Starting reloading

limey

Well-Known Member
Looking at starting reloading for 243 initially then 308.
I have the Hornady lock and load press, but I'm aware I need dies , scales, powder measure, tumbler etc.
I woulld like to try to buy everything once rather than buy items that I would probably want to upgrade eventually.
Looking for advice, and I suppose trying to learn from mistakes made by others that have started reloading.
 
hi there im here if you need any help

but in the mean time here is some reloading porn for you to look at and get an idea of hows its done

watch the first clip then the second
 
I am planning to do the same. I have been reading the latest Lyman guide to get me started & am getting an idea of what I want but have decided that I want to learn properly from the start, so am looking round for a good 1 or 2 day course. I would also like to get together with someone local to do some .243 & .308 reloading.

Does Spud do a reloading course or can anyone recommend a good one? The BASC looks OK but is not on very often in the South East. I mailed Precison Reloading AKA R.Simmonds but did not get an answer; he has a good reputation from what I can see so may give him a bell. Not sure about the NRA one at Bisley. Opinions would be useful.
 
to be honest you can learn what you need to know to produce safe quality ammo in about an hour tops . the vid above covers nearly ever thing for basic safe reloading, when you start to delve deeper if you need to thats when exsperience in the basics is needed

i dont do any courses as i would have a job to fill up more than an hour of talking to you

the best way top learn is sit down with a mate or shooter in your area who is al;ready reloading and watch and learn

the bibiggest safety tip ids get a decent manual
 
Meant to also add in caps by the way


always always always work up loads whether it is published load data or a reccomended load from another shooter



what may be safe in their gun MAY NOT BE 100% garanteed safe in yours even if its same rifle /caliber
 
Courses seem few and far between, however Frank's not far away from you. Metallic cartridge reloading courses

In terms of kit, I bought a RCBS kit and most of it has been moved on. Reloading like lots of activities has a learning curve. How far you proceed up the learning curve depends on lots of things including how keen you are, how deep your pockets are and whether or not you want to shoot to a 1000yds or more. Given you are already looking at training, I suspect you will find it hard not to upgrade elements of your reloading kit in time.

Pick someone local to you in the real world to turn to for advice.

Have fun.

JCS
 
Having only been reloading for a month of so now can honestly say I wouldn't bother with a course to get you going, the basics are all that is needed to get you going and after you've been reloading a few maybe going on a course might be a better route as you'll have some limited knowledge and real questions to ask.

i would read a manual or two once, put it down then watch a few videos, spuds are very very good. Then pick up your manual and read the important bits like case prep etc etc again.

then I went probably overboard on working up a safe first batch starting on minimum as per manuals and then worked up in .2gr increments, but it got me reloading and I felt safe and went steady.

dont forget to get a book and write everything down from measurements of cases to load data. I never rush reloading and usually only touch when our little ones are in bed and know I can do without any distractions.

oh I also started with a RCBS rock chucker kit, I added a decent set of calipers, headspace and ogive attachments and a tumbler. At the moment I wouldn't change a thing and great bit of kit. I never measure to coal now and always work to ogive which I find a lot more consistent.

Doing the above has got me grouping home loads at 1/4" at 100yrds with my 204 and I'm chuffed, sure it would be hole in hole if i could shoot better!
 
Here is a piece I wrote for another site. You may find it of interest:

Reloading – what do you need?.
This question pops up regularly, so if you are thinking about starting reloading, here are a few ideas. I’m not going to name many product names but, more or less, make a list of essentials. I assume you have the requisite brass, bullets, primers and powders. It's just a list of the very basic kit so as to keep costs to a minimum. Beware, however, there is an infinity of apparently “essential” gear out there, all “vital” to the reloading process but, at the very least, detrimental to your bank account!.
-Firstly, get one or more reloading manuals and read thoroughly(see Reading List). You will then have a better sense of the kit needed and the way things work in this game. The ‘net is also excellent for info.
-Secondly, and most importantly, get an experienced reloader to show you the ropes. A mentor in this business is worth his weight in gold.

A word of warning before we start – Remember you are dealing with pressures of 50,000 psi or more, so caution should be your watchword.

