Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles need some general reloading knowledge please

good evening fellas. i'm pondering my options for reloading a few rifles i have. i really don't have the room to start reloading as of yet so i'm thinking y'all might know if there is a company or website that is reputable that does custom reloading for individuals. i'm wanting some 129 grain hornady interlocks loaded for my 260 rem and my 6.5x55 swede both Tikka T3s so they are modern actions. also, i'd like some 139 grain hornady interlocks loaded for my Tikka 7mm-08 rem. i'd like all these loads to approximate 2,800 fps. also, how do you go about picking a powder to load with? it would be great if i could use the same powder for all these 3 when i do start reloading. i'd like to buy a manual that i can get some ideas about this new venture. how does that work? do i need a manual for each brand bullet i will shoot? planning on shooting hornady and nosler bullets. sorry guys for all the newb questions i just need some general info.

You're probably going to have a hard time finding someone you trust to reload for you.

Getting set up does not take a lot of money or space, and doing the reloading isn't something that will give you a brain cramp.

I'd start with either the Lyman, Hodgdon, or Hornady reloading manual, and carefully read over the general instructions there. And then I would read them again.

The books have lots of loads in them, but Hodgdon and Western Powders have extensive load info online.

You'll get lots of advice here, but your initial shopping list could be:

Lee Classic Turret Press
Any good scale that resolves better than .1 grain. I like a balance, but more people seem to like digital.
Lee Disk Powder Measure, with adjustable charge bar
Harbor Freight $15 digital calipers
A set of Lee dies for each caliber you want to reload for (sizing, charging, seating, crimping (maybe), neck size)

As for powder: http://www.hodgdonreloading.com
Custom reloads I don't know, sounds expensive. I'd stick with factory loads until you can get set up. Whoever would do custom reloads would have to have your rifles.
Reloading manuals are a must for the new reloader, there is much more information in them than just loads, lots of internal ballistics, and how to's.A beginners book like The ABC's of Reloading would be good also.

thanks denton. what do you think about rcbs products? like their rock chucker system? i didn't know where to start as far as do i get reloading manuals from whatever bullets i wanna reload for or powder brand or what??? i'm a total newb at even the thought of reloading as i've generally gotten great accuracy and performance from nosler and federal premium ammo.but, hornady doesn't factory load the 129 grain interlock for the 260 rem or 6.5x55 swede is kinda spurring me on. i like what i read about the hornady interlock spitzer flat base as a pretty tough penetrating entry and exit whitetail bullet for occasional if all i'm presented shoulder shots.

look at midway-cabelas-Sinclair-ect they all have reloading kits RCBS is good and most of the stores and gun shops carry their poducts. get two or three manuals and read them ( you can never read enough ) if you know anyone who reloads go and sit and watch for a few sessions

Most folks end up with several reloading manuals. I like Lyman but also have acquired Hornady, Sierra, Speer and also use online data from Hodgdon, Barnes, and Ramshot. Lyman uses several brands of bullets, the others only list their bullets.

I have mostly a mix of RCBS, Lyman, and Hornady equipment, I also have some Lee and it works but I prefer the other brands.

As mentioned above, the first step is to get a reloading manual and read the how to section.

Dale

thanks men for the info and keep the suggestions coming please. all this baffles me personally as to why one powder is good for this caliber but not the other. so should i buy the hornady,nosler and hodgdon manuals. calibers i have are 260 rem,7mm-08 rem,6.5x55 swede,270 win and 257 wby mag at the moment ha!

RCBS makes very good stuff

The Lee Classic Turret Press will reload just about anything the Rock Chucker will, and is about 2-3 times faster, plus it costs less.

The point of reloading is custom tailoring the loads to YOUR rifle. Buying somebody else's reloads doesn't accomplish that, unless they have your rifle to tune the loads with.

Handloading is barely cost effective if your trying to beat WalMart prices for plain jane ammo at $18 a box. But it is cost effective if a person looks at his ammo as premium ammo that would otherwise cost $35 and up per box.

There are many good presses to start with, and Denton's recommendations are good.

C-clamps are your friend.

Before I had enough room for a dedicated spaced I'd C-clamp my press to the kitchen table. Get a good kit, such as the RCBS mentioned above, a couple of C-clamps and go to work. It's a much better option than trusting someone you don't know.

Somebody just posted recently a method for changing out tools on the workbench that holds the tools securely. I'm in the process of copying that, but there is a website that makes the mounts.

Listen to Denton.

One method is called Rock Dock.

denton i gotta ask why exactly,other than the reasons you already mentioned,do you recommend the lee classic vs the rcbs rock chucker? what about dies? are some brands better than others i.e. tighter tolerances or such??

https://dallasreloads.com/... reputable, professional (safe/trustworthy)

Buy RCBS, best warranty, great equipment,

I would suggest you attend some gun shows and pick up multiple different old loading manuals.
The outdated ones are not that expensive.
READ ALL the text in each one before starting to reload and learn something different from each manual.

If possible find some one in your area that reloads and would entertain walking you thru with their equipment.
Buy them some supplies that they use/need and of course buy your own supplies.

Sometimes you find a load from the start that works for you, but you may have to do more shooting
and playing with loads to get that honey load. And there lies the fun. Economy is not there to start either.
I takes a while to depreciate the equipment expenses, but then you can have a custom load and at
a better price than off the shelf (varying some on what you shoot).

Just my 2 cents.
Tim

Whitearrow, You have 2 PM's.

X2 I did not see this before I sent the PMs

For what you are doing, doesn't Hornady sell ammo with their Interlock Bullets? I don't know. Hornady Interlocks are ok, but comparable or better bullets are available in factory loads...seems like that would be an easier way to go.

But anyway, if you want to get into reloading, take a look at the:

RCBS Rock Chucker Supreme Master Reloading Kit

It has a Retail price of $400 but Natchez and a few others sell this kit on sale for $250.00

At that price it's a very good deal for quality tools.

It comes with the Rock Chucker Press, Uniflow Powder Measure, Powder Scale and a lot of other equipment that a person will need. It also comes with the Nosler Manual. It's everything you need to get started except for dies, case trimmer, and calipers.

The components are very good quality and you can't buy all the items individually for the Retail price.

Consider that the Rock Chucker Press alone is $180, The Powder Measure is $100, The Scale is around $80...etc.

RCBS has a Lifetime Warranty and excellent customer service.

As for dies...Redding makes the best dies. Lee dies aren't finished as well as the Redding, but they are good enough and low priced. Harbor Freight calipers work fine for reloading purposes.

I don't recommend the inexpensive digital scales. Even if you use them it's good to have a balance scale to check them or when they die.