Reloading tips for the newbies

[lifeon2]

Remember when folks are new to the hobby and asking questions be patient and try not to forget that you were at least as uninformed as them once upon a time.

[Not_A_Llama]

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

This is the venue to do so. Looking forward to your writeup.

[C.hud]

Also, dont take shortcuts. Reloading can take a while, set a side a block of time for each step and dont rush. When you rush you can make errors. Most people get into reloading to not only save money but to have better quality rounds than factory ammo. Be patient while learning to reload and even once you have got it down and try to limit distractions during the reloading process. And i have to agree with the person who said it above, undercharged rounds can be just as dangerous as overcharged rounds. Take your time and enjoy your new hobby.

[20X11]

Buy an L.E. Wilson pistol gage for each pistol caliber you plan to reload. Follow directions included with gage. Crimp only enough so the loaded cartridge drops in and back out without resistance. this ensures you are creating rounds to proper dimensions.
If you are on a progressive loader...buy a powder lockout die. Squib loads SUCK!

[DeusExMachina]

If you are on a progressive loader...buy a powder lockout die. Squib loads SUCK!

Or just pay a modicum of attention when placing the bullet on the bell to make sure there's powder in there.

[Great-Kazoo]

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.

I had this issue on the first press, overwhelmed & confused. With the newest acquisition i took each step slower and rechecked. Sizer / decrimper set & double check, powder dispenser, bullet seating and crimp all checked and double checked. perhaps too anal, but hey i'm not the only one in the family shooting reloads.

Everyone who reloads knows more than one who does not or just learning and also on a learning curve as well.

[spqrzilla]

This is the venue to do so. Looking forward to your writeup.

The purpose / need for crimping varies by the caliber and the application. In most rifle calibers, crimping is explicitly not needed and often counterproductive. Crimping a rifle cartridge requires that the reloader hold the case length to close tolerances, necessitating more frequent case trimming. In most cases, the case neck tension inherent in a case that has been correctly resized is adequate to hold a bullet in a rifle. The advertising for Lee regarding their "factory crimp die" is largely advertising hogwash. For those concerned with the last tiny margins of group size, crimping a rifle cartridge just adds another variable to the reloading process and the key to accuracy at those margins is consistency.

Exceptions to this in a rifle may occur in semi-auto rifles where there is more of a chance for bullet setback; or in tubular magazine guns.

Handgun cartridges ( other than single shot handguns that act more like short rifles ) more often require some form of crimp.

Semi-auto handguns in modern calibers headspace upon the case mouth, so excessive crimp especially a roll crimp can cause headspacing issues in extreme cases. Use a taper crimp that is crimped enough to keep the bullet from being setback in the magazine or as fed.

Revolver calibers are usually crimped with the roll crimp. One will often see advice to increase the amount of crimp for the heavier calibers or the heavier loads in a caliber. The purpose of the crimp in these cartridges is to increase tension on the bullet ( which some reloading authorities assert improves ignition for the slower powders - its arguable ) and to prevent the bullet from walking out of the case during recoil as its siblings in the cylinder are being fired.

[spqrzilla]

Buy an L.E. Wilson pistol gage for each pistol caliber you plan to reload. Follow directions included with gage.

Especially with the .40 S&W. And for some reason, 9x19mm gives me fits that require me to gage my rounds.

[Not_A_Llama]

Handgun cartridges ( other than single shot handguns that act more like short rifles ) more often require some form of crimp.

Semi-auto handguns in modern calibers headspace upon the case mouth, so excessive crimp especially a roll crimp can cause headspacing issues in extreme cases. Use a taper crimp that is crimped enough to keep the bullet from being setback in the magazine or as fed.

I'll differ here. Let me illustrate:



These represent a typical selection of reloaded cartridges from my Lee dies. The "coke bottling" effect is caused by any proper resizing die; the Dillons are famous/notorious for an even more exaggerated version.

That the internal diameter of the casing behind the bullet is less than the diameter of the bullet itself is the main hindrance to bullet setback. You literally need to reverse-resize the casing in your action to achieve setback. Needless to say, this will not happen with recoil, and is even a task when smashed in the action of a semi-auto.

Fundamentally, my opposition to "crimping" is the tendency for people to go to extremes. It just doesn't pay off, compared to the headaches it's likely to induce. Also, the mechanism itself is much more tenuous than people believe. Lead reaches plastic deformation before brass. Trying to "hold in" lead with brass just won't do, when the brass elastically reverts after pressure is removed. You have to go to extremes, like crimping into a cannelure, before you'll see a consistent and significant effect.

There are obviously situations where crimping does apply and is necessary, but not for most people. I'm at around 15k/year of 9mm, and can't recommend it for that cartridge. Likewise 223 and 308.

I don't use a case gauge very much anymore. Maybe good when first setting up your dies, but I've never produced a cartridge after setup that legitimately didn't fit. I *have* had quite a few freakout sessions induced by debris stuck in the gauge, however. I encourage a healthy dose of paranoia, so I'm not condemning case gauges, but I'd say you don't strictly *need* them if you have a proven production process. And, in the end, the ultimate case gauge is your barrel's chamber.

[anomad]

I've been reloading for a while and never owned a case gauge. I just use the chamber of the intended firearm.

Crimping isn't a guessing game. Measure set back or run out with your loads. I have recreated the Speer tests with 5 grains of unique in a 38 special. Even with minimal crimp I get no run out even after letting one round riding the recoil of two full cylinders in an airweight.
I have measured reduced seating depth in a tubular magazine 44 magnum rifle with no crimp. So my 44 rifle loads get a light crimp.
Don't guess or take some random internet dudes advice, take your calipers to the range and see what works with your rig.