How to reload?

[quatin]

How difficult is it to reload your own casings? The marketing gurus from the companies make it sound like you can be half retarded and still be able to reload your rounds better than factory ammo. Is it that simple that I can just pick up a kit like this one :

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=420765

and just read the instruction manual and be able to reload? So far I understand that I would need a kit like this, some bullets, primers, powder and some brass cases. Speaking of which, can I reload the brass from factory ammo (assuming I strictly buy brass cased ammo that are not military surplus)? Is that all I need? Aside from perhaps getting better groupings (assuming I'm competent) does it really save you much money? I'm aiming to do this for a .223 only and I know there are pretty cheap rounds for it like Wolf/Monarch, but if it's about the same price to reload and I can get better groupings out of it I would like to give reloading a shot (pun intended).

 

[Terrierman]

That, along with the necessary consumables (powder, primer, bullet, case lube) will indeed allow you to reload fired cases. Most who reload use a press to hold the sizing die and the shell holder. The principle is the same, but you use mechanical advantage to get the case into the sizing die instead of a hammer. At some point in reloading it becomes necessary to trim cases back to specified length (they tend to stretch a little bit every time they are fired). So some method of trimming cases is very handy. The powder measure limits you to only one loading per powder. The more flexible alternative is an adjustable powder measure and a scale. So the basic kit for more serious reloading once you try it and like it (you will) will consist of dies, press, powder measure, scale, case trimmer. After that, the sky is the limit.

 

[Jim Watson]

You can load serviceable ammunition with that original Lee Loader. It won't be fast but it will shoot. Not recommended for automatic (pump, lever) rifles, fine for a bolt action where you will be shooting the brass back in the same gun.

 

[quatin]

Sorry, I forgot to say I am intending to use this with a bolt action rifle and it will be primarily for target shooting.

 

[ezypikns]

Then you'd probably be better off with a quality single stage press..

Like an RCBS Rockchucker. RCBS sells the Rockchucker press singly or as part of a set. I bought the set and if I remember correctly, it came with everything except dies, shellholders (for press and primer tool), powder, brass casings, bullets, and primers. Of course, you'll also want a tumbler to clean brass. That's extra.
Reloading, like anything else, is reasonably easy if you follow procedures correctly. Purchase at least two reloading manuals. Lee and Speer are two good ones. Also there's a book called 'The ABC's of Reloading' which would certainly be useful. Do lots of reading. Ask lots of questions. 'The High Road' is an excellent resource.
And finally, many people (myself included) got into reloading in order to save money on ammo. That's a possibility I guess, but you may find that reloading is such a pleasure that you wind up spending MORE money.

Good luck, have fun, and be safe.

 

[epijunkie67]

I started with the Lee Anniversary press kit.

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=820810

Midway has them for $82 and it includes the book Modern Reloading which is a complete step by step guide and includes a huge amount of load data on every load I could hope to shoot. The kit has everything you'd need to get started except dies for the specific caliber you want to reload, powder, bullets, and primers.

You could buy everything seperate but you'll spend more money. You could buy a different brand but you'll spend more money. You could buy a progressive press but you'll spend more money.

I'm sure that eventually I'm going to want to move up and buy other equipment but for the limited amount of loading I do now this is plenty. Using a single stage press has also helped me get a grip on each step of the process because I'm only dealing with one thing at a time. And when I do finally buy a bigger press the dies I have now will work in it just fine.

As for the Lee classic loader - they work. I've got one in .357 and loaded ammo on it just fine. If you really want to go inexpensive then get one and try it out. You'll still need powder, bullets, and primers and I wouldn't buy any of them until you have the loader in your hands. The reason is the loader comes with a little scoop that you use to scoop out powder with and you'll want to look at the load table (it comes with the loader) to see what kind of powders will work with the scoop.

For example; My .357 loader comes with a .7cc scoop. I just pulled the dirrections out and am looking at them now. If I want to just use the scoop that comes in the kit and I want to load 110 grain bullets I can use HS-7, Unique, Hi skor 700x, PB, or 7625. (All the names of different gunpowders) But if I want to load 158 grain bullets I can only use Green dot, Red dot, or Herco. Totally different set of powders.

Good luck.

 

[skipjack]

I loaded a good bit of handgun ammo on the lee loader while beginning my reloading career. The lee loader works, but is slow and somewhat labor intensive.

You may be happier with something like this:

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=820810

You would just need a set of dies, powder, bullets and primers. You would probably want to add a caliper to measure case length, as your budget allows. Midway sells all that stuff, too. They are a class outfit.

Best of luck to you!

 

[Smokey Joe]

Reloading made easy

Well, mebbe. Quatin, I'd suggest that you read up a little before plunging into it. After all, we ARE dealing here, with hellish hot gases, and fiendish pressures.

I began with the Lee Loader, and if The ABC's of Reloading had been around 'way back then it would have saved me a bunch of mistakes, do-overs, oopses, and wondering whys and hows.

