In order to participate in the GunBroker Member forums, you must be logged in with your GunBroker.com account. Click the sign-in button at the top right of the forums page to get connected.
Reloading Help
Mickeyblueyes
Member Posts: 10 ✭✭
I was reloading for my 270 today and a strange thing happened,it
hasn't occured before. After 15 rounds were finished the last 5
rounds would not seat in the cases.The case opening was to large.
Now let me say that I deprimed and sized all these cases together.
I am useing a new bullet this time same weight 130. When I deburred
the case could I have taken to much material? Please advise any
thoughts. Vince
hasn't occured before. After 15 rounds were finished the last 5
rounds would not seat in the cases.The case opening was to large.
Now let me say that I deprimed and sized all these cases together.
I am useing a new bullet this time same weight 130. When I deburred
the case could I have taken to much material? Please advise any
thoughts. Vince
Comments
Also, for future reference, there is a reloading forum here too.
The search tab is in the upper right of your screen.
Personally I think you can make better and more consistent loads on a turret.
Get a powder scale, a good measure too. You need dies for each caliber you want to load for the most part. One exception is 38/357 which uses the same dies (.38) with slight adjustment.
I prefer Lyman dies but there are other choices. Nothing wrong with Lee and they are the cheapest.
Just check online for reloading equipment and there are many sources.
Go slow and obey the safety rules.
1 Purchase a manual, and read the front "how to" section.
2 Read the "how to" section again.
3 Determine how many rounds you're realisticly going to shoot in a week/month/year. It's the volume (and size) that determines what type of press is best suited for your needs
Dies are used to reform the brass to origional size, and to seat the bullet to the proper depth.
The press is the tool that carries the dies. Think of a socket set, the sockets (dies) fit different nuts/bolts (cartridges), and the ratchet (press) drives the sockets.
Single stage presses are slower, but you are encouraged to pay greater attention to your work due to that slower pace.
Progressives are quicker, and are capabable of turning out large piles of substandard ammo quickly IF the operator makes a mistake (if the operator knows what their doing, and pays attention to the work in progress, the progressives will turn out large piles of quality ammo). It all comes down to the operator.
Progressive loading machines are very fast, but also very unforgiving. At best, you can wind up with primers and gunpowder all over the place. At worst, you end up with gun and body parts all over the place.
Start with a single-stage press. You'll always have need for one anyway, but the main reason is to learn the why of every step as well as how every step ought to feel, sound and look.
If you have any further questions, you can pose them down in the Reloading forum where they won't disappear off-screen in a hour.
It's a fantastic hobby, all in itself. Addicting.
I started with a Lee 50th Anniversary kit. (I'm a tight wad)
I'm still using the press, and I love it.
The scale is good enough, even if it isn't a pretty blue, or green.
The powder measure was the first thing to be replaced, with a RCBS uniflow.
I started with .38spl. Straight wall handgun cartridges, that head space on the rim, are the way to begin. Just like your .45 Colt.
Of course, I can easily adjust my dies to .357 magnum.
Then I was given a set of .30-30 dies, and bought case trimmers, etc to load those.
That led to .30-06, .45acp, .300 Wby mag, .358 Win, none of which I own a launching platform for. I just stumbled upon used dies, and bought the case trimmers, and shell holders.
It's addicting, like heroin. I tell 'ya.
Others have told you to get a manual first. I want to add to that great advice. Get at least three manuals. One, for the brand of bullets you plan to load. One for the brand of powder you plan to use. And a Lyman manual.
Get the Lyman, then decide which other two you need.
I have the Lee reloading manual, I don't recommend it.
I suggest buying a Lee or
RCBS single stage. Use that
for a year or two.Discover all the
quirks and stages of reloading.
Maintain a disciplined set of steps
that you'll keep for the rest of your reloading
years.Then if you need quantity buy
a progressive press. The set of steps
that are ingrained in you now will
only slightly change.
I've been reloading on a single stage
press for 30 yrs and just recently bought
another single stage.I find the whole process
theraputic and as far as quantity (I'm not a
competition shooter)100 a nite is enuff for
me. Good luck and enjoy!
ron
You think your reloads are so cheap you shoot five times as many of them, so your actual out-of-pocket expense is almost double what you used to spend on factory ammunition. If you can ration yourself to only shooting three times as much, it's a wash. To truly save lots of money you have to reload and still not shoot any more than if you were buying every shot.
