Reloading for Christmas

[thejeanmachine16]

Hey Guys I would appreciate your input on this.

For Christmas my dad and I are going in together and getting reloading supplies. I've done lost of reading lately on the subject and have obtained a decent amount of "theory " on the subject but no actual hands on. Also I ordered a reloading manual and plan on reading that cover to cover once it arrives. Anyways I have a "wish list" of things I plan to buy and wanted to run it past you guys. Please let me know if I have missed something important or add input. I was looking at ordering from midway but I will compare prices with Cabelas as well.

I plan on reloading for .270 Win, 30-06,.223, .45 ACP. ( I'm sure 9mm and .308 in the future.)

The .223 and the .45 are semi-auto so will I have to create special loads so they will cycle ?

For the press I plan on getting a Lock N Load AP. I plan on making this a long term hobby and minds well get something that's going to last and has some speed to it.
Dies
Shellplates( will any of these calibers overlap shellplate wise ?)
Probably an electric scale
Calipers
Do you recommend getting a case trimmer/deburr tools right off the bat ?
Obviously bullets , powder, primers lol
Anything I'm missing ?

Also can you explain what/when/and why you have to lubricate the cases? Is there a way around this ?

Any input, advice , suggestions would be great !

[Franchi20/28]

The .223 and the .45 are semi-auto so will I have to create special loads so they will cycle ?

.45 auto is .45 auto in the reloading manuals. .223 I'm assuming is an AR. Hornady 7th edition has service rifle specific data for .223 (AR), .30 carbine (M1 Carbine), .308 (M1A) & .30-06 (M1 Garand). Sierra's manual has separate data for .223 service rifle. There may be others as well.

For the press I plan on getting a Lock N Load AP. I plan on making this a long term hobby and minds well get something that's going to last and has some speed to it.

You should also get a single stage press as well. When you have problems it is much easier to determine what the problem is when loading single stage. It is also much more convenient to use a single stage for working up loads, running small batches and making precision loads even though die setup will change from the single stage to the progressive. I have an RCBS Rockchucker and a Hornady LNL AP & I DO use both

Dies
Shellplates( will any of these calibers overlap shellplate wise ?)

.270 and 30-06 use the same shellplate. Some manufacturers also list .45ACP but some (Hornady LNL) list a different shellplate for .45ACP.

Probably an electric scale

Buy a manual balance beam scale too. Use it religiously.

Calipers
Do you recommend getting a case trimmer/deburr tools right off the bat ?
Obviously bullets , powder, primers lol
Anything I'm missing ?

You WILL need to trim, deburr and chamfer your rifle brass after sizing!

Also can you explain what/when/and why you have to lubricate the cases?

What/when...any case that is bottlenecked and/or tapered (.270, .30-06, .223) will need to be lubricated or it will stick in the die. Straight walled (.45acp, .357, .40s&w) cases do not need to be lubed.

Is there a way around this ?

NO

Any input, advice , suggestions would be great !

Remember you asked!

[GUNGUY45]

[QUOTE=Franchi20/28;1398669

[COLOR="Navy"]What/when...any case that is bottlenecked and/or tapered (.270, .30-06, .223) will need to be lubricated or it will stick in the die. Straight walled (.45acp, .357, .40s&w) cases do not need to be lubed.[/COLOR]If you are using carbide dies, no lube needed, if standard dies they still need lube.

[knight0334]

.45 auto is .45 auto in the reloading manuals. .223 I'm assuming is an AR. Hornady 7th edition has service rifle specific data for .223 (AR), .30 carbine (M1 Carbine), .308 (M1A) & .30-06 (M1 Garand). Sierra's manual has separate data for .223 service rifle. There may be others as well.



You should also get a single stage press as well. When you have problems it is much easier to determine what the problem is when loading single stage. It is also much more convenient to use a single stage for working up loads, running small batches and making precision loads even though die setup will change from the single stage to the progressive. I have an RCBS Rockchucker and a Hornady LNL AP & I DO use both



.270 and 30-06 use the same shellplate. Some manufacturers also list .45ACP but some (Hornady LNL) list a different shellplate for .45ACP.



Buy a manual balance beam scale too. Use it religiously.



