Thinkin' about Reloading?

[Mistered]

but don't quite understand it yet.

Whats not to understand?
Our reloads are considerably more consistent in powder charge, sizing, bullet quality and crimp.
Also most factory rounds are limited in powder charges and not all guns perform similarly so you are seeing the results of your careful testing of different charges.
I think I see reloading is for 'you'!

[Old Syko]

since we only put together one load at a time, I've never given any thought to loading for multiple calibers to be an issue .... the process is pretty much the same and once we settle on a load, its just a matter of pulling the lever

For the most part the basic premise is the same but different calibers have their own nuances to contend with. Some can't be completely full length sized every time and must be only partially sized in order to maintain accuracy such as the 357 Herrett and 35 Remington. Some work better just being neck sized while others show no improvement what-so-ever. Some are more susceptible to shoulder collapse than others and so on. So, getting an acceptable result can vary quite a bit from one caliber to the next. At least in my opinion.

[Old Syko]

I used the word complicated referring to many different calibers. To me that's complicated, and what I found a little daunting about the whole process. But 1 caliber for me is easy and works fine. Hats off to others who do many calibers. I do see the difference in accuracy though, but don't quite understand it yet. I would have thought factory rounds would be robotic in their consistency and accuracy. But my reloads actually shoot better. I look forward to developing a load for my single shot high wall when it arrives.

A part of your improved accuracy is likely from much more consistent powder charges. Factory charges are usually thrown by volume and at a high rate of repetition whereas your charges are either individually weighed or thrown at a much slower and calculated rate although some vouch for charges by volume over weight. BTW I'm not one of those but I do volume load 5.56, 45acp and 9mm because of the volume of ammo I burn regularly of those 3. We as handloaders also usually use canister powders rather than production formulations that may be altered often through a particular run.

You're correct in factory rounds being robotic but that is part of the issue with them. When you or I notice the slightest inconsistency we stop and double check and make changes if necessary where factory machines work within variable parameters that are deemed acceptable by the manufacturer and/or governing authorities.

You may or may not get a bigger taste if you start to work up top accuracy loads for that high wall. Now it may well love your pistol loads or because of the longer barrel it may prefer a slower burning powder or it may prefer a different bullet due to barrel length and maybe different twist rate. Who knows? But it sounds like you've got what it takes to work it out and I'll bet you learn to enjoy the process even more because of it.

[JEBar]

For the most part the basic premise is the same but different calibers have their own nuances to contend with. So, getting an acceptable result can vary quite a bit from one caliber to the next. At least in my opinion.

I believe our responses are addressing different points .... I most certainly agree that while the basic premise is the same, the time and effort necessary to workup and settle on a new load can and does vary .... to restate my point, the process is pretty much the same and once we settle on a load .... once we reach the production stage, the process usually boils down into following the same routine .... hand loading is one of those things that is easy to over complicate

[Old Syko]

For the most part the basic premise is the same but different calibers have their own nuances to contend with. So, getting an acceptable result can vary quite a bit from one caliber to the next. At least in my opinion.

I believe our responses are addressing different points .... I most certainly agree that while the basic premise is the same, the time and effort necessary to workup and settle on a new load can and does vary .... to restate my point, the process is pretty much the same and once we settle on a load .... once we reach the production stage, the process usually boils down into following the same routine .... hand loading is one of those things that is easy to over complicate

I'm not so sure since I have certain calibers, mostly but not all wildcats, that never actually make it into the "production" phase. If I'm seen as one of those who seems to overcomplicate things by trying every new gadget that comes along and tests and retests results that's fine with me since that is a large part of the intrigue of the hobby. Myself and others are always in search of a better mousetrap. That doesn't mean we are overcomplicating things. We are merely enjoying the search for better results. Besides, the opposite of over complication may well be complacency and we all know the end result of that.

[clovishound]

I used the word complicated referring to many different calibers. To me that's complicated, and what I found a little daunting about the whole process. But 1 caliber for me is easy and works fine. Hats off to others who do many calibers. I do see the difference in accuracy though, but don't quite understand it yet. I would have thought factory rounds would be robotic in their consistency and accuracy. But my reloads actually shoot better. I look forward to developing a load for my single shot high wall when it arrives.

