Introducing myself ..

[Scibaer]

hi, some of you will know me ( Glenn ) from the NEF specific topics.
 i asked a reloading question and Tim redirected me here. well after some reading i figured i could reload myself.
after reading some threads, i am ordering a Lee Challenger Aniversary Press kit.
 primarily i will be loading for my new BC thats on its way home.  and i'm sure i'll have lots of questions and am willing to listen to all advice from you experienced loaders.
ok, thats all i got, i just want to say hi and let you know i was here..
Scibaer ( Glenn )

[Glanceblamm]

Welcome Scibaer!

I have been reloading for rifles since around 86 but have been loading for handguns a lot less than this.
There is a wealth of information here...No longer does one have to suffer in silence. I have pretty much let all of my Mag subscriptions expire because of GB Outdoors.
Lots of good tips and tricks here on the case prep as well as having good links to what a bullet or powder manufacture has to say about their products.
A lot of stuff has been covered but will be ask and answered again. You can browse the previous pages to look for quick answers and there is a search feature to help speed this up some.
(I am not up to speed on the topic search) seems like it is up sometimes and down sometimes. I just like to browse manually if I need a reference that I know was covered.

[Scibaer]

well i did the 'definitive ' thread to reloading and a few posts about that to get.
i just ordered the Lee challenger kit and a lyman manual.
 when i get some time, i plan to start back on page 166 and read thru some threads that i feel is important to start out.
 i  have alway wanted to reload but never had the time or money or room. but i got a BC45-70 and came to the conclusion that reloading for it was the way to go.
so i said, screw it and ordered the equipment, and will find the time and make the room.
i know that the Lee equipment prolly is not the best, but its what i can afford ( barely ) for now, and when i can i'll upgrade.
 im just happy to be able to get started with this.

[OR-E-Gun Bill]

Welcome to another addiction!
Not a thing wrong with the LEE equipment Glenn. There are a great number of folks here that started out with Lee and a good number of us still are using LEE equipment.
My tips:
1. Don't be afraid to ask questions
2. Keep a close eye on the on-line reloading stores for the best prices/deals, especially this time of year.

Be safe and have fun!

Bill

[burntmuch]

Glenn does your kit come with a scale. If not Id get one.  Dont be afraid to ask questions. It can seem overwelming getting started, but once you sit down & get started its all fairly simple. Just go with safe loads & double check everything. Now that 45/70 wont bankrupt ya.    Jay 

[Scibaer]

yeah i figured i'd just get in there and start reloading for the 45-70 at least.
 i'm sure the Lee stuff will get me up and running at least.
i am getting all my stuff from midway so far, but when i need more stuff, i'll know more ( hopefully by then ) and can shop around and know what im looking at.

Jay, yeah the kit i ordered come with a scale. and yeah, it was all about being able to afford to shoot my new rifle, lol ..
i do have a question.. i see that i need a set of dies. should i get the full case sizing dies ? or the ( regular ? ) ones ?

[burntmuch]

Im using full lentgh dies ,but Im only neck sizing with them. I adjust till The neck is tight on the bullet. That way the case will fit your chamber perfect. Now say you get some brass from some one elses gun. you can full length size them.

    PS now be advised , Ive only been loading for about a year. .

[Scibaer]

jay,
 yep i'm advised, lol ..
 i've been reading, here's i understand so far. most guys say neck size for brass thats 'dedicated' to one chamber, length size for brass that has been shot in other chambers and for 'hunting'. although i dont understand that yet.
so i will get the full length dies and just neck size them, but will have the option of fully sizing them should i want to.
 i'd rather have it and not need it then the other way round.
and i have read that its good to full length size new brass to be sure of consistancy on mass produced cases.
so that sounds like the way to go . i ordered the kit that has a few extra items like a trimmer and what, so i think i'm set to try my hand ..
 where should i start with powder ? i have not read to much on powders yet other then things like H9841 ,  dont know what that even means yet

[burntmuch]

Im using reloader7 & IMR4064. What I would suggest is start with 42 grains reloader7 5 0r 6 rounds  Move up 1 grain at a time for 5 or 6 rounds. For me recoil is real uncomfortable at 50 grains 300grn rem jhp . But Ive got a real small stock.

[Scibaer]

oh sure, blame the stock, lol ..
 i looked on the alliant site for reloader7 info.. and it shows a chart but it says its for speer bullets..

so  now i got a question. do you have to use speer bullets ? or can you use any 300 gr. bullet ?
and what is the most important thing to follow when use  a  load chart ? would it be the powder charge and the other stuff are variables ?
 

[stimpylu32]

Glenn

Till your new toys arrive take a day or so and read this .

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handloading

And once your stuff gets there don't take anything out of the box EXCEPT the manuel and spend a couple nights to read the first 40 pages or so . Once you have done this you will have a much better handle on the whys and hows of handloading , if you have anymore ???s just ask .

stimpy

[Scibaer]

ok Stimpy i wlill do just that, promise.
 can i at least smell the new stuff ? 
seriously, thats good advice and i will follow it, thanks

[longwinters]

You are in for a lot of fun.  These guys have given you great advice and I know from experience they are more than glad to help anybody out.  Read, Read, Read and then ask questions.  It is not nearly as complicated as one might think and you certainly seem to have the right attitude to do it safely and accurately.

Long

[Glanceblamm]

I dont know if you are married or not, but if so don't be mounting that new press on the dining room table. It will make her very unhappy. 

