New to Reloading: Advice Please

[Centuriator]

OK, here's my story. I've never gotten into reloading because previously I would only have done to save money on the cost of ammunition. I'm at a point in life where I've been blessed with the means to not worry about the cost of commercially loaded ammunition for all the shooting I've been doing, up to and including my .308 shooting at ranges out to 800 yards or so.

But I've stepped up to the .338 Lapua Magnum and ranges of out to 2200 yards at the training facility where I'm a member with their 2200 yard rifle range.

So....

I hope this is ok, but I'd appreciate if folks would be so kind as to answer this question:

"Where do I start? What do I need? What should I do?" to get into handloading for maximum accuracy with the .338 LM at those ranges, and please...KEEP IT SIMPLE...you can not provide an answer that seems too "stupid." Trust me on this.

Many thanks for your time and your responses.

 

[Cryhavoc]

Does that range you belong to have any reloading classes or veteran reloaders to get help from?...with that caliber and range you intend to shoot, I would recommend one on one to maximize your full potential as opposed to just "reading" about how to get started in reloading, although reading never hurts either....good luck and I'm sure you'll be okay and have fun at the same time!

 

[Sheldon N]

My seat of the pants reaction, no offense intended.

338 Lapua seems to be one of those things that has a cool novelty factor but eventually wears off and it won't be the rifle you shoot in high volume.

My guess is that the cost of tooling up, learning to reload, making mistakes on expensive components, working up a load, etc will quickly overrun any cost/rd savings you have hoped for... taking into consideration the likely number of rounds you'll shoot.

If you want to learn to reload, I'd say do that on a separate timeline and do it with 308. I wouldn't recommend learning reloading just for 338 shooting at 2200 yards. Instead, just buy high quality ammo from Applied Ballistics. They make excellent stuff.

 

[SheepDog]

Since you have chosen a cartridge you will need a proper bullet. Check with the folks who shoot the round and discipline both. Then you need to select a powder. The powder you choose will likely define the primer you need.

You will need dies that are up to the task - again ask the guys who are doing it successfully. The dies may require a specific kind of press.
Asking the guys that are successful will get you the best information.

Find out the barrel, action and stock you need. Once you have all the right components it is time to put them all in use and practice. Practice dry fire at home and between shots at the range. Stay focused on the basics and the rest will come.

 

[Sniper338]

Most of us use lapua brass
250 or 300gr Berger bullets

Reloader 33, H1000, and retumbo are probable top powders, in that order.

Federal magnum rifle primers...

Not a good caliber to learn to reload on. A 223 or 308 would be much better to learn with. Your biting off more than you can chew. Sure you can get it to shoot, but you need to learn how to develop a load. And thats 100% not something to learn on a 338 lapua.

 

[jim_k]

Redding body die (lube only the side of the case), Lee collet neck sizing die (does not require lube), and Forster Benchrest or Micrometer bullet seating die. Get a press, and make sure you always "square" your dies when you insert them into the press holder. To do that, raise the press ram, and run the die down on top of the case holder. This establishes alignment between the case and the die. Throw your powder load slightly short of the calculated amount, and use a trickler to get up to the proper amount. Do not buy anything to check runout. Runout is checked for free by rolling the loaded rounds across a flat, smooth tabletop. If the tips of the bullets don't wobble up and down, runout is fine. For lube, use some commercial thing, or synthetic motor oil, or solid Crisco. Wipe the lube off after sizing, or get a tumbler and wash the cases after the body sizing. Wash in the tumbler for 1-2 hrs, with a tablespoon of car wash/wax and a teaspoon of cream of tartar. Rinse them, shake out the remaining water, and dry them on a pan in the oven for 30 min. at 185° F. Use a rotary tumbler like RCBS, Thumbler, or (I think) Lyman/Hornady. Then proceed with neck sizing per Lee instructions, and other operations after that. You need a trimmer, and the Forster is as good as any. After cases are at proper length per the loading manual, bevel inside and outside the neck with the hand-held RCBS tool. You can get a Lyman hand-held VLD inside-neck tool, which is very nice for cleaning the burr in the case neck. Use a straight-edge to run over the base of your cases (I use an empty primer tray) to make sure the primers are seated just below the case level. Of course, as a legal disclaimer, please do not do anything I recommend. Use someone else's advice, and take a course on reloading from someone locally, or on-line youtubes. This information is just the way I do it. Others should comment on my advice, and edit any errors. Do not believe anything you read on the internet, especially in sites that have information about guns and reloading, which are inherently dangerous activities. I have never touched, shot, or reloaded for a .338 Lapua, and do not intend to. It's way too much recoil, power, distance, and expense for me to attempt. At those ranges, it is appropriate to call for artillery support.

 

[Iowa Fox]

Go Slow, be cautious. Identify the winners at the ranges you shoot at that are down to earth guys and pal up to them. Shooters are a great bunch usually more than willing to help. Be cautious of the guys struggling on the line trying to give you advice, the guys that can barely close their bolt, guys that have to beat their bolts open, or the know it all expert. You'll know who they are as they stand out like a sore thumb. Reloading is very rewarding.

 

[rardoin]

I would start by buying a Lyman Reloading Handbook and/or Handloader's Digest if you have zero experience. I started rifle cartridge loading about 30yrs back (having only loaded shotshells prior) and learned solo with the Lyman's book and later bought a few others. Of course the internet was not the wide source of 'possibly factual' information it is today. By reading those books it will give you a great base to learn from IMO.

 

[ireload2]

Start out reloading for a couple of rounds that are very common.

