Flash hole reamer
Franklin arsenal, primer remover
Franklin arsenal, primer remover
What do we need for Reloading?
- Thread starter Coyote Shadow Tracker
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It is interesting to read about reloading practices and tools of very experienced loaders. Although I'm not a match shooter, I want to produce very accurate and consistent loads for my hunting and shooting passion. Obviously a person can spend enormous amounts of dollars on the best tools and run into the law of diminishing returns. Loading speed while maintaining consistency is where the $$$ really start to exponentially increase IMO. I'll continue to methodically load in my slow fashion, but am always interested in improving my ability to produce excellent ammo.
My Mighty Armory decap die has pins for lapua flash hole and normal ones. Never broke or bent a pin and its even easily punched out small holes to large holes. Toughest decap die in the world IMO. Also used as a hold down die for swaging pocket crimps
judgebill
Well-Known Member
I began reloading in the 1950s. Between then and now there have been multiple changes and revisions until today I have only equipment that was purchased within the past 10 years. I don't shoot to compete. But I load for multiple rifles and my goal is to develop minute-of-angle loads for each rifle with multiple bullets. Because I enjoy the challenge. There are many reloading tools that will do the job, single-stage are probably the better choice unless volume is the goal. WEIGH AND MEASURE EVERYTHING. Tolerances of .01 grains are best. Measure with micrometer calipers, weigh with electronic scales. WEIGH AND MEASURE EVERYTHING. Read and re-read the manuals. Shoot your loads carefully, letting the barrel rest between shots. If you can keep your shots into one inch at 100yards, theoretically that is 10 inches at 1000 yards. That's pretty good shooting and also pretty good loading.
Comanche41
Active Member
Here is my experience from this past year. I have been reloading since probably around 1967, but I really got an education when I started trying to get a very quiet and accurate subsonic load for 300 blk..
Advice, spend your money on the best brass and bullets and save yourself a lot of wasted time and expense trying to make other stuff work.
I first spent (wasted) a lot of time and money converting brass. I then bought new Hornady and Starline brass that I still had to weigh, sort, uniform the flash holes, trim, etc. costing time and cost of tools to do it with. Usually, I would only get about 50-60% of the new brass that was consistent enough to use.
Then I finally sprung for some Norma brass and that was a turning point.
So, what I have that I use now:
Press, your choice.
Dies, your choice. I use the FL sizing die w/o expander.
Expander mandrel die w/ carbide mandrel.
Decapping tools, your choice.
Polisher
Trim too and deburring/chamfer tool, your choice.
Scale for weighing bullets and brass.
Powder scale, your choice.
Priming tool, your choice.
Powder thrower.
Calipers, I like dial.
All I can think of right now. Get good brass and bullets and go to town.
Advice, spend your money on the best brass and bullets and save yourself a lot of wasted time and expense trying to make other stuff work.
I first spent (wasted) a lot of time and money converting brass. I then bought new Hornady and Starline brass that I still had to weigh, sort, uniform the flash holes, trim, etc. costing time and cost of tools to do it with. Usually, I would only get about 50-60% of the new brass that was consistent enough to use.
Then I finally sprung for some Norma brass and that was a turning point.
So, what I have that I use now:
Press, your choice.
Dies, your choice. I use the FL sizing die w/o expander.
Expander mandrel die w/ carbide mandrel.
Decapping tools, your choice.
Polisher
Trim too and deburring/chamfer tool, your choice.
Scale for weighing bullets and brass.
Powder scale, your choice.
Priming tool, your choice.
Powder thrower.
Calipers, I like dial.
All I can think of right now. Get good brass and bullets and go to town.
Mikecr
Well-Known Member
I recommend beginning with this book:
Amazon product ASIN 096269259XIt's a great primer for someone new to reloading.
Amazon product ASIN 096269259XIt's a great primer for someone new to reloading.
Lenny Foffa
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Mar 6, 2017
- Messages
- 1,519
You seem to have MORE than enough excellent "Equpment " to reload target or match ammunition. I would just make a friendly perhaps Funny suggestion you instruct your new Handloaders to develop a large dose of both FOCUS and Patience. If they are in a rush to complete the ammo making process because they have to be somewhere important I would suggest they STOP, go do what ever is pressing, and then return to the bench with a clear mind and focus on the process at hand. For me ,the most annoying thing is when I am loading, and I have to explain to friends who ask " HOW LONG IS THAT GOING TO TAKE ?" or "Why does it take so long?? " STOP!!! , go have lunch with the guys who are waiting , then when that is over , wave goodbye to everyone, and go back to the Bench. I said to a hunting friend who also Ties Flies and shows them. "You have no problem spending lots of time and effort to make a Fly that looks like a bug, to catch a fish. I spend lots of time to make a load to take a buck. Does that not deserve the time and effort and consideration????
Pretty much my set up.
hunter0528
Well-Known Member
Patience. success does not come overnight.
Shadow6arc
Active Member
Depends on how you define success, and match ammo. Imho you can get very good results overnight, even on par with factory match ammo, given a good basic process.
I believe i forgot 1 important item, a chronograph. I feel it does help a fair bit in load development.
My process is simple.
1. Load up and shoot start to max looking for pressure signs.
2. Work back down from max, or however far you got in your workup to max. 5-7 shot groups in 1% ratio (max charge 30g, go in .3g increments 50g/0.5 and so on) till you find an es/sd your happy with.
3. Adjust seating depth. Use the manufacturers over all length, then work back in 0.003 increments. Usually 5 to 7 groups. This will Adjust the bullets time in the barrel to tune it to the barrels movement or harmonics. I have cut group sizes in half doing this.
And your done
Interesting. First reading you put to print only show you should use a book. In going to reply. The info came up.
Got a case dryer? Useful for cases after wet tumbling.
ntsqd
Well-Known Member
Must be a Stoopid Fone thing, directly pasted amazon links do not work on a confuser. This is an amazon thing - somebody there thinks that they're clever when in fact they're a PITA. I've run into it on every forum that I participate on. The only way that I've found to make the links work correctly is to bury them in text. Doesn't matter what the text is, could be the actual URL, could be gibberish, but then it becomes a clickable link for everyone.
It was only by quoting you that I got the unique to amazon kernal "096269259X". Searching that on amazon lead me to this book. Is that the book that you intended?
Bionic Badger
Member
- Joined
- Oct 21, 2017
- Messages
- 5
Just my opinion so please do not feel the need to pile on. Be sure to gather together a bank roll as most of this stuff on list when added up represents a substantial sum and many items are high dollar…$1200 for binos and over $1000 for stellar rated chronograph, then double of everything just to be covere; you do not want to come up short as a hand loader. Pretty soon the next thing ya know you will need to be funded like Wilson Combat and not Elmer Keith just to keep up with the latest and greatest technology and gadgetry. Remember you can systematically add yo your list without cutting corners in quality though. Like all of life, it is important to keep everything in balance, as there are no do-overs with life.
