I'm about to get into reloading

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I'm about to get into reloading

Post by Zarrs » 11 Nov 2017, 6:31 pm

Hey guys I am about to get into reloading, I don't have my licence yet I should get it a few weeks time. Once I do I'll apply for my second permit (I already submitted my first permit for a .22 when I sent the forms in for my licence.

I've watched a couple of youtube vidoes and from my understanding all i need is the lee kit and then buy the .308 dies, is there anything else I need to buy apart from the materials to buy the rounds.

And what website or place in Victoria is a good place to buy reloading materials.

I'm getting the press from Clayton firearms they seem to be the cheapeast at $285 https://www.claytonfirearms.com.au/prod ... it-clayton
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Re: I'm about to get into reloading

Post by Oldbloke » 11 Nov 2017, 6:40 pm

Lee kit is all you need to start. Just add dies and components. Lee dies are very popular.

Have you tried Centreway Firearms? In Keilor East.

www.centrewayfirearms.com.au. Generally good service, and prices are good too.
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Re: I'm about to get into reloading

Post by colinbentley » 11 Nov 2017, 10:09 pm

You should go on line and price things you need from overseas. It is usually less expensive even when you add in the shipping costs. Some things such as powder and primers of course can't be shipped., Many of the things I have purchased as I got more into reloading simply are not available in Australia.Don't rush into it, take your time and do the research.
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Re: I'm about to get into reloading

Post by on_one_wheel » 11 Nov 2017, 11:24 pm

Don't forget to buy yourself a decent reloading manual, read and understand it. Don't just rely on utube for "lessons"
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Re: I'm about to get into reloading

Post by juststarting » 12 Nov 2017, 12:44 am

on_one_wheel wrote:Don't forget to buy yourself a decent reloading manual, read and understand it. Don't just rely on utube for "lessons"


This is probably the best advice you are going to get here. If you have a specific question, there are lots of people here who can help, but 'I am about to start' - step 1: get a good manual. I recommend two:

Nick Harvey's Reloading Manual; and
Hornady's Handbook of Cartridge Reloading

There are '2 sections' in Nick Harvey's Reloading Manual. The 'I am starting to reload, teach me' and data tables. Read the first section as many times as you need to fully understand everything.

If you can grab a press on special, get it whenever, but hold off on everything else until you read the manual. YouTube is great for specific stuff, but everyone has an opinion and there's just no way for you to know what's right, what's a waste and what's dangerous. Harvey's manual is well regarded and proven opinion.

Depends where you are in VIC, I am sure someone here (me included) can give you a practical intro to 308 reloading.
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Re: I'm about to get into reloading

Post by Gamerancher » 12 Nov 2017, 9:15 am

Harvey's how to section has some really good advice, just be very wary of some of his load data.
Some of his minimum / starting loads exceed other loading data maximum loads.
ADI published data is sometimes on the lighter side of what is possible but it is very safe data.( Especially for someone just starting out.)
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Re: I'm about to get into reloading

Post by Oldbloke » 12 Nov 2017, 10:22 am

http://www.adi-powders.com.au/handloade ... on_WEB.pdf
Free ADI manual in pdf
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Re: I'm about to get into reloading

Post by Oldbloke » 12 Nov 2017, 10:36 am

For a free manual PDF google

"lyman reloading manual download"

Data is very old but the basic reloading instructions should still be good
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Re: I'm about to get into reloading

Post by Xerox » 13 Nov 2017, 12:40 pm

on_one_wheel wrote:Don't forget to buy yourself a decent reloading manual, read and understand it. Don't just rely on utube for "lessons"


And post questions before assuming something :thumbsup:

Plenty of answers here.
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Re: I'm about to get into reloading

Post by zobster » 13 Nov 2017, 10:15 pm

If you have salty hands, wear a pair of disposable gloves when you are loading. Helps keep the dies from rusting.
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Re: I'm about to get into reloading

Post by Zarrs » 14 Nov 2017, 11:19 am

Thanks guys, I am confused about cleaning fired brass and how its done. I've seen some people use dish soap, others use a tumbler and one guy using a brass brush.

Are they all correct?
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Re: I'm about to get into reloading

Post by juststarting » 14 Nov 2017, 11:26 am

They are all correct. If you are just getting into it, just use 0000 steel wool.
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Re: I'm about to get into reloading

Post by Zarrs » 14 Nov 2017, 1:08 pm

juststarting wrote:
on_one_wheel wrote:Don't forget to buy yourself a decent reloading manual, read and understand it. Don't just rely on utube for "lessons"


This is probably the best advice you are going to get here. If you have a specific question, there are lots of people here who can help, but 'I am about to start' - step 1: get a good manual. I recommend two:

Nick Harvey's Reloading Manual; and
Hornady's Handbook of Cartridge Reloading

There are '2 sections' in Nick Harvey's Reloading Manual. The 'I am starting to reload, teach me' and data tables. Read the first section as many times as you need to fully understand everything.

