New to reloading, what should I know?

[Braveheart]

So I just bought my first firearms a few weeks ago, after renting some guns for skeet and trap I decided to get my own. I own a 12gague tactical shotgun and a M91/30 Mosin-Nagant. I really want to learn how to reload the rounds for the M91/30 (7.62X54R) simply because the rounds and surplus ammo are beginning to get expensive. I'm hoping this way I can re-use the shell casings and save some money. So to my questions..what materials are needed, does anyone know of a good FAQ/Guides for people new to reloading, will I save a considerable amount of money doing this and most importantly is it safe re-using surplus ammo casings? Also does anyone know good sites for reliable but affordable re-loaders and the materials needed?

 

[robin303]

This might help you out:
How to get started in Reloading - Glock Talk

List of Suppliers - Glock Talk

 

[medalguy]

Basically, here's a few quick things to note:

1. Surplus 7.62 x 54 brass is certainly safe to reload as long as the brass is OK. You need to visually check all brass prior to reloading....ALL brass.
2. Surplus 7.62 x 54 brass is probably most certainly corrosive and berdan primed, and since you can't get Berdan primers here in the USA, it's not reloadable. Not from a practical standpoint anyway. Start by buying new boxer primed brass or commercial ammo, shoot it, and save the brass to reload.
3. If you want to start reloading, start simple. Get a single stage press, don't even consider a progressing press unless you are fairly experienced and need to load several thousand rounds a month. Fuggetaboutit.
4. Read LOTS before you consider buying anything. A good starter book is The ABC's of Reloading, available from Amazon. Read frontwards and backwards, look into several gun forums for good information, ask questions, learn before spending money.
5. A general rule of thumb is, everyone asks if you can save money reloading, the quick answer is no you won't save any money but you'll shoot a whole lot more. And you'll probably have a lot of fun and make far more accurate ammunition than you can buy.

 

[Huntinggal]

Thanks for the great resources here. My husband wants to get started in reloading as well. I will be buying the book for him and I will turn him on to the link you provided as well. Thanks!

 

[The_Vigilante]

Is 7.62 x 54 even available in brass cases now? Is it currently being produced by any US ammo producer? Inquiring minds would like to know!

 

[jcrntx]

Is 7.62 x 54 even available in brass cases now? Is it currently being produced by any US ammo producer? Inquiring minds would like to know!

Yep, S&B, Wolf, Lapua that I can think of off the top of my head are currently producing brass cased/boxer primed 7.62 x 54r so it is out there......

 

[Texas1911]

For rifle rounds, get a single stage. Unless you want to hammer out tons of .223 or .308 stick with the single stage. They'll produce better ammo for match shooting, and they'll allow you to focus more on details.

Start at the bottom of book, and do alot of homework. The internet is an INVALUABLE resource for reloading. Frankly, there's little reason to "go by the book" these days as honestly the RnD is already done for a large majority of setups. As always, confirm by starting under the load and working up.

 

[Charley]

My favorite site....The Handloaders Bench

 

[randmplumbingllc]

If you are only going to reload a few hundred rifle rounds a year....a single stage should work. If you think you will ever reload handgun ammo or lots of rifle, then a progressive press is the only way to go.

For the cash you are going to pay for a press, why not get a press that can serve all your reloading needs ? I am by no means a rocket scientist and I started out on a Dillon 650. If you can read and follow directions, it should not be a problem.

For those that say that a single stage will make more accurate ammo, the progressive can be operated as a single stage, if desired.

IMO, there is no reason to have more then one reloading press, when one can do everything. Unless you are reloading 50 BMG or swaging, one progressive can do everything a single stage can do....and a whole lot more.

 

[ROGER4314]

I use Lapua brass for the Mosin but they call it 7.62x53r instead of 54r as I recall. The biggest trick in developing loads for your rifle is to get the bore diameter and buy the bullets accordingly. Theoretically, the .30 cal bore should run .308" so bullets of around that size work great. Mosins, however run their bores as big as .311" and I've heard they have gone as high as .315" so putting a .308" bullet down that barrel is like shooting a BB down a water pipe.

SO....measure the bore on the Mosin first. Cerro-Safe alloy works great for that. Midway USA has it. It melts at a very low temperature then is poured in the plugged up bore. Stuff a wad of paper in the barrel and pour it in the muzzle. The alloy shrinks to remove it easily then expands to it's normal size after a few minutes.......... then you measure it.

Incidentally, the FINN rebuilt versions of the Mosin usually run a true .308 +-. The Finns rebuilt the Mosin actions using their own barrels and they were very strict about manufacturing tolerances. If the bore on your Russian rifle ends up being something like .311", you pick bullets from a .303 British or 7.7 Jap and they work fine.

You picked a tough rifle to start reloading for. Most rifles don't need all of this fussiness with the bullets. The Mosin was just generous with it's bore diameter variations and to make it shoot well, the bore size & bullets need a close look. Once that is done, the rifles will shoot very well. It's a great rifle and if you know how to make good reloads for it, it will be even more fun!

The book "Cartridges Of The World" has the story on this cartridge and some load data, too.

Good luck!

Flash

 

[Texas42]

If you are only going to reload a few hundred rifle rounds a year....a single stage should work. If you think you will ever reload handgun ammo or lots of rifle, then a progressive press is the only way to go.

For the cash you are going to pay for a press, why not get a press that can serve all your reloading needs ? I am by no means a rocket scientist and I started out on a Dillon 650. If you can read and follow directions, it should not be a problem.

