[jimkim]

Download Reloader's Reference here. Reloaders' Reference | Get Reloaders' Reference at SourceForge.net

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Reloaders' Reference A desk reference for metallic cartridge Reloading My goal was to produce a single reference that contains all the publicly available data for metallic cartridge reloading from documented sources. This meant taking all the free reloading manuals from various companies, along with all the data on their websites and building a database. I also added as many cast bullet loads as I could find from documented sources without using copyrighted materials. I wanted a system that I could quickly find data in so wrote my code in SQL. Then other people expressed an interest in it and it transitioned to access so I could incorporate forms instead of Select statements. The database is currently about a year old and I am happy to say that I believe I have achieved my early goal. From there, the project has evolved to include other calculations and additional data. Mold specifications and an alloy calculator for the casters in the bunch, Surplus Powder data for those interested in working with the milsurp powders, trajectory tables and Point-blank-range calculations for the hunters, etc... My hope is that it will continue to grow and evolve. I am currently investigating Coppock's Model of Internal Ballistics and beginning to design ideas for a predictive model similar to that in Quickload. I need to thank those who have helped along the way, especially the author of Baltraj as his work provided the basis or the trajectory calculations. I hope you find this reference helpful and please do make suggestions for features or lend a hand if you are in a position to do so, I'd welcome the help.

http://reloadersrfrnce.sourceforge.net/

[jimkim]

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Rifle Shooter Magazine 6 Steps To Great Handloads A little extra work at the bench brings better performance in the field. By Wayne van Zwoll 1. Start with cases from the same maker and preferably from the same lot. 2. Check flash-hole diameter. 3. Measure the cases, base to mouth. 4. Deburr the flash hole with a flash hole deburring tool inserted from the case mouth. 5. Deburr the case mouth inside and out with a deburring tool. 6. Measure neck-wall thickness at four points around the perimeter of the neck.

6 Steps To Great Handloads

[jimkim]

Mo loads.
Caliber: .44 Magnum
Bullet: Oregon Trail 300-gr. FP
Primer: CCI #300
Brass: Starline, 44 Magnum
Sixgun: 5 1/2-inch Custom Ruger Bisley

LOAD MV 15 SHOTS/50 FT

8.0-gr. Unique 972 1 7/8"
9.0-gr. Unique 1,065 1 7/8"
8.0-gr. HS-6 790 1 1/8"
9.0-gr. HS-6 892 2 1/2"
10.0-gr. HS-6 952 1 3/4"
7.0-gr. Universal 888 1 3/4"
8.0-gr. Univeral 981 1 3/4"
9.0-gr. Universal 1,077 1 7/8"
6.0-9r. WW231 781 1 1/2"
7.0-gr. WW231 894 2"
8.0-gr. WW231 979 1 1/2"
6.0-gr. N-100 858 2"
7.0-gr. N-100 929 1 7/8"
8.0-gr. N-100 1,044 2 3/8"
6.0-gr. Red Dot 862 1 3/4"
7.0-gr. Red Dot 929 1 7/8"
8.0-gr. Red Dot 1,020 1 3/8"
6.0-gr. Bullseye 864 1 3/8"
7.0-gr. Bullseye 981 1 3/4"

Carliber: 45 Colt
Bullet: Oregon Trail 300-gr. FP
Primer: CCI #300
Brass: Starline, 45 Colt
Sixgun: 5 1/2-inch Custom Ruger Bisley

LOAD MV 5 SHOTS/50 FT

8.0-gr. Unique 895 2"
9.0-gr. Unique 972 1 7/8"
9.0-gr. HS-6 791 1 3/8"
10.0-gr. HS-6 846 1 3/8"
7.0-gr. Universal 770 1 1/4"
8.0-gr. Universal 864 1 3/8"
9.0-gr. Universal 994 1 3/4"
7.0-gr. WW231 816 1 1/4"
8.0-gr. WW231 911 1 3/8"
6.0-gr. N-100 834 2"
7.0-gr. N-100 912 1 1/4"
8.0-gr. N-100 985 1 1/2"
6.0-gr. Red Dot 817 2"
7.0-gr. Red Dot 884 1 3/4"
8.0-gr. Red Dot 988 1 3/4"
5.0-gr. Bullseye 736 1"
6.0-gr. Bullseye 835 1 5/8"
7.0-gr. Bullseye 931 1 1/4"