If you can grab a press on special, get it whenever, but hold off on everything else until you read the manual. YouTube is great for specific stuff, but everyone has an opinion and there's just no way for you to know what's right, what's a waste and what's dangerous. Harvey's manual is well regarded and proven opinion.

Depends where you are in VIC, I am sure someone here (me included) can give you a practical intro to 308 reloading.

Thanks for the tips, I only watched the process of making the rounds on youtube I don't think i'll take anything else from there. I'll look to both of those manuals over the week end and do some reading. I live out in the south eastern suburbs near frankston. I'm not sure if there is a large shooting community out here but I think there might be.
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Re: I'm about to get into reloading

Post by juststarting » 14 Nov 2017, 1:24 pm

LOL, PM me when you're ready.

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Re: I'm about to get into reloading

Post by scaredyet » 14 Nov 2017, 2:27 pm

I'm interested in reloading as well. I went to the range with the 6.5 Creedmoore and at $3 pop it's a costly exercise. How much will reloading get that figure down to
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Re: I'm about to get into reloading

Post by juststarting » 14 Nov 2017, 2:29 pm

Probably $4
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Re: I'm about to get into reloading

Post by Gamerancher » 14 Nov 2017, 2:47 pm

Zarrs wrote "I am confused about cleaning fired brass and how its done."
Look after your brass, don't go wildly ejecting it into the dirt or onto concrete etc. Eject it into your hand. A simple wipe of the case neck between thumb and index finger soon after firing will clean 90+% of carbon off the neck. If at the range, stick it straight back in the box. If out in the scrub, stick it in your pocket, pack or cartridge belt. Keep it clean with minimal handling and you can get away without "cleaning" for numerous reloads.
Sure, tumbled brass looks great and does have some advantages, ( making case inspection for flaws easier, keeping your die bodies debris free, etc. ), but it is not an absolute necessity. A bit of diligence in how you treat your fired brass will pay big dividends in the life of your cases.
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Re: I'm about to get into reloading

Post by scaredyet » 14 Nov 2017, 3:02 pm

f*** me
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Re: I'm about to get into reloading

Post by scaredyet » 14 Nov 2017, 4:11 pm

I didn't think this was such an expensive hobby, maybe I'll just stick my 22
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Re: I'm about to get into reloading

Post by juststarting » 14 Nov 2017, 4:43 pm

scaredyet wrote:I didn't think this was such an expensive hobby, maybe I'll just stick my 22


It depends how much you shoot... But yes, it will always be cheaper to reload than to buy factory. Especially if you're dealing with target rounds that require consistency and quality. So yeas, it will be cheaper.
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Re: I'm about to get into reloading

Post by Oldbloke » 14 Nov 2017, 5:23 pm

juststarting wrote:
scaredyet wrote:I didn't think this was such an expensive hobby, maybe I'll just stick my 22


It depends how much you shoot... But yes, it will always be cheaper to reload than to buy factory. Especially if you're dealing with target rounds that require consistency and quality. So yeas, it will be cheaper.



Correct.
It can be as cheap or expensive as you like.
Consider one of these if money is a problem.

https://youtu.be/Nwr0FyJOk-4

Pretty basic but do the job. About $60 plus components and your away.
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Re: I'm about to get into reloading

Post by Oldbloke » 14 Nov 2017, 5:55 pm

sungazer wrote:While that may sound like a smart arse reply it could be right. It all depends on how much you shoot to where the crossover point will be to pay for the initial setup costs. Then also it depends on if you put any value to your time because if you do your going to be behind the breakeven line always.
probably the best you could do in just value of components would be $1.50


Yeah, varies a lot but cost of bullets is the main cost. That's why casting is so popular.
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Re: I'm about to get into reloading

Post by pomemax » 14 Nov 2017, 8:15 pm

It will depend on how much the ocd kicks in and how much room you have for setting up a reloading bench and the all important $$$$$$.
Last edited by pomemax on 14 Nov 2017, 8:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: I'm about to get into reloading

Post by Stix » 14 Nov 2017, 8:24 pm

bentaz wrote:
scaredyet wrote:f*** me

Buy everything in bulk too if you want to save a buck. Reloading can save you heaps, I reload 38's for about 12 cents a shot for plinking, I'd think you could bring the cost of your 6.5 down a fair bit but you need to beware, reloading is addictive.
I've spent far more on reloading gear than I'm ever likely to save plinking with the 38 lever gun.
I've got 4 different presses
Casting gear
Priming tools
Mini metal lathe
Work benches
Case trimmer
Case prep gear
Drill press
All in an airconditioned fridge truck.
I used to have 1 press, 2 sets of dies and that's all, I used to save money then I reckon, lol!


