A few years ago my friend croaked on me who I used to pound steel with. He crafted my ammo that we used and had the implements to do so. Since I've cavemanned my own and it's confusing as hell with die sets, expanders, measuring implements and gouges and all the bits and bobs. I slum blackpowder some but it's still a mystery to me. Why does this have to be so tool and time intensive? Even some of my new current reloading book have errors in them I've caught and it just makes things worse. I wish brass didn't have to be so far out of shape, wish things were simpler. I get by but it's not fun at times and there's some frustration. Anneal, trim, Guage, measure. Does anyone find it a pain and share in frustration?

There’s a learning curve but once you pick up the fundamentals it’s mostly following a cookbook from that point as far as loading. There’s always something to learn as far nodes and learning how to dial in a load for a given rifle as quickly as possible.

If you’re brand new to handloading make sure your brass is well lubed before running it into a die!😂

I guess the tooling has been the biggest hurdle for me

It’s funny you mention it buddy. I have been hammering away since I was 13, 44 now.

I’m moving houses, my reloading gear is packed away and I have zero interest of rushing into a new reloading set up at the new place. My fix, I bought a plain Jane 7mm Rem Mag, I’ll mount a good scope in good mounts. I bought 3 different types of factory ammo I’ll try in the gun. I’ll pick the one that shoots best, zero at 250. Then I’ll order 100-200 rounds and just have fun shooting this summer without the worry of messing with brass prep, loading, dribbling powder, etc.

If I really get the need to load something I’ll go to my brothers and load something on his press but I don’t see it happening.

Sometimes there’s a little fun in just shooting and not worrying about a 1/4” or 50 FPS…. At least that is what I’m telling myself now.

I thing that’s true for everyone. It’s a PIA but like anything it’s trial and error go slow and overtime it’s still a hassle to set up but gets way less frustrating. If you load for several cartridges having a few presses makes life easier.

You're over thinking it, it ain't rocket surgery unless you make it so. Anymore, I don't get a big thrill out of reloading, it's a means to and end.

I started loading fired 9x19 with a Lyman 310 tool and a scale, no powder measure, and sometimes decapped with a finishing nail and a hammer 50+years ago in the earliest days.

These days I have a Hollywood Universal Turret with small and large die holes (Elmer Keith wrote that it was the very best), a Hornady Progressive with a case feeder, a Harrel's 4 position turret and a Load Anywhere portable , a CoAx and a Redding T7. RCBS Casemaster, Redding Instant Indicators and Wilson case gages and Wilson micrometer case trimmer to go with a Forster case trimmer and a power setup using a drill press. A variety of powder measures with a full set of Little Dandy rotors and all the rest. I thought that each and everything I added would make my handloads easier and better. Just maybe the additions did.

There must be a million different perspectives on handloading. Personally, I enjoy the experimentation. I apply it to hunting because I enjoy that too, but to me the journey is about more than just what happens in the field. To each his own, and enjoy.

Reloading isn't really hard at all, especially if you have
a knowledgeable mentor that isn't FOS
A good many of the pinheads on yoofloob that
profess to be expert reloaders are extremely FOS, and
it's a devine miracle they still have all their fingers and
both their eyeballs
As far as saving money, I don't think reloading saves
any money in 2022.
If I had to start fresh in 2022 with no tools or
components, I believe I'd as soon buy case lots of
ammunition suitable for my firearms and call it good.
One thing I will say. Powder and bullet manufacturers
spend no telling how much for R&D, and want you
to keep buying their products, so the likelihood
that they'd steer you wrong as far as data is low

Good Luck

Been at it more than 50 years. I either enjoy it or I'm a glutton for punishment.

Just keep doing it. Repetition brings on muscle memory, especially brain muscle. Read how others do it, with regard to the mechanics. Then try it yourself. There are some good loaders here on the campfire. Barsness(Mule Deer) literally wrote the book(s). His articles, columns and posts are worth adhering to.

If you see something brilliant posted that seems to apply to a problem you have comment on it. Have a problem with no solution, ask guidance. There are some AH personality types here but many more willing to help, sometimes even the AHs. But keep doing it. The only mentor I had was 4 hours away. But I got the basics down working with him. In 2010 I built my bench and jumped in. Made some mistakes and learned from them. Right now I don’t know nearly as much as I thought I did back in 2010. But it has become a pleasing experience for me. And new stuff keeps popping up. Good luck to you.

I like reloading and it's a hellva lot better than laundry, toilet and dish cleaning, and vacuuming . . .

The good thing is I only make up ammo for personal consumption and not any competitive pursuit. It's been good to me as per getting more proficient with my 270 and 308win. I'm very happy with the results at 400 and 500yd, it's paid off but the case prep is a pain. I can't say the same about straight walled cases as I'm still slumming those together and I know it can be done with better discipline and construction. There's certain dies and buttons and expanders and such that make no sense to me. The bottle neck cases seem easier with my tools

The Richard Noggins that talk the loudest either are trying to impress,
or know nothing.


You force a case into a die to size it, it's adjustable for length, and primer punch.
Read the die directions.

Seat a primer.
Read the press or tool directions.

Set your scales.
Read the directions

Dump powder charge.
Press the bullet in using the seating die.
It's adjustable for bullet and crimp amount/no crimp.
Read the directions.

A bit harder than that, not much.
Find a guy who you know reloads, but doesn't brag about it like
he is building the Eifle Tower while painting the Sistine Chapel.

Anything in particular you would care to mention? There are a lot of good members here and unless you've tangled with something quite exotic you can probably get an explanation from someone in a short time.

