johnf Posted January 24, 2008 Report Share Posted January 24, 2008 I've got enough cash to get a lee reloading kit, dies for all my rifles (4), powder, primers and one box of bullets for each caliber. Should I get it all at once or start out with 1 caliber with more bullet options, work up a system and a load for that gun, then start adding calibers later? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southerngirl Posted January 24, 2008 Report Share Posted January 24, 2008 Do one at a time sweetie! You'll need to play with alot of things, like different powders and primer combo's to get a great load. Also get a good reloading kit, not the cheapest model. That's the best advice I got when I got the x a reloading kit for Christmas last year. I got him the RCBS Rockchucker or something like that, it wasn't the cheapest kit at walmart but the next one up. Also get a set of digital scales if the kit doesn't come with one, you can get them on AT or Ebay fairly cheaply, get the one that does fine measurments. Also if you don't have a chronograph yet your gonna want one of those to see what each load is shooting. books too! get on ebay and get a used copy of different load books. The older the book the hotter the load data will be but each book will have different load data and it's nice to look at 3 or 4 books and then decide what to load. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southerngirl Posted January 25, 2008 Report Share Posted January 25, 2008 ok, come on I know there are other reloaders on this forum! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PA_RIDGE_RUNNER Posted January 25, 2008 Report Share Posted January 25, 2008 Ok Ok I'll fess up I am a reloaderaholic. I was fortunate in that my father-in-law gave me much of the equipment I needed to get started. Some of what you must have you can make like loading blocks. You can use a plastic spoon as a powder trickler too. You must have a powder scales, powder funnel, case trimmer, and a set of calipers even the cheaper plastic ones will work. Nice to have but not necessary are things like a tumbler, bullet puller, magnifying light, and separate priming device. I made a bunch of loading blocks from scrap lumber by drilling all the way through a 3/4 inch board with all the holes and tacking a piece of thin paneling to the bottom. This gives a nice flat bottom hole. Piece of advice only ever keep one powder on your bench at a time. Look several times to be sure it is the powder you want as you cannot make a mistake with that. Also keep good records of your loading in case you want to refer back to it in the future. The more info the better. One other piece of advice is to sit and read the manual first. Also if you know of anyone that reloads ask to come watch them at work and ask questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnf Posted January 25, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2008 I ordered a Lee Challenger kit, 243 3 die lee set and a trickler today. We're going up to Bentonville in a few weeks and I figured I would go to Sportsman's warehouse and look at some books to buy before I got any bullets, powder or primer. Anyway, my shed isn't heated and I'm not about to do any work out there until it warms up. What kind of primers would you recommend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toddyboman Posted January 25, 2008 Report Share Posted January 25, 2008 Piece of advice only ever keep one powder on your bench at a time. Look several times to be sure it is the powder you want as you cannot make a mistake with that. Also keep good records of your loading in case you want to refer back to it in the future. The more info the better. One other piece of advice is to sit and read the manual first. Also if you know of anyone that reloads ask to come watch them at work and ask questions. some great tips right there. Read a manual is the one thing that I think is a MUST before you ever start the loading process!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leo Posted January 25, 2008 Report Share Posted January 25, 2008 Yep, Read the reloading manual reloading basics section BEFORE you do your first!!! One very basic thing that newbies miss is loading a powder charge that is BELOW the minimum. Never ever ever do this. This can be EXTREMELY dangerous. Not just a bullet lodged in the barrel either. A charge thats too low can make your gun go off like a BOMB. Buy a good manual and read it. Do not depend on friends advice that "this is a good load". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest wthomaslee Posted January 25, 2008 Report Share Posted January 25, 2008 I Agree, develope one load at a time. Leo is right, never trust any other load unless it is listed in powder or bullet manufacturers published load data book. Some people know just enough to make it sound like they know what they are doing and don't. I won't shoot loads made from anyone but the factory or myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southerngirl Posted January 26, 2008 Report Share Posted January 26, 2008 yeah, get you a composition note book or something like that and every day you load make a detailed note of what you loaded and date it Trust the day will come when you will want to look back at it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PA_RIDGE_RUNNER Posted January 28, 2008 Report Share Posted January 28, 2008 OK I thought of a few other things. When You go to load a certain cartridge, go to the page or chart for that caliber. They will list all the particulars such as overall length as maximum and minimum. That is why you need a precise measuring device as you will work in hundreths or even thousandths of an inch. A too long cartridge case will do two things either it will not fit into the chamber right or it will crimp a too long case into the bullet causing a spike in pressure that just isn't safe. The 243 is not known much as a case stretcher as some of the other calibers are. Also develop a routine when reloading and write it down so you are sure you have done all the necessary steps. I first inspect all the cases I am going to reload for signs of possible failure. I then deprime the cases. After that I set up my calipers to the max length and run all the cartridges through. If even one needs trimmed I set my trimmer to the suggested trim to length and run all the cases through the trimmer. Next since I have one I toss them in my case tumbler and clean them up. I do this at this time because I want only clean cases going through my dies. Once clean I inspect again as I make sure all the cleaning compound is out of the case and primer pocket. I then put resizing lube on the cases and resize them. I throw them back into the tumbler and clean off the lube. Again I inspect the cases as they come out of the medium. I then reprime the cases. Next put the proper amount of powder in, and then seat the bullets. I always give one last inspection. I grab my logbook and record the session as completely as possible. I am then free to put the loaded cartridges away and clean