Reloading- How Technical!?
- Thread starter Stephenbuck2489
- Start date
Got myself one of these, and a set of balance scales and digital scales.
Not had a chance to give it a go yet. The thought of making ammunition by "hitting with a hammer", any part of it seems outrageous to me but I'll probably start over the next month or two.
63
Well-Known Member
Most of what is written about reloading online (by volume) is about what you might call ‘technical reloading’ ie trying to make super tuned ammunition that produces the best possible groups in a given rifle. It is easy to get lost in that detail and get intimidated.
If you just want to make ‘cheaper factory ammo’ then it’s pretty simple - just load to standard OAL as per the instructions in your chosen manual. It’s worth tinkering with different charge weights to obtain decent accuracy, but for stalking purposes it’s very possible that you’ll find the first charge you try is perfectly good enough.
Depending on how much you shoot, you can get a long way with a Lee loader, a hammer and some scales for weighing out your powder (in preference to the scoops).
Seen a lot of people whinging online recently that reloading isn’t cost saving anymore - personally I reckon that, even accounting for the brass, I can load copper bullets for about £2 a bang in 308 - which is around half the cost of factory loaded Sako Blade, Barnes etc.
If you just want to make ‘cheaper factory ammo’ then it’s pretty simple - just load to standard OAL as per the instructions in your chosen manual. It’s worth tinkering with different charge weights to obtain decent accuracy, but for stalking purposes it’s very possible that you’ll find the first charge you try is perfectly good enough.
Depending on how much you shoot, you can get a long way with a Lee loader, a hammer and some scales for weighing out your powder (in preference to the scoops).
Seen a lot of people whinging online recently that reloading isn’t cost saving anymore - personally I reckon that, even accounting for the brass, I can load copper bullets for about £2 a bang in 308 - which is around half the cost of factory loaded Sako Blade, Barnes etc.
BenBhoy
Well-Known Member
Have you performed such a test?
trickie
Well-Known Member
Not quite the 3 I like to think of reloading as.
The first 2 are spot on
Number3: Enjoying the fruits of the first two
If you are a bit pedantic, or a perfectionist then reloading is for you.
Should you be “slapdash” then you might not be best suited
Depends what you want and as everyone says you can do it in a cheap and cheerful way.
To my mind the real benefit is that you can achieve accuracy beyond standard factory ammo..is it needed for deer stalking...probably not but why shouldnt we get the best accuracy out of our kit. Will it save you money ...arguments for and against...its a rabbit hole and I suppose it depends on how far down it you want to go
Im half way down the rabbit hole at the mo but got what I wanted for the 6.5 creed with copper and I wasnt getting that with factory.
To my mind the real benefit is that you can achieve accuracy beyond standard factory ammo..is it needed for deer stalking...probably not but why shouldnt we get the best accuracy out of our kit. Will it save you money ...arguments for and against...its a rabbit hole and I suppose it depends on how far down it you want to go
Im half way down the rabbit hole at the mo but got what I wanted for the 6.5 creed with copper and I wasnt getting that with factory.
timbrayford
Well-Known Member
I agree to a point, the clover leaf really depends on shooting skill and with a bit of trial and error not too difficult to achieve, especially if using a reasonably accurate factory round as a base point.
I can't say that measuring case volumes with water is anything that I've ever found the need for and all that x thousands of an inch off the lands stuff is to my mind not worth obsessing about either.
I find that using the bullet manufacturers load data for dimensions works just fine, primers wise the only ones that seem to make any difference at all are the horridly unreliable Magtech LR ones with around 3/100 loose anvils causing misfires.
Powder wise it pays to be flexible and I use whatever I can get hold of if my first choice is not available, a burn rate chart is particularly useful in this respect, occasionally chronographing loads is useful to ensure compliance with MV / ME requirements of the Deer Act.
Overall its well worth doing , I can make something far better than factory rounds and crucially be able to make what I need without time wasting trips to gun shops with their aspirational stocklists.
Heym SR20
Well-Known Member
How deep a rabbit hole do you want.
You can reload with a simple Lee Loader tool, using little plastic scoops to measure powder and a hammer to provide the force. Some primers, a tub of powder and bullets and you will make ammo perfectly good to shoot deer at sensible ranges.
Or you can go to ever diminishing returns, spending huge amounts of money to make ammo that will allow you to select which tick you shoot at. But you will to spend equally huge amounts of money and time on rifles, barrels, optics etc.
You will almost certainly develop a naisaly voice and start saying phrases like “jolly interesting”.
You will probably then get excited by caravans, extended wing mirrors and minute improvements in mpg.
You can reload with a simple Lee Loader tool, using little plastic scoops to measure powder and a hammer to provide the force. Some primers, a tub of powder and bullets and you will make ammo perfectly good to shoot deer at sensible ranges.
Or you can go to ever diminishing returns, spending huge amounts of money to make ammo that will allow you to select which tick you shoot at. But you will to spend equally huge amounts of money and time on rifles, barrels, optics etc.
