Building a gun range, suggestions?

   / Building a gun range, suggestions? #51  
Reloading is rather simple if you think about it in steps. I'll go over each step and indicate which ones are optional in my opinion. I say optional because they really are not needed to reload a cartridge but many like myself find they do increase the accuracy of the ammunition.

1) Probably the most important step. Get a reloading guide, preferably from the maker of the bullets you will be reloading. Read and reread the reloading process section at the front of the manual. I have reloading manuals from every manufacturer and also general guides.

2) Clean and inspect your brass for defects.

3) (optional 1 time step) Uniform and ream the primer pocket. This ensures that all primer pockets have the same dimensions making ignition characteristics more similar between each round. This helps to keep your shot groups smaller.

4) Resize and deprime the brass. This brings the brass back to it's original size since the brass stretch's when fired. For the beginner don't worry about neck sizing or partial resizing, just do full length resizing. Before you resize non straight wall cartridges you have to lube the case so it does not stick in the die. Personally I like Hornady's One Shot case lube in a spray can. It's faster than a lube pad and does not contaminate primers.

In this multistage step it also removes the old primer, called the decapping stage. As the cartridge is being resized a pin presses out the old primer.

5) Measure overall case length and refer to the spec's in the reloading manual. It will list a maximum acceptable case length. If it is over this length then it will need to be trimmed to length with a cartridge case trimmer. When you fire a round the brass actually act's like a liquid and tends to flow forward. Eventually the case get's thin at the back due to this and it also grows in length.

6) Chamfer and deburr the case mouth. If the case was trimmed this removes any burrs making the later step of bullet seating easier by removing the inside burr and the outside burr that can interfere with the later step of crimping and possible interference in the firearms chamber.

7) Belling/Expanding the case mouth. On rifle cartridges this step will have been taken care of when the case was resized and deprimed. There is a case mouth expander ball built into the decapping pin rod end. On straight wall pistol cartridges the goal is to open the case mouth sufficiently to allow the base of a bullet to be started into it. Don't overdue this step by opening the mouth to much it will only shorten case life.

8) Ok, now were ready to make some live ammo! Now is the priming stage. There are numerous types of primer installers, most presses come with one. Personally I like the hand primers as it gives me a better feel for what is going on. The goal here is to seat the primer to the correct depth.

9) Powder charging stage. In this stage you will measure and charge the case with powder using your reloading guide to pick the appropriate type and charge weight.

10) Bullet seating stage. In this stage you will install your chosen bullet. The goal here is to install it to the proper depth.

11) Crimping stage. On straight wall pistol cartridges you had earlier belled or opened the case mouth. In this stage you will now crimp the bullet into the case. In rounds for a automatic like a 9mm your basically just returning the case to a straight condition and not actually crimping since automatic's headspace off of the case mouth. On revolver cartridges you will be doing a roll crimp which actually rolls the case mouth into the bullet. On high power cartridges this prevents the bullet's from moving under recoil.

12) Final inspection. Just a final check to make sure everything you did looks ok.

13) GO OUT AND MAKE SOME NOISE!!!!!!

This may sound complicated but it really isn't. Follow the instructions in the reloading manual and the instructions that came with your equipment and all will be good in the world. The first couple of times you will be very nervous, it goes away and becomes second nature after a while. Just don't get to over confident. There are numerous other steps you can do to make your rounds more accurate like case neck turning, case mouth reaming, checking bullet runout and on and on. These additional steps make your rounds more accurate. Remember unlike off the shelf ammo where they have to make a cartridge that will work in every rifle you can fine tune your ammunition for a specific gun. It takes me a very long time to reload for my long range competition rifles, I do numerous extra steps. But on the other hand I can pound out well over 1,000 rounds a hour using a progressive press when making pistol ammunition.

Dargo - If you are going to reload 50 BMG you will need a press that can handle this very long cartridge. The standard reloading press is usually not tall enoug to handle this cartridge. Check the RCBS and Hornady websites, they both make presses that can handle this cartridge.

As far as equipment goes what exactly do you have. Powder measure, reloading manuals, case tumbler, etc...

Like I said previously it can be a little intimidating to the beginner. It helps if you can talk to someone who has reloaded before. If you ever have questions please don't hesitate to ask me. I would be more than happy to help out a fellow firearms enthusiast. You can either email me directly at sales@trclubricants.com or call me on my cell at 410-858-8290. Always be on the safe side and ask when in doubt.

Mike
 
   / Building a gun range, suggestions? #52  
Well.. I just saved and printed a copy of that!

soundguy
 
   / Building a gun range, suggestions? #53  
I just edited it to add my email and phone number if you should have any questions. Feel free if you see the need.
 