You WILL need to trim, deburr and chamfer your rifle brass after sizing!




What/when...any case that is bottlenecked and/or tapered (.270, .30-06, .223) will need to be lubricated or it will stick in the die. Straight walled (.45acp, .357, .40s&w) cases do not need to be lubed.



NO



Remember you asked!

Only if you use carbide dies. You still lube straight wall cases on non-carbide dies.

doh: GUNGUY45 beat me to it.

[kenjen]

you will also need a micrometer or dial calipers

[jmiro]

yep beat to it!
Not to sound like a jerk. But if you have been doing alot of research lately it does not seem like it is working for you. Read the abcs of reloading. Spend time reading about reloading rathing than worring about the specfic brands equipment and loads.
I also suggest a single stage. You can get a good start by buying a single stage Kit that will have the basics of what you need. If you just buy the LnL ap (which I also have) You will need to spend a ton more on the basics. If your worried about the spead you reload out then maybe it aint for you. You have to take it slow when your learning and once you learn the basics get some time under your belt it will still take time. When your in a hurry you can make some big and dangerous mistakes.
Oh yea since I reload and friends end up tapping into my rounds I use full length dies for rifles.

[max384]

[quote=GUNGUY45;1398708]

What/when...any case that is bottlenecked and/or tapered (.270, .30-06, .223) will need to be lubricated or it will stick in the die. Straight walled (.45acp, .357, .40s&w) cases do not need to be lubed.[/color]If you are using carbide dies, no lube needed, if standard dies they still need lube.

Keep in mind though, if you are resizing bottlenecked cases, you will still need to use lube, whether carbide or not. Only straight-walled cases resized in carbide dies don't need lube.

[noylj]

I have used a Hornday AP since they first came out and love the newest L-N-L. However, for your reloading goals, are you going to try to make benchrest-quality loads or simply afternoon shooting and hunting loads?
There is no progressive press that is "convenient" to use for creating "meticulously" loaded bottleneck cartridges.
Just for the simplest loading, you will want to resize your brass. For all rifles except strong bolt-action rifles, you will want to full-length resize. This will work the brass and you may only get 3-5 loadings before there are signs of case head separation. You may want to look into RCBS X-dies. For bolt-actions, you may want to neck size until you are forced to full-length resize the brass again.
So, you resize (and prime) your bottleneck case and then take it out of the press and measure the case length and neck wall thickness and inspect to see if there is a bulge in the case head/shoulder junction. For any of these issues, you will need to trim the case or ream the case neck (and, maybe, after first firing, outside neck turn). You then insert the case back in the press and charge the case and seat the bullet and you are done.
As you can see, this is not a progressive style of reloading and is better done on a single-stage press or turret press (such as Lee's Classic Turret).
If you want to load a lot of cases at once, I know a lot of people use progressive presses and do just fine. However, they had to have taken the time to at least trim their cases enough that a long case is not an issue—i.e., someone else besides me would have to discuss how to safely use a progressive press for loading bottleneck cases.
That aside, you will not find a better press, or an easier press, than the Hornady L-N-L for generating a lot of straight-wall cartridges very quickly and very accurately.
I have never loaded more than about 30 bottleneck cases at a time, so I had no problem using my Hornady just to resize all cases and then inspecting and performing any case prep work off the press. I just don't see a hugh advantage to it over even a single-station press where you would resize and prime, do case prep work, charge the case, inspect the powder charge height in the case and seat the bullet. Doing the charging and bullet seating on the progressive doesn't save me any time, but it is less expensive than buying another press just for 50-100 rounds a year.
In the mean time, I have loaded about 20k rounds of pistol ammo on my L-N-L during the year.

[Franchi20/28]

[QUOTE=GUNGUY45;1398708]

What/when...any case that is bottlenecked and/or tapered (.270, .30-06, .223) will need to be lubricated or it will stick in the die. Straight walled (.45acp, .357, .40s&w) cases do not need to be lubed.[/COLOR]If you are using carbide dies, no lube needed, if standard dies they still need lube.

True, true, TRUE. I know they exist, but I can't remember ever seeing non carbide pistol dies.

[Franchi20/28]

Might want to jump on this.

http://forum.pafoa.org/accessories-a...ding-gear.html