Reloading - Beginners question

[MWD 800]

Hey guys. I am just getting into reloading and I was wonder what advice I could get from guys with experiance on a few key points to pay special attention to. What is the one thing that everyone makes a point of teaching newbies?

I can't wait to start this new hobby (and save a little bit of money)

Thanks guys,
Joe

[Dick284]

The biggest pitfalls I see new reloaders get into, is not reading the front sections of their manuals enough.

Most every hick up, nuance or rough spot is layed out there.

Not having more than one manual.

[Cowtown guy]

Originally Posted by Dick284

The biggest pitfalls I see new reloaders get into, is not reading the front sections of their manuals enough.

Most every hick up, nuance or rough spot is layed out there.

Not having more than one manual.

I agree with Dick. Read everything you can find before you dive in the deep end.
Also don't take other's loads that they throw out there for the world to see as being safe in your rifle. Start out with the minimum loads listed for the particular bullet and slowly work up the load. Look closely for pressure signs. These will be described in the beginning of the manuals.
Play it safe!

[twofifty]

Like the others said: Get a couple Manuals & Learn all about Pressure.

Starting low and working up toward the accuracy you want doesn't mean your goal is to load to the maximum powder charge shown in your Manual. Your rifle's internal dimensions and the reloading components you assemble are necessarily different than what the Manual's technicians used. So what is safe in their lab may lead to unsafe pressures in your gun.

Oftentimes, practical accuracy is found somewhere along the way. There is no real bragging rights to running a maxed out load if you don't have to: it is more costly, will burn the barrel out faster, and is not necessarily the most accurate.

Other important things:

- make sure your rifle/scope already can shoot predictable groups with commercial ammo. No sense testing your reloads with a poorly bedded action or a loose scope or action screw. Use a good benchrest such as you get from sandbags.

- reload in batches and stay organized. Keep your brass/rounds in their own batches - don't mix them up.

- Always inspect your cases and discard those that have cracks or flaws such as are described in your Manual.

- make sure to fully seat the primers. In semi-autos primers that stick out beyond the base are likely to make the round go off before the bolt locks up. In bolt actions, high primers will lead to erratic ignition.

- at first, when seating the bullets, make your cartridge's COL the same as store-bought ammo. This will be a good safe overall length to start out with. Your manual will tell you how to measure your chamber's length and how to optimize a load's COL so as to get the most accuracy. The latter is often found by seating the bullet further out, so that it starts out closer to the rifling - your manual will tell you how to figure that out.

- use your caliper to keep track of case dimensions. Each time a case is fired it expands. Each time it is resized, it is forced back to std. dimensions. Over time, the case lengthens and the neck needs trimming; the brass also gets brittle and then the neck won't hold a bullet well. Unless you Full Length Size each batch, you will eventually notice it is harder to close the bolt. This means the case is now outside of your rifle's safe Headspace dimensions (Headspace is a crucial concept, look it up). Make a note of the case's width & length, and get that batch resized/trimmed to std. length before reloading it (called 'trim-to' length). Cases from mellow calibers or loadings can be trimmed 4-5 times, the higher pressure/hotter ones much fewer. Failure to trim the case back to std. dimensions will sooner than later cause a pressure spike accident.

- Eventually, cases that have been fired multiple times and trimmed multiple times expand their base to such an extent that when seating primers you will feel the primer slip right in without the usual effort. Such a case should be retired.

- Follow your Manual's advice on when to retire a case. Remember that the brass case's job is to prevent the hot gasses from escaping past the bolt head and into your face.

- pay attention to what you are doing while reloading. While shooting your loads keep an eye for signs of excessive pressure per the cautions in your Manual. Make sure to label load info on the boxes of ammo you produce.
Take and keep well organized notes.

- remember that guns and ammunition components are manufactured to a set of +/- tolerances. This means that you need to find out when it is important to be right on your numbers, and when slight variations are to be expected and are of no consequence. Charge weights are one area where you want to be right on, most particularly if your load is in the higher end of the manual's range. Don't go crazy chasing one or two thousandth's of an inch unless you are reloading on the ragged edges of the pressure envelope.

Google or search for Optimum Charge Weight and Ladder Test.

Have fun.

[hansol]

Read a reloading manual first, just to get a general idea as to what goes on. Then go from there.

A couple things though:

-Start with minimum-ish loads, don't go straight for max. Do that a few times till you get the hang of things. It will also give your brass a longer life (usually)

-Don't have more than one container of powder open at one time. It sounds silly, but it's easy to accidentally put the wrong powder into a case.

That's about all I can think of for now.

[gitrdun]

Originally Posted by hansol

Read a reloading manual first, just to get a general idea as to what goes on. Then go from there.

A couple things though:

-Start with minimum-ish loads, don't go straight for max. Do that a few times till you get the hang of things. It will also give your brass a longer life (usually)

-Don't have more than one container of powder open at one time. It sounds silly, but it's easy to accidentally put the wrong powder into a case.
That's about all I can think of for now.

Take all the good advice from all the posts thus far. And this one from hansol is a great tip. I've been reloading for 20+ years and I recently mixed two powder for the first time ever. By catching my stupid mistake, I now have some powder for great fire works but at least won't end up getting hurt.

Take your time, be methodical, keep a tidy reloading bench.

[huntinstuff]

I have been reloading for 3 weeks. I learned this lesson during DAY 1.

Have a good scale. Better yet, have two good scales.

[foothillsman]

Stupidest thing you can do is reload while drunk! Accident waiting to happen ie. Overload some rounds resulting in your face being exposed to shrapnell from the pieces of your gun blowing up when you shoot it due to excessive pressure

[wyattsdaddy_51]

I myself don't do any reloading as of yet, but found this article an interesting read. I will likely get started sometime this year.

http://www.bcwf.bc.ca/programs/core/.../reloading.pdf

[twofifty]

A useful read!

