Best Source for Learning Reloading Basics

[boltfluter]

The Hornady reloading manuals are very good for the beginner. Enough good info to get you going but not to much to overwhelm a person starting out.

Paul

 

[bloc]

The Hornady reloading manuals are very good for the beginner. Enough good info to get you going but not to much to overwhelm a person starting out.

Paul

Yes. I too would start with Hornady. Lyman, Nosler, Sierra and Speer are also very good, as are the manuals for powder, Lee's book, the book ABCs of Reloading and others.

The people who write these books are heavily invested in safety for obvious reasons. And teaching how to reload safely means the teacher (=book) must present the essential information clearly and concisely.

You really need to see the forest before you get into leaves and twigs, and that's the advantage of reading 5 to 10 pages of "how to" in any (or all) of these.

 

[ShootDots]

I started out reloading with books, manuals and putting those things into operation. That will get you to go BOOM, but that's about it. There was not any widespread loading back in those days and even less competitive loaders, especially in New York.. Once I decided to get into competition, I had to REALLY learn all the nuances of competitive loading. MY SUGGESTION: First go to a match and ask who is one of the best shooters there. Once you find out that, ask him / her if they would help you to get started. See if you can visit them when they are prepping brass and loading. If they are gracious enough to allow you to watch, then begin to ask questions. It may be time consuming and maybe a bit overwhelming AT FIRST. However, I would rather have a GREAT mentor and make CORRECT purchases, even if it may be a bit "over my head" at first, than have to RE-buy much stuff and RE-learn some facets of the competitive loading regimen.. The learning curve is ever-present, no matter how "experienced" one may be. An excellent mentor, who is a winning competitor, can save you LOADS of time, $$$s and frustration! They are worth their weight in gold! T-Rust me on this..

 

[Three44s]

I always recommend the Hornady manual as the first primer for a newbie! The section I require new loaders to first and foremost is their color drawings of rifle chambers and cartridges in various phases of firing. The intent is to get a prospective new handloader accustomed to thinking correctly about headspace and cartridge filament to the chamber.

Very important foundational knowledge for any handloader. Yet too many shooters are practicing loading ignorant to these essential principles.

There are better manuals perhaps for the long haul but I make my folks I am training to handload begin with the Hornady book.

Three44s

 

[DirtySteve]

Just wondering what type of shooting are you going to be doing? Rifle only reloading or some pistol?

Any decent manual has instructions for reloading. Tons of video out there in the internet. Dillon has videos of their machines reloading. I believe Erik Cortina has some videos posted.

https://www.youtube.com/user/XtremeConcreteCo/videos

 

[cem]

It's all good. If you can't afford to buy every book consider library and interlibrary loan.

My own opinion is that too much these days is abbreviated and deals with going through the motions. You Tube may do a fine job of showing people pulling the handle but not so much for what happens when pulling the handle doesn't give perfect results. Like any more or less industrial process first understand the process then engage in continuous improvement - notice that improvement is defined by results - loading for practical pistol is not the same as loading for precision pistol is not the same as loading for fun with a full auto is not the same as loading to ring a gong at 1200 yards is not the same as loading for short range bench rest is not the same as loading for long range bench rest is not the same as loading for over the course.

For that reason I suggest going back to Phil Sharpe and Earl Naramore for more complete treatment then John Wooters and George Nonte for fairly complete books that are far more than data collections. In fact ignore the data from anything but the newest books with relevant data - that might be Speer 11 for pistol loads using AA452 and the 2019 edition for Hodgdon data.. Then again start with Zydecker's newest book and work back. Richard Lee has a book with lots of useful information as well as data though the data is aging. To this list of classics I add Metallic Cartridge Handloading (Sc) M.L. Mic McPherson. Patrick Sweeney is very good on loading for handguns for most purposes and has a lot of material scattered through his several Gun Digest books. Fair warning, copy editing on Swenney's books makes Zydecker look like a great stylist. John Barsness is the leading active authority on loading for rifles in the field and has a nice DVD as well although again the writing is scattered several books and all well worth the money.

