ya know, I really love reloading

[john keyes]

but I'll never reload at the range.  Just watching people do it gives me the heebie jeebies.  All the wind and the crap flying everywhere....

Its clearly NOT for me. Nor ever will be.  I have to bring enough junk just to shoot rifles.   

[LaOtto222]

I do not load at the range either - but there are lots of advantages to do so. Mostly in load development. You can take five cases and load them up with a minimum charge and then start increasing it in little jumps until you hit the sweet spot. You can load them up again just to confirm your load. Once you know the proper load you can go back to your bench and start loading in earnest. You can always load them up ahead of time, but you get maybe 10 loaded up for each increment and maybe you want to try a different powder or bullet so you load up another batch, and then maybe a third batch to try. You more than likely will have some left over that are not going to work so you pull them down. It can be a royal pain in the a** trying to develop a load from your loading bench. Fortunately I have a backyard range and I can shuttle back and forth with my loads easily.

[Dezynco]

Yep, if I couldn't step out the back door to test a few shots, I would definitely carry my stuff to the range.  I would get one of the little Lee handheld presses and a sturdy tote box for all my stuff.  If you're having to drive to the range, even a couple of miles, it's a pain in the neck to shoot 10 times, drive home, shoot 10 times...

...or load a box full of shells with 10 of each and try to keep up with which one is which, only to discover that you have 20 or 30 that don't work well in your gun and have to waste them or try to recycle them.

[lostchild]

I'm in favor of the Lee hand press, in a tool box too.  due to limited space my current reloading bench is just that.  In my " Wal-Mart special tool box " I keep a scale, powder, measure, and up to three sets of dies, a hand primer ( Lee) a lube pad, ( and wipes to remove the lube ), even have a loading block, ( bacialy a reloading bench in a box ) in the top tray I keep my bullets primers are kept in two removable trays on the lid.  I set my scale up in the bottom of the tool box to set my powder measure then load like I was at home ( but in the back of my truck ).  Hope this helps...lost

[Darrell Davis]

Well, I have seen the "reloading at the range" one time----------------------

And, the loads were being assembled for a rifle far above in $$$$$$$ from most of those we shoot.

It was a custom target rifle, and the chamber was such that the case required no resizing before reloading.

Fire the round, de-prime/re-prime, throw a powder charge, seat a bullet and shoot.

Simple and quick.  No dust gathering case lube and a powder measure able to throw consistant charges.

You get what you pay for in many cases, and my inch to sub-inch groups don't cut it at that level.

Keep em coming!

CDOC

[Ladobe]

I did it all the time at the range, and in the killing fields right on my portable shooting bench too.   Used an arbor press, custom and Wilson dies, a Harrell's with several powder resevoirs filled with different powders.   No much extra to take along at all, and lots of benefits.   

[P.A. Myers]

I once had a fireman that would load [handheld] while waiting for signals. He loaded blanks for re-enactments.

[Reverend Recoil]

Are you using electronic powder measures at the range?  What is the best way of using a beam-type powder scale on a windy day?  I have at times used it while set inside of a cardboard box.  There must be a better way.

[Darrell Davis]

What I have seen is the use of high quality and consistant powder measures.

I own and use RCBS, and have owned Lyman, but the powder measures I am speaking about are a quality/consistancy step above what most of us use.

They are also not likely to change settings and therefore, from what little I have seen, a scale was not anywhere in sight.

Keep em coming!

CDOC

 

[Ladobe]

Are you using electronic powder measures at the range?  What is the best way of using a beam-type powder scale on a windy day?  I have at times used it while set inside of a cardboard box.  There must be a better way.

The one electronic powder measure I owned (for a very short time) I think would have been marginal in a zero atmosphere compartment in space let alone at the range.   
No beam scales at the range for me either - there is a better way.   With my Harrell's and the click value log I made for all of the powders I use in it I didn't need a powder scale at all at the range doing load developement, nor on a varmint hunt. 

