hey guys I'm new here and I'm looking for some advice. I've been shooting a long time and have always shot mid rage range distances. I have a lot of success with hornady factory loads but that road has came to its end. to many fliers. I don't need to shoot a mile all though that would be great. 1000 yards would probably be all I ever do. my question is I decided to jump into hand loading for my 300wm. I got a Lee challenger kit . the one that has the hand primer tool. I ordered rcbs fl die set. actually located some h1000 matched that up with 200 smk. and plan on starting slow slow slow. a low node would probably work for 1000. so not looking to push the limits. I was just wondering about neck tension and and annealing all the other special tools I hear guys talking about. I'm wondering can't I get great groups and a decent speed with the basics tools and achieve what I'm trying to do. or do I need to go down the rabbit hole farther with more tools . i plan on sammi coal specs at first. I do plan on working up to the lans if my results aren't what I want.
-
Having trouble using the site?
Contact support
reloading questions and tips
- Thread starter member berries
- Start date
Good start on equipment, until you know if you enjoy it or not. What's your rifle shoot for group sizes? If they're pretty tight, but you want tighter, than the extra goodies may get you that incremental improvement, but after your shooting form, powder & bullet selection are the critical factors. I do a fair amount of testing, and it never ceases to amaze me what a difference in powder makes- with all other things being equal, different powders can give you 0.5 MOA to 5.0 MOA.....
Annealing extends the life of your brass, but you're not looking for nuclear loads, so that's less of a worry.
Your results will tell you what additional equipment you need.
Annealing extends the life of your brass, but you're not looking for nuclear loads, so that's less of a worry.
Your results will tell you what additional equipment you need.
o I'll enjoy it I think. I can't stay out of the room my press is in. to answer your question I haven't shot a group yet. I haven't even made my first round. that's why I'm here . im making sure I have everything I need . knowledge wise and equipment wise. with factory 195 hornady bthp I shoot probably. 75moa without the flier I seem to get about every 4th round. that's the one I'm hoping to eliminate by hand loading. I was just wondering if I sort my brass and use my standard equipment. if that's possible. or will I have to get into neck tension awareness and purchase some other die sets.
If you are serious doing 1000 yards and beyond, get yourself an chronograph. Try to get your ES to single digit after you gain most precision rifle reloading skill. For Example you can shot a 0.25 moa group at 100 yards with ES 25+ fps. But when you taking the same load to 1000 yards, you will see your vertical spread will be greater and might causes you miss the target at 1000 yards.
For the neck tension, remember that a thick case neck with .001 neck tension might have equal or great than a thinner case neck with .002.
For the neck tension, remember that a thick case neck with .001 neck tension might have equal or great than a thinner case neck with .002.
IMO get yourself a good chronograph. Magnetospeed V3 or Labradar. They make load development way easier and if you have any fliers you can be relatively confident that the flier came from somewhere besides your charge weight.
Again, in my opinion...the easiest way to set consistent neck tension without messing around with neck turning...is to use an expander mandrel die....whatever the diameter of your bullet is...decide how much neck tension you want...subtract that number from the bullet diameter...and that number will give you the diameter of the mandrel you should be using
Say my Bullet diameter is .264”....I want 0.002” of neck tension....I need to use a .262” mandrel
If you’re gonna Use a beam scale...dump the Lee one that comes in the kit. It’s honestly a PITA.
Again, in my opinion...the easiest way to set consistent neck tension without messing around with neck turning...is to use an expander mandrel die....whatever the diameter of your bullet is...decide how much neck tension you want...subtract that number from the bullet diameter...and that number will give you the diameter of the mandrel you should be using
Say my Bullet diameter is .264”....I want 0.002” of neck tension....I need to use a .262” mandrel
If you’re gonna Use a beam scale...dump the Lee one that comes in the kit. It’s honestly a PITA.
yeah that was my question. if I'm going to stay under 1000 yards as I stated. will the rcbs fl die and setting set be enough. it should give me constant neck tension using quality brass just not a desired neck tension. and I was wondering if that is fine. or should I keep going down the rabbit hole and do some more homework before developing a load
.25 and a spread of 25 fps sounds ok to me at this point. can that be achieved with out just a standard fl die set. if so I'd like to start developing and save the precision part for later when I get more experience at hand loading
Your expectations will determine how far down this rabbit hole you go. As they change (and they will) so will the equipment needed to achieve it (and there is a lot)
Every aspect has a varying effect and it compounds. Virtually everything Precision reloaders do is to reduce the variance and increase consistency at an ever shrinking degrees of precision and tolerances.
I would reccomend that your measuring tools be the best you can afford. a good set of calipers and a good scale.
Every aspect has a varying effect and it compounds. Virtually everything Precision reloaders do is to reduce the variance and increase consistency at an ever shrinking degrees of precision and tolerances.
I would reccomend that your measuring tools be the best you can afford. a good set of calipers and a good scale.
Best bang for money of most concentric case resize(My humble opinion), neck resize and seating die are Lee Collet Neck sizer $25, Redding Body Die $45, Foster Bench rest seating die $80.
