Considering reloading. Newbie questions

Status
Not open for further replies.
D

daehawc

Member
Joined
Mar 15, 2007
Messages
132
Location
Milton, FL
I am looking at getting into reloading in order to cut some costs down on ammo and insulate from future shortages / pricing spikes. Right now I'm looking toward the Hornady Lock N Load AP press for my starting rig.

My main intent is to reload .45 ACP ball for practice and some HP for carry, some 5.56 for practice and surplus SHTF supply, and some .308 match ammo for getting into the long range bolt game.

I know ultimate accuracy can be obtained from a single stage press for the .308 but the LnL AP seems to be a descent package for the whole plan.

Is there a single powder that would work well with all 3 calibers or are there certain powders for each that I would have to buy? Mainly, seeing the hazmat shipping costs I don't want to buy 3 powders for 3 loads. My priority would be accuracy with the .308

Thanks for the help.
 
Ideally you would want to find a somewhat local place to buy powder. Bc unless you are ordering a lot the shipping and hazmat fees will tear you up. I use totally different powders for .45acp and .223. Not sure you will find one for all 3.
 
You more than likely will end up with a min of 3 powders. Hand gun an rifle powders have a very different burn rate. You may find a powder that will work for the rifle loads but it will be a compromise for both.
 
These kind of questions can be a little scary to read. Powders for rifle and pistol are waaaaaay apart as far as burn speed goes! No there is not any one powder that would work well for .45auto and .223.
Get a good reloading book and read it before doing anything else. Lots and lots of them out there. Lyman is ususally one mentioned on the forums quite a bit.
Read about some equipment and then make your decision. The Lock N Load is a good press. Two friends use one and although its only four station it seems to take care of business. I would do alot more research before buying anything.
U tube is a good place to look at presses in action
 
fallout mike said:
More knowledgeable than me will chime in shortly.
Click to expand...
This. But no, buy the correct powder for your bullets to be used. powders have specific burn rates that will make them safe and reliable for specific loadings. You may find one that will work marginally well for all 3, but powder really is cheap enough to but the correct one for your specific loadings.
 
At minimum, you're going to have two different powders.

I load on the Hornady single stage classic and love it. I load for 4 different handguns and 4 different rifles.

You can get away with one different powder for the .45 and one different powder for the rifles, but each caliber may not like or be the most accurate with the same powder. I use H4895 for my .223, IMR4895 for my .308 match loads, I also have a match load using Alliants 2000MR, and I use IMR4350 and IMR7828 for my 7mm Rem Mag depending in bullet weight.

If I was to use the same powder for the two rifle calibers you listed, it would probably be IMR4895.
 
daehawc said:
I am looking at getting into reloading in order to cut some costs down on ammo and insulate from future shortages / pricing spikes. Right now I'm looking toward the Hornady Lock N Load AP press for my starting rig.
Click to expand...
Check out the attached forum thread, it can be found under the sticky at the top of the reloading sub forum called something like "Reloader Library of Wisdom"

http://www.thehighroad.org/archive/index.php/t-238214.html

It should enlighten you on what equipment is needed.

I suggest doing some research as well. "ABC's of Reloading" is a good "how to" book. Frequently, it can be found at the library so you would not have to buy it. There are several editions of the book but any one will be good for basics.

The Lyman manual #49 is another good one and it includes reloading data. This you should buy so that you have it on hand.

Ultimately, you will want to have several reloading manuals. You will find data from various sources will be a bit different.

There are differing opinions on what press to learn on, single stage or progressive. In my opinion, it is best to start learning on a single stage press, particularly rifle ammunition, but you need to assess your abilities.

In any cases, a single stage press is handy to have on hand. There are some specialized tasks that it does better than a progressive and almost all of the gear to get started reloading on a single stage will transfer over to the progressive when you get one.

Hope this helps.
 
My longtime buddy just got into reloading last year after getting hooked on prairie dog shootin with me. Me bought a Rockchucker kit and I got him goin. One of the first things he said was "I want to find one powder that will work in all of my guns, I don't want to have all different kinds of powder like you".
He is moving, and he told me yesterday that he has 64 pounds of powder! Sorry to break it to you, but if you are looking for precision, you will try anything to get that extra little bit of accuracy. In these times you will try what is available and work up a load, then when what you want to load is available, you will get some of that and try it too....good luck with the hobby. I have not saved a dime reloading in 45 years, but my loads are better than factory and I shoot a lot more than I could if I had to buy factory.
 
I suggest that you start with a single stage press to find out if reloading is for you. That way it won't be so bad if you don't like it. You probably could sell your setup to another new reloader.
 
I think starting out with 45 is a great idea. It is a very forgiving cartridge to load and there are a lot of powders that work well for it. But I don't think I would try using rifle powder for it.

Like pretty much everyone has said, first get a book or two. The Lee book is pretty good as is “ABC's of reloading”.
My favorite book on rifle reloading is “Handloading for Competition” by Glen Zediker. If you want match loads this is the book to read.

Also: YouTube is your friend.
 
You need at least 2 different powders. I would go with W231 and Varget for your cartridges. Of course there are tons of other excellent powders, but that's just an example.
 
"seeing the hazmat shipping costs I don't want to buy 3 powders for 3 loads"

You can have a variety of powders shipped with one hazmat fee. Powder Valley will ship up to 48 lbs with one hazmat. Mix and match.
 
You will need at least 2 powders as handgun and rifle powders don't cross over well. You may need a third powder to have accurate loads for both rifles.
 
Lee precision has refurbished Classic cast turret presses marked down to $82 not including shipping. It's big enough for longer .30 cal rounds so you're .308 will fit fine and will still be able to use the auto indexing feature.

