what equipment do i need to reload rifle ammo
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by: Bryan Litz
To start reloading, you are going to need several different pieces of reloading supplies, equipment, tools, and components. This article by our Ballistician, Bryan Litz, will go over in particular all the dissimilar reloading supplies yous might need in order to get started. This commodity was originally published in the Berger Bullets Reloading Manual and has been updated and modified for content.
Maybe the most basic question a beginning handloader will exist compelled to ask is: "what equipment do I need to get started?"
Likewise, the about seasoned handloaders are always keeping an centre out for new reloading supplies, tools, and equipment that volition better their abilities to brand precise handloads, and make them efficiently.
This article will affect the tools used to make handloads, as well every bit the actual armament components.
For the true beginner who is starting from scratch, the pre-assembled reloading starter kits are a very practiced style to get the essential tools required. Shown on below is a Deluxe Reloading Kit from Redding which includes all the basic equipment that you'll need to start handloading metallic cartridges.
Figure 1. Deluxe reloading starter kit.
It'due south important to annotation that each item included in the pictured reloading supplies kit tin can be replaced with a different type of the same component. For example, the printing shown is a single stage D frame press which is just 1 type.
There are as well turret presses, also known every bit progressive presses, and high volume rotary presses. Arbor presses are the simplest type of press and use special dies. The Arbor printing is favored amid Benchrest shooters where the ultimate in precision is demanded. Examples of the various types of presses are shown in Effigy 2.
Mitt Die (for Arbor Press)
Standard Die (for threaded presses)
Effigy 2. Diverse types of presses and dies
Note the turret press holds several dies which speeds upward the transition between operations. The high speed rotary press has hoppers for contumely, powder, bullets, and primers and is highly automated. About shooters who handload small quantities of ammunition for use in precision shooting competitions favor the arbor or unmarried stage press. Those looking to increase the speed of the handloading performance might opt for a turret press. If you want to brand ammunition as fast as possible, the rotary press is the right tool for the task.
Among the types of threaded dies for use in standard presses, at that place are different types likewise. The about basic blazon of seating die will only have course adjustments. On the high end of seating dies, there are tensioned sleeves which guide the cartridge into the die to insure alignment, besides every bit micrometer adjustments.
Resizing Equipment
Resizing dies are available as a one-size-fits-all full length resizing die, or in various configurations to allow you to have more flexibility and command over the corporeality of resizing that's done to each part of the case. There are resizing dies that merely resize the trunk, and dies that just resize the cervix. One popular configuration is a full length body sizing die with interchangeable neck sizing bushings. With this organisation, yous tin command the amount of body sizing by adjusting the height of the die trunk in the press, and you lot can also command the amount of neck sizing by choosing a bushing to size the contumely plenty to produce the desired neck tension.
Presses and dies aren't the only reloading supplies and equipment required to resize contumely. It's admittedly necessary to apply lubrication to the brass prior to the resizing process to preclude the cases from getting stuck in the dies. At that place are various types of lube, and unlike ways to apply it. One common style to lube the outside of cases is to gyre them on a lube pad, equally shown below. Another method is to spray the cases with an aerosol lube. These methods have intendance of the outside of the example. If you lot're using an expander button in the resizing die, you'll likewise need to lube the within of the case neck. This tin can be washed with a lubed brush.
Figure 4. Example lube equipment.
Priming Tools
There are many different tools made to insert primers into cases. The about basic and common tool is the i congenital into most presses shown below. Although a common option on almost presses, this type of priming isn't ever used because information technology's generally slower, and lacks the ability to provide the handloader with a sensitive experience for seating the primer to the bottom of the pocket. Achieving consistent and square primer seating can be important to consistent ignition, which in turn is important for consistent muzzle velocity and accurateness.
Another choice for seating primers that does provide the handloader with a good feel for seating depth and force per unit area is the hand priming tool shown hither. This simple tool is quite popular and easy to employ. Finally there is the bench mount priming tool. This hand priming tool has a long lever arm which provides the handloader with another selection for seating primers with a sensitive feel.
There are other tools that are made to insert primers not discussed hither. The important thing to remember is that you want something that you're comfortable with and allows yous to attain uniform primer seating depth and pressure.
