Reloading Thread!

All you need to do for cleaning is get the dirt off so you don’t scratch your Dies.
Anything more is basically for aesthetics.
You can just slosh your brass in a jar of hot soapy water and dry it and be fine.
You probably won’t need to trim 45-70 nearly as much as you are thinking

Anyone have a Swift load book or experience with Scirocco 2s? I’m trying to load some 165gr Sciroccos in my .308 using Varget

I don’t really care for aesthetics as long as the bullet works, would any type of dishwasher be good for cleaning? I’d also have to wait a few days to let it get bone dry right?

How hoard would it be for me to buy all this reload equipment. And make tungsten core 5.56 rounds? Can I just use hollow points and somehow mount and shape tungsten carbide? Is this possible?

Yup, any soap will work. Just a touch.
You can spread the brass out on a cookie sheet and cook it in the oven on 200 with the door just barely cracked and it will dry fast
Since you have a lee Loader, I would decap before cleaning

You would probably do best with using a lathe to turn a cavity into an already made monolithic bullet, then press in a tungsten penetrator

No, but I can try running a quickload for you.
What’s your barrel length?

Buy a chamfer & deburring tool.

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Well that's just slicker than shitting in bed

TFW there will never be an anime about cute girls reloading cute things

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22.4 inches, I believe. It’s a Tikka T3x Lite

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Be careful now....

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Thanks, user. I really appreciate it. And thanks for saving my fingers. Wouldn’t have thought that 42 and some change grains would be maxing it out.

heres some other powders calc'd at MAX just to give you some ideas for others you might want to try down the road. The higher up on the list with near 100% powder burned, the better they should work.
DO NOT USE THIS AS LOAD DATA!

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ive been saving my brass for a while now, but havent started reloading.
if i were buy reloading equipment and didnt want to buy junk, how much am i spending?

Define junk
I use a mix of Lee and Hornady gear and it’s fine for me.
I’m a Hobbyist and do a few thousand rounds a year. I consistently make ammo that can hold sub MOA 5 shot groups. I take good care of my gear, and it will last me a long time.
If you plan to do more than that, you might want something more commercial tier.
For the average home reloader, a Lee Classic turret press kit is hard to beat.

Dang, man, thanks a bunch for the help. That’s a lot to think about for sure

What's a good basic "shopping list" for getting into reloading on a budget? I've already got the space I need, but finding a good comprehensive list with good affordable options is the more difficult part. I'm planning on reloading .303, .308, 9mm, and maybe 20 gauge.

im not going to be doing that much, probably like you. maybe ill keep my eye on ebay or something

Very nice, compact setup. That carpet ain't gonna last doe.
Myself, I would put the press about midway and move the vise to the right corner. Unless you are a lefty.

>press
>dies
>case lube
>case tumbler
>case trimmer
That’s really all you need. I have an RCBS Partner press. It’s small, but it works. Redding dies are good quality, but expensive. Hornady or RCBS dies are still good, but much cheaper. RCBS case lube and lube pad is cheap and easy to use. I like it more than coating each piece of brass by hand. Case tumbler can be had for pretty cheap. Steel media pins are the way to go for an autistic clean. Just throw them in a rock tumbler with a shot of Dawn and Lemi Shine and you’re golden. Lyman ez trim is a pain for large quantities, but it’s easy to use and builds character. It’s pretty cheap, too. Oh. And you’ll need a shell holder for your press. They’re cheap and pretty much all the same. Just get whatever you like best. I use RCBS holders just cause I have an RCBS press, but they all should be interchangeable for the most part

Oh. And a powder scale. Again, RCBS balance beam will be all you need. Stay away from the cheap electronic scales. They wander a lot.

Pretty much all of your load data can be found online, but it wouldn’t hurt to pick up a load book from whatever bullet manufacturer you like best.

>Who here is familiar with this process?

