Printable View
Hi all,
Bought my first rifle and it comes with some basic reloading gear, and a quantity of hand loaded ammunition. Now before I start doing this myself I know there's a lot to learn, so what are some essential books/websites/resources I should study up on?
I'm not going to be daft and pack as many grains as possible, but not being daft vs knowing what I'm doing (and why) is a big leap.
Until I'm confident I'll stick to factory ammo, but really want to get stuck into reloading.
Oh, and calibre is 223.
Any good reloading manual has the basic steps at the start and then let your curiosity wander across the internet for anything else you might want to know.
The Accurate Chain. You can order it from Amazone, its written by Hendrik van Rensburg, a well respected and very knowledgable reloader and shooter in South Africa.
The listed price was $19(UDD). Totally undeerpriced.
Easy to read and understand, I would recommend it very highly.
I have a Sierrra reloading manual, its an older version but there's lots of really good info in there. Yours if you want it. just PM me a delivery address.Quote:
Originally Posted by pickled_puck
Greetings,
Handloader Ammunition Reloading Journal put out by Wolf Publishing and Load Data dot com are good sources for reliable articles and data, together with the Hodgdons and ADI on line load data. The first two are subscription services but some of the Load Data articles are open source. More importantly find yourself a mentor. Nelson is a hot bed of Deerstalkers target shooting so make contact with your local NZDA branch. You should find someone there. I did a thread about 2020 for those new to handloading that you might want to look up. The .223 together with the .308 are likely the two easiest cartridges to load for on the planet. PM me if you have specific questions, I load for the .223 (two rifles) and have heaps of chronographed data.
Regards Grandpamac.
Nick Harveys Practical Reloading Manual.
My first manual was Speer #7 (1966 IIRC). I still have it but it is in poor shape now after a lifetime of use. It provided reasonable good "how to" knowledge from a bevy of those old time writers who sadly don't seem to have been replaced in the modern day. For many years all I used was Speer's 150gr 30 cal.
The loads in my Speer #7 are not that relevant anymore but I like reading the manual every now and again - like visiting a museum.
The other one, although I was never a fan of the author, is as mentioned already, Nick Harvey's Practical Reloading Manual. You just had to be careful of some of his loads. My copy had many after printed corrections.
It's the how to knowledge that is required for someone starting out, not a zillion loads and complex articles. Up to date loads are available thru online manuals etc ADI/Hodgdon and others.
A couple o years ago I thought I had better get modern and bought the latest Speer manual. I was mighty disappointed with its quality.
I should have added.
The Accurate chain does not show 100s of pages with loads for different calibres.
The author was a very experienced reloader and set his pen to paper to teach other how to reload, the explains step by step what to do, how to do it and he also discuss different reloading tools.
Ive hosted reloading classes for many years - this was the handbook I used.
@Jaco Goosen - do you know of a supply of the paperback version rather than the electronic version for this book. It looks interesting but I still like to have a book in my hands.
Hornady Reloading Manual or Nick Harveys, although the latter is a bit out of date with many loads these days
Modern Reloading (Second Edition) by Richard Lee. A very good step-by-step introductory/instruction book for the beginner. Naturally he has a bias for his own product (Lee) but just read past that not that there is anything wrong with Lee Products and with some a very good Loads Section at the back covering multiple powders. It really is a must have on the book shelf/loading bench.
This is a really good simple guide for how to reload both bottleneck and straight wall cartridges:
https://www.redding-reloading.com/im...ding_guide.pdf
Perfect for beginners to reloading.
Thanks all, very helpful. I'm messaged you @zeropak, and might hit you up as well @grandpamac once I've got stuck into it.
one of the early Nosler manuals #2 or #3 both have awesome front half of book..as dos the harvey norman mentioned above that not only tell you how..but why to do stuff..... what happens and why
you can make things as simple of complicated as you like....for me a cheap load that does the job equal or slightly better than factory has always been easy to do...
the only silly question is the one you should have asked and dont.
GunBlue490's Handloading parts 1-8 is worth a watch. Great for a starting from zero with basic gear.
And also Dan Newberry's Optimal Charge Weight
If you can get your hands on the Volumes from Ken Waters Pet Loads Vol 1 & 2, they are excellent reading in the world of reloading. Not just data but also interesting articles around his experiences of developing loads and information pertaining to each caliber.
