Experiences of a a Novice Reloader
Posted: 11 Jul 2019 04:20
I thought I'd share a bit about what I've been doing. Some may find it interesting, and others may have some good observations, comments or warnings to contribute.
I had my first experience of reloading probably in the mid 1970's when my Uncle invited me to stay with him at what we call a bach (cabin) near Nelson Lakes National Park. He had cast some bullets for .303 British... a common rifle down here back then, and a family favourite. The Lee Enfield also had a bit of a revered mystique about it as my father, uncles and grandfather had all been involved with military service in the two big wars and Korea. Anyway... we loaded up some bullets into old military brass, and I remember using one of them to shoot a red deer with a frontal shot during a bush stalk. The deer dropped immediately. And that bullet style was possibly better than the old fully-jacketed mkvii military ammo that so many hunters used in the middle of last century.
I got my own dies about eight years ago when I felt the urge to have a suppressed centerfire. I bought two .308 rifles with suppressors, and devoted one of them to shooting lead. I loaded for both rifles. The novelty of these rifles wore off after a while. For a start, none of the bullets I was loading showed any degree of expansion. I'd shot a lot of game with .22lr subsonics, and the trajectory of the subsonic .308s was pretty much the same as the little rimfire (although the terminal energy was way different) so there wasn't much of a range advantage. Furthermore, these rifles didn't look and feel like the hunting rifles I grew up with, and I grew tired of lugging the big ugly things around ... always taking care to not knock the scope. So I sold both rifles.
Scopes are wonderful for certain jobs, but I grew up with open sights. I'm pretty much retired now, and instead of planning to go on a cruise, I just want to shoot well with open sights once again. I hasten to add I do have a .22LR and a .223 with scopes.
After I sold those .308s, I got the Rossi 92 .357 Magnum. It is a very nice little weapon. And that is what I currently reload for. (eventually I might reload some .303 British and try to get my old sporterized No 4 shooting well again).
I cast bullets for the Rossi. I have two Lee molds... the 358-125 RF and the 358-158-RF. My best groups have been shot with the 125 grain bullets.
A lot of my hunting is done relatively close to houses (within gunshot as they used to say), so I like to use lower-powered rifles. I can use a suppressed .22LR if necessary, but with the .357 loaded to shoot at subsonic speeds the noise isn't too bad. While I've shot a number of pigs and feral goats with a .22, it is nice to have a subsonic projectile that delivers at least three times the energy of a .22.... and which drills a much bigger hole.
When I first started loading my cast bullets, I used a home brew lube made from beeswax and a lanolin-rich mineral oil. This worked well as far as I can tell and I got no leading. I bought some swaged lead Speer bullets which come coated with a dry lube and I really like the convenience of these, so I thought I'd try some Lee Alox. The Alox certainly is quick to apply, but i don't like the way it makes the bullets sticky... and I can't help thinking that some of the most strategically-located lube might get pushed off when I'm forcing the bullets into a tight case.
I found Glen Fryxell's lube recipe (50/50 moly grease and beeswax) and so I've started to use that. It is smelly and messy, but I like to think it does a very good job. My chronograph results suggest that, in some cases, I may even gain maybe 50 fps using Fryxellube instead of my old stuff. But I haven't done repeated tests, so I can't be sure of those results.
I worry about powder coming in contact with the lube, so I am careful to not get any on the base of the bullets. I've just started loading unlubed bullets into the charged case just as far as the bottom of the grease groove. When I've charged all the cartridges this way, I then apply the lube... wipe off the excess as best I can... and then seat the bullets home. I use an artists plastic pallete knife to scrape off the excess lube before seating. I then clean up the loaded cartridges using a bit of cotton rag and methylated spirit. It takes a relatively long time compared to loading a jacketed or factory-lubed bullet, but I don't need to load a lot. I tried pan-lubing once and didn't enjoy it. Especially with the odor of the molybdenum sulphide or whatever the fragrant component in the grease is.
Being an engineer who has seen the benefits of ample lubrication, I've been filling the crimp groove with lube and then seating the bullets deeper to cover this top groove. Initially I was concerned that if I didn't crimp the bullets they might move, but they are a real tight fit and I haven't noticed any problems after many shots.
I was also concerned that seating deeper might cause a higher pressure than the makers of the reloading recipes would approve of. Indeed, I found that I was getting higher velocities in my 16 inch barrel than the velocities indicated in the ADI load book for a longer barrel. For one load using ADI AP70N powder (allegedly the same as Hodgdon Universal), I was getting the speed of the maximum load when I was using half a grain less than maximum. So I thought it was a good time to stop adding powder.... figuring that higher velocity could have only come from higher pressure as nothing else had changed that I was aware of. I could not find any other symptom of excessive pressure, but being fairly new at all this I was feeling cautious.
So today I loaded up some cartridges with bullets loaded to two different depths. I loaded some 125 grain cast with five grains of Trail Boss, and I loaded some 158 grain with 6 grains of AP70N (said to be the same as Universal). Some I loaded to the crimp groove, and some I loaded to cover the crimp groove. (is that a cannelure?).
