New to reloading looking for some help.

[Joh02051]

Hello,

I have always had a 30.06 rifle both in a bolt and a pump. This year i have purchased a Larue Tactical full upper and lower in a 5.56 and a .308 (Below is some information around the guns them self.)

I have just purchased all new Redding reloading supplies for 30.06, .223 and .308 and have some questions. I am looking for recommendations for bullets for reloading for the 5.56 and the .308. I am looking to do some ”self defense” rounds and some range rounds for the 5.56 and for the .308 do some longer range target shooting and some longer range hunting. If anyone can help with some recommendations of bullets and maybe some reloading tips that would be great.

5.56 has a 16” barrel with a 1-8 twist
.308 has a 20” barrel with a 1-10 twist

Thank you in advance for any advice you could pass on to a new member and new reloader.

Cory

 

[Jordanwickham]

Hello,

I have always had a 30.06 rifle both in a bolt and a pump. This year i have purchased a Larue Tactical full upper and lower in a 5.56 and a .308 (Below is some information around the guns them self.)

I have just purchased all new Redding reloading supplies for 30.06, .223 and .308 and have some questions. I am looking for recommendations for bullets for reloading for the 5.56 and the .308. I am looking to do some ”self defense” rounds and some range rounds for the 5.56 and for the .308 do some longer range target shooting and some longer range hunting. If anyone can help with some recommendations of bullets and maybe some reloading tips that would be great.

5.56 has a 16” barrel with a 1-8 twist
.308 has a 20” barrel with a 1-10 twist

Thank you in advance for any advice you could pass on to a new member and new reloader.

Cory

I don't have experience with reloading either of these cartridges but knowing what kind of reloading supplies you purchased will definitely help people to help you. Good luck

 

[Joh02051]

I have all Redding equipment. The die set, trim set for .223, 30.06 and .308.

 

[Jerry V]

Do you have a press? Suggest a single stage. Work with 175gr bullets in the 308 for long range target. What powder so you have?

 

[Jordanwickham]

I have all Redding equipment. The die set, trim set for .223, 30.06 and .308.

Yeah Redding has many die sets for each caliber. Full length, bushing (full length and neck only), body does, seating dies, basic, competition, matchmaster. Dies and a trimmer are two very small pieces to the pie. Did you buy some kind of Redding reloading kit or just Dies and a trimmer?

 

[Jordanwickham]

Do you have a press? Suggest a single stage. Work with 175gr bullets in the 308 for long range target. What powder so you have?

Correct me if I'm wrong but Varget would be a good starter that covers both rounds right?

 

[Jerry V]

Look in the Hide Reloading section and review some of the sticky treads on reloading process. I love my reloading setup but it can be a rabbit hole with no end! If you have not already got in too deep it may help you decide which way to go.

 

[Joh02051]

This is what I have so far. I also got the shell holder extender to use with trim die and also picked up the .223 and 30.06 die sets to match this as well.

 

[Powder_Burns]

Get the lyman book. Best advice I can give a new handloader.

 

[ThreeBravo]

Correct me if I'm wrong but Varget would be a good starter that covers both rounds right?

I use varget for for 223 and had a buddy that used it in his 308, we both had great results.

 

[Punkur67]

Hello,

I have always had a 30.06 rifle both in a bolt and a pump. This year i have purchased a Larue Tactical full upper and lower in a 5.56 and a .308 (Below is some information around the guns them self.)

I have just purchased all new Redding reloading supplies for 30.06, .223 and .308 and have some questions. I am looking for recommendations for bullets for reloading for the 5.56 and the .308. I am looking to do some ”self defense” rounds and some range rounds for the 5.56 and for the .308 do some longer range target shooting and some longer range hunting. If anyone can help with some recommendations of bullets and maybe some reloading tips that would be great.

5.56 has a 16” barrel with a 1-8 twist
.308 has a 20” barrel with a 1-10 twist

Thank you in advance for any advice you could pass on to a new member and new reloader.

Cory

I use varget for all my 308. Check out the Hornady 178 grain eldx hunting bullets. They will work for your 308 and 30-06 and they shoot great out to distance. These are the same projectiles they use in their precision hunter ammo

https://www.hornady.com/bullets/eld-x#!/

 

[Det. John McClane]

I reload all three of these cartridges. I like shooting the Sierra 77 grain Matchkings for the .223, and I use Varget. The 1-in-8 twist stabilizes it well. I also have a couple thousand of the Sierra 69 grain Matchkings on my shelf and I've loaded them with Varget as well and they great. I use CCI primers and whatever cases I have on hand as these all go my full length sizing die and I run them through a semi-auto. Even though the bullets I use are Matchkings, either the 77 grain or the 69 grain Sierra Matchkings would be more than adequate for self-defense. If you wanted to go all in, Sierra makes a 65 grain Gameking that would be devastating.

I like shooting the Sierra 175 grain Matchking for the .308. I use RL15 and Varget, depending on what I have on hand. I use the Federal primers and Lapua brass. I shoot paper with it, but that bullet has been used by military and police snipers for many years and is wholly adequate for self-defense.