One issue is that factory ammo is designed to work across a broad spectrum of guns. Handloads, if you are doing it right, are tailored to your specific gun. Some guns perform better with certain combinations of bullet, powder type and load, and crimp.

My 30-06 groups shrink considerably when I switched from 150 grain to 180 grain bullets. Others may do better with the 150s.

You might find a factory load that will be the most accurate in a specific gun, but it's hard to know the specifics, beyond bullet type and weight, to see a pattern.

[JEBar]

My 30-06 groups shrink considerably when I switched from 150 grain to 180 grain bullets. Others may do better with the 150s.

interesting .... decades ago our family settled on 30 caliber for our hunting rifles .... after a good bit of testing we settled on :

150 gr for our 3 308's (2 Ruger M77's & 1 Browning BLR)
165 gr for our 3 30-06's (2 Ruger M77's & 1 Remington 700)
180 gr for our single 300 WBY Mag (Remington 700)

with their histories of preforming well while hunting, we haven't revisited any of those loads and it might be good to do so

[Old Syko]

My 30-06 groups shrink considerably when I switched from 150 grain to 180 grain bullets. Others may do better with the 150s.

interesting .... decades ago our family settled on 30 caliber for our hunting rifles .... after a good bit of testing we settled on :

150 gr for our 3 308's (2 Ruger M77's & 1 Browning BLR)
165 gr for our 3 30-06's (2 Ruger M77's & 1 Remington 700)
180 gr for our single 300 WBY Mag (Remington 700)

with their histories of preforming well while hunting, we haven't revisited any of those loads and it might be good to do so

If these loads are doing what you want done there's no reason to change. But what if, since so much has changed over the last few decades, there is a better combination out there? Gets complicated searching for it then doesn't it? That's part of the intrigue.

[JEBar]

If these loads are doing what you want done there's no reason to change. But what if, since so much has changed over the last few decades, there is a better combination out there? Gets complicated searching for it then doesn't it? That's part of the intrigue.

as one whose long been in the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" school of thought I'm not likely to make any changes .... mind game, yep .... taking action, nope .... I do make it a point to try and stay as uncomplicated as possible .... I enjoy long range shooting but couldn't ever become serious about it .... I do highly respect the efforts long range shooters go to in an attempt to put all of their bullets in the same hole at distances further than I'd want to walk .... should there come a day when I do my part and my firearm doesn't deliver a clean kill shot, that is the day I'd get serious about figuring out how to correct it .

[RanchRoper]

Same school I went to.

[Old Syko]

If these loads are doing what you want done there's no reason to change. But what if, since so much has changed over the last few decades, there is a better combination out there? Gets complicated searching for it then doesn't it? That's part of the intrigue.

as one whose long been in the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" school of thought I'm not likely to make any changes .... mind game, yep .... taking action, nope .... I do make it a point to try and stay as uncomplicated as possible .... I enjoy long range shooting but couldn't ever become serious about it .... I do highly respect the efforts long range shooters go to in an attempt to put all of their bullets in the same hole at distances further than I'd want to walk .... should there come a day when I do my part and my firearm doesn't deliver a clean kill shot, that is the day I'd get serious about figuring out how to correct it .

I do hope you understand I've enjoyed pokin atcha over the "complicating" thing. If you're happy with what you're doing and it's safe we're all good. I probably hate change more than anyone you know yet I'm always in search of better things. It's a complicated world. If we ever get to the point we are willing to accept good enough the future is going to be very dull.

[JEBar]

many things in the world are indeed complicated .... thankfully, with the equipment available today, reloading isn't one of them .... as to good enough, much depends on where that line is drawn .... in my case and I believe its the same for all of the folks I know who load there own ammo, the good enough line is drawn pretty dang high and the results are far from dull

[Old Syko]

I wish it was that simple for us all but it's not. If the bar is set at anything lower than perfection it's just not high enough.

[Mistered]

With reloading perfection is a subjective term.
A person can produce perfect ammo with an RCBS Jr press while some with the highest end Dillon and related gear still can't get it right - I have seen it.
A large part of the 'perfection' With reloading is is ensuring everything is done properly and consistently regardless of the equipment used.
No amount of equipment can replace the most basic part of reloading and that is the 'human' element that is the biggest part of it.