One of the worst things I don't do right is neck tension and case tension of straight walled cases. There's also videos I've watched about expanding such cases and this is one that's a bit of difficulty. That is adjusting for minimal brass working and such. Then there's these terms like "bumping a shoulder" and it seems some chambers are not within spec. Lots of issues that can come up and some terms are difficult to find in print. Fact is some terms are actually not correct yet widely used so that's an added bunch of jargon

Not me, I've been doing it since '72 and thoroughly enjoy the pursuit.

Reloading, there’s not must of a gray area. Your either a reloader or your not.

The cost of a nice setup like Dillon with the necessary accoutrements costs about what a new car cost in 1972. 😁. The amount of options and crossover compatibility for a newcomer is daunting.

Like mathman said though, there are countless great guys here like yourself SoG with years of experience that are always willing to share their tips and tricks….one of the GREAT things about this place in my opinion. 👍

That is what makes it a satisfying pursuit. But it doesn't have to be so complicated that you can't get started and enjoy it. Buy a Lee Classic loader and make some ammo!

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!

I started at 17 and was self taught but I had been reading gun mags for years and picked up some tips there even before I started loading. I started with a Lyman Spartan press and a manual scale. I read the instructions in a Speer manual and the die set and went to it.

It’s a simple process and you can make it as simple or as complicated as you want.

Get a copy of the Western Powder load manual, it has very well illustrated and clearly written instructions on reloading. I will go so far as to say that it is IMO the best load manual ever written for someone just getting into the game.

With a little searching it can be found for less than this price but even at this it is a bargain - https://www.amazon.com/Western-Powders-Handloading-Guide-Reloading/dp/B0051521C4/ref=sr_1_1?crid=296AKV5IPJS4V&keywords=western+powders+load+manual&qid=1654962847&sprefix=western+powder+load%2Caps%2C1074&sr=8-1

drover

Yep, we sell it on www.riflesandrecipes.com for $38--which includes shipping.

I also totally agree with your assessment of the Western manual!

John

I do not find reloading a pain.

I have been doing it for close to 40 years and do not consider myself very good at it, average at best. I enjoy load development, reloading, and shooting, but like most, struggle with the time factor. I enjoy it when I have time, and do not let it bother me if I do not have time.

I am still learning as I go, but do not plan on giving up anytime soon.

You can make it as hard or simple as you want. My advice is this. If you do not like it, why do it?

There's a DVD on advanced reloading that's pretty good too. I think it was easier in some ways to get into reloading 50 years ago because the reference market was not dominated by published data but by how I did it books by the truly experienced. I bought Phil Sharpe's handloading book from shelf stock at the local book store and followed up with Naramore. Whelan's Why Not Load Your Own was floating around as well. George Nonte and John Wooters each produced a full book later and Bob Hagel's book from Knopf was pretty good. I can't imagine a publisher as well known as Knopf was then doing a reloading book today.

I started with straight walled pistol cases and both cast and jacketed bullets. I didn't know that the suggestions to match brands in cases and primers included paying attention to domed and flat primers - though today my Hollywood primer turret has a variety of punches for show only. I made no assumption that any particular set of dies would be all that great regardless of the brand and cartridge on the label. Rumor said that Winchester and Remington pistol cases were different case neck thickness and were better with different dies and technique. I looked for a sizing die that squeezed enough and far enough down and an expander that reached just far enough into the case and belled the case mouth usefully. That might mean a mix and match among 9x19, .38 Special, .38 S&W and .357 Magnum dies each with a different expander. I didn't and couldn't watch YouTube in the mistaken belief that if I went through the same motions I was guaranteed perfect results. Process control meant something different than matching the moving pictures.

Turns out I was wrong about this--because the Western Powders manual is out of print right now.

Eileen contacted the people at Hodgdon about buying some copies, after Hodgdon bought Western a year or so ago. They said they were planning on printing some more copies, but apparently haven't gotten around to it yet.

But we do have plenty of copies of my GUN GACK books, and some people think they contain some useful handloading information. They're also 15% off the list price through next weekend, and any purchase includes a free year's subscription to RIFLE LOONY NEWS.

For years, as a poor boy, I reloaded .270/150 gr. Speer Hot-Cor's over IMR 4831 and CCI 200 primers.

Lee Hand Loader, a mallet, and powder scoops.

They would bug-hole at 25 yards and killed everything they hit.




GR

You don`t like to tinker, do you? IMHO, that is manditory.

I started with a Rockchucker kit many years ago. Add components and dies, and it had everything you needed, sans maybe a dial caliper. I believe they are still sold?

The good thing with that kit, IMO, is that you had a good, basic gear as a starting point. From there, well ...

Over the years I’ve gone down the rabbit hole on various hand loading deals, as most of us have, and thankfully have come out again after having figured out what is worthwhile for the rifles and shooting I do, and what isn’t.

For example:

I don’t turn necks anymore.
I don’t weigh brass anymore.
I buy good brass, spotcheck for weight, and even though I probably don’t need to, on hunting ammo I recut primer pockets and deburr flashholes once, when brass is new, and then I don‘t clean primer pockets again.
I only weigh charges on hunting ammo, where say 50 rounds is going to last a few seasons (or much longer). Otherwise, thrown charges are just fine, for me.
I don’t sort bullets on a Juenke machine. I believe this does make a difference, but I don’t do it.

And on and on: runout, neck tension, annealing, brass sorting, bullet sorting ... you can choose a new deep-dive anytime you want and keep yourself engrossed, if you so desire, and many do. I don’t begrudge them. I enjoy reloading and understand the pull, and still play in various deep holes of my choosing.

But you can make good quality, eminently serviceable ammunition with the basics, like that contained in a Rockchucker kit.