Me.
Nice cut off rig, and smart to ventilate.
Not much to converting 223 to 300BO.
Looks like you've been doing it awhile because of the speed cutter.

Most important thing about it is TRIM THE NECK.
The brass is thicker on the sides than it is on the case mouth.
Thicker brass = chamber constricts the release of the bullet. Chamber was reamed for regular, thin neck brass.
Chamber constricts release of bullet. Chamber pressures rise.
Now the AR has lots and lots of locking lugs. But if one fails, the others are skewed out of lock up and they let go too.
Now this rarely happens but if and when it does, its just a question of: Do you lose an eye, a finger or is your nose blown off so you look like Mike Jackson?

True as a motherfucker.

Deprime first or after?

If you are Lee Loader user, deprime first to wash the primer pocket a bit
If you are using a sizing die to decap, deprime second so you are not putting dirty brass into your die

Not him, but I clean, deprime, and then clean again just to ensure the primer pockets are good when I set primers. There is no real “do it this way” for brass prep.

Not lee user, im an user that has a ton of shit, but is too chickenshit to try it out. However, I am going to try powder puff lead 38 specials.

Thats a good idea, not sure why my autistic ass didnt think of that.

In my Tikka, N140 runs great.

Like user here said
There is no set “right” way.
I like to use a universal decapping die, then wash, then resize

Plus I have a decapping and sizing die all rolled into one and I really don’t feel like cleaning them, so that’s why I do that.
There is no “too clean” with brass. I have a wet tumble system (pretty much a Lyman Cyclone), so the brass goes in for a rough clean of about 15 minutes, they’re dried, decapped, sized, trimmed, and chamfered before going into the cleaner for another hour or two. It works for me and is more than necessary, but that brass is PURDY

Good to know. I’ve had some good luck with IMR4064, so I may try that if Varget doesn’t work out

Would this be a good get?

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Im not even sure what I have, kek. All new hornady dies. Well and rcbs 9mm dies

Lee is an ok way to get your feet wet, but if you’re taking reloading seriously, it may leave you wanting a little more. You can get the RCBS Partner kit for a hair under 200 and it comes with a lot of the same stuff. If they’re still shipping with the plastic scale, throw that shit out and get a better one.

It’s not that the Lee is bad, but RCBS is a bit more refined and a little stronger if you’re loading some of the bigger cartridges.

Is the user that knows about 185gr .454 loads here? I can't find the data posted in the thread from a couple of weeks ago and I'm looking into using different primers from my first batch.

If the resizing die has a stem coming out of the center, it’s also a decapping die. I believe that’s what most resizing dies are now

That is almost exactly what I started with.
It will do just fine. I will say that I made the jump to a progressive pretty quickly tho.

In what increments should I work up a load? If my goal is 35gr of powder, 36gr is the absolute max pressure, and I know 34gr is safe, how much do I increase the grains of each load and how many do I need to shoot of each load before I should consider it safe to move on without pressure signs?

.2iirc

I work up in .5 grain increments until I’m close to the absolute max. If you’re not getting pressure signs at 34.5, then you could go up another 1/2 to 35 grains. If you’re not comfortable with it, .4 or .2 is your better bet, but don’t expect to see a dramatic jump in accuracy or pressure between them.

Do you just make one round of each, or do you do batches of 5 or something to make sure that charge is gtg?

I do batches of 7 and mic each one to make sure I’m not getting any pressure signs sneaking up on me. If I get one with a sticky bolt or other overt pressure sign, I stop right there and pull all of the bullets. If I don’t like how it felt or sounded when going off, I won’t shoot another. There’s no point in catching a bolt through the eye for a little extra energy.

Ok, that's about what I was going to do. I just didn't want to half-ass it if the standard was doing something like 20+ rounds in 1gr increments.

