Advanced Techniques & Tips for the Novice

[Wobbly]

This thread covers the various facets of starting out in the reloading hobby. It's not intended to cover all the mechanics of reloading, but rather the initial setup hints, practice session tips, and other techniques, so that novice reloaders can make a safe start without huge "hiccups" or inadvertently creating dangerous situations for themselves.

CHECKLIST
This thread assumes you have been interested in the hobby of reloading (aka "handloading") long enough to have assembled "the basics", which should include...
• A reloading press, new or used
• A reloading die set that fits the press and is appropriate for your chosen caliber
• A reloading manual
• A personal reloading notebook (generally a 8-1/2 x 11 bound or loose-leaf notebook)
• 6" hand-held calipers, either vernier or digital
• A reloader's powder scale, either balance beam or digital
• A well lit place or space in which to setup your press
• A bench, desk or table within that space where the press can be setup, permanently or temporarily

And the necessary components, which include...
• Brass cartridge cases with a Boxer primer
• Bullets of an appropriate caliber
• A smokeless powder which has load data in your manual
• Primers of the type described in your manual

PREFERENCES
• Presses. Wonderful presses have been available since ~1970, so new or used you'll be making better ammo than you can buy. Two things to look for in a press: caliber capacity and spent primer handling. Caliber capacity because some older rifle calibers (7mm Mag, 30-06, 7.62x54 Russian, etc) are physically longer and may not fit into the press frame opening. Spent primer handling because of the mess created in your reloading area by ejected primers and their 'smut'. Be aware, the smut contains traces of lead and/or mercury which you don't want to inhale or come into contact with children. It's always better in the long term to have these waste products routed to a sealed container. Your press may not come with such an attachment, but they are usually available as 3rd party options. If you have not purchased a press, these 2 things are worth your consideration.

• Die Sets. Better die sets come with exchangeable bullet seating anvils. With the ability to swap anvils it's easier to accommodate different bullet shapes. Whereas rifle cartridges use only a few ogive shapes, pistol bullets offer a choice of multiple ogive shapes. The better the anvil fits the bullet shape, the higher the accuracy of the finished cartridge. Thus the ability to swap seating anvils can give you more precise bullet seating.

• Reloading Manuals. We greatly prefer the hardbound Lyman Reloading Manual. For many reasons, reloading one caliber generally evolves into loading several calibers. If you depend upon (for instance) the Speer manual, and Speer does not make a bullet in your new caliber, then their reloading manual will have zero load data for that caliber. The Lyman manual is simply one of the very few manuals that include ALL the calibers and provide information on a greater selection of bullet styles and weights.

• Scales. We highly suggest that your first scale be a balance beam, such as Dillon Eliminator, RCBS (or Ohaus) 5-0-5, RCBS 10-10, etc). Digital scales are nice... until they wander off. And when they decide to misbehave there is usually no indication or warning. They can be dead-on at 100gr and off by several grains within the common load ranges. Even when they are in excellent working order, they are also highly influenced by invisible issues... magnetic fields, friction, low batteries, power spikes, cool drafts, software glitches, etc. If you insist upon a digital scale, then you will need a plan to anticipate problems you cannot see, hear or feel.

The best balance beams are those with the poise incremented in ten (10), as seen below...



• Personal Notebook. The necessity for taking notes cannot be overstated. The novice may try 20 different bullets within their first year, and all these will load differently and have different results. And each of these bullets may be tried with 3 or more powders at multiple load levels. Obviously, the bullet-powder combinations and permutations will result in a staggering amount of data in the first 2 months alone. There's simply no other choice except write it down.

I suggest a different notebook for each caliber. Each page within that notebook will be dedicated to 1 specific bullet. At the top of each page will be all the data about the bullet (description, diameter, length, preferred OAL setting, die settings, press settings, and such). On the bottom 2/3rds of the page will be the powders you have tried, the various loads, AND the results. Results can include chrono velocities, group sizes, shooter impressions, etc. A well kept notebook can help you safely repeat favorite loads from years gone by. This is important because your "go to" powder may not be available for 9-12 months. Market realities can force you to make un-planned substitutions.