For those that say that a single stage will make more accurate ammo, the progressive can be operated as a single stage, if desired.

IMO, there is no reason to have more then one reloading press, when one can do everything. Unless you are reloading 50 BMG or swaging, one progressive can do everything a single stage can do....and a whole lot more.

+1
Progressives a much faster way to make lots of ammo. Reloading any kind of mass pistol, and you'll want one soon. The only downside is the cost. A good progressive starts at $400+ new for the press. The Dillon 650 is probably the best one on the market short of a commercial machine for metallic shooting. I have a 550 and kind of regret not getting a 650.

That being said, I'm looking for a cheap, used single stage (when I get the cash) to load for my 7mm rem mag.

 

[tweek]

Right now I'm reading "Handbook of Cartridge Reloading" and understand why these guys get all weepy about relaoding: the book explains it. Basically the cartridges you buy at the store will work in any rifle pretty well. But after you have shot them and reloaded them for your rifle they'll work really well b/c the cartridge has been formed to fit your chamber nearly perfectly. Then you throw in the tuning of the power, how the bullet has been seated in relation to the rifling and so on. And on top of that you can spend years experimenting with different powders, bullets, primers, cases and then mixing up how much powder you use in relation to the weight of the bullet, and so on.

In regard to cost savings: sorta. not really. you're dreaming b/c you'll shoot your savings anyway. Basically I figured out that if I buy brass I'll drop the price of my 55 grain soft points to .20 a round wich is .17 cheaper than the HVAC reloads I'm buying now. If I reload my saved brass I can cut the price further. Loading 70 grain VMAX bullets cost more but I won't need those very often. Point is that you can control your cost by loading for the application.

Based on everything I've read to this point I'm probably going to just buy a multistage kit. The Horandy lock and load is a 5 stage kit and seems to be well liked. The benefit is that each time your pull the handle you get a loaded cartridge in the bucket. If you go through 200+ rounds each time you go out to play then this is a pretty damn nice feature. Once I have more experience and if I start shooting in matches I might get a single stage press, but I'm not sure that it really will offer that much more advantage over what the multistage kit will do. We might be talking about .01MOA, which on a 4MOA shooter is meaningless.

Anyway to the rest of the n00bs (I am one) looks like a lot of fun to be had.

 

[Charley]

Incidentally, the FINN rebuilt versions of the Mosin usually run a true .308 +-. The Finns rebuilt the Mosin actions using their own barrels and they were very strict about manufacturing tolerances. If the bore on your Russian rifle ends up being something like .311", you pick bullets from a .303 British or 7.7 Jap and they work fine.

Only the Finn M-28/30. Here's pretty good chart from 7.62x54R.net that spells it out...Mosin Nagant Rifle Specifications

 

[Roniatx]

I've been toying with the idea of reloading since I blow through an insane number of rounds. I have a question though. First of all, I have semi-auto handguns. I've been told that reloading pistol rounds isn't nearly as cost effective as reloading rifle rounds. Some have even said that the savings aren't worth the trouble and labor of reloading at all.

 

[Texas1911]

I've been toying with the idea of reloading since I blow through an insane number of rounds. I have a question though. First of all, I have semi-auto handguns. I've been told that reloading pistol rounds isn't nearly as cost effective as reloading rifle rounds. Some have even said that the savings aren't worth the trouble and labor of reloading at all.

In a .45 it is WELL worth the effort. You're paying an average of $20 / box for 50 rounds of .45 ... you can reload it for about $7 / box with 230 grain FMJs.

With the amount you shoot every week, it'd pay for itself in a month, LOL!

I reload on a Dillon 650.

 

[tweek]

Cost savings depend on a lot of factors. Having just started cost isnt anywhere on the radar. But it is fun and there is a certain amount of satisfaction in having something you made yourself.

Part of the thing I look at is that I can go buy 1000 rounds of Brown Bear 223 HP for around $200 + tax. The cartridges aren't reloadable, but no biggie. As long as it feeds through my weapon I'm good to go. 9mm doesnt even get close to being cost effective. The 243 stuff is worthwhile b/c it is close to $1/round if I buy it at the store. I can reload the spent brass for about .2 a round. Not bad.

 

[Texas1911]

Part of the thing I look at is that I can go buy 1000 rounds of Brown Bear 223 HP for around $200 + tax. The cartridges aren't reloadable, but no biggie. As long as it feeds through my weapon I'm good to go. 9mm doesnt even get close to being cost effective. The 243 stuff is worthwhile b/c it is close to $1/round if I buy it at the store. I can reload the spent brass for about .2 a round. Not bad.

.223 Rem
Brass - $80 / 1000 Processed
Powder - $72 / 1000 Loaded
Primers - $33 / 1K
Bullets - $82 / 1000
-----------------
Total - $267

9mm Luger
Brass - $30 / 1000 Once Fired
Powder - $8 / 1000 Loaded
Primers - $33 / 1000
Bullets - $75 / 1000
------------------
Total - $146

That's the most expensive the reloading will get. Reusing cases, deals, buying in bulk, etc. will make it worthwhile.

Timewise on a good progressive you can easily load 1000 rounds in a night, especially in the pistol calibers.

Right now I'm loading my 9mms for about $5.50 / box, and it's brass case.

 

[robin303]

If you think about it brass is pretty much free. If you save your brass from factory rounds and if you go to pistol matches they are a lot of people that don't save their brass. I have so much 9 & 40 brass now I don't even bother picking it up anymore at matches plus I have reloaded brass so many times the only way I lose it is due to it splitting or lost in weeds or such.