Not many do.
The guys that destroy their firearms do so by accident IE: putting in 2-3 times the powder they meant to in one cartridge (easy to do in the revolver cases).
Crude analogy, you can jump off the curb, than off the step, than off the porch and finally off the roof before it starts to bother your knees so you back off and only jumping out the window, IOW a progressive learning curve, OR you can jump off the Empire State Building.
If your concerned about making a mistake, GOOD. Stick to the manuals recommendations, take your time, double (and triple) check everything every time and you normally won't have a serious problem.
they ain't the best of the best but they ain't bad, and are great for getting into loading. If for some crazy reason you don't like reloading you are only $200 in the hole for the whole set up vs $200 for just the press plus $50 per die set
May I humbly suggest you first go to my website and read the article called "Reloading 101." It's got a click link on the intro page. http://www.reloadingroom.com/
Progressive loading machines are very fast, but also very unforgiving. At best, you can wind up with primers and gunpowder all over the place. At worst, you end up with gun and body parts all over the place.
Start with a single-stage press. You'll always have need for one anyway, but the main reason is to learn the why of every step as well as how every step ought to feel, sound and look.
If you have any further questions, you can pose them down in the Reloading forum where they won't disappear off-screen in a hour.
I fail to see how you get primers and powder all over the place with a Dillon. I started with a rock chucker and after a year or two I realized how futile a single stage is if you do any type of volume shooting, which handgun is always volume. I could see if he was doing rifle where a 100 rounds would last a good day for deer rifle sight-in and practicing but for handguns would last about 20 minutes.
Get the Dillon and save yourself the money you were gonna spend on single stage to "learn". If you want to learn, do one round start to finish a bunch of times before you use it progressive style. the powder and primers are case activated so you wont lose anything by just running the case around to all 4 positions before putting in another.
Dillon also makes a video that shows you what you need to know about it as well.
Graduated to the Spar-T, turret press. Still use it.
Used a progressive for a while. Sold it.
I like the turret because it's easier for me to do one operation at a time. For example, depriming and sizing. I usually do several hundred cases, then clean the primer pockets before running them thru the expander and repriming. You can't do that on a progressive easily.
I check each case again for cracks and splits too. I use a loading block and powder measure to load 50 cases, visually check, and dump about every 10 or so into a powder scale to verify the measure. Never had a squib or overload. Not even one.
Also mold most of my bullets, started doing that when I first started loading, 38/257, 45ACP and 45Colt mostly. Round, wad, and semi-wad, and Keith.
Still have a good supply of lead, already made into ingots with antimony mixed in. I had a large supply of printers type, and wheel weights. I could make some really hard bullets too.
At one time I was shooting 500 or more rounds every week. I could easily load twice that amt. during the week for weekend fun.
I enjoyed the time spent molding and reloading, that was part of the fun. At one time I figured it cost me about 50 cents per box of 38s since I made my bullets. But it wasn't just about saving money. I guess if you don't like doing it, you probably shouldn't.
With the recent craziness of prices I don't know what the cost factor is any more, I haven't bought any powder or primers since that started.
Since I don't get to shoot much any more I'm not loading very often.
Got plenty loaded anyway, and a few thousand cases cleaned and boxed up if I decide to get with it again, hanging on to powder and primers I already had. Bullets made, sized and lubed. May need them before too long.
Have fun youngsters. I sure did.
First thing to do is to buy a (at least two for comparison checking) reloading manual and study up on the subject. As somebody else that is new to reloading...,
I suggest a single stage press so you don't have to focus on everything at once.
Also, for future reference, there is a reloading forum here too.
+1000 ...and read the damn thing, don't just look at the pictures.
Good advice Cameron... [^]
Good available manuals are;
Hornady
Speer
Lee
Lyman
Nosler
Sierra
Barnes
Here's a list showing the calibers referenced in several differing manuals...
http://www.midwayusa.com/midwayusa/staticpages/charts/reloading_manuals.htm
Be careful and check every step taken against reference data...
Oh... and don't drink or smoke while you're reloading...
could prove to be hazardous to your health... [:D]
Beginner = single stage press....trust me
ABSOLUTELY... [;)]
Typical reloading error could result in the following exemplary failure to cycle the action properly...
READ THE MANUAL FIRST...
From a newbie I thank you guys very much, I amy not shoot enough for it to pay. I would like to make a spread sheet and see the returns, it seems everything is expensive, and then factor in your time? It does allow you to make some creative ammo thou.