[Scibaer]

yeah, i joke around alot and usually get labeled a smartass, but as much as i've always wanted to do this i am taking the advice here seriously, as i do all of the advice given to me from here. i stayed pretty late last nite, readying from websites and watching the Lee videos online.
 yeah im married and have 4 kids, 6 total but two dont live under my roof anylonger. 4 at home. my wife tollerates my toys for the most part, though i wont be mounting any presses to the dinner table. i still have to figure out how to get setup when that time comes.
i ride HD's , have 4 snowmobiles and a 4 wheeler, alot of guns and tattooing epuipment that takes alot of room now. im into HAM radio and computers too, i got several of them each.. when i told my wife, i was buying reloading equipment and going to start that, she looked at me, squinted some, and said ok, but i could 'feel' the animosity building. then she said, "make sure you order what you need" and "get whatever you want too"... then she kissed me, and took the oldest girl with her, and went shopping, lol ..and took the van !

[burntmuch]

Glenn. What I did was mounted my press onto a 8x12 inch peice of plywood. Then use 2 big C-clamps to mount it to a bench. So its portible. All my gear fits in a couple tupperware bins. I reload at work quite a bit.

[PartsMan]

Glenn, I got the same kit not long ago.
It is very simple and has great instructions.
The Lee dies also have good info with picks.

Did you order a case length guage also?
Mine back ordered and I had to wait .

PartsMan

[Dillohide]

i looked on the alliant site for reloader7 info.. and it shows a chart but it says its for speer bullets..
so  now i got a question. do you have to use speer bullets ? or can you use any 300 gr. bullet ?

I use Remington 300 gr. HP bullets and CCI 200 primers with that load and they are very accurate out of my Handi.

[Scibaer]

Dillohide,
    if i read you right, i can use different bullets and primers as along as they are spec'd the same..
 i figured that'd be ok.

Parts,
 no i did get the case guage. i will need to get more stuff i'm sure, and thats on the list for sure.
 i picked up another reloading manual today along with some Hornady 200gr HP's, they didnt have a gauge, i guess i should have ordered one.

Jay,
 i think i'm going to follow suit and do the same. so i can reload at my office desk. i was thinking using a 1x8x3ft board for the clamp though. i'll see what works best.
i picked up a box of 50 Hornady 300gr HP's #4500's tonite at Bare's for $19

[Dillohide]

Dillohide,
    if i read you right, i can use different bullets and primers as along as they are spec'd the same..
 i figured that'd be ok.

Normally that is right, however there are max loads specifically for the bullet, case and primer given. Changing anything could cause more pressure so you always want to back off on the load and work up. The 45/70 load you are referring to (50 gr RL7) is no where near a max level 2 load for your Handi. That load chronographs at about 1900 fps from my Handi.

[Scibaer]

ok, i understand that. i'll probably start with mild trapdoor loads anyhow. and when i get some skills work my way up to lower Marlin levels if i need too.
i was more interested in if i could change a component of the load. you answered that. i understand that i'll need to back off the charge and check for high pressure signs.

new quesstion...... is it possible to copy a factory load ?  if i buy all the right components, can i duplicate the Remington or Hornady offerings from my local gun shop ?
 i would guess that powder would be the most difficult part to copy ?

[Dillohide]

As far as brass, primer and bullet components go, yes you can duplicate many factory loads. Powder as you said, is the one you cannot duplicate. Their powders are not available to us. However, you can generally duplicate the ballistics of a factory load using the powders that are available. Every rifle including same make/same caliber, shoots a little different so you can beat the factory by creating a load specifically for your rifle. For example the most accurate load in my Winchester 30-06 is a 165 grain Hornady BTSP with 57 grains of IMR 4350. My Handi 30-06 hates that load but loves 57 grains IMR 4350 with 150 grain Remington SP. I haven't found a factory load that shoots as well in either rifle.

[Scibaer]

in the back of my reload manual they list the burn rates of popular powders from 1 to 70, for example, Reloder 7 is rated a 46 out of 70.
this is supposed represnet it burn rate, 46 is on the slower end of the spectrum.

is there any way to identify and grade factory powders in this way ?
i have some factory powder that S&W uses for thier pistol ammo, can i use it , or should i dump it in the fire pit ?

[quickdtoo]

Glenn, here's another powder burn rate chart for your future reference.

Tim

http://home.hiwaay.net/~stargate/powder/powder.htm

[stimpylu32]

Glenn

Unless you can find listed load data for the powder your best bet is to use in the garden , most factory ammo is loaded with a blend of diffrent powders per batch and only the lab tec's know for sure what burn rate it has .

stimpy

[PartsMan]

Glenn, here's another powder burn rate chart for your future reference.

Tim

http://home.hiwaay.net/~stargate/powder/powder.htm

That's a heck of a chart. I'll be putting it in favorites.

[Scibaer]

ok, i just went and dumped in the fire pit. its not worth the risk. on the way back up to the house the UPS truck came up the drive.
 my Lee kit is here. it was only 3 days , thats not bad at all, good on Midway.
i got a Hodgdon data manual to read thru and a few instruction sheets as well.
 i hate packing peanuts !
i'll have to save that list to a file for future reference too.
 

[AtlLaw]

Glenn, here's another powder burn rate chart for your future reference.
Tim
http://home.hiwaay.net/~stargate/powder/powder.htm

Hey Tim,
Dr. Boren has updated that chart considerably!  He's up to 308 powders now  .  You will probably have to sign up on the Yahoo Handloaders list to access it though.

Let's try a link...
http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/handloading/files/2%20-%20Powder%20Burning%20Rate%20Charts/

Nope, that brings you to a sign in page.  Oh well, sign in or join if you want.