You inherited a more “advanced” kit. Great. You might just find a lot of that stuff useful down the road. Your capacity to appreciate it may have changed.

But start at the start. As was posted above: clean and inspect cases, size and de-prime, prime, charge, seat bullets. Plenty of fun to be had in just getting those steps done correctly, and game will die just fine with nothing more complicated than that.

Put off diving into holes until later, if at all ...

And ENJOY.

Funny, the OP never ever took the time to go over to steel banging, ammo crafting friends house to see what was going on. More than likely never even thought about it till his buddy passed. Now it’s difficult (not). Don’t think he’s the type to go out and buy a bunch of books, DVD’s or a bunch of YouTubing.
Sorry for the loss, but the way things are now I wouldn’t sink a lot of money into it, IMO I believe his interest is going to wane fast since (it’s too difficult), and he never had any interest in the first place.

The first edition of the Western Powders Load Manual is currently available directly off the Hodgdon website for only $4.99 per manual with free shipping: https://shop.hodgdon.com/official-gear/western-powders-load-manual That seems like too good of a deal to pass up...

It sure does. Thanks. Got ‘er done.

Reloading can't be complicated because I started when I was in high school

Thanks - Order placed

I need to start handloading. Picked up a fast twist 22-250 and want to load for it.

I concur.

Another this that happens; A guy gets into reloading and thinks that the ONLY press to own is a Dillon XXX. To the person who just wants to crank out rounds, that might be a good fit after you have learned for 5 years on a single stage. When you were 16 and had a "fresh" driver's license, you didn't run out a buy a Corvette or Ferrari. You started in dad's truck or mom's station wagon. Then you bought an old Charger with a worn out engine, then a Monte SS, then you got the Hellcat Challenger. Trying to learn on a progressive is overwhelming. There is TOO MUCH going on, and if you make a mistake, you are 50-100-200 rounds before you catch it. If you want to discuss discouragement: let me know how it feels to pull the bullets on 200 rounds of 40 S&W (that you Factory Crimped the hell out of), because the primers are seated upsidedown.

With all due respect to your enthusiasm for the higher levels of the game (and mine), cranking out decent ammo for hunting, practice, and futzing around is pretty easy with the minimal equipment I started with. Not a single deer I’ve killed in the past 50+ years would have escaped because of the quality of the ammo from those simple tools wasn’t up to the job. Handloading can become its own reason for existence if you let it, which is fine, but I hate to see anyone pass on it because they feel overwhelmed by the need for a bunch of gear, or all the jargon and complexity associated with the advanced practices. I still remember the satisfaction of simply refilling my fired cases and cracking them off another time or two. More folks should get involved at that level, if primers ever get back on the shelf anyway.

Yup. As a kid on the ranch I used the good 'ol Lee Loader for my beat up, 3rd-hand, pump-action, .30-06 that wore a Tasco 4x scope
They said you shouldn't use it on pump-actions, but I never had a problem.

I continued with that all the way up until .gov invited me to an all-expenses-paid trip to SE Asia. They lied.

After that little soiree, I got all sophisticated and started using a Rock Chucker.

MT DD FAN - Thanks for the link - I ordered a couple as gifts.

drover

Thanks for the link, I also put in an order; and not just for the manual.

I think most reloaders only get into it as far as they feel comfortable. Some only reload as a means to an end. Reloaders have "options to intensity".

For something that appears simple - assembling four things to make a cartridge - there is a lot of mystery. The longer you do it, the more mysterious it can get. Some slide down the rabbit hole.

Whatever your reason, have fun with it.

Three Older Men Discuss Handloading

Lee collet dies have simplified much of my reloading. No case cleaning or lubing. Plus, LCDs make very straight ammo. LCDs neck sizes so case stretch is reduced which reduces the frequency of the need to trim.

I like them so well, I have LCDs for every cartridge I reload for except two. Lee Precision does not offer LCDs for anything 9.3 mm and they have discontinued the collet die for .45-70 Govt. The cost in money and wait time for customs is beyond what I want to pay

They also can be the source of neck tension issues.
I've had problems getting enough. Fixed it, but a newbie might
get exasperated with it.

One other thing that might help the OP is to do things in small steps. Don't sit down and load 100 rounds.
You can deburr/chamfer small batches while watching TV. Resize brass in lots of 50 or so. I seldom load more rounds than I intend to shoot and since my competition days are behind me, most times that's only 20 to 50 rounds.
I have containers of prepped brass ready for loading so loading consists of priming, charging and seating. I can load what I typically need in way less than an hour.

Might also mention that some of the most "affordable" and simplest loading dies can produce the most accurate ammo.

Like many of the, uh, more "mature" handloaders here I started with a Lee Loader. Mine was in 7.62x54R Russian, because my only centerfire rifle at the time was a Mosin-Nagant, which shot very well with my handloads.

Some decades later I decided to try another LL in .22 Hornet, due to owning a very accurate Ruger No. 1B. After sorting some cases for consistent neck thickness, it averaged 5 shots in under half and inch at 100 yards. This is partly because Lee Loaders very much resemble the tools benchrest shooters regularly use.

Still have several Lee Loaders (including the .22 Hornet) for the .222 Remington (which can also be used for the .223 Remington), .30-06, .38 Special (which can also be used for the .357 Magnum), .45-70 and 3-1/2" 10-gauge. These are mostly for SHTF purposes, except the 10-gauge. Have a nice Spanish side-by-side, but don't hunt with it enough to justify a press. The LL produces ammo quickly enough for my purposes.

