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84FSP
84FSP UltraDork
8/5/20 6:21 p.m.

We've been reloading since before I was of shooting age.  At the time it was about cost as well as target loads.  


We (dad, bro's, and myself) have a couple different setups depending on caliber.  Progressive press for pistol calibers where you get a loaded round for each pull of a multi stage press.  Single stage press for high power and black powder cartridge stuff.  Shotgun loading press.

 
The next level of crazy is casting your own bullets, which used to be a lot more important than today ($ have changed).  That process started off with a screen handle into a bucket for spent lead at the range.  Then home to the house for a meet/smelt on the turkey fryer propane to build ingots that are easily fed into the bullet mold melt pot.  Then of course you need a variety of weights and styles of bullet molds.

 

We have generally kept our caliber selection skinny around the handful that we already have goodies for.  We made the mistake of 380's and 9mm's,  in my humble opinion they are a pain the area due to case diameter.

 

 

barefootskater
barefootskater UltraDork
8/5/20 6:37 p.m.

FIL has equipment, and a few years ago he bought some molds, then spent some time out at ranges gathering lead before deciding he was going to walk the busy streets in town and pick up lost wheel weights. Something like 10 gallons of lead weights and the molds are still unopened. Someday, he says. 

matthewmcl (Forum Supporter)
matthewmcl (Forum Supporter) HalfDork
8/5/20 8:44 p.m.

Here we go again. I will put new stuff in bold to make it easier to find when skimming.  I will try to piece together some useful information here for beginners.  NBraun made some similar comments to what I will cover.  I will probably edit this post a few times, but I will post below when I do. It also looks like we will have a tremendous resource in Stroker.

Disclaimers

1.  I am a skilled reloader.  I am past novice and beginner, but I am not an expert.  If you ask me why people turn necks, I will tell you they do it to make neck tension more uniform and to help with bullet/bore concentricity.  If you ask me how to figure out how much of an improvement you might see from neck turning, I will help you find an article by an expert. If you ask me if I turn necks, I will tell you, "Not yet."

2.  When I tell you what I think, I have zero expectation that you will think like me; I am merely trying to make it easier for you to determine whether or not what I am saying applies to you and whether or not you should just ignore whatever I say.

3.  I am an engineer.  If you show me how I am wrong, I will thank you and revise my thinking. If it seems appropriate info for beginners, I will edit this post and give you credit.

There is no one way to reload. There is no one reason to reload. There is no one standard of acceptable ammo performance.  In that vein, I will start with some analogies so that beginners might have an easy time decoding vocabulary that I use.

Plinking = Cruising    Shooting/Driving for the pure enjoyment of it.  It does not matter if you are in a 100 year old car that only goes 10 mph.  You may push a couple corners, but nobody has a stopwatch.

Hunting = Enjoying your favorite road in a car of reasonable or better performance.  Knowing what you are doing is important so you don't cause an accident for yourself or anybody else.  Doing it "right" is important, but you really only have to get it right today once.

Competition (3 gun, cowboy, pin shooting, etc.) = Best I can come up with Autocross and Rallycross.  Runs are shorter, speed is as important as precision. You don't have to be perfect, but you have to be quick and consistently good.  These shoots are "can you hit the target fast."

Match Shooting (target) = "Traditional" Racing.  You have to do 100 laps and they all have to be perfect.  You are going to get tired before the end and that will affect your performance.

Bench Rest = Drag racing.  You don't have to be fast in Bench rest, though it helps. I pair these up because the equipment becomes so specialized that a purpose built example really doesn't do anything else well, and you have to rebuild frequently.

I am listing these first, because all five take different kinds of ammunition, optimized for different goals.  Just like cars, there can be some overlap, depending on classes. You will eventually have to decide what kind of ammunition you are trying to make, as that will guide not only how you do it, but what kind of equipment to invest in.  Tools are tools and all of the tool buying guidelines apply.

