new to reloading

[Balliet]

just like it says, as in I've not so much as punched out a primer. tomorrow i hope to mount my measure and press to my bench. i hope to be starting the process by wednesday. I've got: rcbs single stage press, lee 308 die set, lee perfect powder measure, rcbs beam scale, micrometer, case lube, cci br-2 primers, once fired brass, shell holder, cfe 223 powder, 180 gr hornady sst projectiles, and a lyman book. I'm shooting a savage axis .308 20" 1:10" twist. i believe in some degree of aggravation in the learning curve for humblings purposes, but is there anything anyone can tell me to save me a greenback or two in the early days of this. suggestions such as bullet weight, or powder choice, or primer type. my first goal is to load and shoot <1" @200yds. if i continue with the practice of reloading, i will move on to 5.56, .35 rem, 7.7 and 6.5 jap, .30-30, 300 winmag, and all of the common handgun calibers. thanks for any advice.

 

[redbullitt]

TAKE YOUR TIME LOADING. MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS and don't load too many at once at first. Measure 3x and cut once right?

Depending on how far you are shooting, you might be well served by a lighter class of bullets. At close range for practice and getting the hang of things 125 or 155 spitzer type bullets would probably save you some money, and be good hunting loads.

I would check out the pulled match bullets many companies have available. RMRbullets.com is a good source.

For some long range shooting it is tough to beat the 175 class match bullets.

Pulled 175s, especially when you sort them and size them through a 308 bullet sizer die do VERY well. I always sort and size mine as they can vary in ogive length enough cause pressure issues if you are loading close to the rifling, or past standard length.

I also really like the hornady AMAX bullets. They are affordable, shoot very well, are consistent, and work well on game.

I would not worry about spending the cash for match primers, as most places here charge a lot more for them over the standards. Regular old cci 200s have always done the trick for me.

IF you are using a powder measure/thrower make sure it is consistent. How you work the handle on it can affect the charge it drops, as can different types of powder. Some stick in the measure etc.

Avoid drafts as they will make your scale iffy.

Make sure you lube the cases well. You will see too how much is too much if you happen to dent the shoulders of your cases lol. Too little and you stick the case in the die... not fun there lol. Just a nice even coating does the trick. Imperial sizing wax is awesome. A little tin is kinda pricey, but it lasts a long long time and will make you forget about using anything else.

Get a case chamfer tool if you do not have one. Brass prep and sorting can go a long way towards better groups if you want to get into that.

Once you start doing this I doubt you will go back to factory ammo again lol.

 

[Grumulkin]

If CFE 223 doesn't give you the accuracy desired, I'd recommend you try IMR 4064. I'd probably also go with a bullet in the 168 gr. range.

 

[Balliet]

by brass prep you mean a tumbler, trimmer, is that right? other than caliber, what type of sorting should i be doing?

 

[greyling22]

did I read that right? less than 1" at 200 yds? sheesh. you don't set the bar too low do you.

Hope you have a good scope and some skills.

 

[joneb]

by brass prep you mean a tumbler, trimmer, is that right? other than caliber, what type of sorting should i be doing?

You will want,
A trimmer, I use a le wilson
A tumbler is nice, I tried a Frankford or something it died within a month I have been happy with my Hornady tumbler.
I sort by lot # of a given brand, I've been using Nosler 2nds, I sort by weight from there. I have used a neck trimmer to skim the necks to id varying wall thickness and discard that brass.
I'm just shooting a Howa 1500 in .308 Win. and with Nosler 168 BT or AB using Blc-2 I am happy with 1.5-2" at 200yds. I have also had good results with Varget with either 150 or 168gr Nosler BT or AB.
I have some IMR 8208 xbr that I'm am looking forward to trying.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

Delete

 

[Dudedog]

My Frankford tumbler is still going strong after 2 years and its usually runs about 5 hours doing brass on the weekend every week.

I may be miising it but do you have a way to trim the cases? They don't need to be trimmed everytime but they will need to be trimmed.

Not to put you off <1" at 200 yards is do able but you may need to try many different powders/bullets/charge weights to get you there.
Some rifles will with the right load, some just won't no matter what you feed them.
(others may or may not disagree with me here)

Read the reloading manual. Check and verify powder charges. I would reccomend a set of check weights so you know your scale is correct.

Good luck. Have fun.
Be safe, if in doubt double or triple check.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I would work on 1" @100 yards before you expect that @200 yards/
You might want to use a match bullet in 150gr, 155gr or 168gr and probably buy a more accurate rifle if you want to shoot sub 1/2MOA @200 yards.

Good luck...

 

[gamestalker]

There really shouldn't be much aggravation in the process if you do your home work, read the books.

A tip or two.

Don't crimp bottle neck cartridges unless they are intended for a tubular magazine, such as 30-30.

Bottle neck cartridges, make sure you lube the case body when resizing, the outside neck, and lightly inside, don't over lube, and don't get any on the shoulder, lube dents.

Always trim bottle neck brass, and even if you trimmed it on the previous loading, always check it to be sure it isn't beyond SAAMI max..

When it comes to accuracy, consistency in how you prep brass, and weigh powder charges, and with all steps will help to eliminate variables. In this respect also, each bottle neck load development should be performed with matching head stamps, not just for the sake of consistency, but also to avoid unexpected pressure spikes.

GS

 

[Balliet]

not sure what 'delete' is referring to, but thanks to all of you for your advice. i appreciate your time. as far as 'skills', i have had a measure of consistency and routine instilled into my life that i hope will help me achieve this goal. if i can only get close, then ill learn something there too. thanks y'all.

