Upping reloading game for PRS advice

[Albany Mountain]

Right now I have only shot two matches and have placed in the bottom 1/3. But, they are just local matches with a fair amount in TAC.

My current weakness is absolutely me. Not the gun, ammo, scope, or reloading. 1000% my wind reading, position building, and time management.

I was thinking this might have been the case and you are on your way now with your setup. As far as reloading improvements, load up 2000 rounds of what you are using and apply yourself in the game and not focus on perfect ammo but ammo that stays as consistent as you are loading now and stays functional.

 

[SweaterDood]

The folks at the PWS don't really load for 308 anymore as nobody in the USMC really shoot high-power anymore. And when they do, it is .223.

As I said, I have been reloading for over about 25 years. I feel like I have a good grasp on it.

I think it is worth stating. I originally posted this thread not to ask how to improve my standings in the local PRS matches. I know of all the ways to improve scores, reloading is not going to produce the fastest results. However, my reloading set up has been and is currently geared towards hunting. Not precision competitions. I am looking to upgrade items such as dies, trimmer, etc, etc. I only put PRS in the title because I am not a F-Class or BR guy. So neck turning, and weight sorting primers are not something I feel would be beneficial.

Thanks again for the replies and advice.

Based on everything you’ve said so far:
- Brass: You specifically mentioned FC brass. I rarely have issues with brass, but when I do it’s FC. Going with Alpha/Lapua is never a bad idea, and if you have the appropriate firing pin go with small primer brass.
- Dies: As mentioned, you don’t need one of the trendy overpriced die sets. Forster and Redding dies are just as good as anything else. I typically prefer the Forster micrometer seater die over every other seating die out there anyway. Also, if you aren’t already using a mandrel to set neck tension, try that first. I highly recommend a carbide mandrel too (one place worth spending extra money in my opinion).
- Trimmer: Definitely not a necessity, but being able to trim, chamfer, and deburr all at once and in 3sec is so nice. I went with the Giraud about 2 years ago and haven’t looked back.
- Annealing: I’m not 100% convinced it’s necessary for precision/low SDS, but have been doing it in some fashion since building my first rifle. Started with a drill and a torch, looking for the glow in a dark garage, and now have access to an AMP at my club. But for reference I’ve had SDs ~5fps using the drill/torch combo.

All that to say, I’d start with more premium brass. That and going to Varget (more temp stable than 4064 anyway) should reduce your SDs by a statistically relevant amount. The rest will just make reloading easier/faster, not necessarily more precise rounds.

 

[Adam0321/0306]

Based on everything you’ve said so far:
- Brass: You specifically mentioned FC brass. I rarely have issues with brass, but when I do it’s FC. Going with Alpha/Lapua is never a bad idea, and if you have the appropriate firing pin go with small primer brass.
- Dies: As mentioned, you don’t need one of the trendy overpriced die sets. Forster and Redding dies are just as good as anything else. I typically prefer the Forster micrometer seater die over every other seating die out there anyway. Also, if you aren’t already using a mandrel to set neck tension, try that first. I highly recommend a carbide mandrel too (one place worth spending extra money in my opinion).
- Trimmer: Definitely not a necessity, but being able to trim, chamfer, and deburr all at once and in 3sec is so nice. I went with the Giraud about 2 years ago and haven’t looked back.
- Annealing: I’m not 100% convinced it’s necessary for precision/low SDS, but have been doing it in some fashion since building my first rifle. Started with a drill and a torch, looking for the glow in a dark garage, and now have access to an AMP at my club. But for reference I’ve had SDs ~5fps using the drill/torch combo.

All that to say, I’d start with more premium brass. That and going to Varget (more temp stable than 4064 anyway) should reduce your SDs by a statistically relevant amount. The rest will just make reloading easier/faster, not necessarily more precise rounds.

Thank you. This is exactly what I was looking for. I shot a match today and used the last mf my 4064. I will start load dev with Varget this week. I also had some clickers today, with the FC brass. Although I am about a full grain below max charge weight. Just ordered some Lapua Brass. I also saw a guy at todays match with a brass catcher. So that will make buying Lapua brass a bit easier knowing I can retain it.

The vast majority of the people at the club I shoot does not reload. Most guys are military guys shooting factory ammo.

As for the dies, I am currently not using a bushing or mandril, but that is going to be a change. As for the trimmer, I cannot stress how unhappy I am with the Lyman.

The last thing I want to change after this season is the barrel on my rifle. It is a 1:14@ 20".

 

[SweaterDood]

Thank you. This is exactly what I was looking for. I shot a match today and used the last mf my 4064. I will start load dev with Varget this week. I also had some clickers today, with the FC brass. Although I am about a full grain below max charge weight. Just ordered some Lapua Brass. I also saw a guy at todays match with a brass catcher. So that will make buying Lapua brass a bit easier knowing I can retain it.

The vast majority of the people at the club I shoot does not reload. Most guys are military guys shooting factory ammo.

As for the dies, I am currently not using a bushing or mandril, but that is going to be a change. As for the trimmer, I cannot stress how unhappy I am with the Lyman.

The last thing I want to change after this season is the barrel on my rifle. It is a 1:14@ 20".

I generally find that FC brass is very soft at the case head and expands at the case web causing loose primer pockets and difficult extraction.

You might want to wait on load development until the new brass arrives. Lapua & Alpha brass will have reduced capacity so back your loads off a couple grains and work back up. You will also have to reset your dies to the new brass, since the metallurgy will be different and therefor the spring back after sizing will change. You obviously don’t want to spend $1.00+ per piece only to overwork it on the press. If you FL size and bump only .002-.003” each time, and don’t use too hot of loads, you should expect 15+ firings from Lapua.

I mostly have bushing dies (.257 caliber fanboy), but a standard FL die will actually size more consistently. Your RCBS sizing die should be fine, no real need to buy another unless you find a good price on a set. Use a mandrel to set neck tension (.002-.003” for PRS application).

 

[Invictus919]

Agree to what others have said regarding putting the focus on the skills needed for PRS.

That said…you have expressed how much you dislike the trimming chamfer deburring with your current tool. Maybe pickup a nice 3-way tool. If the process is enjoyable that creates excitement to reload more. You will learn a lot along your journey at the bench. Then you will know what the exact area that is holding you back, and look for a product to address that issue.

I have FC .308 brass that I use regularly. The brass (in my chamber) expands a decent amount when compared to other more ‘efficient’ cartridges. Being aware of that, for brass consistency I know I have to trim every time.

Reloading is a journey. Welcome to the pool with the rest of us loonies.