OpticsTalk by SWFA, Inc. Homepage SWFA     SampleList.com
Forum Home Forum Home > Firearms, Bows, and Ammunition > Reloading & Ballistics
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed - Want to start Reloading
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Events   Register Register  Login Login

Visit the SWFA.com site to check out our current specials.

Want to start Reloading

 Post Reply Post Reply Page  <12
Author
Message
SD Dog View Drop Down
Optics Master Extraordinaire
Optics Master Extraordinaire
Avatar
OT Scratching Post

Joined: February/28/2008
Status: Offline
Points: 4177
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SD Dog Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March/07/2009 at 12:37
My brother and brother in law just got the Lee 50th Anniversary kit.  Not a bad way to start.
If nobody ever said anything unless he knew what he was talking about, a ghastly hush would descend upon the earth. AP Herbert

Stupidity & ignorance have been the foundation for many certainties.
Back to Top
pyro6999 View Drop Down
Optics Retard
Optics Retard
Avatar
OT TITAN

Joined: December/22/2006
Location: North Dakota
Status: Offline
Points: 22034
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote pyro6999 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March/07/2009 at 13:55
i love my rock chucker IV good stuff!
They call me "Boots"
375H&H Mag: Yeah, it kills stuff "extra dead"

343 we will never forget

God Bless Chris Ledoux
"good ride cowboy"
Back to Top
Urimaginaryfrnd View Drop Down
MODERATOR
MODERATOR
Avatar
Resident Redneck

Joined: June/20/2005
Location: Iowa
Status: Offline
Points: 14964
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Urimaginaryfrnd Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March/07/2009 at 23:31
Originally posted by loaded4bear loaded4bear wrote:

...How many times can a case be reloaded safely?  Several  sometimes 5 to 7 times posibly more. Are visual signs of too much wear the only way to tell? Cracks are a givaway that its trash.  Are there better qualities of brass to use?
 Lapua is the best 
The other question is, how does one determine the amount of depth to seat a bullet? The reloading book has a measurment for OAL  over all length you need to measure it. Is this data supplied which each load? YES
 
accuracy depends on consistency

"Always do the right thing, just because it is the right thing to do".
Bobby Paul Doherty
Texas Ranger
Back to Top
huff143 View Drop Down
Optics Journeyman
Optics Journeyman
Avatar

Joined: December/08/2008
Location: Kansas City
Status: Offline
Points: 304
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote huff143 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March/08/2009 at 17:03

Good call on the Rockchuker.  I've been using that same press about 15yrs and it's as good as when new.

**I would consider getting a case tumbler sooner than later.  I know you have alot of brass saved up, but when you get into loading those cases for a third time (incl. factory load) they need to be cleaned for proper inspection.  Plus, they feed into the rifle better anyway. 

***I'd also stay away from electronic scales.  Balance beam-type scales are the most consistent out there.  You can do your own research, talk to BR shooters and you'll find this to be true.

Enjoy your new handloads and be safe!

Back to Top
Urimaginaryfrnd View Drop Down
MODERATOR
MODERATOR
Avatar
Resident Redneck

Joined: June/20/2005
Location: Iowa
Status: Offline
Points: 14964
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Urimaginaryfrnd Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March/08/2009 at 18:41
With the electronic scale you have to watch that it resets to zero when you put the empty pan back on the scale then you push dispense and it spins the metal dispensing rod until it thinks it has the selected powder charge. What hapens a lot of times is that as it slows down to stop a few tenths of a grain extra will fall in the pan. When the machine thinks it has the correct load it beeps audibly and you need to look to be sure the measurement shown is the one you selected.  Say you selected 44.0 grains and you actually wound up with 44.2 gr in the pan take a pinch of powder from the pan with your thumb and index finger and see what it reads if its 44.1 take out another pinch if it reads 39.9 let a little of the powder fall from between your fingers to get the correct ammount or gently tap the metal rod to make a tenth of a grain fall in the pan. When you measure every charge exactly I dont see how anything could be more accurate than that. 
With the manual scale powder trickler and powder thrower you set the powder thrower to measure a charge hopefully a couple of tenths below what you want and turn the powder trickler to bring the charge up to the correct charge.  Failure to ballance the scale properly will result in problems and its not that hard to mis-adjust the manual ones .  The electric is a lot faster if you measure every charge. If you are charging pistol cartridges and shooting a load like 5.5grains Unique with a minimum of 5 and a max of 6 you have some room for error and can use a powder thrower that may vary 2 to 3 tenths.  rifle cartridges should be exact but with pistol target cartridges a couple of tenths at 15 to 25 yds wont make much difference.

