About to start reloading

[AHPP]

Soon to be reloading target ammunition for 7.62x51 and 6.5x47. Got ingredients pretty much worked out so now need to get the processes sorted.

 

 

A mate is probably about to get a Hornady press (single stage) and I might grab an RCBS Rockchucker by way of comparison and so we can have a couple of things happening at once if needs be.

Chuff-off huge tumbler to start with (we'll be going through a fair bit of 7.62) but might look into ultrasonic later.

Super duper match dies from Hornady or Redding.

 

 

Choice of 1,2 or 3 (or maybe something I haven't considered):

1) Run case through a deprime + sizing die then tumble

2) Use a specific depriming tool of some kind and then tumble (sizing afterwards)

3) Tumble with spent primer then deprime and the rest

What’s the best way?

 

 

How do you all lube?

 

 

Consistent length trimming, neck chamfering, deburring, primer pocket and flash hole cleaning and uniforming etc has got me scratching my head the most. The hand-held gear looks like I'd grind everything on the wonk so the lathe type trimmers/deburrers look more useful.

How do you all do it?

 

 

Fiddling with neck tension is going to be too much for me to think about this early on (My brain's on a second lap as it is!). If I understand correctly, the dies with adjustable micrometer bits on top allow you to adjust neck tension. Which are the best of the simpler, not-neck-tension-adjustable dies? Redding get a good write-up.

 

 

6.5x47 will be neck sized as it'll only be for my rifle.

7.62x51 will be full length sized each time as they'll be going in two rifles and I can't be arsed trying to keep track of whose brass is whose (eventually one will get mixed up and stick).

 

 

So what do you all reckon? Any tips etc?

 

Also, if anyone’s got any gear that they’ve outgrown that could be of use to me, let me know.

[silentsoulsleave308holes]

save yourself a lot of head ache and hassle and buy a lee deluxe die set and the lee trimmer kit, come to think of it I would go lee for all the bits and something like a rock chucker press and a good scale and also some rcbs check weights and rcbs hopper/powder dispencer

 

you cant mess up with a lee mandrill and cutter, it only cuts one length and the de-burring tool is just about the most simple and effective

 

neck tension................well if you buy new or once fired brass, full length size with some lube and I always neck size them after anyway, the lee neck will give about 2thou pinch on the neck and neck turning is something you can play live later but with the way lee neck dies work (floating center mandril) they cause less of a problem than button dies as far as uneven neck tension goes and even with out going through all the neck turning hassle can give sub 1/4" groups

 

I have a k&M turner but it only gets used on my custom tube/custom chamber, it gives sub 1/4" groups but then so does both my 7.62's and 223 with out turning

 

I will try to list basic do's

 

1) make sure brass to be sized is clean both inside and outside the neck (I have used many methods but have seem to have stuck with a used but cleaned phospher bronze next size down cal, and brush the inside of neck and wipe the outside of neck with the next to finest scotch brite carefully but I would say until you can get some, ultra fine grey, use a little solvol autosol that you can get from a car shop or garage, if you happen to get a little inside the neck, it will dry in a minute so it can be brushed out but you want to try to avoid it. use only a little and wipe straight off when brass has rubbed clean.

 

2) clean brass wont wear or impead the proper function of your dies. you should first full length the brass new or once fired from another gun to bump everything back to the size it should be, you should test if your gun likes full length or neck sized best but neck sized will mean your brass lasts longer. also when neck sizing, turn brass half turn after sizing and resize, it wont stress your brass any more but will ensure neck is more central

 

3) once sized if any lube has been used (full length only normally) should be removed, the case length trimmed and de-burred, primer pockets should be brushed or turned clean. flash holes should be checked for any debris like tumbling media, defects or such and brass primed with a priming tool(cheap and cheerful lee is one of the best

 

4) set dispencer to throw just under your wanted charge so you can trickle up and I weight each load, take care not to spill or lose any powder during transfer to case or you will have to start all over, check with a small torch (flashlight if your over the pond) to make sure all cases are filled then begin placing the bullets into case mouth

 

5) begin seating bullets but half way down extract, turn and continue to full seat, this helps to keep thing central and as true as poss

 