I shot a box of factory winchester 30-30 ammo and reloaded with my Lee loading tool. These neck size so allegedly you need to use in same rifle. As it went they didn't chamber back into my Marlin without considerable effort, and not smooth at all. Think I'll go back to full length resizing. I am trying to shoot lighter loads and neck size for long brass life but it's not working out

On the flipside I did a box of 270win and crushed it. Incredible success, more accuracy than really what's needed and perfect function. I couldn't be more happy with the 270 but the 30-30 turned out like dog manure

Been stuffing cases since I was 9 with my uncle who taught me to load. I’m 50 now. While I have evolved as a loader over the years, the real enjoyment for me is keeping in touch with my rifles during the off season. The precision, process & the ability to make up loads that I can’t buy in the store keeps me interested. Once August rolls around, it’s all about hunting - loading time has past.

That’s a solid point POC. I like to have my rifle work done by June-July so the rest of the year is spent just shooting the guns when I have the time versus sweating it out over the reloading bench trying to tune another load.

Absolutely. For example, people would be surprised to see what many real Benchrest competitors use for loading gear.

Good shootin' -Al

Wow! Testimony! Lee Loaders allowed me to roll a few in college when not at a friends who had a press and got me started. I used their trim tools as well for my 7 TCU back then.

Learned much since those days, and I have shot some VERY tight groups with basic 2-die sets from Redding and RCBS.....

How tight? Down to 1/4 and 1/2" 200 yd groups for 3-shot averages. Those groups challenged my skills, timing shots between heartbeats.....

YES!!

Reloading is really simple IMHO.

I really like reloading. I started in 1976. I had to take some time off from it when the kids were small and needed lots of attention. I think I get better at it every day. Having the right tools makes the process faster and with a better finished product. I just reloaded some 35 Whelen for a friend. I had never done 35 Whelen before although I have done a $hit ton 30-06.

I still use a single stage reloader. I have a Lee turret press but it's just a slightly modified single stage. Most of my stuff is RCBS but Redding makes some good dies. I don't have a good spot to put my presses so I clamp them to my table saw. I still use my RCBS 5-10 balance beam scale I bought in the Army PX in 1975. My primary press is an RCBS JR I bought at the PX the same time I bought my scale. It's not rocket science but having the right tools makes everything go together faster and better. It's good mental therapy.

kwg

Some people reload to shoot
Some shoot to reload
Difficult? No way

I agree that most people would be surprised at some of the BR equipment used. Seaters, for example. The Wilson seater - not the the micrometer model - is a great and inexpensive tool that works much the same as a Lee Loader. They are about $60 at Brownells. Used in conjunction with an arbor press, they are capable of producing straight cartridges for about $10 less than a Forster or other std seater. They are slower than a bench mounted seating die, but not everything needs to be cranked out in volume.

To me reloading and shooting are like fly tying and fishing.

Some people really enjoy reloading, like fly tying. And like shooting, like fishing...so they go hand in hand. This is where I've always been.

Some people do it to save money over time to shoot more.

Some people do it for "place reason here", but the above two arguments are the most often used...

If you're not interested, then I predict that you'll probably just consider it work and try to jam through it for awhile until the box stores pricers become more favorable.

Another way to look at it...do you change your own oil? Or is it not worth your time? Kind of the same thing, those who enjoy using their tools tend to change their own regardless of the price...

YMMV

I started with a Lee Loader , loading 308 Win when I was 14 . Would do it at the kitchen table, and mom would really get pissed when I set a primer off accidently!

Another fly fishing comparison.

Reloading and fly fishing are the same, in that, they can both be as simple or as complicated as you care to make them. You can achieve very good results with just basic knowledge and minimal effort, or you can totally immerse yourself in all the most minute details to squeeze out performance to the nth degree.
Personally, I derive more pleasure and enjoyment from the former, and more stress and frustration from the latter.

Naturally, safety practices should be first and foremost.

That's where I am as well. If I can buy rifles in common calibers with abundant ammo, I do. Which has kept 308 as one of the main things I shoot because I can buy loaded match ammo for almost the same cost per round as loading it.

But if the OP wants to reduce frustration in reloading, what probably helped me the most at the rifle reloading bench was getting the tools to measure exactly what I was doing, before taking the ammo to the range. Namely: hornady gauge and modified cases to check bullet jump to the throat, a set of inserts (hornady or whomever) to measure shoulder setback with calipers, and a concentricity gauge to see if my practices were making roughly straight ammo or not. All of which lead me to Lee Collet Dies to the point that I've had them make me several custom ones in calibers they don't normally do.

Now now Steve don’t exaggerate. Wilson dies are great but when you say that it’s less than the cost of a normal seater you done stretched the truth some. You should have thrown in the cost of the Arbor press to even use them right. That Bald Eagle mini at the moment is just under 100 bucks from Grizzly or 115.00 at Midway or 125.00 bucks from Amazon. So the true cost is ~175.00-200.00 for that particular seater. All that stuff got sold in 2004 when the Bench gun got sold and I gave up short range BR.

You can order different size mandrels from McMaster Carr for the lee collet die, control the bullet grip in very precise ways. The lee collet dies produce less run out than my Bushing dies. Lee can help to some degree on sizes of mandrels, not much.

Agreed with that TX. It’s not that I don’t like to load ammo, cause man I have all the gear and do enjoy my time, but right now it ain’t worth pulling it all out to hastily set up right now.

In common stuff like the 270, 30-06, 308, 7 Rem Mag, 300 Win there is still a good selection of ammo that isn’t crazy priced for a hunting gun.

I’ll let my Mashburn and 300 RUM take the season off.

For the first loading. Next time around that Lapua case halved in cost per shot. Then 1/3, 1/4, et cetera.

Agreed on the components MM. How much is your time worth though?

If you’re retired and have little else to do it’s free. But if not you’re taking time away from work or family time.