Here is the equipment list from my other post:

Lee Hand Press (this does prime, but you have to handle the primers), Breech Lock $54 (breech lock is very worth it) https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1013017131?pid=650614

I use mostly Lee dies, but all brands are good enough to start and Lee are "low end" (still better than me) https://www.midwayusa.com/product/101774921

Digital Calipers (Amazon, Hammer store, etc.) $10

Digital Scale (Amazon) $10 https://smile.amazon.com/joyliveCY-Digital-Precision-Backlight-Function/dp/B07ZKR9582/ref=sr_1_52?dchild=1&keywords=digital+scale+100g&qid=1596593212&s=industrial&sr=1-52

I use Lee powder dippers $12, but Lee dies come with one and one is enough if you want to save the $12.  You can also make your own from empty cases and stiff wire  https://www.midwayusa.com/product/101284828?pid=943305

oops, I had only a tray, here is a whole tool Primer Tool $60 https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1012924740?pid=319794 I use the Lee equivalent, which is highly regarded but needs inserts for different case heads. I think I would try this universal one if I was starting over. You can get the Lee equivalent for 1/2 that with a single insert, 3/4 of that with a whole set of inserts.  I think a universal one would pay for itself with convenience.

Powder Pan $6  https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1012901924?pid=187991

(added) Bullet puller $16 (how to get a bullet out of a case without firing) https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1012714588?pid=215517

I am the only person that I know that uses a Lee Hand press as much as I do.  Most people are smart enough to at least get a single stage press that mounts to a bench.  I need to get that smart.  Using a hand press is hard work in addition to being slow.  What do you do with a Lee Hand press after you get a better press? Leave a dedicated decapping die in (removing spent primers) and deprime while watching a movie. Take it to the range and work up loads there.

In regards to books, if you are going to reload, you need a good manual. The lucky part is that they are all good.  You can find loading data online all day long; the data in the book is nice, but not why you need the book.  The first half of the manual is safety and technique.  That is the part you want.  You are playing with really high pressures. A 20" barreled .308 launching a 165 grain bullet at 2700 fps is a 3800 HP engine, right next to your face.  You want to be able to look at your fired ammo and chronograph data and make sure you are staying in the safe zone.  It is just like learning how to measure cylinder wear and how to check for detonation by reading spark plugs.  That 3800 HP engine has no way to retard the timing if something is off, it just goes.

Safety Caution: Chances are, you like performance.  It can be tempting to talk yourself into thinking that pushing just a little more is safe based on rationalizations of comparing data to this or that. Do you know anybody that has windowed a block? That would be a blown up gun. You can buy a beefier connecting rod for your engine, but you can't buy a beefier bolt for your gun.  If you want or need a little more oomph, get a firearm chambered in a more powerful cartridge. Your equipment won't wear out as fast and you will likely have better accuracy.  Max power loads are very rarely max accuracy loads.

- How do I figure out what cartridge to learn to load first?

This one is easy, its the same way you pick the first car you want to autocross.  Anything will help you learn, so pick what strikes your fancy.

- What kinds of loading equipment is there and how do I figure out what I want/need?

Basic formats are single stage and progressive.  Progressive has a rotating table that does multiple steps with each lever pull. You have four (or five) cases in at once. One is getting a bullet seated, one getting filled with powder, one is getting primed, one is getting sized and maybe deprimed. Every pull of the lever you put in a case, put in a bullet, pull the lever, and a loaded round comes out.

With a single stage press, you do each of the above as individual setups, but will generally only have a setup for sizing (depriming maybe at the same step, maybe not), and seating.

If you plan on shooting hundreds of rounds at a time, and doing that often, progressive is the only way to go.  Competition shooters generally use progressive presses.  Match Target and Benchrest generally shoot fewer rounds in a string and use single stage. Here is why:

A progressive press can make ammunition that is just as accurate as anything else when everything is perfect. But it makes errors harder to detect. Match Target shooters generally want to feel each step happening. Priming with a hand primer so that you can feel the primer seating and visually inspect each primer for proper seating. If something feels different for that one primer, you find out why.  When seating the bullet, every one should feel the same. If one feels different, that is likely a difference in neck tension, which will have a difference in point of impact with respect to the others in that batch. A progressive press, in doing multiple steps at once, turns that feedback into noise.

