10 Advices for the Novice Handloader
Here are 10 advices I composed for the new reloader/handloader. Keep in mind that my perspective is that of a handgun loader (meaning straight-walled cartridge cases, not bottlenecked, which are used mostly in rifles).
I have thought of a few things I think are useful for loaders to know or to consider which seem to be almost universal. So much is a matter of personal taste and circumstance, though. So, all advice carries this caveat, "your mileage may vary".
The guy who sold me my gear showed me how to load my first six rounds (1974). He showed me first, explaining each step and then watched me load six cases he gave me and kept me doing it correctly. I learned a lot in those first six rounds and for decades was self-taught. Recently, especially with the advent of the internet, I have learned a lot more. Keep your eyes and ears open.
Now, here are my Ten Advices.
Advice #1 Use Reliable Reference Sources Wisely - Books, Videos, Web Sites, etc.
Study up in loading manuals until you understand the process well, before spending a lot of money on equipment.
I found "The ABC's of Reloading" to be a very good reference. Short on loading data but full of knowledge and understanding of the process. Check out offerings in your local library. Dated, perhaps but the basics are pretty unchanging.
Read as many manuals as you can, for the discussion of the how-to steps. What one manual covers thinly, another will cover well. As far as load data in older manuals, the powder manufacturers and bullet manufacturers may have better information and their web sites are probably more up to date. But pay attention to what the ammunition was test-fired from. (regular firearm vs a sealed-breech pressure test barrel, for example)
The reason you want more than one or two manuals is that you want to read differing authors/editors writing styles and find ones that "speak" to you. You also get better coverage of the subject; one author or editor may cover parts of the subject more thoroughly than the others.
The public library should have manuals you can read, then decide which ones you want to buy.
There are instructional videos now that did not exist in the '70s when I started.
Richard Lee's book "Modern Reloading" has a lot of food for thought, and does discuss the reasoning behind his opinions (unlike many manuals, and postings). Whether right or wrong, the issues merit thought, which that book initiates. It is not a simple book, though and you will find it provocative reading for many years.
Only after you know the steps can you look at the contents of of a dealer's shelves, a mail-order catalog or a reloading kit and know what equipment you want to buy. If you are considering a loading kit, you will be in a better position to know what parts you don't need and what parts the kits lack.
Advice #2 All equipment is good. But is it good FOR YOU?
Almost every manufacturer of loading equipment makes good stuff; if they didn't, they would lose reputation fast and disappear from the marketplace. Better equipment costs more generally. Cast aluminum is lighter and less expensive but not so abrasion resistant as cast iron. Cast iron lasts practically forever. Lee makes good equipment, and is generally considered the "economy" equipment maker, though some of their stuff is considered preferable to more expensive makes. Just think about what you buy. Ask around. Testimonials are nice. But if you think Ford/Chevrolet owners have brand loyalty, you have not met handloaders. Testimonials with reasoning behind them are better.
Be aware that many loaders don't use brand names, preferring the manufacturer's chosen color, instead. RCBS equipment is almost all green; Dillon, blue; Lee, red. Almost no manufacturers cross color line, so many loaders simply identify themselves as "Blue" or whatever. But this is not 100%. I have a Lee Powder Scale that is green.
On Kits:
Pre-assembled Kit: Almost every manufacturer (and retailer) makes a kit that contains (nearly) everything you need to do reloading . A kit is decent way to get started quickly with less puzzling over unknowable questions. Eventually most people wind up replacing most of the components of the kit as their personal taste develops (negating the price savings of the initial purchase), but you will have gotten started, at least.
Make your own kit:
On the other hand, you can assemble your own kit. But you have to put more thought into it before you start plunking down money (and plunking out rounds).
Third alternative. Populate your loading bench one piece of gear at a time starting with a minimal setup (press, dies and a way to mete powder, all else just makes things safer, faster or more accurate). I posted a thread "Budget beginning bench for the novice handloader you will never outgrow" on another forum (see links below). Basically, the two rules are: Buy only what you absolutely need, and nothing more. Whatever you buy, buy what you will need ten years from now, so you will not ever have to retire any piece of gear. To follow these rules, you must know about reloading before you actually DO any and you must know what your future needs will be, which is a tall order.
Advice #3 While Learning, don't get fancy. Progressive or Single Stage? Experimental loads?
While you are learning, load mid-range at first so overpressures are not concerns. Just concentrate on getting the loading steps right and being VERY VERY consistent (charge weight, crimp strength, seating depth, primer seating force, all that). Use a "fluffy" powder (takes up a lot of space for the charge -Trail Boss is one) that is, one that will overflow your cartridge case if you mistakenly put two powder charges in it, and is easy to verify that you have not missed charging a case with powder.
Learn on a press that performs one step at a time. A single stage press or a turret press can do this organically. A progressive press can be made to do this, but since that is not the way it operates naturally, many people recommend to not learn on a progressive press, especially operating in the progressive mode with multiple operations on multiple cartridges at different stages in the loading process (3, 4 or 5 shells simultaneously). When too many things happen at the same time, they are hard to keep track of. Mistakes DO happen and you want to watch for them ONE OPERATION AT A TIME until handloading becomes second nature to you. You can learn on a progressive, but it is easier to make mistakes during the learning process.