Just like the cartridges we shoot and the bullets we fight about, everyone views it differently.

I find it pretty worry free. I first loaded for a .300 Savage. I was 12 using a press at Foster's sporting goods. You buy the components there and you could use their tools.
They taught me basics and watched me pretty close. I will be forever grateul to that place. It let me shoot enought to be competent.

I took less than top loads out of the manual for 100 gr Half Jackets and 150 gr SP's. I used BallC-2 for both loads and CCI Large rifle primers (not magnums). I seated the 150's so I could crimp them. Pretty much my current MO.

After a couple of years I bought a Rock Chucker which I still have.

I mostly load to duplicate factory velocities and trajectories. I usually have only a few pet loads per chambering. I adjust them to work well in my main rifles and check them in the rest. Once established I tend to stay with the loads until component availibility changes. I load the most for .223, .30-06 and .338 Win Mag. The .243, 6.5 CM, .308 Win, and .308 Norma also get a lot of business. Other , less common rounds where I
have to fabricate cases, special order dies, trim, neck ream etc. are pretty tedious but I don't shoot them much.

It is as complicated as you want to make it. I enjoy it and the process of having custom ammo.

Even for the common stuff I roll my own. I don't even go in the ammo section of the store. Well, now I stroll thru to look at the prices. I am kinda finding the "standard" cals are getting boring. Not that they are bad, ineffective or won't kill, I would just rather use something a bit less mainstream. I didn't draw an elk tag this year, so the 9.3x64 Brenneke (maybe factory ammo can be had with enough $$ and waiting) will get a rest. Deer and antelope will be chased with a 6.5x47 Lapua (I don't know if there is factory ammo available for this) and a 26 Nosler (factory ammo is stupidly expensive).
Other than a partial box of oddball stuff here or there at gunshows, the last time I bought ammo was about 12 years ago when I bought a 7x57R drillings. S&B ammo was $17 a box and that was cheaper/easier than me making it out of 444 Marlin brass. A 5 box purchase then will provide me with a lifetime of brass for that gun.

I don't reload shotgun anymore, so I do purchase any 12, 16, 20 ga ammo that I might need. It has been better than 20 years but I do purchase 7.62x39, as I won't reload for a gun that will never be accurate (no matter what I do on my end).

My first reloading was with my Dad for shotgun stuff. He also used a Lee Loader to load for an uncle's Winchester Model 43 22 Hornet.

Cash strapped during my Radiology training, I seated with Wilson dies using a small leather faced mallet.

The biggest mistake people new to reloading make is buying eyewash gizmos without having a firm grasp of the basics they are trying to accomplish.

Hornady's case comparator setup and a quality dial caliper should be the first tooling the new reloaded should invest in.

Good shootin' -Al

Thanks for the head's up... ordered a couple copies.

I didn't start handloading until the 1980's, so not as long as some. I don't enjoy it anymore (probably never really did) but I've always kept it simple. I don't weigh or sort brass, don't turn necks, and don't use a run-out gauge. About the only thing fancy I do is anneal brass every 4th loading, and I do use a Hornady O.A.L. comparator gauge (I used to just use a sharpie to get lands sorted).

I do think the basic $100 Pro-Chrono chronograph is a smart and safe bit of kit for every handloader.

Excellent advise, but have you tried getting the modified cases lately. I've been measuring to the lands using old school methods because I can't find the cases in the chambers that I need. Been tryin' bout 8 months now.

I don't think I stretched the truth at all. That would be true if you had to buy an arbor press for every seater. You don't. An arbor press is a one time deal, just like a reloading press. I'll take an inline seater any time over a regular reloading press for my bolts or single shots. That's because I don't load 500 or a thousand cartridges at a time.

I suppose that in addition to being slower, the only other shortcoming of the Lee Loader can be neck tension. I had a couple that sized the neck down a couple of thou too much and that made seating difficult. Still, the Lee Loader is the tool Oddball from Kelly's Heroes would like. You get to stop and smell the roses. No need to rush. It allows you the time to check everything. Lee Loaders worked in most rifles for years before hunters caught wind of the BR shooters tool catalogues.

ditto!! reloading is like a lot of things in life...it's as complicated as you want it to be. beginners should start out simple. of course, we are living in abnormal times...i hope.

Gave the marlin 30-30 another try and the ammo I loaded didn't even go bang. On inspection it appears my firing pin is broken as it didn't make a mark on the primers. See the luck I have.

Fortunately I had my Ruger Hawkeye 270 and again stellar results from that rifle and case thus far. No matter if it's factory ammo it's awesome but my reloads flat out are amazing. I can't say that for other cartridges I've tried.

I still need to learn more about the internals and components making up dies and the tooling.

Right now it's just the time. I like reloading, but I like shooting more.

The reloading is OK and sometimes a pain, and the shooting is kinda meh. The shooting for me is more of a tool I use or a means to hunt predators, sometimes game and I can pack in my leverguns on walk in trips to roadless areas. Currently though I've been practicing field shooting and unsupported or slung up. It's a big challenge in terrain and the reload part makes it possible. I struggle with some of the terms and tooling at times but I'm trying

Good post Mr. B. Others are pretty spot on too. Op is getting some good advice here.

Great points, Brad! I guess anyone can choose make reloading complicated but it seems important to remember that some/most of the precision & additional minute steps are unrelated to safe & effective ammunition for general hunting.

You’re making me think, Scotty. Putting an all around rifle together to intentionally shoot a particular factory load would be a good thing to have in the gun rack. No muss no fuss. Hmmmm.

