Reloading FAQs

[NikatKimber]

We get a lot of threads with questions about basic reloading information, most of which is covered again and again, so I'll try to get all of it in one place and sticky it. If anyone sees something I miss, let me know. Feel free to help me write this up, or find threads/posts where it is already written.

Thanks guys!

********Note*************
I will not touch on loads for specific calibers in this FAQ.



**********FAQs******************
Slugging a barrel to determine the bore size
Dealing with Crimped Primer Pockets

[NikatKimber]

Basic list of reloading equipment. I'll go into more details on the specifics of each later, this is just a list.

RELOADING MANUALS
Beg, borrow, steal... well, ok, maybe not steal, but get your hands on at least one and read it before you start loading.

Equipment
Reloading press
Dies
Powder dispenser / measure
Scale
Calipers

Components
Brass
Primers
Powder
Bullets

Convenience Accessories
Tumbler
Work Bench
Reloading Ammo Blocks
Bins / Containers

[NikatKimber]

Component Discussion

Before I can go into any detail on the equipment, you need to understand the basics of the process, and the components involved.

As I listed earlier, ammunition is made up of four basic components: brass, primer, powder, and bullet.

The "brass" is the case which holds the round together. I will explain the basic reloading process along with explaining the component. Start with a pile of each, all separate. If the brass is fired, most reloaders resize the brass. This is due to the pressure of the round going off very slightly stretching the brass. Also, if the brass is fired, there is a spent primer in the brass which must be removed. This is "depriming." Some brass, typically military, have "crimped" primer pockets. Before repriming, this crimp must be removed. Also, with rifle brass, the case will stretch as it is fired. Thus it is necessary to measure the length, and trim if necessary. With the brass is empty, the first thing done is to press in the primer. The primer is the "lighter" or "detonator" if you will, for the round. The firing pin of your gun strikes this, and it ignites the powder. The next step is "dropping" the powder in. There are different ways of doing this, but they all accomplish the same thing. The powder, being a highly flammable substance, is what generates the power of the round. It is also very sensitive, so this must be measured very exactly. It is also sensitive to pressure differences, this will become clearer later. If you are not familiar with the weight measurement "grain" now is the time to do so. In short, 7000 grains = 1 pound. Powder measurement typically must be kept accurate to the tenth of a grain, ie for a pistol round it might be 5.2 gr (grains), or for a rifle 43.5 gr. This is measured out, and funneled ("dropped") into the case. The final step is inserting the bullet. Again, this is a sensitive step. The bullet must be seated to a very specific depth. This is where the pressure sensitivity of the powder comes in to play. If you seat the bullet too deep, the powder will burn faster, possibly causing an explosion of the round and potentially the gun too. If seated too light, the powder may not burn fast enough to generate the required pressure to function correctly. Depending on the intended use for the round, the bullet is also sometimes crimped into the round, preventing the bullet seating depth from changing. This is typically for auto loading firearms, as these are more likely to push the bullet deeper into the brass.

To summarize:
Resize - if applicable
Deprime
Trim, crimp removal, other brass prep steps if necessary
Prime
Measure and drop powder
Seat bullet
Crimp bullet - if applicable

As I've said before, reloading is a very simple process, with a lot of chances to blow yourself up. So take care. It's not complicated, but you MUST pay attention to what you're doing.

[NikatKimber]

Some more specifics on Equipment.
What do they do? What are the choices? Which one? What is the difference and why would I need to pay more for it? Finally, where do I get one?
I'll try to answer some of these.

Press
This is the most basic piece of equipment. They vary in cost and complexity from basic hand presses to commercial level progressive presses. We'll get to more of that later. The press is what does all the "work." The dies attach to it, the ammunition is held by it during the process.
Types of presses:
Single Stage - holds one die and one piece of brass at one time. One stroke of the press does one operation. Typically used in "stages," where all the brass will be resized/deprimed - up stroke and primed - downstroke, then the die changed, and all the brass will be charged with powder, change die, seat bullets in all brass. The single stage press requires as many strokes per loaded round as operations are performed. Usually 3-4 strokes per round.
Turret - holds multiple dies but only one piece of brass. Can be used as a single stage, where the press is left in one die location, and the brass is loaded in stages. This saves the time of changing out the dies, as the turret is merely rotated, and the next operation can begin. Also, the turrets are typically easy to change out, so as many sets of dies can be left set into turrets as the loader desires. The other way these can be used, is to leave the brass in the press, and rotate the turret and perform all the steps on that piece of brass while in the press, then switch out brass and start over again. This press type will require the same amount of strokes as the single stage.
Progressive - holds multiple dies, and multiple pieces of brass. The dies are typically held in a "turret" similar to that type, but instead of the dies moving, the shell plate that now holds multiple pieces of brass rotates around, and on each stroke of the press, one piece of brass is being inserted into each die set in the turret, therefore one of each operation is done with every stroke. So, there is only one stroke for each completed round. These are the most efficient when loading large amounts of any particular ammunition. They are also the most complicated, and typically the most expensive.

