1st Rifle Reloads, Questions

[Olympus]

I've been reloading pistol calibers for several years, but I just got all my components to start reloading rifle calibers. I sat down last night to start working up some rifle loads for my 243 and I have some questions. I'm using a Lee Classic Turret press and Lee Deluxe rifle dies with the collet die since all of my reloads have been shot out of the same gun and it is the only rifle I own in 243 caliber.

My main question is how I go about filling my cases with powder. I'm using a Hornady electric auto powder scale and dispenser. It auto dispenses and measures each charge into a little silver tray. The problem I have is that the little silver tray is too wide to pour into the mouth of the 243 case. Is there some trick to this? Is there some kind of funnel or component that I'm missing that would make this job easier?

My second question is how do you know how deep to seat the bullet? I don't have any factory ammo that I could measure. My reloading manual provides an overall length for the finished round using particular bullets. Should I use the number provided in the manual for the bullet that's closest to the bullet I'm loading (95gr Hornady SST)?

 

[jwrowland77]

Question #1: yes, you'll need to buy a funnel or a pan that has a funnel with it.

Question #2: there's several different ways you can go about this. You can either load the round to fit the magazine, or you can load near the lands and single load.

If it's hunting, I'd suggest loading to magazine length, that way there's no issues cycling another round into chamber.

If you want to single load....the easiest tool I found is the Hornady OAL gauge and the Hornady Bullet Comparator. These two tools will get you right where you want to be. I've used other methods like using a sharpie and coloring the bullet, but the OAL gauge will give you a more definitive answer as to how far the ogive is from the lands.


Side note: the best measurement is to go off the ogive, as the tip of the bullet can vary quite a bit from bullet to bullet.

 

[maxxhavoc]

As far as a funnel is concerned, this is what I use - good for all calibers. It came with some kit or other long ago. I assume other vendors have the same thing, if you prefer a specific color:
http://leeprecision.com/powder-funnel.html

As far as seating, I start a load using the same OAL as commercial ammo using the same bullet and go longer from there. Usually a loading guide that covers that particular bullet will list a minimum OAL. Maximum length is rifle-specific. there are many methods to check your rifle's throat depth.

 

[Olympus]

My 243 is a single shot, Ruger No 1. I loaded one round without powder to the OAL in my Lyman manual and the round chambered in the gun without any problem.

 

[gahunter12]

I would suggest getting a Hornady OAL kit with a .243 modified case to fit, and the bullet comparator set. With a wood dowel inserted in to the muzzle end, insert the OAL gauge with a modified .243 case attached, and your bullet of choice. Push the bullet out till you fill it touch the lands. I usually use the wood dowel to push back, and forth till I fill like it's just barely touching the lands. Then lock your gauge in, and take a measurement with your comparator kit. This will be the measurement to the Ogive.

You will need to find the distance to the lands for each bullet you load. I usually start at .020" off the lands, and adjust from there. Some bullets like a lot of jump, and others like to be close, or touching the lands. My m77 7mm RM likes 160gr Sierra GK seated about .005" off the lands, but likes 160gr Nosler Accubonds seated .025" off the lands. Just remember pressure will go up as you move closer to the lands.

 

[Reloadron]

The Lee Collet Die and from our friends at Lee:

There is no loading system that will load more accurate ammunition than Lee Collet Dies. No one but Lee has ever dared make a guarantee like this -- Smallest group size or your money back. A collet squeezes the case neck against a precision mandrel for a perfect fit with minimum run-out. No case lube is needed. Cases last ten times longer, so the savings on only 35 cases will pay for the dies. Maximum accuracy is usually achieved by seating the bullet out far enough to touch or almost touch the rifling. This provides the shot start pressure normally supplied by the crimp. That's why a dead length bullet seater is included to complete the most accurate reloading system ever made. These dies size only the neck to preserve the perfect fit of fire forming. Only reload cases that have been fired in your gun. Not recommended for autoloaders, slide or lever action guns.

You may want to keep in mind that when using a neck sizer only die that after so many loadings you will need to use a full length resizing die. Just so you know you will have a need for full length resizing eventually.

My 243 is a single shot, Ruger No 1. I loaded one round without powder to the OAL in my Lyman manual and the round chambered in the gun without any problem.

That will do just fine for starters.

While there is no shortage of powder funnels out there in a pinch you can fabricate your own from a curled piece of paper and some tape. Just make sure all of the weighed charge finds its way into the case, no more and no less.