Powder Measuring
There are two basic ways to mensurate/dispense powder. I is past weight using scales. The other is by volume, using a powder measurer. Weighing pulverization with scales is the best way to insure consistent muzzle velocities. Fifty-fifty if yous choose to utilise a powder measurer for short range, or high chapters (faster) loading, y'all will still need the scale to set the measurer, insuring the proper weight of pulverisation is beingness dispensed. Figure 3 below shows examples of electronic and axle scales, as well as a pulverization measurer.
A mutual debate is centered around the inherent accuracy of electronic vs beam scales. Information technology's this authors stance that both types of scales accept the potential to exist passably accurate for handloading at the highest levels, but it is possible that either type of scales can have defects/problems which prevent them from operating at their potential. When operating scales of any type, it'south important to pay close attention to the environment. This includes insuring the scale is placed on a flat, level and sturdy surface. Also, make sure the scale is non exposed to air currents from fans, vents, or open windows because that will affect the consistency of the scales measurements. Finally, exist mindful of how the calibration is oriented in relation to your line of sight. If yous have a beam scale on a desktop surface that'south just above your lap, it will be difficult to become at heart level with the needle to run into when the beam indicates 'nil'.
Equally stated previously, the utilize of powder measurers should be bars to applications where you're not trying to minimize cage velocity variation as in precision long range shooting. Ball powder, being more finely granulated, is known to meter more consistently than the larger granules such as stick pulverisation.
In addition to scales and powder throwers, there are a bunch of smaller reloading supplies and tools that are good aids in the powder dispensing process. A funnel for pouring the powder into the cases is a necessary piece of equipment. Pulverization tricklers are used to easily control the dropping of a small-scale number of granules into the pan when you're close to the desired charge. Equally an alternative, one could only use a pocket-sized spoon to manually sift the last few grains in. The mechanics and tools used for dispensing pulverization are widely varied and have a lot to do with personal preferences. The of import idea is to develop a consequent and safe procedure for dispensing pulverization charges using tools you're comfortable with.
Figure x. Powder trickler
Bullet Seating
Bullet seating is done with a die, either a standard threaded die or a hand die. The basic options you take with a seating dice accept to practise with bullet/case alignment, and the seating depth adjustment.
Mitt dies assist alignment because they eliminate any potential misalignment from a press mechanism. In that location are too dies for utilise in presses that have spring loaded sleeves, which guide the cartridge torso into the die and minimize the effects of potential press misalignment and result in directly line bullet seating.
Hand Dice (for Arbor Press)
Standard Dice (for threaded presses)
Competition Die (for threaded presses)
Figure 11. Hand, standard, and contest style dies.
A micrometer style adjustment is not necessary to make seating depth adjustments in minor increments, merely it does get in a lot easier, removing the trial and error from the procedure.
Part of the bullet seating procedure is measuring to come across how far the bullet is seated from touching the rifling of the specific barrel that the ammo is beingness handloaded for, or Cartridge Base to Ogive (CBTO). Since most types of bullets tin can't be measured reliably to their tips (due to the ragged, inconsistent nature of bullet tips) a device is required that allows a measurement to exist taken from a more meaningful reference signal on the bullet. The tool that'southward used to make this measurement is mostly called a comparator. A comparator contacts the bullet at a indicate along its ogive (nose), which produces a more than consistent measurement than the tip of the bullet.
Figure 12. Micrometer with a Bullet Comparator to measure CBTO
Cartridge Components
The bones components of metallic cartridges are: casing (usually brass), primer, pulverization, and bullet. This section volition talk over the various classes of each component of a metal cartridge.
Cases
Most casings are made from contumely. Sometimes commercially loaded ammo is made with nickel plated or steel casings which are not suitable for reloading.
Most cartridges used for centerfire rifles are of the bottle necked pattern shown Here in Figure 13.
Figure 13. Cartridge cases.