A little harder to get are Fred Sinclair's small book and anything from Precision Shooting now out of print.

Mostly my gripe is that the loading manuals though all good are a whole lot less complete than they appear on the surface just as resources like Handloader Magazine have chosen broader appeal at the cost of less detail.

It takes a fairly profound study to compensate for the superficial literature and become a complete reloader. Then again buying a minimal rig like the old Lee Loader, I started with a Lyman tong tool when those two were the cheap alternatives, and loading for one gun one load may satisfy someone for life.

 

[6milphil]

The "beginners guide to reloading" series from johnny's reloading bench on YouTube is what finally gave me the confidence i needed to start reloading after months of researching.

 

[jimmymac]

Lots of great suggestions here. It would be great to find a teacher, but not required. I’m hands on, so I’d get myself a Lyman book and a RCBS Rockchucker kit and have at it.

They don’t cost a lot and the money spent on that Rockchucker kit will never be money wasted. It’s the price of entry and will make good ammo. Some buy a kit like that and happily use it the rest of their lives. Others get bitten by the competition reloading OCD bug and spend 3 times what the RC kit costs on a scale alone. You’ll figure out where you fit in, but I would not spend crazy money getting started. You don’t even know if you’ll like reloading.

The reason I’d buy the kit...The nice part about having the equipment on hand is you will have a much more positive learning experience as you go through the manual. It transforms words in to actions and that will stick with you better than reading ten reloading books with no practical application.

 

[Mad_Charlie]

https://forum.snipershide.com/forums/sniper-s-hide-reloading/

Some good info over there, even a reloading 101 section, but I would caution you that you need to try to cross reference internet info whenever possible. A lot of excellent references already posted here.

Never start with a max load. You will discover that different manuals will often show different start and max loads. That is because of differences in components and firearms and testing procedures.

Good luck, you may be beginning to explore a very deep rabbit hole...

 

[rkittine]

As stated the loading manual will get you started just fine. I loaded for decades before starting to shoot long range bench rest. And then I attended the PA1000 Yard Benchrest Shooting Clinic and relearned how to precision reload. Tony Boyer's book has a good section on reloading for short range, but for 1,000 yard I had to relearn a lot.

Bob

 

[clunker]

Thanks for all the great suggestions. I downloaded the Lyman manual and I remember seeing the Nosler manual at the LGS. that should be a good start. As one post suggested, I will be buying top quality components, including a Forster Co-AX if the manufacturer ever catches up with demand.

+1 on the nosler manual to get a good understanding of the basics.
I also use sierra and hornady manuals to compare charge weights for a give bullet weight.
Once you get settled in Ptown hit me up.
Maybe we can get a cast n blast weekend together.

Sounds like fun

@clunker, are you looking at Tri-County, Douglas Ridge or both? Our 600 yard group shoots every Tuesday night at TCGC at 6pm. Reach out to the discipline chair, @F Class John, and he can give you the details—guests are welcome, you just need to get the gate code. We talk reloading for a hour ahead of time as well.

You guessed it! If Tri-county is half as nice as it looks, I will applying for membership as soon as I get to Portland. I have John's email, but I didn't want to bother him until I have a better idea when I'll be moving.

 

[Just Say Moe]

I learned the basics by watching my father and brother who learned by watching a seasoned reloader. Anything past that - read, read, and read more. Then find somebody to ask questions to. They can tell you what not to do before you do it!

 

[theMadAlaskan]

As others have said basic reloading is pretty easy, I bought a Rockchucker kit when I was 16 and taught myself by reading the manuals. Loaded hunting and plinking ammo for years and never had a problem. Then I got interested in the details of precision and accuracy, now there's the rabbit hole!

 

[theMadAlaskan]

OK funny story. There I was a long haired teenager in the '70's, I was loading for my 45-70 and went to a small local gun shop in Anchorage. I got a box of my go-to bullets, 400 gr Speers. I hand it to the lady at the counter, she looks at the box, looks at me, looks back at the box, looks at me and says "You know, these are just the ends!"