Get it @ yr local sptg gds sto, gun sho, the I'net, or order from the publisher, Krause Publishing, www.krause.com

Having read it, you'll have a very clear idea of exactly what you need to get started, what you want as extras, and what you can put off until later. It is a great how-to and better yet why-and-why-not-to kind of book. Belongs on every reloader's bookshelf, well thumbed, IMHO. They must be doing something right; the book is now in its 7th edition.

Yes, you can reload factory ammo brass; most reloaders do. Beware of corrosive primers, Berdan primers, and non-brass cases in military surplus. SOME milsurp ammo brass is fine.

Oh, and welcome to The Magnificent Obsession--Reloading!

 

[Hazzard]

Is reloading easy? It's not really difficult, but it's not for everyone either. You must be willing to pay attention to detail and at times be very meticulous. Smokey Joe has the right idea. Pick up some literature on it (such as The ABC's of Reloading) and see if it is really something that you want to do. I've been reloading for many years and have found it to be one of the things I really enjoy about owning firearms.

 

[MartinBrody]

I started with one of those kits for 44 Mag. I didn't know anything at all about reloading, and it taught me the basics. They do work, but before long you will get hooked and pick up a single stage press like I just did. I like the lee classic loader because it teaches you the most basic elements of reloading. I just picked up the lee anniversary press kit and couldn't be happier with it. Here is a link to the instructions I used for the Lee Loader.

Try
http://www.beartoothbullets.com/
Then search for Lee Classic Loader, the first article is "Handloading on a Shoestring" and gives full instructions with color pictures for the Lee Classic Loader.

 

[quatin]

Hi all,

Thx for all the responses, I've read about reloading and I'm pretty sure it's a process I would like to be involved in. For how long, is another question since I've not even fired the first gun I have bought. Thanks to MartinBrody for the excellent reference for detailed instructions as to how to use the Lee Classic Reloader, I may end up buying the kit just for that resource . One question I have that lingers is when the author wrote some powder are not for use with some loads. I do not understand this statement, is it for specific bullets, cases or calibers? Also, the instruction set is for reloading pistol rounds, is there a major difference when it comes to reloading rifle rounds (aside from different primers and different kit)?

 

[Run&Shoot]

Certain powders for certain cartridge/component combinations = YES

YES. each cartridge has a certain max pressure specification. Given the case capacity, diameter, and bullet weight there will only be a certain range of powders that can deliver the minimum velocity to get the bullet out the barrel, as well as stay within the max pressure.

At a Macro level there are generally the powders for shotgun and handgun which overlap a lot. These are powders such as Bullseye, Unique, Red Dot, Blue Dot, Win 231, Win 296, HS6, H110, AA2, AA5, AA9, etc. Then there are the rifle powders, which have only a small overlap with the handgun powders. These are ones like the Reloader series, IMR4064, H4895, Varget, etc.

Since you are reloading .223 you want to look up the load data in a couple of manuals to see what the group of powders are listed in the data section for .223. Now you need to look at the bullet type and weight. 55gr and 62 gr. are popular for target shooting, whereas lighter bullets around 40 gr are popular for varmint shooting (more violent expansion) and heavier ones up to 77 gr or more for long range target shooting.

Let's say you are going to load the 55 gr. jacketed bullet. The Lee manual lists data for such powders as Reloader15, Varget, H4895, BL-C(2), N135, N133, Accur2520, Accur2230, Win748.

Choosing a powder rests on many factors. You may wan to choose the one that the manual indicates may provide the best accuracy, or highest velocity within the pressure limit, requires the least weight of powder (cheaper), fills the case the most, burns cleanest, is most convenient to buy locally, is also usable in other calibers you plan to reload, etc.

For me, I would probably go with Varget, because I can buy it at a discount sporting goods store a mile from my house, and it is good for not just .223 but also useful for .308, .30-30, and .30-06 for which I reload occassionally. I don't reload enough rifle catridges to make it worth it to me to stock several rifle powders so I use Varget for as many calibers as I can. Handguns I use mostly Win 231, Unique (about to try it, but in the past used AA5), and Win 296.

So you have to look at the data and determine what factors are important for making your powder selection.

Someone else that does a lot of rifle reloading can jump in on the differences as I do pretty much the minimum.

 

[temmi]

Hand loading requires some skill, and a lot of care and attention. With that and some good equipment and components… you will be hard pressed not to load a better round than you can buy.

 

[quatin]

cool, thx all. I think I'll get started one of these days. In the mean time, I bought some .223 ammo from a gun show that says "remanufactured by DRS Dallas". It shot pretty well, but I have no clue what DRS Dallas is. Is it reloaded ammo? How do I find out if there's any corrosive components on it?

 

[Hazzard]

If it was remanufactured in dallas, I would think the chances that it is corrosive are slim to none. Most corrosive ammo is older berdan primed milsurp stuff. A modern ammo remanufacturer in the US would be using boxer primed cases for .223 and the primers would be non-corrosive. You can tell if it is boxer primed if it only has a single flash hole in the bottom of the case.