Some of the larger magnums accept a chugalug around the example-head which is at that place for headspacing and additional strength. Both of these types of cases are suitable for reloading. Some things to look out for on contumely casings that can make them hard or incommunicable to reload are; crimped primer pockets and Burdan primer pockets. Sometimes armed services ammo has crimped primer pockets which brand it difficult/incommunicable to de-cap and properly re-prime the brass. If you desire to reload brass with crimped primer pockets, you need a tool to eliminate the crimp. The .223 Remington cartridge is 1 that'south ordinarily found with crimped primer pockets.
Figure fourteen. Different types of Wink holes.
Casings having Berdan primer pockets volition have 2 wink-holes from the primer pocket to the inside of the case as shown here. This makes it impossible for a centrally located de-capping pivot to knock out the primer. For this reason and because of the primers used, Berdan primed brass is considered not-reloadable. Berdan primed brass is too quite uncommon, and so your unlikely to meet it unless you lot seek out old military cartridges.
Primers
There are 4 bones designations for primers commonly used in metallic burglarize cartridge reloading:
• Small rifle
• Big rifle
• Small rifle Magnum
• Big rifle Magnum
All Boxer type primers share the aforementioned basic geometry shown hither.
Figure 15. Anatomy of a primer
The firing pin hits the cup, crushing the mixture compound against the anvil which sends a small explosion thru the holes in the anvil, thru the flash hole and into the cartridge case to ignite the powder.
The small and large designation refers to the physical size of the primer. A cartridge case will either have a small primer pocket (.223 Remington, 6mmBR, etc) or a large primer pocket (.243 and .308 Winchester, .30-06, etc).
Magnum primers are fabricated with more mixture compound in club to provide reliable ignition of larger volumes of powder. Magnum primers also accept thicker cups to contain college levels of pressure developed by magnum cartridges.
Powder
There are ii bones categories of smokeless rifle powders used for metal cartridge loading: stick and ball powder. Ball powders generally feed better (more consistently) thru powder measurers, which can speed up the process of loading ammunition. However, many discerning handloaders notice that the fire characteristics of stick powders are more than favorable for producing consistency, and so they take the time to weigh charges of stick pulverization on scales.
It's important when choosing a type and corporeality of powder to utilize in your handloads to stay within the min and max limits given in this manual. A burn down rate nautical chart is provided to betoken the relative fire rate of most modern powders.
Figure 17. 'Stick' pulverisation
The fill ratio is a value that's listed for each pulverisation charge in the load data and is used to indicate how full the cartridge will be with a given charge of powder. A make full ratio of seventy% indicates that the cartridge volition but be 70% full of powder, with 30% of its volume being empty space. A fill ratio that's near or greater than 100% indicates a state of affairs where seating the bullet can actually crunch down the pulverization a little flake. This is known as a compressed load, and should be approached in pocket-size increments with cracking caution.
A make full ratio well-nigh 100% is considered optimal because information technology leaves little room for the powder to situate itself differently inside the cartridge. This consistent positioning of powder promotes more complete and uniform ignition, which is a central ingredient in achieving precision.
Bullets
The bullet is the most critical component of the cartridge. After all, it's the matter nosotros're launching downrange, our simply physical contact with the target. Intendance should be taken to properly select the right kind of bullet for the shooters awarding.
Berger has 3 master lines of bullets: Hunting, Target, and Varmint. The bullet lines are named after their intended applications, and shooters would be well advised to utilise the bullets within their designated applications.
Figure 18. Berger Hunting VLD terminal performance
Berger Hunting bullets are all of the VLD (Very Low Drag) design, and are intended for use on game. The characteristic terminal functioning of the VLD Hunting bullets is 2 to 4 inches of penetration, followed by dramatic expansion as shown in Effigy 18.
Berger Target bullets are made on thicker jackets than the Hunting bullets and are bachelor in several designs including: FB (Flat Base), BT (Boat Tail), LRBT (Long Range Boat Tail), VLD (Very Low Drag) and Hybrid. The diverse designs available in many weights offer the target shooter a rich diverseness of options to choose from when searching for the ultimate in ballistic functioning and precision at any range.
Figure 20. Varmint Bullet
Berger Varmint bullets are characterized by flat bases, wide tips, thin jackets and middle to calorie-free weight for quotient. These attributes combine to produce accurate, high velocity and extremely explosive bullets which are the hallmarks of peachy varmint bullet functioning.
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