Greetings,Quote:
Originally Posted by -BW-
In the 1980's Ken Waters and Bob Hagel (the second from memory) published articles on how they went about working up loads. Bob's loads were spicy and Ken's more moderate. They used quite different techniques but neither took any notice of primer appearance. Both are dead now but they and the other writers at Handloader were my mentors in my early handloading development.
RIP Gentlemen.
Regards Grandpamac.
Do a search for the ABC's Of Reloading it is an excellent manual for a beginner also buy a reloading manual for the bullet manufacture you plan on using the mostQuote:
Originally Posted by pickled_puck
there is plenty of online sources but an actual book is way handier .
Just did the arithmetic and I've been handloading (as distinct from reloading) now for 54 years. And yes, I do feel my age at times.
I'm happy to say after all this time there are still learning opportunities for me and that includes off this forum.
I was lucky, I had a close mate who got me going and taught me the essentials. He sold me my first gear, a Lyman 310 set in 308W and a balance scale with an oil damper. The oil always wanted to climb out of its pot and run down the sides in so doing attract heaps of dust.
There just wasn't many shooters handloading back then so I was lucky with my mate. Tail end of the 303 days. I was told I was a mad youngster for having the 308. "They'll never catch on. SAKO, where in the hell is that made?"
Powder of the day for my 308 was Nobels #2 which was very good in the 308. Reloading charts were available for it. I also used milsurp recovered 4895 from 30-06 ammo. I reused the 30-06 projectiles in my 308 but first hollow pointed them. Otherwise, Speer was the fodder of the day. Cases were Norma Re or repurposed 30-06 milsurp. 308 brass was very difficult to source back then.
As far as manuals and reading, my first, and only manual until recently, was Speers' #7.
It has a range of good articles covering Components, Step by Step Handloading (vg), Handloading For Hunting, Reloading For Varmint Rifles and a few others covering Old Times (the firearms :-) ), Internal Ballistics, Rifling Twists and so on.
The article penned by the Speer Staff on Step By Step is very good. The syle of writing has obviously aged.
The authors are all long gone - Dan Cotterman, Bruce Hodgdon, Jack O'Connor, Bob Parker, Major Nonte, Homer Powley and so on. Some of them also wrote in magazines of the day. All well known in their time.
Very early on I had my first experience of a chronograph. Apparently the first one in NZ. There were 2 screens composed of zig zagged conductive tape. You had to get your bullet through both screens and hope you cut the tape in each screen. Breaking the first screen started a high-speed counter, breaking the second screen stopped it. The distance between them was accurately set. The tape need changing after every shot. The velocity was determined by reading off lights and then converting their pattern to velocity off a chart.
The owner of the Chronograph had also developed a 17 CF wildcat. He formed the projectiles using spent Eley 22 rf brass. So, 17's are not exactly new.
So yeah, a manual with good how to but a mentor more so. My only fear would be because so many are doing it now is to get a good mentor. After all it's your face behind the bolt:P
Greetings @zimmer,Quote:
Originally Posted by zimmer
I was a bit behind you. It was 1980 after I subscribed to Handloader that I started recording my handloads and started seriously investigating different types of loads not offered by the manufacturers. Previous reloading was for .303 initially and then .308 from the late 70's. I was lucky to get my chronograph in 1990 which opened up a whole new rabbit hole, more of a warren really. The next handloading project is to develop loads for two rifles for F Class shooting next season. Keeps me out of the saloons I suppose.
Regards Grandpamac.
I checked and ABE books have a second hand book up for sale
https://www.abebooks.com/signed-firs...22770686717/bd
$27US
Nick Harvey Practical Reloading Manual for the how to.
Online via hornady or sierra app or the adi or hodgeon website for load data
I started reloading in January (this year) so am vastly experienced. Started with hand me down Lee stuff and half a can of ADI 2208. Got some 223 dies, settled on 24 grains for 55 gr. bullets and am doing OK. Bought stuff I don’t need, bought stuff I wonder how I managed without. Now experimenting with 40, 45, 50 and 52 grain bullets, ADI Benchmark 1 and IMR 4198. I’m a bench guy, have a 1:12 24” Remington 700 and just enjoying the journey. In terms of information YouTube (I like GunBlue490) is great but obviously you need to be discerning. I bought the Hornady Reloading App which is OK but most of the data you can get free from either the powder or bullet companies. Also bought the Hodgdon reloading App which was cheap because you can buy data for your specific calibre - I got 223 and 222 (the latter involves 30 grain bullets which remain in their box…). Have fun, it’s a journey and safe if you’re sensible.