New to the forum!

[Rochester]

Hi! I recently bought a Uberti El Patron 357 SA revolver. It’s a Colt Peacemaker look-alike. I researched the gun, but didn’t research ammo availability. Wow! Hard to come by! I decided to get into hand loading so I can actually shoot it. Bought the following (most still on the way): 500 rounds of brass, Bullseye powder, 1000 Federal Primers, 800 Rimrock 158gr SWC bullets, a Lee Hand Press, Carbide 4-die set, RCBS Little Dandy powder measure with needed rotors, a Lee Hand Priming tool (I have an older one that evidently isn’t safe with all primers, especially Federals, but ya gotta take what you can get!) I already own an RCBS beam scale. I loaded for a TC Contender years ago, but sold everything, again, years ago. I’ve reloaded shotgun for quite awhile, but there aren’t many similarities. Anyway, I’m excited to get going.

I have a Colt 30-06 bolt (Mauser action) that I don’t shoot because I don’t deer hunt anymore. I thought it might be fun to load some reduced loads for it as long as I’m getting into this. It’s a fairly light gun and I shot pretty hot 180 gr reloads that my dad used to put together, so the recoil was pretty stout. He passed away a couple yeas ago, so I can’t ask him anything. Anyway, I found two on Hodgdon’s site using lighter jacketed bullets and Trail Boss or H4895. Any other recommendations? What would I need for dies? Can I just resize the necks for brass shot in my bolt action? Do I need to trim for length? Any tips or gotchas?

 

[Bazoo]

Howdy from the commonwealth of Kentucky.

Welcome back to metallic reloading.

For 30-06 you can just neck size. You will likely have to trim necks at some point. You need a dial caliper to measure length as well as many other things you'll want to measure.

The little lee case trimmer will work for trimming. It's purchased in two parts, a lock stud and cutter, in one package. The other half of what you need is the case length gauge/ and shell holder package for your caliber. The lock stud part fits a drill so you can power trim if desired. I use the lyman ezee trim sometimes which is similar. And I use a lyman universal trimmer.

 

[Walkalong]

Welcome to THR

AA-5744 also works well for reduced loads in rifles with good fill.

If you decide to try full power loads in .357 Mag 2400 is great stuff, and doesn’t need mags primers.

You can neck size, but I recommend proper full length sizing. I like RCBS dies, but they all work.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

Welcome aboard!

Along with dies and a set of measuring tools I would advise building a library of reloading manuals. Lyman, Lee, and Hornady to start with but certainly some of the periodicals like Handloader Magazine and the Alliant/Hodgdon annual loading updates would be useful. Also don't shy away from some older references like the Ideal handloading manuals. You'll find plenty of loading data for cast lead in rifles there. You'll also find some downright corny illustrations and will gain an appreciation for how much easier we have it than our granddads did.

 

[Seedy Character]

Trail Boss and 120gr powder coated bullets are great fun in .30-06



ETA: started loading these for grandson to deer hunt with. Every light recoil, 1" @100 yard for 5 shots, 2600 fps. Duplicates a mid-range .25-06 load. Fantastic load.

I only neck size in these loads.
Full length size in everything else.

 

[Bartojc]

Welcome to the board. You will love it around here. Lots of friendly and helpful people.

Re: Reduced loads for 30-06: I found success using H4895 as you already found. I used 125 grain bullets and found them to be mild enough to shoot but enough for deer out to 200 yards. I was trying to replicate Remington "reduced recoil" rounds that were also 125 gr. As far as dies, I bought the Lee die set and have a full length die as well as the neck sizing die. Most people full length size these days, and I do as well. Eventually you will need to trim the brass. What you use to trim largely depends on how much you trim. The Lee quick trim may work well enough to 20-40 at a time. I've used that in the past, but also have a Lyman trimmer.

-Jeff

 

[MFInc]

Welcome. You came to the right place.

 

[Rochester]

Welcome to THR

AA-5744 also works well for reduced loads in rifles with good fill.

If you decide to try full power loads in .357 Mag 2400 is great stuff, and doesn’t need mags primers.

You can neck size, but I recommend proper full length sizing. I like RCBS dies, but they all work.

I might load some 357 loads, but I’ll buy some ammo to get the brass unless I can find some small lots. I will primarily load 38 special, but thanks for the information. I plan to full-length resize the 38 special brass, but is there an advantage to full-length resizing the 30-06 brass?

 

[Rochester]

Welcome aboard!

