More tips and recommendations on reloading equipment and procedures to make reloading safer, easier and more fun.
Last month, the first part of "Reloading Safety, Equipment and Procedures" was presented. This month, in Part 2, we continue with the remaining processes of handloading, and how to evaluate your handloads or any kind of ammunition for proper function in your firearms for overall performance. We suggest reviewing Part 1 before proceeding with this article.
Step one is the expansion of the neck or mouth without setting the expanding rod to bell the mouth. When you have done the expanding step, which is nothing more than running the shell into the expanding die, it is then necessary to take your calipers and check the overall case length. Also, check for splits on the mouth of the case.
The overall case length (OAL) measurement is extremely important. If a case is too long, bullet seating lengths or depths could create a hazardous condition of over pressure in the case when the gun is fired. If any shell exceeds the recommended OAL, then all shells in that batch (lot) should be checked and, if needed, trimmed to the same trim to length measurement listed in the reloading manual.
Trimming all shells in that lot to the same length will eliminate any bullet seating problems when that stage of reloading is reached. After trimming, it will be necessary to take your deburring tool and lightly turn it on the outside and inside of the mouth. This removes any burrs and gives a smooth, straight lip. After deburring, the expanding die rod is dropped slightly so when the shell is run through again a slight belling of the mouth occurs. This will make the bullet seating process much easier and almost eliminates a jammed bullet in the case or die.
After the final belling process, one should look closely at the case mouth. It is usually at this point when small splits could occur on the lip of the mouth. A very small split on the mouth of the case is usually OK, but anything longer then the thickness of 2 sheets of regular paper should be cause for rejection.
This is the point where a box is used to hold the sized and trimmed shells. Using a stick-on label somewhere on the box, note if the shells were trimmed, the date, and the amount of material removed. This is very important because a shell should be considered for disposal when it needs a third trimming. At this point, the brass has generally stretched to an unsafe thickness and could easily split or rupture. You should also serialize the box in a different location and maintain a separate reloading log showing the same information.
Many companies offer preprimed shells, but we do not recommend these. We like to inspect all areas of a shell, and those that are pre-primed preclude inspection of the primer pocket and flash hole. In addition, you will end up using your own primers once the shell has been fired. So, why not start with your own primers and be consistent? We also feel trimming a shell (remember, even pre-primed shells should be measured for length) with a live primer poses some risk. Therefore, we cannot recommend it.
For priming, we recommend a hand tool instead of a press-mounted system or some of the larger and heavier tools offered for the job. A hand primer is inexpensive compared to other stand-alone tools, and it gives you some tactile feedback as to the condition of the primer pocket. This is one of the few places where it is OK to separate individual shells from their lot or batch, based on how easy the primer inserts and seats.
If you are attempting a maximum load, the primers you use should be the ones recommended by the reloading guide you are using for load reference. As a note of caution, pistol and rifle primers of the same size (large or small) will interchange since their dimensions are similar, but never use a pistol primer in a rifle shell or vice versa. The primers are a slightly different thickness and a dangerous puncture in the primer could occur. Keep all primers in their original packaging, separate, and well identified.
When handling primers, one should always use lightweight cotton gloves and have your eye protection in place. While loading the priming tool, the primers should be inspected for missing or misaligned anvils. The anvil is the small 3- or 4 leg metal piece that sits inside the cup. It is this piece that causes the primer material to explode when the firing pin crushes or dents the top of the primer cup. If the anvil is missing or cocked in the cup, the primer pellet will not explode and you end up with a dead round. This round will then have to be dealt with as described earlier. Having arrived at this point in the priming operation, you should have a small pick available to help in the removal of any debris from the primer pocket and flash hole. If you did your job correctly in earlier steps, little should be found wrong.
This is also a good place for another case inspection. Once the primer is inserted and a case defect is found, the primer cannot be salvaged and you are out some money that you did not have to lose if the defect had been caught earlier. We are reloading to take advantage of the cost savings and sacrificing primers because of a missed bad case defeats that purpose. Remember though, never compromise the quality or safety of our loads to save a few pennies. If you have the slightest doubt or question, reject and crush the shell.