So why "settle" for potentially lower accuracy of a progressive? One, perfect in equals perfect out. Two, the "accuracy lost" is small.  For a Match Target shooter, a single shot off by an additional .25 MOA (Minute Of Angle) can be a dropped point.  For a Benchrest shooter, a .25 MOA group means you are in the last half of the pack. For Competition shooting where you are shooting at targets the size of paper plates and you either hit or you didn't, .25 MOA becomes so small it it hard to even measure.  Every type of competition focuses on a different blend of attributes, with accuracy always being one of them.  If you are looking at speed in acquiring targets, moving shooting positions under time, and other "practical" kinds of things, the difference in accuracy is often imperceptible. For reference, most quality pistol ammo is good for about 4 MOA, while most pistols that the ammo is used in are only good for about 16 MOA.  The difference between 16 and 16.25 is a non-issue.  Most Match Target rifles are better than .5 MOA. The difference between .5 and .75 is pretty big.  Bench rest groups are measured to three decimal places. Note: my .25 MOA number was arbitrary and just implies something small, but measurable with care.

Many top Match/Benchrest shooters use high end regular (but extra fancy) reloading dies that go in a regular press for bullet seating. Many also use a different kind of die that is used with a tiny arbor press.

Hunting ammo is usually made in small enough quantities that press type does not matter, since most hunters need a few shots to check zero and one for the animal.

Plinking does not really involve extreme accuracy, so any kind of press is fine here, too.

- How to LS Swap this?

Okay, this is mostly a joke, but not really.  The Dillon progressive presses are the LS of the reloading world.  Other companies make things, but they really don't stack up.  I have a friend (also an engineer) who got a good deal a different (still top) brand and fixed it up to be as rigid and consistent as a Dillon. By the time he was done, he spent as much as just buying a Dillon.  If you have a motor and want LS performance, maybe you can hop up to get it.  If someone wants to head to the wrecking yard and buy LS performance, but does not want to spend LS money, there is really nothing there.

If you want a good progressive, just save up and by Dillon; they are the gold standard. You can buy used, but a used Dillon press is still worth 85% of new because they don't wear out. I have seen small reloading companies closing down and selling gear, it has only ever been Dillon equipment set up to be automated.

- Other equipment

Loading trays.  Loading trays hold brass while you are working and help you organize. If you use them, get one for each step you are tracking, don't put them next to each other, and double check your work.  It is possible with many pistol loads, and some rifle loads, to put the correct amount of powder into a case twice. That is a very bad day.  When I use my hand press, The case gets powder added and the bullet seated without me ever putting the case down.  When I do get a single stage press, I will do it the same way. I can't double load if I never put the case down. It is one of the things that slows me down, but I am always okay with slowing down for safety in reloading.

- Loading location. This seems like it would be easier than it is.  I will cover pro's and cons's of weighing charges vs. powder measures which will factor in to location later.  It is nice to be comfortable, but reloading scales are very sensitive. If you are too close to the scale, your own breath will change its measured value. HVAC and ceiling fans and regular fans can all change your readings. This is important if you are working on near max loads and/or accuracy loads. Find someplace that needs environment control as infrequently as possible.  When you need HVAC, turn it on but do things that don't require weighing. Turn off the HVAC and weigh.  Small closets (like hall closets) can be made into good stations as you can close the door, lock it if necessary in your household, and the close walls block most drafts. Likewise, anywhere with a downdraft can also cause reading errors on your scale. Next to a window in the winter is an example.

Choosing a scale - scales are either digital or beam. Most people like digital because they are easier. It is important to remember that all measurement devises lie to you. The higher the quality and setup, the smaller the lie. Remember that for a digital scale, precision and accuracy are not the same. The scale may read to 1/10th grain, but the accuracy may be ±.3 or worse. I use digital, but I check for drift each measurement, measuring multiple times, and I re-tare every half dozen to dozen measurements, depending on how the day is going. A good beam scale is a good scale; they are slower and more cumbersome to use, but if you are careful they actually lie less.  Here is a bit of anecdotal evidence. I have a good friend who is one of my target shooting mentors.  He is a retired engineer, and the last 15 years or so of his career was spent designing high end medical manufacturing equipment. The equipment, more often than not, would use high end load cells (hundreds to thousands of dollars per load cell, but not high load ratings).  He is far more informed than most on the reliability and use of load cells (what digital scales use). He uses beam scales.