 

[Steve Ladino]

Unless earth gets hit by an asteroid, I should have cash-in-hand from selling my house in about 90 days. I'm sure I will have no problem finding suggestions from other forum members for how to spend some of that money. Fortunately for me, I'm not married, and the dog has to do what I tell her, so at the top of my list is quality reloading gear. I have never reloaded. In fact, I've never seen anyone reload, so this will be a major learning experience. Can someone recommend a book or website where I can read up on how to get started?

Many factory class guns will shoot very well , below 3/4 MOA but will usually need match grade reloads to do so, tuned to the rifle. Custom built rifles will shoot below one 1/4 MOA. I guess you need to focus on the performance aspect you expect from your reloads. I would start with something like a .308 W. and find someone to help you after you study a reloading manual.

 

[Bart B.]

I suggest you learn the "reloading" language relative to the components first. Go to SAAMI's web site glossary to start. Then instructions heard, shown or read will be easier to comprehend.

https://saami.org/saami-glossary/

This concerns me:

Here's one warning I give all prospective reloaders: Don't try to apply common sense to reloading or you'll blow yourself up. For example, common sense and your high school science teacher would assume that if a given amount of powder is safe in a cartridge, then any amount less than that would also be safe. Not so, and following that logic can get you hurt. Also, common sense might indicate that if you want to go up from one weight bullet to a heavier bullet, then you naturally have to increase the powder charge. Again, that's not always true.

Common sense means different things to different people. Some should be called popular sense if dangerous. Like these two examples.

 

[dgeesaman]

Unless earth gets hit by an asteroid, I should have cash-in-hand from selling my house in about 90 days. I'm sure I will have no problem finding suggestions from other forum members for how to spend some of that money. Fortunately for me, I'm not married, and the dog has to do what I tell her, so at the top of my list is quality reloading gear. I have never reloaded. In fact, I've never seen anyone reload, so this will be a major learning experience. Can someone recommend a book or website where I can read up on how to get started?

I realize this is somewhat of a chicken vs egg question, but what are your expectations for handloading?

Maybe shooting in volume and saving money is the goal. Maybe loading ammo for competition that is the pinnacle of consistency and tuning. Maybe you want to shoot accurately and have control over the process but don’t want to go overboard. Short range vs long range applications. Do you have handguns that you expect to load for also.

David

 

[dcali]

I’m partial to the Lyman manual for the basics.

 

[joshb]

I’ve been using the same Rockchucker kit for 40 years. I upgraded to a Scott Parker tuned scale last fall. I bought the Hornady case measuring kit when I joined this site. I bought a PMA neck turner 2 years ago. These days I only buy Redding, Whidden or Wilson dies. Besides a few odds and ends, that’s it. I might buy a Bob Green bullet sorting tool this spring.
Reading the manuals over and over kept me from blowing my face off. Reading and asking questions here is where I learned the most!

 

[clunker]

I realize this is somewhat of a chicken vs egg question, but what are your expectations for handloading?

Maybe shooting in volume and saving money is the goal. Maybe loading ammo for competition that is the pinnacle of consistency and tuning. Maybe you want to shoot accurately and have control over the process but don’t want to go overboard. Short range vs long range applications. Do you have handguns that you expect to load for also.

David

My reasons for wanting to handload are that I really enjoy precision shooting, and I am good enough now that factory loads are less accurate than I am. Saving money is great, but there is a reason I am saving Lapua brass and looking at custom bullets. My factory Tikka .223 is still more accurate than I am, but eventually I hope to surpass its limitations (even with handloads), so I have an excuse to order a custom rifle for competition. I blame everyone on this forum for my new addiction.

I also plan to load for hunting with my Creedmoor. I expect my hunting rifle to shoot 0.5" MOA. It's the least I can do to ensure a clean kill. I expect the .223 to compete at 600 yards, and I expect the Creedmoor to . . . well . . . hit a dime at 3 miles. At least that's what I read online. No handguns yet, but I'm not opposed to the idea.