Where do I go from here?

Grey_Lion said:
Bit of advice #3.... keep things extremely basic and simple for the first 5000 rounds or so. No fancy add ons - no powder thrower - no primer feeder - etc. etc. do it all by hand, measure it all by hand, and learn before trying to get fancy or going for additional speed or automation. i.e. walk before you stroll or run.....


Welcome
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Out of all the great advice you've received in this thread, I think this might be at the top of the list. DO IT ALL BY HAND AT FIRST.

You would be amazed what you learn just from your own senses as you go through the process. The importance of touch and feel cannot be overstated. (After you've hand-primed a couple of thousand cases, you'll know when you've got a loose primer pocket. And after you've loaded a while with an RCBS Chucker, you'll learn what the "appropriate" amount of resistance felt is when using a FL resizing die.

There are plenty more examples. But get your hands dirty for a while. Don't short yourself the education just to make things happen quicker. I've been reloading 7mm rem mag cartridges for 21 years now, and I still hand measure every single powder charge. I also hand clean primer pockets, tumble (before and after resizing), and hand prime all cases.

Just remember, it's about the journey...
 
RC20 said:
OP:

I would re-consider wet tumbling. While its very good, its more steps and you need a sink and drains for it. Dry tumbling works fine and I have yet to pry the dry tumbler out of my brothers hands despite his love of the wet process (you will always use it for something)

The Thumbler Ultra Vibe 10 is a a very good one. If price is an issue then any of the Frankfurt ones are fine. They take longer.

A lot depends on how much you reload and shoot. Wet tends to lend itself to a return on bigger batches and more shooting.

If you do wet, just get a food dryer mult stack from Walmart, they work perfectly and cost a whole lot less than the ones listed by a reload mgf.
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Is cleaning the brass a necessary step or is it more for looks? Does the inside of the case have to be cleaned?
 
The short answer is no, no cleaning is needed. Wipe the case when done sizing and you can go on.

To answer your other question, yes, load up 5 or 10 rounds and shoot them.

Make a dummy round with just the bullet and make sure it cycles first both easy chambering and the COAL is right.

For 100 years we pretty much either did not clean or tumbled. Wet cleaning that is effective is new. It may have some bench rest use in eliminating a carbon variable in a case, but not needed.

Same thing with primer pockets, you don not HAVE to clean them.

That said, I like clean brass. It makes me warm and fuzzy and proud. Not a bad thing.

There are some parts of reloading that are preferences and not have to. That is a preference.e MY brother now wet cleans as he likes it and his shop is setup for it. He is more detail oriented (OCB) - not a bad thing, just not me.

I tumble as I don't care about the inside and I can just dump in my vibratory and let them clean off for 8 hours (I do batch of 100- 150 in the 10 model)

I can dump them into a caulder my wife found for me that has large holes, sift out the media, turn em upside down and clang them and into the pan for next step.

They make a hand crank unit that does the same thing.

Part of the preference is WHEN you clan them. You will read that you have to clean them before so you don't scratch you dies with grit.

If its range pickup and dirty I will, but my own cases even if I drop one I wipe it off and I have yet to see scratched on my dies. Old wife's tail.

If they are tarnished from sitting before I process (range pickup) I will do so as well.

Most of the time I size and then tumble. It cleans the lube off and they are ready for the next step.

I also clean the pockets (not polish but a quick buzz on the RCBS prep tool) I don't know if it would keep building up carbon, I just do it. Others say not needed.

So again, a preference. I have never tried going with a batch long term to see if they do build up.
 
I have been thinking about my initial range trip. I’m wondering if I should just load a handful of rounds at one(lower) charge just to check myself or should I go ahead and load some different charges. I’m thinking just loading one charge would be the correct answer but please give me some opinions on this.
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Again, what is the ultimate goal?
 
5whiskey said:
I started like you. I didn’t learn from my dad, friends, or other family. I learned from here and THR. What I did? I just picked something. I knew the calibers I wanted to load, so I took a manual with me to the gun shop. I picked win 760 as a powder for 270. There are better powders, but it works and I use it to this day. I’m not trying to sell you on it, get what you can find. Just start with one that will work with the caliber and work up with it. You can try others later, but start with one.

Just get some large rifle primers. Anything will work.

I am particular to Sierra bullets. Their game kings are accurate, inexpensive, and a decent hunting bullet. Good for paper or hunting. YMMV.

Oh, last thing. Save the heartache and pitch the federal brass after the 3rd or somloading.
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Sounds about the way I started. Hornady book is as good as any I think.Stick to Hornady bullet's to learn on. 270 I think you said. Stick to slower powder's for heavier bullet's and quicker for lighter bullet's. You could also find that just the reverse is true in your rifle. I've only ever had one 270, just not a fan for whatever reason. Only bullet I used in it was the 140gr Hornady spire point/inter lock. It got stolen and I miss the rifle. Harrington-Richardson Ultra on a Sako L61 action right from the factory. Probably wasn't any better than the Mauser action they normally came with but I liked the older Sako's, only reason I bought it!

Powder to start with might be H 4350, IMR 4350, or other in that range. I'm thinking O'Conner liked 4831, IMR or H in those days. Seem's to me he loaded fairly hot loads too from what other's have said.
 
I have been thinking about my initial range trip. I’m wondering if I should just load a handful of rounds at one(lower) charge just to check myself or should I go ahead and load some different charges. I’m thinking just loading one charge would be the correct answer but please give me some opinions on this.
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Start simple. One bullet, One powder, One charge weight, a handful of cartridges.
Get past the initial intimidation. Prove to yourself that you can do this.
Then go home and put together a load development plan, if you need one. You might hit gold with the first group.
 