"Always do the right thing, just because it is the right thing to do".
Bobby Paul Doherty
Texas Ranger
Back to Top
budperm View Drop Down
Optics Retard
Optics Retard
Avatar
show me your sheep!!

Joined: January/01/2009
Location: Pennsylvania
Status: Offline
Points: 31710
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote budperm Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March/08/2009 at 20:51

A couple of things to know about digital scales.  Resolution and accuracy are not the same thing.  Resolution is the smallest displayed weight.  For most powder scales this is 0.1gr.  Quite often advertisements state accuracy to 0.1gr when in reality they mean it's resolution is 0.1gr.  The accuracy would actually be +/- 0.15gr or worse. Why?  The displayed least significant digit of weight is a rounded number.  Also, so that the display is not constantly changing most digital scales take multiple readings and average the results before displaying.  Depending on scale manufacturer averaging might be of 10 to100 readings.  This is discernable with trickling.  It might take 5 to 10 seconds for some scales to show the additon of a few kernals of powder.  I use a digital scale with 0.02gr resolution, with means +/- 0.03 accuracy.  Using this scale I can detect the additon of a single grain of H4895SC as approx 0.02gr and a single kernal of RE17 as 0.04gr.  

Digital scales are also very sensitive to magnetic fields, static electricity and air currents.
 
My point is, if using scales with resolution of 0.1gr it makes no sense to try to make loads that differ by less than 0.3gr because they could actually overlap adjacent loadings.
 
Here is a quick test to determine your repeatability from load to load for a given powder.
 
Start with a zeroed scale.
slowly, one at a time add single kernals of powder to your scale pausing at least 5 seconds between each additon (waiting for averaging) until the displays changes from 00.0gr to 00.1gr.  counter number of kernals in the dish of the scale and subtract 1.  You now know how many kernals +/- you can have for any grain weight load of that powder you make.  example: say it takes 8 kernals of H4895SC to make scale display change from 0.0 to 0.1gr.  8-1=7 kernals.  That means all loads can vary by +/- 7 kernals and the scale will report the same weight.  So, using a 0.1gr scale you can get 14 kernals difference.  Using a 0.02gr scale that difference falls to 4 kernals.
"Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading".
--Thomas Jefferson



Back to Top
rifle looney View Drop Down
Optics Master
Optics Master
Avatar

Joined: November/21/2008
Status: Offline
Points: 2553
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote rifle looney Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March/08/2009 at 20:53
Thank you Teach!.....Bud
Back to Top
Longhunter View Drop Down
Optics Journeyman
Optics Journeyman
Avatar

Joined: February/02/2006
Status: Offline
Points: 466
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Longhunter Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March/09/2009 at 00:16
I have been very happy with my RCBS ChargeMaster 1500 Powder Scale and Dispenser Combo.  It really speeds things up.  
 
This setup throws very consistent loads, as confirmed by both shooting results and examining fired cases while working up target loads for centerfire revolvers.
Back to Top
300S&W View Drop Down
Optics God
Optics God
Avatar

Joined: January/27/2008
Location: Burlington,WV
Status: Offline
Points: 10592
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 300S&W Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March/09/2009 at 07:01
 I LUV my PACT.  I use to set my 5-0-5 up and double check my charge weights but don't anymore.
Back to Top
pyro6999 View Drop Down
Optics Retard
Optics Retard
Avatar
OT TITAN