At this point, you should have at least two boxes to hold your primed shells. One box for shells that primed with an acceptable force, and another box to hold shells with primers that seemed to feel looser when inserted into the primer pocket. These shells can be fired, but should be discarded afterward. A loose fitting primer sets the way for undesirable gas leakage via the primer pocket.
A shell which seemed to require excessive force when primed, should be set aside for later primer deactivation and removal. Before trying to prime the shell again, its pocket should be swaged with a primer pocket swager (crimp remover), visually rechecked and cleaned, and tried again. If a primer still seats with difficulty, the shell should be discarded.
Having primed, reinspected and properly boxed the shells, the loading information labels on the boxes should have the primer type and manufacturer. A similar entry should be added to your loading log for that lot of ammunition. If you have a box of cartridges that were categorized as loose fitting, the box should have its own serial number and that number entered into your loading log with the appropriate information.
The base of lead bullets should be checked for any deformities, such as voids. The body of the bullet should be checked for any sags, holes or misshaped grease grooves and crimp bands. All lead bullets should have some form of lubricant applied to them. If the ones you have aren't lubricated, you should buy one of the quality spray-on lubricants. The use of lubricants will help reduce leading of the barrel.
We feel a hard cast bullet can, in many circumstances, actually be better than a jacketed bullet. We do not like, nor recommend, a soft swaged bullet for many shooting applications. If you decide to use cast lead bullets, try to chose the ones that have a gas check applied to the base. A gas check is nothing more than a small cup-shaped piece of copper that is pressed or crimped to the bullet base. Gas checks on bullets will help further reduce leading of the bore and allow a cast bullet to be used at higher velocities. Gas checks will increase the cost of a bullet about l cent.
A bullet can represent the highest cost item in reloading. Some types of specialty jacketed bullets can run upwards of 80 cents (Swift bullets) or more. One can usually figure an average of about 10 cents for a regular jacketed bullet, while an equal quality cast bullet will cost about 5 cents. If you decide to cast your own bullets, the cost can be just fractions of a cent.
If you are going for the utmost in accuracy, you can weigh the bullets at this point and sort them according to weight. Over the years, we have found that a variation of 1 percent or less has little effect on the overall grouping and operation of the loads. For those who wish to be exact, this is where you should be choosy. The more identical the components of a load, the more identical the results.
Having selected the bullets we are going to use, our attention is now directed to the powder charging operation. Selecting the powder to use is a matter of deciding what pressures and velocities we wish to load for. Reloading manuals will usually list several powder types for a certain bullet style. For a certain powder and bullet, some manuals (Lyman, for example) will list a loading range with the low and high variations for a certain velocity and pressure.
Never load for the high range first. Always start with the lowest load range and, if recommended by the handbook, 10 percent less powder. If a starting load shows 5 grains of Unique powder, load 4.5 grains first. Never go more than 10 percent under for a starting load. A high pressure condition can occur with a squib load, resulting in a possible hazardous situation.
The next step will be setting up our powder dispenser, calibrating our scale, and setting up our powder charging procedure. While there are several electronic dispensers on the market that meter out a charge of powder based on weight, the powder dispensers we will address are the ones that work on the principal of a set volume of space holding a reasonably constant weight of powder.
If you are using a new canister of powder, now is the time to write the date on the canister so you will always know how old the powder is. You should also make an entry in your loading log, listing the powder lot number and date of purchase for future reference. If you have purchased more than one canister of the same kind of powder, you might also wish to assign some form of serial number to each individual canister for additional tracking.
The basic powder dispenser is equipped with a plastic columnshaped powder holder that sits above the dispensing or metering mechanism. Powder in this column refills the metering space each time the handle is returned to its home or fill position. The most important step in this process is the initial filling followed by a test dispensing of the powder.
Follow the manufacturer's directions on the initial setting up and filling of the dispenser. Before throwing a powder charge, it is necessary to calibrate our scale. Then, using the scale to weigh the powder thrown, adjust the dispenser to give the correct throw weight. Different types of powder will meter differently for a given setting. Therefore, it is mandatory to adjust and check each time you set up for a charging session.
Calibrating most mechanical scales is usually nothing more than setting it on a level surface and zeroing the poise. If you have a set of check weights, then you can use the weights to check the scale's accuracy after setup. With the scale zeroed, tap gently on the weighing platform to cause the poise to start oscillating slightly. Check to make sure the scale's movement is free and that its pointer stops on the zero mark. If all seems in order, you are ready to proceed to the powder dispenser.
