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Posted: 6/7/2015 5:19:38 PM EDT
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I will be starting reloading soon. Slowly putting away $ and putting together a list. This all started after my buddy gave me 100 hornady 75 bthp .224 bullets. (He doesn't reload)
Questions... These bullets do not have cannelures, are they still good to go in my ar? I have been saving my brass. I have a 5 gal bucket full of mixed .223 and 5.56 brass. Can they be used interchangeably or will that add another variable? I will be reloading for .308 and .223/5.56, what are good common powders for both besides varget? .308....I have hundreds of round of zqi 7.62x51. Very inaccurate in my rifle. On my digital scale they vary in overall weight. Would I be better off pulling the bullets and reloading them with consistent powder loads or should I weigh em all and seperate them by overall weight and shoot them that way? Last question...the press I want to get is the Lee 50th anniversary set on amazon. Is that good to go? Thanks in advance |
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I will be starting reloading soon. Slowly putting away $ and putting together a list. This all started after my buddy gave me 100 hornady 75 bthp .224 bullets. (He doesn't reload) Questions... These bullets do not have cannelures, are they still good to go in my ar? yes I have been saving my brass. I have a 5 gal bucket full of mixed .223 and 5.56 brass. Can they be used interchangeably or will that add another variable? interchangeable but .mil will have crimped primer pockets and accuracy is improved by separating by at least headstamp I will be reloading for .308 and .223/5.56, what are good common powders for both besides varget? Ramshot TAC and Hodgdon H4894 .308....I have hundreds of round of zqi 7.62x51. Very inaccurate in my rifle. On my digital scale they vary in overall weight. Would I be better off pulling the bullets and reloading them with consistent powder loads or should I weigh em all and seperate them by overall weight and shoot them that way? shoot them or save them for a rainy day Last question...the press I want to get is the Lee 50th anniversary set on amazon. Is that good to go? buy once/cry once. Lee is low end.....and I'll get flamed all to hell for saying so Thanks in advance |
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Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: I will be starting reloading soon. Slowly putting away $ and putting together a list. This all started after my buddy gave me 100 hornady 75 bthp .224 bullets. (He doesn't reload) Questions... These bullets do not have cannelures, are they still good to go in my ar? yes I have been saving my brass. I have a 5 gal bucket full of mixed .223 and 5.56 brass. Can they be used interchangeably or will that add another variable? interchangeable but .mil will have crimped primer pockets and accuracy is improved by separating by at least headstamp I will be reloading for .308 and .223/5.56, what are good common powders for both besides varget? Ramshot TAC and Hodgdon H4894 .308....I have hundreds of round of zqi 7.62x51. Very inaccurate in my rifle. On my digital scale they vary in overall weight. Would I be better off pulling the bullets and reloading them with consistent powder loads or should I weigh em all and seperate them by overall weight and shoot them that way? shoot them or save them for a rainy day Last question...the press I want to get is the Lee 50th anniversary set on amazon. Is that good to go? buy once/cry once. Lee is low end.....and I'll get flamed all to hell for saying so Thanks in advance I agree with most of what he said, but I really want to stress that you should separate all of your brass by headstamp. This means Winchester, FC, Remington, etc.. Lake City (LC) brass and WCC brass has the date stamped on the head as well. I wouldn't worry about separating by date, just by mfg. As far as your ZQI ammo you could pull the bullets and dump the powder and load up the primed brass if you really want to, but how bad are we talking? Any loads I have that don't shoot very well become offhand practice on steel. Also, reading the tacked threads you can find out most of what you want to know. As far as books to buy before you start "The ABCs of Reloading" and a good reloading manual (Hornady, Speer, Sierra, Nosler, Lyman along with others) should have step by step procedures in the front of it that can really help you out. Also, Youtube videos can show you a lot of what goes into it. I still would really recommend reading some books on it so you have an idea of what is right and what is wrong. I wouldn't trust some Youtube video to tell you everything you need to know, but without knowing anything about it you might benefit by watching someone. |
