Let’s go straight into you have your press, dies, lube pad and lubricant and new or used brass for your rifle. One of the first things to be done, and it can be done in front of the TV if desired, is to clean the inside NECK of each case to cut down on the rough dragging that takes place when you extract the case from the sizing die. For about ten dollars Winchester a tool for cleaning pistol barrels. The handle is hollow to store the cleaning brushes and usually does a fine job. Other companies make set ups that come with dry powdered lubricants that brush and coat the inside of the neck for the sizing process. This will go a long way in stopping the dragging sound you might experience when sizing.
I do recommend that you set up the sizing dies according to the manufacturers directions , some times the and she’ll holder need to touch and sometimes there needs to be a small gap. Then with the case lubed you resize and remove the spent primer in one action. If there is still dragging going on removing the case you may need to ad a little sizing lube on the inside of the case with a Q tip. If you are using new cases I recommend they be sized to remove any dents in the neck and to bring them to proper dimensions. Yes I have had problems with new cases not wanting to chamber in rifles and have had to pull the bullets and run them through sizing dies just to get them to chamber. Usually pushing the shoulder back a few thousands was what was needed and all was well.
If you are blessed with a vibrating tumbler this is when I clean the brass. Sizing lube can get into empty casings and turn your reloads into duds, and clean brass enters and exits the rifle chamber smoother than dirty brass does, and they just look better, too. Using crushed walnut media to polish cases works well for the cleaning process, but the kernels can get stuck in the flash hole and needs to be removed before the new primer is set in so as not to block the ignition of the powder. A 1/16 center punch or small finish nail works fine for that. Then inspect the cases for any remaining media before setting primers.
Reloading presses are usually set up to prime cases and you can go that route or use one of the hand priming tools out there which is what I prefer. Setting primers in a couple of hundred cases is more comfortable on a couch for me than sitting at a bench. Handling primers may cause them to not detonate because of oils from your fingers and hand priming tools cut way down on that problem, you don’t handle the primers nearly as much this way. Some if not all reloading manuals will have you load all cases with powder before seating bullets so you can visually inspect them for under or over loaded cases. This was standard practice before electronic powder dispensers were invented and Manuel dispensers available. And that’s fine unless you are accident prone like I am and have a gift of knocking things over.
The last ten years or so I have been using the electric dispensers and have learned that I can seat the bullet and even writing the information on the case before the dispenser is finished with the next charge. And by writing on the case I mean if you are working on load development for a firearm it is a great way to keep track of bullet / powder / primer combinations for accurate testing. Just get a sharpie fine point and write on the side of the case what the load consists of.
I almost always start at the maximum overall length set by Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers Institute, S.A.A.M.I and the reason for this is that you need to make sure the loaded cartridge will fit into the magazine of the rifle you are loading for. You should be able to find the cartridge length in any of the reloading guides on the information page of each cartridge you are loading for. If you are not happy with the accuracy of your load and think your rifle can do better, you can always try seating the bullet closer to the lands, making the cartridge longer. I will get into that at a later time but if it perks your interest, go to you tube and watch some of the videos there and get a better idea of what is being done. And remember it may lot be the length of the cartridge but sometimes guns just favor different powder or bullets or primers over others. But then again changing cartridge length is cheaper than buying more components.
Written by, Rick Tonkin