The best method we have found to adjust the powder dispenser is to take a paper cup and place it under the dispenser port. Thrown 25 to 50 charges (one after another), then carefully dump the powder back into the dispenser. This operation helps the powder to settle down and seek its own compaction density.
At this point, a single charge is thrown into a shell and the powder is then transferred to the scale. The shell should be tapped several times to assure that all the powder has been transferred. The weight of the powder is then checked and any corrective adjustments made to the dispenser. After adjusting, we recommend throwing at least five charges and returning them to the dispenser. Then, throw a final charge for weighing. This process must be repeated until the correct weight charge is achieved.
Once you are satisfied that the weight of the charge is correct, throw about 20 charges into your holding container. Throw one more charge into a shell and weigh it. If the dispenser and powder have settled correctly, the charge should be within 0.1 grain. If all is correct, this means you should be able to throw 20 charges and have them all within 0.1 grains. If there is a significant variation, you will have to determine at what point (maybe 10 throws) that you will have to stop and readjust the dispenser.
Next, we take our loading block and fill its perimeter with primed shells. Holding the block in our left hand, position each shell under the dispenser and operate the dispenser with your right hand. We keep the scale close to our right hand so we can weigh every 10th throw or so for accuracy. Keep an eye on the powder level in the dispenser. When it drops about 10-20 percent, gently refill it from the correct powder canister to bring it back to the reference starting mark.
It is most important to keep a constant rhythm in the dispensing operation and to keep the powder within a marked area in the powder tube. This keeps a constant weight on the metering space and results in a fairly constant thrown weight charge. Remember, you are not out to win any races. Take it slow and easy!
Once all the shells have been filled, move the loading block under a bright light. Tilt it so the light will shine down into the cases and look at the charge level in each case. If you are loading a necked-down shell (rifle), you might not be able to see the powder charge. If so, you need to take a small dowel, drop it into a charged case and mark the dowel where the case mouth ends. You can then move the dowel from case to case and check the level. This is a very important operation because it is the only way you can assure yourself that a case is not double charged or missing a charge.
Before the final operation of bullet seating, now is the time to make a determination about the volume of the powder charge. If you are loading a large-capacity case with a relatively small charge, it is usually recommended that a small amount of filler material be placed inside the case to help retain the charge against the case's base and primer flash hole. This allows a progressive and more uniform ignition of the powder.
Some studies have been done on the pressure in a case when it is in a vertical plane (powder against the base) and in a horizontal plane (powder spread along the case). Basically, these studies showed a marked variation in pressure for the horizontal positioning. Using a small amount of Dacron or polyester filler keeps the powder in place as if the shell was held vertical. This material expands nicely and will fill between the walls of the case like a small wad. In the old days, corn meal, oatmeal and other materials were used for this same function. The fiber products are much easier to use and less messy.
The procedure for placing the filler is very simple. Place a small amount of the filler into the vertically-positioned shell and just lightly seat it down against the powder with a small dowel. Don't compact it, just give it enough pressure to settle nicely on top of the powder. With this done, you should proceed directly to the final step in the reloading process.
The first important point to address is the seating die itself. Its purpose is to insert the bullet into the case to a given depth and then crimp (roll or taper) the case to hold the bullet securely. This is the point where case length is most important. The more equal the case lengths, the more uniform the bullet v seating depth and crimp will be.
Each seating die uses some form of a bullet seating screw to push and set the depth of the bullet. Many manufactures offer different screw designs to fit the different bullet nose shapes. It is important to have a' correctly shaped screw to eliminate any damage to the bullet. For example, a flat-ended wadcutter screw can damage or deform a pointed-nose bullet, causing a possible upset in its ballistic characteristics. Within a given manufacturers dies, the bullet seating screws are usually interchangeable. So, one type for a particular bullet can be used for several other caliber bullets with the same style or nose design.
Make sure you follow the recommended cartridge overall length (from the case's base to the uppermost point of the bullet nose) for the style bullet you are loading and seating. If the overall length is too long, the cartridge will not correctly fit the firearm's magazine or chamber and cause a possible jam or rupture on firing. If the bullet is seated too deep in the case, an overpressure condition can occur and lead to case failure or possible damage to the firearm.
