Thread: So if I start reloading

Originally Posted by grandpamac

Greetings Remmodel7,
Mentors with grey hair are preferred as they have more time and don't get so breathless over the latest whizo bits.

You didn't include old mentors with NO hair....

Originally Posted by zimmer

You didn't include old mentors with NO hair....

Greetings Zimmer and the Follicly Challenged,
No slight was intended to a group I identify with to an extent. I will revise my description in future so that no person of senior years is excluded or offended. Lets see. Handloaders of a certain age? Perhaps a little light on description. Winston Peters Super Gold Card bearing handloaders? Dated and becoming more so by the day. Old handloading Fudd? Cracked it. Surely no one could be offended by that. So be it.
Regards Grandpamac (handloading old Fudd).

Originally Posted by Remmodel7

And I buy something like the lee breech lock kit, what else am I likely to need to buy extra. Obviously the consumables and dies. Do I need a 2 or 3 die set?
What measuring gear?
Case cleaning gear? Primer pocket cleaner?
I often hear people say to get a better set of scales.
What about annealing. How often do you need to anneal and what is the easiest way to do this.
I know a lot of this has been over before and I have read the old threads. Just looking at how much this will realistically cost to get going and keep going. I hear it's a bit of a can of worms.


Appreciate any input

I see you are in Rotorua easiest way to learn is joint the Rotorua Deer Stalkers Branch very knowledgable bunch of shooters and hunters
they would be willing to help you out with advice you could score some good used gear, Get the best press dies and beam powder scale you can
the three things that will never wear out with normal use .

I'm going it alone as no loaders near me that I have been able to find. So therefore I'm taking things slowly and methodically.

slow methodical and triple check everything......load data three seperate sources of info.....if dont want to ask question in open do it via PM..... or better still phone a friend......

Originally Posted by Happy Jack

I'm going it alone as no loaders near me that I have been able to find. So therefore I'm taking things slowly and methodically.

I'm inland from Rangiora. Sing out anytime. I'm not a master reloader but have enjoyed it for 30 years.

Originally Posted by Tikka7mm08

I'm inland from Rangiora. Sing out anytime. I'm not a master reloader but have enjoyed it for 30 years.

Thanks

Thank you all for the responses. Im looking forward to the new challenge. Hopefully I can't scape together enough bits and pieces to start loading.
My aim is to produce hunting ammo capable of moa or better at this stage capable of equaling it being factory ammo.
I think I will probably end up with one of the lee kits initially as they seem like a good place to start and should do everything I need. I will keep an eye out for second hand gear or buy better gear if I seen necessary in the future.
I like the idea of a mentor and hopefully can stumble across someone and will definitely be picking people's brains on here and reading a lot

way back before reloading was so common...Mr Nosler made a reloading manual...and the bit that really interested me was they made some amunition using the lee whackamole kit.....not called that but you do use a small mallet.....and the rounds produced were as good if not betterthan the factory rounds of the time.....it shows how far ammunition and indeed our expectations have come....that simple ammunition will still do 90% of job under 300 yards with ease... dont over think it...get a accurate ENOUGH load that on paper is trundling along reasonable fast...not barrel burning case splitting hot...and be happy.

Yes I have seen those and always wanted one but they never had one in a calibre I had. There are some you tube videos of guys using one and shooting very good group's with it. Looks weird wacking the primers in tho.
Yup won't be chasing speed much. Will start just reloading for my Grendel so it's not a speedster anyway.

Originally Posted by Happy Jack

I'm going it alone as no loaders near me that I have been able to find. So therefore I'm taking things slowly and methodically.

I found utube clips helpful for die setup. You should measure the chamber length but I often just load to easy mag length for hunting loads. Chamber a case after sizing to make sure it fits ok.
Others with more experience may be better able to advise here.

1st of all, save cash and read an online PDF of Richard Lee's Modern Reloading: http://marvinstuart.com/firearm/Manu...%20-%20ocr.pdf

Second, thoroughly digest said manual.

Third, buy a Lee Loader. Bear in mind these will not full length resize bottleneck rifle cartridges, but you will get one or two more bangs out of a spent cartridge from the same rifle.

Fourth, practise. This is the man himself (Richard Lee, RIP) loading up 30-06 on the Lee loader:



Bear in mind that volume does not change so long as density is constant, but weight (which is subject to gravity, not a universal force) does vary by an infinitesimal amount.

If bullets shoot accurate, deer die fast and rifle go boom every time trigger is pulled, be happy!

DO NOT OVERTHINK IT

Cheers caver. Only problem is the lee loader doesn't come in my calibres. .
My next question is what type of dies do I need to be using. Do I need just neck sizing or full length sizing dies

You need a full lenght sizing die.