Hope this helps.

[Wobbly]

BUILDING A PROCESS

95% of successful reloading is in the preparation. So it's important to get all the materials, equipment, components and manuals assembled and 'ready'. The checklist will serve as a reminder of what tools and components will be needed for each reloading session. If the novice will go through this list each time they plan to reload, what they'll end up with is a reloading process. Of course this process will need to be tailored to the individual, their equipment and what caliber they plan to reload, but this is a good beginning.

Checklist
Phase 1 Preparation
• Open the reloading notebook to the appropriate page
• Open the main reloading manual to the appropriate page
• Write out on a small Post-It note the intended powder weight, bullet type, bullet weight and OAL
• Collect the appropriate components
• Check brass for Length and Magnetic Attraction
• Lube the brass
• Shellholder or Caliber Conversion kit installed. Dies and Tool Head installed.
• Install the correct size power measure parts for your cartridge
• Install the correct diameter primer parts for your cartridge
• Install the best Seating Die anvil for the bullet shape being seated

Phase 2 Adjustment
• Powder measure installed, hopper 1/3 full or greater
• Adjust powder measure output (average of 10, based on drops #11 through #20)
• Adjust bullet seating to desired OAL
• Load primers into the primer column, if applicable
• Lube the press
• Build one single cartridge and check all finished dimensions

Phase 3 Production
• Turn ON press lamps
• Start production
• Recognize that critical dimensions may vary on first 5 rounds, especially on a Progressive Press
• Make dimension adjustments as required by 'spot checking' press output

Phase 4 Post Production Cleanup
• Empty the powder back into the appropriate canister
• Enter notes into your personal Notebook
• Stack finished ammo into plastic bins or bags. Place load data Post-It inside the container.
• Put away all component containers and reloading tools
• Turn OFF press lamps
• Cover press
• Take note of component levels and re-order if required


- Lots of detail is not covered in this checklist. It assumes you know how and simply need a reminder.
- Case trimming is necessary for all bottleneck cases. Trimming takes place after Sizing, but before Reloading and requires an extra piece of equipment called a Case Trimmer.


Hope this helps. 

[Wobbly]

THE POWDER MEASURE

Before you begin reloading, you need to spend a great deal of time getting acquainted with your Powder Measure (PM), and learning to dispense powder accurately.


3 Universal Aids to Powder Measurement Accuracy
• Static. If your locale is cold and dry, then static electricity can be a problem, especially if your PM is all-plastic. Static can keep the powder granules from dropping freely. Wiping down your PM (inside and out) with anti-static clothes dryer sheets will eliminate most of the problem.

• Graphite. If your PM is sticky or doesn't move freely, then you can get graphite powder in the Lock section of your hardware store. Dribble some graphite powder down into the hopper. If your powder is grayish-black in color that's because graphite is a common powder coating. Bottom line, you're not adding anything to the PM that wouldn't normally be there.

• Powder Baffle. You should also fit a Powder Baffle in the bottom of your hopper. Baffles work by not allowing the height of powder inside the hopper to pressurize powder entering the measurement cavity. CLICK HERE to download instructions. Later on in this document we'll discuss more on the usefulness of the powder baffle.


Introductory Exercises
• Pour powder into the PM hopper. First PM Rule: Always fill the PM hopper at least 1/3 full. What you need to do is make 30 powder drops and record the weight of each. Using a fired case that still has the primer in place, transfer powder from the PM to the scales and write down the weight. Then dump the powder back into the top of the hopper. What you'll learn is that the first 10 powder "drops" aren't consistent at all. Thus, the Second PM Rule: Never load anything using the first 10 drops !!