If you're worrying 'bout factoring in your time... it ain't worth it.
I can't reload 9mm at cost for less than you can buy factory hardball.
My 45ACP reloads cost about $9.50/50 rnds or about $0.25 more than 9mm...
If I have to worry 'bout the cost of brass... I'll add in about $5/50... or $14.50/50 rnds Still less for the 45ACP than factory cost...
PS- Rocky, yer right- I can't reload 9mm for what it costs on sale- But .348 Winchester, at $75/20 rounds- suddenly, it makes good sense!
Besides the good advice you have already been given, I would add buy a copy of The ABCs of Reloading. You can get it in paperback, maybe a used copy at Amazon. READ the book before buying ANYTHING. For a first time loader, single stage press.
PS- Rocky, yer right- I can't reload 9mm for what it costs on sale- But .348 Winchester, at $75/20 rounds- suddenly, it makes good sense!
Or if you are really adventerous 50BMG API's
quote:Originally posted by 11b6r
Besides the good advice you have already been given, I would add buy a copy of The ABCs of Reloading. You can get it in paperback, maybe a used copy at Amazon. READ the book before buying ANYTHING. For a first time loader, single stage press.
PS- Rocky, yer right- I can't reload 9mm for what it costs on sale- But .348 Winchester, at $75/20 rounds- suddenly, it makes good sense!
Or if you are really adventerous 50BMG API's
I worked it out that my 45colt reloads ran about $4.50/50 rounds since I already had the brass.
Don't have my figures right now but about $3 for 100 primers, $22 for a pound of powder, LRN bullets somewhere about $60 for 1000. Can make about a 350-400 very easily in an hour the Dillon whereas with a single stage it would have been a chore to get that many done in a night of reloading.
Like I said, No need to "learn" on a single stage, you can use the Dillon as a single stage if you want to "learn" also. If you are worried about it have a friend who is experiencedcome and help you set it up and give you the pointers. So far I have reloaded probably 10000 rounds on the Dillon and maybe 1000 round on the Rock Chucker. The funny thing is I probably have as much time reloading using the Rock Chucker as I do the Dillon.
I bought one when I started reloading,It comes with everything except Dies.
The Book is very good and goes pretty deep into reloading.
quote:Originally posted by lksmith03
quote:Originally posted by 11b6r
Besides the good advice you have already been given, I would add buy a copy of The ABCs of Reloading. You can get it in paperback, maybe a used copy at Amazon. READ the book before buying ANYTHING. For a first time loader, single stage press.
PS- Rocky, yer right- I can't reload 9mm for what it costs on sale- But .348 Winchester, at $75/20 rounds- suddenly, it makes good sense!
Or if you are really adventerous 50BMG API's
I worked it out that my 45colt reloads ran about $4.50/50 rounds since I already had the brass.
Don't have my figures right now but about $3 for 100 primers, $22 for a pound of powder, LRN bullets somewhere about $60 for 1000. Can make about a 350-400 very easily in an hour the Dillon whereas with a single stage it would have been a chore to get that many done in a night of reloading.
Like I said, No need to "learn" on a single stage, you can use the Dillon as a single stage if you want to "learn" also. If you are worried about it have a friend who is experiencedcome and help you set it up and give you the pointers. So far I have reloaded probably 10000 rounds on the Dillon and maybe 1000 round on the Rock Chucker. The funny thing is I probably have as much time reloading using the Rock Chucker as I do the Dillon.
API's (Armor Piercing Incendiary) for my 50 cost me about $.55ea which comes out to $27.50 per 50 rds. I can actually afford to play a little with my 50
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=423081
can any one comment on the above link? the price looks good , what else would I need? Yes I know the books and reading should come first but this sale ends.
Ya can't beat that with a stick. Although Lyman and Hornaday have had some great deals on starter kits too. Have you searched the reloading forum? There was a link there a while back for a screaming good deal on a kit.
quote:Originally posted by Mickeyblueyes
can any one comment on the above link? the price looks good , what else would I need? Yes I know the books and reading should come first but this sale ends.
Ya can't beat that with a stick. Although Lyman and Hornaday have had some great deals on starter kits too. Have you searched the reloading forum? There was a link there a while back for a screaming good deal on a kit.
Yep... Great price!
I however, prefer a separate hand primer over the tube primer used with a press... better feel of a seated primer without crushing it.