Getting started with reloading

[hendrix's rifle]

One thing I'll say about reloading, no matter how much money you think you will save, it won't happen. Period. You will however shoot much more I can't offer anything not already on this thread reloading wise. Good luck

 

[NP435]

A good book on reloading. Read all the parts except for the load data. Read it twice, even.
When you completely understand the basic process, you will know what equipment to buy. ~Muir

(If all else fails, you could use the search engine on the site. This topic has come up once or twice.)

Now my comment needs stored in my head. To the OP also if you know someone with experience to act as mentor during set up and tool buying this can be a help.

 

[DVS1]

So I’ve been wanting to get into reloading for a while, but don’t really know where to start.

What do I need in terms of kit and equipment? How do I know what the right amounts of powder etc are?

What would everyone recommend

If you were nearer I'd offer an invite to have a go at reloading with me to see if it's for you. That's how I started, very keen from that moment on and its a deep rabbit hole lol

 

[hybridfiat]

Decide why you want to do it.

How many rounds and of what calibre do you shoot??? I started off with 38 Special as I use around 1,000 per year and easy to start with as straight walled case. I was making them for £6/50 as opposed to £18/50 for factory ammunition. I then graduated to 7.62x51 and .303 British. The savings probably aren't as large given the price my club sells those calibres at but \i can tailor the round to my rifle. I only target shoot so probably use more rounds than if you were just stalking. It is enjoyable as it is another aspect of the sport that you can do at home.

It can be quite expensive to get set up though - press, dies, measuring tools, case prep tools, tumbler, primers, bullets, etc etc and you are coming into it at a bad time. Supplies such as primers and bullets are becoming very expensive if you can find them for sale at all.

If you can, ask an experienced reloader to show you the ropes.

Viht has a very good website for deciding what powder for what calibre and their powder is readily available.

If you do decide to go down the reloading route, take your time and enjoy it.

This is good advice.
20 years ago reloading would have been a no brainer.
"Of course you should reload, factory rounds are underpowered and not as accurate and worse still; expensive".
Today however the factory ammo is as good as anything 90% of reloaders can do and how many rounds are you going to shoot anyway?

Look at your need and the cost of the gear and the time taken to learn and get it right. Test loads have to be created and tried.
This can be time consuming and expensive.

Of course men like technical detail and the proccess, so reloading may not be necessary but the proccess is desirable and satisfying.
Up to you mate.
It's definately a rabbit hole.
I like the dark, close atomosphere so maybe we will be fellow burrowers.

 

[Antonyweeks]

I too am 'getting into' reloading. Been looking at a Lee Reloader kit for my 30-06. £44 on Amazon. Watched a couple of the Youtube videos about this and it seems pretty straight forward if a little less precise than some other methods. Has anyeone else used a 30-06 lee reloader basic kit and had good results? I know a guy that reloads his .270 and .243 with these kits successfully.

 

[Miki]

I too am 'getting into' reloading. Been looking at a Lee Reloader kit for my 30-06. £44 on Amazon. Watched a couple of the Youtube videos about this and it seems pretty straight forward if a little less precise than some other methods. Has anyeone else used a 30-06 lee reloader basic kit and had good results? I know a guy that reloads his .270 and .243 with these kits successfully.

If you already know someone who loads with a Lee Reloader kit then pop over and let him show/teach you what do do and make up some ammunition for yourself.
When you are happy buy the kit and develop for yourself...

 

[ChesterP]

Don't start with any reloading kit at all.

Start by buying and reading, cover to cover, a decent reloading manual such as the Lee 2nd Edition.

If at the end of that you want to have a crack you need to budget for the minimum of kit, which unless you want to pair it down to an inexpensive Lee loader kit (they work but if you have a lot to do you'll soon want to move to a press) which might include:

• set of reloading dies. Redding or Lee make reasonable quality kit to get you started with a die set for each calibre which should include a full size die, a bullet seating die (and in the case of Lee kits) a factory crimping die (if you choose to use one)
• If you used VLD type secant ogive bullets (google is your friend) then you will need a die insert suitable for cal and that die. Redding make a good one for most cals.
• Press: I still use a basic Lee press and it's good enough to get you started and produces good amunition;
• case trimming tool;
• micrometer vernier gauge;
• primer pocket cleaner
• ram mounted or hand operated priming tool
• sizing lube (Imperial wax is good);
• A method of cleaning cases to make it easier to check for brass damage. A cheap U/S cleaner or dry media tumbler will get you started.
• brushes to clean out cases
• shell holders for your cases to hold them in the press.
• scales for measuring out powder accurate to within 0.1 grains. Lee make a basic balance but it's a bit hit and miss. You might be better off with an inexpensive electronic "pellet scale" which usually comes with a little cup to use for powder.
• small powder funnel for pouring powder into the cases.

Cost of everything should be within £250 - £350. The Lee 50th Anniversary kit is a good way into getting most of what you need bar the die sets which will be extra. You can always upgrade some of the more rudimentary bits of that kit later on but at under £200 for the kit is good value unless you shop around for everything either used or new separates.

Be prepared to either bin the lot in frustration or become a total addict. Currently there is no Reloading Anonymous to help the afflicted. Do not aim for nor expect "sub 0.5moa" loads or for this to transform you into a shooting legend. If your aim is to produce decent loads for a fair bit less than factory ammo, tailored to your rifle which produces more than acceptable hunting rounds, you'll get that. One tip is to pick one or two bullets per cal which covers most of your bases, which are reliably available and ditto the powder. ou may have to try more than a few different ones before you find one that suits your needs and shoots well from your rifle. Don't be tempted to chase velocity and load hot. Load for accuracy to the minimum velocity needed for your terminal ballistics needs.

