Precision Reloading For Long Range Hunting by Jerry Teo

[PURVIS6]

I am new to reloading and i wondering if you could tell me what is the best bullets,powder and primers for shooting long range with 300winmag ,308and 223?

 

[SidecarFlip]

I am new to reloading and i wondering if you could tell me what is the best bullets,powder and primers for shooting long range with 300winmag ,308and 223?

The very first thing you need (other than equipment) is a recipe book. Hornady, Speer, Lee and (I believe everyone that manufactures dies has one).

Do some reading and determine what you need.

Myself (personal preference), I tend to use Joyce Hornady projectiles, especially in .223 cases and I buy once fired .223 cases in bulk.

Always (if possible) buy your expendables in bulk. The 50 packs and 100 packs of bullets and the 100 bags of brass and pints of powder at your local sporting goods emporium are great for starting out, but aren't cost saving.

Reloading is about custom ballistics but it's also about cost savings over factory loaded rounds......... (hint..I reload because I'm cheap...)

I want to buy my projectiles (especially .223) in thousands, powder in bulk (at least 8 pound jugs, preferably 45 pound kegs) and brass in bulk. The Internet is rife with suppliers that sell in bulk. Just do some looking.

Then there is equipment.......

And, of course, opinions........lightbulb

 

[Mysticplayer]

Hi there , just wondering what Die and seater set you would recommend for my Savage 110 FCP in 338 Lapua Mag.


Forster 2 FL die set, getting the FL die custom honed out for about 2-3 thous. neck tension on a seated bullet and the competition micrometer seater ,

OR
Redding Bushing bump 3 die set that does the neck seperately, and has a body die to bump the shoulder back and do the body taper. along with the comp . seater die. its about 300 bucks last I looked.


I just dont know the Lapua brand 338 LM brass too well, it seems real thick so I dont know if I will be FL sizing all the time. and dont want to create more of a donut inn the neck shoulder junction with a bushing die setup.

Thoughts?



Thanks

Patrick

I prefer to neck size, body size then seat. If the FL sizer matches your chamber well, then that works good as any method. The problem is what if it doesn't match?

I am sure intime, other companies will get on the 338LM bandwagon and start offering dies. I would love to see Lee make a collet neck die - that would be my first choice.

Then Redding body die and Forster BR seater.

Not always possible but the combo of dies I use in my rifles.

Jerry

 

[Haagen Dazs]

I love coming back and reading old articles, I always seem to learn somehting new every time.



I'm wondering how your Winchester case prep method has changed over the years; more specifically, case volume.


For 7WSM, there's 300WSM Norma brass I could neck down or I could buy straight 7WSM brass from Winchester. I always though I could buy 250 cases, weight sort them, and sell off the 50 that fall outside a bellcurve; however, after reading your article again, you mention this isn't worth it due to machining tolerances.

Should I prime the cases and use some fine powder to sort the cases by volume (after preping) or should I just buy 200 and hope that the Winchester brand brass is to the same standards as Norma?



Thanks Jerry,
Kevin

 

[Mysticplayer]

Recent shooting with Norma brass impressed with how well it was made. And it was also quite durable.

Will Win be as good out of the bag? Highly unlikely but you can prep that brass and make it very good.

I have a 7-300WSM project on the go and will use Win 270WSM brass to start. I will do all the basic prep from fireforming to neck turning.

Comparing case volumes after can be beneficial and educational.

In time, I might grab some Norma 300WSM to compare.

Just got some Norma 223 for my FTR rifle and look forward to testing that .... if the snow ever melts.

Annealing is now a big part of my reloading process and I am doing it every 3 to 4 firings. If time permited, I would be doing it every other firing

Jerry

 

[Haagen Dazs]

Ha, the snow hasn't melted there yet? I'm in Winterpeg and it's almost all gone, but I guess you're higher up.


Thanks for the reply though, look forward to hearing about the process. My experience with the Lapua 223 brass hasn't led me to learn anything new about case prep or fire forming; I just loaded and shot it! Are you going to run your 270WSM brass through a neck die or just load it up with cream of wheat and pistol powder and fire from it?

 

[Mysticplayer]

FF with pistol powder and cornmeal.

Simple and effective.

Jerry

 

[motoxno53]

Just starting to reload. I am doing as much reading as I can and that has lead me to this post. So far some of the things I am looking at are:

*Forster CO-AX press. is this worth the money?
*What die sets would you recommend for:
*338RUM
*30-06
*22-250
*243

*concentricity gauge recommendation?

 

[Haagen Dazs]

If you've got the money the Forster seems like the best press for benchrest reloading. I've got a love/hate relationship with my Hornady classic; the camming feature seems very valuble for consistant seating, however, you have to be careful while de-priming because a design flaw makes it kinda easy for primer chuncks to lodge themselves between the housing and the ram. Keep everyhitng greased and it shouldn't be an issue.


Die sets are something we need to know more about. What are you going to use them for, bolt action or semi? Precision or don't care?

For a no compromise bolt action die set, I went with Mystic's suggestions and bought a Redding Body only die, Lee Neck only Collet Die (a must for any bolt ation) and a Forster non-micrometer seater. I will definiately buck up and buy the micrometer seater next time; saves time!

For precision semi, I'd make similar recommendations because a FL die set will cause case run out, as explained in the article. For my M1 Garand, I bought an RCBS 2 die set because I could care less about run out, but for a precision M14, I'd do the body only, then neck only resizing. I didn't pick RCBS for any particular reason, but they do offer Short Base dies if you want to shrink down the case for extra reliable feeding in a semi-automatic. Lee FL dies were very tight as well I found, so use lots of lube!

I'd be interested in runout gauge recommendations as well. So far the Hornady looks like it is not going to do the job. The Sinclair has my eye.

 

[Mysticplayer]

Just starting to reload. I am doing as much reading as I can and that has lead me to this post. So far some of the things I am looking at are:

*Forster CO-AX press. is this worth the money?
*What die sets would you recommend for:
*338RUM
*30-06
*22-250
*243

*concentricity gauge recommendation?

I do not use the Coax press but many others do. I do all my loading right now on a Lee Breech Lock Challenger press.

First decide how you are going to use the ammo/rifle and the type of clearances you will need. Match ammo can be dead tight. Working ammo or dangerous game ammo better have a bit of room to ensure zero headaches.

For me, I use the Lee collet neck die when possible, Redding body die to bump the shoulder as needed. Seaters include Forster and Redding for the lowest possible runout in conventional dies.

The new Forster Bushing/bump die is a very interesting alternative.

Jerry

 

[motoxno53]

Sorry, these are going to be used for hunting. I would like to make sure I load as precise as possible. Ill gladly take the time for the precision. Since I am just buying I figure do some research and try and buy the correct stuff the first time and save my self some heartache. Thank you all for the input.
Chris

 

[raygross]

Re: Loads using Retumbo for 300 Win Mag and 7mm Rem Mag

I am looking for loads for Retumbo powder in
180 gr Nosler Acc Bond or 180 gr Berger in 300 Win Mag and
175 gr Nosler Acc Bond or 175 gr Berger in 7mm Rem Mag
Ray

 

[etisll40]

Mysticplayer, would annealing be better before the first firing? When fireforming for 7 stw, how much pistol powder, brand and amount would you use?

Thanks

 

[Mysticplayer]

Factory cases should already be annealed. If you have formed from 8mm RM, it wouldn't hurt.

I use Titegroup but Red dot and HP38/Win 231 can also work.

I would go with around 8 to 10gr of titegroup and work up.

Faster powder, start lower,

Jerry