Weighing charges vs. Throwing charges - This is very similar to discussing MAF vs. MAP. Both systems, when done properly, yield good results. Each system handles different parts of the situation better than the other.  You need a scale, because even if you are throwing charges (using a powder measure), you need to initially check against a scale to set the powder measure.  This means you can start scale only, and add in a powder measure when you can afford one.  In this situation, money and quality seem to go together.  I use a Lee press, I use a lot of Lee dies, I figured I would try the Lee powder measure, since it was cheap. I tried it once, and then weighed all my charges.  I would like to get a nice one, RCBS comes to mind, I am sure Dillon is good.  If you really want good, see what the benchrest shooters are using.

How can measuring by volume be sufficient (or maybe better) than weighing charges when burning the same mass of propellant should be what is important? A case is a combustion chamber.  Seating a bullet deeper into a case decreases combustion chamber volume.  This is an engine, and pressure can spike just like an engine can knock and yes you can window a firearm.  Okay, so moving the bullet in and out is an obvious change, but how does that compare to measuring powder? Let us say there is a slight change in density of the powder granules. This can be just product variability (nothing in life is ever perfect), it could be some particles are "broken" or incomplete and the powder packs differently, or whatever.

First example we will assume the charge weight for a volume is lower than normal. If measuring by volume stays the same, then you have the same combustion chamber volume as well, just lower fuel quantity. If you measure with a scale, then you have the same mass off fuel, but a smaller combustion chamber (more volume of powder to get the same weight). More air/fuel in the engine, timing doesn't change, RPM and load did not change. Do you have enough octane to keep from knocking? You basically raised the compression ratio for that one firing. Powders all have different burn rates. Their energy density and burning rates are just like having different specialty fuels.

Second example we will assume the charge weight is higher than normal for the same volume. If you measure by volume, you now have more fuel but still the same combustion chamber volume.  If you measure by weight, you have the same fuel, but bigger combustion chamber volume (effectively lower compression). Even with the same fuel amount, you will have lower power.

A firearm is an engine. A bullet is a piston and bore is bore. The barrel is the cylinder and its working length is your stroke.  The cartridge case is your combustion chamber. A firearm always fires from TDC; you can't advance timing, you can only speed up the burn rate (different powder). Small throttle settings can be done with lower octane, but if you are going to cram everything you can into the case, you need a lot of octane (slower burning rate powder). Changing chamber volume changes power just like changing compression. Changing fuel quantity changes power. Having a slightly changing fuel quantity but consistent chamber volume may be better than having consistent fuel quantity but changing chamber volume, or it may not.  Which one is better? It depends and I do not have sufficient data to answer.  Weighing charges works better than I can shoot.  Throwing charges with a good powder measure is also better than I can shoot.

If you think of any other topics that you want me to hit, please let me know.

ultraclyde (Forum Supporter)
ultraclyde (Forum Supporter) UltimaDork
8/6/20 4:58 a.m.

In reply to matthewmcl (Forum Supporter) :

Thanks for jumping in! I'm looking forward to the info. 

Strizzo
Strizzo PowerDork
8/6/20 8:34 p.m.

In reply to ultraclyde (Forum Supporter) :

Just the rock chucker and powder measure are worth about 375 retail alone, so 300? Family price?  
 

the balance beam scale sells used for around $65, the powder measure stand maybe $20, each of the die sets used around 15-30 bucks depending on caliber and brand. The primers are high as these days, given all the bullets and dies are pistol stuff I'd imagine large and small pistol primers, retail is around $35 per 1000. 
 

im not sure on the Lee stuff as I mostly have rcbs equipment. 

stroker
stroker UberDork
8/6/20 9:16 p.m.

I worked customer service at MidwayUSA for 20 years if anyone has a specific question.

