If I was to start reloading .222 would tolls/equipment would I need?
- Thread starter perdix
- Start date
In all seriousness, start with a good book on reloading. Pursue this thought no further until you have read it, then the decision will be well informed and in all likelihood, correct for you and your needs.~Muir
Perdix,
Below is a piece I wrote for another Forum which you may find of interest:
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 Lyman 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 loadings, although perhaps it may not be really necessary. You don’t really need an ultrasonic or a tumbler if your budget is tight.
- 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
Below is a piece I wrote for another Forum which you may find of interest:
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 Lyman 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 loadings, although perhaps it may not be really necessary. You don’t really need an ultrasonic or a tumbler if your budget is tight.
- 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
Thanks Muir I have a manual on order 
And thank you PeteL.
Berger me I think I'll be getting a here and a bit there until I've got all the kit.
I know homeloads can be more accurate and consistant but when I look at what I'm needing I do wonder if it will be a cost effective exercise for what is basically a foxing rifle?
And thank you PeteL.
Berger me I think I'll be getting a here and a bit there until I've got all the kit.
I know homeloads can be more accurate and consistant but when I look at what I'm needing I do wonder if it will be a cost effective exercise for what is basically a foxing rifle?
Perdix,
No, of course you don't really have to reload but taking a fox with a round you've loaded yourself is like taking a trout on a fly that you've tied yourself; the end result is the same but there is more of a sense of achievement by taking your quarry with a product of your own labour. IMHO, anyway.
Peter
No, of course you don't really have to reload but taking a fox with a round you've loaded yourself is like taking a trout on a fly that you've tied yourself; the end result is the same but there is more of a sense of achievement by taking your quarry with a product of your own labour. IMHO, anyway.
Peter
Cut+Squirt
Well-Known Member
I started reloading primarily to save money due to the volume of bullets I was going through.
I can assure you I haven't saved a penny, in fact im a few hundred pounds lighter.
I have however discovered levels of accuracy that simply can't be matched by
factory ammunition... I have also found a new and very enjoyable hobby in its
own right.
I have also discovered that I am super anal !!!
I can assure you I haven't saved a penny, in fact im a few hundred pounds lighter.
I have however discovered levels of accuracy that simply can't be matched by
factory ammunition... I have also found a new and very enjoyable hobby in its
own right.
I have also discovered that I am super anal !!!
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FrenchieBoy
Well-Known Member
That's the best way that I have heard it put, and almost exactly the reason I started reloading my own C/F ammunition!
I reload for both my .222 and my .243 using the Lee Loader System (Cheap to buy and easy to use) Even though it is not really any cheaper than buying factory ammunition I can get much better accuracy with my loads than I can with factory ammunition, and it's far more satisfying!
Thanks Muir I have a manual on order
And thank you PeteL.
Berger me I think I'll be getting a here and a bit there until I've got all the kit.
I know homeloads can be more accurate and consistant but when I look at what I'm needing I do wonder if it will be a cost effective exercise for what is basically a foxing rifle?
As Cadex says, you spend more money. In terms of kit, there's a number of forum members near to you who reload in different ways. Once you've digested the book, I'm sure folk would be keen to share with you their approach. The SE Scotland Branch has from time to time had an evening dedicated to reloading and non-members are very welcome.
Regards
JCS
What's an 'explosives variation'? Never heard of that one. I did apply to work with explosives once upon a time, but the management didn't think it was a good idea. Regards JCS
Cut+Squirt
Well-Known Member
No variation required to home load ... although if you don't already have it, you will
need authority to buy and possess expanding missiles.
Brithunter
Well-Known Member
If the budget is tight then this may well be a good way to start:-
http://www.henrykrank.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=164_181_472&products_id=2066
Simple Lee "C" press. Ideal for low volume rifle hand loading and it comes with the Lee Book all for £34.73
Will not take up much room to store unlike some of the "O" frame presses. Just add dies, vernier caliper, some powder scales and you can start up. If reloading is to your liking then one can improve and add other equipment as one goes along.
http://www.henrykrank.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=164_181_472&products_id=2066
Simple Lee "C" press. Ideal for low volume rifle hand loading and it comes with the Lee Book all for £34.73
Will not take up much room to store unlike some of the "O" frame presses. Just add dies, vernier caliper, some powder scales and you can start up. If reloading is to your liking then one can improve and add other equipment as one goes along.
Brithunter
Well-Known Member
Thanks Brithunter
Your welcome.
Many over complicate reloading. In case your not aware of what the Lee Loader mentioned looks like well this is one:-
That's in 270 Winchester and an old one as shown by the original alloy powder scoop. The modern version come in red plastic boxes with the yellow plastic scoops. The yellow scoop shown is one from a set of Lee Dies.
Now this is a real vintage one the Zero Error target version:-
and that one is for the .222 Remington as well. It's unused as shown by the cellophane still being on it. I bought it for my little collection.
There are those on these forums who load their hand loads with similar sets. As I said there are plenty of options.
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paul o'
Well-Known Member
if you only go out in a blue moon say 20 times a year don't bother find a round that your rifle like and by a hundred or so be cheaper
p.s
i reload and have a more than fair few hundred pounds worth of bits of kit plus bullets and powder's spend your £ on a few box's of ammo fed/sako/ norma / rws, would be my choice before you slash out on reloading kit if a pal has the same rifle try each others factory loads be a bit cheaper that way
p.s
i reload and have a more than fair few hundred pounds worth of bits of kit plus bullets and powder's spend your £ on a few box's of ammo fed/sako/ norma / rws, would be my choice before you slash out on reloading kit if a pal has the same rifle try each others factory loads be a bit cheaper that way
Last edited:
night stalker
Well-Known Member
I started reloading primarily to save money due to the volume of bullets I was going through.
I can assure you I haven't saved a penny, in fact im a few hundred pounds lighter.
I have however discovered levels of accuracy that simply can't be matched by
factory ammunition... I have also found a new and very enjoyable hobby in its
own right.
I have also discovered that I am super anal !!!
cadex, from what you wrote I think we must have been seperated at birth!
I've now gone as far as turning a spare bedroom into a gun room / man cave which my wife now calls the "knobhead room" and load for 222, 223, 25-06, 30-06, 303, 7mm STW and am helping a mate work up his first load for 22-250 (he bought the dies but uses my kit)
I bough a large portion of my kit second hand from here or AirgunBBS. I have one of those Aldi ultrasonic cleaners that cost £17.50 and use it with citric acid crystals I bought from an Asian supermarket (it beats the hell out of using a primer pocket cleaner and a neck brush).
If you do take the first steps into reloading get as much reading done as you can and if possible go and watch someone who knows what they are doing making sure you ask any questions you think of even if they sound stupid in your own head.
Rick
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