Nah, I wouldn’t put in that much effort to test a load if it wasn’t a shooter. If the gun is fine with those seven rounds and you’re not seeing any pressure signs, you’re good to go. The gun’s not going to suddenly go “screw this” and blow up on you. It’ll give you warnings along the way like a stiff or sticky bolt lift, extraction marks, or floating primers. If you see any of those, don’t shoot any more and just go back to your most accurate workup underneath that and play with the primer and seating depth. Most bullets are pretty forgiving when it comes to that

Sick, thanks for the help. I'll keep all this in mind.

No problem, man. Good luck. Remember, always stick to published load data and do only what you’re comfortable with.

I was a little worried about how the carpet will do when I put the bench there, but with two cars and a motorcycle in my small two car garage there just wasn't anywhere else to go with it. What particular about reloading does the most damage to carpet? I am indeed a lefty btw

Lead what?

4-500. That's doing everything by hand. If you're impatient throw in another 2-400 for automatic tools (partitioned out for shit like case prep stations or a progressive press). Really I wouldn't flirt with the idea until you had at least $500 in disposable cash to spend. If you wanted to save some money and buy some bolted together Chinese pot metal you could buy a Lee. But even then you're really getting your feet wet with at least $350 after the other other essentials. So just wait until you have $500 AND EXPECT TO SPEND ALL OF IT before you jump in balls deep.

In my case I bought a Dillon 550 for around $450 or so. That covered a basic powder measure, 4 stations in a "semi" progressive, meaning I can use it as a single station also if I wanted to (but slower than a progressive, such as a 650). But that doesn't include a scale (electronic, mechanical, or both, pick your poison), tumbler, case prep shit, dies, or components. In my case you'd probably need about $700 or so.

Really depends on what it's worth to you. You won't find a general 'consensus' on what types of equipment or styles of reloading are the socially accepted 'norms'. Reloading folks argue about presses and components just as much as they argue about ARs and AKs. Just follow common sense. You get what you pay for. Standard rules apply: more $$$ = higher precision, more capability, higher productivity, a mix match of different philosophies of use, and probably also made in America. You won't find anything that will keep you safe from argument, you just have to decide what's valuable to you and what's not.

I lucked out on the reloading equipment department, my dad has been reloading and buying equipment for it since the mid-70's. He's got a RCBS rock chucker single stage press, a Dillon progressive pistol press, a shotgun press, scales, powder measure, trickle, Hornady case tumbler, RCBS case trimmer, and dies for just about every gun he owns. All I have to do at this point is buy dies for whatever new guns I get. Someday I wouldn't mind getting a progressive rifle press. I've got a batch of 45-70 cases in the tumbler right now, gonna reload 100 rounds here in the next couple of days. Is anyone else as autistic as I am about powder charges and purposely sets your powder measure to throw light charges and then use a powder trickle to get the EXACT right amount of powder in every load?

Also, how long will powder last if it's kept in a climate controlled environment? I have a new-ish jug of H4198 for my 45-70 but also found an old (25 years old or so) partial jug in the back of the reloading closet when I was doing an inventory recently.

Smokeless powder is nitrocellulose, nitroglycerin, and graphite. The ingredients don't really expire and can last decades. If you open the can and it smells like powder, it's probably GTG. If it kinda smells like vinegar, you probably don't want to use it. I keep my powder out in the garage away from light and moisture. It gets both 100+ in the summer and -0 in the winter. I've never had powder go bad on me.

> youtube.com/watch?v=BAH3DpauY2s

Could you please run quickload for the 9x25 Dillon 3N38 65gr 3.77" barrel glock 29. I'm curious what the pressure estimation is.

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Sounds good. I thought about just dumping what little is in the old jug into my newer jug and mixing it up really good so my loads would be relatively consistent even if the old powder behaves slightly differently from the new powder.

get a Lyman Case Prep Center to chamfer and debur

lube cases for resizing with liquid lanolin and isoheet. mix it in a spray bottle, and coat the cases by spraying them while in a zip lock bag.

resize and trim to 1.360"

measure your resized necks and make sure they're less than .012" thick. Foreign made brass is often has case walls that are too thick.

check the cases with a .300BLK case gauge both after resizing and after seating the bullets.

