Just reloaded my first 20 cartridges

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ojibweindian

ojibweindian

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Union Grove, Alabama
A first for me. I reloaded 20 rounds of .30-06 for my Winchester Model 70. I used a Lee single stage press (I'll be getting a something better soon), a Lyman scale (Model 1000), and the hand trimming tools from Lee (these I like). Dies were from Lee, too.

Anyway, my first load is a 165gr Sierra Game King over 53.5gr of H380 using CCI large primers. OAL is 3.3125 inches. According to the Lee manual, this should give roughly 2750fps.

Do you guys have any suggestions concerning this load? It shouldn't be too hot, as it's 3 grains lower than the max listed, and the OAL is 0.3125 inches longer than the minimum stated in the manual.
 
Most important part...

The most important part of the process is to give us a report after you shoot them.

Then load-em again.
 
I'll be testing this load either tomorrow or this coming Tuesday. Should be interesting. I was really meticulous about everything. I didn't crimp, though. Where would not crimping become an issue with bottle-necked rifle cartridges?
 
Corpsman up!

Congrats. You started with the right cartridge; '06 has the most available components and broad range of usable powders.

For a bolt gun, crimping is unnecessary.

Stoney Point and Sinclair make nice devices for measuring OAL to seat your bullet a specific distance from the beginning of the rifling. It's a great investment, which let me get the best out of my '06 handloads.

I bet a jelly doughnut you've been sitting around looking at that pretty box of handloads, taking them out and putting them back in then taking them out again.

Face it. It's over. You have been assimilated.
 
Khornet is right ojibwe ....... you don't HAVE to crimp for bolt ... however, this depends a bit on how tight the neck grip is on the bullets - from one round to another. I guess if you try and turn a bullet and it won't ... then you should be OK.

Personally I would crimp even if a light ''nip'' .... partly to ensure consistency and .. also just in case even in the handling of the rounds .. there is any possibility of a bullet seating being altered. Unlikely perhaps but ... best IMO to still crimp.

Congrat's on the ''first batch'' ....... may there be many more. And of course ... we await your results from shooting off said rounds.:)
 
When you start salivating at websites with pretty bullets you know you have arrived.:D
 
Welcome...

Let me add my "welcome to the club" to the above! :D Reloading is a magnificent obsession if you want to let it be. For some of us it's just a way to home-brew some cheaper better ammo. Either way, if you follow the recipies and learn the signs of over-pressure and watch for those, you probably can't go wrong.

Re your press: You don't need to upgrade if all you plan to produce is a few boxes of rifle ammo per year. But telling a reloader not to upgrade is like telling a computer geek not to upgradeÑone does it because one can, not because one must. I'd get a high-quality single-stage press like the RCBS RockChucker, and that'd be that for presses, were I you, and I were staying low-volume production. The good single-stage will produce the most accurate ammo IMHO, and does small runs and load development better than a progressive. BTW, your Lee dies should transfer to any other standard brand of reloading press. Thank God, they all use the same threading.

Learning the basics is easier on a single-stage also. You wouldn't start a new student driver off with a fully-loaded semi, nor with a full-race Ferrari. Too many details to master all at once.

When or if you go high-volume, you can get a progressive then, and you'll still have your single stage for what that is good for.

If you haven't yet gotten a reloading manual, that should be your next purchase. Lyman's 48th edition is very good if you only get one. The component manufacturers all put out reloading data, in one form or another, some as freebies. You can't have too much information re. the usable and safe combinations of components.

So again, welcome to the club. Learn. Enjoy!
 
But telling a reloader not to upgrade is like telling a computer geek not to upgrade
Click to expand...

Funny you should mention that; I am a computer geek:D

I will be getting a Rock Chucker in the not too distant future, and thanks for telling me that the Lee Dies can be used in that press. I was concerned that wouldn't be true.
 
Ojibwe,

Congrats in getting your feet wet. It takes me back to when I turn out my first rounds...a great satisfying feeling.

I don't know if I ever caressed them over and over but I do know I kept opening up the 50 round plastic box to show 'em to my wife or just to admire them myself as being something I personally turned out.

So, now you've got the incurable bug and the only relief of the symptoms is to load more, more and more.

I agree, the 30.06 is a great round to start with. In fact that was my first rifle round. Now, of course, I do others.

You mentioned using a Lee single staff press and that brings up; may I ask a personal question? How consistant are your rounds in OAL?