This would be a better deal though for someone starting out.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/785993/lee-4-hole-turret-press-with-auto-index-deluxe-kit

The 4 hole turret is almost perfect for rifle as you need more dies than for pistol reloading. Kind of a 1 size fits all thought process. You need to take into account that rifle reloading is more labor intensive than pistol reloading.

I'm reloading .300 Savage and These are the dies that I use with my Lee classic turret:
Turret 1 (Before processing brass for sizing etc)
1)Lee universal deprime
2)Hornady Neck sizing die
3)Lee full length sizing/deprime (As needed for stretched or new to me brass that has not been fire formed to my chamber)
Turret 2 (After the brass is processed and ready to reload)
3)Lyman M die (neck expanding)
4)Lee universal rifle charging die
5)Lee bullet seat/crimp die (no crimp added just seat)
6)Lee factory crimp die (to take the bell out of the neck)

You mentioned loading for match .308. You want to use a single stage (SS) press for match as there is very minimal to no slop or play in a SS press. So you will get more consistent ammo loading for match with a SS than a turret or a progressive which the turrets and the shell plate carriers flex during the reloading process. Most reloaders have a good SS press on or around the bench for numerous tasks that you just can't do with a turret or progressive press.

http://leeprecision.com/reconditioned-classic-cast-press.html

http://www.titanreloading.com/rifle-reloading-dies/lee-deluxe-3-die-sets

I know you mentioned the Hornady LNL press to start with. I'd advise you if cost is or could be a make or break decision. The LnL, you'll have to buy a lot of the extras that you want vice what you need but you'll need them to make the press run like it should. For less than the basic LnL package you could get a Lee turret press kit I listed above for rifle and a SS press for match. Then if you throw in all the extras onto the LnL and then add ons for each caliber, you could get a Lee turret, Lee Pro 1000, and a Lee SS press.

I started with 1 SS press I now have 2, 2 turret presses and 1 progressive, Good Luck!
 
Your press choice isn't ideal for noobs but it will do.

The FIRST thing you need to purchase is a reloading manual, they're all 'good' but the Lyman, Lee, Hornady and Sierra may have the best illustrations and well written instructions for noobs. The books will also give good suggestions for the cartridges and bullet weights you will be interested in, and there won't be any over-lap in powders for your cartridges.

Most of us grit our teeth and just buy powders/primers locally but if you mail order them there's only the one massively expensive Politically Correct shipping charge for each order so getting multipul powders and primers, or more of them, won't be so bad.
 
As mentioned, order your powder and primers at one time and pay one hazmat. Personally, I buy powder in 8# jugs, (but I know what I need to use). You will not get your best results with one powder, but most likely will need 3, Buy locally in 1# containers to test and once you find THE powder for each cartridge, buy online in 8# jugs (2-8# jugs per case).
 
Thank you for everyone who took the time to put some advice here. I definitely plan on getting some books and reading up more. I'm the type of person who researches to death when starting something new and thats the stage I just started. I didn't realize the hazmat fee could cover primers and powders all in one order so that makes it much less painful.

I'm still searching but haven't found many great places to buy supplies locally yet. That lead me to looking online trying to determine my per round costs and started seeing the fees.

Thanks again for the help and I'm sure I'll be back on the side before long as I delve deeper into the subject.
 
daehawc said:
I'm still searching but haven't found many great places to buy supplies locally yet. That lead me to looking online trying to determine my per round costs and started seeing the fees.

.
Click to expand...

Gun shows can be a source of powders and primers. But gun shows do vary by region.

In my area, there are usually one or two vendors that sell powder and primers. I figure the entry fee is an entertainment expense and I can get small quantities of powder without the high hazmat fee.

Once you determine what powders you will use, you can mail/internet order a large quantity that will reduce the effect of the hazmat fee. I figure i need to buy $200-$300 worth. Other folks have different thresholds.

Unfortunately, inventories are getting better but still hit and miss.
 
The first thing to do before pulling the handle on which ever press you start with, is to read some good books. There is so much more to loading than picking a powder, or three. I strongly urge you to buy and read at least two good instructional books. Once you've read them, you will then likely have a number of specific questions to present to the forum. An example being, you'll be asking if powder A would be a better option than powder B for a particular shooting purpose, rather than which powder will function for three different cartridges.

As for a press, the best way to learn the process, and also spot common problems before they make it to the firearm, is on a single stage press. Anything any faster, is just setting a new loader up for problems and safety concerns.

Welcome to THR!

GS
 
Don't even buy a press or gear until you have read at least one manual, cover to cover. And, ideally, sit with an experienced reloader who can show you how he (or she) does things. I read two manuals (Speer and Hornady) and spent several hours with my reloading mentor at his bench before I even unpacked my press.

Reloading is not hard. But it is not forgiving of certain kinds of mistakes. Its rules, while ultimately just driven by chemistry and physics, are not "common sense." You really need to familiarize yourself with the basics and let your brain digest and internalize them. Then you'll need to proceed slowly and with great care.

ETA: I also second the Lee turret suggestion. That's what I started with, and I really like mine. At some point, when cash is plentiful, I may move to a true progressive; but an awful lot of the reloading horror stories come from guys running progressives. It really takes another level of mindfulness to run them; you're not just performing an operation, you're supervising a factory.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

R
  • Locked
Press Help
2 3
Replies
55
Views
2K
DaveInFloweryBranchGA
D
R
  • Locked
Reloader Newbie with ????
Replies
7
Views
610
rammy
R
N
  • Locked
A few newbie questions
Replies
19
Views
908
nobody_special
N
D
  • Locked
Should I buy a used Dillon 550 and get back into reloading?
Replies
9
Views
836
Critter183
C
B
  • Locked
Best Approach To Rifle & Handgun Reloading
Replies
0
Views
324
BigMike66
B
Back
Top