Working My Way Up...

I’m going to be getting started in reloading here in the next few months (buying equipment a little bit at a time) and have a question.

I keep reading that I should start at the min loading and work my way up. I don’t have easy access to a range so working my up could take months or more. What if I just want to (for the time being) replicate factory loadings? How do I determine what the factory loading is? I think I understand the safety issue of not starting out at the max loading level; is this advice mostly because the load data may be inaccurate (kaboom!) or merely not to beat your gun to death?

Thanks!

I don't believe you have to start at the minimum charge but I would recommemd not starting above half way. For example if Min is 4 grains and Max is 5 grains I wouldn't start above 4.5 grains and wouldn't load max until I had a chrono. Most of the time you will find your most accurate load before you reach Max. Working up doesn't take as long as it might sound even starting at Min. If you load 10 to 20 rounds each at 4.0, 4.2, 4.4, 4.6 and shoot those then you can adjust the most accurate from those for your next range trip. Remember this is just my opinion and is worth exactly what you paid for it. Load safe and have fun.
Rusty

Ok, I was definitely approaching it all wrong. I was thinking that I was supposed to load up a big batch, go to the range, and shoot them all. Then go back home and load another big batch a bit hotter and repeat until I find the loading that works best with my gun.

After reading your post the light bulb came on. I can load (like you said) 20 or 30 rounds each of several loadings, take them to the range, and try them for function and accuracy. When I decide which is best for my gun, then go home and load the big batch with that.

Wow, that was kinda silly.

Never load a big batch of anything until after you have tested a small batch to see if it works or not.

Nothing worse then coming home with 190 out of 200 rounds of pistol ammo that you found out won't feed in your gun!

rc

Load six or 12 of each for a revolver. A mag or two worth for an auto. If you can't get to the range often, load up several recipes to take with you.

Take them to the range. Pick one or two of the loads and load up some more for further tests, including accuracy testing.

I take my test rounds for revolvers to the range and shoot them through the chrono on target. 5 paces for the chrono and 7 paces for the target. I don't worry about shooting the best I can. I can tell if a load is trying to shoot well or not. Then when I get the velocity I want I further test that load, or loads, seriously for accuracy. Usually a bullet will shoot well over a fairly wide range of velocities, so most times you will know early on if your gun likes a bullet.

Pretty much the same for auto's, except early on I test for function with different O.A.L.'s. When I find the O.A.L. that works, which is usually very quickly, I continue with velocity/accuracy testing.

Mainsail, If you do not wanna become proficient with your bullet puller don't load a bunch of ammo of one particular grainage at one time. I did a modified version of this when I loaded my very first rounds. Consequently, I became moderately proficient at swinging the bullet puller. (The upside: I pretty much got my money's worth out of my bullet puller!) My first 45acp loads were loaded at the minimum. The positive: The loads didn't blow up my gun! And they worked! The negative: I could almost swear the bullets were skippin' off the floor before hitting the target! The bullet was clearing the barrel but the charge wouldn't throw the slide back with enough force to chamber the next round. I still laugh whenever I think about it...

When I'm setting up loads I usually load enough to fill 1 or 2 mags for each pistol I plan to fire that particular caliber through. I have 2 45acp handguns. I want to see how a charge feels in each of them. I make notes on how they work in each firearm. Since going that route, I've only had to use the kinetic bullet puller one time and that was last night. I bought some once-fired 357sig casings and noticed a 32acp inserted inside one of them. The bullet puller removed it nicely. So, if anyone living up North is interested in coming South for a quick break in the weather, I've got the perfect excuse: a free spent 32acp casing that's already been through the tumbler! :D

I also find that for my pistol rounds, I usually don't need to load above the minimum for any reason. They are used to punch holes in paper for fun, usually at not over 15 yards. Why waste the powder and increase the wear on my gun if I am getting reliable function and good burn?

It didn't take me long,in the beginnin,to learn that 'starting loads' are just plain wimpy.
lets say for a hundred round test,I'd now load 10 at starting,80 at midrange,and the rest I'd go 10 percent below max.
So,no matter how large a batch you make,the majority shold be in the mid range or slightly above,imho.
Take along a BRASS rod for knocking out bullets,'just in case'.
and a .22 for plinking,'just in case'.