I use a powder trickler for 100% of my powder, and my loads. But even my 38s are autistically loaded because I cannot stand imperfections in my groups.

never mix powders. treat each can of power as if it is a different type, even if it is the same type of powder as you are already using.

> unless you can verify that they are all from the same batch.

I most certainly have not ever done this with H110 and W296 powders.

He said, as he poured his h110 into his vintage metal w296 can.

>There is no set “right” way.
Incorrect, decapping, wet tumbling, resizing, wet tumbling without pins is the objective right way

Pouring the remains of one Varget container into another as we speak

Waiting for the more news on dillons 1100

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Unless there is a resizing/decapping die in the mix. That necessarily changes the order so they’re not stuck cleaning burnt powder out of their die. But I agree, that is the ideal way of doing things.

Hey user, I’m at work but can do it for you later

Incorrect, rinsing, decapping, wet tumbling, resizing, trimming, neck turning, polishing with walnut reptile bedding +nufinish is the objective right way

How beefy do you want it?
I have a Uline packing bench.

What are your go-to websites for buying reloading supplies? I have a local gunstore that has a pretty good selection of reloading stuff but all of their stuff is a little overpriced. I don't mind buying a jug of powder or box of bullets from them from time to time but I'd rather not buy a lot of bulk supplies at their prices.

Graf and Son's for common milsurp bullets and cases. Also for powder and primers when they run sales.
Midway for when they run sales for common milsurp bullets and cases. Powder and primers sales are common as well
Buffalo Arms for the rare stuff
Midsouth Shooting Supply for .224 62gr hpbt bullets.
Everglade ammo for common bullets
Powder Valley for powder and primers.

American Reloading for cheap as fuck bullets, stock varies though.
Natchez because they consistently have low prices and frequent 10% off coupons and no hazmat fee coupons.
Brownells when they have 10% coupons and have stuff I can't find elsewhere.
Powder Valley for bulk powder and primer.
Grafs, Midsouth Shooters, and RMR occasionally.

Double check prices with ammoseek.

Getting started loading .308, which will be my first bottleneck cartridge.

What's the diff between a neck sizer, full length sizer, and small base die? Which one should I get?
Do I want neck bushing dies or regular FL/small base dies?
.308 covers a lot of cartridges, is it safe to shoot bullets meant for 30-30 from a .308 winchester semiauto?
I hate the way the lee FCD leaves indentations on my brass, does the Redding taper crimp die crimp evenly around the entire mouth?

Checked, and thank you so much!

So a neck sizer will bring the neck back to original specs, but leave the rest of the body alone. It may kiss the shoulder a little depending on which one you get, but I’m not too sure on that.

A full length sizer on the other hand will shrink the whole case back to original specs.

So why one over the other?
A neck size is more accurate as the whole body will be set to the rifle’s exact measurements due to expansion in the previous firing process. But, it can also be harder to set up as it can be difficult to ensure perfect concentricity between cases. If you were to neck size say 10 cases and then roll them on a flat surface, you will notice that the neck has a little bit of wobble to it. That’s because there’s not a lot of surface area when the case is riding inside the die and the case can be moved around right before it hits the expander, which will make it favor one side. I’m not entirely sure about that, but people a helluva lot smarter than me have shown me non concentric neck sizes cases, so I don’t do it.

Another few reasons you may not want to neck size is if you have multiple rifles in the same caliber. You can’t just do one neck sized load for all your .308s because each chamber is different. You would have to load and mark two separate batches for two separate guns. I personally don’t want to deal with the headache of remembering which cases go with each gun, so I don’t neck size. Also, after a few neck sized firings, you will need to full length size your brass so it can fit in the chamber again. Remember how the brass expands to match the chamber? Well it keeps expanding and you get a “sticky” bolt because the brass has matched up exactly to your chamber. You probably won’t be able to get many more used out of it before you have to beat your bolt open.