I blame Dober and a few others POC. He'd mentioned doing this and that and buying a case of ammo and just hunting. I said to myself "Self, that sounds kinda interesting".. With a slight push by another who showed me a rifle I didn't even know I wanted an hour before we spoke I was headed down this track. Honestly, this place is the worst/best sometimes, cause you get so many darned good ideas, it's hard to keep up sometimes..

The Hornady Comparator tool I'm referencing is the one used to measure shoulder set back during sizing.



I've had one of their OAL tools since they were known as Stoney Point....haven't used it for years on a bolt gun as there are better ways to find the lands. They do work nicely on falling block and break open singles shots, though.

I make my own modified cases for that tool when I need them. Let me know what modified cases you need and let's see if we can get you going.

Good shootin' -Al

I have and use arbor presses from K&M, Neil Jones, one I made from an old bottle capper and the leather faced wood mallet I spoke about earlier. They all seat bullets with the same concentricity because it's the die that matters...not how the seating stem gets pushed down.

A young guy I know getting into precision hand loading had a need for a arbor press. He didn't have a lot of extra jingle in his jeans at that point and asked about buying one of mine. Instead of doing that, I grabbed one of these drill holders from ebay for under $20, made an aluminum plug to fit in the holder, shortened the column so it fit in his range box and viola'....he had an arbor press. He still uses it to this day.



People with the desire to do something will always find a way to accomplish it within their budget. Add some basic common sense, an understanding of the mechanics of what's trying to be accomplished and good things always happen.

Good shootin' -Al

There are 3 components to that statement Al that unfortunately don’t necessarily compute these days nor in my experience the last 25 + years for 2 of them.

Desire= very limited

Basic common sense maybe 5% of the time, an understanding of the mechanics of what’s trying to be accomplished is <1%.

If it wasn’t for the internet and YouTube 99% people couldn’t mechanically or have enough common sense to figure out how get themselves out of a wet paper bag.

Some people want to make it so.

As long as you are asking questions then your are still willing to learn things that are unknown or unclear to you. When you stop asking questions, then the water gets muddy! He who knowns everything, has the most to learn!

It's not terribly complicated but it sure as hell is tedious and boring.

Why I don't reload. I've killed a bunch of elk using Rem/Win 30/06 factory 180 grain ammunition. I even use to get a rebate on 2 boxes every year-----those were the days.

I suspect reloading is ever more complicated as the shooting sport moves toward more range time and group shooting and less field shooting.

In today's mail Brownell's is advertising a new to me reloading die/sizing die family that starts at more then $300 for the sizing die bare to which add bushings and of course an equally new and highly touted seating die. On the proverbial it's like a bus model I got to my stopping place some hundreds maybe thousands of dollars ago.

If I had some place to shoot today I could shoot ground squirrels and other varmints with a variety of owned rifles cartridges starting at .17 to include .204 in a MSR then .220 Swift Hart barreled in a trued Remington and .223 and a 5.56 different chamberings in different rifles then a 6mm Remington is not out of place with lighter bullets. Life was certainly simpler when I had only a rimfire and a .270 with loads from varmints to elk and thought that was complicated. Give me the eyes and land access of my youth and I could shoot for the rest of my life with foggy Weavers and load with 310 tong tools or Lee Loaders though I'd choose the Lee Precision at the introductory price if I could.

Used to be easy to find the places to burn ammo; today it's the range or nothing. Now handloading is easy enough though no doubt not so well done as it would be with spending $2K for a precision press and dies and measure and gages to load one cartridge. It's access to land that's complicated.

The gack books are great but the biggest help for me was your DVD on reloading. Lot of good info for a reasonable price.

My apologies. When you said comparator my mind heard OAL gauge. I have the Hornady comparator set as well. Very useful tool.

And thank you for the generous offer. I certainly appreciate that. I'll be sending a PM shortly.

Thanks for your comment! Glad it helped--which is an example of how showing instead of telling is often more helpful.

That DVD was made years ago, but still keeps going both on the Wolfe website and ours.

John

Add another thanks for the heads up. Picked up the 2022 Basic Loading Manual as well. Received a confirmation email today that they’ve shipped.

[quote[/b]=eaglemountainman]

Originally Posted by Al_Nyhus

Hornady's case comparator setup and a quality dial caliper should be the first tooling the new reloaded should invest in.

Good shootin' -Al

[b]Excellent advise, but have you tried getting the modified cases lately. I've been measuring to the lands using old school methods because I can't find the cases in the chambers that I need. Been tryin' bout 8 months now.[/quote]


No, and haven’t for many years. I use stony point but same same since all Hornady did was buy em. Make your own as it’s simple.

https://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/2015/04/make-your-own-modified-case-for-hornady-o-a-l-gauge/

5/16x36 tap 10.00. L or 19/64 drill bit and in 5 minutes time you gots a modified case.

I got into it because I wanted to use a bullet that was a handload only proposition. Then I got interested in some competitions, then casting bullets, then oddball guns and cartridges. I resisted a lot of the bughole rabbit holes for a long time, kind of started going down those holes a bit now. Gave me the opportunity to meet some good folk, have a lot of fun, do & shoot some stuff I never would have considered if I didn't handload. Does make it tricky to go into various gun shops and gun shows though, some I walk out of clean, others have cost me bigtime.
There is always the debate, OK, I have them or have means to make bullets, need dies, have right powders?,find some brass. Some guns have been in a cartridge I didn't really want, but, could work with, as they were a deal I couldn't say no to. Others got bought because I had an application for it as an excuse. Others were just cause I wanted to tinker with it. It isn't all that difficult, there is an absolute bonanza of product and info out there now that wasn't really as accessible when I started, as it is now, also more hype and BS around.
Overall, it is worth it in the long run.

.