On the .30-06, I prefer to shoot a Sierra 165 grain Gameking in my bolt action rifle, which I use for hunting. In my M1, I shoot a Sierra 168 grain Matchking. I use H4895 powder on both when I can, but when supplies are short, I've used other powders as well.

I really like the Sierra bullets. I've used many others, but typically find myself coming back to these. Feel free to PM me with any other questions you may have. I've helped many co-workers get into reloading and it is a great way to enjoy a shooting sports hobby in the evenings or on the weekends when you can't get to a range.

 

[Jordanwickham]

Definitely would second getting either the Lyman or Richard Lee reloading manuals. Hornadys manual is pretty light handed load wise. Also you will want to figure out exactly what you want to do. If you are wanting to load alot of rounds, say for plinking with the 223 or target for the 308, I would say a balance beam scale is pretty rough on time spent. But a balance beam can be less time consuming if you were to get either a powder throw or even the Lee Dippers then trickle up to what you want for a charge.
Like John McClane said beware of the rabbit hole it can be deep.

 

[Jordanwickham]

There's also some good info in the stickies in the reloading section on SH ( the articles at the top of the page when you open the reloading forum)

 

[flyright]

A lawyer friend said many years ago to never use reloads for self defense. For practice, all the above is fine advice. JMHO

 

[Gustav7]

This is what I have so far. I also got the shell holder extender to use with trim die and also picked up the .223 and 30.06 die sets to match this as well.

Personally, I would buy an actually trimmer, or something like a Trim-it 2 with different caliber conversions. I would imagine filing down all those cases on that trim die is gonna get old real quick.

I second the Lyman book, the 50th edition is the newest I believe.

 

[Det. John McClane]

A lawyer friend said many years ago to never use reloads for self defense. For practice, all the above is fine advice. JMHO

I agree. I'm a lawyer and I've taught legal self-defense classes for 15 years, and I have defended a couple of self-defense shootings. For one, if I am ever involved in a defensive shooting, I want the police to be able find, trust, and use the same commercially manufactured round I'm carrying to forensically confirm my facts. I do not want to have to convince the police or a jury that my special load produced the forensic evidence they found. Second, I want to avoid any argument by an overzealous prosecutor that I specifically loaded a round hot, or used a particular hollow point bullet to make the round more lethal. Stupid arguments, but they have been made.

The advice I give my students is to contact their local police department and request a list of the bullets approved by that police department to be carried by the local police. They will have a detailed list of the specific bullet manufacturer, brand, and grain, for each of the calibers that officers are authorized to carry. Then pick one of those rounds. If you are ever in a situation where you have to defend your selection, being able to say that you contacted the police to find out which round they determined were safe for use in the community and then you used that same round, would be a compelling argument.

All of that being said, if you are loading up a thousand rounds of .223 for self-defense, it sounds like more of a total civil unrest situation than a daily concealed carry defensive situation. Stick with the commercial rounds approved by your local police department for your concealed carry work. Stock up however you can for the zombie invasion.

 

[Det. John McClane]

Also, if you decide on some specific bullets you are considering me, let me know and I'll send you some scanned pages so you can review the load options for various bullet manufacturers and then you can then decide based on solid information.

 

[Disfunctional_Engineer]

There's also some good info in the stickies in the reloading section on SH ( the articles at the top of the page when you open the reloading forum)

This is some good advice but it will come with a caveat of sorts; This is advice to make *great* ammo. By that I mean stuff that you can not even buy at nearly any price. You can still make good ammo without a lot of those steps. I'd start with the basics and work my way up. You'll still make very good ammo if you use good components and load consistently but at a fraction of the effort.

One suggestion I would make is to keep a lot of your focus on "temperature stabilized" powders. While there are some great classic powders these tend to be more modern and provide more consistent results across a variety of conditions.

Hodgdon, Alliant, Western etc. also provide a lot of load data as do many bullet manufacturers. I tend to comb their data when looking for good loads as well.

Another piece of advice I'd give is probably to step up to a turret press if you don't have something already. There's some great single stage presses but a turret will save you time on die setups.

 

[Joh02051]

Here is what i have purchased over the last few weeks. Other then brass, bullets, and primers, am i missing anything?

878A0461-E854-4507-B8B6-A717A439BACB.jpeg

• Joh02051
• Aug 4, 2020

Reloading

 

[Disfunctional_Engineer]

does the chargemaster serve as a scale too?

 

[Gustav7]

does the chargemaster serve as a scale too?

yes it does. It’s an auto powder dispenser and scale. They’re pretty nice and one of the best options before stepping up to lab grade scales and whatnot.

 

[Det. John McClane]

It sounds silly, but you will want to get a bullet puller for those times when things don't go as planned.

I like the RCBS Impact Bullet Puller. Looks like a hammer, but you can put the defective case in it, smack it against the table for floor a few times, and it dislodges the bullet.

 

[Disfunctional_Engineer]

It sounds silly, but you will want to get a bullet puller for those times when things don't go as planned.

I like the RCBS Impact Bullet Puller. Looks like a hammer, but you can put the defective case in it, smack it against the table for floor a few times, and it dislodges the bullet.

to that point load a few before loading a lot. nothing sucks more than pulling down 50 rounds when you find out they are too whatever