Note: A turret press is essentially a single stage press with a moveable head which can mount several dies at the same time. What makes it like a single stage rather than a progressive is that you are still using only one die at a time, not three or four dies simultaneously at each stroke of the press' ram.
Also, a good, strong, single stage press is in the stable of every loader I know, no matter how many progressives they have. They always keep at least one single-stage for those jobs that are simply easier to do on a single.
Advice #4 Find a mentor.
There is no substitute for someone watching you load a few cartridges and critiquing your technique BEFORE you develop bad habits or make a dangerous mistake. (A mistake that might not have consequences right away, but maybe only after you have escaped trouble a hundred times until one day you get bit, for instance having case lube on your fingers when you handle primers 99 times, no problem because primers are coated with a sealant, but the hundredth primer may not be perfectly sealed and now winds up "dead")
Like I said before, I started loading with the guy who sold me my press watching over my shoulder as I loaded my first 6 rounds to make sure I did not blow myself up, load a powderless cartridge or set off a primer in the press. I could have learned more, faster with a longer mentoring period, but I learned a lot in those first 6 rounds, as he explained each step. I educated myself after that. But now, on the internet, I have learned a WHOLE LOT MORE. But in-person is still the best.
After you have been mentored, mentor someone else. Not necessarily in loading or the shooting sports, but in SOMETHING in which you are enthusiastic and qualified. Just give back to the community.
Advice #5 Design your loading space for safety, efficiency, cleanliness
When I started reloading, I did not use a loading bench at all. I just mounted the press on a 2" x 6" plank long enough to wedge into the drawer of an end table My loading gear all fit in a footlocker and spread out on a coffeetable, end table and/or the lid of the footlocker. Good leverage meant the table did not lift or rock. I still use the same plank, but now it is mounted in a Black & Decker folding workbench. A loading bench "bolted to the center of the earth" (as some describe their setups) would be more stable, but I do not feel deprived without it.
You will probably spill powder or drop a primer eventually, so consider what you have for a floor covering when you pick your reloading room/workspace. I would not try to vacuum up spilt gunpowder unless using a Rainbow vacuum which uses water as the filter medium.
A dropcloth is handy for making cleanup quick and easy and also prevents dropped primers from rolling away. Cloth is quieter than plastic and drapes better, too.
Advice #6 Keep Current on loading technology
Always use a CURRENT loading manual. Powder chemistry has changed over the years. They make some powders differently than they used to and even some powder names may have changed. However, if you are using 10 year old powder, you may want to check a 10 year old manual for the recipe. Then double check with a modern manual and then triple check with the powder maker.
Read previous threads on reloading, here are a couple I read.
Here are some posts and threads I think you will enjoy. So get a large mug of coffee, tea, hot chocolate, whatever you keep on hand when you read and think and read through these.
http://www.rugerforum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=13543
TheFiringLine.com, "Handloading, Reloading, and Bullet Casting"
http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=230171
http://www.thehighroad.org//showthread.php?t=238214
THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS - Powered by Social Strata
http://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/frm/f/2511043
RugerForum.com :: View topic - Interested in reloading
http://www.rugerforum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=13543
RugerForum.com :: View Forum - Factory Ammunition and Reloading
http://www.rugerforum.com/phpBB/viewforum.php?f=11
This was informed by my recent (July 2010) repopulation of my loading bench. It is what I would have done 35 years ago if I had known then what I know now.
http://rugerforum.net/reloading/293...you-will-never-outgrow-novice-handloader.html
thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=430391
(posts #11 and #13 are mine)
http://www.rugerforum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=107332
thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=439810
Advice #7 You never regret buying the best (but once)
When you buy the very best, it hurts only once, in the wallet. When you buy too cheaply it hurts every time you use the gear. The trick is to buy good enough (on the scale between high quality and low price) to keep you happy without overpaying.
Advice #8 Tungsten Carbide dies (or Titanium Nitride)
Use T-C dies instead of regular tool steel (which require lubrication for sizing your brass) for your straight-walled cartridge cases. T-C dies do not require lubrication, which will save you time. Carbide expander button for your bottlenecked cases. Keeps lube out of the inside of the cases.
Advice #9 Safety Always Safety All Ways.
Wear eye protection, especially when seating primers. Gloves are good, too, especially if using the Lee "Hammer" Tools. Children (unless they are good helpers, not just playing around) are at risk and are a risk. Pets, too unless they have been vetted (no, not that kind of vetting). Any distractions that might induce you to forget charging a case (no charge or a double charge, equally disturbing). Imagine everything that CAN go wrong. Then imagine everything that you CAN'T imagine. I could go on, but it's your eyes, your fingers, your house, your children. Enough said?
Advice #10 Remember, verify for yourself everything you learn from casual sources. Believe only half of what you see and one quarter of what you hear. That goes double for everything you find on the internet (with the possible exception of the actual web sites of the bullet and powder manufacturers). This advice applies to my message as much as anything else and especially to personal load recipes. Hare-brained loaders might have dangerous habits and even an honest typographical error could be deadly. I heard about a powder manufacturer's web site that dropped a decimal point once. It was fixed REAL FAST, but mistakes happen. I work in accounting and frequently hit "7" instead of "4" because they are next to each other on the keypad.
Good luck.
Lost Sheep
