Guides to Getting Started with Reloading

[FPS]

Here are a few lessons I learned since starting about a year and a half ago:

- The basics are fairly easy to learn from a book. The troubleshooting is what takes time. Some calibers I had no trouble with (9mm), others I have had continual problems with like crimp jump (44 mag) and bullet stabilization (full house 10mm). Some of the problems have to do with plated bullets, others could be the dies, some of it could be me.

- Plated bullets (Xtreme in my case) are cheap and have worked fine for me with 9mm and 357/.38. Coated bullets have worked better for me for .44, .45 LC, and 10mm. If I were to do it over, I would just do all coated.

- In the reading material I started with, not enough information was given regarding neck tension. The emphasis was on crimp. Calibers that only need a light crimp (9mm) this is no big deal. Calibers that need strong neck tension (44mag) this is a problem. I had to do a lot of extra reading in my troubleshooting process to figure this out.

- Starting with a Lee turret press was the right call for me. Single stage would have driven me crazy. The Lee turret can be used like a single stage or like an auto indexing turret. Caliber changes are super fast. I would not want to load any slower than a turret (next purchase is going to be a Dillon XL 650 - turret isn't going fast enough for me)

- If you go with Lee dies, take their die setup instructions as a basic starting point but realize you may have to tweak quite a bit. I have found much better info on die setup on forums than in their provided instructions.

So in short, if I had just started with 9mm and no other calibers, I would have said reloading is easy. If I would have started with 44 mag (with Lee die instructions and xtreme plated bullets), I would have said reloading is very hard due to the issues I have run into. Different calibers can have different "issues".

[JCS]

I don't have a mentor as no one I know reloads so I'm self taught. Reloading isn't that complex but at the same time it can be. If you're simply reloading to plink then it really is pretty simple. I leaned through lots of YouTube videos but the biggest asset you will find for reliable info online is the reloading podcast and Facebook page.


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[Hauptmann]

I don't have a mentor as no one I know reloads so I'm self taught. Reloading isn't that complex but at the same time it can be. If you're simply reloading to plink then it really is pretty simple. I leaned through lots of YouTube videos but the biggest asset you will find for reliable info online is the reloading podcast and Facebook page.


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I taught myself as well. I have a mechanical aptitude and have a meticulous attention to detail, so once I figured out the startup equipment and procedures the rest was hands-on experience. Reloading is like carpentry(measure twice, cut once)......only you go slow, and continuously measure the quality controls on the finished product. If there is a tool to measure something.......get it. Digital calipers, case gauges, digital scales, and chronographs are all important.

The problem with a reloading mentor is that they can give you good advice.......or bad advice. Pick the wrong teacher, and you learn bad habits.

[richiecotite]

There's a lot of good info on 1911forum, benos, and cast boolits.

FWIW, you can't go wrong with the ABC's of realoading, though if your only loading pistol, a lot of the info won't be of any use to you.

I also found a beginners guide that's only about 70 pages. Very high level, general info, but it can read cover to cover in a day or 2 or 3 bathroom trips. It's yours if you want it.


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[dbateman]

Just pistol. I father reloaded, briefly, when I was a kid, so I'm a little familiar with the process. He half-assed everything though, so I didn't really learn much of the "right" way to do things.

Pistol is usually pretty straight forward, and a good place to start learning how to load your own ammo.

The best how to book that I have seen on reloading is a book by an Australian, Nick Harvey his book is called Nick Harvey's Practical Reloading Manual*
It walks you through the steeps of setting up your equipment and safely loading ammunition. The way Nick teaches reloading is very similar to how I was taught by my father, grandfather and a few other men who I shot with in various rifle clubs as a child.
These days I don't necessarily do things the exact same way Nick teaches them because I've developed my own style of loading.
There is load data in Nick's book but most of it is for ADI powder, which does cross over to US powders but it might be a bit of a pain for you.

I have never read the ABCs of reloading but I have seen it recommended quite a few times over the years, I would say it's most likely worth a look.


