Posted: 6/16/2011 4:32:18 PM EDT
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Considering trying my hands at reloading. Doing this for bulk shooting of rifles and pistols (don't have my permit but prepping non the less) . Was looking at progressive presses such as the Dillion 550.
Was wondering if anyone around the Honeoye/hemlock/geneseo/canandaguia area would be willing to give me a hands on tutorial |
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If you are going to do it, it will take an initial investment of time, as well as money. You need to read some manuals on the propper steps, I started out with a Speer reloading manual and a Rockchucker single stage. For me, this is a quick and dirty process of reloading straight walled pistol rounds such as .38 special, 41 magnum, etc.:
Step 1 - I tumble the once fired brass in corncob media Step 2 - Using a set of carbide dies, I use the resizing die to resize the case and punch out the old primer. Step 3 - I like to clean the primer pockets using a tool availabe from several brands. Mine is Cabelas. Step 4 - Seat a new primer in the base of the brass. I like to use a hand priming tool, it's easier to feel a good seat, and I make less mistakes that way. Step 5 - Using the expander die, "bell" the mouth of the case as to facilitate seating a new projectile. Try to minimize the amount of expansion so as to extend the life of the brass. Step 6 - Carefully weigh the proper amount and type of powder you will be using and put it in the case. This takes total focus; do not do this while distracted by other things, and don't do this if you aren't sober. Step 7 - Using the seater die, place a projectile in the mouth of the case and seat the bullet to the correct overall length. Some cartridges will require a crimp, some will not. See the reloading manual for further. Other than the press, you will need a powder dispenser, powder scale, calipers for measuring, bullet puller for mistakes, priming tool, case prep kit, loading blocks, etc. For non carbide dies, and for rifle rounds, you will need to lube the cases prior to resizing them. I don't really save money by reloading, but it is an interesting pastime. It's a good way to spend time alone, and it keeps me home and out of the titty bars. 
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ABC's of Reloading, as many load books as you can find (Hornady is my go-to, but get lots - Speer, Nosler, etc), spend some time over at handloads.com, and definitely start with a single-stage. You'll want one anyways for load development, then you can worry about cranking out volume on an auto-progressive.
Straight-wall pistol are easiest to reload but bottlenecks aren't hard, just take more patience. I started with .270Win and learned the steps carefully. I haven't done any loading in almost a year   and I'll be getting the books out before I start up again. When 0.5gr of powder can go from "boom" to "KAboom" it's worth being extra careful.
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I would STRONGLY urge you to start reloading slowly on an old fashioned single stage press and get good at it before moving to a progressive. It is just like shooting start slow fire and master the fundamentals before moving on to increased speed.
every ammo related kaboom I have seen (meaning personally witnessed not hearsay) was the result of ammo loaded on a progressive machine. I know lots of people who turn out great ammo on a progressive, but all of them started on a basic press long before dillon even existed. I load about 12k a year plus proably shoot another 5k factory. I load those 12k on a single stage and don't really need to speed up production. with a single stage you can visually check the powder level in each case prior to seating the bullet and with only one operation happening at a time if something doesn't go right with experience you can feel that it went wrong and can segregate and inspect that round for flaws(which you should with every reloaded round anyway). On a progressive with multiple things happening at once it can be hard to identify the source of a problem when something doesn't feel or look right |
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For rifle: Single stage to start with is a good idea. The biggest hurdle for common calibers: 5.56, .308, and .30-06 are case prep of mil surp brass. Mil surplus brass from M193, M855, M2, and M80 ball all have crimped primer pockets that need to be swagged or trimmed out after you punch out the old primer during the resizing process. If you do not address the crimp in the primer pocket, you will never get a new primer in there. Also, if the brass was fired from a MG as is often the case from bulk brass purchases of M80 ball brass, the necks are all stretched out from the deep throats on most M240 series MG's. This is further exacerbated by full size resizing, thus needing to trim the brass. The Solution for mil surp rifle brass: Get a Dillon Super Swager and a Giraurd Powered Case Trimmer. The Super Swage runs around $100 and the Giraurd runs about $350. Expensive to start out for sure, but worth it once you get going. The super swagger is simple to setup, comes with small and large primer pocket sized attachments and is durable and works extremely well. The Giruard is expensive but simplifies case trimming, chamfering, and deburring all in one step. Its like using an electric pencil sharpener. I takes about 3 seconds or so, give or take a second, to trim a piece of brass from picking it up to dropping it in the trimmed pile. That is about about a thousand cases per hour, barring the errant nose pick or butt scratch. For handgun: Compared to rifle brass case prep, handgun ammo is a cinch, and using a 550B is simple once you get it setup. I primarily reload 9mm on my 550B since I can do all the steps in one orderly process, whereas doing rifle on a 550B you are most likely going to need to do case prep (swage primer pockets being the biggest PITA; only have to do it once thankfully) in a separate operation. When my Dillon is setup with preloaded primer tubes, I can knock out 450+ rounds an hour easy. As far as starting off with a Progressive like a 550B or a single stage, I recommend the single stage mainly because the details and options for a progressive are staggering. You can literally get lost chasing down the ideal setup and never get off the ground actually reloading ammo whereas the single stage user can setup the press and get reloading in minutes. Things to consider: A good surface to build or put your loading bench/location for the press(s). A garage seems ideal, but consider the temperature. How long are you really gonna sweat it out in the garage on 83 degree days of late July or arctic temps in November through March? A basement is another option but beware of ambient moisture that can cause rust on the dies. Best of luck. Go slow, ask questions, and do alot of reading and research before you do something. |