Joined: December/22/2006
Location: North Dakota
Status: Offline
Points: 22034
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote pyro6999 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March/09/2009 at 09:06
i will never use a balance beam scale again if i dont have too.
They call me "Boots"
375H&H Mag: Yeah, it kills stuff "extra dead"

343 we will never forget

God Bless Chris Ledoux
"good ride cowboy"
Back to Top
loaded4bear View Drop Down
Optics Apprentice
Optics Apprentice


Joined: January/06/2009
Status: Offline
Points: 103
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote loaded4bear Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March/30/2009 at 10:30
Been away for some time but I'm all set up with my reloading equipment and luckily I found a new buddy at the range who has been kind enough to get me started.  It really isn't all that difficult but I can see why some recommended a progressive loader for pistol.  Maybe a Dillon is on my future list but for now I'll be fine with what I have.
 
Thanks
Back to Top
Texas View Drop Down
Optics Apprentice
Optics Apprentice
Avatar

Joined: February/11/2008
Location: Texas, USA
Status: Offline
Points: 211
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Texas Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March/31/2009 at 07:32
Originally posted by budperm budperm wrote:

A couple of things to know about digital scales.  Resolution and accuracy are not the same thing.  Resolution is the smallest displayed weight.  For most powder scales this is 0.1gr.  Quite often advertisements state accuracy to 0.1gr when in reality they mean it's resolution is 0.1gr.  The accuracy would actually be +/- 0.15gr or worse... My point is, if using scales with resolution of 0.1gr it makes no sense to try to make loads that differ by less than 0.3gr because they could actually overlap adjacent loadings.... 
 
And Bud makes fun of engineers (ME)! He is correct on this, and the scales sensitivity is a part of consistently throwing charges. I have an RCBS Chargemaster setup with the powder thrower and electronic scale talking to each other, also. I did not trust it when I got it, so I tested it against my RCBS 1010 manual balance. My results were that the electronic setup was able to consistently throw charges within 0.1 grain when I weighed the thrown charges again on my balance. I have tested it again like this several times and found that it is holding this level of repeatability. The RCBS Chargemaster combo is WONDERFUL!!! Wink YMMV.
 
Texas
Back to Top
DDrag50 View Drop Down
Optics GrassHopper
Optics GrassHopper


Joined: September/29/2007
Location: Space Coast, FL
Status: Offline
Points: 3
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote DDrag50 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April/07/2009 at 23:45
Originally posted by loaded4bear loaded4bear wrote:

Thanks everyone.  I just ordered the Rock Chucker supreme master kit from Midsouth for $279 plus a few extra manuals to start. 


< ="-" ="text/; =utf-8">< name="ProgId" ="Word.">< name="Generator" ="Microsoft Word 9">< name="Originator" ="Microsoft Word 9">

Good choice with the Rock Chucker! I started out with the same kit about four years ago.

But in that short time I have expanded a littleWhacko! You can take reloading as far as you want!

It’s my hobby that feeds my other hobby that started it all (shooting).



Back to Top
budperm View Drop Down
Optics Retard
Optics Retard
Avatar
show me your sheep!!

Joined: January/01/2009
Location: Pennsylvania
Status: Offline
Points: 31710
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote budperm Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April/08/2009 at 07:13
Nicely organized set-up you got there!  It is easy too get carried away!   I am already set-up to reload 270win, 308 win, 8mmX57 and am about to start down the 223 road.  Been researching varmits in 223, so it stands that reloading is included.  New dies of course but also small primers I didn't need before as well a different powders.  Oh well, such is life!
"Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading".
--Thomas Jefferson



Back to Top
300S&W View Drop Down
Optics God
Optics God
Avatar

Joined: January/27/2008
Location: Burlington,WV
Status: Offline
Points: 10592
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 300S&W Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April/08/2009 at 07:37

  I'm needing srp's for a .218 Bee I'm to do up a load for. NONE!! 

Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  <12
  Share Topic   

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down

Forum Software by Web Wiz Forums® version 12.01
Copyright ©2001-2018 Web Wiz Ltd.

This page was generated in 4.711 seconds.