Along with dies and a set of measuring tools I would advise building a library of reloading manuals. Lyman, Lee, and Hornady to start with but certainly some of the periodicals like Handloader Magazine and the Alliant/Hodgdon annual loading updates would be useful. Also don't shy away from some older references like the Ideal handloading manuals. You'll find plenty of loading data for cast lead in rifles there. You'll also find some downright corny illustrations and will gain an appreciation for how much easier we have it than our granddads did.

Interesting you should bring that up. I bought the Lee manual, but had only one recipe for 38 special using Bullseye, so I sent it back. Hornady has a nice app for the iPhone/iPad. It’s only 99 cents for a caliber, so I bought 38 Special, 357 mag and 30-06.

 

[wcwhitey]

Interesting you should bring that up. I bought the Lee manual, but had only one recipe for 38 special using Bullseye, so I sent it back. Hornady has a nice app for the iPhone/iPad. It’s only 99 cents for a caliber, so I bought 38 Special, 357 mag and 30-06.

https://www.alliantpowder.com/reloa...owderlist.aspx&type=1&powderid=1&cartridge=26

This is for Speer 158 SWC standard pressure. Same as what you have only the Speers are softer. The Alliant Website has +P Data also if your revolver is so rated. The RimRock bullets are excellent. Welcome and happy shooting.

PS: Bullseye makes some nice accurate loads. The bullets are so similar the OAL should be the same but it’s really about crimping on the crimp groove.

 

[deadeye dick]

Welcome! There is no need to trim handgun brass. The never get longer. Rifle is another story. You will need to trim them.

 

[AJC1]

Alliant has a manual free for download, as does ramshot. The western download covers the how to and alliant should give you some workable loads
http://www.alliantpowder.com/reloaders/RecipeList.aspx?gtypeid=1
https://ramshot.com/load-data/

 

[reloaded_in_pa]

Welcome aboard. There's a great group here that'll help with questions.

 

[Walkalong]

but is there an advantage to full-length resizing the 30-06 brass?

It will easily fit every time, time after time, and when done right, case life is just as good.

 

[Bazoo]

I full length resize my rifle brass, but my concern above all is sure functioning.

 

[Rochester]

Two more questions! Hodgdon shows a reduced 30-06 load of, to start, 13.3 gr of Trail Boss with a 150gr. Nos BT @ 1061 fps. Max is 19gr for 1477fps. I’m assuming Nos is Nosler, but is BT boat tail or Ballistic Tip? Will this charge work with any 150gr jacketed bullet? I thought I read somewhere that if fps is too slow there is some risk with jacketed bullets. I might call Hodgdon and ask them.

Also, in the Lee catalog they suggest full length resizing collected brass, then collet sizing after firing that ammo for your bolt action (not lever, pump or semi-auto) for better accuracy and longer case life. In effect you are fire-forming the cartridge. A few of you say you full size all rifle cases. Is the Lee instruction marketing hype?

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

Two more questions! Hodgdon shows a reduced 30-06 load of, to start, 13.3 gr of Trail Boss with a 150gr. Nos BT @ 1061 fps. Max is 19gr for 1477fps. I’m assuming Nos is Nosler, but is BT boat tail or Ballistic Tip? Will this charge work with any 150gr jacketed bullet? I thought I read somewhere that if fps is too slow there is some risk with jacketed bullets. I might call Hodgdon and ask them.

Also, in the Lee catalog they suggest full length resizing collected brass, then collet sizing after firing that ammo for your bolt action (not lever, pump or semi-auto) for better accuracy and longer case life. In effect you are fire-forming the cartridge. A few of you say you full size all rifle cases. Is the Lee instruction marketing hype?

I hate to sound snarky or unhelpful but it depends on the bullet and how you define “works”. Will most 150gr., .308” jacketed bullets clear the muzzle with Hornady’s lightest Trailboss load? Probably. Will any jacketed bullets made for “30 caliber” be safe in your rifle? Maybe. It depends.
These are recipes you’re following, remember? How good the dish turns out depends a lot on how skilled you are as a cook. Substituting ingredients is not a good idea if you have never cooked a meal in your life or tasted the dish you’re fixing.

 

[Rochester]

I hate to sound snarky or unhelpful but it depends on the bullet and how you define “works”. Will most 150gr., .308” jacketed bullets clear the muzzle with Hornady’s lightest Trailboss load? Probably. Will any jacketed bullets made for “30 caliber” be safe in your rifle? Maybe. It depends.
These are recipes you’re following, remember? How good the dish turns out depends a lot on how skilled you are as a cook. Substituting ingredients is not a good idea if you have never cooked a meal in your life or tasted the dish you’re fixing.

Fair enough!

 

[Bazoo]

It is standard practice to full length resize rifle cases if they are from varied weapons. Either if you acquired them used or if you have multiple guns of the same chambering and don't want to have any issues with ammo comparability or just to make it easier.

