Basic Reloading 101

[Kingfishn1]

Search feature doesn't seem to bring good results.

So, the basic of this is to use the dies as intended, use powder per the manual (always less than max charge), seat bullets to the correct depth (less than Max OACL). Other words, use the manual and follow the starting steps.

Go have fun.?

I am just starting reloading again (from way back in the early 80's) and now the boards are full of set back, touching lands, ladder test and such.

Thus far my loads are shooting great and my groups are tight Sub minute at 100 yards. I think this is a result of good rifles and not the reloads.

Is there something more complex than what I am doing for shooting for fun and hunting?

 

[dmoon]

There is nothing wrong with what you have if you are happy with it. However, if you are looking for "precision" you will never reach your maximum potential without delving into topics like setback, distance from the lands, etc. etc. If sub MOA @ 100 yards make you smile, keep smiling and happy shooting!

 

[Kingfishn1]

Right now I am getting way under sub at 100 reloading but also shooting last of some factory ammo. I just read so much on the techniques for reloading but I am thinking that those mostly deal with extreme long ranges.

 

[bigedp51]

I remember when I got out of the service how simple things were reloading and just following the dies instructions. I had a new Remington 760 Gamemaster pump 30-06, a RCBS Rockchusker press and a green plastic Lyman vernier caliper. And I never had a single case head separation and the cases died with split necks.

I now have all sorts of gauges and reloading is slightly more complex. But I'm retired with nothing to do and all day to do it.

As long as your dies are a good match to your chamber, chances are you will not push the case shoulder back too far.

The only problem is that chambers and dies vary in size and the die you have "may" over or under resize your cases.

Example, I have a standard full length Lee .223 die that will resize the case smaller than my RCBS .223 small base die will. Meaning the Lee die makes the case smaller in diameter and the case shoulder can be bumped back shorter than with the small base die.

Bottom line, many reloaders get by without any gauges and do not have problems. "BUT" without any gauges its much harder to find the problem.

Below a Hornady cartridge case headspace gauge measuring a Lake City 5.56 case fired in my AR15 rifle. And after I measure the fired case length, the die is easy to adjust and bump the shoulder back .003. And if I just followed the dies instructions with the die making hard contact with the shell holder, the case shoulder would be pushed back .007. And this could cause case head separations.

So in today world you have plus and minus tolerances for you chamber and resizing dies. And sometimes the tolerances do not match up and why we use gauges.

Below on a bolt action rifle you only need to bump the case shoulder back .001 to .002 below the red dotted line.
And if the die pushes the case shoulder too close to the green dotted line you can have case head separations.

Below shows head clearance when the cartridge is chambered. And your head clearance is the equivalent to the amount of shoulder bump. And the head clearance is how far the case must stretch to meet the bolt face when fired. And when your shoulder bump and head clearance is .001 to .002 the cases will last much longer with very little chance of case head separations.

 

[Canhunter35]

Velocity es can ruin a .1moa at 1k. That's where reloading techniques can start to factor into accuracy. Try shooting and seeing how your loads perform. If they start opening up vertically then you need to tweak your reloading methods

 

[IndianaMatt]

I'm fairly new to all the extra steps as well. Actually fairly new at trying to hit anything beyond 250 yards or so consistently. So I have a ton of questions and you tube has answered some.
I read conflicting information neck sizing and such. I would love to have someone demonstrate "precision reloading" first hand. Specifically for the .284 Winchester.

 

[The Oregonian]

This is a good article I have bookmarked and read every few years. Been reloading several years but still feel like a rookie bc there is so much still to learn.

http://www.shootingtimes.com/ammo/ammunition_practical_precision_reloading_102710/

 

[Kingfishn1]

Thanks for responses. I think hand loads are intrinsically more accurate than facitry. So saying, just reloading is better than off the shelf. Also, for my calipers, much less expensive. KISS is my motto.

 

[jrock]

I would agree that basic reloading is following the instructions with the dies and reloading books. I got great results by just doing that. I think there are 2 main benefits to reloading on a 101 level
1. Cost of shooting
2. Reloads usually shoot better than factory ammo

If you want to understand how each part works to make the system better then dive into the 401 classes. One example I have is when I got the chronograph. I found out that if I lowered my charge by 0.2 grains, I got the same group size @ 100 but the ES and SD went way down. This indicated that the lower charge load would be better at longer ranges. I tested it and it proved true.