Sunday, February 5, 2012

What is the best way to reload shells?

im kinda new to reloading and i need some sugestions on how to reload

is it better to have 2 or 3 dies?

what do the dies all do?

what are some good websites to goto to learn?



i have a 30-30

What is the best way to reload shells?
Bound's hubby here:



Just a short lesson... I know you're shooting a .30-30 (.30 WCF) but you will ask the questions I am about to answer when you get your next rifle. You have two catergories of dies: full length resizing and next sizing only. You might use next sizing only when you shoot a bolt action rifle.



Full length resizing dies reshape the cartridge brass to SAAMI specifications. For your .30-30 you will need to full length resize your shells.



Dies serve the following functions:

1. it deprimes the spent primer

2. it resizes the cartridge case

3. particularly in pistol cartridge cases it bells the mouth of the case

4. it seats and "crimps" the bullet in place.



Most rifle die sets come in a two die set. One die deprimes and sizes brass. The other die seats the bullet and crimps the cartridge case. Some rifle cases (for example .45-70) have a third die which bells the mouth of the cartridge case. If you are shooting cast bullets in your.30-30 you need the third die to bell the case mouth. Otherwise a two die set will serve you well.



The brand of dies that you purchase is purely personal. Normally, I use RCBS and Hornady dies. For my .40-65 I have Lyman dies. The main factor that influences my choice is price. That being said, I am leaning toward Hornady dies becaue of the design of their seating dies. One factor I take into consideration is the accuracy of my rounds so I've narrowed my die choice to these three manufacturers.



At Sierra Bullet Smiths they have for sale a how to video on hoe to reload. If you do not have an experienced reloader to walk you through the reloading process, this would be a wise purchase.



Make certain to follow the instructions for how to set up your dies very closely. This is critical to a safe and accurate reload.



Good luck and have fun reloading.
Reply:BY ALL MEANS DO NOT RELY ON INFORMATION GIVEN ON THIS SITE

GET A RELOADING MANUAL FROM YOUR LOCAL GUNSHOP, READ IT AND ASK QUESTIONS

MOST GUNSHOPS WILL HELP YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT TO DO.

RELOADING FOR THE 30-30 IS NOT DIFFICULT EXCEPT THAT THE CASE LANGTH MUST BE VERY EXACTING

RCBS, SPEER AND LYMAN ARE A FEW NAMES OF SUPPLIERS OF RELOADING EQUIPMENT

IT IS BEST TO SPEND TIME WITH A COMPETENT RELOADER AND USE THE BOOK AS A REFERENCE GUIDE.
Reply:I my self use a 3 die set for 30-30 .

All 2 die sets the first die is to resize and deprime the next die sets the bullet to depth and crimps at the same time but you can over crimp and damage the shell so as unusable.

I would recommend the lee 3 die set with factory crimp die.

This works very well and makes a flawless crimp every time with out damaging any shells.

The first die resizes and deprime

the next sets the bullet to desired depth the last die is the factory crimp

For 30-30 that are tube feed as most are need to have the bullet crimped to keep it from being driven back in to the case under recoil which would make the bullet unusable once the bullet slides back.

I prefer RCBS dies but they do not make the factory crimp die so I buy those from lee.

But most rifle are of the bottle neck design and are commonly reloaded with the standard 2 die sets. 3 die sets are usually specialty dies such as neck dies which only resizes the neck of a given caliber not the body or you have the crimp dies like the lee factory crimp.

Where as pistol dies come in 3 or 4 die sets.
Reply:Absolutely get a reloading manual first!



Speer, Hornady, Sierra, Nosler all make reloading manuals.

Do NOT proceed until you research the caliber, bullet weight and powder choices. Don't deviate from the manual. Using the improper powder charge can be very dangerous to you and your gun. Some of the faster burning powders will cause excessive pressure in the quantities that your 30-30 cases will hold and will damage your gun or you!



Having said that...

For your 30-30 you will be using a 2 die set. The first die will resize and deprime the case. The second die will seat the bullet and apply the crimp.

2 die sets are for cases that have a shoulder such as your 30-30 or .308, most of the normal rifle cartridges but not all.

3 die sets are for straight wall cartridges like the .38 special or .44 magnum. The first die resizes and deprimes. The second die expands the case mouth slightly to accept the bullet and again the 3rd die seats the bullet and applies a crimp. The crimp on the end of the case mouth helps to hold the bullet in the case from slipping due to recoil.



I listed a couple of websites below but I can not stress enough that you go out and purchase a good reloading manual. The Speer manual and the Sierra both have tutorials in the front of the book. I also listed a couple of links for the manuals. I would suggest the link for Midway as they have a good selection and good prices. Also they have about everything you could ever need for reloading.



Good luck and be safe.





Since you added details...so will I. I am assuming that you have reloading dies specifically for your 30/30 cartridge. Dies are made specifically for each caliber. If you already have the dies...Your empty brass cases will need to be lubed first before running them through the sizing die, if you don't they might get stuck. The sizing die will be the one with the pin sticking out of the open end. This one slightly compresses the brass back down and will push the spent primer out.

At this point you need to clean the primer pocket, deburr the case mouth and then seat a new primer. Having done that carefully measure the powder charge and, using your funnel, put the powder in the case.

Now having properly sized brass, a new primer and powder in the case. You install die # 2. Put your case in the reloader, place a bullet in to the case mouth and seat the new bullet. Done.



This is all very simplified as the dies have to be adjusted properly before any of this begins. Die 1, to start, adjust the die down until it just touches the case holder with the ram up. Lock the nut. Screw the deprimer down until it just pushes out the primer. Die 2 is more critical. The big nut (depending on your dies) will control how much crimp on your bullet. The center adjustment controls how deep you seat the bullet. They both need to be right. To much crimp will ruin your cases, not enough bullet depth will hinder function, to much depth can hinder accuracy build case pressure.



Clear as mud?

There are a lot of intricacies to reloading, it would be advisable to observe the process with an experienced reloader. And continue consulting the manual.
Reply:There are Reloading books I suggest you go and get a Reloading-Bible !!!!!!! It's A must have tells you case size and loads that recommended !!!!!!!!! WITHOUT THAT BOOK AND Reloading Experience IT CAN BE DANGEROUS,,, As For the DIES 30-30 comes with three 1 sizes the bullet and knocks out primer 2 sets head into shell after you used scale to measure your powder charge to spec;s in bible !!!!! 3 crimps the new head into shell over crimp pressure critical too !!!!!!!
Reply:30-30, I don't know, but I can tell you how to do a 12 guage shotgun shell.


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