up the reloading bench. Things are not too confusing doing only one cartridge but when you get to three or more your memory is not good enough that is why a good log is necessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LifeNRA Posted January 28, 2008 Report Share Posted January 28, 2008 OK I thought of a few other things. When You go to load a certain cartridge, go to the page or chart for that caliber. They will list all the particulars such as overall length as maximum and minimum. That is why you need a precise measuring device as you will work in hundreths or even thousandths of an inch. A too long cartridge case will do two things either it will not fit into the chamber right or it will crimp a too long case into the bullet causing a spike in pressure that just isn't safe. The 243 is not known much as a case stretcher as some of the other calibers are. Also develop a routine when reloading and write it down so you are sure you have done all the necessary steps. I first inspect all the cases I am going to reload for signs of possible failure. I then deprime the cases. After that I set up my calipers to the max length and run all the cartridges through. If even one needs trimmed I set my trimmer to the suggested trim to length and run all the cases through the trimmer. Next since I have one I toss them in my case tumbler and clean them up. I do this at this time because I want only clean cases going through my dies. Once clean I inspect again as I make sure all the cleaning compound is out of the case and primer pocket. I then put resizing lube on the cases and resize them. I throw them back into the tumbler and clean off the lube. Again I inspect the cases as they come out of the medium. I then reprime the cases. Next put the proper amount of powder in, and then seat the bullets. I always give one last inspection. I grab my logbook and record the session as completely as possible. I am then free to put the loaded cartridges away and clean up the reloading bench. Things are not too confusing doing only one cartridge but when you get to three or more your memory is not good enough that is why a good log is necessary. All good info! One at a time! Take your time! Make sure you have all the equipment you need before you start, NEVER TAKE SHORT CUTS!!! Measure your brass before you load, and measure over-all length after you load! Being consistent is the key for safe actuate loading! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnf Posted January 28, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2008 Ok, if I check the brass for length and put them through the same dies, why do I need to check them for length again? Sorry if it's a dumb question. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leo Posted January 29, 2008 Report Share Posted January 29, 2008 Resizing actually stretches the brass some. If your close to max before resizing, you may very well be over afterward. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PA_RIDGE_RUNNER Posted February 6, 2008 Report Share Posted February 6, 2008 I reread my last post and found I got something in the wrong place. I measure my case length after I resize for just the reason that Leo has said. Resizing a case means you are literally squeezing it back down to near it's factory size. That brass has to go somewhere and what it does is make the case ever so slightly longer. I have reloaded a few hundred 243s and had little problem with the case stretching. Oh by the way the 243 takes the standard large rifle primer. No need for a mag primer in that case. I always had great accuracy with either IMR 4831 or H4831 in the 100 gr bullet. When you buy primers be sure you know what you are looking for as the various numbering/wording systems differ with each manufacturer. About all the reloading manuals have a chart that describes the sizes and types of primers and each company's designation for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnf Posted February 6, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2008 So I can't just get some large rifle primers at Walmart and expect them to work? The closest wally world carries, bullets, manuals, RCBS kits and some powders. It's the only one I've ever see with reloading eqpt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PA_RIDGE_RUNNER Posted February 7, 2008 Report Share Posted February 7, 2008 Yes you can buy your primers at walmart. What I meant was a number of companies make primers but do not call them the same thing or id them by the same number. For instance a standard large rifle primer made by Remington is called a 9 1/2, Winchesters are 120-8 1/2 and recently changed to WLR, Federal is 210, and CCI is 200. Now these are all usable in the 243 and are all Large Rifle Primers but by different company names. That is where a reloading manual comes in handy. When it comes to reloading no question is a dumb one. I started out being very cautious and never lost that trait. Now go get a manual and get to studying and I don't mean just reading I mean study it. NOTE: if you go to the Hodgdon powder website you can order several booklets free from them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeramie Posted February 7, 2008 Report Share Posted February 7, 2008 Ok, if I check the brass for length and put them through the same dies, why do I need to check them for length again? Sorry if it's a dumb question. John, There is a reloading DVD on ebay. Its an older guy with a white beard. Buy it. Its a great tool, easy to watch, and he gives great insight. I paid something like $12 shipped for my copy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bowana Posted February 27, 2008 Report Share Posted February 27, 2008 Rifle Primers I really don't see too much variation when it comes to primers. Especially when it comes to the 243, 260, etc. The only time I have noticed a difference in the primers that I have used are with slow burning powders in heavy magnum loads and with some bench rest loads in 6MM. Even when loading 30-06 type rounds (25-06; 280 Rem etc) I see little variation. Don't get hung up on the small stuff. Be concerned that the case is resized properly and the case length is correct, you fully seat the primer, THE CORRECT TYPE AND WEIGHT OF POWDER IS USED, the bullet is seated to the correct depth. Take your loaded rounds and with the muzzle pointed in a safe direction somewhere outdoors feed the rounds through the action to ensure smooth cycling. Its just like riding a bike....once you get the hang of it. Its smooth sailing. Good luck and enjoy the addiction! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dubie Posted February 27, 2008 Report Share Posted February 27, 2008 I don't know if I can add much to the advice here, other then plan ahead. I wanted to whip up some of my tried and true for deer season this year. Well, I waited to long to pick up some new primers (both the stores that carried them were closed). As a result, I was forced to use a factory load on opening day of rifle.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.