• If your PM is manually operated, then you'll discover that consistent operation of the PM op lever delivers more consistent weights. The best user procedure is the "knock-knock" technique. Raise the op lever and tap it twice against the top of the throw. When you lower the op lever, knock it twice against the bottom of the throw. Do the 30 drop test again using this technique and see if the variations in recorded drop weights don't improve. There is more on the usefulness of vibration later on.



• To aid in the emptying of the hopper, a manual PM should be mounted independently rather than fastened to the press. A progressive press will usually have a "quick detach" feature for its PM. No matter what type press you have, the easiest way to empty a powder hopper is the ability to simply turn it up-side-down.



• At the end of every loading session it's important to dump all the powder in the hopper back into the original canister. You'll need a small funnel for this job. Third PM Rule: Keep only one can of powder on your bench top at a time, otherwise it is extremely easy to mix up powders. And if the powders do get mixed, then you'll need to throw out the entire can ! For that reason, do not store powders on or near the bench top.

• Rifle shooters will undoubtedly encounter "stick powders". These powders are shaped like long rods. This physical shape is always at odds with volumetric powder measures, which work by filling a small cavity. Although stick powders have the best burn characteristics, you may need to stay with "ball" or "flake" powders if you need to use a standard powder measure. The best way to meter stick powders is by using a motorized powder measure/scale, such as the RCBS Charge Master.


ADVANCED TECHNIQUES

The Averaging Method
All things in reloading have variation... including the powder drops. The trick is to learn techniques that minimize the variations because accurate powder measurement is the number one way to produce accurate cartridges. If you set your PM using a single powder drop, then odds are that single drop is not exactly "spot on". Therefore, subsequent drops may be even further off because you're adding variation on top of variation. Instead of being precise, you have actually compounded the measurement issues.

An advanced method would be to adjust the PM using the "averaging method". That is, if your desired goal is 4.1gr, then dump 10 drops and adjust the PM until you get very close to a total weight of 41.0gr. In this way if you are aiming for 4.1gr sometimes you'll get 4.07 and sometimes you'll get 4.13gr, but the average drop will be as close as can be to your desired goal of 4.10gr.

Suppose the goal was again 4.1gr, but the sum of 10 drops weighed in at 40.8gr. Consider that the average drop is going to be 40.8 divided by 10, or 4.08gr or only 2 hundredths of a grain from your goal. That is far, far more accurate than you could ever measure a single drop. Most powder scales aren't even accurate enough to measure that ! The only way to get closer is to weigh each load, which is too time consuming if you expect to load 200+ rounds in a single evening.


"Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin On"
The following is all based on my knowledge of reloading and an understanding of physics. The industry standard is to test and measure to 10 times greater accuracy than you will actually use. In reloading, we desire accuracy to 0.1gr, thus we'd need to test and measure to 0.01gr which is nearly impossible. To truly uncover accurate powder dispensing you'd need an apothecary scale, which I do not own. But if we follow the Laws of Physics and use common sense we'll be safe.

Due to the need for speed in hobby reloading, we are using volumetric powder measures, but what we really desire is precise powder weights. The only link between Volume and Weight is Density. If you want consistent Volumes to deliver consistent Weights, then the number one place to start is with consistent Density. This is intuitively obvious, even to the casual observer.

• On a manually operated PM we must inject consistent vibration using operating technique. This is How and Why the previously discussed "knock-knock technique" works. The consistent knocking results in consistent density. It's not moving the op lever up and down that needs to be practiced... it's developing a consistent technique of how you move the op lever that needs attention.

• The second thing that helps deliver consistent density is a Powder Baffle. This works by not allowing the height of powder inside the hopper to pressurize powder entering the measurement cavity. Every swimmer knows that water pressure increases as you go deeper. In much the same way, the 'powder pressure' increases as the hopper is filled to greater heights. A powder baffle simply insures consistent fill pressure, thus delivering a more consistent Density at the powder metering chamber. A baffle is so simple and cheap, I can't believe every PM on the planet isn't fitted with one. If your PM doesn't have powder baffle, then take the time to make one using the instructions linked above.