   / Building a gun range, suggestions? #54  
I just re-saved the V2 copy!

soundguy
 
   / Building a gun range, suggestions? #55  
As far as equipment goes what exactly do you have. Powder measure, reloading manuals, case tumbler, etc...

Like I said previously it can be a little intimidating to the beginner. It helps if you can talk to someone who has reloaded before. If you ever have questions please don't hesitate to ask me. I would be more than happy to help out a fellow firearms enthusiast. You can either email me directly at sales@trclubricants.com or call me on my cell at 410-858-8290. Always be on the safe side and ask when in doubt.

Mike

Wow, thanks for the info. The only reloading equipment I have is the one set of dies, the Dillon press (I think the model is Square Deal or something like that - I'm sure it's not high end) and the boxes of cleaned brass for the .50AE. Nothing else.
 
   / Building a gun range, suggestions? #56  
And to think I passed up on a deal on gunbroker a while back.. guy was selling a gun, and a press and die set, plus a bag of clean, and a bag of new brass, and bullets!.. I shoulda hopep don that just for the equipment alone it seems!

Oh well.. heay.. b-day and christmas will be here before you know it anyway!.. I might have something to put on the list!!

soundguy
 
   / Building a gun range, suggestions? #57  
Wow, thanks for the info. The only reloading equipment I have is the one set of dies, the Dillon press (I think the model is Square Deal or something like that - I'm sure it's not high end) and the boxes of cleaned brass for the .50AE. Nothing else.

The first item is the most important. Reloading manuals, more is better. Just make sure you get the manual's from the manufacturers bullets you plan on using. If you like Hornady bullets then be sure to get a Hornady manual, like Sierra get a Sierra manual. It will have the load data for the exact bullets you will be loading.

Did the Square Deal press you got come with a powder measure? It should also have come with the automatic primmer installer. You should be able to download the Dillon manual from their website which will tell you how to use it.

You will need a powder scale to measure charge weights.

Case chamfer/deburr tool.

Some way to clean your spent cases like a case tumbler.

A good set of dial calipers to make measurements.

Either make or buy a couple of loading blocks. Just something to hold cartridges while your working on them to keep organized. (This is the second most important step, KEEP ORGANIZED)

You should really have a case trimmer of some kind especially if you plan on reloading bottleneck cartridges.

Case lube will be needed for some cartridges. Usually straight wall pistol cartridge dies have carbide inserts and do not require lube but when resizing but bottleneck cartridges you will have to lube the cases. Like I had previously said I like the Hornady One Shot case lube in a spray can. A can goes a long way and it is probably the best product I have used and relatively cheap.

A optional thing to buy which I really like is to buy ammo cases. The original paper/cardboard box's will wear out after a while. MTM Case Guard or Midway has these plastic box's. They last forever and include a sticker to write your load data on.

Get a note book of some kind and dedicate it to reloading. You can keep track of ammo you have loaded and the specific load data. It's a handy way to keep track of what loads work best in each gun. Personally I make lot numbers for each batch I load. That way if I should ever have a problem down the road I can look up the load data and see what happened.

There are numerous other little nice to have items that you will probably buy over time. Most either increase the speed at which you can reload or make the loads more accurate. You can work out which "nice to have" items you would like as your reloading skills increase.
 
   / Building a gun range, suggestions? #58  
And to think I passed up on a deal on gunbroker a while back.. guy was selling a gun, and a press and die set, plus a bag of clean, and a bag of new brass, and bullets!.. I shoulda hopep don that just for the equipment alone it seems!

Oh well.. heay.. b-day and christmas will be here before you know it anyway!.. I might have something to put on the list!!

soundguy

Probably the best "deal" on the market for a single stage press is the RCBS RockChucker press kit. It contains most everything you need to get started except the dies. If you want a progressive press check into either the new Hornady press (I got one of these and really like it) or a Dillon progressive press (I have several of these).

The difference is in a single stage press you do each function separately as there is only one die station. With a progressive press each pull of the handle performs multiple functions like resizing, depriming, priming, powder charge, bullet seating. Other than pulling the handle all you have to do is place a bullet on top of each cartridge before the seating stage.

I usually recommend a single stage to start. For starters they are much cheaper. Secondly you can usually make much more accurate rounds using a good single stage press as you have more control over what is going on unlike a progressive press where many of the steps are automatic. Third, you learn each step of the process in detail as you are doing everything manually and get a better "feel" for what's going on.
 
   / Building a gun range, suggestions? #59  
I'm saving all of this... by the time i finally get a press..I'll have a 'manual' to go with it!

soundguy
 
   / Building a gun range, suggestions? #60  
DieselPower

Your offer sound advice on your reloading tips.

The only thing I would add (that is somewhat off topic) is if you don't wear safety glasses when shooting, you better start to.
 

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