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CartReloading Rifle Ammo for Beginners
Reloading rifle ammo for beginners can be daunting. However, the rewards of having built a stockpile of bespoke ammunition is reward enough.
With the market in flux for the past decade, commonly available ammo has skyrocketed in price. Occasionally and when it is available, it’s often the most generic load around. Whether you are looking for a heavier bullet so you canhunt with your .22-250 or are attempting to make your .30-06 tame for your kids to use, reloading gives you the ability to adjust the projectile and the powder behind it.
Many of us who collect firearms will soon realize that most shops from Cabela’s to mom and pop stores won’t have a selection of most rifle calibers, not to mention the obscure ones that seem to have largely faded from the earth. Bringing life to an old rifle is a great way to connect to the past and even save a few bucks when haggling for the rifle in the first place. So when rifle season winds down this winter and temperatures drop, what better way for hunters and shooters to spend time before next deer season than reloading rifle ammunition.
Anatomy of a Cartridge
So what parts do you need to replace to reload? What parts do you need to save? A rifle cartridge is comprised of:
The Case: This piece of brass holds the powder, primer, and bullet. Cases are reusable and well worth the effort to save them after your range trip. Brass of all shapes and sizes can be purchased from major manufactures like Lapua and Starline. Having brass from one manufacturer makes it easier to keep track of what has been loaded with what.
Primer: The primer is the small-cap at the base of the case that when struck by the firing pin ignites the gunpowder. Primers are often purchased in bulk and vary depending on the size of the cartridge such as large and small pistol and rifle primers. Certain calibers will have different primer requirements. A .338 Lapua magnum takes a larger primer than a .22 Hornet because of the amount of gunpowder that needs to be ignited quickly.
Gun Powder: The propellant burned to launch the bullet. You can get a powder that burns faster for short barrels or slower for longer barrels, this must be carefully measured to avoid looking like Elmer Fudd. You will see below when we talk about equipment how even a beginner can safely reload ammo.
Bullet: The projectile. With common calibers, you can custom load bullets for any need. For example, with a .30-06 you can load 125 grains for coyotes and up to 220-grain slugs for deep penetration on a bear — or as Hemingway put to the test on a rhino and water buffalo.
Loaders
For a simple, straightforward start to reloading I recommend a Lee Precision loader. Lee makes stand-alone kits that come with all the tools needed for basic reloading. Each kit contains the set of loading dies, prep tools, instruction manual, and powder scoop. These kits run around $40 and don’t offer a ton of variation due to their simplicity. But for the cost of a box of ammo, you can now practice reloading your ammo on the kitchen table with no additional tools besides a mallet.
If you have gotten the reloading bug and are ready to take the plunge to higher volume loading, you will want to look at a press. There are two types of presses — single stage and progressive. The single-stage press does exactly what it sounds like. A primed and powdered shell is press-fit into the die and the bullet is seated on top. Since you will also need a powder measure, this press works well if you have a decent-sized workbench.
The progressive press is the ultimate option. Though it’s more expensive in the initial setup, it completes five different steps at the same time. Essentially, everything on a progressive press is gravity fed: shells, bullets, primers, and powder are all arranged on an assembly line as you see in the ammo commercials. The difference is the “line” in the plate that rotates with each pull of the lever. Since each lever pull completes five actions, a fully stocked press can churn out up to 600 loaded rounds an hour. If you’re a high-volume shooter, that should sound like heaven.
Manuals
Blindly loading your ammunition can be dangerous. While there is some great information available online, there is never a substitute for a reloading manual. Manuals can be purchased from any manufacturer and give powder measures and recommended maximum loadings for a variety of cartridges. Nosler’s loading manual has 101 cartridges to read up on and dream over. Hodgdon also has a fantastic website that allows you to plug your caliber and powder choice in to find information on it.
Reloading Guide #9 consists of load data for 101 rifle and handgun cartridges with hundreds of new powder additions throughout the book.
Gear Reloading Rifle Ammo for Beginners
As you continue down this path of reloading, you will end up purchasing other gear. While everyone’s needs will be different, there are several pieces of gear that will save you headaches at any step of your journey.
First is a digital scale. Certainly for measuring powder but also to check your total loaded weights on the cartridges. Double-checking your weight can help you see if one is loaded too light and could cause a squib, or too heavy and could cause a “kaboom.”
Precision shooters go a step further. They organize their brass by empty weight to cut any margin of error they can when reloading. A beginning reloader would do well to buy a set of digital calipers too. Being able to measure the cartridge’s overall length (C.O.A.L.). C.O.A.L. allows you to adjust your press so you don’t seat bullets too deep. It also ensures you don’t load a batch that’s too long for your rifle to chamber.
Reloading rifle ammo for beginners can be daunting. But the rewards of having built a stockpile of bespoke ammunition when your buddies are scouring Bass Pro for the last box are reward enough. Being able to custom tailor loads to your needs and your rifle will save you plenty of heartache and headache overpaying for box after box of whatever is left on the shelf. When hunting season ends, or maybe even before, you may be well on your way into a new hobby.