That way brass is cheap, bullets are cheap, you can shoot and reload a lot and a crushed case will not set you back $3.00.
There is a lot of data for those rounds to go with the components. Try a .223 or a .308.

 

[dickn52]

Don't go crazy with the press. A single stage Chucker Supreme or even a Forster. Good dies, (ask around) Primer tool (21st Century is excellent). Then work the load up from there. As mentioned above, take your time and listen, talk to the big shooters and adapt what you can use from their. NEVER hurry anything.

 

[johnfred1965]

I would start by buying a Lyman Reloading Handbook and/or Handloader's Digest if you have zero experience. I started rifle cartridge loading about 30yrs back (having only loaded shotshells prior) and learned solo with the Lyman's book and later bought a few others. Of course the internet was not the wide source of 'possibly factual' information it is today. By reading those books it will give you a great base to learn from IMO.

I second the Lyman book, it is an excellent teaching resource. I started with an RCBS reloading kit that included everything needed for basic reloading. When you progress and learn, you can add or replace items for greater precision. A warning though, once you start, you are always buying something new.

 

[Brians356]

Find someone at your range who exhibits good results to show you, hands on, how they reload. This is critical IMO. Get several books like Lee, Lyman, Hornady, Sierra, Speer, Berger and read them cover to cover. Try to borrow a few to see which ones you prefer before buying. I highly recommend a copy of "Metallic Cartridge Reloading" by Edward Matunis. This forum and others have a wealth of info, but there's a lot of heat along with light, and you can be overwhelmed by differing opinions. As you gain experience and reap results you'll better be able to recognize the better ideas.
-

 

[Rsadams]

Pretty much all the comments are dead on about asking the guys that are already doing it to help you and to start with the .308 to learn with,no sense throwing money away on expensive components to learn becouse there is a curve especially on the 1000+ yard stuff. It takes trial and error there will be mistakes at first. Its not hard but it takes time and concentration to make match grade ammo and to be safe.. The main thing is to be safe and have fun doing it.. Start looking into the best scale you can afford..plenty of top notch guys and info here..

 

[Twoboxer]

I'm with others like Sheldon N who suggest 338LM is not the place to start handloading for precision.

Were my son suggesting the same, I'd tell him to use Applied Ballistics ammo for the 338 and tool up for 308 handloading instead. When the 308 handloads beat the current factory ammo by a meaningful margin, then consider stepping up to 338LM.

By then you might well be finished shooting significant volumes of 338. If not, you will have learned a bit about handloading. But either way you will have a better 308 load.

 

[Comrade Terry]

Another vote for starting with the .308. You'll be surprised at the accuracy of .308 ammo you can make.

 

[msinc]

I agree with the others that a 308 is a great placed to start. That said, I also understand it's not where you want to start. I haven't really read any bad advice on this thread yet, but I will offer a couple things....first, you don't need a $250.00 priming tool. They are nice, but for what you are doing, especially the volume why not try a Lee Ram Prime. Both tools do the same thing and seating a primer in the pocket is not rocket math. All that money you save is better put towards powder...you will be burning a lot of it.
Second, I don't know if I would take to heart every word your "buddies" at the gun club offer as assistance...I know there are probably some great guys that can be very helpful, but always keep in the back of your mind as you get better their advice will get less in quality...they don't want to see you get better at it than they are.
Just about every printed reloading manual I know of has a good section, several chapters worth at least, of reloading instructions. My suggestion is that you get one,read it and then when you have a question post it here. For every worthless idiot we have that post back useless comments like "this is better than the funny papers" there are ten more that are very helpful. Seems those kind only have something to say when they are insulting someone. Best of luck and good shooting.

 

[minnesotamulisha]

I would also start with purchasing a book. I have the Lyman and also the Richard Lee reloading manual. Both are great books and have lots of data on the 308.

 

[rardoin]

I highly recommend a copy of "Metallic Cartridge Reloading" by Edward Matunis.
-

This is a good one also.

 

[dcali]

Here's a guide I wrote: http://bisonballistics.com/articles/beginner-s-guide-to-reloading-equipment

Bottom line: Go slow and don't guess. Read a lot until you understand, then start buying and doing. Pay attention to safety - the wrong powder in a .338 Lapua can kill you or someone else.

Do not do any of this when beginning:
-neck turning
-neck sizing
-annealing
-bullet pointing

Also, if I'm not mistaken, there is more than one spec for a .338 Lapua. Make sure you're loading for the correct one. I'm not an expert on those, but I'm sure you can find one. I also believe that starting smaller is beneficial (you'll spend less getting up to speed and you'll find testing won't be so painful). If I were to pick a starter round, I'd go with a .223. But you seem to have the range to put a .338 to use, and it's really no different. Just bigger, harder to test, and much, much more expensive. You could probably pay for a .223 rifle with the difference in cost and learn a lot faster.

Keep it simple and have fun. Also, get out your wallet.

 

[fguffey]

Redding body die (lube only the side of the case), Lee collet neck sizing die (does not require lube), and Forster Benchrest or Micrometer bullet seating die.

It has nothing to do with not being able to help you and everything to do with my philosophy; or as they say "what I think". I do not suggest you jump into reloading in a dead run, I suggest you start with standard dies, if you are not careful you will be in mortal combat with reloading.

A Redding body die? How is that possible? To size a case body the die must have shoulder support, if the die has a shoulder it is not a body die. Years ago I was sizing 30/06 cases with an 8mm/06 die and I was sizing 338/06 cases with a 35 Whelen die. And now; reloaders are doing the same thing with a bushing die.

F. Guffey