1/however many

So full length sizing has its own set of problems. It likes to bump the shoulder back, which stretches the neck out more. More stretch=less sidewall thickness. If you keep on using your brass, you will eventually get a case neck separation, which puts the gun out of commission until you can pull that piece out. Instead, you barely want to touch the shoulder to avoid stretching out the neck too much.

Here are some videos that explain it a lot better than I ever could. This guy knows what he’s talking about and is a great resource even if he is a bit “rant-y” at times.
youtu.be/yDE84oOuz0c
youtu.be/9ngAmx89PWY

You’re right that .30 caliber is a wide window, but .308 takes a bullet that is exactly .308 in diameter. 7.62x39 bullets are on average .310, so you can probably shoot them, but expect pressure to be a lot higher than with your normal .308s. As for .30-30, everything I’m seeing says that you can shoot them in a .308, but don’t expect anything phenomenal
TO BE SAFE, ALWAYS MEASURE BULLETS THAT ARE NOT MARKED .308 DIAMETER. 7.62x54R is another one of those weird ones that doesn’t actually measure .308, so keep that in mind. If you don’t know, mic the bullets and if they’re .002 off, you should be good, but be safe and decrease your charge weight.

Page 10 waking up for work save.

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I cant help but think this is a baaaaad idea

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I just read about the fact that the bullet is hollow base. I entered it as flat base. I will re run it assuming 18gr is uncompressed.

Here ya go.
I just kept bumping COL until 18gr was 100% fill
Obviously, it goes without saying, DO NOT USE THIS DATA

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with the smallish case capacity and drastic pressure differences a little bit of powder compression makes this one is hard to accurately run without actually having the bullet to measure and enter accurately.
if it were me doing it, I would resize a case, load a bullet to proper COL without priming, tare it on a scale, inject the case with water using a syringe, weigh, and figure the true available case volume, then adjust the dimensions of the bullet in quick load until everything matched up.

Thank you thank you thank you! I'm gonna use the 357sig max pressure of 40kpsi as my absolute ceiling. I know with such a short barrel getting all the powder burnt will be near impossible but do you have any recommendations on which powder I could get better performance with while staying at around 38kpsi?

Any of the yellow downloaded about 15%

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and, obviously, ignore COL as it is the workaround to account for the hollow base......

You are fantastic. I will probably buy a little of each of the powders that burn 98% or more and work up loads to see which one gives the best performance. I plan on keeping autistic records of all data gathered and hopefully will publish a pdf of my load data.

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if it were me, I think I would start with unique.
98% burn with 91% case fill is nice.
I like to be around 90-95% case fill at max so I cant double charge, and I know something is wrong if I feel that "crunch"

Probably going to start reloading for .44 Magnum pretty soon. Any powder recommendations for relatively light 240gr cast loads? Looking for slightly more manageable recoil but still retaining most of the power

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Thanks for the suggestion, considering 10mm brass uses large pistol primers and the gentleman using 3N38 was using CCI300 large pistol primers would it be a safe assumption that I could also use CCI300s with unique to work up my load or would there be a better large pistol primer/ should I use magnum primers?

Never reloaded before. Would it be a good idea to jump into it by purchasing these to reload 45-70 and other expensive rounds like that? Is there such a thing as a "beginner round"?

Poorfag Classic Lee Loader here. I’m fairly new to reloading 9mm and I’m having issues with chambering reloads in my 19X. I’m using Missouri bullet co hi-tek coated cast rounds. I’ve tried crimping the rounds with the loader kit I have to see if it will help with feeding, but I’m not seeing a difference. The loads I make have to be no longer than 1.060” OAL for it to pass the plunk test, but pic related sometimes happens still, more so when releasing the slide than when firing a few rounds. I’m positive it has something to do with the sizing of the case or the flaring for seating the bullets but I can’t be certain. Any tips?

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