As far as load data goes, most bullet manufactures have reloading handbook. I like to have a selection of books from different manufactures so I can cross reference.
Any of the big names like Hornady, Lee, Hodgdon, Lyman, Redding ect all make good reloading handbooks, they all tend to have good load data but as someone mentioned they tend to drive their own products. All the powder manufactures also have load data, they tend to give it free in small booklets, they tend not to have much other than load data in them, but they are a very good reference.

The internet is great source of good information but there is also a lot of bad information out there.

Do you have a reloading press any other equipment in mind yet ?


*Link to an older version on Amazon, don't buy that one, it's way to dear. >> http://smile.amazon.com/Nick-Harveys...1557560&sr=1-3 <<

[mmc45414]

It is obviously a pitch, and the gal is a little bubbly, but this vide on the 550 shows the straight forward process:
https://youtu.be/k0__OViMcaA

Even if you do not end up with the Dillon I think it shows the process, and the first round she does by itself, something I think simplifies the explanation. The only thing this doesn't show is setting the powder drop. Pistol rounds really are pretty simple.

[ER_STL]

Rather than telling you what you should do, here's what I did:

1. Bought a reloading manual but found that proper Internet usage gave all the information I needed.
2. Built a solid bench that mounts to the foundation in our basement. Doesn't budge when loading. Has lots of light to ensure I can see down into the brass when loading (very important if you don't use a powder-check die).
3. Bought the Lee Turret press kit from Kempf with the disc powder measure and safety prime.
4. Bought a brass tumbler, rotary media sifter, media, brass polish, bullet puller, Hornady One-Shot lube, Dillon scale and calipers. I'm pretty sure I bought it all from Cabelas.
5. Started keeping brass from the range and from previous factory ammo that I shot.

Once I had that I learned from Hodgon's loading site and a few trusted reloaders what the safe range was for each powder type, bullet weight and OAL I wanted to try. I tinkered around with a few loads before eventually settling on 5.0gr of WSF under a 124gr FMJ with an OAL of 1.14". This has been my load for years.

Loading isn't rocket science. If you're careful and are not prone to a ready-fire-aim approach in life you can glean useful information from the Internet and don't have to buy a manual. In fact, mine collects dust as there are plenty of good sites that will provide load information if you look around (most powder manufacturers do). Also, I've called folks such as Hodgon directly when I wanted to work up a +P load for my little 442.

If on the other hand you're impulsive and are prone to making quick and bad decisions, perhaps loading isn't for you.

[Hambo]

I wanted to save money because I was shooting mainly .357 and .44 magnum. I looked at catalogs (pre-interweb) for single stage kits, then went to my local gun store. Owner said he would set me up with the same stuff and teach me basics. It was a great start because I'm not so great at translating written instructions to actions. Then I read more and more and branched to more handgun and eventually bottleneck cartridges. From there I've worked with wildcats, bought progressives and a metric ton of gear and components.

Bottom line:
-Newb goal of saving money didn't work for shit. But I shoot a lot.
-NEVER TRUST SOMEDUDE'S INTERWEB DATA! Not mine, not anybody's. Don't believe me? Look at data on sites and then look at loading manuals or manufacturer sites and see what people are doing.
-If you're an impatient bastard, if you're easily distracted, or if you think you know more than the engineers who vet data, this isn't for you. Better to admit it and buy ammo than blow shit up. Don't believe me? Look at interweb forums and see all torn up meat and blown up guns. There have been quite a few on castboolits.com in the last couple of years.

Start slow, always verify, and you'll be fine.

[mmc45414]

Bottom line:
-Newb goal of saving money didn't work for shit. But I shoot a lot.

The more ya save, the more ya shoot!


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[LSP972]

OP, your hesitancy to use internet sources is well-founded.

Get on the Brian Enos Forum; it has plenty of FAQ/newbie information that you can take to the bank. Yes, it is tilted toward Dillon equipment, but the Dillon stuff is quality.

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