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Back into Reloading......

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bigboreblr

5 year old buck +
Oldest stepson wanted a lee 4 turrent for christmas. Came in yesterday from grafs. Pickin's were slim on powder and primers. Did get 3lbs of win 748, a 1lb of 231, and a 1000 magtech rifle primers. Got 300 150gr winchester powerpoint 308 heads.

Scooped up some 180gr pri partizan 40 cal heads and harvester 40/50cal blue sabots. Should work fine for the loaner muzzleloader.

Used to ty to photocopy basic factory ammo hwne I reloaded. Case resize factory seating depth, then find a decent powder that made close to the same velocity. Only exotic custom thing I loaded was a subsonic 210gr over trimmed 357 mag case. Modified a Lee mold. About 15 years ago hunted me mom property. NYC transplant moved next door and called the game warden anytime I target practiced or hunted. Put that load in a 24" barrel navy arms lever gun.
 
Asked Santa for a lee basic press and 30-30 dies. Can't beat em join em. Little weary of getting him the turret starter set. He can borrow my single press until he gets the knack.

A little bit of me hopes he gets a 6.5 creedmore, so I can get one. See how much 223 he does, might have to scoop up another savage.
 
Anybody got some recommendation for accesories for reloading. Been a few years since I reloaded myself. I got him the lee turrent press kit. He wanted the turrent, really wanted him to start single press.

Thinking the kit lacks a good way to trim cases. Might need a lube pad. He has a tumbler to clean the cases. He is reloading both semi-autos, bolt guns, and maybe handgun too. had mostly semi-auto handguns.
 
bigboreblr said:
Anybody got some recommendation for accesories for reloading. Been a few years since I reloaded myself. I got him the lee turrent press kit. He wanted the turrent, really wanted him to start single press.

Thinking the kit lacks a good way to trim cases. Might need a lube pad. He has a tumbler to clean the cases. He is reloading both semi-autos, bolt guns, and maybe handgun too. had mostly semi-auto handguns.
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I have a Lyman trimmer and it works , if you're doing hundreds of rounds at a time it might be a pain. I use the Hornady spray lube. Spray at a 45* angle and it gets inside the necks too. It's wax based and cleans off in the tumbler. Might need a small base die for the semi-auto rifles.
 
Honestly... case trimming isn't something I'd worry too much about, at least not now.

While I have a case trimmer or two even, somewhere... it's been ages (as in decades) since I've used it. I tend to chamfer well inside and out and it mostly takes care of itself.
 
His girlffriend bought the lee pacesetter dies in 308. Think they're full length resize. Told her to buy the neck die too. Do you need 7.62x51 dies? Know there's some fine differences. He was saying he sold his .223 AR is maybe is going to sell. See what pans out.

I bought him the pacesetter die set for his 35 remington and got the same in 30-30 for my marlin. 35 rem is his grandfathers gun.

I'll hold on the case trimmer for now.

I'll be reloading with him, but my needs aren't great in that department. Don't shoot too far like 250 or less. I do alot of practice in 22lr offhand and plink flintlocks a good bit too.
 
The Little Crow case trimmers are awesome.
 
An electronic powder dispenser / scale. The scale is good to weigh brass and bullets for conformity. I believe an ultrasonic cleaner is better than tumbling. ( citric acid and dawn) is my cleaning mix. I use the Lee trimmers specific for cartridge and a separate hand held primer. Also a de priming die.

A bullet puller is also good to have.
 
I need a trimmer for my reloading when I did it. I trimmed down 357's cases for a custom bullet, trimming down 30-30's for the crimp to be in the right spot on hornady FTX heads.

I forgot how many reloads before you need to trim. Doing 308 mostly.

I do have an electronic scale. Still need that to see how good I cast .535" and .440" roundballs. Gonna need that bullet puller.

A little hesistnt to buy it for him, he is kinda lazy and barely hunts. I think he was out once this year so far. He complained the shooting lanes were brushed up. Loves going into the gunshop and blowin a paycheck though...
 
bigboreblr said:
I need a trimmer for my reloading when I did it. I trimmed down 357's cases for a custom bullet, trimming down 30-30's for the crimp to be in the right spot on hornady FTX heads.

I forgot how many reloads before you need to trim. Doing 308 mostly.

I do have an electronic scale. Still need that to see how good I cast .535" and .440" roundballs. Gonna need that bullet puller.

A little hesistnt to buy it for him, he is kinda lazy and barely hunts. I think he was out once this year so far. He complained the shooting lanes were brushed up. Loves going into the gunshop and blowin a paycheck though...
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Shouldn't you be trimming to a listed length from a reloading manual and changing the seating depth to hit the cannelure on the bullet?

You'll need something to measure your resized cases to make sure they're not too long. Be sure to measure after sizing.
 
A good caliper with either a digital readout or a dial indicator is worth owning. A powder trickler is handy. I like wood loading blocks.....and plastic ammo boxes if your loading allot. Chronograph is helpful to know your results. I like a hand held priming tool...especially when your starting out. A concentricity gauge is great.....but you can also watch for excessive bullet runout by rolling cartridges on a flat plate. A bullet seating depth tool is worth while if your goal is accuracy.