The most common reloading press manufacturers (in approximate order of typical cost):
Lee
Lyman
Hornady
Redding
RCBS
Dillon

Where to Get a Reloading Press:
Here's a few places, there are many more. Also look around at local gunshops.
MidwayUSA
Graf & Sons
Dillon Precision

Some specific presses, who uses them, and some explain why.
Which Press do you use?
What presses you guys use??

[NikatKimber]

Dies
The dies are the actual tools that come in contact with the brass. The dies are nearly always specific to one caliber. The sizing/depriming step is typically performed by one die, seating and crimping are sometimes separate steps, sometimes one die does both. Dies are typically sold in sets, that include all the steps required for basic reloading of that caliber. You may or may not need additional dies to accomplish whatever goal you are aiming for. Dies are also commonly sold in either carbon steel - needs case lubricant, or Carbide - which does not usually require case lube.

Some examples:
Pistol die sets usually are made up of 3 dies, sizer-deprimer, powder-belling/expander, and seating/crimping.
Rifle die sets are usually 2 dies, sizer-deprimer, and seating/crimping.

The same companies that make presses also make dies.

[BadgerLB]

Don't forget trimming the brass for rifle reloading...

[NikatKimber]

Badger, good catch, added to the process.

[NikatKimber]

Powder Dispenser

This is the tool with which you will measure/meter out the powder for each individual charge. It is possible to use a scale and manually measure out each charge, but that is highly time consuming, and prone to human errors. Meters vary in function, and precision, but nearly all follow the basic idea of filling a void with powder, then dumping that powder via a funnel into the case hence the term "metering" as the powder is not actually weighed. Now, all typical meters are very precise in general terms, but for extreme accuracy, even more is required. Most meters with many powders will hold +/- 0.1 grains precision, which is good for the beginner, or for pistol or plinking rounds.

Some meters are free standing, where the case is positioned below the meter, and filled, others can be or are installed on a press automatically functioned from the action of the press. Some can be used either way.

Once again, the manufacturers of presses and dies also make powder dispensers, and can be purchased from the same places.

[NikatKimber]

Scale
Measuring powder charges and other components.

Calipers
Necessary to measure diameter of bullets, and cartridge overall length.
Calipers

[NikatKimber]

Convenience Accessories
Tumbler
Work Bench
Reloading Ammo Blocks
Bins / Containers

[NikatKimber]

Different Reloading "Setups" and who would use them.

A frequent question we get here at OSA, is "I'm a beginning reloader, what press should I buy?"

I will attempt to explain the differences in different press preferences, and why some people would want particular ones.

The first thing to know before buying equipment, is:
How much will I reload?
This is both how many rounds per month you anticipate loading, and also how many calibers will you be loading for.
If your answer here is say, reloading .30-30 for your deer rifle, and .38 spl for your house gun, and you only anticipate shooting a handful of rounds a month, like 5-10 of .30-30 just to keep it zeroed, and 25-50 of .38 spl, then your needs are different from the competitive shooter who will be loading for 5-10 different calibers, and might load a thousand or more rounds of one at a time.

The next question you need to answer is:
How serious am I about reloading?
Are you "just trying it out," or are you planning for the long haul? If you've researched, and know that you want to go all in, and reload for years to come, then you may be willing to invest a lot more into this up front.

Another question you need to answer:
What will I be loading?
You already answered this, sort of. Are you loading pistol or rifle? If rifle, how accurate are you wanting to be? If you're looking to be "minute of buck" you're a different user than the one who is hoping to one day shoot the 1000 yard competition at Camp Perry.