It also is common practice to neck size only for a rifle you're trying to squeeze the most accuracy out of, or the longest case life. After a while you'll need to full length resize though because the cases get so tight to the chamber they are hard to close the action on.

It ain't worth the trouble to me and I full length resize most of the time. I don't have a gun that I load super accurate ammo for either. My 30-06 loads are in the 2" group range, but I didn't have to try much to get that. It's a hunting gun I shoot mostly field positions with for fun. So my needs are not the same as many.

 

[Rochester]

It is standard practice to full length resize rifle cases if they are from varied weapons. Either if you acquired them used or if you have multiple guns of the same chambering and don't want to have any issues with ammo comparability or just to make it easier.

It also is common practice to neck size only for a rifle you're trying to squeeze the most accuracy out of, or the longest case life. After a while you'll need to full length resize though because the cases get so tight to the chamber they are hard to close the action on.

It ain't worth the trouble to me and I full length resize most of the time. I don't have a gun that I load super accurate ammo for either. My 30-06 loads are in the 2" group range, but I didn't have to try much to get that. It's a hunting gun I shoot mostly field positions with for fun. So my needs are not the same as many.

Thanks! I’m not that concerned with pinpoint accuracy either. I don’t have a bench press though. I’m getting the Lee hand press, so I figured sizing the neck might require less effort than sizing the whole case, and it is a bolt action, so why not take a little easier way out? I’ll have to see how a full resize goes with this hand press. I’ll probably buy a bench press if I really get into this, but the portability of the hand press appealed to me.

 

[Bazoo]

I use the lee hand press some. The hardest part of sizing is not full length sizing, it's expanding the necks. Which is done either way. That happens when you are opening the handles, the expander button is drawn up out of the case, expanding the necks. This can be eased by cleaning the necks with a brush and by using a dab of graphite. You just stick the neck down in powdered graphite and it lubes both inside and outside.

Make no mistake, the hand press will make excellent ammo. It's not inferior because it isn't as prestigious as a bench press. Care taken in the reloading process is what makes quality reloads, not the price paid for your gear.

 

[Bazoo]

One thing I do, different than normal, is I remove my expander button from my sizing die. Then to expand the necks I use a lyman M die. It's an expander die like what a pistol die set has. I do this because i load cast bullets in 30-30. Then I found it helps getting flat based jacketed bullets started during the seating process. So I use it all the time.

That presents somewhat of a challenge in that, normally you trim cases after sizing. Without expanding the necks, the trimmer pilot wouldn't go in the necks. I solved this by getting a spare pilot, and then spinning it in a drill and sanding it until it fit.

 

[AJC1]

Thanks! I’m not that concerned with pinpoint accuracy either. I don’t have a bench press though. I’m getting the Lee hand press, so I figured sizing the neck might require less effort than sizing the whole case, and it is a bolt action, so why not take a little easier way out? I’ll have to see how a full resize goes with this hand press. I’ll probably buy a bench press if I really get into this, but the portability of the hand press appealed to me.

It depends on how you do the process how easy or hard things are. Full length size with a forester die honed to the correct size it's easy. Neck size with only a bushing it's easy. Neck size with a lee collet die a lot of force is required. There are a lot of ways and people willing to argue their way is best. Accuracy comes as a function of consistancy with a quality tool, not necessarily which process you choose.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

I use the lee hand press some. The hardest part of sizing is not full length sizing, it's expanding the necks. Which is done either way. That happens when you are opening the handles, the expander button is drawn up out of the case, expanding the necks. This can be eased by cleaning the necks with a brush and by using a dab of graphite. You just stick the neck down in powdered graphite and it lubes both inside and outside.

Make no mistake, the hand press will make excellent ammo. It's not inferior because it isn't as prestigious as a bench press. Care taken in the reloading process is what makes quality reloads, not the price paid for your gear.

Can I borrow that? That last part especially. Everyone who handloads should have a poster with that quote on their gun room wall.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

Thanks! I’m not that concerned with pinpoint accuracy either. I don’t have a bench press though. I’m getting the Lee hand press, so I figured sizing the neck might require less effort than sizing the whole case, and it is a bolt action, so why not take a little easier way out? I’ll have to see how a full resize goes with this hand press. I’ll probably buy a bench press if I really get into this, but the portability of the hand press appealed to me.

Search this forum for threads about case lube. Read them. All of them. Every post (even the silly ones). If you aren’t willing to spend hours and days studying and reading, reloading isn’t for you. That’s not an insult or a put-down, it’s a simple statement of fact which may someday save your life.