Im moving in...!!!
The man who knows everything, doesnt really know everything...he's just stopped learning...
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Re: I'm about to get into reloading

Post by goldiexxxx » 15 Nov 2017, 5:34 am

I've only been reloading for a year, so hear are a few tips from a relative newcomer:

1. I bought the Hornady Lock n Load Classic kit. While it was more expensive, I knew I would be adding components to any other kits anyway in the end, so when priced up, the full Hornady kit was going to be cheaper. I am very happy with the Hornady kit also.
2. I bought Lee dies in 308 and 223 and am very happy with these too. Buy the full 4 die kits too as these will work out cheaper when you decide you want to start neck sizing your cases only and give crimping a go.
3. As already stated, look after your dies and press equipment, it will rust if you don't take precautions against humidity and sweat. I bought a few of those sealed food containers to store the dies and give them a spray with G96 gun cleaner every now and then. I also use Hoppes Dry lube on the steel parts of my press.
4. Don't think you can protect your powder thrower with a wet spay protectant either. It just gets into the guts and wets the powder and blocks it up. That was a rookies mistake which was a failure and cost a day at the range and a bit of reloading components. Use Hoppes Dry lube on the outside only, and once lubed with graphite as per the manual, then the powder itself keeps it working fine.
5. If you are not a precision competition shooter, then reloading is not rocket science. But care and consistency is important when working up a load that your rifle likes. Once you have that recipe, then its up to you whether you are as meticulous or you are just loading ammo to hunt with. You wont get any complaints from a dead pig about your miniscule variations between each hand-loaded round.

Overall, I may not ever get a dollar return on what I have spent on the equipment, but that's not what everything is about in life either. I really enjoy learning a new skill and get a lot of satisfaction from shooting my hand-loaded ammo, especially when it shoots better in my rifles than any factory bought ammo; and that's the real point of tailor made ammo anyway.
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Re: I'm about to get into reloading

Post by Gamerancher » 15 Nov 2017, 8:31 am

Re: cost of reloading 6.5 Creedmoor
Straight up cost per round:
Projectile anywhere from $0.40 - $1.00, depending on whether you are loading hunting or high end target bullets.
Powder @ $60/500g ~ 40gr/ round = $0.31
Primers @ $9.00/100 = $0.09
The costs of cases in a per round scenario is subjective and entirely dependent on how you treat them. If you run loads to the maximum and don't look after them, case life can be very short. Run milder loads and look after them and 20+ reloads can be gotten out of quality brass without any problem.
As for the cost of reloading equipment, well, how deep is your pocket and how much do you want to spend? You can get pretty well set up from as low as $258 for the Lee Anniversary kit or go all out and spend up big, the choice is all yours.
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Re: I'm about to get into reloading

Post by juststarting » 15 Nov 2017, 8:58 am

Going to add to what Gamerancher said... If you buy say 1000 primers rather than 100, the cost could be around 4 or 5c. Same for powder, his is $60/500gm. Buy in 4kg tub and that goes to about $45-47/500gm.

Bullets are expensive, but there are a lot of good deals online, so you can definitely get it to 50-60c a bullet. Or even under 50c.

Keep in mind, this is long term game. When you start, you probably want to pay extra and buy small, that way you'd know what works and what doesn't. Keep what does, sell of what doesn't. Then stock up.
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Re: I'm about to get into reloading

Post by Gamerancher » 15 Nov 2017, 9:25 am

Talking to a newbie I didn't think he would be into buying in bulk at this point in time. Don't know what brand of primers you're using J.S, I buy in cases of 5000 and I can't get them that cheap!
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Re: I'm about to get into reloading

Post by juststarting » 15 Nov 2017, 9:34 am

Gamerancher, primers I'm almost out of are Federal, I got them for $65. Last weekend I've picked up S&B for $45 (never used them before, but the price was right) and at the same time I bought some Remington primers too for $65 (got a range of large and small rifle + large pistol). Though I got a discount on everything, I got few other things, so it would have been cheaper than that, but the sticker price was that. I also had CCI before that, but I don't remember what I paid for them, pretty sure they would be no more than $65 or I wouldn't buy them.
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Re: I'm about to get into reloading

Post by Gamerancher » 15 Nov 2017, 9:38 am

That's probably the one advantage of living in the big-smoke, lower prices. I usually use BR primers, so there is a premium paid there. I only quoted what I have seen as an average sticker price in the few country gun shops I visit.
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