Getting into precision reloading

[SixPointEight]

I've been reloading a while now, and just bought a .223 bolt rifle, so I'm going to try my hand at some precision reloading for 600yard matches. I was reading the precision reloading FAQS over at snipers hide and figuring out what I'll need.


For now I've decided to get a tool to measure COL to the start of the ogive, a tool to measure length to the case shoulder, a primer pocket uniformer, and a neck turner. Eventually I'll add a eccentricity gage. Is that a good start? Is there other tools that I should consider "necessary"? And then the final question, what brands and tools are you guys using?

[Boots]

I've been reloading a while now, and just bought a .223 bolt rifle, so I'm going to try my hand at some precision reloading for 600yard matches. I was reading the precision reloading FAQS over at snipers hide and figuring out what I'll need.


For now I've decided to get a tool to measure COL to the start of the ogive, a tool to measure length to the case shoulder, a primer pocket uniformer, and a neck turner. Eventually I'll add a egocentricity gage. Is that a good start? Is there other tools that I should consider "necessary"? And then the final question, what brands and tools are you guys using?

A flash hole cleaner if you're going to reload... as opposed to loading new brass.

[killshot44]

Get the Hornady OAL guage, Hornady Comparator, Sinclair primer-pocket uniformer. Neck-turning? Not unless you're competing in benchrest.

If you meant a concentricity guage, Hornady's not only measures runout but allows you to correct/reduce it.

Redding Type S Bushing Die and Competition Seating die.

[SixPointEight]

Get the Hornady OAL guage, Hornady Comparator, Sinclair primer-pocket uniformer. Neck-turning? Not unless you're competing in benchrest.

If you meant a concentricity guage, Hornady's not only measures runout but allows you to correct/reduce it.

Redding Type S Bushing Die and Competition Seating die.

That is what I meant. My phone does strange things when autocorrect is on lol.

So ill skip the neck turner in favor of getting the concentricity guage first. Also, can you reccomend a trimmer I can set the length on? Right now i have lee trimmers but I can't control trim length.

[killshot44]

Get the one from Possum Hollow. It indexes from the case shoulder not the casehead. Get their Power-tool Adapter that holds the trimmer/chamfering tool and lets you use a drill. They're caliber-specific. Midway has 'em.

/ yeah, damn auto-complete will mess with you.

[mif_slim]

Best result is to load the ogive inside the neck with the boat tail outside. Jk

Your already on the right track. Shoot smk only for match!

[Gowking]

A flash hole cleaner if you're going to reload... as opposed to loading new brass.

This tool was going to be my suggestion too but I would add that it is useful even for new brass. The burrs come from punching the flash hole in the primer pocket not from firing. That being said I guess you could have been referring to the option of buying quality brass that doesn't have burrs on the flash hole?

-G

[Waldog]

Your success at 600 yards will also depend on you rifle barrel. To shoot heavier bullets like 80-90gr VLD's you will need a 7" twist barrel. Anything slower will not stabilize those heavy bullets. Lighter bullets will be hard pressed to do well out to 600 yards. You may hit the paper but they won't stay in the 10 ring.

[five.five-six]

Getting into precision reloading

Que Randal........ oh nevermind


you want to get matching brass, I weigh every casing and when am done every match cartrage weighs within .1 grain, it's all about consistancy and finding what your rifle likes. be careful, the rabit hole goes very deep here

as far as what brand, you can not go wrong with team blue

[LGB Loader]

Alot of good advise.

The best thing you can do is go for consistancy in every stage of your ammo assembly.

I like Wilson dies and an arbor press for my bag guns.

You'll have to take your time and find out what your particular bag gun likes to eat.

Finding out the basics like which primer, which powder, which weight bullet, which brand, what type, how far off the lands, etc. will take up some time. Run them through the chrony a ladder at a time and if you don't have one, now's the time and reason to get one.
Don't cheat yourself and go out for the popular type recipes from someone else's hard labor. Besides, it may not be the right one for you to achieve optimum performance out of your firearm. And... this is the main reason I handload, precision rounds or not. Now that is fun. That is the craft. Don't cheat yourself.

Take your time and treat every single round with labor of love as you go.

I have my blasting ammo that I run through the progressives and can make a sh*t load at a time if I want to. Most times I do. But when I am making precision ammo, I take my sweet time making it.

Bottom line, have fun and be safe.

LGB

[SixPointEight]

Your success at 600 yards will also depend on you rifle barrel. To shoot heavier bullets like 80-90gr VLD's you will need a 7" twist barrel. Anything slower will not stabilize those heavy bullets. Lighter bullets will be hard pressed to do well out to 600 yards. You may hit the paper but they won't stay in the 10 ring.

I'm shooting a 1:9" twist right now, just because it's a factory rifle and I don't have money to rebarrel it off the bat. I'm going to try out bullets in the 70-75gr range, which should get out to 600 pretty accurately I'd think. Maybe not as good as the 80/90 VLD, but don't you have to have your rifle throated specifically for those?

Que Randal........ oh nevermind


you want to get matching brass, I weigh every casing and when am done every match cartrage weighs within .1 grain, it's all about consistancy and finding what your rifle likes. be careful, the rabit hole goes very deep here

as far as what brand, you can not go wrong with team blue

I've seen a portion of the depth. I started by reading the reloading thread at snipers hide. Trimming bullets and everything!

[five.five-six]

I just buy match bullets and weigh every one, the few that deviate go in with the pliking projectiles... and primers are very important, not just 10% of the charge, but a direct effect on how fast and uniformly the propellant ignites

[SixPointEight]

I just buy match bullets and weigh every one, the few that deviate go in with the pliking projectiles... and primers are very important, not just 10% of the charge, but a direct effect on how fast and uniformly the propellant ignites

That's as far as I'm going to go as far as bullets are concerned. Match bullets will provide more accuracy than this shooter can for now. I'm going to focus on the brass prep and load dev for now. The cost of the stuff I'm already planning on getting is expensive enough. The bullet pointing and trim dies are ridiculous.

[ireload]

Get a flashole debur tool.

[sonnyt650]

Since you've got a bolt-action I presume you're going the neck sizing route? You probably won't hear it much for .223 so it's not obvious. I can't help you here but maybe somebody can suggest their neck sizing die.