Finally, the big question is:
What is my purpose? or What is my budget?
If your purpose (or budget) is to find the cheapest possible way to maintain your addiction... er, shooting level, or to shoot more, then again, you are looking for something other than what the person who is looking to win precision rifle competitions.

Now that we know a little more about what we are doing, lets look at some specifics.

[NikatKimber]

If you're loading very small quantities, specifically for rifle, but not particularly desiring to become a competition shooter, and you're on a short budget, there are a couple setups that would likely fit you. Basically, you would be best served by a single stage press.

Or, you desire to make the most accurate loads possible. Again, a single stage press (or two) would fit your needs. For this application, you may want a heavier press for rigidity. Also, the Forster Co-Ax press gets very good reviews for high precision rounds.

Lee $92
This kit supplies everything you would need to start reloading other than dies, shell plate, and components.

RCBS $170
This kit supplies everything you would need to start reloading other than dies, shell plate, and components. Also highly beneficial, but not absolutely necessary to begin loading, is a powder dispenser.

Lyman $186
This kit supplies everything you would need to start reloading other than dies, shell plate, and components. Also highly beneficial, but not absolutely necessary to begin loading, is a powder dispenser.

Hornady $320
This kit supplies everything you would need to start reloading other than dies, shell plate, and components. This offers an electronic scale over the Lee.

Lyman $327
This kit supplies everything you would need to start reloading other than dies, shell plate, and components. This offers an electronic scale over the Lee.

Forster $265
This is not a kit, so you would need to purchase the parts necessary to begin loading separately.

[NikatKimber]

If you load mostly pistol, shoot a hundred plus rounds a month, but you're on a short budget, there are fewer presses for you. If you don't shoot competition numbers of rounds, but want to be able to turn out more than a single stage. And particularly if you load for more than 1 or 2 calibers.

Another reason to use a turret press is to leave your dies set up when switching calibers. There are other presses that allow this. This is a benefit for the time savings, and reduces the risk of setting them wrong when doing it often.

Goal - Moderate Speed & Quantity - The Lee Turret
Lee Turret $110
This kit supplies everything you would need to start reloading other than dies, shell plate, and components. I personally have one of these, albeit far from new. While the Lee is considered the lower end of quality, that does not mean they are junk. I've loaded a couple thousand rounds on mine, and I got it from my father in law, and I have no clue how many he loaded on it, and he got it used from someone else. It still works, and I still use it regularly. If budget is your primary concern getting into reloading for pistols, this may be your ticket.

What makes it great, is that a complete caliber change is cheap, and fast.
For each additional caliber, buy a toolhead and Auto-Disk powder measure ($13 & $25 respectively), plus dies and additional shellplate. Install dies in their own toolhead along with the Auto-Disk. Then, to change calibers, all you need to do, is remove current toolhead and shell plate, insert new toolhead and shell plate, turn Priming T around if needed, and go.

If budget is a concern, and speed and quantity are desired, another press to consider is the Dillon Basic Loader 550 press, mentioned in the progressive section here.

Goal - Time Savings & Consistency for Precision Loads - Redding T7
Redding T-7 $275
This is not a kit, but is an astoundingly sturdy press that offers all the precision of nearly any single stage press, and the benefit of allowing the loader to leave all the dies related to one caliber set up on a single replaceable turret ($67). Redding does offer a complete accessory kit ($370) with all the necessary tools to load precision rounds.

Goal - Time Savings & Consistency for Precision Loads - RCBS Turret
This press is offered as either the bare RCBS Turret press - $206 - or as a kit RCBS Turret Press Deluxe Kit - $409.
Either way you go, this press also offers a replaceable turret ($45).

Goal - Time Savings & Consistency for Precision Loads - Lyman T-Mag Turret
This press is also offered as either the bare Lyman T-Mag press - $160 - or as a kit Lyman T-Mag 2 Turret Press Expert Kit - $360.
Again, either way you go, this press also offers a replaceable turret ($43).

[penman53]

Don't forget trimming the brass for rifle reloading...

If you neck size a rifle cartridge, trimming the case is not generally required plus the brass lasts much longer.

[dwbammo]

Unless you use Dillon dies which usually come in 4 die sets...the seat and crimp are 2 different dies. Great info for new loaders by the way. Keep up the good work