Caliber: 454 Casull
Bullet: Cast perfomance 325-gr. LBT
Primer: Federal #200
Brass: Feedom Arms 454
Sixgun: 4 3/4-inch Freedom Arms .454 M83

LOAD MV 5 SHOTS/50 FT

8.0-gr. Unique 845 1 3/8"
9.0-gr. Unique 906 1 3/4"
10.0-gr. Unique 989 1 3/4"
9.0-gr. HS-6 767 1 3/4"
10.0-gr. HS-6 826 1 5/8"
11.0-gr. HS-6 884 1 3/4"
8.0-gr. Universal 847 1 3/4"
9.0-gr. Universal 941 1 1/2"
10.0-gr. Universal 1,005 1 3/8"
8.0-gr. WW231 857 1 1/4"
9.0-gr. WW231 924 1 1/4"
7.0-gr. N-100 870 1 5/8"
8.0-gr. N-100 943 1 3/4"
9.0-gr. N-100 985 1"
7.0-gr. Red Dot 830 1 5/8"
8.0-gr. Red Dot 931 1 3/4"
9.0-gr. Red Dot 986 1 3/4"

Caliber: 480 Ruger
Bullet: Cast Performance 370-gr. LBT
primer: CCI #300
Brass: Hornady .480 Ruger
Sixgun: 4 3/4" Freedom Arms M83
.475 Linebaugh With .480 Cylinder

LOAD MV 5 SHOTS/50 FT

8.0-gr. Unique 784 1 3/4"
9.0-gr. Unique 895 1 3/8"
10.0-gr. Unique 996 1 5/8"
10.0-gr. HS-6 811 1 3/8"
11.0-gr. HS-6 865 1 1/8"
12.0-gr. HS-6 954 1 1/8"
7.0-gr. Universal 757 1 1/8"
8.0-gr. Universal 855 1 3/8"
9.0-gr. Universal 927 1 1/4"
10.0-gr. Universal 999 1 1/4"
8.0-gr. WW231 803 1 1/8"
9.0-gr. WW231 892 1 1/4"
10.0-gr. WW231 994 1 1/4"

Caliber: .475 Linebaugh
Bullet: Cast Perfomance 395-gr. LBT
Primer: CCI #300
Brass: Buffalo Bore .475 Linebaugh
Sixgun: 4 3/4-inch Freedom Arms .475 M83

LOAD MV 5 SHOTS/50 FT

8.0-gr. Unique 827 5/8"
9.0-gr. Unique 868 1 1/4"
10.0-gr. Unique 930 1 3/8"
11.0-gr. Unique 994 1 1/2"
11.0-gr. HS-6 813 1 1/4"
12.0-gr. HS-6 862 1 1/8"
13.0-9r. HS-6 930 1 1/4"
14.0-gr. HS-6 981 1 1/2"
8.0-gr. Universal 796 1 3/8"
9.0-gr. Universal 858 1 3/8"
10.0-gr. Universal 915 1 3/4"
11.0-gr. Universal 995 1 1/2"
9.0-gr. WW231 831 1 1/8"
10.0-gr. WW231 890 1 3/8"
11.0-gr. Universal 940 1 1/2"

Caliber: 500 Linebaugh
Bullet: Cast Perfomance 410-gr. L
Primer: CCI #300
Brass: Buffalo Bore .500 Linebaugh
Sixgun: 5 1/2" Custom Ruger Bisley

LOAD MV 5 SHOTS/50 FT

10.0-gr. Unique 795 1 3/8"
11.0-gr. Unique 845 1"
12.0-gr. Unique 908 1"
14.0-gr. HS-6 796 1 3/8"
15.0-gr. HS-6 849 1 3/8"
11.0-gr. Universal 819 1 1/8"
12.0-gr. Universal 910 1 1/4"
10.0-gr. WW231 802 1 1/4"
11.0-gr. WW231 833 1 1/4"
COPYRIGHT 2004 Publishers' Development Corporation
COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group

"Practice" loads for big-bore sixguns - page 5 | Guns Magazine

[jimkim]

Here's a pretty good article.