There....I think we spent allot of your money. lol
 
Foggy47 said:
A good caliper with either a digital readout or a dial indicator is worth owning. A powder trickler is handy. I like wood loading blocks.....and plastic ammo boxes if your loading allot. Chronograph is helpful to know your results. I like a hand held priming tool...especially when your starting out. A concentricity gauge is great.....but you can also watch for excessive bullet runout by rolling cartridges on a flat plate. A bullet seating depth tool is worth while if your goal is accuracy.

There....I think we spent allot of your money. lol
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Speaking of chronographs, the new Garmin is absolutely wonderful. There are none of the problems that occur with traditional chronographs, and everything is simple to use. I’ve used mine now several times, and it has never missed a shot. I can also easily set it on a tripod and measure the speed of my compound bow. The rechargeable battery is nice too, and the size of the entire unit is smaller than a 20 round box of 30-06 ammo. .
 
Native Hunter said:
Speaking of chronographs, the new Garmin is absolutely wonderful. There are none of the problems that occur with traditional chronographs, and everything is simple to use. I’ve used mine now several times, and it has never missed a shot. I can also easily set it on a tripod and measure the speed of my compound bow. The rechargeable battery is nice too, and the size of the entire unit is smaller than a 20 round box of 30-06 ammo. .
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Just checked out that Garmin Chronograph. Sounds pretty good.....but it is a serious amount of coin to put down. Likely worth it if you are really into your shooting / reloading....stilll....I think I will get along with what I got.
 
Native Hunter said:
Speaking of chronographs, the new Garmin is absolutely wonderful. There are none of the problems that occur with traditional chronographs, and everything is simple to use. I’ve used mine now several times, and it has never missed a shot. I can also easily set it on a tripod and measure the speed of my compound bow. The rechargeable battery is nice too, and the size of the entire unit is smaller than a 20 round box of 30-06 ammo. .
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I'd give this 10 thumbs up if I could. So much easier to use than the LabRadar or Magnetospeed!!!!
 
Native Hunter said:
Speaking of chronographs, the new Garmin is absolutely wonderful. There are none of the problems that occur with traditional chronographs, and everything is simple to use. I’ve used mine now several times, and it has never missed a shot. I can also easily set it on a tripod and measure the speed of my compound bow. The rechargeable battery is nice too, and the size of the entire unit is smaller than a 20 round box of 30-06 ammo. .
Click to expand...

I’ve had the garmin for about a year now and agree with everything you said. It just works every time and works well. I had one time it picked up one shot from the bench next to me and a couple times it didn’t read a shot but that was my own fault for not picking the right velocity range. It is a bit pricey but it is leaps and bounds ahead of the old pact I had with skyscreens and the magnetospeed v3 I had. I’d suggest to anyone looking for a chronograph to consider the garmin if it’s in their budget.


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I've been holding off on the Garmin chrono for a while as my labradar still does the trick. I've used other people's garmins when i left the labradar at home and it is definitely the way to go.
 
The hornady case and bullet comparator tools (based on @Foggy47's original design) are good things for a reloader to have as well.

I use hornady one-shot case lube spray. Have dedicated plastic case holding trays that only get used to hold cases upright to be sprayed.
 
bigboreblr said:
His girlffriend bought the lee pacesetter dies in 308. Think they're full length resize. Told her to buy the neck die too. Do you need 7.62x51 dies? Know there's some fine differences. He was saying he sold his .223 AR is maybe is going to sell. See what pans out.

I bought him the pacesetter die set for his 35 remington and got the same in 30-30 for my marlin. 35 rem is his grandfathers gun.

I'll hold on the case trimmer for now.

I'll be reloading with him, but my needs aren't great in that department. Don't shoot too far like 250 or less. I do alot of practice in 22lr offhand and plink flintlocks a good bit too.
Click to expand...
I would not bother with a neck die, and just stick with FL sizing and adjust the die to the chamber. Also, no need for 7.62 dies.

If you want a cheap and very effective case trimmer, use the Lee case gauges and a drill. $20 and you are running.

My top picks for reloading as of late:
I turned down all my ball expanders in my sizing dies and now use PMA expanders.
PMA case holders and drivers.
If you turn necks, PMA neck turner
LE WIlson case gauges.
micrometer base for case gauges for setting sizing dies (I made my own)
lanolin and alcohol to make your own case lube (very similar to Hornady one shot)
use steel pins for tumbling, don't bother with vibratory and dry media
electronic powder dumper
 
wil see how much dust collects on this reloading setup before I get a chrono. Im happiest at 1050 or 1800fps. See the most deer at 350fps.
 
Graf's got me for more $$$$$$ today. Went into my father-in-laws garage. A total friggin mess. Kid didn't even clean-up after I did the head gasket job for his girfriend in an unheated garage in the winter. No way I'm splitting a setup with this guy........

Bought my own lee single press, my own 308 dies, and other basic stuff. I did buy him the remaining bits he needs to mass produce dust in the garage.... shell plate, charging die to automate powder filling.

Totally out of large rifle primers, they did have W748 and AA2230 powder. Probably be ok for fun rounds in the 308. Scooped up some small rifle and small handgun primers.
 
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