First Time Reloader

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  • michaelmew

    First Time Reloader

    I am brand new to reloading and I have a couple of questions.

    I've got a good friend who has several presses that I can use. One is a single stage and another one is a progressive (Lee I think). My friend has a lot of experience reloading pistol calibers, but not much with rifles (as far as I know).

    Just before the old site went down, I bought Redding Type S bushing dies for my 6.5 Grendel. I've got a couple hundred once fired cases from Hornady. Assuming he has all the generic equipment, what else do I need to buy equipment wise?

    I plan on doing 90% target shooting up to 400yds. I might develop loads for hog hunting and whitetail hunting. So, which bullet/powder/primer combo would you reccomend for a starting point?

    Lastly, neither one of us has a chronograph. How important is this piece of equipment?

    Any advice is also greatly appreciated. Thanks


    -michaelmew
  • VASCAR2
    Chieftain
    • Mar 2011
    • 6218

    #2
    I learned the hard way how much easier it is to load the 6.5 Grendel after I trimmed my brass to be a more consistent length. I to had reloaded a lot of pistol ammo but not much rifle ammo. I crushed a couple of cases and had varying degrees of tension on my bullets while seating do to the different case lengths. My recommendation would be to have access to a good caliper and case trimmer. I bought a Hornady case trimming kit which works but may not be as fast or user friendly as some of the more expensive case trimmers. For the number of rounds I fire a year the Hornady trimmer is not a problem. I really like how TAC powder dispense in my uniflow powder dispenser. I've loaded a little with H335, Varget and have WW 748 and A2230 powders yet to try. A friend and I chipped in and bought a chronograph last year but I haven't had the opportunity to clock my 6.5 Grendel loads. A chronograph is nice tool but not really needed but it helps calculate an accurate scope dope for longer range shooting IMHO. For the price I've had good luck with Hornady A-Max and V-Max bullets and my rifle seems to shoot Nosler 100 grain BT accurately. Best recommendation is to read what the experienced shooters have to say on forums like here, AR15.com and get a new Hornady reloading manual (11th edition IIRC) which has 6.5 Grendel data.

    Comment

    • LR1955
      Super Moderator
      • Mar 2011
      • 3355

      #3
      Originally posted by michaelmew View Post
      I am brand new to reloading and I have a couple of questions.

      I've got a good friend who has several presses that I can use. One is a single stage and another one is a progressive (Lee I think). My friend has a lot of experience reloading pistol calibers, but not much with rifles (as far as I know).

      Just before the old site went down, I bought Redding Type S bushing dies for my 6.5 Grendel. I've got a couple hundred once fired cases from Hornady. Assuming he has all the generic equipment, what else do I need to buy equipment wise?

      I plan on doing 90% target shooting up to 400yds. I might develop loads for hog hunting and whitetail hunting. So, which bullet/powder/primer combo would you reccomend for a starting point?

      Lastly, neither one of us has a chronograph. How important is this piece of equipment?

      Any advice is also greatly appreciated. Thanks


      -michaelmew
      MM:

      120 Sierra Match King, TAC or 2520. I believe the Hornady brass uses large rifle primers. Use the CCI-200 or Wolf Large Rifle Primer and you will be fine. I tend towards 28 - 28 1/2 grains of TAC or 30 - 30 1/2 of 2520. The 120 SMK is very forgiving about things like bullet jump and doesn't require much testing to find an ideal overall length. Use the length Alexander recommends or go by ensuring the bullet can both seat in the magazine and stay off of the lands.

      You will not see any advantage to a VLD bullet (123 Sierra or Lapua) at 400 yards over the 120 Match King and they cost more money. 107 Sierra's and 108 Lapuas are as problematic in getting them to shoot consistently well as the 123 Lapua and 123 Sierra. You don't need to spend the money on a 140 for that distance either. Waste of money with no advantage.

      As for a chronograph -- not necessary unless you really get into the science. If you do want to buy a chronograph, my advice is to spend the money on a very good one. I use a CED with IR lighting for sky screens and it does what I need without an iota of a problem due to light conditions.

      At your stage of the game though, you ought to look at a decent press, powder scale, measure, and the other things that allow you to endure the boredom of handloading without becoming totally stupified. I would not advise you to get a progressive unless you know exactly what to focus your attention on at every stage and know 'what right looks like' at every stage. Once you get to the stage where you can more fully understand the advantages / disadvantages and risks involved with a progressive, then you have learned enough to inform your decision on brand and features.

      Oh yes, you don't always have to spend top dollar on reloading equipment. It is pretty hard to damage a thirty pound steel reloading press and used ones are about half the price of new ones. OTOH, it is real easy to damage a plastic and aluminum reloading press so less is not necessarily better.

      LR1955
      Last edited by LR1955; 03-17-2011, 08:03 PM.

      Comment


      • #4
        I'm a geezer with more than 50 years of reloading experience. I still make all of my rifle ammo on a single stage press FWIW.