6) I number my brass with a fine permanent marker so I know how many rounds that case has fired and can add up how many rounds the gun has fired (if a new gun) so if I have a number of cases that have say 2 on them and are empty then I know they have been fired twice, if they have 3 on them and still loaded then I know they have been fired twice but are on their third loading

 

hope this helps

 

ja

[silentsoulsleave308holes]

ps the dies with the mic on top are for use with multiple seatin dept so you can use the mic to set die to seat one type of bullet then if you change bullet and need a different seating depth you will have wrote down the previous mic setting and can return to it

 

NEVER, and I have seen this many times, never seat bullet to a depth and re-adjust die each time to get the same overall (oal) length for the remainder of the same batch of loads

 

to explain better, once die is set leave it set, bullets can vary from base to tip in the same batch and weight exspecially lead or open ended bullets but even plastic tips do too, howver the ogive measurement (the point where the bullet would engage the rifling) will be far far more consistant

 

if you were to change each seating depth to an exact oal (not ogive) then the internal space in the case will change wildly maybe even dangerously but at best would be very in-accurate

[AHPP]

Thanks for the advice, Dave. All taken on board.

[Alycidon]

If you but a reloading manual then step by step instructions are in there.

 

I can really recommend getting an existing reloader to show you the ropes, takes maybe half a day. I am sure there will be someone here within 100 miles of you that could help. I am about 2 hours away from you if needed.

 

A

[AHPP]

If you but a reloading manual then step by step instructions are in there.

 

I can really recommend getting an existing reloader to show you the ropes, takes maybe half a day. I am sure there will be someone here within 100 miles of you that could help. I am about 2 hours away from you if needed.

 

A

 

 

I've (hopefully) got a couple of people lined up to show me the ropes but I want to cross reference as many different ways of doing things a possible.

[Vermincinerator]

save yourself a lot of head ache and hassle and buy a lee deluxe die set and the lee trimmer kit, come to think of it I would go lee for all the bits and something like a rock chucker press and a good scale and also some rcbs check weights and rcbs hopper/powder dispencer

 

Save yourself a lot of headache and hassle and "DONT" buy Lee gear.

Buy once and buy quality buddy, which means staying away from Lee stuff, although thir equipment does load very good ammo its cheap tat.

 

Dont forget some kind of measuring device, either a vernier or if your eyesight is not too good a digital calipre, they same goes here, you gets what you pay for.

 

Ian.

[Alycidon]

The Lee primer tool is fine IMHO. I do though have a discount store £4 vernier, it looks the part but is simply not accurate enough. Mitatoyo are excellent.

 

A

[silentsoulsleave308holes]

Save yourself a lot of headache and hassle and "DONT" buy Lee gear.

Buy once and buy quality buddy, which means staying away from Lee stuff, although thir equipment does load very good ammo its cheap tat.

 

Dont forget some kind of measuring device, either a vernier or if your eyesight is not too good a digital calipre, they same goes here, you gets what you pay for.

 

Ian.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

charming.......................some people are on a budget......................I have rcbs comp and redding and love my lee gear with the exception of the press

 

maybe thats why I cant seem to get my loads to shoot very well and can only manage sub 1/4" most of the time and not all the time

 

lee case trimmer...................aaahh,,,,,well you cant fook up trimming with one unlike some others I have owned

 

hey dont worry I am just a dicky dinkle and dont know what the frack I am talking about

 

????????????? beginer reloader just get yourself well into debt and only buy the absolute best , then for three times the price you can HOPE it will make you a better shooter

[Vermincinerator]

Silent, just as you have the right to recommend Lee stuff i have the right to voice my opinion and un-recommend it.

I have used Lee gear and broke presses, stripped threads and had to modify collet dies to get them to work properly etc....... i now choose not to use their equipment.

Whether you are on a budget or not you should strive to buy quality equipment that you will only replace when you want to rather when you have to.

You are being a bit prickly my friend in no way have not questioned your ability to shoot, re-load or your knowledge and you know as well as i do that one make of loading equipment will not improve your shooting over another makers so chill out a bit buddy

 

Ian.

[silentsoulsleave308holes]

in a chain pulling mood mate/ had a not so good day

[eldon]

Have to agree with ian and silent. Rock chucker press is a sound option.

