Reloading tips for the newbies

[Not_A_Llama]

Got to thinking today about things that confused me and would have been nice to know when I started reloading, and didn't know squat. So I put together a list. Hopefully, others will add theirs.

Mine's a little 9mm-biased, because that's what I load most.

-The “crimp” die should be called the "de-bell" die. It's just there to remove the flare from seating. Not many cartridges out there need a true hard crimp.
-Corollary to the above: case tension is what holds a bullet in, not crimp. The brass in your casings is powerfully elastic, to a certain point.
-The “coke bottle” effect in many reloaded rounds is normal and proper. It helps prevent the bullet from setting back in the case when chambering
-Variations in overall length are normal. Most seating dies push on the ogive of the bullet, not the tip. There can be considerable (+/-0.005″) variation in OAL when your dies are set up this way.
-Use case lube, even with carbide dies. It makes the process much faster and smoother, and a good spray lanolin case lube costs very very little.
-There is basically no upper limit to the number of times a piece of 9mm brass can be reloaded. I have reason to believe that some pieces of brass in my pool are 30+ reloads old
-Tumbling should take, at most, 20 minutes. You can go longer if you have a thing for shiny, but functionally clean doesn’t take long to achieve.
-Undercharges are just as dangerous as overcharges. Arguably moreso.
-You need a chronograph. Without one, you're loading blind. Velocity is your best picture into pressure.
-Powder measures measure volume, not weight. Charges are specified in weight. Powders are relatively uniform in density, which makes the whole thing workable.

[hghclsswhitetrsh]

Thank you very much! Great info.

[Great-Kazoo]

Used brass is not worth (at least now) the $75 per 50 asking price some CL ad's would have you believe.

[Caithford]

Thanks for the tips!

[Irving]

Good thread. Hope it gets added to.

[Great-Kazoo]

When you adj your sizing die then go to powder dispenser, make sure the cartridge has a primer in it.

[anomad]

I read a few reloading forums. Its amazing how the same threads repeat over and over. I'm glad to see a few people here have raised the white flag and asked for a tutor and others have volunteered up their equipment to teach. That would have saved me re-watching the Dillon VHS and re-reading the manual a million times when I started. (Half a million times ought to cover it.)

Primers, powders, overall length, bullet choices. Noobs tend to get overwhelmed by the variables, I know I did. When you are starting out try to eliminate as many variables as possible.

[spqrzilla]

Good tips although I'd argue some specifics regarding crimping.

[DeusExMachina]

- Change your tumbling media semi-frequently. This goes with tumbling for a short amount of time. A short amount of time will get you clean or even semi-shiny as long as your media isn't dulled or dirty. When 20-30 minutes isn't getting you there, change your media.

- If you don't use dryer sheets in the laundry, start. Used dryer sheets are useful to de-static your powder measure and keep your tumbling media lasting longer and less dusty.

[bobbyfairbanks]

Buy a reloading manual, READ IT. Buy a SECOND reloading manual READ that one as well. Stop asking stupid questions till you have read the book and actually REFERENCE it. Here ends the lesson.