Dillon Powder Measures
There are a lot of tweaks you can do to any PM, but the ones with the greatest impact are the ones that work toward gaining the most consistent powder density. In this one respect Mike Dillon might be a reloading genius, because the late model Dillon powder measures have a cam-actuated powder bar return. The end result of this design is that the powder bar provides the exact same vibration to the stored powder volume, no matter how slow or fast you operate the press.

There may be better automatic powder measures on the market, but you need to operate those presses at a consistent rate, to obtain consistent vibrations, so that the PM delivers consistent weights. But for someone who likes to stop every once in awhile and do quality checks, the Dillon design is simply the ultimate. In other words, these PMs are accurate regardless of the operator's skill level or operating speed.

• As with all PM's, the snap-back action can be sticky on new powder measures. Along with the use of previously discussed powdered graphite, you can also add rubber bands or the old-style Dillon spring to assist the Powder Bar return action. You're not trying to hammer the PM to death, just add a small force to overcome any stickiness. I get improved results by adding 3/4" length of wire to extend the old-style Dillon return spring.




Hope this helps.   

[Wobbly]

CARTRIDGE BRASS

Case Cleaning
Although case cleaning has become all the rage, it is not a requirement. All that's actually required is that the case be wiped clean with a soft rag before being placed in the Sizing Die. This action is primarily taken to protect the die.

A. For Dry vibratory tumbling in media (such as corn cob) most reloaders dump the fired cases (with primer) directly into the tumbler. A teaspoon of liquid car wax, such as NuFinish, can be added to the media to maintain the shine. Typical vibratory tumbling times are 1-2 hours. The tumbling media and its dust may represent a health hazard and care should be used in its use and disposal.

B. For Wet rotary tumbling the primers must first be removed to prevent water entrapment. De-capping is typically done using a Universal Decapping Die offered by several die makers. Most of the "cleaning" is actually the work of small amounts of LemiShine detergent. A small amount of water soluble car wax, such as ArmorAll Wash & Wax, can be added to the water to maintain the shine. Typical wet tumbling times are 45-60 minutes, plus drying time. The waste water may represent a health hazard and care should be used in its disposal.

Bottleneck cases always require extra care. Tumbling media of all types is easily entrapped inside the small neck of 223/5.56 and similar brass. Extra care must be taken to insure all the media is removed before reloading begins. Straight-walled cases are not 1/10th the concern.


Case Inspection
Case inspection is usually best accomplished after cleaning. There are multiple discrepancies to look for and cull out. The point is, reusing every piece of brass is improbable, which is why you should always try to bring home more cartridge cases than you took to the range.

A. Case Damage. Split or cracked brass is unsafe to fire and must be culled out. Sometimes cases have been abused and the case mouth opening is reduced so much that the Sizing and Expander have no chance of making it round again. In some instances the press itself will "finish off" marginal cases as they move through the reloading process by introducing rips, rolls, and tares in the case mouths. Sometimes bullets simply get inserted sideways.

B. Dangerous Brass. From time to time there are brands or types of brass that should not be reloaded. The  current offender is a brass case with a sharp internal step. Due to the sharp corner, these cases typically split when reloaded causing a dangerous situation, and they should be avoided.


Brass with a sharp internal step

C. Brass That Ain't. Brass is expensive and manufacturers are always looking for ways to reduce the cost. The most obvious way is to substitute cheaper materials like aluminum and steel. Several makers tried using brass plated steel for awhile. Therefore it's important to run a magnet through any range pickup "brass" in an effort to remove the impostors.


Cases that look like brass, attracted by a common magnet

D. Off-Caliber Brass. Especially with pistol brass, there are several common calibers of brass cases that look very much alike. For example when loading 9x19 Luger, it's inevitable that 9x18 Mak and 9x17 380Auto will sneak in. A very good way to spot the impostors is by the "ammo tray method"...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpkUnUqMo8U


The bottom line is that while 98% of brass is usable for reloading, the few that aren't suitable really should be culled out as early as possible. This insures the greatest portion of your time is invested in the best examples. Simply put... you need to start with great brass if you want to end up with great reloads.