For the 158 grain projectiles the seating difference was 0.050 inch. Fifty thou' as we say. The 125 bullets had a seating difference of 0.040 inch
The 158 grain with the 6 grains of AP70N seated to the cannelure had an average velocity (three shots) of 1265 fps. Seated 0.05" deeper, the average velocity was 1296 fps. So, yes, velocity increased by 31 fps.
The 125 grain with five grains of Trail Boss behind them gave different results. Seated to the cannelure the average velocity was 1126 fps. Seated 0.04" deeper the average velocity was 1106 fps.
This wasn't an extensive, scientific program of testing but it did reassure me a little.
interestingly... the 158 grain load (with 6 grains AP70N) is exactly the same load that gave me concern previously. At the earlier test I got an average velocity of 1334 fps. Dunno why the bullets seemed slower today. Perhaps my old Chrony sat at a different angle to the sun and gave me a different result. Perhaps it was some other factor. I am very careful when measuring loads on my mechanical scales, so I doubt that it was a charge weight variation. Nevertheless, I am still close to the top velocity shown in the recipe book so, even though I am tempted, I might be wiser to stop at six grains... much as I'd love to get 1350 fps or more as this gives me a pretty good 'point blank' aim at larger animals out to 90 yards or so.
When I was having accuracy problems with the Rossi, I ordered a single shot Henry in .357 magnum. I feel that it is wise to have two rifles chambered for the cartridge I reload anyway. Also the Henry seems to have a nice set of steel sights which is a fairly rare thing on a new centerfire rifle nowadays. Furthermore, it has a simple extractor which means my precious brass won't hit me in the face before disappearing into a pile of brambles somewhere. So I'm looking forward to getting that Henry. I was told it would take five weeks to arrive, but I think we must be in about the seventh week now with still no word of it. If I get sick of waiting I might cancel the order and get a single shot Bergara instead. The Bergara is probably threaded for a suppressor, and it may be a take-down model... so those would be useful features. No matter what I get, I look forward to seeing how my cast bullets work in it. I'm thinking seeing my Rossi seems to like the 125 grain bullets, I will make up a 158 grain load for hunting with the single shot. Those 158 grain bullets have a nice wide meplat.
Below is a photo showing my cartridges prior to applying lube. And below that is a photo of the group I shot today with 125 grain bullets at 25 yards. It is very pleasing. I can't get the 158 bullets to group under about 1.5" at that distance. Oh... almost forgot to mention that I cut the horns off my rear sight. I'm sure they are useful for some people, but after many decades of using flat-topped sights I feel a flat top is best for me. I wrapped the rifle in cling film and pushed it down over the sight to make the sight break through it. I then got out my grinder and cut off the horns with a 1mm disk. I should have done it weeks ago.
I had my first experience of reloading probably in the mid 1970's when my Uncle invited me to stay with him at what we call a bach (cabin) near Nelson Lakes National Park. He had cast some bullets for .303 British... a common rifle down here back then, and a family favourite. The Lee Enfield also had a bit of a revered mystique about it as my father, uncles and grandfather had all been involved with military service in the two big wars and Korea. Anyway... we loaded up some bullets into old military brass, and I remember using one of them to shoot a red deer with a frontal shot during a bush stalk. The deer dropped immediately. And that bullet style was possibly better than the old fully-jacketed mkvii military ammo that so many hunters used in the middle of last century.
I got my own dies about eight years ago when I felt the urge to have a suppressed centerfire. I bought two .308 rifles with suppressors, and devoted one of them to shooting lead. I loaded for both rifles. The novelty of these rifles wore off after a while. For a start, none of the bullets I was loading showed any degree of expansion. I'd shot a lot of game with .22lr subsonics, and the trajectory of the subsonic .308s was pretty much the same as the little rimfire (although the terminal energy was way different) so there wasn't much of a range advantage. Furthermore, these rifles didn't look and feel like the hunting rifles I grew up with, and I grew tired of lugging the big ugly things around ... always taking care to not knock the scope. So I sold both rifles.
Scopes are wonderful for certain jobs, but I grew up with open sights. I'm pretty much retired now, and instead of planning to go on a cruise, I just want to shoot well with open sights once again. I hasten to add I do have a .22LR and a .223 with scopes.
After I sold those .308s, I got the Rossi 92 .357 Magnum. It is a very nice little weapon. And that is what I currently reload for. (eventually I might reload some .303 British and try to get my old sporterized No 4 shooting well again).
I cast bullets for the Rossi. I have two Lee molds... the 358-125 RF and the 358-158-RF. My best groups have been shot with the 125 grain bullets.
A lot of my hunting is done relatively close to houses (within gunshot as they used to say), so I like to use lower-powered rifles. I can use a suppressed .22LR if necessary, but with the .357 loaded to shoot at subsonic speeds the noise isn't too bad. While I've shot a number of pigs and feral goats with a .22, it is nice to have a subsonic projectile that delivers at least three times the energy of a .22.... and which drills a much bigger hole.
