I'm going to go through my reloading process. I see people online having all sorts of issues, and this info will prevent the majority of it. Also, I'm a fan of inexpensive, solid, standard equipment and analog processes that do not require electricity. I'm going to get hammered by the "know-it-alls", but I don't care, since I really know it all. At least I can show the results from my processes. All of what I do is analog, and I measure with basic instruments. My techniques are repeatable and accurate, so forget telling me that I don't know how to use a powder scale or a caliper. Try my processes yourself, and ignore the fog of moaning from those who don't understand. First, case prep. All cases are good. Yeah, Federal primer pockets get loose after a couple of firings, but Federal is doing the Lake City loads for the military now (last I heard), so their brass blend may be better. Lake City is superb brass for .223, .308 or .30-'06. Lapua may be better, but you'll do fine with Remington, Winchester, LC, or Hornady. Trust me, I've done exhaustive testing, and posted that elsewhere. Here's the equipment list: RCBS Rock Chucker II, RCBS 505 beam scale, powder trickler, Hornady tool for measuring base to ogive and measuring shoulder bump (used to be Stony Point), Lee powder scoop set, any metal caliper (analog preferred), Redding body/shoulder bump die, Lee collet/mandrel neck sizing die, Forster bullet seater, Lee Dead Length bullet seater, any powder, any primer, and JLK bullets (there's a reason - just wait). You can add a runout gauge of some sort, but it's not necessary. To test runout, you can simply roll the loaded case across a flat surface. If the tip of the bullet doesn't wobble, there's no significant runout.
The first thing is to decap. I use an RCBS decapping die. By decapping as a single step, you can tell if the primer pocket is kaput, before wasting any more effort on that case. For case sizing, I use vegetable oil for lube (wearing nitrile gloves), and only need to lube the case wall using my process. I could just wipe it off, but I tumble in water with added auto wash/wax and a capful of cream of tartar. (Thank you, Paul. He knows who he is, if he reads this.) If you don't wash off the vegetable oil, it gets ugly. You can use motor oil for lube, then just wipe it off. Leaving a thin film of oil is not ugly. (Thanks again, Paul.) If you want to use a reloading-specific lube, by all means use it. I'm saying what I use. I don't want complaints about stuck cases being my fault, so do what you're comfortable with. Hey, if you're reloading ammunition, you're on your own, and there's no one else to blame.
When you adjust the Redding body/shoulder bump die into the press, make sure to square the die by screwing it in against the press ram in the full up position. This minimizes runout on the case. Shoulder bump should be a few thousandths. Pick your poison on that, but always full-length size. This is for consistency. If the die has to be backed out to set the proper shoulder bump, put a washer on top of the press ram, to square the die before tightening the lock ring. I neck size after cleaning the cases. Using the Lee collet/mandrel die removes the concern over inconsistent neck wall thickness. It also permits fine tuning of the bullet seating pressure, by adjusting the amount of squeeze on the case neck. If the die is backed out a little, the neck will be somewhat looser. I personally like fairly minimal neck tension. You can turn the case necks to establish consistency, but it's not critical. Yes, a high-level competitor in F/Open is probably going to turn case necks. Do it if it makes a difference on the target you are shooting. After sizing, trim to length, and chamfer inside and outside case necks. Here's the next take-home message: chamfer the inside of the case neck by hand every time. If there is a burr on the inside of the neck, it will shave or scratch the bullet jacket, and you've wasted your time loading that one. You can't measure whether this is happening. Yes, it can happen without showing externally, but you'll never know without taking the case apart. Don't do anything to primer pockets. If you want to clean the pocket, that's fine. Next will be priming, powder measuring, and bullet seating. Let's see how this post is received first, since it's long.
The first thing is to decap. I use an RCBS decapping die. By decapping as a single step, you can tell if the primer pocket is kaput, before wasting any more effort on that case. For case sizing, I use vegetable oil for lube (wearing nitrile gloves), and only need to lube the case wall using my process. I could just wipe it off, but I tumble in water with added auto wash/wax and a capful of cream of tartar. (Thank you, Paul. He knows who he is, if he reads this.) If you don't wash off the vegetable oil, it gets ugly. You can use motor oil for lube, then just wipe it off. Leaving a thin film of oil is not ugly. (Thanks again, Paul.) If you want to use a reloading-specific lube, by all means use it. I'm saying what I use. I don't want complaints about stuck cases being my fault, so do what you're comfortable with. Hey, if you're reloading ammunition, you're on your own, and there's no one else to blame.
When you adjust the Redding body/shoulder bump die into the press, make sure to square the die by screwing it in against the press ram in the full up position. This minimizes runout on the case. Shoulder bump should be a few thousandths. Pick your poison on that, but always full-length size. This is for consistency. If the die has to be backed out to set the proper shoulder bump, put a washer on top of the press ram, to square the die before tightening the lock ring. I neck size after cleaning the cases. Using the Lee collet/mandrel die removes the concern over inconsistent neck wall thickness. It also permits fine tuning of the bullet seating pressure, by adjusting the amount of squeeze on the case neck. If the die is backed out a little, the neck will be somewhat looser. I personally like fairly minimal neck tension. You can turn the case necks to establish consistency, but it's not critical. Yes, a high-level competitor in F/Open is probably going to turn case necks. Do it if it makes a difference on the target you are shooting. After sizing, trim to length, and chamfer inside and outside case necks. Here's the next take-home message: chamfer the inside of the case neck by hand every time. If there is a burr on the inside of the neck, it will shave or scratch the bullet jacket, and you've wasted your time loading that one. You can't measure whether this is happening. Yes, it can happen without showing externally, but you'll never know without taking the case apart. Don't do anything to primer pockets. If you want to clean the pocket, that's fine. Next will be priming, powder measuring, and bullet seating. Let's see how this post is received first, since it's long.
Last edited:
Nice post. You’re opinionated. You’ll fit right in!