I have to calibers both are top shelf. I do need a scale .as far as expectation. I'll never shoot over a 1000 unless I move . if
maybe I should have done more research before purchasing. I'm dieing to press a load. may go ahead and give it a go seeing as I have everything to make noise. Redding body dies are something that keeps coming up. I'm starting to get curious. it's not necessarily a budget thing with me its just I hate buying something I can't use. with me staying under 1000 I was thinking my set up be up to par. I still haven't got a yes or no answer on that. I like doing something right. I'm not a 1/2 @$$er but I'm not shooting a mile. most my shots are 800 I'm just shooting smaller targets now. factory ammo isn't cutting it
I'd so roll with it. I'm a newer reloader and the first round I reloaded was 300 winmag. I've got the Hornady reloading kit. I bought new Hornady brass. At this point being newer at it, I use the scales, trickler, and Hornady dies. Ive been seating my rounds to their maximum cartridge overall length to decrease the jump to the lands. (Something I read that seemed to make sense)
Only things I'm concerning myself at this point before, like you said, jumping down the rabbit hole.
Maximum cols, accurate/consistent powder charges, good bullets with good ballistic coefficients, rifle fundementals, and a Chrono.
When i first start reloading, i spent top $ for bushing neck sizer die, competition seating die. it doesn't work for my expectation. i end up something better with less money. I'm not saying what work for me will also work for you. you should go purchase on brownells, they have lifetime return policy. I always give them my business due to their return policy, even sometime i found a better deal somewhere else. i still go with them.
just saying, most people dont simply buy a die and a press and crank out match grade ammo.
There is the challenge of shooting accurately and there is the challenge of producing ammo that shoots accurately.
There is the challenge of shooting accurately and there is the challenge of producing ammo that shoots accurately.
Because they're new like me and don't know the organization of the website, plus doing it from a mobile device makes it even more difficult.
I second the motion to get Redding body/shoulder die, Lee collet/mandrel neck sizer, and Forster micrometer bullet seater die. However, I would recommend a 6.5 round, like 6.5 Creedmoor. You'll load more rounds, and get smaller groups, and still be able to punch it out to 1,000 yards without worry. 7mm-08 Remington is another good choice. .300 Win Mag, and all the other belted magnums, require use of a collet die to make sure the case diameter just in front of the belt is within specs. Otherwise, a live round can get jammed in the chamber, but not enough to close the bolt, which requires a trip to the gunsmith. If you do .300 Win Mag anyway, get the Belted Magnum Collet Die from Larry Willis at Innovative Technologies. This die screws in the bottom (from underneath) of the die threads above the press ram, so don't try to put it in the press like a standard die - that's not how it's designed. With the magnum cartridge, I suspect brass flow into the neck could become an issue. Make sure after firing your reloads that a bullet will slip easily through the neck of the fired case. Checking this verifies that the brass neck is not getting so thick that it cannot expand to release the bullet easily with firing.
I'm sorry if I've done something wrong. I'm not very internet savvy and was on a mobile device as someone else stated. I'll set back a few days while I figure out what I did.or may be you can explain it. to my knowledge I just simply started a question. a question that I haven't gotten an answer to by the way.
Member berries, if you're asking will your current set up consisting of a Lee Challenger Kit, hand primer tool and RCBS FL Sizing dies get you to 1000 yards....I'm pretty sure it will suffice. My old neighbor shoots long distances with a reloading set up that is very old and rather fundamental and yet he makes beautiful, consistent and very accurate ammo. I miss that guy. Wish i would have taken the time to learn more from him. I should state that he was meticulous, very organized and would measure everything.
Many of the tools and measuring devices promoted are valuable adjuncts to better define your objective needs and to improve the likelihood of efficiently producing consistent, reproducible and custom tailored rounds to your rifle chamber and preference.
Many of the tools and measuring devices promoted are valuable adjuncts to better define your objective needs and to improve the likelihood of efficiently producing consistent, reproducible and custom tailored rounds to your rifle chamber and preference.
I bet it would have been answered by now in the reloading forum.
Shocking, I know...…..
thank you friend that's what I was looking for. I plan on being very OCD about my loads.
Not sure what your budget is...but if your OCD is as bad as mine you’re gonna want to measure your powder charges down to a single “stick” of powder.
The A&D Fx120i is a lab grade scale that uses magnetic force restoration...it’s a damn nice scale. The scale by itself costs $470 from Cambridge Environmental using discount code CAMBRIDGE.
If you have more money to spend and want to automate the process, look at the V3 Autotrickler and Autothrow setup. It throws charges onto the fx120i scale down to a kernel or two in 10 seconds or less when set up correctly
And all that wasted time and money can be avoided by using load development methods that create accurate loads that are tolerant of the minor variations in charge weight inherent in less expensive equipment.