Hope this helps.

[Wobbly]

RELOADING DIES

To reload successfully, the novice needs to learn how reloading dies work, and then how to adjust reloading dies to get them to function properly. True, brand new dies can have issues right out of the box, but this is a very, very rare occurrence. It's always easier to blame the die maker when issues arise, but most die issues are simply created by improper die adjustment. Furthermore, when issues do occur, if the user doesn't fully understand how dies work, then they can waste a lot of time adjusting or replacing the wrong die.


The Most Important Thing to Understand
The most important thing to realize about reloading dies is just how sensitive they are to adjustment. A lot of the dimensions within the chamber and typical cartridge are equal to one half the diameter of a human hair. It's OK to be a macho Rambo when you load that magazine and slap it into your CZ pistol. However, when you adjust your dies to make that ammo you need to have the deft touch and finesse of a watch maker. If you can't make that transition, then you'll never have very much success at reloading.

Here's an example why... Adjusting the taper crimp is accomplished by moving the body of the die. Almost all die bodies come with a 7/8-14 thread. That nomenclature tells us the thread pitch is 14 threads per inch. In other words, that one full turn advances the die 1/14th of an inch, or 0.071". If you wish to change the die setting by 0.002" then you only need to turn the die less than 1/35th of a turn. So if you think you can set your dies by moving them in 1/8 turn increments, think again. You need to work in terms of adjustments more than 4.5 times smaller than that !

So leave your big Rambo muscles at the door, and forget everything you ever learned pulling wrenches on a car. Die adjustments are the most delicate settings you can make. They require abundant skill and very high sensitivity. This is the Science of Reloading.


Brass Spring-Back
Initial die adjustments are made with a box full of fired brass cases. The first thing to realize is that brass has a "springy" quality which can make small adjustments impossible. While it will be easy to move a flair diameter by 0.004 to 0.010", due to spring back it becomes nearly impossible to move brass by only 0.002". So as you close in on the desired dimension, it's important to use a new piece of brass for every measurement check.

How Pistol Dies Work

It seems fairly simple, but many users simply don't understand how dies work.

1. Sizing simply changes the external shape of the brass cartridge case, but it is not a consistent change over the entire case length. About 85% of the main body of the cartridge case is returned to standard chamber dimensions. The neck of the case that holds the bullet is taken to an undersized state. Sizing does not prepare the case for the bullet holding. Sizing is an action on the case exterior; bullets are always held in place by preparations to the case interior.

• Due to brass "spring-back" and the different maker's case wall thicknesses, Sizing takes the case mouth to a diameter far smaller than what is needed for bullet grip.

• Due to the shell holder's grasp of the case rim, Sizing cannot reach the area around the case head. It is common for over-pressure and Major PF rounds to expand this area and render cases non-reusable.

2. Expansion is a secondary step that prepares the case interior to grip the bullet. It takes the under-sized case neck left by Sizing, and opens it up to a precise internal dimension that will adequately grip the bullet. This is typically 0.002-0.003" smaller than a jacketed bullet.

3. Belling prepares the case mouth for the entrance of the bullet. Expansion has left the case mouth smaller than the bullet diameter and so a funnel shape is required to allow the larger bullet to enter. The Belling function is typically included with Expansion tool, but they are 2 separate functions.

4. Seating is also a multi-step process. The bullet should first be straightened and aligned with the case mouth. Then the seating stem then should insert the bullet into the case mouth to the proper depth.

5. Crimp is a swaging action that erases the case's Belling. Typically revolver cartridges require a roll crimp, where a tiny portion of the case mouth is rolled into a cannelure provided on the bullet. Typically taper crimp is used on auto pistol cartridges. Taper crimp does not "hold the bullet". Therefore, more taper crimp does not hold the bullet tighter.

