Post by: BIGINNER on February 18, 2011, 12:38:21 PM
well not really a hobby, i want to give reloading a try, i've never done it, never seen it done in person, so,... my question would be,..
what basic equpment would i need? i want to get a cheap single-stage press, (i will be reloading for quality, not quantity)
i will be mostly doing 25-06, and 7.62 x 54r i was looking to get a lee single stage press, because they're cheap, and a coowrker of mine has one, and he says it works great for him.
what books should i get? type of bullets? (i will probably try alot different kind to see what works best with my gun)
type of powder? type of primer?
also to the people that reload,.. how do you know that you rounds that you reloaded won't blow up in your face? :chuckle: i know its a stupid question, but its got me worried, lol
thanks for any help/advice
Post by: 6x6in6 on February 18, 2011, 12:52:33 PM
Post by: 400out on February 18, 2011, 12:57:21 PM
No ones going to take you seriously unless you post in ALL CAPS. :chuckle::bdid: :bash:
Post by: BIGINNER on February 18, 2011, 01:02:02 PM
No ones going to take you seriously unless you post in ALL CAPS. :chuckle:
in ALL CAPS
p.s. jackalope taught me this trick :chuckle:
Post by: BIGINNER on February 18, 2011, 01:09:05 PM
There was another good thread about a month ago with the same questions you have. Had a lot of good information. As far as blowing up in your face, I ask, How do you know the ammunition you are buying off the shelf is not going to blow up in your face? I trust myself more than others when it comes to sizing and measuring.
http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,64295.0.html (http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,64295.0.html)
so you don't take any precautions when shooting a load you never tried before? no putting the gun in a clmp and pulling the trigger with a string? lol :chuckle:
Post by: spookgus on February 18, 2011, 01:19:54 PM
Post by: Rhinoron247 on February 18, 2011, 01:36:54 PM
Post by: cwuwildcat on February 18, 2011, 02:45:35 PM
Reloading presses are a lot like gun safes, you might end up having to trade up after you find what works and what doesn't, unless you play with them first. I've got a RCBS rock chucker supreme sitting right next to my Lee classic turrett press. The turret press was about half the price of the RCBS, but I use it more because I can put the dies in a turret ring and hot swap everything out. Don't have to worry about readjusting dies every time.
Can't get enough books. I've not found the ONE book that covers everything, or has every load that I'm looking for.
Post by: bearpaw on February 18, 2011, 02:54:43 PM
You can actually get most of what you need off the internet anymore. Just be careful working up your loads, every gun reacts different, start with light loads and shoot them, slowly work up to heavier loads. DO NOT LOAD A FAST LOAD AND SHOOT IT WITH OUT WORKING UP TO IT.
I have found if you have questions about anything regarding reloading, guys on here will answer quickly. :twocents:
Post by: BIGINNER on February 18, 2011, 03:05:27 PM
so lets say i load 56gr. of powder (dunno what kind) with a 85gr. bullet
and 46gr. of powder with a 120gr. bullet, would the pressure be higher in the first formula or the second one? how much role does the type of powder play in the psi? or do most powders creat the same ammout of psi?
Post by: cwuwildcat on February 18, 2011, 03:59:18 PM
Pressure can change by changing any one in the formula. That's why books are good, or getting data from the powder manufacturers sites. Don't trust/rely on a recipe given to you by someone over the internet. They just might not know what they're talking about.
Post by: BlackRidge on February 18, 2011, 04:05:09 PM
Biginner, from what I can tell, you're in the tri-cities which is a little far from Cle Elum, but if you're ever there, check out Three Forks ammo and reloading, http://www.threeforksreloading.com/. (http://www.threeforksreloading.com/.) If you look at this link and watch the photos flip by on the main page, you can tell he's got a bunch of stuff. You might have something closer, I just don't know that side of the state anymore.
Can't get enough books. I've not found the ONE book that covers everything, or has every load that I'm looking for.
+1, love that place, Good people running it too. I try to stop by whenever I'm heading East on 90
And totally agree about collecting reloading books, the more you have, the better information you have to help form that ideal recipe
Post by: bearpaw on February 18, 2011, 04:23:07 PM
Be sure your cartrige cases you are working with are all the same brand and in good condition before you begin.
Pick the bullet you want to load in the book you have. Then look at the various powders that are listed. Many books will have an asterisk by the most accurate load that they tested in the test rifle. Or get a load from someone on this site for your type of gun. This is dangerous if you don't know what you are doing. Start off with a powder load that is about 10-15% less than the load you hope to use. Load 3 cartridges and shoot them, checking for pressure after each shot, have your mentor check the cases for pressure. If there are no signs of pressure, increase your load by 1/2 gr of weight of powder, load 3 shells and try them. Always try to shoot the best group you can when you try them. That way if your accuracy gets worse, you know you need to back off the powder.
