Reloading Secrets

[bustoff]

in post #16 SL1 mentioned indexing. heres where i went from there. on straight wall cases like 44mag i size the case only as far as the bullet is seated. the thought being the min clearance between case and chamber helps keep bullet lined up with the center of the bore. didnt seem to make much of a difference when i didnt index but with indexing it seemed to shoot better, at least out of my encore. the results were not as consistent out of my superblackhawk.

[saands]

Lots of good tips so far ... I too use the ziplock and business card routine for prepping brass. I find it MUCH more efficient to do one operation 400 or 500 times than to set up the press for 50 or 100 of something. I also use the seat in one op and crimp after process.

I have always been bothered by the issue of long term powder storage. The problem being that anything that is truly water proof is dangerous to use as a powder storage device ... you want your powder to burn if there is ever a house fire ... not to explode because it is inside a 40mm rocket can! What I finally discovered were these large ~15"x18"12" plastic "sportsman's containers" that are fashioned after a large ammo can. They aren't 100% waterproof, but they are pretty water resistant, so I just add a couple of 40gram rechargeable desiccant canisters and they are good for 6-12 months of storage even in a damp basement or an outdoor storage shed. As powder and primers have gotten hard to find, I've been quite happy to have had this inventory to draw from.

[wncchester]

"digital scale that I hate because it drifts so much."

My favorite "secret" is to avoid digital scales like the plague.

[dlb435]

The only secret to success that I know of is to pay attention to what you are doing. If you can not keep your mind on the reloading; STOP
It's too easy to make a mistake that could hurt you or trash one of your guns. Reloading is kind of boring and it's easy to forget something.

[jaguarxk120]

I'll give the 45's and 44's a shot of Pledge spray wax before sizing. They will go through the carbide sizer like **** through a tin horn! The little bit of spray wax changes the effort into next to nothing. Feels like the case slides in and out with no work.

[JMtoolman]

I have a Bonanza press that has a flat web that fits the bench at the back of the press. I have had a magnet there for years to keep the various allen wrenches that fit the various sizes of allen screws in the reloading dies, ect. There is also a maganetic probe, and a small screwdriver there also. Saves a lot of time looking for a allen wrench or other tools while reloading.

John, the toolman.

[indiandave]

If I told you it wouldn't be a secret any more But dlb435 gives good advice take your time and be careful.

[bignz]

I think I'll add a lip to the edge of my bench. I hate chasing bullets etc. all over the floor but never thought of such an easy fix.

JMtoolman - Does your magnet ever mess with your scale? I thought of a magnetic tool holder but opted against it because the mag. field worried me.

[NWPilgrim]

My improvements:

- crimp in separate step from seating

- visually inspect EVERY charged case for powder level

- re-read load data and write down a loading plan before actual loading: COAL, case mouth OD, charge weight

- I don't use plastic ammo boxes anymore. I use quart freezer Ziplocs and write all load data on the baggie as well as in my notebook. 100 rounds per ziploc bag and bags go into steel ammo can. Only use plastic 20 rd boxes for when I am working up various charge weights for testing.

- I always make up a dummy round first when setting up the dies for a cartridge or to check die setting at the start of a session

- Always check loaded cartridges with Willson max case gauge, and case mouth outside diameter and COAL with calipers: first five rounds loaded and then about every 10 oe 20 rounds

- Use a turret press instead of a single stage. Love it, not sure there is a need for single stage even when starting out as a turret can be used like a single stage.

- Do not use maximum powder loads. I download everything, unless I have a specific purpose, so that cases will last longer and I have a larger safety margin.

- I quit chasing perfection. I am not a target competitor. It is a waste of my time to try to find the perfect powder, the perfect bullet, the perfect COAL, the perfect case, etc. for a single rifle or pistol. Now I just works towards good enough to pretty darn good and then enjoy more time shooting and less expense on various components.

- Simplify, in conjunction with above. I use Unique and WW296 for pistols and revolvers. And H4895 and Varget for 90% of my rifles with a little H335 and H4831 for others. I use data table COAL, use near starting load or medium charges, and try to find one bullet weight per cartridge. I focus mainly on 9mm, .40SW, .223 and .30-06 to shoot in volume. Much fewer rounds loaded for .308, .45ACP, .38, .44, 6.5x55, .30-30, etc.

- I read loading manuals voraciously. Every few years I get about 4 updated manuals. Really like Lyman, Speer, and Lee as general purpose manuals, but many others are great for specific bullet types. I found some manuals do not list tested COAL (?!?!), or don't give detail case/cartridge diagams with max dimensions. Nyet!

- Ordered my first X-die. This appears to be a huge leap ahead in case prep and life. If it lives up to its reported capability the X-die should be standard equipment for most rifle reloaders, at least those who shoot/reload large volumes of cases. There is always something new to learn!

- case prep is mostly irrelevant for handgun cartridges. The cases fail before they need trimming, etc. Unless you are striving for ultimate accuracy, or loading in small batches, it is not worth the time to prep handgun cases. for action shooting or plinking, just load them and go. I keep a few hundred cases set to the side for testing and special loads, but most handgun brass gets dumped into one ammo can per caliber, tumbled, and then run through the loading process.

- if any case or cartridge looks at all suspicious, I throw it out. I find that in a batch of 500 cartridges or cases the vast majority are in good shape. At each step of handling the brass: tumbling, sorting, prep, loading, cleaning, storage, I may find one or two that show a crack, case head separation, split or discoloration. Of course the obvious defects get tossed, but the one or two border line cases are not worth keeping and risking injury or gun damage.

- Finally, load for what you want out of shooting. Don't load for accuracy unless it is important to you. Don't load in quantity unless you want lots of ammo. Not everyone should spend the time or invest in the equipment to measure case neck runout or have a progressive press that can crank out 600 rds per hour. Each reloader should determine how much they want to shoot, how much accuracy they really need (action shooting only needs 3-4" at 25 yds), and whether they really need max power loads or not. But always pay attention to safety issues and practices. A benchrest shooter has much different needs from a hunter, carbine combat shooter, action pistol competitor, or a Saturday plinker. Don't be embarrassed if you don't need to reload 2K cartridges every week, or aren't hunting grizzly, or don't plan to shoot 1/2 MOA groups. Whatever you enjoy, learn what the important factors are and tune your relaoding steps to that.

[billwright]

saands - Just a note on those 40 Gram Desiccant Canisters, make sure you get the indicating kind that turns from Orange to Dark Green... not Blue to Pink.

Reason being there is chemical in the Blue that is called Cobalt Chloride which is bad for environment, show to cause cancer, and can be corrosive! It is listed as a Hazardous Material in the UK!

Many companies quit using the Blue Indicating Silica Gel in these types of products, one I found similar to what your talking about (40 Gram Aluminum Desiccant Canister) that has the Orange Indicating Silica Gel is here:


http://www.silicagelpackets.com/dry-packs-canister/