The most important part of your kit is the loading manual.

Best bet is to buy that first then before you start reloading, ask any outstanding questions here before you load your first batch.

 

[User00044]

My suggestion would be read and watch everything available to you on the subject .Then ask a friend or someone who knows what they're doing and is competent to give you a walk through , if they'll let you use their equipment under guidance , all the better . You may want to do this over a couple of visits , brass prep' one day , charging and seating another for example .
Then buy yourself dies , shellholder and consumables , especially if its a chambering they don't load .
I stipulate under guidance ,because how else are you going to learn and to save being foul of the law .

 

[Pedro]

1. Don't do it for the money. Even at pretty large quantities, the savings will be negligible and if you were to charge yourself for your time (as if) you would be deeply in the red.

2. Unless you are seriously into target shooting, the advantages you'll eventually get with accuracy will be small, although maybe for you significant. Most factory rounds are more than good enough for stalking/hunting/vermin control.

However, it can be cathartic. If the process of making your own rounds appeals to you, that's entirely another matter. Like most pastimes, you've got to enjoy it and if there's a financial outlay for that then that's par for the course. Then you should go for it!

 

[jcampbellsmith]

.Then ask a friend or someone who knows what they're doing and is competent to give you a walk through ,

How does the beginner assess the potential instructor's competence?
Regards
JCS

 

[Miki]

<snip>
The most important part of your kit is the loading manual.

Best bet is to buy that first then before you start reloading, <snip

Good advice from Mr @ChesterP ...

I have a spare copy of the Modern Reloading manual by Richard Lee (2019 revised edition) if you are interested ... It was a christmas pressie a couple of years ago and is basically new.
I could send this to you in Bucks for £30 ?
£25 if you become a group 'supporter'.

 

[User00044]

How does the beginner assess the potential instructor's competence?
Regards
JCS

A very good question , working on the principle that it is impossible , would render the validity of this whole section on the SD as pointless . How would anyone new to handloading know if the answers given were correct .
Regardless , I used the word" guidance" for that very reason , by the time you've sat at the bench you should already understand the principles , but may not be familiar with the equipment . In fareness , I should have been clearer in my post .

 

[SussexSteve]

Watch some videos on you tube. I suggest Hornady reloading with Rosie. You may get a bit distracted! Buy a hornady lock and load kit and your underway

 

[ChesterP]

I would hope that a broad consensus on a forum such as this with many experienced reloaders would soon weed out the bad advice from the good? In fairness, there's very little poor advice given here, but one thing to note by novices is NEVER to copy another's load development recipe even if you have the same powder, brass and bullets. Every rifle is different and what might be safe in one may not be in another. As above, treat this as guidance. The load manual is your friend.

There are freeware and licensed programmes these days which also provide sensible guidance but really until you understand how to use them properly, all the terms and the potential for error, they are best not relied upon to begin with but can be a heads up for ballparks for pressure.

This is a freeware version which still requires a degree of understanding before you attempt to use it but I have found that the outputs correlate very well to actual testing in with my own rifles and loads: Internal Ballistics Manual

Please note: THIS IS NOT A RELOADING MANUAL and should not be taken as such.

 

[Bo Diddley]

If you are reasonably intelligent, watch a lot of Youtube videos, and read a good reloading manual, but an hour or two with someone that know's his stuff is priceless. I had a load of Lee gear given to me, press, dies etc, and within a couple of weeks over last Xmas, I was getting somewhere. This was all out of necessity really (lack of available ammo) I still have lots to learn if I choose to, but I've worked up a usable load for my Hornet, see the attached 5-shot group @ 100yards. Well worth the effort IMHO.

 

[DVS1]

Panhandle Precision

Eric Cortina

GianniG

I strongly urge to have a look through these channels, you'll learn a LOT from them

 

[Twodogs]

A second for he Eric Cortina vids on that well known video site. Just remember that Eric reloads for world class target shooting but the principles are all the same.

There are a number of gun smiths/shops that offer reloading courses, maybe a good starter prior to disappearing to far down the rabbit hole.

 

[Rascal2018]

STEP BACK....Do not go down the rabbit hole! Do not lose your friends, wife, house, money, sanity and any free time you ever had...Do not chase a sub MOA clover leaf...........Choose life, choose a factory reload, choose a whole load of off the shelf non toxic........but.........

If you take the blue pill......you wake up in your comfortable bed and believe what ever you want to believe

But if you choose to take the red pill............ get hold of a Nosler or Speer reloading book. A huge wealth of information. Will tell you everything you need to start. Lots of info on here and lots of info on YouTube. And you will see how deep the rabbit hole goes!

Brilliant now this is in my head

Drive boy dive boy
Dirty numb angel boy
In the doorway boy
She was a lipstick boy
She was a beautiful boy
And tears boy
And all in your inner space boy
You had
Hand girls boy
And steel boy
You had chemicals boy
I've grown so close to you
Boy and you just groan boy
She said come over come over
She smiled at you boy

 

[gixer1]

If you are near someone that can give you a run through of the process it would be good - are you up in the N.E of Scotland at all?

 

[Dorsettaff]

Brilliant now this is in my head

Drive boy dive boy
Dirty numb angel boy
In the doorway boy
She was a lipstick boy
She was a beautiful boy
And tears boy
And all in your inner space boy
You had
Hand girls boy
And steel boy
You had chemicals boy
I've grown so close to you
Boy and you just groan boy
She said come over come over
She smiled at you boy

Lager, lager, lager,lager!