[teamnelson]

I'm newish to reloading and I had read about handloading at the range, but it gives me the heebie jeebies thinking about it too. I'm afraid Rambo or Buck Rogers is going to arc hot brass into my workspace, or the liberals shooting their glock into man sized targets next to me might complain about the unibomber on line 23. Then there's wind, humidity, etc.

So I was going to work up sets of 5, starting at minimum going to near maximum, and take those marked as such with me to the range, and record data for each set. But just saying that has me realize I risk wasting loads. Is there a better way?

[mjbgalt]

here's what i do:

i check at least two manuals for each load for a bullet.

i seat it at SAAMI OAL.

i start about 1/2 way up in the range of loads listed. no reason to start at minimum because i am not going to be happy with the velocity even if the accuracy is there.

i stop about 1 full grain from max in the books. i clearly mark with black permanent marker, the grains and powder type on the case. it comes right off in the tumbler. for instance, i would write "35.5 V" so i know that one has 35.5 grains of Varget in it.

i work in 1/2 grain increments, and load 5 shots per 1/2 grain increment.

if i have reached the 1 grain below max with no pressure signs and no accuracy i will try thee max load, looking for that accuracy.

however, about 97% of the time i find an accurate load this way. i load 5 because i used to use 3 and it was nagging in the back of my mind that if a group wasn't good....did i pull one? is it the load or not?

in this way i avoid having a ton of loaded cartridges that didnt group.

as always, find your own way but if you like, try mine and see what you think.

obviously, if one or two of the groups shows promise i load that combo again and try on a different day.

if it still shows promise but isn't quite there i simply seat the bullet out a bit. since i started at standard length i have some room to move the bullet out and get closer to the rifling.

i use remington 9.5 large rifle primers and remington benchrest small primers. i typically use winchester brass and sierra or nosler bullets. this is not random, they just work best for me after trying a lot of different stuff.

i can get almost every rifle i have owned into the 3/4" or less att 100 yards range.

the ones i cannot, either leave or get bedded and floated and try again.

hope this book i just wrote helps!

-Matt

[teamnelson]

mjbgalt, appreciate this!

[mjbgalt]

hope it helps. i learned everything i know either from reading here or books or figuring it out the hard way.

if you have questions feel free to PM me. i don't know everything but i can try to help.

[Dezynco]

Ohmegarsh!  Does nobody  have a Lee dipper set?  So simple, so accurate, so cheap!  All you have to do is look up the powder you want to use, look down the little window on the chart, and use the dipper that is close to the powder charge you are looking to try. Pour your powder into a bowl and scoop away.  When you get back to the bench, you can vary up or down from the Lee dipper that is closest to the charge you want.  No scales or dispensers necessary.  $10.00  investment.

[Darrell Davis]

Yep, I have a Lee dipper set, one of the few Lee items I like to have available.

However, it is not something I would trust for loading most of my loads, as I expect much better consistancy then I could produce with this type of "measuring" device.

I do however, use them for dipping powder to then be weighed in the scales, way better the a tea spoon.

Someone mentioned an electronic scales a few posts back, seeming to indicate less then satisfaction with the system.

I used a friends electronic scales a few years back and found it to be very  hard to use, with the faint hint of air movement fouling up the works.

Took it back, ask some opinions here on GB and finally with some Cabela's points, bought a Pact scales which operates with a minimum of hassle.

Good scale and worth the money paid, but probably still less then great in an open outdoor setting.

Keep em coming!

CDOC

[huntswithdogs]

At our range, the bench rest guys build loads right back of the shooting benches. Clamped on powder throwers and some kind of handheld dilly that resizes and punches out priimers. A handheld priming tool is what they use to reprime. I asked one guy how much powder he was puttin in his cases one time. He tilted the case towards me and said "About this much". "Huh? You don't weigh the charges?" "Nope", he said. "I work off of volume depending on humidity and temperature". I sat and watched him shooting his groups for about an hour. Heck, I got to shoot his rifle quite a few times that day! Every bullet, even with me shooting, went thru just about the same hole. He was shooting a 6mmBR and a 30BR.
I did see him blow a primer one day. He giggled and said " Back that one off a couple of lines on the thrower and she'll be just about right". He did and it was!


HWD