Antihero (Forum Supporter)
Antihero (Forum Supporter) GRM+ Memberand UltraDork
8/6/20 9:56 p.m.

I may have to start reloading because of the ammo scarcity and the lack of decent 45 Colt loads available. I don't want something that will kill a buffalo, I have a lot of that, and I don't want mouse fart cowboy action stuff. 

 

I want a simple full power standard pressure plinking round. They used to be available.......

ultraclyde (Forum Supporter)
ultraclyde (Forum Supporter) UltimaDork
8/7/20 7:46 a.m.
Strizzo said:

In reply to ultraclyde (Forum Supporter) :

Just the rock chucker and powder measure are worth about 375 retail alone, so 300? Family price?  
 

the balance beam scale sells used for around $65, the powder measure stand maybe $20, each of the die sets used around 15-30 bucks depending on caliber and brand. The primers are high as these days, given all the bullets and dies are pistol stuff I'd imagine large and small pistol primers, retail is around $35 per 1000. 
 

im not sure on the Lee stuff as I mostly have rcbs equipment. 

Thanks. I'm thinking $500 for the lot seems fair. Mom has no clue but I've got no reason not to be fair about it. The scale has been banged around a bit, I'm still trying to determine if it's accurate / reliable, but the other stuff seems like new.

 

In other news a good friend of mine who used to reload a lot has set up his stuff and is going to teach me his method. We both shoot .40 so we've ordered different dies and powder so we can compare notes. Hopefully I can get out to his place for a walkthrough this weekend and start setting up my bench next week.  I've ordered other little bits too - digital scale, calipers, chamber gauge, etc - and I've been reading the Lee Modern Reloading book.  I'm thinking I may start out with loads on the  .38 since there's a slightly lower bar on revolvers for round cycling.

I've got a 1950's nickel plate .38 S&W Chief special and a Ruger .44 Mag (redhawk?) of his that I was plannign to sell, but now I'm thinking I might buy those off too since I have tons of stuff to reload them. Although I might then sell the 44 and the associated reload stuff and buy a nice snub .38 that was worth carrying.

barefootskater
barefootskater UltraDork
8/7/20 10:04 a.m.

I went out this morning to pick brass. Apparently everyone is getting into reloading because all the spots that didn't have people shooting were picked pretty clean. I wasn't looking for anything to use, mostly went out because I make a recycling run every few weeks, but aside from a handful of 223 and a couple 9 and 45, all that was left was shot casings and 22. Or steel. Still, not a bad morning to ride the motorbike. 

java230
java230 UberDork
8/7/20 10:19 a.m.

I have a Lee turret press. I have not used it in a long time, ammo was cheap, and I wasn't shooting as much.... I'm betting my primers are no good anymore, but I have 1000's of rounds worth of powder and parts.... I have dies for 9mm and 223. I never had great luck with the 223. I think I needed to get my dies dialed in better. My mentor moved out of state also.... 

stroker
stroker UberDork
8/7/20 11:00 a.m.

Hey, as long as we're on the subject of newbies to reloading, be very careful if you're picking up range brass 45 ACP.  Historically that uses a large primer but some recent factory loads use a small primer.  If you scoop it up and try to reload it, your depriming die pin will jam in the smaller flash hole.

matthewmcl (Forum Supporter)
matthewmcl (Forum Supporter) Reader
8/7/20 12:33 p.m.

My previous post is updated, with new stuff in bold. Update was done in two parts, one last night and one this morning.

In regards to range brass (picked up of the hillside), most areas will have a couple retired people that pick up all the easy brass (bigger than .22) and recycle it as scrap.  Brass is expensive. A couple buckets of brass sent to a recycling yard can buy your next pound of powder.  I always picked up what I could to save brass from being melted, and what I can't use I give away to people that can.

Matt330LS
Matt330LS New Reader
8/7/20 1:11 p.m.

I got into reloading several years ago when I started shooting 3-gun and USPSA.  Went blue right out the gate and got a complete Dillon 550B setup with caliber conversion kits (comes with tool head, dies and shell plate) for 9mm/.38Super and .40/10mm.  My advice is the same as it was in the gun thread...buy once cry once.  Get the Dillon equipment.  I also have a couple reloading manuals and a logbook so I can take notes as I go.  Everything is online but frankly I like to be able to write things down and reference notes easily.