        Trim to minimum length, chamfer inside and outside of case necks, and clean primer pockets every once in a while.

        Full length resize your cases if you're reloading for a gas gun; but don't over resize them. This easily learned by trying to chamber a resized case and sizing just a tad more if it doesn't chamber. With good quality dies such as your Reddings, you shouldn't have a problem as long as your chamber is in spec.

        When starting new loads, start 10% below max powder charges and work up .2 of a grain at a time, checking for pressure signs along the way. I weigh all maximum charges with a powder scale. If using charges under max I use a good powder measure. Even with quality measures; consistent technique is more important than the cost of the measure.

        Seat bullets to the depth reccomended by your loading manual.

        You will pick up more info as more members check in.

        Comment

        • PA_Allen
          Warrior
          • Mar 2011
          • 333

          #5
          LR1955 and pappy42 have given you some good advice. One correction though is that the Hornady brass uses a small rifle primer. Rem 7 1/2 and CCI 450 primers are a good choice for the AR application. A couple of techniques that might help you set up your dies and help prevent unneeded frustration:
          1) After you resize your first piece of brass, drop the resized brass into the chamber and gently ease the bolt down by holding onto the charging handle. Push on the forward assist to snap the extractor over the case rim and continue to push gently on the forward assist to see if the bolt will close completely. If you meet resistance, Stop, extract the brass, turn your die down a little more. Resize and repeat until the bolt closes easily. The best way to do this is with proper tools to measure headspace, but since your just starting out, this technique will get you up and running.
          2) After you have your sizing die set up, take a piece of resized brass and seat your bullet of choice to the length indicated in the reloading data or just seat it to 2.60" overall length so it will fit in the magazine. Take the dummy round, push it firmly in the chamber with your finger. Turn your muzzle up and see if the round falls out of the chamber. If so, you bullet is not touching the lands, and you are good to go. If the round sticks, push it out with a cleaning rod. Incrementally seat the bullet deeper (say by 0.005" or so) until the dummy round no longer sticks in the chamber. This is now your max overall cartridge length for your barrel.

          If you take the time to do these 2 things before you load a bunch of rounds, you will save yourself a lot of grief. It's no fun to show up at the range with ammo that will not chamber or that stick in the chamber and are difficult to extract.

          Summary: Your rifle is not a sizing die or seating die, so make sure your ammo fits YOUR rifle.

          Good luck with your reloading; it is a lot of fun.

          BTW if you want some hunting loads you can check out these posts:
          Hello All, Here is some of the data that I had posted on the old site before the crash. I thought that repeating it here might be useful. These loads were safe in my rifle, but please work up to the max loads to ensure your own safety. All of the loads were fired through my 20" Lothar Walther Barrel with the CSS


          I am highly impressed with the 100 grain Barnes TTSX. I loaded 28 grains of AA2230 in a fireformed winchester 7.62 casing. My chrono showed those loads going 2795 fps from my 20" barrel. There were no pressure signs whatsoever with that load so I don't doubt that more velocity would be possible with a little more powder.


          Best,
          PA

          Comment

          • CoolBarrelBill

            #6
            Get a case headspace gauge.

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by LR1955 View Post


              As for a chronograph -- not necessary unless you really get into the science.

              At your stage of the game though, you ought to look at a decent press, powder scale, measure, and the other things that allow you to endure the boredom of handloading without becoming totally stupified. I would not advise you to get a progressive unless you know exactly what to focus your attention on at every stage and know 'what right looks like' at every stage.

              Oh yes, you don't always have to spend top dollar on reloading equipment. It is pretty hard to damage a thirty pound steel reloading press and used ones are about half the price of new ones. OTOH, it is real easy to damage a plastic and aluminum reloading press so less is not necessarily better.

              LR1955
              MM- All good advice for a beginner.

              I currently use:
              RCBS Rockchucker Supreme Single Stage press
              Chargemaster 1500 Powder Scale and Dispenser
              Forster and Redding Dies
              Hornady and Sinclair Headspace gauges
              Hornady Comparator
              Digital Calipers
              Franklin Arsenal Tumbler for Brass
              Giraud Trimmer (Expensive and not recommended unless you trim a lot of brass)

              Comment

              • RangerRick

                #8
                You'll also need a shell holder for the single stage press or a shell plate for the progressive in the correct size for the 65 Grendel.

                Depending on your chamber you may rarely, if ever need to trim cases. The LE Wilson (or other) case gauge will tell you, so you may want to hold off on that expense for awhile.


                Rick

                Comment


                • #9
                  And buy a few reloading manuals and read them.

                  Comment

                  • longdayjake

                    #10
                    i loaded a ton of rifle casings before I got into the Grendel. The Grendel is the only one that I have worked with that has to be sized just perfectly in order to chamber. The chamber dimensions of my gun are really tight which I think is a product of AA's philosophy. Anyway, if your chamber is like mine don't be too upset if it takes you a while to figure out what you are doing.

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