 

[readyeddy]

Consistency is important for accuracy. Weigh your brass (matching headstamp), charges and bullets. I would match all three to one tenth of a grain if I were to attempt less than 1" at 200 yards.

1 1/4" at 100 yards is good enough for me so I just weigh my charge and use SGK's.

 

[Balliet]

Acronyms don't get far with me, what is an sgk?

 

[ArchAngelCD]

SGK = Sierra GameKing bullet
SMK = Sierra MatchKing bullet

 

[nastynatesfish]

skg=sierra game king, bullet type
first id look to see what powders are avaialable to you.
308 is a pretty easy round to get shooting 1" with. the axis as stock has a harsh trigger, it will hinder accuracy to an extent. id say work on it or replace it.
I would look into the 155gr weight bullets. you can get nosler custom comps for not to expensive. also look online for some nosler seconds, or whichever bullet you decide on. it will help save some. I just bout seconds in 175gr for 18 a box of 100.
when you start reloading you don't have to separate headstamp, most commercial brass will interchange fairly well.
as far as primers whatever large rifle primer you find will work I use CCI200
get a good reloading manual. I have lee, hornady, nosler and barnes along with a sierra. you can also go to www.hodgon.com and use their online guide.

 

[bcbsr]

When reloading 308, I find it very handy to have a L.E. Wilson case length gauge to make sure the cases have been trimmed & resized correctly. That way you won't have problems with your shells being to tight in the chamber.

 

[Sunray]

"...and a Lyman book..." Read it before you do anything. Then set up the dies(shell holder should just kiss the bottom of the die wit the ram all the way up) and follow your manual religiously
sgk = Sierra Game King.
"...<1" @200yds..." Under 1 MOA(1 Minute Of Angle is 1" at 100, 2" at 200, etc.) is a lofty ideal, but not exactly practical or necessary. Unlikely with an Axis either. It's a hunting rifle and isn't made for that kind of accuracy. Think consistent 'group' at 100 and go from there.
You may want to consider a 165 grain hunting bullet too. The .308 loves 'em and a 165 will kill any game you care to hunt with a bit less felt recoil.
"...7.7 and 6.5 Jap..." Can be hard to find brass. Buffalo Arms lists their brand of 6.5 at $1.44 each when you buy 100. $0.52EA per 100 for Prvi(commercial Serbian made. Good stuff.). They make the 7.7 too. $0.55ea per 100 from Buffalo. Buy this kind of odd cartridge brass in as large an amount as you can.

 

[Balliet]

good stuff y'all. keep it coming, I'm all ears. regarding bench setup, is there anything i shouldn't do?

 

[utvolsfan77]

Balliet, does your Savage Axis have the Accutrigger? I believe most of them do and, if yours has it, you can adjust that trigger quite a bit. It's not the best trigger available, but it is still a very good trigger for an entry level rifle.

 

[KB0VSO]

Use a checklist

This is a reloading check list. Use it to keep from making mistakes. like
Charging 50 rounds that had no primers or double charging the brass

Remove the primers without resizing..
Clean the brass in a ultra sonic cleaner.
Rinse the brass in clean water.
Blows dry the brass with an air compressor
Lubricate the out side of the brass with Hornady one shot
Resize the brass
Put the brass in a vibrating tumbler with sandblasting sand
Remove and shake the sand out
Blow from the primer end with air compressor
Check the brass with a LYMAN LENGTH/HEADSPACE GAUGE


Install the primers and check them to make sure the primer is below the base
of the cartage
Place the primed cartage primer up
Charge the primed cartage with powder and place back in the holder neck up
Set a bullet upside-down in the neck of the charged brass
Now one by one you can seat the bullets..

Do not do as I did do as I say and avoid mistakes

Larry (kb0vso)
Northern Minnesota USA

 

[judgedelta]

Resizing .308 brass is the hardest thing I do. Seems to be more likely to stick than others. If the brass seems to be harder than normal, STOP, and back the die out and apply some Imperial (a little) then proceed. If you force it, you will be next asking how to get stuck case out of the die. Good luck and be careful.

 

[Dudedog]

Graf and Sons has P.C.I 6.5 and 7.7 Jap ammo for about $22 for 20. Supposed to be new brass. I have never used it but thought I would mention it for what it's worth.

I have also shot a bunch of Prive ammo to use as a brass doner. The Prive seems to be pretty good ammo and I am happy with the brass.
For example in 9 Mak it is almost as cheap as just buying brass.

 

[thecoyote]

I've learned that it is more interesting and safer to load on the conservative side...In other words, don't try to make your 30-30 shoot as fast as a 30-06......In my experience, most accurate loads aren't the "hottest" loads for that caliber........Another lesson I learned early is to use a loading block if you are using a powder measure...Before you start to seat bullets, get a flashlight and check the powder level in each of the cases to be sure you haven't thrown a load that is too light or to heavy...Take your time in the reloading process and enjoy....

 

[joem1945]

As you are new at reloading master one operation at a time. 1: decap and size; when you are comfortable with that operation, then trim to the proper length. Prime your cases, check to make sure thay are flush or a bit below the case base. Adjust you powder drop until you get consistant charge weights. Now; Load one case and inspect it, see if it chambers in the firearm. If it does load few more and try them out at your local range. GOOD LUCK! Take your time and enjoy the hobby.

 

[balderclev]

I admire your lofty goal of <1" at 200 yds. That means almost touching holes at 100 yds for 30 cal bullets center to center. I'm not sure a Savage Axis is capable of that. But I hope you do it.

I use my Steyr 308 for deer hunting. I get consistent MOA or less at 100 yds with slightly over that at 200 yds. With a good brace I won't hesitate to shoot a standing deer at 350+ yds. Keep us posted. I might have to buy one of the Savages.