Here's how my first attempt at reloading went last night: >Loading .308 using 44gr BL-C(2) powder and 168 bullets as starting load listed on Hodgdon website. >End up accidentally trying to pour 54gr of powder in first case since I didn't set up scale right. Luckily that was too much powder for the case, so it was an easy mistake to catch. >Rest of powder charging is uneventful, but takes forever since I'm antsy now. >Time for bullets. >Somehow cause the bullet to get stuck inside the seating die. >Eventually cause the bullet to seat in the cartridge, but its seated WAY too low. >Improprly installed seating die, so this cartridge now has an ugly crimp on it too. >Pull bullet and call brass a loss (pic related) and more carefully load 4 more cartridges. >Realize I'm reading my dial calipers incorrectly and have seated all bullets too low. >Decide to call it gor the night. Do you remember your first reloading session?
I expected things to get messed up the first time around, but I hoped to have at least one usable cartridge by the end of my first session. Still, I'm just glad I was able to identify all of these problems now rather than blow up at the range.
Ryder Nelson
KEK, I haven't ascended to reloading yet, but when I was 17, building my first AR, I made tons of retarded little mistakes, it just comes with the territory when trying new things.
I'm thinking of reloading 8mm Mauser, it's hard to feed my turk mauser on a budget.
>Reloading full sized rifle cartridges as your first reloads. Enjoy death when your gun explodes in your face.
Joseph Edwards
I remember being supervised and everything going smoothly.
Ah shut the feck up fear mongering nanny. I started with .308 as well. No more dangerous than the 9x19 titegroup loads I also started with. If you knew the first thing about reloading you'd also know that hte pressure curve on rifle powders is much flatter than some pistol powders
Logan Price
I keep all my first reloads at my bench. Some are obviously large mistakes, others are minor like too much crimp. There's a learning curve for each caliber. Any good powder/primer/projectile deals for labor day?
Luis Brown
Starting out with a full size cartridge and voluminous powder is the safest way to start
Josiah Evans
Fuck, I'll have to buy some powder if there's free shipping
Bentley Brown
Just ordered a pound of Unique, breddy excited how it will measure up to Titegroup
Liam Carter
Reloading some .44 AMP for the Auto Mag this morning. Using some Hornady 240gr XTPs, H110 powder, CCI magnum pistol primers and using Starline brass. Its been awhile since I've shot her and figured it was time to get all set up again.
You should've watched a youtube video and go along with it to ensure you were doing everything right but live and learn I guess.
Bentley Green
That's the thing, I did. Seems that wasn't enough and I had to learn some lessons the hard way.
Colton Ward
How much attention should one pay to the primer used in any load data? I know that the right primer size and whether it needs to be a magnum primer or not is vital information, but does brand matter? I've heard some brands perform quite a bit differently than others.
Joshua Richardson
Primers can make a big difference, even between brands. Some brands are known to be harder than others too.
I wouldn't hesitate to swap primer brands for loads you know to be under max pressure, but if you are using a load at or near max specs and you want to change primers for whatever reason then I'd cut back the load and work it back up again.
Eli Cooper
this. per book you should start from min all over again when you switch primers because they will ignite the powder differently. If youre close to max you should definitely start low.
Austin Richardson
My first reloads were .223. I set the bullet a little too deep on my first ever reload. I decided to keep it as a little “trophy.”
A couple things I learned. Just because a case has been de-primed by someone doesn’t mean it’s been resized. That was frustrating. And keep an eye out for berdan primed brass. I always check headstamps if I buy once fired brass.
On a positive note, a LGS got a bunch of CCI primers from a place that was going out of business, so I got 5k small rifle and 5k large rifle primers for like $213 after tax.
Ethan Gomez
When I got my progressive I set it up to load 9mm. I was paying too much attention to setting it up and just looked quickly at some old 9mm I had done for the recipe. Forgot I switched bullets to 124 gr and ended up about 1 gr over maximum. Ended up pulling 300 bullets to be safe.
Jonathan Sanchez
but muh hot loads
Noah Howard
best 223 reload?
Jackson Ortiz
depends on your barrel twist, desired grainage and what's your application. 69 grain SMKs are kind of wasted just mag dumping at 50 yards and 35 grain varmint loads aren't the best for shooting to 800
