Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Best books - getting started reloading.

I'm just getting started reloading. So far I have bought my press, Forster Co Axe, and some Forster and Redding dies, powder,primers,Nosler brass, and bullets.

I need some good books to get me started and show me how to properly set up my dies and get them adjusted,as well as load info. Mainly I don't yet understand anything about properly adjusting dies. Please suggest some books or sources so I can learn.I just don't want to randomly order a reloading manual not knowing if it will have the info I need.

I also need a powder scale and the brass tools necessary to prep brass. I was thinking of buying a Forster case trimmer but I would like a recommendation for a scale and all other case prep tools I need.

I also need a mic for OAL loaded cartridge size. Maybe I need a book explaining and detailing all the steps and the proper tools. I don't know if that info will be in any reloading manual I might order,or even what the best Manual is for a beginner. I live in a small rural town and have no access to even look at reloading manuals without ordering them.

I found the Lyman manual to be a good one, plenty of photos. If you know an experienced reloader to help you get set up it will help a lot too.

That coax is too much press for a beginner. Send it to me and I will send you my rockchucker. Kidding of course, good choice.

I haven't bought a manual in a while but I think Speer does a pretty good job of explaining things.

As far as gear, you'll want a powder measure in addition o the balance/scale. Don't forget a funnel and a loading block. For case prep you'll need a trimmer, neck and primer pocket brushes, a deburr/chamfer tool, and possibly a tumbler. I like to use a hand primer to seat primers.

You likely want calipers rather than a mic to measure coal.

A means to measure how much you are pushing the shoulder back is handy for getting your dies set up for desired headspace.

Also, I'm sure the Forster is a good trimmer. If it is not powered, though, I'd go with something else. I converted my rcbs trimmer to work off of an electric drill and will not be going back to trimming cases by hand. I still don't enjoy trimming cases but it is not as bad as it was. It is the one aspect of reloading I do not enjoy.

Youtube could be a good source for you. I'd stick to tech videos from the equipment manufacturers. I know Hornady has some decent ones. Don't forget case lube!

Thanks guys. My goals here is to produce the most accurate ammo with the bullets I want to shoot. High volume isn't a concern. I'll be loading 270Win and 7mm-08, 243, and 7mm rem mag. All will be for bolt guns.

If you'll be using conventional full length size dies learn how to adjust them so the brass is sized to suit your particular chamber. The instructions supplied with die sets will quite often have you sizing the brass more than necessary.

There have been several threads on this topic so try a bit of searching. I've typed up a few long winded posts on the topic that even received positive comments.

There is an adapter for the Forster which allows the use of an electric drill, I've used one for years.


OP: Order a copy of The Big Book of Gun Gack from John.

All reloading manuals I've read - Lyman, Sierra, Speer, Nosler and Hornady - have decent basic instructions so any one you get would show you the basics but IMO the Hornady manual is the most friendly for new reloaders. It has a section with clear explanations and lots of explanatory color pictures of what happens in the rifle's chamber during the firing process, why you would resize a certain way and why it is important to not oversize, why you would or would not want to seat a bullet into the lands and so forth. You can buy whole books devoted to reloading but the Hornady manual gives you what you need to start without overwhelming you with advanced stuff that would just be confusing at this point.

The Sierra manual has very good sections on more esoteric topics and might be a good second or third book to get once you're comfortable with the basics, plus they seem to test more powders than some of the others.

As to tools, I want to say get a Lee collet die and a Redding body die right off but you should probably learn with the standard die set first.

A case trimmer is nice and you'll want to get one eventually but isn't needed to begin. Besides a press and dies I'd say the essentials are a powder scale, a chamfer/deburr tool to clean up necks of new brass (unless you're buying prepped match brass from the start), a good set of calipers and a powder funnel. While a micrometer is nice a set of calipers is far more useful - either digital or old school dial will work just fine. Mark the mic as something to get later. A powder trickler for those last few granules is also good to have although a teaspoon will do to start.

Good to have and something you'll want fairly soon is a powder measure.

Other than that I'd just say don't rush out right away to buy all the gadgets you think you might need. Primer pocket uniformers, runout tools, OAL gauges, etc etc etc. Some are very useful and you will probably end up with them; I use the Hornady OAL guage and comparators all the time, but for now just stick to the basic tools. You'll figure out soon enough what other tools will truly help you and which ones are just fluff.

See what your public library has. When I started out ours had Sharpe's book along with others.

Public libraries also have "E" books that we can read from our computers!

They may have a website.

I just glanced at the website of a nearby cities to me's 'handloading' books and they have an entire page full and more including Sharpe's book!

Get a RCBS trimmer, the little drill adapter is cheap. I would start out setting my dies so the bullet seats the same as a factory bullet. I used to try to adjust the length to each chamber, but I have several rifles of the same caliber. I mostly set everything to factory length to start.

RCBS has really great service, if you break or lose a part, they send you a free one. I can't say enough good things about them. Get a digital scale, way more accurate, if you are going to clean and polish brass, go with the wet tumbler with stainless pins. Makes brass like new. Once you get tumbler and pins the expense is over. Pins last forever.

Reloading is fun, anything you have a question about is on U Tube. Use Imperial sizing wax, best out there.

I rarely trim brass unless it's for an AR, learned that the hard way. I loaded 500 rounds that wouldn't chamber. Case gauges are good especially for pistol and AR's. learned that the hard way too. After you resize, if it won't go in case gauge easy, throw it away. This is all just my opinion.

The manuals from the major powder/bullet manufacturers are a very good place to start. Another great book is "The Complete Guide to Practical Handloading" by the late John Wooters. I got a copy years ago, and read it a LOT. I just checked and Amazon has used copies available. I also agree with the poster who suggested John Barsness' books...lots of practical info there, both for beginners and experienced handloaders.

I would add Bob Hagel's Practical guide to handloading and Carmichael's book of the rifle to the list.

Hagel's loads were pretty hot with 300 Win but the writing is good.

Glen Zediker's Handloading for Competition is a quantum leap beyond all of the others. Ignore the chapter on neck turning, but everything else should be relevant. He gives very detailed instructions, which are immensely helpful. Read it cover to cover twice before you buy any more equipment.

http://www.zediker.com/books/handloading/hlmain.html

"THE ABC'S OF RELOADING" Nothing but techniques, tips, how and why, no loading data but the best book for anyone starting out. Sierra is the best for loading data and ballastics and such. The Lee book is pretty good also.

jmo

Most of the manuals have decent info as well as the pamphlets in the die cases for basic stuff. Read a lot of that stuff and play around with it resizing and seating bullets before you ever start putting powder in brass. Get a chronograph.

Search some of Stick's tutorials on seating depth (follow them), load a uppper/mid-range load, run it through a chrono and +/- powder based on speed compared to book (factor in barrel length, etc)...then go shoot a group.

I have several I would suggest the most recent Lyman as having the best instruction for a beginner.

This.

Also, I wish I had listened to the sage words of advice when I was told to keep the brass separate by rifle and just neck size. If you load the same cartridge for multiple rifles, keep the brass separate.


https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbth...ool_me_on_the_use_of_a_neck#Post10862913

Full length resizing after every firing is a PITA and results in trimming, chamfering, and deburring.





P

Modern reloading by Richard Lee

I like my GemPro 250 digital scale way better than my balance beam scale.