JMorris,

I think if you read posts 1, 6, and 8, you get a pretty good idea of what he is after:

Performance on medium game up to 100 yards.
Adequate accuracy for paper-punching up to 200 yards.
Economy


BattleAx,

It used to be that accuracy was always achieved with match bullets and hunting was always done with hunting bullets. The reason was the traditional cup and core manufacturing process could get the best accuracy from jackets that were too thin to hold together well on game. The famous 168-grain Sierra match bullet (developed originally for 300 meter International Rifle, but also very precise at 600 yards) has a jacket so thin it just breaks apart in game and so it is not recommended for hunting.

However, that bullet was designed in the late 1950s. In the 60 years since, manufacturing technology and bullet making methodologies have been improved and today even a good many very thick jacketed hunting bullets have good target precision. So what I would do in your shoes is call Sierra and Hornady and Nosler and Speer and get recommendations from their technicians as to what they recommend to meet your goals. Look them up online to compare prices. Buy some and try them. It may turn out your rifle shoots one of them better than the others. That's not uncommon.

As to what you take to the range for the first try, I always take a set of loads to look for pressure limits with, but that does mean I am sometimes pulling down loads that were getting too warm. Also, neither hunting at 100 yards nor target shooting at 200 requires maximum velocities. Indeed, a lot of hunting bullets will tend to flatten too much or come apart if they impact too fast. You want to ask the bullet company techs making recommendations what the impact velocity range for each bullet is, then load for velocities that will impact in the middle of that range at 100 yards. Use the free online ballistics calculators at Hornady or JBM to find out what muzzle velocity they will need to drop into that middle impact velocity range over that distance. This is not likely to exceed middling loads, so you may want to work up from starting loads to about the middle of the range with them and just see what in that range proves to make the smallest groups.
 
Starting out I started reading and ordering a few reloading manuals , depending on what your reloading for , hunting or target shooting or both determines what bullet your using . Remember when using different brands of brass , brass isn't all the same thickness , Federal is on the thick side , less volume so start at the low end of the powder scale and work up until you find a accurate charge test one thing at a time , powder or bullet . Keep a log on what your using and round count for barrel life . One step at a time , more questions will come , I've been reloading for 30+ years and I'm still asking questions here . It never ends , are you sure you want to get into reloading , it' turns into a addiction .
 
excellent record keeping

no matter what you do, good, bad, or in between, write down everything you do or try. Everything!! Spare no detail, even the seemingly most insignificant detail.

Those careful notes will help in many ways; asking questions here on this site with what you did, and helping down the road with what I did then and what I am doing now.

If nothing else, those records will demonstrate how ignorant you were in the beginning and how very far/fast your learning curve has evolved.

That is probably not what you were looking for in your original post, but that's my input. This is only the beginning, and life and reloading is GOOD.

edit added: small batches of everything. DO NOT load up a large batch of anything! I promise you will without a doubt, find yourself undoing a lot of reloads. If you do not already have it, get an inertia bullet puller and later a collet type puller for your caliber.
 
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You might want to check this site out:http://www.ocwreloading.com/about.html

Even after 40 years of reloading I find his suggestion interesting. Full instructions are under "instructions." He points out that you should be an experienced hand loader, but I think if you pay attention to what you're doing, it shouldn't be a problem. Right from the beginning I'll suggest you purchase a "comparator" kit from either Stoney Point or Hornady, which allows you to seat your bullets at desired depths. As time goes on, you're going to want to learn to do this anyway, other than just seating at overall lengths according to the manuals.

I've had 4 different .270's over the years and each of them prefers a different bullet for best accuracy. A Sako and a basic Remington 130gr power point; a Winchester M70 and a Speer 130 flat base (didn't do as well with boat tail); my original Rem M700 likes nothing other than a Hornady 150gr spire; a newer Rem M700 takes a Hornady 140gr SST. All use H4831.

In addition to all the suggestions above, I would recommend starting with H4831, a standard primer (no magnum), and pick an affordable bullet in 130gr and 150gr (Hornady makes good ones in both weights).

Try the Dan Newberry Optimal Charge Weight Load Development method in the link above, and you'll be on your way!
 
I kind of think the OP needs to get some experience with the basics then onto the even more in depth stuff.

Load some and go shoot em. They don't have to be accurate, just get the process down and confidence.
 
I still use a lee whack a mole for 303 brit looking for one for 6.5x55 swed.
Those little kits are awesome and you can take them to the range to work up loads
 
But for the OP.....read read and read some more you can never know to much.
Just be safe... check charges...get a case gage...

Welcome to the world of reloading....your gonna love it
 
I still use a lee whack a mole for 303 brit looking for one for 6.5x55 swed.
Those little kits are awesome and you can take them to the range to work up loads
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I started out with one but it cracked my 44 mag cases after 3 rounds. I hated it (not into tool abuse) took far to much whack.

303 probably not an issue as they don't last more than 3 (reading, I don't have one, large chambers)

A low cost press might work better for the 6.5 though.

That is what I got for the 41 magnum (liked it better than the 44) and still use it for bullet seating depth changes at the range.

I don't think they would let me load at the range.
 
I take it to the outdoor ranges here in indiana.... I just prime my cases before hand and take a kit with me with some powder and scales.

I never loaded hand gun cartridges with the whack a mole just rifle.

There awesome tools

Oh I have 2 dillon xl650 I load on but still like my lee loader kits... I dont use them to often but there cool
 
My inner re-loader got so offended I never tried any of their whack a case again!

Once I get offended I tend to stay that way. Good balanced view of them then on your part.

I got an RCBS junior, set it up in my tiny closet in my 10 ft camping trailer and never looked back!
 
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