Cartridge Reloading BasicsCartridge reloading can save a person money and provide enjoyment as a hobby and ammo for specific purposes. To start probably the cheapest and easiest way is to purchase starter kits sold by RCBS, Reloader or Lee. Starting out, cartridge reloading basic equipment will include a loading press, loading block, powder measure, case trimmer, deburring tool, dies, dial calipers, hand primer, loading tray, primer flip tray, case lube and a reloading manual from a company like Speer, Hornady, Nosler, etc. Powder companies like Hodgdon also put out lots of load data for their products and many have websites so that you can use their information. For cartridge reloading single stage presses are the simplest to use and come in a C frame or O frame. The O frame has the most strength and with less flexing for the largest of cartridges. These presses take a pull or push on a lever handle to produce each stage of the reloading process. Turret presses have all the dies mounted on top and all you to do is rotate the dies for each operation instead of screwing in a different die. Progressive presses are the fastest for cartridge reloading and produce a loaded round with each pull of the lever. Many steps are automated like priming, metering powder and putting in the cases and bullets but require more setup time. These are great for high volume handgun rounds or small rifle cases. The only thing that I don't like about a progressive press is some times primers or powder will hang up causing an uncharged loaded round that you may not realize till your out shooting. Nothing worse than a bullet stuck in your barrel. Always watch that everything is working properly with each pull of the lever. When picking components for cartridge reloading I try and find loads that have the highest velocity with the least amount of pressure for hunting as long as their accurate. For handgun plinker loads I usually look towards economy. I pick a powder that uses small amounts of powder for the most power and versatile enough for several different calibers and works well with lead bullets. For magnum handgun loads I look for the same as with rifle hunting loads, high velocity and accuracy. With some of the many newer powders older cartridges like the 30-06 can deliver better performance than in the past. Many load manuals post accuracy loads and these deserve a look if they will do what you need. Also newer load manuals on cartridge reloading have reduced load data when compared to the older manuals probably because of liability. By studying load data certain loads stand out from others and many times its possible to pick a powder that can do several different calibers well. A balance beam powder scale or electronic scale will both do well though the electronic is faster. The scale will be used for weighing powder charges. Some shooters looking for higher levels of accuracy will even weigh individual bullets and cases. When just starting out just make sure that powder charges are started at the lower charge recommended. Work up as required never to exceed maximum charges in reloading data. Dial calipers are necessary for case length measurement, (brass cases stretch from shooting), and overall loaded round measurement. The hand primer tool gives better primer seating feel but is not necessary if your press has a priming feature built in which most do. The primer flipping tray has ribs that when shook side to side will place all primers in one direction for placement in primer tubes that some presses use for priming. Some press primer holders like Lee's have the primer aligning ribs built in so a primer flipper is not necessary. For cartridge reloading I prefer to use case lube in the spray can which seems a lot easier to lube many cases at a time and does a good job. Case trimmers can be power or hand cranked, so choose according to how much shooting you will be doing. Handgun straight wall cases hardly ever require trimming while rifle cases need trimmed after every few loadings if full power loads are used. The higher the pressures the more trimming. Usually die sets for handguns come in a set of three while rifles come two to a set. Rifle and handgun both deprime and resize the case but on withdrawal the rifle case has an expander that correctly sizes the neck for the caliber bullet being used. The middle die for a handgun expands the case for easy entrance of the bullet into the case. The last die for both the rifle and handgun will seat the bullet and usually will crimp the case into the bullet if desired. Some cartridges like the 45 acp headspace on the rim mouth so length and crimp style can be critical. When different length cases are used the crimp will vary making it impossible to have uniformity in pressure or cartridge consistency. Make sure you read the loading manual procedures for each type of round. Some variations of dies will just neck size rifle cases for accuracy and help make them last longer. Others have a different type of crimp and also make it possible to add powder through the die into the case for use in progressive presses. For handguns and the larger quantities of brass that handgunners usually go through always go for the carbide resizing die because no lube is necessary, saves time, and it requires less effort to use. Nowadays different makes of dies will work in different brand presses but in the past this was not true. If you come across old reloading dies at a yard sale keep this in mind. When setting up dies for cartridge reloading always read instructions carefully so as not to break anything. Presses have lots of leverage so be careful and don't force anything before looking for problems. Before loading cases its always a good idea to inspect them for cracks in case mouths or cracks and shiny rings above the base of rifle cases. Shiny rings around the base is a sign that the base is about to split and separate from the case body. If loaded and fired the base can separate leaving the case stuck in the chamber requiring a gunsmith or special tool to remove it. Before cartridge reloading clean the cases if you have a case tumbler with corn cob or walnut media so that all dirt will be removed from inside the primer pocket and case. Use a deburring tool on case mouths for first time loading to aid bullet insertion by putting a small bevel to the inside mouth of the case for rifle and handgun ammo. This can keep your cases from becoming crushed or deformed. Make sure all media is out of the case and primer pocket before loading and measure to make sure cases are in specification after resizing. All loading manuals will have a trim to length measurement and a maximum case length. These measurements are critical in that too long a case will not fit the guns chamber correctly and could cause excessive pressures. Always keep brass in lots so that you can keep track of how many times they have been used and by brand. Excessive lubing of rifle cases while resizing can result in dents to the case shoulder but won't hurt anything. I take a Q-Tip and put a light coat inside the case neck to aid the sizing rod when it pulls back out of the case. When filling cases with powder always check powder height before pressing in bullets by shinning a light into them while they are in the loading block. Sometimes powder will bridge in the measure and cause some cases to over fill and others to be lacking. Stick powders are notorious for this. When seating the bullet make sure you read the die adjustment procedure so that the case is not ruined during set up because you can't press a bullet in a case if the die is set to low and already crimping. Overall case length is always listed in the loading manual. This is a good place to recommend also the purchase of the inertia bullet puller. No matter how careful you are cartridge reloading, sooner or latter you will need one of these for screw ups. We all do. These will take the bullet out of the case when smacked down on a piece of wood and not damage the bullet. I put a cotton ball in the bottom so lead tipped spitzer point bullets are not damaged. Case manufacture can have a big difference on reloading as to case capacity and pressures. Military brass is usually thicker walled than domestic ammo so pressures will be higher because of the smaller capacity so always start loads on the low side for safety. Military brass also has the primers crimped in and are harder to remove and will also need the primer pockets reamed before priming. Actual bullet diameter, bullet material (lead, jacketed, all copper), primer type and make, bullet brand, case brand, air temperature, gun chamber and bore tolerances all contribute to pressures so start on the low side. Work your loads up in half grain increments and watch for sticky extraction, excessively flattened primers or blown primers. One of the best ways to check for excessive pressure is to measure the case base or head with your calipers before working up a load. If the case head grows in diameter more than .001 of an inch then you need to reduce the load. Cartridge reloading is a wonderful hobby and well worth the effort to learn for economy and higher quality ammo. There are many bullet types and powders that are not commercially loaded giving hunters and shooters many options for better performing loads. Benefits of Cartridge Reloading and Uses
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