recipe right stick to it do not change otherwise you will up chasing and spending more money and it’s just a ball ache!

Been there done that got the T-shirt!

The only hassle really is getting your load and don’t get stuck into the realms of chasing the Cloverleaf as long as you’re an inch better that’s all the accuracy you need for Deer stalking.

 

[jcampbellsmith]

I look on reloading as three distinct activities -

Brass prep
Preparing ammunition
Load testing

I find load testing the most challenging part of the process. Finding cost effective locations to load test is not easy at all.

Regards

JCS

 

[Rafter]

Its just a case (see what I did there...) of paying attention and working as hard as you can to do each step exactly the same for every round.
Consistency is the goal.

 

[Donkey Basher]

Best advice I had when starting out was to go & buy any of the mainstream reloading manuals which guide you through the process step by step. Then to read it through, put it down for a week & then read it through again. After that use it to help you set up the kit & then as a reference as you start to reload.

It doesn’t really matter which manual you chose, they’ll all be centred on their own brand of bullets or reloading tools but the principles are all the same.

Then when you start to reload make it a methodical step by step process, ie do one process at a time on a batch of 50 cases - give them all a quick hours clean in the tumbler to remove any muck or dirt, then size all 50, then trim all 50, etc.

You’ll soon get into the rhythm of things.

 

[Mr. Gain]

All good advice so far.
Two things.
1) Terminology: in the context of rifles, "pattern" means a terrible "group". Shotgun cartridges should produce even patterns, your rifle cartridges should print tight groups.
2) Equipment. Get a stuck-case removal tool (bought or identified from items within your general tool set). Sooner or later - but usually when time is tight - you will get a case stuck in a die. At that moment, having the tool to hand will save a good deal of grief.

 

[Jagare]

Post #2 is correct. There is a tendency by some who like to make simple things into a black art. 50 years ago I read Lymans reloading book set up the reloading gear, followed the instructions and turned out perfectly serviceable ammo. If I can produce ammo any body can.

 

[8x57]

It's a relatively simple process to produce good accurate reloaded ammunition and it doesn't require that much kit.

But, you can make it a very expensive and costly process if that's what you want to do.

 

[Klenchblaize]

An interesting 'experiment' for the so-called Advanced Reloader is to prep' and group test 10 rounds in accordance with their sterile laboratory procedure, and 10 more that are simply resized & primed with no other tinkering including cleaning.

K

 

[Shabz]

I recently discovered the Lee loader sets that come in a wee case and include everything you need to make ammunition. You just need a hammer to smack it with. Comes with a wee scoop for the powder and everything. I really fancied buying one but they don’t seem to do one in 25-06. I put in for a .223 so that I can buy one.

 

[Rutland lad]

As long as you are safe at all times, have a go.
It’s rewarding and can easily improve the accuracy of your rifle.

I started with a cheap Lee set up that included scales, powder dispenser, press and some common dies. Still using some of it.

 

[Bo Diddley]

I'm sure someone (@Foxyboy43 ) has put a link up to an online reloading manual on here somewhere...
Edit: I started with a LEE press and dies, and I'm still using them. They produce touching groups in my calibres.
The RCBS kit would be all you ever needed. No need to change anything with that package.

 

[old keeper]

Get a Hornady or Lee reloading manual, and follow the instructions; either will tell you what you want to know.

 

[Fosbery Holster]

Get the guy who gave you the reloading setup to go through it with you, he can pass on to you all his experience and know how, makes life a lot easier.

 

[Foxyboy43]

I'm sure someone (@Foxyboy43 ) has put a link up to an online reloading manual on here somewhere...
Edit: I started with a LEE press and dies, and I'm still using them. They produce touching groups in my calibres.
The RCBS kit would be all you ever needed. No need to change anything with that package.

There you go

There is also an excellent guide on this site including lots of pics for the hard of thinking….

 

[nightcrow]

I recently discovered the Lee loader sets that come in a wee case and include everything you need to make ammunition. You just need a hammer to smack it with. Comes with a wee scoop for the powder and everything. I really fancied buying one but they don’t seem to do one in 25-06. I put in for a .223 so that I can buy one.

They are brilliant,that is all I use for .223 and .243 ,but I found little consistency relying on a scoop so added an Ebay micro electronic jewelry scale which has been amazingly accurate.

 

[finnbear270]

Thread 'Overview of the Reloading Process - From Spent Case to Loaded Round'

Sep 26, 2010

This is intended as an overview of the reloading process explaining the steps required to turn spent brass cases into new loaded rounds. It is aimed at those people who are unfamiliar with the reloading process but if any old hands want to chip in with alternative suggestions then please do - I have only been reloading a year or so myself and there is always more to learn!

The article assumes we have the load data for the load we want and doesn't go into any detail about deciding what that load should be, the seating depth etc. That can be for another article!

So, we have 50 used cases...

• csl
• .30-06 h4350 overview press process rcbs reloading tumbler
• Replies: 165
• Forum: Ammunition, Reloading & Ballistics

• 

 

[Scotty99]

It’s not really that technically difficult…if I can do it I’m sure you can. Read a good reloading book or look up the sticky thread on reloading on here. Get the process steps understood and sorted out in your head. If you keep it simple it’s quite straightforward to load good accurate and consistent stalking loads. If you want to get into 1000 yard precision rifle shooting then it does get more complex.