Static Pistol Die Adjustment

We'll be concentrating on "straight-walled" pistol die adjustments in this section, but "bottleneck" rifle die adjustments are similar in many respects. Most reloading dies do more than a single function, which usually means there is a mandatory adjustment sequence. The die body is always adjusted first, followed by the stem. If the body is ever moved, then the stem will also need readjustment.

• Sizing Die. On straight-walled brass you'll want to resize as much of the case's side wall as possible. That means the Sizing Die should come down over the case as far as possible. However, the die should not come into contact with the shell holder. Most modern Sizing Dies incorporate a carbide insert, and carbide is about as fragile as glass. If the shell holder is allowed to bump the die, there is a chance that the carbide will shatter, making the die useless. So it is best to leave a clearance of 0.003 to 0.005" between the die body and shell holder. If you can pull a strip of printer paper between the 2 parts when the ram is fully raised, and feel a slight drag, then you have an optimal Sizing Die position.

The decapping pin length is set next. You want the pin as low as possible without contacting the brass. This typically exposes about 0.19" of pin from the die body.

• Expander. On a singe-stage press you may use an Expander Die. If you use a progressive press, the expander function is most likely built into a part of the powder measure. Both methods typically include the expansion function with the belling function. The die is properly set when the case mouth belling is just barely large enough to seat a bullet without shaving any material from the shank. The belling is adjusted to initially flair a sized case by 0.008 to 0.010".


A typical 4-function Expander from a progressive press

• Seating Die. Most seating dies use the die body to apply a crimp: roll crimp for revolvers and taper crimp for automatics. Setting the crimp is a 2 step procedure. 1) Move the die downward in tiny increments onto an assembled test cartridge (no primer, no powder) until the crimp forms. 2) Since height of the case effects final crimp diameter, and since all cases vary in length there will always be variations in crimp. Therefore, it always best to average the results of 10 crimps, rather than use the results of a single test case.

If you have a progressive press with more than 3 stations and you desire to crimp at a separate station, then run the die down until it touches the case, and then raise the Seating Die body ~1/4 turn.

Typically, the inner stem adjusts the seating depth of the bullet (otherwise known as cartridge over-all length, or OAL). Again there will always be variations in OAL, so it is always better to average the results of 10 test cartridges when adjusting the seating stem. OAL variations of +/-0.002" are considered excellent.

Wider variations in OAL can be introduced by inconsistent operation of the op lever, lack of case lubrication, variations of brass hardness due to "mixed brass", and seating stems (or anvils) that do not properly fit the ogive of the bullet. A proper seating stem will straighten and center the bullet before seating, and then seat the bullet without leaving a blemish on the bullet's ogive.

• Crimp Die. Separate crimp dies are preferred for use in progressive presses. Crimps fall into 2 categories: roll crimp for revolvers and taper crimp for automatics. Adjusting the crimp is a 2 step procedure. 1) Move the die downward in tiny increments onto an assembled test cartridge (no primer, no powder) until the crimp forms. 2) Since height of the case effects final crimp diameter, and since all cases vary in length there will always be variations in crimp. Therefore, it always best to average the results of 10 crimps, rather than use the results of a single test case.

• There are more details on taper crimp HERE.

• If you prefer to use the Lee Factory Crimp Die (FCD) then follow the instructions supplied with the die.

Again, these were static die adjustments. Once production begins, the user needs to go back through and check all the case measurements again because dynamic forces within the press will sometimes alter the die adjustments. This is especially true on multi-position progressive presses.

Reference Dimensions

The following is a list of optimal die and case measurements for reference.

-		40cal /
-	9mm	10mm	45ACP
.	.	.	.
Bullet OD	0.355	0.401	0.451
Szd Cse Mth OD	0.373	0.416	0.466
Expander OD	0.3525	0.3970	0.4470
.	.	.	.