- Press – you’ll need one of those, of course. The type of press you need depends upon the cartridges you will be loading and a press capable of handling up to 30-06 length will suffice for most of the usual cartridges. Generally speaking, a single stage press may provide better control of the reloading process for a new reloader. If you decide to load for cartridges of Magnum length(eg 375 H&H), then your press will need to be larger and, consequently, more costly.
I cannot give an answer as to the best makes and models, just get the best you can afford, preferably of steel and cast iron. Such a press should last for many years with a little TLC. Oil or grease the pivots and the ram occasionally, keep the press free of dust and anything else that might cause wear. With the addition of the appropriate dies, you will be able to carry out all the necessary steps in the reloading process ie, depriming, sizing, priming and bullet seating.
- Dies. All the well known makers dies will, with a modicum of care, produce good ammunition. Dies usually come with the appropriate shellholders. Buy full length resizing dies to start. Neck sizing and other techniques can come later. To cut down on any possibility of wear in your dies make sure that your cases are clean before putting on the lube and resizing. I always wipe my cases and the interior of my dies with kitchen towel before starting. Occasionally cleaning your dies with your favourite bore cleaner is a good idea, too.
- Balance. A basic beam balance is probably as good as anything and reasonably priced. There are cheap electronic balances on the market but for cost-effectiveness the beam balance is probably best. Never leave your beam balance assembled, always lift the knife edges off the agates so as not wear them out. Agate is very hard, I know, but will wear in time and can make your balance inaccurate and/or inconsistent.. Put the balance away in it’s box to keep out dust and anything else which may damage it. Treated with care it will give good service for many, many years.
- Loading block. Most reloading companies do them and they are not expensive. You could make your own, of course, plywood or hardwood looks very nice. I made a couple from ¾” mahogony faced ply..
- Powder funnel. The usual plastic powder funnels are not expensive and serve their purpose very well . If you get powder granules sticking to the insides due to static, a wipe with one of those antistatic tumbledrier cloths will sort it out.
- Powder scoop. A small teaspoon(preferably stainless) is as good as anything for putting powder into the balance pan.
- Powder container. Small containers to contain sufficient powder for your loading session. I’ve used small plastic drinks beakers for many years.
- Calipers. A most important piece of kit. You’ll need a caliper to check the length of your resized cases as well as the final length of the completed round.. If your budget allows, a dial caliper of best quality, but there are a number of electronic models around £30 or less which will probably be just as good, although you do have to buy batteries. Don’t forget to remove the battery if not using the caliper for some time.
- Case trimmer or trim die. Trim or file dies are available to get all your cases to the same length but you’ll need one for every cartridge and it is probably cheaper in the end to get a case trimmer(like a small lathe, turned by hand). I’ve had my Lee trimmer for many years.
-Case neck chamfer tool. This cleans up any burrs on the inside and outside of the mouth of the case after trimming or resizing. You’ll also use it to put a small chamfer on the inside of the case mouth to ensure smooth seating of the bullet. Lyman sell a good one.
- Primer pocket cleaners (large and/or small rifle). You can glue them into little wooden dowel handles for convenience
- Primer seating. This operation is taken care of by your press and will prove more than satisfactory to start – indeed, you may never feel the need to use any other method. If your budget will stretch to it, get a Lee Autoprime.
- Sizing Lube. I’ve used Imperial Wax for many years and never get stuck cases. Forget about the Lee Lube(lanolin based), I binned mine years ago after getting too many cases stuck in dies.
- Hard nylon bore brush. Use this to clean the inside of the case neck prior to resizing and another candidate for a small dowel handle. It is important to ensure, as far as possible that the inside of the neck is clean in order to help get consistent neck tension, one of the prerequisites of accuracy.
- Bristle brush or Cotton Buds. To put a very, very small amount of lube inside the case neck prior to sizing and after cleaning with the above hard nylon brush. Alternatively, you can use graphite.
- Paper kitchen towels or good quality duster to clean off the lube after resizing both from the exterior of the case and the inside of the neck – unless you intend cleaning some other way.
- Tumbler? I don’t own one and do not clean my cases other than by removing the lube by wiping with a cloth and cleaning the primer pockets. I do, however, run all cases through the ultrasonic bath about every five or so loadings, although perhaps it may not be really necessary. You don’t really need an ultrasonic or a tumbler if your budget is tight. OTOH you could pop your cases in the dishwasher or washing machine, I suppose.
- Bullet pullers. Just as a writer has a rubber to erase errors, a bullet puller erases your reloading mistakes. I recommend the collet type. It’s like a reloading die and goes in the press and with it you can unload ammo easily. I have found that those inertia hammer things are too slow, messy and inconvenient.

