New to board, new to reloading, and a few questions.

[SEVENPOINT]

Hi all, lots of information here, thought I'd ask a few questions.

First of all, I'd like to start reloading. Not sure if I'd like to cast my own bullets or not, but mabye yall can answer that.

I'm trying to convince the woman to let me get this reloading kit for my birthday.

http://leeprecision.com/cgi/catalog/browse.cgi?1099449301.4051=/html/catalog/anivers.html

It looks like it will have alot of the stuff I need to get started, but is this too much for a beginner like me?

The calibers I will be reloading are: .30-06, 7.62x39, Hopefully 9x18 makarov and 40 S&W, and either 6.5x52mm or 7.35x51mm Carcano

My questions are:

What is the purpose and functionality of the following?

Press
Dies
Calipers
Tumbler
Powder Measure
Scales
Cutter & Lock Studs
Case Length Gauge

I have an idea about each but I would like to get everything confirmed by the people on this board that know alot more than I do.

About Casting... is it worth the trouble, Or is it easier to just buy bullets? Can you make your reloading capabitities more versitle when casting?

Any other information about reloading would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Lennyjoe]

I am fairly new to reloading as well but can answer some of your questions.

First and foremost, take what you learn hear with a grain of salt. Get yourself a good manual that explains reloading in and out. If you dont have one, check out the local library.

The lee anniversary kit is a pretty good starter kit.

What is the purpose and functionality of the following
Press= workhorse of reloading. This is what you put the dies in to size, deprime and seat bullets in.

Dies= the unit that sizes your brass, deprimes the brass and seats/crimps your bullets in the brass.

Calipers= unit to measure the Cartridge Overall Length (C.O.L.) Critical in quality control of the product you create.

Tumbler= used to clean brass. Some folks dont tumble pistol rounds, others do. A must for rifle brass if you are into accuracy.

Powder Measure/Scales= there are several different powder measures available. You can go high end and get a digital scale or you can buy a manual scale. Also lee makes the Perfect powder measure that you adjust or the disk powder measure that has different size holes that meeters powder. I use the disk powder measure for pistols and the scale for accurate rifle loads.

Cutter & Lock Studs= used to cut brass to proper length when used with the Case Length Gauge

Reloading is truely addicting. I have been at it for 3 weeks now and enjoy the heck out of it.

About Casting... is it worth the trouble

Dont know cause I shoot primarily jacketed bullets.

By the way, welcome to THR. Oh, and where the hell is "Heck" anyway.

 

[Jim Watson]

Suggest you get a good handloading manual or the NRA Introduction to Handloading, or The ABCs of Handloading.

Bullet casting is sheer drudgery. I only do it now for one gun for which I cannot buy the bullets I need.

Soviet Bloc ammo is very cheap, I don't know if there is any savings to be had reloading for Makarov and AK. Or if there is any improvement to make in ballistics or accuracy. I wouldn't bother.

Carcano ammo is quite expensive, but do you plan to be shooting one very much? If so, a set of dies and a hundred cases will save you a lot of money.

Common but non-cheap calibers like .40 and .30-06 are the natural home for reloading.

 

[M67]

Hi, welcome to THR!

First, I second Lennyjoe's advice. Get a manual.

You ask the correct question about bullet casting. Yes, it can add versatility to your reloading. Casting can make reloading more fun if you like to tinker with "special" projects or you load old or strange calibers. And maybe the satisfaction of doing it yourself. I wouldn't worry about it until you've tried reloading with store-bought bullets and decided how much fun you're having. Versatility is the main reason I cast. It's just another part of the hobby.

There are two types of reloaders. Those who reload so they can shoot the ammo, and those who shoot so they can get empty brass to reload. I'm mostly in the first group, but I sometimes like to tinker with projects as well.

 

[SEVENPOINT]

Suggest you get a good handloading manual or the NRA Introduction to Handloading, or The ABCs of Handloading.

Bullet casting is sheer drudgery. I only do it now for one gun for which I cannot buy the bullets I need.

Soviet Bloc ammo is very cheap, I don't know if there is any savings to be had reloading for Makarov and AK. Or if there is any improvement to make in ballistics or accuracy. I wouldn't bother.