A young guy I know getting into precision hand loading had a need for a arbor press. He didn't have a lot of extra jingle in his jeans at that point and asked about buying one of mine. Instead of doing that, I grabbed one of these drill holders from ebay for under $20, made an aluminum plug to fit in the holder, shortened the column so it fit in his range box and viola'....he had an arbor press. He still uses it to this day.



People with the desire to do something will always find a way to accomplish it within their budget. Add some basic common sense, an understanding of the mechanics of what's trying to be accomplished and good things always happen.

Good shootin' -Al[/quote]

There is a lot of common sense here. You have to ask yourself, “What is my goal?”

I tell new reloaders that speed isn’t a good thing. Don’t spend your money foolishly. They will find an arbor press and an inline seater will save them a few bucks and seat bullets straight. Inline seaters are made for all the common calibres.

There are so many reasons to reload, and certainly, quite a few different actions. So, what is your goal?

I've got all the basic tools but I need a few more gages. Just got a new updated loading book and dial caliper.

Copy/paste is nice but reality is usually different.

A "5 minute" job sounds nice but that's not the reality of making these. Besides the back end drilling and tapping, the neck I.D. needs to be either honed or reamed so the bullet is a slip fit in the neck. If you're doing it in a lathe, you can't just clamp the chuck jaws on the case....you need a way to hold the case in the chuck as the drilling and tapping takes quite a bit more pressure than people think. Unless they've actually done them, of course.

For anyone contemplating doing these at home in a drill press or whatever, use an 'M' bit rather than the 'L'. The 'M' is .005 larger and while the resulting threads will be a bit more shallow, it won't be functionally significant and the tapping effort will be quite a bit less.

For the home hobbiest, you can 'hone' the neck I.D. with a piece of 320 grit rolled tight and inserted in the neck while the case is spinning. Keep checking it often and stop when a new bullet is just a nice slip fit. If the bullet fits sloppy in the case neck, the reading you get will be inaccurate as the bullet will tip in the neck and not contact the rifling evenly.

Before I had a lathe, that's how I did mine....and I'm not very smart. But any hobbiest with basic skills and bit of thought can accomplish this at home.

And now for something completely different - reloading without any dies or presses.

For the cost of a bullet mould and some simple tools very serviceable practice/fun ammo can be created. A means of de-re capping, metering powder, and a bullet sized correctly for a snug thumb press fit in the fired case (leave it sticking too far out and the act of inserting the cartridge in the chamber and closing the breech will automatically seat the bullet against the lands uniformly shot-to-shot). Precision loading? No, but surprisingly good results can be had. A range session can be conducted with but one cartridge case used over and over and over again, a punch to remove spent primers and a cheap hand primer seater, powder measure + powder, and a box of cast bullets, and a big smile on your face is all you need.

Carry it a step further and you can breech seat cast bullets directly into the throat of the rifle and avoid having to create some form of fixed cartridge altogether. Again with simple paraphernalia to re-charge the single case. Accuracy can be downright astonishing as the bullet is started straight into the rifling and is fully engaged in the rifling before being spanked by a violent powder explosion which can upset the apple cart, so to speak. Works best with single shot rifles, but people do it with bolt guns too, as have I. Again, the gear can can be as simple or as complicated as you care to make it.

Here's some of my gear, in this instance the stuff for shooting .32-40:





Top pic- breech seating tools, a simple pusher tool and a compound leverage pusher.
Middle pic- de-re capping tool, in this case a copy of H.M.Pope's design
Bottom pic- bullet lubing pump (although I mainly just pan lube my bullets any more)

Cheap accurate shooting conducted like this with Ye Old Betsy hunting rifle throughout the spring/summer months is a dandy way to hone the physiological control of the trigger making you a better marksman for when it counts in the field (not to mention being stupid cheap to do, even in this day and age). As hunting season rolls up, put this stuff away, load (or buy) a couple boxes of full-snort hunting ammo, re-zero the gun, and go forth and kill stuff.

Seems you go about it the hard way. And all I copied and paste was a link to which I never said was the easiest way to do it. No you don’t have to ream the neck ID.
If for multiple same caliber I take a fired case from the smallest chamber, run it through a body die if it chambers hard in the rifle it was fired in, if it goes into all easily all I do is go to step 2 since it naturally has a slip fit from being fired.
Then all one has to do is drill and tap which by the way Amazon sells the whole kit. I used a 19/64 bit which yes the threads are a little shallower but since you aren’t putting it under a strain it doesn’t matter.
So yes since I do have common sense and mechanical ability it only takes 5 minutes unless you want to make it harder doing it the way that article and you state.

I picked up 2 Wilson case trimmers and a 30-06 cartridge family trim Guage from an estate. It can work in a vise but I was wondering if the Wilson stand and tooling Guage holder were worth acquiring for the trimmer?

The Wilson stand works ok. It's also a simple matter to make one.

As above nails it. It was worth it to me - mostly to turn loose from the vice and clamp to a desk.

In my love of gadgets I have a Forster manual case trimmer with two bases of different lengths and a full set of collets mounted on a piece of wood and a Forster base used in a drill press for bulk power trimming to go with a fancy stainless micrometer Wilson. Where available scraps of counter top make great bases for incidental tools. I haven't had any issues with the Wilson case holders but rumor says that like resizing dies and other such occasionally the case holder is not always a perfect match for fired cases. I'm more inclined to use the Wilson as I age and prep fewer cases at greater leisure.

If you have easy access to the stuff to make one, not really. If you want the easy button, absolutely. The $40 Sinclair stand is what I got.

I do it even simpler with cast bullets in the .22 Hornet. Have a Lyman mould that with wheelweights casts 44-grain roundnoses. They shoot best unsized--and also seat firmly enough in unsized cases. Use a Lee Loader for seating, and just have to push rather than tap. Five go into around an inch at 50 yards....