You will almost certainly develop a naisaly voice and start saying phrases like “jolly interesting”.
You will probably then get excited by caravans, extended wing mirrors and minute improvements in mpg.
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unfortunately the guy has passed away and im getting it from a relative who has no intrest in reloading his own ammo.
If you like a bit of cooking, a bit of science, and fancy a new hobby, then it's definitely for you.
As others have said, you can go as deep into it as you like, but fundamentally it is pretty simple.
If you have the option, make a start with pistol calibres as they are simpler than rifle. And generic rifle ammo is much simpler than chasing precision and absolute repeatability - but that can be fun too. Just depends on your mindset.
If you got the full kit from a mate, then you are more than halfway there - it's all the little bits like trays, gauges, little tools to clean out primer pockets, chamfer and deburr that add up if you are starting from scratch.
There's LOADS of good stuff (and some awful) on YouTube on the subject.
As others have said, you can go as deep into it as you like, but fundamentally it is pretty simple.
If you have the option, make a start with pistol calibres as they are simpler than rifle. And generic rifle ammo is much simpler than chasing precision and absolute repeatability - but that can be fun too. Just depends on your mindset.
If you got the full kit from a mate, then you are more than halfway there - it's all the little bits like trays, gauges, little tools to clean out primer pockets, chamfer and deburr that add up if you are starting from scratch.
There's LOADS of good stuff (and some awful) on YouTube on the subject.
Fosbery Holster
Well-Known Member
Sorry to hear that, he could have been a mine of information for you.
As mentioned at post #17 l would recommend looking through this post as well as reading a good reloading manual.
Bo Diddley
Well-Known Member
I can't believe you bother with cleaning brassYour poshI use T cut
... what a waste of time, you'll be paper punching or carp fishing next 
Bag a big 'un
Leec6.5
Well-Known Member
I’ll never target shootI can't believe you bother with cleaning brass
Bag a big 'un
you making it sound a lot harder than it is!
You can keep it simple or you can be anally retarded over it, each to their own, personally I prefer to be feral and as simple as possible!
But I must have shiny brass hence the T cut in the tumbler media, can’t be arsed with wet tumbling and annealing, just more
you don’t need to do.
caorach
Well-Known Member
Most people spend their time talking about tests involving small details that really don't matter, that no one can explain how they work, and that no one can predict what effect these changes might have. Basically they change random things without a clue of the effect or outcome, they have no valid statistical data to support any of the "discoveries" they make and they add further steps, and therefore further errors, to the process.
You don't need to bother with any of that stuff at all. Safety is, of course, a priority but I'm going to guess you can drive a car or wire a plug so you are probably already fully on top of doing stuff that could kill you if you get it wrong.
So I'm going to suggest that you give it a try. Stick to the basics and simply knock the primer out of the old case and resize it, check it isn't too long as this is a safety thing, put a new primer into the case, put the correct measure of power in and set a bullet on top. Simply ignore the other stuff and all the gadgets that go along with it, if you want to play about with that you can do it later but at the start just focus on getting safe ammo that will shoot out the end of your rifle.
If you complete the minimum number of necessary steps then you will be making the most consistent ammo you can, any other steps add additional random changes, and you will get the satisfaction of using ammo you've made yourself plus you may be able to create loads that you can't buy - a certain bullet you want to try for example.
The ammo you make will probably not be any cheaper than factory ammo, it probably won't shoot any better, it won't kill deer any better, but you will have the satisfaction of having done it.
paul o'
Well-Known Member
Reloading is about keeping the OCD in check.
Think of it like this ! you buy factory and then wish you were Anne Oakley! Start to
Reload and your still not ! but your trying all the same
But you will hit what you aim at once you have mastered the dark arts.??
Your only achieve bug hole shooting if your rifle allows you !!!!.
So start with a rifle and build on that you will achieve better things.
Is it cheaper
No not at the start!
will it be cheaper once you have forgotten how much you have spent yeh perhaps! .
It's a long road but once your there you can tell others its easy to gain perfection and your be able to prove it .
Good luck best advice go slow only buy the best you can afford
buy once cry once buy twice cry all year! .
Oh never take another's load data as gospel. Start with known proven data.
Down the road your understand on how to improve your data for your rifle.
Think of it like this ! you buy factory and then wish you were Anne Oakley! Start to
Reload and your still not ! but your trying all the same
But you will hit what you aim at once you have mastered the dark arts.??
Your only achieve bug hole shooting if your rifle allows you !!!!.
So start with a rifle and build on that you will achieve better things.
Is it cheaper
No not at the start!will it be cheaper once you have forgotten how much you have spent
yeh perhaps! .It's a long road but once your there you can tell others its easy to gain perfection and your be able to prove it .
Good luck best advice go slow only buy the best you can afford
buy once cry once buy twice cry all year! .Oh never take another's load data as gospel. Start with known proven data.
Down the road your understand on how to improve your data for your rifle.
paul o'
Well-Known Member
I'd say both if you can't shoot small a perfect reload will show you nothing! apart from your inability to shoot.
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