The reason I ask is because with my Lee it varies from + - .01". So I only use the Lee for sizing, decapping and belling (on pistol brass) and I use a RCBS Rockchucker for everything on rifle and setting of the bullets on pistol.

The Rockchucker allows me .005" differences.

If you find the Hodgdon powder packs a little more recoil than you like you might want to look at 51.5 gr. of IMR4350 powder with a boat tall soft point bullet. It's a slower burning powder than Hodgdon which cuts back on the recoil but it gives excellent rounds.

Good luck and success in your future reloading.

And....remember...safety....safety.....safety.....read....read.....read....ask......ask.....ask....and stay within specs. Nearly all of those who think they are reloading experts have reloading and shooting horrors to tell, lol.

BTW, Ojibwe...'yah tay' (I don't know how to say "welcome" in Ojibwe - only Navajo, lol) and so I don't ever step on any toes do you accept the term Chippewa or do you prefer Ojibwe?
 
Navajo

It's sad, but I do not know the language. My fault, as there are resources available.

Even sadder is I have not been up to my home in well over 20 years. Many things have changed.

Ojibwe or Chippewa is fine.

On to reloading!

I've pretty much experienced the same variations in OAL that you have experienced. I'm not sure how significant such variances are, but there has to be some significance.

Thanks for the heads-up on the IMR 4350. I'll give it a try.
 
Your rounds are how long exactly? And how much longer than the books minimun? If your rounds really are more than .3" longer than the stated OAL you may be into the rifling. Are your loaded rounds 3.3125? Is the listed min. OAL 3.0"? That seems awful short. Maybe I'm misunderstanding. In any case, welcome to reloading.

David
 
I do not crimp bottle neck rifle calibers .

Can I have your Lee press , when you replace it with a RCBS ?


God bless
Wyr
 
asterick

OAL is 3.3125" which is 0.0125" over my manual's listed minimum OAL for the load I selected. Before adding powder and all that, I created a dummy round and chambered it just to make sure the rifling was not engaged; it wasn't.

Anyway, I took my rounds and my Winchester to the range today to see how things would go. In a word, bad. I would put the first few into the X ring, then the rest would be off be a few inches to the left or right, up or down. I think that the cheap Simmons scope that came with the rifle is to blame; these errant sots occured after each time I changed cheek weld.

I'm gonna replace the existing scope with one I have on my .22mag, then I'll give it another whirl. If that works out, I'll get a Nikon and chuck the Simmons.
 
Objibwe ..... leaving aside what certainly seems an errant scope .. sounds to me like you have worked up some good stuff. It would take an extraordinary variation in ammo to get even halfways close to causing fliers like that!

I'd say your first batch are probably a rock'n'roll success dude!:)
 
ojibweindian,

That's more like it! I was worried there for a second! Get a good scope on that rifle and give us some some results!


David
 
asterick and P95

Thanks for your encouraging words!

Man, it was soooooo frustrating to see the first two rounds go into a hole the sze of a dime, then have the rest open the group up to as much as 4"! There was another guy there sighting in a Savage. On top of it wasa really nice Leupold.

Anyway, feeling sorry for me, he offered to help. I asked if he would send a few rounds through my rifle to see if it was me or the scope. Fortunately, he fared no better than I:D. He also let me shoot his .270; the quality of a Leupold, when compared to the scope I had, was dramatic. And, more importantly, I was able to keep 3 shots just under 1.5".

I'll be going to the range again tomorrow or Wednesday with the rifle wearing a different scope. Then we'll see what happens.
 
Update

Greetings All!

Just thought I'd post an update to my endeavor to find a good load. I went to the range on the 4th of July to test out some new loads. I used 150gr Hornady SP bullets, Winchester cases, WLR, and H380 as my components. I shot four 3 round groups at 100 yards, with my starting load at 55.7gr of H380 and my ending load being 56.9 gr of H380.

I had great results with the 55.7gr load, getting a 5/8" group. Anything else above that was progressively pathetic. The 56.9gr group printed close to 3" at 100 yards; the worst of all four loads tested.

I think what I'll try next is to try some loads starting out at 55.1gr of H380, in 0.2gr increments, to see if I can get a load that will print groups at just under 1/2".
 
That 5/8 group sounds pretty good! The process of working up the best loads for a particular gun is tho - at best - tedious! Worth it in the end tho ..... and sounds like you are making great progress.

Probably way more patient than me - tho I used to do this long ago!:)
 
Congrats! Sounds like you are well on the way to finding a load that your rifle likes.
 
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