Yep! That's how I mostly load for my Stevens 44 .22WCF. I have three of those old Lyman/Ideal moulds, #225438, and each one is slightly different from the rest. One of them drops bullets cast of 1:20 tin:lead alloy at .226" which perfectly matches the throat diameter and fits the unsized case neck as you described, John. I skip the gas check for .22 LR-like loads. Accuracy is similar to yours when I rely on the tang sight, but shrink a fair bit when I attach that old Lyman 5A scope I got from you.

Sinfully cheap:
Lead- basically free.
Powder: 2.5 gr. Bullseye. Do the math for shots per pound.
Primers: Pre-panic prices apply here, but I guess that'll change when the sad day arrives when I have to buy more.
Bottom line: about as cheap as bulk .22 ammo, or less.

Good deal!

I have a good many primers, but am operating on the premise I may never get more, at least not for less than a dime a pop. Right now, mid-grade .22LR is cheaper than primers, and there’s no doubt I have more of the former than the latter.

Have yet to try those nice bullets John sent me, but it’s near the top of the list now, and I have the 5744 I need as well.

Don't get me started, Pappy! I could launch into a diatribe about handloading .22 rimfires, but I won't. And beyond that, breech seating cast bullets in .22LR rimfires with primed empty rimfire brass (of which I happen to have thousands) - I remember showing you the little .22LR breech seating tool I made, at a bar one Sunday.

One of these days, though that day keeps getting pushed back by other stuff, I’ll get to that little .36 underhammer pistol I bought last year using homemade caps. 15gr of FFF ($.05), a $.01 homemade cap, and whatever bullet I can buy or cast should make for some cheap fun, and just maybe some small-game vittles.

And that, dear hearts, is the epitome of cheap uncomplicated handloading. Muzzle loaders keep whispering sweet nothings in my ear, calling me back onto the path of righteousness. But, I've been there and rarely go back anymore - I'm too far down several other rabbit holes now, too many other questions vex me and too many experiments to contemplate factored by age starting to raise its ugly head.

I would like to thank Al Nyhus and show my appreciation for his offer to make some modified cases for my Hornady AOL tool. If any of you have been looking, then you know these cases have become quite scarce, with long back order ETAs from all vendors.

I sent Al cases for 5 different chamberings on 6/16, and received them back yesterday. I could not be more pleased. If anyone is having the same trouble locating modified cases, maybe you should PM Al, and maybe he could do the same for you.

Its the community here that makes The Fire so great.

Thanks again, Al

Happy to help out.

Modifying your fired cases is a much better approach to the 'universal' cases that Hornady has to supply to avoid issues. I've seen as much as .020 difference in seating depth from the Hornady cases to those cases that have been fired and correctly sized for an individual rifle.

Enjoy! -Al

What size bit and what thread tap is used for the modified cases?

Tools to reload? OK, a hammer works....



It's only as complicated as a fella makes it...





No tools used with these either, 'cept for the hammer to seat the primers.

Decent single stage press, Lee dies, Lee hand primer, small digital scale, decent measures Harrel for fast powder, RCBS for slow. Many many free load books from manufacturers, 3 books from bullet makers. Added a volume trimmer and US cleaner recently plus shoot in my back garden - a lot.
I don’t check run out, no longer chrono merely shoot for accuracy and dope. My relatively crappy system beats many sporting LR club members whose ammo might be more technically put together but who either don’t shoot enough or have lost sight of the end goal.
I don’t anneal - by the time I need to many have been lost in the grass
I enjoy learning and the process that turns exploration into the ordinary.
One absolute-ONLY EVER USE DATA VERIFIED BY A MANUFACTURER

Started in 1969 still loading cf pistol, cf rifle and shotshells as well as bp rds and casting. Allways have the ammo I need just like food in the frig and cupboard. If I could learn how to reload with a Pacific reloading manual and a RCBS jr. press and 7 x 57 dies at 14 , damned if I can even begin to understand anyone who thinks it's complicated....mb

Late to the party as usual but its either as simple as you want it to be or as complicated as you want it to be. Sub MOA is fairly easy.... sub half inch takes a little more time.

Just received my Western Powders manual that the boys on here recommended. $5.99 shipped. It is a heavy book! Thanks for the tip.

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Just an FYI for those who are looking for recent data resource and this one is free from Hodgon. It's pretty basic but it covers enough rifle, pistol, and shotgun powders from various manufacturers. Did I mention it's free and I found it at my local retailer. What an exceptional promo. Beside that ibpicked up 200 count of 338 bullets today. Good stuff

Haven’t reloaded since 1980’s. Have purchased equipment and components - just need to set up an area.

I have read so much in the past year. I must have been an idiot way back. Didn’t anneal cases. Didn’t turn necks. Didn’t deburr primer flash holes. Didn’t group cases by weight. Never even heard of Lapua cases. Must have been only by the grace of God that my cartridges fired, never missed a deer, and the Partition bullets tore them up.

All I did was lube the case, deprime and resize, clean primer pocket, prime (and with the press, not a hand tool), charge with powder and seat the bullet. Choose to match the OAL of the reload to factory loads - using the eyeball method to compare. What a dummy!

Thanks for the heads up on the Western Powder Guide. Purchased for a total price of $5.40 - they didn’t even charge for shipping.

It all depends on what results are important to you. Some handloaders enjoy the tuning and technical aspects of the hobby, some are simply interested in reliable deer hunting ammo. Do what suits your wants.

Can any make me some of these, with either: Alliant AR-Comp, SNPE Vectan SP 7, Somchem S335, or Winchester 748?
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