Now let's look at some of the must-have items for the handloader, as well as a few of the luxuries.
Every handloader whether a serious individual or weekender should invest in a good handloading manual. Excellent guides are published by Nosler, Hornady, Speer, Hodgdon, Sierra, Barnes, and other bullet and powder companies.
A manual not only provides valuable information on various reloading recipes, but will also provide a wealth of safety and commonsense tips.
Reloading is not a sport for the freelancer. Read and follow directions precisely when reloading and you'll end up with high-quality and safe rifle ammunition. Break from the rules or get careless and the ammunition you produce could be a time bomb waiting to explode in your favorite firearm.
A solid and adequately lit work surface is vital for handloading success. My reloading bench is built from a hardwood door I replaced during a remodeling project. A reinforced frame of 2x4 lumber supports the door at waist level. Solid as a rock, the bench and required hardware set me back about $30.
On this bench I've securely mounted a reloading press, and this surface also provides a home for numerous other reloading essentials. Many different models and styles of reloading presses are available. A single-stage block or "O" frame style press is ideal for the beginning reloader. This type of press is affordable and capable of producing high-quality ammunition.
In addition to a press, you will need reloading dies for the caliber you are interested in. Most brands of reloading dies are interchangeable with different presses. Centerfire rifle cartridges use a two-piece die set. One die resizes the brass and removes the spent primer, while the second die is used to seat bullets.
With the press and required dies mounted on a solid work surface, you are ready to begin preparing your brass. All brass must be resized before it can be effectively reloaded. Even new unfired brass should be resized to make sure the cartridge case necks are free of dents and other imperfections.
Brass can be reloaded many times, but serious hunters limit their hunting brass to three firings. Older brass should be separated out and used for practice rounds.
Before resizing the brass and removing spent primers, lightly lubricate the case to prevent it from sticking in the resizing die. Amazingly enough, an inexpensive product known as case lube is designed for this purpose. Case lube can be applied with your fingers or spread onto a lube pad and the cases lightly rolled over the pad.
It's important not to put too much lubricant on the cases. Excess lube can cause the cases to dent during the resizing process.
When resizing, place the case in a shell holder that supports the cartridge firmly on top of a ram on the reloading press. Shell holders are inexpensive and come in various sizes suited to handle specific families of centerfire cartridges.
When the handle on the press is engaged, the ram and attached case are forced into the resizing die. Push the handle on the press firmly to complete the resizing process and knock out the spent primer. Lower the ram, remove the resized case, and repeat the process with another case.
Once all the cases are resized, clean off the case lube using a rag coated in rubbing alcohol. Case lube must be removed so the finished cartridges are squeaky clean and able to grip the chamber walls when fired.
The next step is to trim the case neck for overall length and chamfer the mouth of the case so the bullet will seat easily in the case neck. These steps are vital to reloading success. When a centerfire rifle cartridge is fired, the brass is stretched in the neck area. Excess brass must be removed to prevent future reloads from developing unsafe pressure levels.
Trimming and chamfering the cases can be done with a simple hand deburring tool. A time-consuming process, most reloaders invest in a mechanical case trimmer that does a better and faster job.
Now that the cases are resized, trimmed, and chamfered, you are ready to install the new primers. The primer pocket may need to be cleaned before priming. A small wire brush designed for this purpose does a neat job of removing fouling.
Although many presses have a primer function, a hand-held priming tool is the easiest way to prime brass. Priming tools also reduce handling of these reloading spark plugs, helping to guarantee that primers never come in contact with lubricants or solvents that could ruin them.
Once primed, the cases are stored in a wood or plastic reloading block until precise charges of powder can be measured. A powder scale is an essential tool for measuring accurate amounts of powder.
Weigh each powder charge carefully to insure exactly the amount of powder the reloading manual calls for. Set the scale to the recommended powder charge in grains. Place a small amount of powder on the scale pan. Using a device known as a powder trickler, add additional powder to the pan one granule at a time.
It takes patience, but using a powder scale and trickler is the best way to develop cartridges that are uniform in powder charge.
Once a powder charge is weighted, pour the powder into the waiting cases using a powder funnel. Charge all the waiting cases before moving on to the bullet seating operation. Successful handloaders develop consistency in their product by using a systematic approach to the various reloading steps.
Before seating bullets, remove the resizing die from the press and install the bullet seating die. The bullet seating die has many settings to facilitate different bullet seating depths.
If you don't know which bullet seating depth to use, it's best to use a factory-loaded cartridge with a similar bullet as a guide. Back out the adjustment screw on top of the seating die and place the loaded cartridge in the shell holder. Raise the ram until the case is fully engaged inside the die. Now adjust the threaded bolt at the top of the die until you feel it lightly touching the bullet.
Remove the factory-loaded cartridge from the die and place a charged and primed case into the shell holder. Next hold an appropriately sized bullet in the neck of the case with one hand while working the arm on the press with the other. Smoothly force the bullet into the case by applying firm pressure until the arm stops. Lower the arm and remove the finished cartridge.
The first cartridges you produce are likely to be more accurate than any of the factory ammunition you have used to date. However, the accuracy of handloaded ammunition can be significantly improved by experimenting with bullet seating depths and powder charges.
Bullet seating depth is a major factor in ammunition accuracy. Trial and error is the method most reloaders use to determine the bullet seating depth that performs best in their rifle.
Build several five-cartridge lots of ammo with two or three different bullet seating depths. Test fire these cartridges at a rifle range using a solid rest. Obviously the cartridges that pattern best will determine the ideal bullet seating and overall cartridge length.
Experimenting with powder charging is another way to tweak a handload into providing the best possible accuracy. Start with a load well below the published maximum powder charge and produce small test lots. Increase the powder charge in one-half-grain increments and test fire until you find a charge that provides the best accuracy.
Never exceed the published maximum powder charge listed in your reloading manual. In most cases, the most accurate powder charges are those slightly below the maximum level.
Building reloaded ammunition is a fun and satisfying hobby. The fascinating thing about reloading is the realization that this broad-based hobby isn't something you're going to master in the near future. There's always something new to learn in the world of metallic cartridge reloading.
Essential Handloading Equipment
Reloading Manual $12 -25
Reloading Press $40-100
Reloading Dies $15 -32
Shell Holders $3-5
Deburring Tool $5-10
Primer Pocket Tool $5 -10
Case Lube $3
Lube Pad $5-7
Primer Turning Plate $3
Loading Block $4
Powder Scale $30 -100
Powder Funnel $3-5
Powder Trickler $5-10
Recommended Equipment
Dial Caliper $30-50
Case Trimmer $25-60
Hand Held Primer $10-15
Powder Measure $25-50
Handloading Kits
Lee Deluxe Challenger $75
RCBS Master Kit $250
RCBS Partner Kit $100
Lyman Kit $110
Sources of Handloading Supplies
Gander Mountain Reloading Catalog
Box 248, HWY. W
Wilmont, WI 53192
Midway
5875-D W. Van Horn Tavern Rd.
Columbia, MO 65203
Hornady Manufacturing Company
Box 1848
Grand Island, NE 68802
Swift Bullet Company
P.O. Box 27, 201 Main
Quinter, KS 67752
Trophy Bonded Bullets, Inc.
900 South Loop West, Suite 190
P.O. Box 262348
Houston, TX 77207
Barnes X
P.O. Box 215
American Fork, UT 84003
Sierra(BR>
1400 West Henry St.
Sedalia, MO 65301
Copyright (c) 1997 Mark Romanack. All rights reserved.
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