Lee is ok to a point. Lee case trimmers as silent said are the easiest to use and least likely to fook up so plus point there.

I have knackered more cases with the collet die closing before the case enters than I care to remember but generally they do a good job. Strip threads ... yes the collet caps strip easily, £5 wasted. Not too fond of the presses as the quality could be better, minus one. Was told not to buy lee scales when I started and there doesn't seem to be a load of people recommending them. The hornady or lyman deburrer is nicer in the hand than the lee one. I have both and never use the lee one now.

 

So you can see some stuff is mix and match it all depends on your budget and likely quantities.

[menial 1]

I thought this debate was getting going, may as well start my popcorn now the handbags are parked up.

[Vermincinerator]

in a chain pulling mood mate/ had a not so good day

 

No probs silent, i hope you have a nicer day tomorrow

 

Ian.

[AHPP]

Had a very informative evening with a chap who works at a shop round here. Took me through the whole process and demystified a lot.

 

I think I've got the idea about Lee gear. I'm not in abject poverty but I don't want to spend money for the sake of it.

I'm reckoning on using Lee trimming (calibre specific cutty bit on a stick which rotates in the primer pocket gubbin) and chamfering bits and bobs as well as the Autoprime. Think I might be a bit more snobbish on the press front though and get a Rockchucker or Redding single stage.

 

K&M do primer pocket and flash hole uniformers, which work well. Problem is I couldn't work them that well because I've got girly weak fingers that can't hold a case steady cutting with the tools in a cordless. Probably need alternative or stronger fingers.

 

A universal decapper looks handy to have around.

 

I was a bit worried about micrometer adjustable dies until I got a guided tour of a set. In reality, they're pretty sodding simple when someone explains them to you face to face and takes them apart.

 

 

With all the above in mind I reckon I'm going to go for:

 

6.5x47 Redding Competition neck bushing die set:

1) Micrometer adjustable neck sizing die with interchangeable carbide bushings

2) Body die to bump shoulders every few firings but leave neck alone

3) Micrometer adjustable seating die

 

Will start off with sizing the whole neck and learn and experiment as I go.

 

...at a cost of an arm and a bloody leg.

 

 

The .308 dies will be less gucci.

Redding Deluxe set:

1) Full length sizing die

2) Neck sizing die (which I don't even want)

3) Seating die

 

...costing not a lot.

 

The .308 dies don't need to be as go fast and easy to adjust for different configurations as the 6.5x47 ones because they're for cranking out the same full length sized load for two different rifles. Set the dies once and leave them to it.

 

 

The other super-duper useful thing I got taught how to operate earlier was a chamber length guage with a modified case (Stoney Point) and a comparator (clamp to your verniers jobbie) to work out how far it is to the lands. Seems dead simple to relate all lengths to the ogive and work away from or into the lands as I go about load development.

Do Stoney Point/Hornady do a modified 6.5x47 case or is it a matter of taking a drill to one?

 

 

 

Keep any tips etc coming and I still want to know how different people go about the various processes and in what order.

[Elwood]

Alex as far as I'm aware Hornady/Stoneypoint do not yet make a modified case for the 6.5x47. I tried to get one a few months back.

 

You might be able to get some kind person on here here to thread a case for you, or failing that use a dremmel and cut the case necks and then clean up with a round file, this is what I have done.

What I haven't got yet is the comparator to measure a 6.5 bullet to the ogive.

[Ronin]

You will save yourself a few pounds if you purchased a FORSTER benchrest seater and FORSTER bushing or standard re-size die.

 

The BR seater is comparable in quality to the Redding comp seater, the only weak links with Forster products are the aluminium lock ring (which binds to the press sometimes) and the decap rods, which are too thin - sunstitutes can be made with 1mm allen keys and then everything works very well.

 

Anyway the Forster stuff would save £40 or so over Redding an its better than RCBS and Lee.

 

 

Have to say I am not a fan of Lee kit either, but I know severl people who are completely happy and get very good results with it - horses for courses I guess.

 

 

Again, my own opinion (FWIW) but I would split a case neck with a fine saw or dremel and use this to check your OAL to lands - I can explain more if your interested, but my methods is just as accurate as the Stoney Point tool and a whole lot cheaper too.