Whatever you do make good notes. This will save you a lot of headaches later on. I include powder weight, bullet weight/type, oal, crimped or not, type/size/number of primer, and whatever else you can think of. You can't have too many notes to reference. Also include recoil compared to factory, point of impact vs point of aim, group size, anything you can think of. You will not remember it later on and won't have to do it all over again.

Normally I load 17 for the 9 and 18 for the 38 & 357 of each load to test. 3-5 different charge weights and sometimes 2 different powders. Shoot them slowly and make notes. Having access to a chrono would be great especially when starting out. It will help you stay out of trouble and provide so much more info. It is not necessary, just real nice to have.

I'm more of rifle handloading than pistol (only 9mm). I'm not sure what you are loading. And their is a difference. An example what I was doing for my .270 I'd take five shots each of 46.0, 47.0, 48.0, 49.0, and 50.0 of H380. And the same thing with H414 with the same bullet. 50.5, 51.5, 52.5, 53.5, 54.5. As you see I took 50 shots. Most of them that work or in the middle. 47.0 Of H380 and, not sure of the H414 yet. But I only loaded the 51.5, 52,5 and, 53.5. I know one of those 3 will be the best in my rifle.
Have fun shooting!

Two suggestions, search and read lots of forum posts written to beginners, and find several mentors. I have reloaded for 4 revolver/pistol calibers, and three rifle. You can find lots of advice, here. Don't exceed recommendations from manufacturers, and stay safe!

RCModel: Nothing worse then coming home with 190 out of 200 rounds of pistol ammo that you found out won't feed in your gun!

Somehow that sounds like the voice of experience !!


Make dang good notes and then take your notebook with you to the range !

Never load a big batch of anything until after you have tested a small batch to see if it works or not.

Nothing worse then coming home with 190 out of 200 rounds of pistol ammo that you found out won't feed in your gun!

rc
Listen to RC. Pulling 93 bullets with a hammer type puller isn't much fun, don't ask me how I know this. Another thing that made things easier for me was to mark the primers of each of the different loads with a different color sharpie. I could put a lable on a 100 round MTM box to identify the different charges and fit five different charges in one box. If some how the box fell and they got mixed up they were easy to identify by the color of the primer.
Rusty

I'd now load 10 at starting,80 at midrange,and the rest I'd go 10 percent below max.

Uh...isn't start load usually 10% below maximum?

The rule of thumb is to reduce the maximum load by 10% and work up if looking to optimize velocity. The manuals started publishing start loads as they found many people are math challenged.

Maximum velocity seldom produces maximum accuracy but the best accuracy is often found in that 10% top end range.

I recently bought the Lee Pro Auto-disk and spent a few hours trying to figure it out. I have it assembled properly and was looking at the data sheet on the back of the (poorly written) instructions that came with it. It appears to me that I would find a charge on the sheet and choose the corresponding ‘hole’ in the disk to throw that load. It looks like you cannot adjust the load any, the hole is the hole, and it will throw the charge it’s supposed to. So “working up” a load isn’t going to be possible with the auto-disk, correct?

Also, does anyone know where I can find a good primer on using the auto-disk? The Lee site has lots of information but oddly nothing about what appears to be the most critical aspect of reloading; using their auto-disk. I ask this because while searching these forums I notice that some suggest using the next larger hole to get the correct charge weight, but others point out that the disk is throwing the load based on volume, not weight, so go with that.

Anyway, I’m finding this aspect of the process to be the most confusing, and it’s the aspect that seems to be most important.

Mainsail, you really need to use a powder scale to accurately weigh the charges from any powder measure, no matter the brand. Then, once you know the weight the measure throws, and that you can use it safely for a given cartridge, you can use the measure to meter charges.

I don't mean you have to weigh every charge that comes from a measure, but that you need to know what the measure is actually throwing before you start using it as a metering device.

You're right, you cannot change the charge the Lee Auto Disk holes will throw. You can "work up a load" with it if the disc will throw enough different weights within the minimum and maximum suggested loads for your cartridge, but you are limited to the increments that the disk throws. Sometimes those increments have too many grains between them to be useful in increasing a load a small amount.

I don't know the powder, bullet weight, or even the cartridge you are loading. For many powder types in many cartridges, one or another of the holes in the disk will throw an acceptable charge very near the starting point for a given cartridge.

The Lee discs do not always drop the exact indicated charge on the instruction sheet. They are often a little low, and now and then a little high. You really need a scale to check.