Reloading Metallic
Cartridge Ammunition
Contents:-
Introduction | Equipment | Getting Started | De-capping | Flaring | Powdering | Bullet Seating
Someone once asked, in the
shooting press, 'if you were offered the opportunity to brew your own petrol
which would perform better than the product on sale at garages and cost
considerably less than pump prices, would you?' The answer must be a resounding
"yes of course I would".
The question was raised during
the many exchanges of views aired when the process of home loading was debated.
It has long been the practice of shooters to re-load their own ammunition which
enables them to 'tailor-fit' the ammunition to the gun and thereby improve
accuracy. Virtually all calibres of ammunition can be re-loaded with perhaps the
only exception being .22 rimfire. Reloading costs considerably less per round
than factory loaded ammunition which is a compelling reason to re-load.
Before you start to reload,
talk to other shooters. They will be all too willing to help and answer those
'frequently asked questions' and will save you lots of research. The process
itself can be quite therapeutic and there is nothing like opening your shooting
bag on the range and lifting out boxes of gleaming, lovingly home loaded
ammunition which you know is going to perform well and give you all 10s (in your
dreams, of course!).
To start home re-loading you
must acquire (or borrow!) the following equipment:-
Loading
Press
Dies
of the appropriate calibre(s)
Capping
Device
Powder
Scales
Powder
'Thrower'
Case
Cleaner or 'Tumbler'
Cartridge
Cases
Primers
Bullet Heads
Powder/propellant
These components may be
purchased from any reputable firearms dealer and no certification is required.
There are many types of powder and bullet heads on the market and, over time, you
will find the best powder and heads for your particular loads. I have to admit
that I have not been very experimental when it comes to various powders and
bullets and I have used "Vihtavuori 320" powder for a long time.
Powders do vary considerably in power generated, burn rate, etc. and it is
therefore crucial to adhere to the manufacturer's recommended loads for safety
reasons.
Over the last couple of years I
have found that 158 grain lead round nose flat point (RNFP) bullets are ideal in
my Winchester .357 under-lever rifle for target loads. If you are going to load
full charge magnum loads then it better to use metal jacketed heads which help
prevent fouling of the rifling.
The initial outlay will of
course vary depending on the quality and complexity of the equipment you buy,
but if you are intending to do a lot of shooting the start-up cost will soon be
recouped. The loading dies are usually comprised of a de-capping/re-sizing die,
a flaring/powder die and a bullet seating die. I would always advise people to
try and buy dies which are marketed as 'carbide' as they do not require messy
lubricant to be used during the loading process.
The simplest (and cheapest!)
form of press is the 'single station' which requires the various dies to be
changed between stages. I have only ever used single stage presses and have
loaded literally thousands of .38 special, .357 magnum and 9mm rounds
successfully without any problems. The loading press is basically a simple metal
frame with a threaded hole at the top into which the die is screwed and a lever
arm which raises and lowers a piston on top of which the cartridge case holder
is located. More complex multi-stage turret presses are available but I have
never felt it necessary to invest in one. Friends who have them are quite happy
loading but do say you must be vigilant during the process to make sure primers
are feeding properly and that powder is being thrown into the cases, etc.
Single Station Loading
Presses
The stages of reloading are
consecutive and begin with an empty, un-primed, cartridge case. New cases come
un-primed and used cases must have the spent primer removed ('de-capped') as a
first step. Fired cases will be re-sized to their original diameter during the
de-capping process. Once the cases have been de-primed it is necessary to
'flare' the open neck of the cases just wide enough to accept the bullet head.
Excessive flaring is not advisable as it only serves to weaken the neck and
reduces the number of times a case may be reloaded.
The flared cases must then be
primed using either a hand held priming tool or a press mounted die. The process
is simple and merely involves mechanically pushing a new primer into the priming
pocket at the base of the cartridge case. The primed cases are now ready for
powdering and heading.
I use a Lee powder thrower
which is a simple plastic hopper device with a calibrated tube which is rotated
through half a turn to allow the powder to drop into the tube. A simple plastic
screw provides the means of precisely adjusting the amount of powder by
effectively lengthening or shortening the inside length of the tube. Re-loading
charts (provided by most powder manufacturers) give various loads in 'grains'
and as a general rule it essential not to exceed the amounts given for
particular rounds (i.e. .38 special, .357 magnum, .45 Long Colt etc.). The
initial amount of powder charge thrown must be checked using precise powder
scales but, once determined, the Lee thrower will continue to throw exactly the
same amount repeatedly until it is re-calibrated for another load. It is
essential to ensure that each case is filled with a powder charge or the
ammunition will fail - usually resulting in an under-powered round with the
probability that the bullet will become lodged in the barrel.
Lee Powder thrower and Lee
Dies
Powder Scales
With my single station set-up I
usually fill several cases with powder and then seat the bullet heads on them
using the seating die. This is a simple operation involving positioning the
primed, flared and powdered case in the shell holder and placing a bullet head
in the mouth of the case. With one full depression of the lever the case is
pushed up into the die and the bullet is forced down into the case and a crimp
formed at the neck of the case. The seating depth may be adjusted by turning a
knurled knob on top of the die and the amount of crimp by screwing the die in or
out of the press body.
And that's it! Happy shooting.