Guns, Bows, Shooting Sports, and Hunting Reloading

[GCroyle]

.02$

As a new reloader, my recommendations are limited, but here goes.



1. Attention to detail.

2. Patience.

3. Organization, organization and organization.

4. Make a load log book or better yet, make the book and keep the details in an XL file. Allows for sorting, searching and print out specifics.

5. Learn your press. You will be the fixer troublshooter hero.

6. On a limb here, but I did buy a digital scale, allows me to check weigh each completed round, kinda gives you a little bit of a warm fuzzy. Yes, it has check weights.



crobertson1, good luck and enjoy .

 

[GHarman]

Gary, Check the instructions with your digital scale. Make sure you are not using it around Florescent lights. For some reason the ballast interferes with the scale operation, electronic interference, at least on the older units.



Definitely a reloaders log!!!



Measure overall lengths with a Sinclair tool that looks like an oversized nut with 6 different size holes in the flats. That measurement is then taken on the leading edge of the bearing surface as opposed to the tip, which is widely variable, lot to lot. GregH

 

[GCroyle]

Greg,



Darn electronics, can't trust digital for nothing. I'll test lights on lights off and see if if changes. The nice thing is quick measuring of loaded rounds for a newbie adds to feel good factor.



I think the RCBS tool accomplishes the same measuring concept it measures from face to a common bullet diameter, not the tip as you describe.



Time to get a new range report soon, but not today.

 

[GHarman]

Electronic Scale Drift

Keep an eye on your electronic powder scales. They do DRIFT. I have a Lyman and it is necessary to re-zero often!!! Thats why I dont use it very much. GregH

 

[p-Bar]

Keep an eye on your electronic powder scales. They do DRIFT. I have a Lyman and it is necessary to re-zero often!!! Thats why I dont use it very much. GregH

I always double check with the balance beam.

 

[crobertson1]

I'm slowly accumulating more stuff. I'm going with a balance beam scale and dial calipers. NO BATTERIES! I was going to start with . 223, but a buddy talked me into starting with 9mm. I'm still a ways away from actually reloading.



I'm going to get a couple of manuals. Do you guys have any recommendations for them?



Here is another good source of info:

Reloading & Ammunition - M4Carbine.net Forums

 

[WDixon27]

i have the 47th and 48th lyman manuals and like them and this series of books looks pretty cool LOADBOOK USA, . 38 SUPER, 614 LOADS - eBay (item 300187904247 end time Aug-01-08 20:14:07 PDT) one book for one round

I'm slowly accumulating more stuff. I'm going with a balance beam scale and dial calipers. NO BATTERIES! I was going to start with . 223, but a buddy talked me into starting with 9mm. I'm still a ways away from actually reloading.



I'm going to get a couple of manuals. Do you guys have any recommendations for them?



Here is another good source of info:

Reloading & Ammunition - M4Carbine.net Forums

 

[edgeman]

I have a question for you reloaders. I have quite a bit of once fired rifle brass,I would like to reload it but havent figured out how to get the primers out. They seem to be glued in. I tryed, one time, to deprime, but broke the deprime pin. Has any of you got any ideas on this? Thanks! BTW its nice to have a place to discuss our many intrests.

 

[GCroyle]

Someone will chime in with the correct verbage, one is Boxer the other Berdan ( I don't have them memorized) but there are two distinct types of primers, one punches out easily with the right size punch or die, the other uses an internal anvil and does not have a through hole for the punch, hench broken stuff, requires special tools or????



What caliber and headstamp?

 

[GHarman]

Berdan vs Boxer

Bredan primers are deprimed by a external affair that has a lip that hooks under the rim of the case and a sharp point that gouges through the fired primer. I havent seen one of those for many years. The case has the anvil swaged into it with flash holes, at least 2 that are distributed around the anvil. Boxer primers have a self contained anvil that is set when the primer is seated into the primer pocket. The flash hole is dead center, therby allowing ease of decapping and repriming cases with a single pin through the inside of the case.

Look inside your cases, if you see a central flash hole, they are boxers. If there are 2 or more holes around a central point. Then they are Berdan's. GregH

 

[edgeman]

The caliber is 30-06, federal cases. My son and I both bought pump style rifles last year and we are not putting scopes on them. We bought a lot of "cheep" rounds to get in some practice b-4 hunting season. I work "on the road" and I didnt have time to reload, thats why the store bought rounds. I didnt notice the glued in primers until I started to set up to reload them. I have seen this on 308 rounds also, but the 308 rounds were military, and I can understand why the military would glue or waterproof them. The case I tryed to deprime was military, but after I broke the deprime pin I didnt try these new federal cases. I did look at the cases and they have one central hole, I have never seen the other style cases. Maybe they will deprime with no problem, I was hopeing others had seen this and could tell me how they did it. Thank you, edgeman

 

[GCroyle]

Greg is the guy you needed to explain this in detail.



I do not know how or why yours broke. I deprimed a LOT of CMP LC 30-06 using a drill press as a press only, using a carefully selected pin punch with a small primer sized hole in the drill press table, the primers popped right through quite easy. Allowed me to tumble w/o primers in place and inspect quite well. Trick with military brass is re-priming, requires special primers or resize to commercial primers. Greg has the experience, give him the details.

 

[GHarman]

Edgeman, You shouldn't have any trouble decapping those Federal cases. Are you using a Full length sizing die and a loading press to accomplish this? GregH

 

[edgeman]

Yes, I am useing RCBS full length dies, and a RCBS Rockchucker? (not sure if its maybe rockcrusher) press. I have never had any problems other than this. I called RCBS and told them what happened, they didnt have an answer, but did send new deprimeing pins(3). I guess I should just try another case and see what happens. I dont like breaking things! Thanks, Edgeman

 

[GHarman]

Are you centering your decapping pin assembly? Float it in, loose, into a case, then tighten the nut. Shouldn't have any problems as long as your pin isn't bent. GregH

 

[edgeman]

No I didnt center the pin like you sugest, but I sure can try that. The pin is new so I sure hope it isnt bent. Ill set up and try it. thanks, Larry

 

[edgeman]

Well I went and tried it and every thing worked just fine. Primers poped out good, no hesitation at all. Now I can reload all those once fired brass. I guess I just needed a little support, thank you all for the help. Larry

 

[GCroyle]

Primer Pocket Reamer Arrived

Greg,



The Hornady pocket reamer arrived LRP and SRP and I tested it last evening, 4 sharp reaming teeth, chamfer, center bottoms against pocket, cuts easy so far so good but until I run some in the press, well that will answer some questions. Checked the dimensions of commercial and GI with my new digital caliper (gift from neighbor) doing good until the readout showed +. 199 at ZERO, reset it and several times it kept adding . 199 at ZERO. Stopped, cycled it several times out and back, last run my 6" first time use digital showed +9. 279" that ain't possible on a 6" caliper. Back to the major home center with this one, get a brand name at the tool store.

 

[GHarman]

Sounds like you got shafted on the Caliper! I have verniers but I will replace them with Dial calipers. The digital calipers are nice but I do not need that level of sophistication in a caliper. Brand names are preferred. Starrett(#1), Mitotoyo(sp). Glad you got your primer pocket reamer. That is, IMHO, a necessity. GregH

 

[GCroyle]

Greg,



I have a 30+ year old Mitutoyo dial, never had any problem with it. The new digital was a birthday gift, my neighbor bought one, liked it and did me a gracious gift. Digital does offer a Zero here and then read +/- against your target value, thats a plus.