Reloading 101

A guide for the beginner

Copyright: Infinity Information Services 2007-2008

Introduction Why reloading 101? I started reloading my own shotgun, rifle and pistol ammunition eleven years ago. At that time I just went to the local gun shop and said I wanted to reload this caliber and that gauge and this caliber. So $527.00 later I walked out with enough stuff to load for all the guns I currently owned. What I didnt know was that there was a lot more to the process than a press, dies, powder, bullets, and primers. There is also the whole safety side of reloading, including things like chamber pressure, overall length, seating depths, powder charges, bullet weights, etc As well as several more tools than I had purchased at the gun shop (or even knew about at the time). Now I have

a lot more in-depth knowledge and skill in the area and hope to make your first reloading experience much safer and much more fun than mine. This is by no means a complete guide to reloading, but just a list of all the items you will need to get started. The author states that all this information is true, and to the best efforts complete, and cannot be held liable for any accidents or injuries related to the use of this information. Reloading ammunition is a dangerous task and should be done only by individuals competent with the tools and techniques used in the process.

We are going to start this book by explaining all the equipment needed to reload your own ammunition, as well as the proper use and maintenance of your equipment. We are going to look at the most important piece of equipment first. The Reloading Manual: This is the most important part of your reloading equipment. This contains all the information you need to load the caliber/gauge of ammunition of your choosing. You want to evaluate as many of these manuals as possible to get an idea of which one(s) are the best for you and the ammo you will be loading. Different publishers offer a wide variety of loads for all calibers, but certain powders work better in certain loads and the same thing applies to certain bullets. I

have several manuals as a result and think it is best practice to cross-reference the load I am working on in as many manuals as I have available to me. We now have the Internet, which is a great resource for information of all kinds. Using information obtained from the web on cartridge loads, powder charges, minimum and maximum pressures and anything that is related to the safe production of ammunition should be done with care and all information checked. I issue this warning because of the ease at which you can get incorrect information from this source. Any load you want to work up should be done with information that has been verified by the quality loading manuals published from reputable cartridge, powder, and bullet manufacturers. I am not going to make this resource about advertising, but I will mention my favorite products for a guide. The main manuals I use are from Hornady they offer a diverse selection of load

data that is updated regularly. Hornadys manual is my starting point for any load I want to produce. I also use manuals from the company for the powder I happen to be using for a particular load. Most companies make downloads available from their websites. Others you will have to purchase. As I have already stated this is the most important part of your reloading set-up and when used properly will keep you safe. The most important information you will get from these manuals is the starting load charge weight, maximum charge weight and the cartridge dimensions. The starting load is the lowest recommended amount of powder to use in that load. The maximum charge is the most powder to use on any load combination and this is written in stone. DO NOT exceed maximum charge weights. The cartridge dimesions are the size of the cartridge in length, width and diameter. These show the maximum sizes

for a loaded round. This will be discussed at a later point in this book. Reloading Bench: A solid place for working with all the equipment is absolutely necessary. The first ammo I loaded was done on a coffee table with the press fixed with a C-clamp. While usable I do not recommend this method. A press generates a lot of force and should have a stable mounting point on a very, solid bench. You can purchase benches from home improvement and office supply stores, or you can build your own if you wish. Whichever you choose make sure it is sturdy, made of wood, metal isnt a good option because of sparking dangers and static electricity. The bench top should be at least 3ft long by 3ft wide; the best is probably going to be 6ft long by 4ft wide. The bench top should be a height that

is comfortable for you, the reloading process needs your full attention and an uncomfortable bench height can be distracting. You should also place a small lip/ledge around the top of your bench to keep small parts from rolling off. Work Area: Your work area should be well ventilated and free from clutter. There should be no source of distraction and you should have a good range of movement. Besides the things mentioned here you can set-up pretty much anywhere. The best tools for all the following categories will come from Lee, Lyman, RCBS and Dillon. Any of these will provide you with great service. Powder Scale:

A good quality scale that weighs in grains (the unit used to measure powder) is the next thing on the list. The scale, as with all the items we will be discussing, is available in a wide selection the cheapest being a simple balance-beam scale with a small powder pan attached and the most expensive being a digital version that has a large range of options. If you are just starting out and not sure if you are going to stay with this a mid-range scale will be adequate but if you know you want a complete set-up the best you can afford will be money well-spent. I suggest using a digital version from a reputable manufacturer. Which company you go with is up to you but one of these will provide the best value for your money. Once you have picked out the scale you want, set down with it and learn to use it before you load the first round. As with any tool use and experience make you more comfortable and efficient.

Powder Measure: The powder measure can be anything from a simple scoop to an automatic metering measure that delivers the exact charge weight you set. Here again the mid-range items will probably be best for those just wanting to try this out and the best you can afford will pay for itself many times over. Like the scale and all the other items you will need sit down and learn the operation of them. Read the owners manuals and play with it until you are familiar with the way it works. Calipers: These are precision tools used for determining the measurements of your loaded ammunition. In the reloading manual section we discussed the measurements listed in the

loading data. That is where the calipers come into play. They come in either dial or digital Starrett makes the best, for the money. I think the digital is a better one to use, as they are much quicker to read. Again read the owners manual and play with the tool to get comfortable in the operation. The OAL or overall length of a cartridge is the distance from the cartridge head to the tip of the bullet. You set the basic overall length of your ammo by placing the bullet loosely into the case and chambering the round in the particular firearm for which you are loading the round. The rifling pushes the bullet back into the case and sets a good starting point for working up your load. Using the calipers will tell you if you are getting to long or short as determined by the specifications of the cartridge. The calipers will also tell you if your case has stretched and needs to be trimmed.