[Unregistered user]

You won't save a nickel, you'll shoot more, have more fun doing it, understand more of what's going on and become a better shot. It's kinda like fly-tying only louder. Go slow, read the manuals and follow the instructions, common sense prevails, it aint rocket-surgery. Enjoy your new obsession.

[FreeLance]

Originally Posted by Unregistered user

It's kinda like fly-tying only louder.

LOL

What a lot of great advice here. Couple of things.. going to a one day class somewhere is superb. P&D has one for instance, I'm not sure where you are. Reading is going to be necessary but interesting. But nothing can replace a hands on demonstration and explanation, and an experienced eye watching you while you do your first work.

It's also a great place to find out what stuff you'll need, some of it may not SEEM necessary but it's for keeping your organized or accurate or whatever.

Get some kind of file going that records what you loaded and what the results were. I use an Excel spreadsheet to keep all of my loading information including detailed notes about what I actually build and how it worked. And how the cases looked after firing, etc etc.

I'm sure you've read all the threads about which manuals people recommend, popular choices include Lyman's and Noslers, partly for the information up front. Keep in mind that if you buy a Lyman press, it may come with their manual

And that... "poured leftover powder into the wrong can" thing...? I ALMOST did it a couple of weeks ago. Now I take the can out of the lockup, put powder into the measure and put the can back in the other room but NOT into the lockup just yet. I do the loading to complete, then go get the can and pour the remaining back into it THEN back into the lockup.

A good scale for sure. You want to be as precise as possible with the powder. Lots of guys use electronic scales, but I stick with a reliable balance beam scale.. just get a good one.. take a look at the RCBS 1010. And make sure that when you use it, there are no drafts (like an overhead heat vent) blowing on your scale.

Anyhow.. have a great time with this.. it's a cool hobby all its own.

Frank

[kevpack]

Label your loaded rounds well! All you have to do is forget once and two weeks later you have no idea what's in the load, bullet puller comes in handy then, ask me!

[PoppaW]

The only issue I have ever had reloading was bumping the scale and have it up or down on the charge. I caught it once and was short powder so just marked them and shot them. The few that had too much powder in them I have to pull the bullets and redo. I have done this three times in about 20 years and it bugs me. I want a digital cuz its easier to see the weights.

[Traps]

1) take your time and read a manual thoroughly, until you have a complete grasp of what is going on...took me three months off and on
2) while you read it have the components in front of you
3) become familiar with the terminology, the way things work, and always ask yourself why certain things need to happen
4) do not attempt to make something that its not - don't try to chase the dragon like making a cartridge go faster than it should
5) pressure can change due to many things, know these things before you dive in

[lone wolf]

1. Read the instructions at the front of the manual thoroughly.

2. See 1 above.

3. See 1 & 2 above.

4. Use load recipes from a reliable source ie. manuals (note more than one).

5. Start light & gradually work up, watching for pressure signs.

6. Avoid distractions ..... no tv, no radio etc ...

7. Should be a no brainer but ..... if you are a smoker ...... do not smoke at the bench.

8. Get a bullet puller ..... everybody needs one eventually

9. If you know someone who reloads, get them to walk you through the process.

10. Enjoy - welcome to a very rewarding hobby. I can almost guarantee you will not save $$, but you will become a better shot through the additional range time

[greylynx]

Yes indeed, a bullet puller.

As you get better, buy a micrometer to check pressures on your brass. Reloading manuals will tell you how to look for pressure signs.

[Grizzly Adams]

Originally Posted by kevpack

Label your loaded rounds well! All you have to do is forget once and two weeks later you have no idea what's in the load, bullet puller comes in handy then, ask me!

I have a little notebook. Every time I load a batch, date loaded and all the details get filed in there. Handy when I want to go back and check on what I loaded last year, at this time. I know some people claim it's not necessary, but weigh all your charges and get a powder trickler. My technique involves setting the powder measure so that I throw large charges, just light, in two throws and then top off with the trickler. Used to use a tea spoon.
Grizz

[gitrdun]

Never mind all this non-sense. Just go on the internet and ask folks for their favourite load and go ahead and use that in your gun

[FreeLance]

Hey.. talking about a micrometer.. I got mine at Canadian Tire. A great little electronic readout micrometer, very accurate. It normally costs around $39 but WAS on sale for $20 last week, so I picked up another one. Not sure if it's still on sale?

I check mine for "zero" every time I use it, and double check it against a powderless/primerless bullet I have made in that caliber that is right on the correct max length ... just to ensure it's not wandering off accurate. So far, it's been perfect. Can't get much better than perfect, for $20 OR $40

Frank

[6.5 shooter]

All the above advice is really good ..one little trick I have learned ... is to get some mtm ammo boxes and use some good sticky labels on the inside and outside of the lid...the date loaded,caliber,rifle,powder,primer,bullet,brass etc. I even go so far as to put a set of trajectory tables in the lid as well.

6.5 have fun and good luck you will enjoy!

[flipper62]

Keep notes on everything..What might seem useless info at the time might prompt your memory later. Always refer back to your notes to double check your data of your loads even if you have reloaded the same load several times. I have a binder with page dividers for each cartridge.
Always have a clear head when reloading, no distractions (ie TV).
Get yourself a stuck case remover. I had one for 12 years and never used it until last year, but it is the right tool for the job.
Keep your area clean and uncluttered.
Get yourself some Imperial sizing wax, and throw out the lube that came with your kit.

2x on everyone elses advice.

[MWD 800]

Great advice guys. I can't wait to get started!

Thanks again!

Joe