With my pistol loads I run used range brass, Winchester Small Pistol Primers, Vihtavuori powders and Acme bullets (Hi-Tek coated lead, can run in Glock barrels and they're red).

Two other items I'd recommend are eye protection and a good chronograph.  I've not had a primer go off in the machine yet but I don't want to play games with my eyes sitting that close.  And the chrono because you're going to want to know if you're in the ballpark with the loads.

ultraclyde (Forum Supporter)
ultraclyde (Forum Supporter) UltimaDork
8/7/20 1:28 p.m.

More good info! Thanks guys.

Hmm. I forgot to get a hand primer...

barefootskater
barefootskater UltraDork
8/7/20 1:31 p.m.

In reply to matthewmcl (Forum Supporter) :

Matthew, I understand it is a slow and careful process, but curious if you could give a rough timeframe? Say a fellow sat down with the equipment you linked and had a bit of practice and a method worked out, would that fellow be able to load a box worth of rifle rounds (20) in an hour? Two hours? Pick a movie and load a box of rounds?

matthewmcl (Forum Supporter)
matthewmcl (Forum Supporter) Reader
8/7/20 4:08 p.m.
barefootskater said:

In reply to matthewmcl (Forum Supporter) :

Matthew, I understand it is a slow and careful process, but curious if you could give a rough timeframe? Say a fellow sat down with the equipment you linked and had a bit of practice and a method worked out, would that fellow be able to load a box worth of rifle rounds (20) in an hour? Two hours? Pick a movie and load a box of rounds?

Good question. I think I average about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes per round, with most of that time in weighing my loads and I will cover faster ways than the super cheap way that I do it, currently.  This is after the brass is deprimed and clean, but depriming is fast and I don't even have to be there if I am tumbler cleaning.  When I first started I just used a bronze cleaning brush in the neck and that works, too.

You will be done with 20 rounds faster than you realize. Even first time around you should clear that in an hour.  When I was working on 400 rounds for a weekend marksmanship class I was going to, that was painful.

bigdaddylee82
bigdaddylee82 UberDork
8/7/20 4:10 p.m.

Just got an email ad, Midway has the Hornady Handbook on sale for $25.

They're doing free shipping with $49+ purchases too.

No affiliation with Midway or Hornady, don't even know if the book is worth having, but I saw the email and thought of this thread.

matthewmcl (Forum Supporter)
matthewmcl (Forum Supporter) Reader
8/7/20 4:27 p.m.
bigdaddylee82 said:

Just got an email ad, Midway has the Hornady Handbook on sale for $25.

They're doing free shipping with $49+ purchases too.

No officiation with Midway or Hornady, don't even know if the book is worth having, but I saw the email and thought of this thread.

Hornady is good. That was my first and I passed it to a friend as part of setting him up with some gear.  Midway also have Nosler (top end hunting bullets) for $25 and Berger (top end target bullets) for $25. I have the Berger, also.

matthewmcl (Forum Supporter)
matthewmcl (Forum Supporter) Reader
8/7/20 4:46 p.m.

I updated the priming tool on the price list.

Strizzo
Strizzo PowerDork
8/8/20 5:09 p.m.
ultraclyde (Forum Supporter) said:

More good info! Thanks guys.

Hmm. I forgot to get a hand primer...

That rock chucker has a priming tool built in assuming it has all the parts, but it's much faster to use a hand primer and sit down in front of the tv or YouTube for 20 minutes and prime 50-100 cases. 
 