Trimmers And Trim Gauge: These come in when your case has stretched through reloading and needs to be trimmed. After you calipers have determined the case has stretched you need to use a trim gauge and trimmer to cut the mouth of the case back to original dimensions. This is a simple process and can it be done with hand trimmers. There are automatic trimmers available that use your drill or their own small motor to rotate the cases while they are being trimmed. If you are going to do a lot of loading then you will want this version of trimmer. The Press: Presses come in a wide range of designs. The basic press is single-stage and does one operation at a time. You place your dies in the press and perform one operation, (i.e. decapping

(removing the primer) and resizing, priming the case, or bulleting seating. Turret presses allow you to place 3-4 dies in the press at once and completely reload a round by manually rotating the turret as you do each operation. The turret press is the one I personally use. The fastest and most expensive presses are automatic and once set-up they turn out a loaded round with each pull of the handle. If your are just going to reload a few rounds a month the single-stage press will do a great job. The turret press is the best for midrange loading and is also the mid-range in price. I would suggest you start with a single-stage or turret press and then if you like the process and need a large amount of ammo, move up to the automatic press. Dies: The dies are the tools that form and shape the case. They

also place the bullet into the case neck at the proper depth. There are a few other types of dies that crimp bullets in place, or reform on caliber to another. We are going do deal with the standard die set here. These come in 2 or 3 die sets for rifle and 3-4 die sets for pistol. Rifle dies will require that case lube be used, as they are made from steel. Pistol dies are carbide and need no lube for use. All dies are caliber specific. The companies mentioned earlier also make the dies. Lee, Lyman, RCBS, and Dillon, Lee dies are what I use and from my experience provide the most for the money. Case Prep Tools: In this category you will need a couple of items. First is a primer pocket reamer, this will clean out and uniformly prep the primer pocket for receiving the new primer. You should also look for a case tumbler. These are just small drums that

hold your cases and some type of polishing media, usually crushed corncob. The drum is either hand-cranked or mounted on a small motor that tumbles the cases together with the media polishing the cases and making them ready for use. You decision here is based on the amount of money you have to spend on reloading and the amount of time you want to work at it. Hand tumbling will of course take more time and be more labor intensive, but is the cheapest way do get the job done. Ammunition Trays: An ammunition tray is a plastic tray with cutouts for the cases to set in base down. These are invaluable when loading as they keep the cases separated for each operation. On tray will hold empty cases ready to be loaded. Another tray will hold cases that have been sized and primed. Tray 3 will hold

cases that have been charged (powder loaded into them) and a fourth tray will hold completed rounds. The simpler the loading operation you have the more trays you will need. Trays arent very expensive so this isnt a problem. I suggest you have at least 3 trays to start with; the trays I use are manufactured by MTM-Caseguard and are available at any sporting goods outlet. Case Lube: Case lube comes in two varieties, paste or liquid that is applied to a pad and rolled on to individual cases or spray, which can be used to spray a whole tray of cases at once. I prefer the spray because it is the easiest to use. Most of the regular gun lube makers probably have a lube for this and would be the best choice. As stated in the section on dies, the lube is needed for rifle dies only. It must be used or your

cases will be stuck inside the die and ruining it. That covers all the necessary items for the loading of rifle and pistol ammunition. The following is what is needed for shotgun shells. I will not go in detail about the items already discussed above but refer back to them in this section, as it is necessary. Manuals: Refer to the section above all that information applies here. The only difference is that now we will be working with shot and wads instead of bullets. Presses: The shotgun shell press is different in that they arent available to my knowledge in single-stage. All I have dealt

with are complete systems. Lee or MEC makes the easiest to use. All the other tools listed above are essentially the same except dies. Shotgun shell loaders come with a steel collar for resizing the head of the shell. Some say lube isnt required but I suggest you add a small amount just to be safe. Wads: The wads you use for reloading shot shells will dictate how much shot and powder you can use in any particular load. The manuals will list which wad to use with which load. Shot: The only requirements here are that you pick the shot size you want to use, and then use your manuals to find the

charge weight, wad, and primer for your particular load. Priming Tool: You can get specific tools that do one thing, prime cartridges or shot shells. These are a great time saver and are well worth the extra bucks if you are loading a lot of ammo. Most will also require a separate set of shell holders to use them but his is a justified cost for the time saved. Thats it. The items listed above are all that is required for successfully reloading your own ammunition. This is by no means a complete guide to reloading, but just a list of all the items you will need to get started. The author states that all this information is true and to the best efforts complete and cannot be held liable for any accidents or injuries related to the use of this information. Reloading ammunition is a

dangerous task and should be done only by individuals competent with the tools and techniques used in the process.