Carcano ammo is quite expensive, but do you plan to be shooting one very much? If so, a set of dies and a hundred cases will save you a lot of money.

Common but non-cheap calibers like .40 and .30-06 are the natural home for reloading.

As far as the Makarov, I was just throwing it in there because it's the next pistol on my list, and the 7.62 is for my SKS, even if there isint any savings, I would still like to try it out just to see if I could get my groups a little tighter. If not, then I can sell the dies, right?

As far as the Carcano, I'm not really sure, it was my grandfathers, and it's really nasty, I think there might even be some pitting in the barell as I dont think it's ever been cleaned. And I'm not sure as even to what caliber it is since there are no markings to which caliber it is, and I havent really done any research on it. I'm sure that I'll shoot it, it just depends on how much I like it weather I'll shoot it alot. I've herd too many mixed reviews about this rifle than I care to think about. A set of dies and a hundred cases should be ample enough for what I'm talking about here, if I dont like it, I'll simply sell them.

But the .30-06 is a must since I do plan on shooting it often and accurate ammo is pretty expensive.

Lennyjoe- Heck=Central North Carolina

Thanks all

 

[TooTaxed]

Just a few adds to the above:

Press: Two basic types, single-stage, which holds one die and on which you process a batch of brass through one step...normally depriming and rezising in one step, then change dies and seat bullets, and progressive, where the tool holds a number of dies and you process the loads sequentially. I recommend you start out with a single-stage press, as they are relatively inexpensive, you can become familiar with the ins and outs of reloading, and see whether you are really interested in reloading.

Cartridge cases: Only brass, boxer-primed cases are reloadable. Import 7.62 x 39 and much imported .30-06, .308 Win, and Makarov is Berdan primed and not considered reloadable, as it is difficult to deprime them and Berdan primers aren't normally available in the U.S. Look inside...if there is a single large flash hole centrally located, it's reloadable...if there are two small offset flash holes, it's Berdan. Aluminum and steel cases aren't reloadable. Check Midway and Shotgun News for uncommon or virgin cases, ammo boxes, and labels.

Casting: I used to cast my own rifle bullets...for .30-06 and other .30 cals, .303 British and 7.7-mm Jap...still do on rare occasions...but it's a hazzle and the equipment is costly. Now, inexpensive bulk surplus .30 jacketed bullets are available. Commercial cast pistol bullets are so cheap (500-rds per box at gunshows), and are such good quality, that it's not worthwhile casting them, though I still have the dies. (Check out the ads in the Shotgun News.)

Tumbler: Useful for cleaning and shining brass cases, but not essential. Discolored cases shoot just fine. Add only when you find you are truly enthusiastic about reloading...one of the last things you will get. You can often run a batch of brass through a friend's.

Manual: Recommend a Lyman 48th Reloading Handbook...well proven loads including pressures for virtually all cartridges, plus lots of good general data on each cartridge and reloading process in general. You can pick up free load pamphlets issued by reloading component manufacturers at most gunshops.

Case Trimmers: Used for trimming excess length from cases...rifle case brass tends to flow, so you may need it after a few firing cycles, especially with soft commercial brass. Occasionally needed for automatic pistol cases that headspace on the case mouth. Check case length with a caliper to see whether it needs trimming. The Forster type where the case base fits into a collet and the case is shortened with a rotating cutter operated by turning a handle is the easiest and most versatle to use.

Reloaded Cost: Do the math to see whether it makes economic sense to reload a particular cartridge. For example, you can frequently find Winchester and Remington factory 9-mm Luger FMJ at $5.00/box of 50 (Bass Pro Shops, gunshows, for example.) Does it make sense to reload using bullets that cost a dime apiece, plus a 1.5 cent primer, plus powder, plus a fair amount of time and effort? (Using bulk commercial lead bullets, I can reload for approx. $3/box. I can't beat the commercial price with jacketed bullets.)

That said, I enjoy reloading, testing out various loads and bullets to find the optimum for my particular guns. I load 9-mm Luger, 9-mm Mak, .38-Spl, .357-Mag, .45Auto, .45 Colt, .45-70, .30-06, .308 Win. 6.5 x 55 Swede, and 5.56 Nato...plus 12, 20. 28, and .410 shotgun, and a number of muzzle-loaders. Watch out! It may become addictive!