I usually try to work all the cases I'm planning to load through a couple processes to get things ready. First, everything gets tumbled and, if needed, polished (add some brass polish to tumbler media), then everything gets decapped and resized. Then if using once fired .mil brass like 5.56, ream primer pockets. Usually I'm about done with a bench sesh at that point so loading up 50 or 100 primers in the hand primer and taking it and the brass to be primed to the living room for priming while a show is playing. 
 

then usually at a later time, I'll go through and charge all the cases in one sitting. I don't like to be rushing around when charging cases even though it's pretty tough to double charge a rifle round (not enough room), you can miss a case and end up with a squib stuck in the barrel. Also if trying for precision, you might have to close off the a/c in your reloading room or work between cycles to keep it from interfering with the scale. 
 

once everything is charged, I'll seat, and if loading for semi auto, neck crimp all the rounds. Like I said I load for precision, so when I'm decapping all the cases way back at step 1, I try to set the die at one spot and not change it through the whole lot in order to have consistent neck tension. I'll use the first couple rounds to fine tune the bullet seat depth based on overall length of the finished round. Reason for this pertains to rifle shooting so not an issue for you, but still, consistency is key. 
 

if I had to guess, I think I could do the decapping to priming to charging to seating bullets for finished load steps on 50 rounds in about 2-3hrs. 
 

also, that balance beam scale is very simple, and has an adjustable foot on one end so you can set zero on your bench before starting. 

stroker
stroker UberDork
8/8/20 6:47 p.m.
matthewmcl (Forum Supporter) said:
bigdaddylee82 said:

Just got an email ad, Midway has the Hornady Handbook on sale for $25.

They're doing free shipping with $49+ purchases too.

No officiation with Midway or Hornady, don't even know if the book is worth having, but I saw the email and thought of this thread.

Hornady is good. That was my first and I passed it to a friend as part of setting him up with some gear.  Midway also have Nosler (top end hunting bullets) for $25 and Berger (top end target bullets) for $25. I have the Berger, also.

The Hornady book will list only Hornady bullets (just like Sierra, etc.).  I'd recommend getting the Lyman manual as it lists a variety of brands of bullets/brass/powder.

matthewmcl (Forum Supporter)
matthewmcl (Forum Supporter) Reader
8/8/20 8:14 p.m.
stroker said:

The Hornady book will list only Hornady bullets (just like Sierra, etc.).  I'd recommend getting the Lyman manual as it lists a variety of brands of bullets/brass/powder.

True, but the big thing for the books for a beginner is the safety and how to read pressure signs.  You can find a lot of load data online, with a huge variety of bullets and powders. Another thing to look at is how the testing is done. Sometimes they use pressure test barrels, sometimes they use rifles.  Hornady used a M96 Swedish Mauser for 6.5x55 in the manual I had, which I owned.  That has the advantage of fitting pretty well. I picked up a Lyman because it has good cast bullet data, and most don't.

ultraclyde (Forum Supporter)
ultraclyde (Forum Supporter) UltimaDork
8/9/20 6:50 a.m.

I've been reading the Lee book that was in the collection. It's about half good info and half commercial for Lee equipment. The author was the founder of Lee Precision and is happy to explain exactly why Lee is the best revolutionary reloading equipment in the world. Frequently. 

matthewmcl (Forum Supporter)
matthewmcl (Forum Supporter) Reader
8/9/20 10:43 a.m.

In reply to ultraclyde (Forum Supporter) :

Yeah, you will often find a lot of company history in the books.  At least you know which parts to avoid next read through. Most of the verbage is pre-internet, so the older books are half catalog. If you count the info as the type of equipment you might want to use, and ignore the brand, it is not so bad.  It is kind of like asking the guy on the tool truck how to fix something.  He will tell you, but he will try to sell you two grand in tools to do it.

ultraclyde (Forum Supporter)
ultraclyde (Forum Supporter) UltimaDork
8/13/20 7:16 a.m.

Hey guys, I got almost all my equipment in, I'm starting to think about where to set up. I was originally going to mount presses to my workbench in the shop, but HVAC is middling out there at best. Now I'm thinking about building a portable bench that I can set up in the house when I want to reload a batch. I don't shoot that often, so I probably won't be reloading that often either. I've seen several plans using a Craftsman Workmate asa base - which I happen to have.  (LINK)

portable reloading bench

I would probably make the top so it clamped securely into the existing workmate since I use it in the shop when woodworking, but this is the general idea. What do you guys think? I'm not planning on running huge batches right now, just learning. 

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