Getting back into reloading

[twoforme2]

After a long break from the hobby, I have jumped back in with both feet.

I drug out the press, reloading manuals, and miscellaneous stuff that has been stored in the shed for about 10 years. Everything appears somewhat OK, sans a little rust on the press that I think will clean up OK.

This will be my first attempt at reloading .223 and other rifle calibers (only loaded 38/357 before) so I ordered a Giraud Trimmer, Dillon 600 Swage, Uniflow, and an RCBS Chargemaster (because I remember what a pain it was to manually trickle each charge, plus I just could not afford anything like that back then.)

I ordered several different powders, primers and a few different bullets to try in both the .223 and .243.

Now with some of the background out of the way. The Questions:

I had a couple containers of powder in the shed which don't smell bad, and a little over a thousand primers (SPP and LPP) which don't appear bad, but is there a way to see if the primers are bad without actually just trying them?

Is there anything else that might have come down the pike in the last 10 years that I absolutely should get? OR anything else I might have easily overlooked?

[stphnman20]

10 years? damn.. It's on been about 6months for me and i'm trying to get back into reloading. lol

As for your question, I have no clue. Sorry. Hopefully someone has an answer for you.

[tujungatoes]

Welcome back. Provided they didn't get wet your powder and primers should be just fine. csacannoneer has stocks of primers that are more than half a century old and still work just fine. You could always seat one in and empty case and pop it off to make sure.

[twoforme2]

I found two boxes of the Speer plastic bullets in the mess of stuff. maybe load up some brass with the primers and the plastic bullets and take some target practice in the garage. Although I am still not sure I would want to deprime them if they dont go off!

[EWILKE]

I got out for about the same time frame I used all my 8 to 10 year old primers and powder it all went bang.Now I just wish I would of stored more The prices on that stuff was so cheap compared to now.

[Divernhunter]

Unless the plastic bullets are for a 45ACP you need the plastic case and mag primers are suggested by Speer. I have some in 44mag.
Primer and powder should be good.
If you do not have a tool for depriming the mil brass then RCBS and others make a HD universal deprime die which will work. Or I usually just use the cheap(cost) lee units that you use a hammer with.
I have powder/primers from the 1960-70's that is still good.
If you do not have a bullet puller then get a collet type and a hammer type. You will find them both usefull. I have RCBS but I would lean toward the Hornady collet type if I were buying now.
Must get a hand primer. I use the lee but the RCBS one uses the shellholder you use with the dies. Both work. Be sure to lube the thing or it will wear and not set primers. Get the one with the tray for primers.
If you do not have it get spray lube and a small cookie sheet or cardboard box to lube them in.
A vib type of brass cleaner and medis as well as a media separator is good.
Get a stuck case remover as sooner or later you will need it.

[five.five-six]

I ordered several different powders, primers and a few different bullets to try in both the .223 and .243.

be very careful not to mix up powders.. blue tape and a sharpie are your friend


with questionable primers, I have primed some empty brass and fired them just to check/be sure they went POP! b4 making a lot of ammo

with rifle cartridges, trimming is critical. it has a direct affect on the crimp

do not over crimp. it will bow out the shoulder and your rounds won't chamber


have fun

[Divernhunter]

I do not crimp rifle rounds 204ruger/223 up to and including 338win mag and 50BMG. I have not had a problem even in semi-autos yet. If I ever do I will start crimping only for semi's.
get some dryer softner sheets and cut them in 1/4. Then throw a coupe or more in when you clean brass. The media will last longer. I also use the Dillon or Lyman(that is what I got) media additive to my unit.

[twoforme2]

Unless the plastic bullets are for a 45ACP you need the plastic case and mag primers are suggested by Speer. I have some in 44mag.
Primer and powder should be good.
If you do not have a tool for depriming the mil brass then RCBS and others make a HD universal deprime die which will work. Or I usually just use the cheap(cost) lee units that you use a hammer with.
I have powder/primers from the 1960-70's that is still good.
If you do not have a bullet puller then get a collet type and a hammer type. You will find them both usefull. I have RCBS but I would lean toward the Hornady collet type if I were buying now.
Must get a hand primer. I use the lee but the RCBS one uses the shellholder you use with the dies. Both work. Be sure to lube the thing or it will wear and not set primers. Get the one with the tray for primers.
If you do not have it get spray lube and a small cookie sheet or cardboard box to lube them in.
A vib type of brass cleaner and medis as well as a media separator is good.
Get a stuck case remover as sooner or later you will need it.

