Welcome to the Reloading Forum -- Introduce Yourself

[Lapua40X]

.... here is my brass prep procedure, all brass already sorted to +/- 1gr by case weight, and flash-holes deburred.

Wipe off sand/dirt from range, then decap using universal decapper.

Ultrasonic clean, 50/50 H2O and vinegar, with just a drop of dish soap.
Baking Soda to neutralize the acid, then rinse.
Leave out for 3-4 days to dry in sun, or garage.

Hornady One-shot spray Lube, then FL resize
my .223 I use a Precision Mic to dial in the head-space,
I'll get one for .222 and 30-06, but for now I use the bolt closing method.

Trim cases on RCBS trim pro 2 with motor.
Chamfer and deburr by hand (VLD tool if needed)
Prime with Lee Ergo-prime.

-Mac

Welcome, Mac. Two comments on your reloading prep. I'd skip the sorting of brass by weight. The differences in weight have to be pretty dramatic to make any significant difference in load performance.
Might add that running a brass brush through the neck of your cases just before seating the bullets will prevent little burrs (yep, even after chamfering) from nicking the bullet.

 

[craigturnerfromnc]

Hi Everyone,

My name is Craig and I am From the triad area of North Carolina here. I have never reloaded, but want to learn. I am an accuracy fanatic and have had really good luck with factory ammo (after tons of trials) but really want to learn how to reload for supreme accuracy. The main calibers I will be reloading for (as of now) are: .243, .30-06 and 6.5 x 284 Norma. I will be asking a bunch of rookie questions and hope you all will indulge my ignorance when it comes to reloading. (and anything else for that matter)
Any good advice is welcome and I am a blank slate. I like to use good stuff. I hate equipment failure. I fail enough get really frustrated, when the tools I am trying to use won't work right. So.......any suggestions on presses, dies etc or website recommendations where I can read through some good info are more than welcome!! Thank you all in advance and I am really happy to have found this page!

 

[mac86951]

Hi Everyone,

My name is Craig and I am From the triad area of North Carolina here. I have never reloaded, but want to learn. I am an accuracy fanatic and have had really good luck with factory ammo (after tons of trials) but really want to learn how to reload for supreme accuracy. The main calibers I will be reloading for (as of now) are: .243, .30-06 and 6.5 x 284 Norma. I will be asking a bunch of rookie questions and hope you all will indulge my ignorance when it comes to reloading. (and anything else for that matter)
Any good advice is welcome and I am a blank slate. I like to use good stuff. I hate equipment failure. I fail enough get really frustrated, when the tools I am trying to use won't work right. So.......any suggestions on presses, dies etc or website recommendations where I can read through some good info are more than welcome!! Thank you all in advance and I am really happy to have found this page!

Hello Craig,
Reloading is an excellent hobby for someone accuracy minded, but it can be daunting initially as there is a LOT of procedure out there. First and foremost is what you are doing already, RESEARCH. I'd recommend a few loading manuals, to be cross referenced with online-data like Hodgdon website, and maybe even QuickLOAD software. I started with the Lyman 49th ed. manual, which has great info for the .243 and 30-06.

Once you're ready getting the right equipment set-up can be an all-or-nothing endeavor. I'd recommend starting small and getting the practice down on the basics before you start worrying about case concentricity or neck-turning, but plan ahead so that any equipment you collect is an addition or is swapped out at the right time.

When you are ready to start reloading, most shooters select the bullet first due to several factors. Cost, Ballistic Coeff, style, size/weight, or availability. Again, save yourself the trouble and start small, pick a few bullets you think you might like and try them in small quantities. Same story for Powder.

Finally, we all have our range equipment, but nothing is more frustrating than determining accuracy differences between two loads that we shot off-hand. Expect a good bag-set up and bench access to "eliminate" (more like reduce) the shooter from initial testing. Which comes to the last point, there are so many variables to adjust, that more than a few reloaders are left frustrated. Research and prepare a good test plan for general load-development, and then get specific for each load (hunting, plinking, 1000yd 1000-10x...). The one piece of equipment that is really handy to have at the range is a chronograph. Not required at all, but it does make it far easier to back-out load performances.


I'm sure you'll find a million questions from here, and I wish you good luck with your searches. You'll quickly find some aspects where we are very opinionated, but for the most part we'll all admit that fault up-front.

-Mac

 

[endurokids]

Hello to all,
I'm new to the forum and am an avid reloader. I started reloading again this year after a 20 yr layoff.
My current equipment is a Dillon and an RCBS.
I am an NRA Life Member.
Looking forward to sharing and gaining knowledge from all of you.

 

[metaz2]

Hello everyone, new to the forum. Forum highly recommended by a friend. Looking forward to furthering my reloading education.

 

[Valar]

WEll I have been around a while. I enjoy my Shilen barreled ar 15 , Rem 7oos 22-250, 308 30-06
I have gotten into a bit of gunsmithing the past few years. I built my ar myself. I did my first rebarrel on a mauser 98 last winter. Chambered it in 35 Wheelen. Currently working on a switch barrel rem 700. Recoil lug is pinned to action. working on 243 barrel first. I am also involved in reloading for precision. I have yet to wet my feet with competition benchrest, however when i retire in 6 years who knows. I might give it a whirl. I love to do everything in house. I have a nice Atlas t54 Timpken bearing geared head lathe, with milling attachment. Still saving for a small Mill. I am also a avid Coyote hunter which this time of year is my passion. It is very addicting. I cannot put to words what it is like to go out before sunrise and start calling coyotes. I use all open read calls and have literally had them inside of 15 yards before they spot me! Who hoo it gets my addrenaline pumping!

 

[super B]

Hello to all, I am Brian from Seminole Florida. (Tampa area). Retired from Publix Supermarkets. Been Comp. shooting rifle since mid 70's. Shot about everything that came along, air rifle, HP. across course, SB. prone and 3 P. Presently into LR. prone any,any, with the glasse eye. They call it mid range now. We only have one 600 yd. range in Fla. I shoot a 6mmBRX , 22BR. and 6 BR. in matches. Practice with 22RF. Since retiring I have stayed busy salt water fishing, hunting, bought a race car ( road racing at Sebring),and purchased a lathe,some reamers, books ,ect.and with help from machinest friends, learning to barrel ,and chamer rifles .I have done 3 to date all seemed to be OK. The hardest part is, It takes me all day to get the barrel set up in the lathe, I do not understand why its so hard for me. seems like I always tighten the wrong jaw. Anyway I am eager to learn more and share what I know...

 

[Onewolf]

Hello to all, I am Brian from Seminole Florida. (Tampa area).

snip....

We only have one 600 yd. range in Fla.

snip...

Did you mean one 600 yd range in your area or all of Fla? Volusia Gun Club has a long range sub group with a long range range of 1100 yds and soon to be 1 mile range.

 

[Onewolf]

I guess I should introduce myself.

My name is Doug and I live near Sanford FL. I recently bought my first bolt action rifle (Savage Long Range Precision 260) with the intent of pursuing long range field/match shooting. I'm a newbie at precision rifle shooting and I'm trying the soak up as much info/knowledge as I can.

My Redding T-7 press, .260 rem dies, etc, etc, etc were delivered by Santa and I'm preparing to give handloading a try.

 

[raysoar]

Hello folks.
Raysoar here. I am old to shooting ( in more ways than one) but new to reloading and it looked like this site would have a lot of helpful info. Mostly I shoot .308 in my M1A and Rem 700, .223 in my AR and 40 S&W in most of my pistols.
I am glad I found this site.
Once again, Hello from Florida.

 

[Luke_NL]

Hi boards!

Introduction is par for the course, so here goes. I'm Luke, an avid shooting fan from the Netherlands. After wielding mostly handguns for years on end, I got hooked on rifleshooting when I picked up my first remington 700. I reloaded a few handgun calibers before, mostly to keep the cost of shooting down. With the rifle(s), the reloading has really become an extra hobby of its own - with the elusive perfect rounds over the less and less distant horizon. So, I've been lurking and reading here (a lot), was lucky enough to be pointed to German's vault and have since picked up tools and materials left right and center. Between diligently prepping brass, weighing powder to the hundreths of grains and single staging on a forster, I think I'm covering most bases but there's a lot left to learn. That's where you all come in! I look forward to partaking more actively in the threads and learning more, sharing where I can.

Wishing you all tight groups.

Luke

 

[coblenblueface]

Ok. Do not know where to post. This is good as any I guess. New here, so pardon my ignorance. I live in Germany and I shoot a 1941 Husquavarna Swedish Mauser. I am in a bit of an arguement with my father-in-law about full sizing and neck sizing. We bought lapua brass and use sierra bullets. He has a 1903 Berliner long Swedish. I do not know if there is much different nor do I know if FL is better than NL. I did neck on a few rounds and had problems with bringing the system closed. I have no problem with FL rounds but I am told that they will be broken soon. Some help, bitte?

 

[bozo699]

Ok. Do not know where to post. This is good as any I guess. New here, so pardon my ignorance. I live in Germany and I shoot a 1941 Husquavarna Swedish Mauser. I am in a bit of an arguement with my father-in-law about full sizing and neck sizing. We bought lapua brass and use sierra bullets. He has a 1903 Berliner long Swedish. I do not know if there is much different nor do I know if FL is better than NL. I did neck on a few rounds and had problems with bringing the system closed. I have no problem with FL rounds but I am told that they will be broken soon. Some help, bitte?

coblenblueface,
Welcome to the forum sir,
You are right IMHO you should full length size that brass, depending on what your doing but .001-.003 shoulder bump would be fine, this question will get way more attention if you post it in the main reloading forum, this is actually just the introduction part of the forum for new members to say hello but your fine and looking forward to talking with you about gun stuff.
Wayne.

 

[1idrod]

Hi everyone, Been lurking for a month or so and just joined. Trying to learn as much as possible as I want to get into reloading myself. I have already found that just getting the equipment and supplies is one big hurdle. I hope to soon have what I need to begin this new hobby. Thanks ahead of time because I will have plenty of questions.

 

[bozo699]

Hi everyone, Been lurking for a month or so and just joined. Trying to learn as much as possible as I want to get into reloading myself. I have already found that just getting the equipment and supplies is one big hurdle. I hope to soon have what I need to begin this new hobby. Thanks ahead of time because I will have plenty of questions.

1idrod,
Welcome to the forum sir, hope you enjoy as much as I have,...ask away!!!
Wayne.

 

[SWCC Chief]

Hi,
Retired Navy shooter living in Kalifornia until my kids get out of college. Usually prowl the 6.8 forum. Love the 6.8 put looking for .223 data today.

 

[JK2010]

Hi !
I'm new to this forum. Started as a sportshooter 2002 in germany. Reloading my .45, .357, .223 and now waiting for my savage in .300wsm.
Hope to share our experience in reloading and long range shooting. (unfortunately it's difficult to shoot over 300m in germany)

Stay safe.

regards

Juergen

 

[bozo699]

SWCC Chief,.... JK2010,..
Welcome to the forum ,..there are a lot of world class shooters on here with a vast amount of knowledge I hope you enjoy and looking forward to talking with you.
Wayne.

 

[TCWoodsman]

Newbie

Hi guys. , Bill here, , Im a new member here and Im looking forward to sharring and increasing my knowledge on reloading. I have a T/C Encore pro s.s camo thumbhole. 204 with a Burris Black Diamond 6by 24 by 50mm Ballistic scope. And a T/C Encore. 308 handgun 15" s.s barrel with a Burris. 3by 12 handgun Scope ,and a New T/C venture. 308 with a nikon omega 3by 9 , as well as a Taurus .22 mag ss.Tracker and a 9mm Taurus PT111. MY hobbies include reloading, target shooting, and hunting. I live in N.Y out in Gods country far far away from traffic and neighborhood noise. Were deer walk through my back yard and the closest store is 6 miles away. Hope to meet a few new pen pals with commen interests. If anyone needs any tips on the Encore accuracy I am sure I can help out.

 

[bozo699]

TCWoodsman,
Welcome to the forum, I hope to talk to you soon and any accuracy help on the Encores would be appreciated from me, if I can help you on anything I may be qualified to (not much) haha we I will
Wayne.