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I Last question...the press I want to get is the Lee 50th anniversary set on amazon. Is that good to go? Thanks in advance http://www.cabelas.com/product/RCBS-reg-Rock-Chucker-Supreme-Reloading-Kits/1324071.uts $50 rebate as well http://www.midwayusa.com/general/rebate/receive-up-to-50-rebate-on-rcbs-products 
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Quoted: Quoted: I Last question...the press I want to get is the Lee 50th anniversary set on amazon. Is that good to go? Thanks in advance http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0078MWM2W/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_2?pf_rd_p=1944687682&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000N8LJ22&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1KJTYBAGWQH1WNJBFDS3 http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41LeCz2g02L.jpg +1 on that. I have used just about every piece in that kit and it is all good stuff. |
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+1 on that. I have used just about every piece in that kit and it is all good stuff. Quoted:
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I Last question...the press I want to get is the Lee 50th anniversary set on amazon. Is that good to go? Thanks in advance http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0078MWM2W/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_2?pf_rd_p=1944687682&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000N8LJ22&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1KJTYBAGWQH1WNJBFDS3 http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41LeCz2g02L.jpg I changed the link, that shipping is ridiculous from Optics Planet +1 on that. I have used just about every piece in that kit and it is all good stuff. I changed the link, that shipping is ridiculous from Optics Planet |
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Quoted:
I will be starting reloading soon. Slowly putting away $ and putting together a list. This all started after my buddy gave me 100 hornady 75 bthp .224 bullets. (He doesn't reload) Questions... These bullets do not have cannelures, are they still good to go in my ar? Yes, certainly. Cannelured bullets are not required in an AR. I have been saving my brass. I have a 5 gal bucket full of mixed .223 and 5.56 brass. Can they be used interchangeably or will that add another variable? Unless you have measured them, you should assume that each headstamp will have a case volume different from another headstamp. Getting bullets to group together starts with consistency of "manufacture". Different case volumes with the same powder charge will produce different velocities. Different velocities means different drops at distance, and different barrel times which could cause scatter on its own. Grouping your cartridges by headstamp increases the chance that round 2 will shoot similarly to round1 of that batch. I will be reloading for .308 and .223/5.56, what are good common powders for both besides varget? Depends a bit on which bullets you are using in each caliber. Google "Hodgdon Reloading Data" and go to the Hodgdon Data Center. You can speculate on your bullet choices and see which Hodgdon, IMR, or Winchester powders can be used. Google other powder manuafcturers in the same way. One surprising powder good for many 223 and 168/175gr 308 is IMR4064, but as a long stick powder it does not meter well. .308....I have hundreds of round of zqi 7.62x51. Very inaccurate in my rifle. On my digital scale they vary in overall weight. Would I be better off pulling the bullets and reloading them with consistent powder loads or should I weigh em all and seperate them by overall weight and shoot them that way? They don't shoot well out of anyone's 308 :) Well, at least not mine either. The problem is most likely the bullet. Save them for SHTF day if they are minute of man out of your 308, or shoot them and save the brass. Last question...the press I want to get is the Lee 50th anniversary set on amazon. Is that good to go? Popnfresh gave you terrific advice . . . the Rockchucker kit if you can afford it. The reason is every part of that kit is a quality tool that works, and the press will produce top quality ammo for a lifetime. You will have a use for all of it no matter where reloading takes you in the future. The Lee scale is accurate but virtually unusable, the Lee PM leaks most flake and ball powder, the primer system is flaky especially with small primers (223), and you will replace most if not all of it over time. OTOH, if that's what you can afford you can make ammo with it. Thanks in advance |
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Also suggest sorting brass by headstamp. IF you have any PMP save those for 74gr bullets, PMP have the smallest case volume of all 223 I ever shot.
