Reloading tips

[Tripodmvr]

To get a discussion started I thought the following might be handy information :-

1. Chatting to a seasoned reloader he admitted to not checking his case lengths of his 308. Measured they were 0,6mm longer than the specified maximum. If the tip of the case is being squeezed into the thoat it can jam the bullet and cause serious pressure. Check the lengths regularly.
2. With the scarcity of primers the question is frequently asked if there is a big difference between makes. The burning rates do differ, but usually the adjustment in the amount of propellant should be less than 1gr. European primers seem to have a slightly larger diameter and to take more effort to seat (S&B being one of them). The Russian Murom primers are favored by Bisley and long distance shooters for their consistent burning rate.
3. Sizing dies have become quite sophisticated with many specific traits. I mostly load for hunting purposes and Lee dies have given accurate results for this application. I especially like the Lee Collet dies as they don't need lubrication and give small run-out that favors accuracy. As with all dies adjustment needs to be done in measured steps to get the best results.
4. Seating dies determine the COL you decide on and micrometer adjustments ensure accurate and repeatable lengths.
5. Deciding on COL and jump to the lands has raised many questions. Loading close or into the lands does not ensure an accurate cartridge. Pressure spikes that are not consistent make for a large spread in speed which relates to big vertical ups and downs at longer ranges. My personal advice has always been 1mm jump for lead core bullets and 2mm for monolithic copper projectiles.
6. With a new bullet I would first find out what the maximum COL is. I use a cleaning rod, but there are more accurate tools available to do that. I now aim to load to that -1mm jump. The first thing to check on if that length will fit in the magazine. If the magazine determines the COL then make the cartridge 0,5 to 1mm shorter to ensure trouble free functioning. Having a larger jump is not that detrimental and many rifles shoot very well with jumps of 6 to 10mm.

Please feel free to give comment and suggest other issues that you feel will be of benefit to reloaders in general.

[Ds J]

Take your time when reloading, and concentrate on the job at hand. I busted there cases yesterday evening because my attention was elsewhere.

[Tripodmvr]

Squashing cases.

I did the following and it is so easy to think that it is a simple step. Loading for my 375 I resized the cases and adjusted the die to full length resize - that is turning the die down to make contact with the shell holder. When it came to bullet seating I inserted the die and turned out the adjuster so as to get a longer COL so that I could then shorten to my chosen length. What came out of the die was a very wrinkled case. I was perplexed and after a long thought process I realised that I had adjusted the seater die as I would do the sizing die. It was thus screwed in way too much and crumpled the case. Careful thinking and patience is required to do the steps correctly.

[Treeman]

Do what you doing, think those thoughts only, reloading is not the time to ponder the meaning of life.

[Wild coast]

What are bushing dies and when should I use one instead of a regular sizing/decapping die?

[Tripodmvr]

I use Lee dies and especially the Collet Neck Die to resize my cases. Below is a video that gives an explanation of the difference between standard full size and bushing dies.

https://youtu.be/FMeXxE5ag6U

[Treeman]

I seem to have regressed to basics again, full length size,trim when needed, throw case away. I was neck turning, trimming, weight sorting cases, annealing - Ogive sorting bullets etc etc.

Recently I got into annealing again, now everything is first annealed. I think time availability got in the way of doing the full deal.

[Treeman]

The truth is that the exact temperature is not so important. Stress relief in cartridge brass can happen over a range of temperature, from 250 degrees celcius to around 600 degrees celcius. What is important for uniform neck tension is that each case neck is heated in exactly the same way for exactly the same time.

To all the people who gave their time to create the multitude of case annealing videos on Youtube, waffling on about their interpretation of the significance of the progression of case annealing marks down the case body - those are not annealing marks, they are surface discoloration due to the application of heat, and have zero to do with annealing, as no annealing can possibly have taken place.