I read the original post again, and will try to address the isssues I see. I would get an RCBS Rockchucker Supreme press, and you're fixed for life. Neck tension is set properly and with maximum consistency by the Lee Collet neck sizing die, but the RCBS full-length die set will do fine. Annealing is not necessary at all. H 1000 is great powder for the .300 Win Mag, but other powders also work fine. SAAMI numbers for OAL are not really set in stone. The OAL depends on whether you want to feed from a magazine or just single feed. The number that is used for accurate shooting purposes is the amount of bullet jump to the lands. This calculation typically is done with the Hornady Lock-n-Load OAL gauge. For .300 Win Mag (any belted mag), the Innovative Technologies case collet die is an essential tool, at least for me.
well I shot my first hand loads today . by the way I now realize this is not the proper place for reloading questions sorry about that I will be more careful next time. anyway I shot the best group if my life but I do have a problem I cant figure out. I started at the lowest charge listed and noticed the recoll was way up the 4th round would not chamber. I stop and check all my measurements. they look well under maximum. I did go up 2 grains but stopped because it's the problem continued. recoll went up as well. all my brass chambers fine until I load it up with a bullet I even resized it again then loaded it up same thing. I brought my over all lengths down way past what I normally shoot. still will not chamber. while shooting I didn't get heavy bolt lifts or scares on the brass. but the bullet bullets seem to be jamming the rifling even well under maximum length. any thoughts or should I end this thread and start a new one in the reloading section
Get the Hornady gauge that allows you to measure distance to the lands. You have to buy the gauge and a 300 WM "Modified Case" to use with it. Very easy to do and not expensive at all. This is a critical function to perform so you can properly measure and test against seating depth.
never mind I figured it out . I wasn't setting my die down enough. ran 10 more with another 1/4 of a turn and problem solved itself .
Do you have to go down the rabbit hole? Maybe not. Will you? Yes, eventually, especially if you get OCD.
+1 for the Lee neck collet die, +1 for the Innovative belted magnum collet die (not cheap but worth the piece of mind), +1 on the Redding body die, +1 on the Forster Ultra Micrometer seating die, +1 on the Hornady ogive measuring tool, +1 on the H1000. A good case gauge like the LE Wilson that adjusts for your fire formed rounds is good to have.
Consistency between rounds is your goal, so good measuring tools and practices are a must. Uniform trim lengths, primer pockets cleaned, flash holes uniformed, same amount of turns on all your chamfering/deburring. Took me forever to load the first 20 I made for testing, but they all mic'd virtually identical to each other.
I started reloading to get my 300WM shooting the best it can, and now I'm sure it's only ME that's holding it back. I make better rounds than I do shooting groups, but at least I know it's not the ammo anymore. It's all me printing that fifth round flier.
Good luck, stay safe, and have fun.
+1 for the Lee neck collet die, +1 for the Innovative belted magnum collet die (not cheap but worth the piece of mind), +1 on the Redding body die, +1 on the Forster Ultra Micrometer seating die, +1 on the Hornady ogive measuring tool, +1 on the H1000. A good case gauge like the LE Wilson that adjusts for your fire formed rounds is good to have.
Consistency between rounds is your goal, so good measuring tools and practices are a must. Uniform trim lengths, primer pockets cleaned, flash holes uniformed, same amount of turns on all your chamfering/deburring. Took me forever to load the first 20 I made for testing, but they all mic'd virtually identical to each other.
I started reloading to get my 300WM shooting the best it can, and now I'm sure it's only ME that's holding it back. I make better rounds than I do shooting groups, but at least I know it's not the ammo anymore. It's all me printing that fifth round flier.
Good luck, stay safe, and have fun.
Last edited:
A couple of bits of advice:
- first and foremost, welcome to SH. There is a gold mine of information here. Use.The.Search.Function. before asking questions. This isn't a slam because of this thread - you're new, you said you're new - roger that. Now you know. Take some time to go through the various sub-forums and see what they contain. As an example, a few people have recommended you get a chronograph. They're right. So, the obvious next question is, which one? That question gets posted by newbies all the time - and it's been addressed 8,596,342 times here. So search. Bring food and drink and a comfortable chair.
- Wrt reloading: Even if you have an unlimited budget and all the "best" equipment appears at your fingertips simply by wishing it so, you're still going to have a learning curve. I resisted handloading for precision rifle because I did it for a varmint rifle back in the '80s and I knew it's a rabbit hole with no bottom. Well, now I'm here in handloading wonderland and there's always another piece that might make things a little better. As with just about anything, the return on investment lower down the price scale is far higher; the more crap you accumulate, the less impact a dollar's worth of spend is going to have. Just learn and enjoy the ride.
- Chronograph: the big players are Magnetospeed and LabRadar. Endless discussions here about which is "best." There is no "best." There is what YOU prefer. Some people here get by just fine with a $75 Caldwell. Read and learn.
- Powder scale: A decent beam scale will suffice. But, if your budget supports it, the A&D FX-120i unit is excellent and supports a highly-regarded auto-trickler. Use search and READ ABOUT IT on SH before asking a bunch of questions. If you just google it, the prices you see are hundreds of dollars higher than you can actually acquire the thing for.
- Finally, as you spend time on SH, you will find that most people try to help. There is no small amount of bantering and jibing among people who know one another (or don't). There are the inevitable internet drama and pissing contests. And some people offer practically nothing here but insults and bitching. You'll learn to ignore or block them. No need to apologize. If ya wanna get into pissing contest, that's your call.