Ron

 

[jwrowland77]

+1 on the Lee Collet dies. Love them.

 

[spitballer]

I used a Lee funnel for the longest time without a problem, but it fit on the outside of the case neck and eventually it wore out and started leaking when the funnel tilted even slightly. Yes, I got my money's worth and yes, I'm reloading through a skinny 22 caliber case neck which barely fit underneath the hole to begin with, but a one-size-fits-all funnel that goes around the outside of the case neck just didn't seem like a permanent solution. So instead of simply replacing it I made my own funnel from the smallest Rubbermaid I could find at the grocery store. Even the smallest one wouldn't fit in my 22 caliber case necks until I filed the edge into a taper, but after modifying the end to fit my cases it works like a charm. And, importantly, it fits on the inside of the neck and thus will not leak or harbor kernels underneath that spill out when the funnel is lifted or tilted.

Obviously there are differing views on how to go about bullet seating. You didn't specify bolt or autoloader, but bullet seating is easy for my bolt rifle. I simply load .030" over and let the lands do the rest. As long as neck tension is consistent and on the loose side (NOT finger loose), this provides excellent consistency and I can also get away with a smaller powder charge. However, cartridges tend to be long and they may not fit in a magazine if you use one.

 

[gamestalker]

You'll need to buy a "Powder Funnel".

As for seating depth you can do it like this with very good results. First start with a clean chamber / barrel. Remove the bolt, then seat a round long, carefully push it up into the chamber by hand until you feel it trying to, or actually sticking into the lands. If it sticks, no big deal, just lightly push it out with a cleaning rod. Continue seating deeper until it doesn't stick at all, that is about zero to the lands. Once you have identified where zero is, measure the oal of that cartridge, with that particular bullet, write it down.

Then check to see if that oal will fit the magazine, if it does you can then pick and choose the oal you want to seat it to. If not, seat deeper, or until it fits the magazine and will feed / cycle. Once you've found the oal you want to use, with a caliper, either measure the seating die from the top of the adjustment on the plug, to the bottom of the die, then write it down. That is your chosen oal for that bullet, and will allow for quick set up next time you use that exact same bullet. Or, just measure the oal of the loaded cartridge once you've found the desired functional oal, also write that down.

Also by writing all of these measurements down, this will let you know approximately how far off the lands your bullet is.

Almost every bullet will contact the lands at a different oal, so this is something that needs to be done each time you load a different bullet.

Hope this helps.

GS

 

[Sunray]

Fiddling with the OAL to get 'just off the lands' is a load tweaking thing. Usually done after you have a load. Every chamber is slightly different, so every rifle's OAL will be slightly different too. It's not the be all and end all for accuracy though. You can load ammo that give fantastic accuracy with the OAL at the max given in your manual.
OAL in manuals is the longest according to SAAMI by the heaviest regular bullet in that calibre. By regular, I mean commercial. There's a 115 .243" bullet I'd like to try out of my Cooey, for no apparent reason.

 

[gamestalker]

I totally agree with you Sunray, the only point I was trying to make, was identifying approximately where zero is, provides a reference measurement by which to work from and allows the reloader to know with fair accuracy, just how far away from the lands the bullets actually is at any given OAL, and with that particular bullet.

GS

 

[WestKentucky]

Buy a funnel...phooey. Take a 223 case since they are so common. Cut the head off, heat and swell the back end. DIY reloading funnel.

 

[Coltdriver]

I had a #1 in .243. Great rifle. Mine worked well with the bullet right at or touching the lands.

With your #1 you will find the chamber dimensions to be much tighter than the SAMMI spec. I have owned a half dozen #1's and found all of them to have very tight chambers. When I loaded my .243 to the manual col length the bullet was in the lands.

Also #1's are very strong so you won't blow yourself up with a bullet in the lands. I once loaded some really hot rounds using partitions and ruined a bunch of expensive brass because the load was way too hot and the bullet was in the lands. Early reloading mistake. Good to have a #1 to do that with.

You can very easily figure out what your chamber dimensions are with a little patience and a search for ways to do that on this board. It will be worthwhile for you to figure out your chamber, especially since you have no magazine restriction and such a strong action.

 

[Olympus]

I may extend the length a bit then. I'm at 2.628 and there's just a bit of the "texture ring" showing on the bullet above the case neck.