Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Reloading is complicated

Brother all you need is a sharpie, and start with a kiss and rock on. I've never kept a rifle that I could not get to group 3/4" at 100 yds using this method. No [bleep] round. No glass bedding or that crap. Lee Press. it's not complicated at all. RCBS dies. its actually so easy a caveman could do it. Not trying an azz. You speak of stuff that doesn't matter.

I haven't even been alive that long, but handloading is pretty simple. What a lot of guys want to do is overcomplicate things when it comes to handloading. Keep it simple, keep your ammo straight with minimal tools used and load accurate/precise and safe ammo. Done and done.. Guys are suggesting a "mentor". Not necessary if you know how to read. Buy a few load manuals and pull up a chair and read through and try to understand the how to section of those manuals. Its a process and the easier you make it, the better off you will be. That means run of the mill dies. RCBS full length for example. Learn by your own experiences and pay attention to book max and learn to read pressure signs. I hand loaded for the longest time without a chronograph even. I also agree, there are a lot of idiots on youtube. I see them fumble fu ck around on their channels all the time. No need to even waste your time watching some of that crap. You'll get really bad advice doing so.

I like loading. Case prep is the most boring to me. I tend to do that in large batches in the winter and set the prepped cases aside for when I want to make finished loads.

Me too, like it, enjoy gearing up for a new caliber especially

I've got 3 Rock Chuck, one pacific hornady, a Lee 1000 progressive, various Lee load kits, and a Forster press. Have Wilson trimmers and a few of their gages, some scales and Redding powder dump and a good deal of various dies. I have cast for 50-70, 45-70, 416, 44mag but I'm not particularly good building 45-70. I struggle with getting 45-70 in the c.sharps and shiloh rifles to work well with proper seating. Getting those seating depth to chamber is another weak spot but I've been nailing it with the 270win lately. The bottleneck just seems easier to adjust load to or maybe I'm stupid.

I'll be 56 in a week or so. Always read a lot, and mostly gun-related since I was in the single digit age. In that era, the gun magazines articles by the famous gun writers of old all included reloads and I knew someday that I would be doing that too. Couldn't afford to start it until my early 20's. I initially believed from what I read that there are "secret" formulas that always shoot the most accurate in all guns of that caliber. As I started reloading I started focusing on reading more and more reloading articles and was eventually led to believe that I had to go thru 147 steps for each round in a single stage press, and only with individual hand priming.

On a separate, but parallel learning curve, I have always loved eating meat with a smoke flavor. Had grilled steaks and hamburgers with charcoal since my early 20's, with hit and miss success, but never tried smoking meat. I started getting more serious about researching this stuff, and about 4 years ago, I bought a pellet smoker and was reading everything I could about smoking and grilling meat. I was lead to believe you had to also do 147 steps, buy a ton of exotic seasonings, bring meat fully to room temperature before cooking, etc.

The gist of both of these arts I have found, through a lot of trial and error, is that you can make this stuff as simple or as complicated as you want, and surprisingly, most of the time with very, very similar results.

Been at it 32 years now. It's enjoyable and rewarding except it is pretty time consuming when I have plenty of other pursuits; and I'm retired. Thought that when I retired there would be plenty of time to reload but that didn't pan out. Although part of my reloading is for a close friend who is still working full time. Do a couple Weatherby chamberings, 444 Marlin, 6.5 Creed, & 6mm Rem. for him along with umpteen different chamberings of my own. It's not very complicated once you get some experience doing it.

My preference is "handloading". Start with new brass.

Reloading is needed after that.

I have been loading my own for several years and figured it out myself reading instructions. I am able to make ammo for my rifles that is more consistent and accurate than what they sell in the stores. I don't do anything exotic and have average equipment. Not an expert but I trust what I load and am satisfied with it.
I loaded shotshells for years before I started rifle. I don't shoot shotgun enough to bother with it anymore.

An automatic electronic scale makes it palatable to me.

A hypersonic case cleaner is also nice.


This primer scarcity has slowed me down though.

It's good to be aware of the array of issues and topics for various rounds
or applications. But don't let that stuff confuse the issue.

Focus on what you are working with.
Consider the old guys, 100 years ago,loading their ammo with an
Ideal Nutcracker and powder dippers.



Case neck tension issues,

1) I.D. of your die,
2) Case neck thickness
3) Bullet O.D.

If it's a consistent problem, any of the 3 can cause/fix it.
(But the bullet needs to fit your barrel,
so don't create a problem fixing one if possible.)

If it's a case by case thing?
It's probably a case thing. (Sizing dies aren't going to change what they
do by much.)

Do you anneal?

Things became uncomplicated for me once I studied and understood what is happening in a chamber before and after firing. Reloading becomes intuitive after that. Problems become adjustments.

I can't stress enough for folks to read the beginning of reloading books. Look at the drawings and illustrations. Some books are better than others but after looking at a few of them, you will have an understanding of what is happening before and after you pull the trigger.

That’s my practice as well, in general. Start off with one lot of brass.

I started loading with Lee tools, a regular .44 mag and Target Models in .223 and .275 Ri.., er 7x57. Used a balance beam I still have in the archives. Never felt I was at a disadvantage with any of it. Killed some chucks with that .223 ammo too. I could get by with pretty much the same stuff in a pinch, though I’d miss my Chargemaster Lite.

A whole lot of truth here^^^^. When you start your reloading journey with the simplest hand tools, and easily produce accurate ammo....it becomes apparent that a LOT of products offered as improvements are in fact, over priced, over hyped, and complicate the process. For 90% of us, I don't feel it's necessary or desirable to produce ammo that meets benchrest and F class requiements.

Nope! Started in 1966 or 67 at 14 using “caveman” tools……Lee Loader. Started casting @ 19 or so.

Gradually increased tools ( including casting molds (13 molds) for various cartridges, components, ect.

I don’t shoot competitively so don’t go to the extremes necessary for competition…..though my hunting rifle is capable of sub 2” groups at 300 yards!

Don’t over complicate the hobby. Enjoy the time reloading/hand loading so you can enjoy the time spent shooting/hunting! For normal, practical shooting needs…. you don’t need lab quality procedures. I often go 10 loads on my cartridges without annealing, weight only the charges for serious work (not the plinking rounds), trim only as needed (which isn’t very often), ect. There are many extra steps that the competition shooters or the eccentrics take that the “normal” shooter can avoid or perform only occasionally! JMO. memtb

I'd say right off the bat to straighten your attitude up first the rest is simple. I enjoy the fact I'm never at a loss because of supply issues....mb

BLASPHEMY!!!!

😂😂😂

Take a deep breath and confront each mysterious/unfathomable tool one at a time. Some of the stuff is necessary and some is superfluous - only you can decide which fits your needs/goals, and those goals may well change as you progress in the hobby so don't throw/give/sell anything away.

If you're new to this I would suggest getting Barsness's books and digesting them, plus several good loading manuals. The Lyman manual has lots of good technical dope that's easy to understand, as well as load data. If you're not new to this, the advice still stands.

Handloading is one thing.

Load Development is another.

It’s a learning process, and like anything worthwhile, takes time, thought, patience

Once you learn the finer points of handloading, applying them to load development is fun. I enjoy taking a new-to-me rifle and solving its accuracy puzzle with everything I’ve learned.

Exploring methods of load development and refining the process to get consistent results with different rifles is very satisfying. Taking those rifles and loads into the field for a hunt or to competitive matches with confidence is a great feeling knowing that your system is as good as it can be.

I know, I know. Bob said there was a few times he tried it and survived. I figured this year is a good year to experiment!