Work up 1/2 grain at a time, when you start seeing any signs of pressure, either stop increasing or back off a fraction of a grain depending on how much pressure is showing. I know you are in the dark on this, so please get help to get you started. There are safety concerns that you need to learn while performing the various stages of the process. :twocents:
If you can't get the powder to pattern well in any load, you may have to start the process over with a different powder or different bullet. :twocents:
PLEASE WAIT FOR HELP - This is just a beginning, there is a lot more to it than this. :)
Post by: Bofire on February 18, 2011, 04:40:12 PM
You can buy lots of great reloading gear used, or bought and never used, cheap!! buy RCBS stuff, get a Rockchucker press. I have seen them for 25.00 they are just about unbreakable.
FIRST THING GET A MANUAL and read every word five times.
:hello:
Carl
Post by: spookgus on February 18, 2011, 05:08:58 PM
Post by: bearpaw on February 18, 2011, 05:43:55 PM
Post by: sakoshooter on February 18, 2011, 10:57:43 PM
I'll also second or third "Read The Manual" thoroughly.
Post by: BIGINNER on February 19, 2011, 09:27:24 AM
Post by: quadrafire on February 22, 2011, 04:46:34 PM
Post by: BIGINNER on February 23, 2011, 01:13:01 PM
looked like a good book to start with, also, is there any reloading books that talk about reloading specificly for my make and model of rifle, or is it the same basic info for most rifles, (barell twistd,.. ect..) ?
Post by: docsven on February 23, 2011, 01:59:19 PM
Post by: BIGINNER on February 23, 2011, 02:09:55 PM
If your rifle is older, check the CUP pressure tolerance posted by maker and cross check that with load data in your manual so that you are not exceeding it. Most manuals take that into account when they publish a max load. Do a lot of reading first and start with starting loads and you should be fine, but get the other tools mentioned, like calipers and case trimmer. Inspect your brass, go slow and be careful.my rifle in brand new, i haven't even fired it yet...lol but where would i find the CUP pressure tolerance? owners manual? :dunno:
and ya, i am shopping for books right now, i'll do lots of reading, this kind of stuff scares me too much for me to do something stupid, and i definately take every safety step and beyond necisary
Post by: GUHunter on February 23, 2011, 03:08:02 PM
Post by: BIGINNER on February 23, 2011, 03:14:09 PM
If your rifle is new, you should be fine by sticking to book data. Start near the lower end of the range for a given powder type and bullet weight and work up, watching for pressure signs as you go. Your rifle will eventually tell you what a max load is in that rifle. Keep in mind that there are many things that affect this. If you find your rifle's max load now and then shoot the same ammo in july, you may see dangerously high pressures. Higher temperatures increase pressure. This is just one reason that knocking on the door of max loads is not necessarily ideal.
ya, i agree with you, and i would be scared, (and smarter) than to try abything above max pressure, i would be scared to be neer the max pressure, i just want to try loading for accuracy, and try smaller grain bullet without having to pay $50 for a box of 20.
also it seams like a fun hobbie to have :)
uno mass qvestion.
i havesn't really looked at alot of reloading recepts yet, but do they usually have the psi on the table? or do you just look for pressure sighns on the casing,
also,... what signs of pressure should i be looking for? bulges? ect..?
Post by: wildmanoutdoors on February 23, 2011, 03:42:08 PM
Post by: bobcat on February 23, 2011, 03:49:48 PM
Post by: BIGINNER on February 23, 2011, 04:18:52 PM
Most of the newer books are pretty conservative on what they show for max charges, so you should be safe going all the way to max. Of course you always want to watch for pressure signs as wildman stated but in most cases you should be able to get to the max book powder charge if you're using identical components (primers, cases, bullet). It's pretty hard to get yourself in serious trouble if you're loading a cartridge like the 25-06 and if you're using one of the slowest powders, which are also the ones that will provide maximum velocities. As an example, with my 270 Win (very similar to your 25-06) I use H4831 and generally about 58 grains with 150 grain bullets. This charge fills up the case and I don't think I could get more than maybe 60 grains in the case and still be able to seat the bullet. If I did mistakenly get 60 grains in there I am sure it wouldn't be enough to cause any real problems. So there's really no need to worry about "blowing up your gun" or anything like that. Now if you were loading pistol cartridges and using the fast powders that generally work in them, you could easily get a double charge, which probably would blow up the gun. But for just loading your 25-06, don't sweat it too much.
LOL THATS IT YOU CONVINCED ME.. I'M GETTING A RELOADING SETUP.. :chuckle: