reloading for rifle

[peterk123]

I am very comfortable reloading 9mm, 38 special and 357 mag loads. I am still a relative beginner but have about 40,000 rounds or so under my belt. But I have yet to do rifle loads.

I have two presses, a lee turret and a hornady progressive. Do you guys use a single stage or is a progressive used for loading rifle? I could always use the hornady as a single stage press.

Don't have the dies yet, heck I don't even have a rifle yet. Just trying to figure things out.

Thanks Pete

 

[jpm]

I use a single stage for loading rifle. If you're already comfortable then you shouldn't have a problem doing rifle, its just a couple of extra steps really. The Lee turret works fine as a single stage too if you want

 

[pthomas65]

I use a single stage for loading rifle. If you're already comfortable then you shouldn't have a problem doing rifle, its just a couple of extra steps really. The Lee turret works fine as a single stage too if you want

If your reloading tappered shells like 223 dont you need a special tool to grind down the neck to correct the overall length?

 

[Arto]

single stage so you can tweedle in the powder to the scale grain-by-grain.

a case trimmer is used for when the necks get stretched (lube inside neck & expander ball will stretch 'em less)

which calibres?

 

[greencobra]

If your reloading tappered shells like 223 dont you need a special tool to grind down the neck to correct the overall length?

it is a good thing to have a case trimmer, yes. don't be afraid to purchase this stuff on the secondary market either. i've seen some honkin' good deals in the classifieds here on nes when someone is getting out of reloading.

 

[FrugalFannie]

I guess it would depend on what you want out of your ammo. Progressive if you just want lots of "range ammo." Single stage if you want precision, whether that be for hunting or competition or just because. If you want precision (or even not) see if EddieCoyle is holding his Precision Rifle Reloading class. It was excellent.

 

[xtry51]

I single stage hand prep my brass.

For range ammo I use my Lee 4 hole turret to powder and seat. I actually have two powder drops and two seating dies on a single 4 hole plate.

For precision ammo I single stage the whole way.

You will need some kind of case trimmer. I have a Giraud. It's worth every penny.

 

[mac1911]

I am very comfortable reloading 9mm, 38 special and 357 mag loads. I am still a relative beginner but have about 40,000 rounds or so under my belt. But I have yet to do rifle loads.

I have two presses, a lee turret and a hornady progressive. Do you guys use a single stage or is a progressive used for loading rifle? I could always use the hornady as a single stage press.

Don't have the dies yet, heck I don't even have a rifle yet. Just trying to figure things out.

Thanks Pete

theres a few more steps involve with rifle but the concept is the same,,,safety and awareness

Alot comes down to what you shoot and expect from your reloads. My friends dad has one rifle 30/30

you can go ultra low investment or $$$

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgl0wnI8pcA


You can always use your hornady as a "single stage" by only loading one case at a time.?

 

[greencobra]

I single stage hand prep my brass.

yeah, me too. although i only load 5.56 now. i load practice range ammo by the thousands and keep my factory stash secured. i have tens of thousands of 5.56 military brass prepped and primed. have enough primers to last the rest of my life & i use 2230 powder and chased down about 23 lbs when it got scarce a few years ago. got some great deals on bulk bullets from glenn's to still make loading this cartridge a cost saver. but yep, single stage these guys and any other rifle loads i use to do over the years.

 

[jek]

I use the Lee Classic turret press for rifle and handgun loads. It’s a decent press for a broad range of calibers. I also have a single stage, that I only use for low production.

One thing to consider is if you use a powder measure on the turret. Handgun powders tend to meter pretty well. I use a Lee Autodrum for those. Rifle powders I’ve used are stick powders and need a measure that will “cut” the sticks and not wear out the drum.

 

[38ExtraSpecial]

I am very comfortable reloading 9mm, 38 special and 357 mag loads. I am still a relative beginner but have about 40,000 rounds or so under my belt. But I have yet to do rifle loads.

I have two presses, a lee turret and a hornady progressive. Do you guys use a single stage or is a progressive used for loading rifle? I could always use the hornady as a single stage press.

Don't have the dies yet, heck I don't even have a rifle yet. Just trying to figure things out.

Thanks Pete

I’ve loaded rifle on single and progressive.
On the progressive end of things you really still should have a single stage press set up.
First I lube.
I use a rock chucker to size/deprime.
I check for length and trim if need be.
Tumble to remove case lube.
Then I usually go do my Dillon with a universal decapping die in the first station to pop out any tumbling media that could be stuck in the flash hole.
Station 2 drop powder
Station 3 bullet seat
Station 4 crimp if you want.

Due to the fact that you need lube to size and should remove this lube before loading and also need to check length/trim you have to remove it from the progressive press anyway.

 

[peterk123]

Thanks guys. I have settled on purchasing a 308 in the near future. I cannot tell you the last time I purchased ammo. It would kill me to start doing it

Rifle is probably a lot of fun to load because you can really do a lot of testing for accuracy. Other than my 357 mag load, which is a max load, my 9mm and 38sp are soft loads because it saves on powder and is easier for everyone to shoot.

 

[peterk123]

Do you guys anneal your brass?

 

[xtry51]

I do not anneal.

I also do not remove the lube from the case.

 

[Arto]

are you doing .308 Win for an autoloader? If so, be sure to get the "Small Base Die Set" (i.e., RCBS#15503)

 

[38ExtraSpecial]

Do you guys anneal your brass?

I purchased some annealing salts but haven’t played with it really.
I need to though.

 

[jpm]

Do you guys anneal your brass?

Nah. I usually only reload my brass a few times before I toss it in the bucket and start on new (once fired) brass though.

308 is a good one to start with, bullets and brass are quite abundant and your choices of powders are pretty vast. The charge will almost fill the case so there's really no chance of double charging it.

 

[mac1911]

Do you guys anneal your brass?

This is really dependent on your brass/cal
223/308/30-06 I have so much of I run a batch of 100 or so until necks split , primer pockets loose ect . These end up in a anneal at some point bucket.

i do anneal brass I reform to other cals. 30-06 to 7.7jap for one. I dont have a lot of 8mm mauser brass so that will get annealed at some point.

 

[HarryPottar]

Do you guys anneal your brass?

I anneal 308 & 6.5 Creedmoor, I do not anneal 223/556.

I used my Dillon 650 to prep 223/556, I have a swager where the priming unit goes and an RT 1500 to trim.

This is the exact same setup as mine, this is a friend of mine out of NY


I then reload 233/556 after washing with pins on the Dillon as well.

My 308/6.5, I hand prep, I anneal, I then manually trim, chamfer, hand load on a rock chucker, check centrifugal etc.



Harry.

 

[PatMcD]

I've loaded untold tens of thousands of .223 rounds on a Dillon 650 progressive. I shoot so much of it there is no way I could use a single-stage press and also keep what remains of my sanity.

For trimming, look into a Giroud Tri-way. $100

 

[peterk123]

Thank you guys. Very helpful. Pete

 

[peterk123]

Been reading up on rifle cartridge reloading. I gotta say, this looks like fun. You can go crazy with load development. I played around quite a bit with my muzzleloader trying different bullets, sabots and the right amount of Blackhorn 209. Rifle cartridges take it to a whole new level. Guess I need to buy the rifle

 

[akma]

As others have said what are you trying to accomplish? If you are planning on volume then you'll need to step up the process with a progressive system. A couple of boxes every now and then then a single stage will be fine. I anneal all my rifle brass and trim. I mark my brass so I know it's mine compared to range brass. Annealing extends the life many times. You can really reduce your group size with reloading and good practice.

 

[akma]

Load development can make you a little nuts. I'm still really trying to get a good practice down. I go through fazes because life happens and stuff gets put on hold. Choosing a good powder is essential too. For progressives you need something that's easily metered. I love Varget for 5.56 and 308 target loads but it's strictly single stage.I will tell you I've been reloading since '78. However since the last several years since I have really got on track with the Hornady headspace and bullet seat have me really shrink my group size.

 

[xtry51]

I meter varget in my turret with no issues. 4320 and RL15 as well.

 

[Skipmeok]

I use my progressive press for pistols only...high precision ammo isn't needed at 50 feet. For my rifle ammo shooting out to 600 yards I need consistent rounds so I get a lot more detail with my rifle ammo. Check case length, anneal when needed, trim as needed, clean the primer pockets and deburr the inside of the primer, tumble clean, and then use an RCBS Lite powder measure for consistent charges, Hornady micrometer bullet seater and set my bullets about .010 from the lands. Use a MagnetoSpeed to monitor my speeds and adjust accordingly. Components are important as well, so I try to load in batches when it comes to powders.

 

[45collector]

I am about to jump into reloading .223. The only other bottleneck rounds I've loaded so far are .308 and after I got comfortable with the procedures on that, I starting cranking out ammo pretty quick on the RCBS Rock Chucker. I've got a box of 53gr Sierra MK's and I'll be using the same powder for .223 as I use for .308, H4895. Either way though, loading rifle rounds like that is nowhere near as fast as cranking out straight-walled pistol rounds.

 

[hv55maxx]

I have a rock chucker, lee turret, and XL650. 22 different calibers across all presses, some quantity, some quality loads, although even at volume, quality is the goal.

rock chucker usually sees my hunting loads and load development. high quality loads take time. ladder work up for load development takes time.

556, 308, 30-06 (garand), 45, and 9mm on XL650. still quality as ladder work up was done on rock chucker.

turret press is the compromise. i had it after the single stage but before the 650. i kept it for loads like 357, 38, 44, my friends 500S&W (), basically everything i shoot but the quantity doesnt justify a caliber conversion on the 650.

as far as rifle reloading, sizing with lube, trimming (then chamfering/deburring) are the main differences from pistol. annealing can be helpful, especially for converting brass (aka 308 to 6.5creedmoor). I use a deep socket on a hand drill and a propane torch. would love one, but cant justify an annealez.

**if you get nothing else out of this post, if you want accuracy, don't use anything that requires plugging in or batteries. dial caliper doesnt run out of battery. balance beam scale doesnt fluctuate. the point is to remove any variable. consistency is king. **

 

[DW357]

Either way though, loading rifle rounds like that is nowhere near as fast as cranking out straight-walled pistol rounds.

Yep. If you're lazy like me and don't mind spending the money for convenience, consider shipping out your brass to be processed. I did this with my 223/556 brass and the time savings was worth it to me. Now I wouldn't do this every time I shoot/reload the brass. But it was helpful the first time to remove the primer pocket crimp, trim/chamfer etc. Next time I reload the brass hopefully I just need to resize only - some might need trimming but not sure as I haven't got that far yet...

Brass Processing Service - M&S Processed Brass

We offer a full line of brass processing service from rifle to pistol. Our current offering of processing includes the following: Pistol: 9mm, .40 S&W, & .45 ACP Rifle: .223/5.56 NATO & .308/7.62 NATO Our facility is capable of running 100,000 plus pieces per week. We welcome customers of all...

msprocessedbrass.com

 

[mac1911]

Yep. If you're lazy like me and don't mind spending the money for convenience, consider shipping out your brass to be processed. I did this with my 223/556 brass and the time savings was worth it to me. Now I wouldn't do this every time I shoot/reload the brass. But it was helpful the first time to remove the primer pocket crimp, trim/chamfer etc. Next time I reload the brass hopefully I just need to resize only - some might need trimming but not sure as I haven't got that far yet...

Brass Processing Service - M&S Processed Brass

We offer a full line of brass processing service from rifle to pistol. Our current offering of processing includes the following: Pistol: 9mm, .40 S&W, & .45 ACP Rifle: .223/5.56 NATO & .308/7.62 NATO Our facility is capable of running 100,000 plus pieces per week. We welcome customers of all...

msprocessedbrass.com

They need to add annealing. If they started annealing my LG flat rate box would be out the door already.