Starting Hand Loading

[GJF]

My son and I are looking for advice on sensible way to start hand loading. Will be for 6mmBR, 243, 270, 308 30/06 happy to start with 6mmBR and add on as become more proficient.

Looking for it to be a money saving exercise in the cost of rounds,  and interesting project for my son and i to do together, so dont want a large capital outlay as it would defeat the aim. what set up would people recommend ( basic and simple are good for me) , i presume 2nd hand for some / all equipment? anything to look out for?

Has anyone outgrown equipment that might help us out.

[DaveT]

The cost of kit is considerable but my advice before buying anything would be to get a knowledgeable  handloader to show you how, what are the safe latitudes incertain critical measurements, what to do if these are not what you expected and what tools you need to startup.

Many will advise internet research but.....you won't know what questions to ask....... ask someone to SHOW you.

[GJF]

Sounds like great idea

Any body reloading in Dulverton Exmoor TA4 area?

many thanks

[banus02]

good evening,how many rounds do you use in a year? reloading is not cheap any more and consumables can be difficult to find.if you fire less than 300 rounds a year you would be better to find cheaper factory loaded rounds ,ppu,sellior and bellot,winchester some federal etc. powder is heading skywards as are bullets in price and will only get worse.for what its worth if you do start to reload i would suggest you start with the 308/.243 as these will be the easiest.<i dont reload/use a 270 or 3006>good luck which ever way you go.

[1066]

I think starting with 6mmbr makes sense - There seems to be very little factory 6br about and certainly none at bargain prices - There are often good deals and plenty of choice for factory rounds on things like .308 etc.

The 6mmbr is easy and economical to load with plenty of available bullet/powder choice, although I wouldn't go into reloading premium rifle ammunition and expect to save a great deal of money.
A Reloading manual, a solid single stage press, a set of dies and reasonable beam scale will be your initial main outlay, along with powder, primers and bullets. There are odds and ends you will also need for case preparation/measuring etc.

It's all a balance and depends on you outlook. A Lee case length trimmer costing £15 will work just as well as a £200 one from Redding, just not as quick or convenient.

[banus02]

out of interest are 6mmbr cases readily available and a price that makes reloading the 6mmbr reasonable?

[1066]

51 minutes ago, banus02 said:

out of interest are 6mmbr cases readily available and a price that makes reloading the 6mmbr reasonable?

Sportsman gun centre, Spud and others will have them - around £100-120 per hundred. I think I have loaded my Lapua 6mmbr 22 times now with moderate loads and beginning to get a bit tired.

[geek]

I reload: .308, 6.5 Creedmoor (6.5 CM), .223 and 6BR.

Before I loaded anything, I asked someone I knew from one of the clubs I attend to SHOW me how to reload. I had mounted the press (single stage), then they showed me how to set up the dies (sizing and seating), etc. They then loaded a few rounds so that I could watch, then I loaded while they watched to ensure that I followed the process correctly. I also wrote the process down for when I was re-loading on my own next time. It’s Ok to watch YouTube videos, but you do need to watch someone re-loading so that you can ask questions. One of my clubs (Diggle Ranges) runs a reloading course (run by the Gun Pimp on here) for those starting out loading which I found very useful, I attended it twice to see if I could improve my reloading process and pick up any new tips. Maybe worth asking at your club if they offer anything similar.

I would start off making a list of what you need (not what you want), you can always add to it later. As mentioned above, it can be an expensive process to start. I too reload with my son and it is an enjoyable process. We generally prepare the cases in batches (de-prime, tumble, size and trim) one day (for each calibre) then reload another day. Once all cases are prepared, it takes us about an hour (or just under about 50 mins or so) to make 50 bullets irrespective of calibre (although, we do a check of about 20% of the powder thrown by the electronic scales on the balance beam scales, which takes time).   

I started by reloading .308 (this does seem a common round to start with) then moved to the other calibres (6.5CM, .223 and finally 6BR). I am finding 6BR a tricky round to find a balance between velocity, accuracy and pressure signs (pierced primers [now changed to CCI 450]- but not a stiff bolt) at the moment, in fact, still working on the 6BR and not yet finalised a load.

Good luck, take your time don't rush and enjoy it and time with your son.

[srvet]

There is lots of secondhand equipment available. Something like this press would last a lifetime for limited outlay

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RCBS-RELOADING-PRESS-the-classic-ROCK-CHUCKER-Model-/402804990944?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286

add to that a scale, trickler, some Lee dippers and a set of dies any you could make some very good ammo

[miki]

On 4/28/2021 at 9:04 AM, GJF said:

<snip>Looking for it to be a money saving exercise in the cost of rounds,  and interesting project for my son and i to do together, so dont want a large capital outlay as it would defeat the aim. what set up would people recommend ( basic and simple are good for me) , i presume 2nd hand for some / all equipment? anything to look out for?

Handloading isn't a money saving exercise, it a fine tuning regime that allows you to produce a round of ammunition which provides a matched and consistent load. Increasing the performance of your rifle and (along the way) giving you a greater understanding of the forces involved. It (IMO) enhances the whole experience. Taking into consideration the cost of the tools you need (as @banus02said) you would need to be firing several hundred rounds a year to see any saving.

In saying that handloading is very satisfying and enjoyable process and the feeling when you find/develop/produce an accurate load is well worth the effort (and expense) ...

 

[AJW7088]

22 hours ago, GJF said:

Sounds like great idea

Any body reloading in Dulverton Exmoor TA4 area?

many thanks

Hello,

If you are happy to travel to the Target Sports Centre at The Tunnel, near Lyme Regis, (perhaps 90 mins away) then we would be happy to show you various reloading presses and equipment set up for handloading. We conduct some reloading on the site.  

I would very much endorse the comments from Miki and others above. Handloading is very satisfying (and something I do alongside one of my sons too), but it may not be the best money saving exercise.

Happy to show you how some of us approach it, and although there is a shop on site selling some bits for reloading, no pressure on that front!

I hope that helps, and I appreciate we may be further than you wanted to travel.

Adrian