There are many other bits and pieces which are supposed to help to make more accurate ammo, but my advice is to concentrate on producing good safe ammunition, finessing can come along as you gain experience and expertise.

- A place to reload. This can be a problem and depends on your circumstances, house layout etc. One of the essentials is a sturdy reloading bench on which to mount your press. Now, I suspect that “Management” would object to holes in the dining room table so you’ll have to find a solution that suits your circumstances. One answer is a folding Workmate type bench. Your press can be bolted to a sturdy lump of wood and clamped in the bench “jaws”. The bench can be folded up after use and the press and its attached timber put away.
Don’t load in a room where there is a lot of traffic as the draughts will upset your balance. Find a nice quiet corner where you won’t be disturbed and draught free. Avoid distractions like TV or radio, you will need all your concentration, especially at the beginning. A bedroom/boxroom or the kitchen if disturbance can be kept to a minimum..
- Safety. I advise the use of safety glasses, particularly when priming. Although, by and large, the process of reloading is quite safe, you are dealing with powders which are flammable and primers which are quite sensitive to shock or static. Keep primers in their packaging (usually little trays), take only as many as you need at a time and make sure that those bits of kit which come in contact with them are wiped clean to ensure they do not have dust on the surfaces. Those tumbledrier antistatic cloths are good for this.

-For those addicted to the weed – need I remind you not to smoke whilst reloading?.

- Reading list
The ABC's of Reloading (I strongly advise starting with this one.)
Metallic Cartridge Reloading
Modern Reloading by Richard Lee
Manufacturers Manuals:
Speer Manual
Lyman Metallic Reloading Handbook
Hornady Reloading Handbook
Sierra Manual

Peter
 
...dont forget to get a book and write everything down from measurements of cases to load data....

This is a very important point. Secondly, most folk still work with Imperial measurements, so adopt this standard and never mix Imperial and Metric measurements.

Regards

JCS
 
Looking at starting reloading for 243 initially then 308.
I have the Hornady lock and load press, but I'm aware I need dies , scales, powder measure, tumbler etc.
I woulld like to try to buy everything once rather than buy items that I would probably want to upgrade eventually.
Looking for advice, and I suppose trying to learn from mistakes made by others that have started reloading.

as mentioned

mark is a top man,

and there are few good lads around this forum from selby/Doncaster/leeds etc they are great guys who i am sure will be only to happy to help.

enjoy its real therapy for shooters.

bob.
 
Looking at starting reloading for 243 initially then 308.
I have the Hornady lock and load press, but I'm aware I need dies , scales, powder measure, tumbler etc.
I woulld like to try to buy everything once rather than buy items that I would probably want to upgrade eventually.
Looking for advice, and I suppose trying to learn from mistakes made by others that have started reloading.
If you need any help feel free to pm me and I will give you a hand, I am in Sheffield.
 
I am getting inspired here, so I have decided to start getting some kit together. I am reading the Lyman manual for a start & will order/acquire a few more books. I have also seen quite a few videos from Spud & those on YouTube on reloading so I have a good idea of what is involved. Thanks for posting the above article PeteL, it was most useful.

I have one daft question about presses. Are the dies interchangeable between die manufacturers or do you need to pick a vendor then stick with their kit?
 
Thanks for all the advice and offers of help.Let me pose you a different question,as an experienced reloader if you had to replace all your loading equipment what would you choose?
I'm just looking to reload for normal ranges and stalking.
limey
 
I am getting inspired here, so I have decided to start getting some kit together. I am reading the Lyman manual for a start & will order/acquire a few more books. I have also seen quite a few videos from Spud & those on YouTube on reloading so I have a good idea of what is involved. Thanks for posting the above article PeteL, it was most useful.

I have one daft question about presses. Are the dies interchangeable between die manufacturers or do you need to pick a vendor then stick with their kit?

Neumo most of the manufacturers standardised on 7/8 x 14 thread size for dies some years ago. Normally most dies will be interchangeable between the different makers of reloading equipment, the exception is for extra large cartridges like 50BMG and some of the old British cartridges. I use dies by Lee, Lyman, NDRS and RCBS with my Dillon and RCBS presses with no problems whatsoever.
 
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Thanks for clarifying that, I just wanted to double check before I started to make a shopping list. I am leaning towards a Redding, RCBS or Lyman press at the moment.
 
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