That kit is even cheaper at TitanReloading.com. I use all Lee stuff, except a trimmer and chamfer tool(Forster) and scale(Hornady beam). Of all the Lee stuff I have the Lee turret get THE MOST use. Its very versatile. The hand press is compact and portable. Lee Loaders are a lot of fun if you shoot bolt action. If you shoot 1000rnds a weekend, then yeah look at dillon. The PPM can be fixed to stop all leaks. |
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Quoted:
I will be starting reloading soon. Slowly putting away $ and putting together a list. This all started after my buddy gave me 100 hornady 75 bthp .224 bullets. (He doesn't reload) Questions... These bullets do not have cannelures, are they still good to go in my ar? I have been saving my brass. I have a 5 gal bucket full of mixed .223 and 5.56 brass. Can they be used interchangeably or will that add another variable? I will be reloading for .308 and .223/5.56, what are good common powders for both besides varget? .308....I have hundreds of round of zqi 7.62x51. Very inaccurate in my rifle. On my digital scale they vary in overall weight. Would I be better off pulling the bullets and reloading them with consistent powder loads or should I weigh em all and seperate them by overall weight and shoot them that way? Last question...the press I want to get is the Lee 50th anniversary set on amazon. Is that good to go? Thanks in advance - Ignore the cannelures, they don't need to be used, in fact you don't want to crimp your .223 or .308 rounds for normal civilian operations. The sizing die sets the inside of the neck just right to grab the bullet with plenty of friction. - I'm assuming you want accurate ammo. Separate your brass by headstamp, scrap the military and brand X stuff and save the Winchester, Remington, Hornady, Nosler, Federal, Lapua and Norma. Start with whichever of these brands you have the most of, exclusively if possible. Isolating down to one brand of rifle brass will simplify load development. When you run out of good brass, buy more of the kind you like. I've always had good luck with Winchester and Remington, which are readily available. - Scrap, sell or give away the milsurp 7.62x51, unless you like to use it for plinking. The bullets and brass are not worth your time, once you start reloading your own, you are destined for precision ammo and only the best bullets will do. For me those are made by Sierra, Nosler, Hornady, Berger and Barnes. - The Lee 50th Ann. set is an excellent choice if you want to start off with minimal investment. Lee makes good stuff, but you will still need a few more items, like a dial or digital caliper for measuring brass and loaded round lengths. Check out the sticky at the top of this subforum for more suggestions. Its a good idea to buy extra and upgrade items gradually as you proceed, that way you know exactly what you want. Good luck - CW |
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The rcbs kit is quite a bit more, but it's really the only brand anyone who reloads has recommended me ( guys at the range)
I will buy the abc of reloading and the Lyman book for now while I slowly accumulate more components and save for the press. Fwiw I planned on first getting a single stage and starter kit, then in the future upgrading to a high output press for plinking ammo (.45 .223 .308) and saving the single stage for creating my precision loads for the ar's. Sounds like I have some work to do sorting brass! Thanks for the help and that link! I'm sure I'll have more questions in no time |
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Really new reloader here. But for what its worth I went with the Lee Anniversary for my first press. And judging by the groups I had on my last shooting session, it is more than capable of producing ammo that will shoot < 1 inch groups at 100 yards.
Used the difference in price (In comparison to RCBS) to buy my first pound of powder, primers, bullets, and dies. I'm only reloading 308 at the moment. So single stage is what I want. When I venture into pistol or even .223 I'll probably get a progressive, and it will more than likely not be a Lee. |
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Quoted: The rcbs kit is quite a bit more, but it's really the only brand anyone who reloads has recommended me ( guys at the range) I will buy the abc of reloading and the Lyman book for now while I slowly accumulate more components and save for the press. Fwiw I planned on first getting a single stage and starter kit, then in the future upgrading to a high output press for plinking ammo (.45 .223 .308) and saving the single stage for creating my precision loads for the ar's. Sounds like I have some work to do sorting brass! Thanks for the help and that link! I'm sure I'll have more questions in no time As far as the press goes that's why I also recommended the RCBS. I have a Dillon 650 and I have never loaded a rifle round on it. In fact, even after I got the Dillon I bought a Forster Co-Ax single stage. Some people like loading everything on the progressive, but I find that the single stage works best for me. You may move onto bigger and faster presses but you will never get rid of your single stage. I have an RCBS Rockchucker from the late 70s/early 80s that still works extremely well. |
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