Good point, I think I do remember some red plastic cases way back then, will dig around a bit they are probably there I am sure.
I bought a lee universal depriming die, which I believe I can screw into the press and just deprime everything I have.
Dont have a collet puller, only the hammer type, will add it to the list, for the next order. Thanks
Hand primer, have not ever used the press for it anyway, I had always used the hand primer. Actually I did try it with the press one time and it scared the hell out of me, with the hand primer I can kinda "feel" what is going on.
Good to go on the tumbler and have the stuck case remover on the way

be very careful not to mix up powders.. blue tape and a sharpie are your friend


with questionable primers, I have primed some empty brass and fired them just to check/be sure they went POP! b4 making a lot of ammo

with rifle cartridges, trimming is critical. it has a direct affect on the crimp

do not over crimp. it will bow out the shoulder and your rounds won't chamber


have fun

One trick taught to me when I started loading was only ever have one canister of powder on the bench at a time so you can't screw up! Of course I only had 1 canister to choose from back then most of the time. But when I did move up to the "big time" and could choose between the 231 or Unique only one on the bench at a time. The other was put away.

That is a good reminder though so thanks.

I ordered a giraud trimmer, so I should be good on the trimming, I do not have a crimp die nor did I buy one for the 223. Should I have?

I do not crimp rifle rounds 204ruger/223 up to and including 338win mag and 50BMG. I have not had a problem even in semi-autos yet. If I ever do I will start crimping only for semi's.
get some dryer softner sheets and cut them in 1/4. Then throw a coupe or more in when you clean brass. The media will last longer. I also use the Dillon or Lyman(that is what I got) media additive to my unit.

Have to try the dryer sheets for the tumbler. I remember using them before to wipe down the inside of the powder measure before dumping in powder. Didn't have a tumbler back then though, was dawn soap and water with an air compressor to blow it out.


I have a two week wait for the Giraud, then probably a week to ship it. So by the time it gets here and I can load for the 223 I plan to be VERY prepared.

The first round will cost me about $1500 but luckily the next couple thousand will be free!

[five.five-six]

+1 on dryer sheets they are indispensable for killing static cling I have had static so bad that varget would stick to my funnel which is rather frustrating when loading match rounds

I do not crimp rifle rounds 204ruger/223 up to and including 338win mag and 50BMG. I have not had a problem even in semi-autos yet

hmmm, I have heard this from others too. Am I being a nervous nelly to worry about a bullet being jammed into a case and causing a serious overpressure condition in .223 or .308? I am not so concerned about bolt guns, I think I would feel that before I closed the bolt

[Divernhunter]

It is not so much the bullet being shoved back as the bullets can move forward due to recoil and then jam the action/mag. If the bullet moves back into the case the pressures will not rise as in some pistol rounds as most of the time you have a near full case of powder anyway in a rifle round. Also that would give the bullet more jump to the rifling and thus lower pressures like a rifle with more freebore does.

No need to get a crimp die for the 223. IF you want to crimp can be done with the seater die in a normal 2 die set. But you can buy a seperate crimp die if desired. Also many 223 bullets do not have a crimping groove so best not to crimp.

[morrow]

Welcome back to reloading!
As others have said, make sure your ammo is mixed and test a couple primers. Be careful when doing so!

[twoforme2]

Thanks guys for all the pointers, can't wait til it all shows up and I can sling the homebrew down range!

[five.five-six]

It is not so much the bullet being shoved back as the bullets can move forward due to recoil and then jam the action/mag. If the bullet moves back into the case the pressures will not rise as in some pistol rounds as most of the time you have a near full case of powder anyway in a rifle round. Also that would give the bullet more jump to the rifling and thus lower pressures like a rifle with more freebore does.

No need to get a crimp die for the 223. IF you want to crimp can be done with the seater die in a normal 2 die set. But you can buy a seperate crimp die if desired. Also many 223 bullets do not have a crimping groove so best not to crimp.

I had been using the seating die to crimp... perhaps i will start doing a much lighter crimp, or just none at all. all my plinking bullets have the crimp ring.... and I know there is a real name for it, I just can't remember it I need to make a grip of .223 this weekend

[Madpyro]

that would be a cannelure. Thanks for this post, O.P. I too, have just got back into reloading after a 27 year hiatus. you guy's answered quite a few of my questions. you might try the Lee factory crimp die. it's a collet crimper and you don't need a cannelure.