When I first started loading my cast bullets, I used a home brew lube made from beeswax and a lanolin-rich mineral oil. This worked well as far as I can tell and I got no leading. I bought some swaged lead Speer bullets which come coated with a dry lube and I really like the convenience of these, so I thought I'd try some Lee Alox. The Alox certainly is quick to apply, but i don't like the way it makes the bullets sticky... and I can't help thinking that some of the most strategically-located lube might get pushed off when I'm forcing the bullets into a tight case.
I found Glen Fryxell's lube recipe (50/50 moly grease and beeswax) and so I've started to use that. It is smelly and messy, but I like to think it does a very good job. My chronograph results suggest that, in some cases, I may even gain maybe 50 fps using Fryxellube instead of my old stuff. But I haven't done repeated tests, so I can't be sure of those results.
I worry about powder coming in contact with the lube, so I am careful to not get any on the base of the bullets. I've just started loading unlubed bullets into the charged case just as far as the bottom of the grease groove. When I've charged all the cartridges this way, I then apply the lube... wipe off the excess as best I can... and then seat the bullets home. I use an artists plastic pallete knife to scrape off the excess lube before seating. I then clean up the loaded cartridges using a bit of cotton rag and methylated spirit. It takes a relatively long time compared to loading a jacketed or factory-lubed bullet, but I don't need to load a lot. I tried pan-lubing once and didn't enjoy it. Especially with the odor of the molybdenum sulphide or whatever the fragrant component in the grease is.
Being an engineer who has seen the benefits of ample lubrication, I've been filling the crimp groove with lube and then seating the bullets deeper to cover this top groove. Initially I was concerned that if I didn't crimp the bullets they might move, but they are a real tight fit and I haven't noticed any problems after many shots.
I was also concerned that seating deeper might cause a higher pressure than the makers of the reloading recipes would approve of. Indeed, I found that I was getting higher velocities in my 16 inch barrel than the velocities indicated in the ADI load book for a longer barrel. For one load using ADI AP70N powder (allegedly the same as Hodgdon Universal), I was getting the speed of the maximum load when I was using half a grain less than maximum. So I thought it was a good time to stop adding powder.... figuring that higher velocity could have only come from higher pressure as nothing else had changed that I was aware of. I could not find any other symptom of excessive pressure, but being fairly new at all this I was feeling cautious.
So today I loaded up some cartridges with bullets loaded to two different depths. I loaded some 125 grain cast with five grains of Trail Boss, and I loaded some 158 grain with 6 grains of AP70N (said to be the same as Universal). Some I loaded to the crimp groove, and some I loaded to cover the crimp groove. (is that a cannelure?).
For the 158 grain projectiles the seating difference was 0.050 inch. Fifty thou' as we say. The 125 bullets had a seating difference of 0.040 inch
The 158 grain with the 6 grains of AP70N seated to the cannelure had an average velocity (three shots) of 1265 fps. Seated 0.05" deeper, the average velocity was 1296 fps. So, yes, velocity increased by 31 fps.
The 125 grain with five grains of Trail Boss behind them gave different results. Seated to the cannelure the average velocity was 1126 fps. Seated 0.04" deeper the average velocity was 1106 fps.
This wasn't an extensive, scientific program of testing but it did reassure me a little.
interestingly... the 158 grain load (with 6 grains AP70N) is exactly the same load that gave me concern previously. At the earlier test I got an average velocity of 1334 fps. Dunno why the bullets seemed slower today. Perhaps my old Chrony sat at a different angle to the sun and gave me a different result. Perhaps it was some other factor. I am very careful when measuring loads on my mechanical scales, so I doubt that it was a charge weight variation. Nevertheless, I am still close to the top velocity shown in the recipe book so, even though I am tempted, I might be wiser to stop at six grains... much as I'd love to get 1350 fps or more as this gives me a pretty good 'point blank' aim at larger animals out to 90 yards or so.
When I was having accuracy problems with the Rossi, I ordered a single shot Henry in .357 magnum. I feel that it is wise to have two rifles chambered for the cartridge I reload anyway. Also the Henry seems to have a nice set of steel sights which is a fairly rare thing on a new centerfire rifle nowadays. Furthermore, it has a simple extractor which means my precious brass won't hit me in the face before disappearing into a pile of brambles somewhere. So I'm looking forward to getting that Henry. I was told it would take five weeks to arrive, but I think we must be in about the seventh week now with still no word of it. If I get sick of waiting I might cancel the order and get a single shot Bergara instead. The Bergara is probably threaded for a suppressor, and it may be a take-down model... so those would be useful features. No matter what I get, I look forward to seeing how my cast bullets work in it. I'm thinking seeing my Rossi seems to like the 125 grain bullets, I will make up a 158 grain load for hunting with the single shot. Those 158 grain bullets have a nice wide meplat.
Below is a photo showing my cartridges prior to applying lube. And below that is a photo of the group I shot today with 125 grain bullets at 25 yards. It is very pleasing. I can't get the 158 bullets to group under about 1.5" at that distance. Oh... almost forgot to mention that I cut the horns off my rear sight. I'm sure they are useful for some people, but after many decades of using flat-topped sights I feel a flat top is best for me. I wrapped the rifle in cling film and pushed it down over the sight to make the sight break through it. I then got out my grinder and cut off the horns with a 1mm disk. I should have done it weeks ago.