The final matter for concern in the seating operation is the matter of a crimp to retain the bullet in the case. This is usually a straightforward matter in that heavy recoiling calibers should be roll crimped. This is where the mouth of the case is actually bent over into a crimp groove (cannelure) of the bullet. Pistol cartridges (45 ACP, 9mm, 32 ACP, etc.) should never be roll crimped. These firearms rely on the mouth of the case for correct placement in the chamber. Such cartridges should be taper crimped for bullet retention. Taper crimping is done by a special die that basically squeezes the case sides into the bullet. It creates an extra-tight friction fit to retain the bullet.
Be sure to follow the manufacturer's directions on the initial setup and adjustment of the seating die. The end result you are after is for the bullet to be seated to the correct depth and crimped. We usually use correctly-sized dummy cartridges to adjust the die. In most cases, you will use just one style of bullet for a particular caliber. So, once set, the die's adjustments can be locked in. If you use different style bullets for that given cartridge, then you will have to adjust the die each time.
With our loads now done, it is time to complete the labels on our boxes of ammunition and finish filling out our loading log.
At this point, we visually check each round for any type of problem or damage. This is also a good time to take your calipers and check some case dimensions for acceptability. Having passed all the checks, store the boxes of reloaded ammunition in a cool, dry place.
If possible, you should have a chronograph to help in your evaluation. There are several inexpensive models available. Their use, along with an external ballistics computer program, can indicate how your loads should perform at different distances and in various field conditions.
At this point, it is worth interjecting a word of caution on high velocity, high pressure loads. If you have developed such a load in summer or winter, be very careful about their performance in the opposite season. Maximum loads will exhibit different pressure curves in different seasonal (temperature/humidity) and altitude conditions. A high pressure condition can develop in the load, causing catastrophic results. Never attempt to develop high velocity loads until you have experience and education on your side.
When checking a load for acceptability, always start with a clean firearm. One will need to look for excessive smudging and powder tracing to get an idea of how the load is functioning. If you use a dirty firearm, these signs will be hard to spot. Accuracy tests are best be performed using some form of a gun rest, so you should have one available.
The initial test utilizes only one reloaded round. Safety glasses and hearing protection should always be worn. The round should be carefully chambered and particular notice should be paid to the ease of chambering. If testing a rifle round, pay attention when closing the bolt. It should operate normally and not exhibit any binding upon closure. If you detect any sort of problem with chambering, stop! Remove the round and examine it. If nothing obvious can be seen, set that round aside and get another from the box. Repeat the above process. If all is well, put the rejected round in a defective box and proceed. If the second round has a problem, stop all tests, return home and find out what is wrong with the loads.
Do not try to use them. In most cases. a chambering problem has to do with bullet seating depth. Recheck the overall length and, if needed, try to seat the bullet a little deeper. Different styles of bullets can have a different shape or curve that will necessitate slightly different seating parameters.
If the chambering test is successful, slowly take aim and squeeze the trigger. Keep in mind the feel and sound experienced with prior ammunition and try to judge in that split second of firing how the new load compares with previous shooting sessions and experience. If you were trying to duplicate some form of factory load, performance should be very similar.
If you are firing a semiautomatic weapon, put it down and look for the cartridge. If you are firing a bolt action rifle, slowly open the bolt and pay attention to how it rotates, moves, and extracts the spent casing. If firing a revolver, open the cylinder while feeling for any dragging or cylinder swing problems. Slowly eject the case and feel for any difficulty of extraction. If any problems are noted, the pressure generated by the load my be too high.
If you are using a chronograph, check the velocity displayed with the entry in your loading log. If there is a deviation of about 5 percent or more (high or low), stop and reevaluate your data. Different altitudes and temperatures can cause some normal fluctuations in velocity.
Our final evaluations are based on case condition and appearance. Normally, one checks for excessive smudges, bright spots, flattened bases and/or primers, cratered primers, excessive stretching, splits, shoulder/neck separations, rim deformations, brass flow in extractor locations, and anything that just outright looks suspicious.
Most handloading books will list a set of symptoms and indicate their causes. If all looks well, you can feel reasonably assured you now have an acceptable load to develop into a possibly even better performing load.