[AHPP]

You will save yourself a few pounds if you purchased a FORSTER benchrest seater and FORSTER bushing or standard re-size die.

 

The BR seater is comparable in quality to the Redding comp seater, the only weak links with Forster products are the aluminium lock ring (which binds to the press sometimes) and the decap rods, which are too thin - sunstitutes can be made with 1mm allen keys and then everything works very well.

 

Anyway the Forster stuff would save £40 or so over Redding an its better than RCBS and Lee.

 

 

Have to say I am not a fan of Lee kit either, but I know severl people who are completely happy and get very good results with it - horses for courses I guess.

 

 

Again, my own opinion (FWIW) but I would split a case neck with a fine saw or dremel and use this to check your OAL to lands - I can explain more if your interested, but my methods is just as accurate as the Stoney Point tool and a whole lot cheaper too.

 

 

 

For a saving of only £40 and needing tinkering with, you haven't really sold the Forster dies to me!

I've also been very kindly offered a contact in the states who will ship dies as a gift, which will cut down on cost for starters.

 

As for measuring to the lands, are you talking about the 'three fine cuts in the neck to get just enough neck tension to hold the bullet but allow the lands to push it into the case then extract carefully' method? I've heard it but a refresher would be nice.

If I can't get my head round the above I'll get a standard case drilled and tapped.

[col48]

i use the fosters comp die on one of my calibers, and they are as good as redding comp dies, and i have a few different redding comp dies to compare them with.

i got mine direct from fosters,and saved a few £. i would not hesitate to buy some more,should the need arise.

i have not experienced the locking ring binding that ronin describes.

 

i don't think there is that much difference between any of the methods of finding out where your bullet touches the lands,

its about being consistent in what and how you do things.

i cut my own cases,now,but i used to use the cut case method,i have all so used the bare and lock ring system from Sinclair's. (don't know what this method is called)

 

as for components for reloading,simple buy the best you can afford

the only thing lee i have is a lee primer tool. the reason y is i believe that lee is cheap tat,

but there is a lot of people that reload well on it, I'm just not one of them,i believe buy right,cry once.

all my reloading gear will last me a life time, i am on my 3rd lee primer tool if this was repeated all the way through my reloading gear then i would not have as many custom rifles as my money would be spent on replacing my lee equipment.

 

ATB

Colin

[bigun]

i was tought by one of the best ,well if being number one in [f] class aint being good enough i dont know what is .this is the way i was shown and iv only been doing it a short time and my rounds are spot on .. first i de cap the shell ,then i clean up in side the case neck with a brush .then if its first time cases i clean out the primer pocket with the primer cutting tool and de bur the primer flash holes holes in side and out ..i use the primer pocket brush if they have already been done before ..then i use one shot in my tumbler to help clean my cases ..when cases are clean, i check all my case with the mandrel to make sure the inside of the case neck is bang on ..any really bad cases are crushed with pliers and binned .i then full length size my cases ,neck ect .then i case trim the cases with a wilson case trimmer .then i chamfer the in side and out with the wilson case trimmer tool ..then i tumbel clean them all again to get any crap and wax off the cases ..then i put new primers in useing a lee auto primer ..i was told to get the single primer one but i found them to slow to use plus they cost so much ? then i fill with powder useing a beam scale 10-10 and a harrell`s to dispence my powder with, they are the best by far ..then in to the forster co axe press and seat bullet ,then check ogive ..theses are the best so im told not for speed i may add but they are very easy to use .. i have changed it round a little to what he did show me ,you can clean your cases as much as you like ..at the start in the middle but dont clean with your new primers in ..by having a dirty case you will scratch your cases when sizeing and you dont want any crud in side your bullet as it will end up in side your barrel ..

 

 

this is how i was told... clean cases

(1) primer pocket prep

(2) mandrel -first time only ---i check every time

(3) flash hole debur - first time only--

(4) neck chamfer inside and out

(5) size case

(6) seat primer

(7) drop powder and weigh

(8) seat bullet

(9) check ogive

 

 

got to add cases do stretch so check your cases in the trimmer from time to time and chamfer as well