[RanchRoper]

"Perfection" is a lot of pressure that I won't be putting on myself. I just like to shoot and now reloading my own ammo is part of it. My thought behind this thread was to let people who don't reload know that I found it intimidating but now that I do it I see that it can be done & enjoyable. Hopefully some others will try it. If experimenting with powder, loads, etc is someone's passion, hats off to 'em.
A safe reloading session with western tunes playing and a Henry mug full of tea, and filling targets full of great big holes near the middle with my historic cowboy guns is perfect for me. Later on this summer I'll add an old cowboy long range rifle into my arsenal and be able to make full use of the 25 - 250 yd range I shoot at....as Hickock45 says...life is good.

[JEBar]

"Perfection" is a lot of pressure that I won't be putting on myself. I just like to shoot and now reloading my own ammo is part of it. My thought behind this thread was to let people who don't reload know that I found it intimidating but now that I do it I see that it can be done & enjoyable. Hopefully some others will try it. If experimenting with powder, loads, etc is someone's passion, hats off to 'em.

A safe reloading session with western tunes playing and a Henry mug full of tea, and filling targets full of great big holes near the middle with my historic cowboy guns is perfect for me. Later on this summer I'll add an old cowboy long range rifle into my arsenal and be able to make full use of the 25 - 250 yd range I shoot at....as Hickock45 says...life is good.

I couldn't agree more

[BigAl52]

Badger Dakota and I a real proud of ya to RR. See I knew you could do it. Sons of the Pioneers and Chris LeDoux while those 45 colt shells are gettin reloaded.

[Rifletom]

My 30-06 groups shrink considerably when I switched from 150 grain to 180 grain bullets. Others may do better with the 150s.

interesting .... decades ago our family settled on 30 caliber for our hunting rifles .... after a good bit of testing we settled on :

150 gr for our 3 308's (2 Ruger M77's & 1 Browning BLR)
165 gr for our 3 30-06's (2 Ruger M77's & 1 Remington 700)
180 gr for our single 300 WBY Mag (Remington 700)

with their histories of preforming well while hunting, we haven't revisited any of those loads and it might be good to do so

At the risk of a small topic hi-jack, I'll just add my load for my Ruger No.1B 30-06:
180gr Hornady or Nosler Partition
A good amount of H-4350
Win cases
CCI LR primer
OAL: 3.245"
This load, when I use to hunt big game dropped mule deer and elk promptly.
I also went to the same school as RR. Non complicated. [for my .45 Colt loads.]

[JEBar]

I'll just add my load for my Ruger No.1B 30-06:
180gr Hornady or Nosler Partition

today we are blessed to have a good number of high quality brands of bullets to choose from .... based on 50 years of use, Nosler suits us .... the Nosler Partition revolutionized the world of hunting bullets .... it was designed by John Nosler and introduced in 1948 .... the dual-core Nosler Partition was the first of the modern American premium bullets .... he had experienced bullet failure during a moose hunt and committed himself to coming up with a better design ..... the result is his Partition bullet which was designed to positively prevent jacket/core separation .... we stock hundreds of them in most every weight for loading in every hunting caliber we use for which they are offered .... in 2003 Nosler introduced the AccuBond bullet ... through its design they wanted to combine the killing power of a Partition with the long range accuracy of their Ballistic Tip .... every since we have loaded Ballistic Tips for practice and corresponding Accubond bullets for hunting, specially at longer ranges .... we've found little, if any, scope adjustment is necessary when switching between them .... not being in a state that restricts hunting with bullets containing lead, I didn't pay much attention to Nosler's introduction of their lead free, solid copper E-Tip (Expansion Tip) bullets back in 2007 .... that changed when one of our sons started talking about wanting to hunt in an area where such bullets are required .... we are now purchasing a supply of them for all calibers and bullet weights they offer them that we can use .... the process of working up loads with them is just beginning .... we have noted a correlation in their impact points with that of the Ballistic Tips but its way too early come to any conclusions .... all of this being said, we wouldn't hesitate to go on high-stakes, dangerous game hunts with Partitions in the chambers of our rifles ....

[Rifletom]

Agree JEBar. The Hornady's were for Ca. mule deer, the Partition's for Colorado elk. Never tried the E-tip, only the Barnes TTSX, but, gave up on hunting Ca., except for upland birds.