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What the Instructions Don't Tell You The instructions that come with loading dies are understandably brief. After all, most handloaders are men and we men only read instructions as a last resort. If we do read them, they had better be short and to the point or we are prone to toss them aside with a suitable but obscene comment and just dive right in on our own. So the instructions that came with your set of dies are appropriate for the intended consumer and will get you started quite well. I suppose you could say the instructions that come with dies are the original "Quick Start" instructions that are common these days with a variety of products that men might get their hands on. But for those who have mastered the basics and would like to learn the more advanced techniques of case sizing that will improve accuracy, lengthen case life, and all but eliminate the chances of case head separation, the following are step by step instructions for adjusting full length size dies for bottleneck rifle cartridges. The instructions begin, obviously enough, down where it says, "Step One", but bear with me a few paragraphs and I will explain why precise size die adjustment is important.

here's the link to the rest of the article. What the Instructions Don't Tell You

You'll be glad to know this data base is searchable, and from what I've seen , FREE.

Here's another one.

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Scary Variables Reloading rules to live by: Do not try to outsmart your reloading manual. Gumbo can be assembled from a lot of different ingredients. You can add a lot of things (some not really indentifiable) and still have gumbo. The varieties are endless, and you really have to work at it to screw things up. Not so with reloading. Reloading handgun calibers, especially. Shotshell reloading is an absolute recipe; you assemble exactly the components called for in the book. Rifles and handguns give us a little leeway, but if you go too far afield you can find yourself in trouble. This is the tale of how I managed to blow up my Colt Delta Elite 10mm not once, but twice. I will omit certain details because the lesson is not in the details, but rather in the details ignored. I was working as a gunsmith while reloading huge volumes of ammo for competition and practice. My customer came to me with a 10mm problem: His gun didn't work reliably with his new load, and, in his last practice session, he blew a case. The pistol (an S&W 1026, the very definition of stout) was unharmed. The magazine was toast, and he was unharmed. Could I help? What my customer had done was a multi-variable interpolation. He had guessed the powder charge he needed by looking at powders that were close in burn rate to the powder he wanted to use and jumbled their velocities and powder charges together to come up with what seemed like a useful load, using the powder in between and not listed by the manufacturer. You can't do that! His desire to save money and not buy another pound of a different powder to load properly was what had gotten him in trouble.

http://www.gunsandammomag.com/cs/Sat...D1198098376868

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Q. How do changing various components affect chamber pressure and velocity? A. Changing components can definitely affect things as the tables below show for the .308 Winchester cartridge. As you can see from the data, a change of almost 8,000 cup or more is possible simply by changing one component. If multiple changes occurred the effect could be even greater, and if the initial load was at or near maximum one could easily get into dangerous territory. This is especially true of small capacity cases in high intensity rounds like the 9 x 19 mm where case capacity can vary greatly. Note: These results were typical under the conditions tested. Your firearm and ammunition may behave differently so don't use this as loading data.

Follow link to see test results. http://www.frfrogspad.com/miscelld.htm

[jimkim]

Revolver accuracy with cast bullets.

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A beginner’s guide to ……revolver accuracy 1. Start with a bullet that has a reputation for being a good bullet. A few examples are: the 250 K in 44, the H&G 68 in .45 acp, and the H&G 51 in 357. Is this bullet going to be used as a hunting, target, plinking, or combat load? This will be a factor in what bullet design you decide to use. You might want a round nose bullet to use in a speedloader or a swc for hunting. I have found that a plain base bullet will often shoot better than a bevel based bullet in the same design. Wheel weights are great raw material for casting revolver bullets. 2. Make sure that your lead and your molds are hot enough. Many of the more experienced casters run their pots at maximum heat. You can preheat your molds on a hotplate while your pot is coming up to temperature. I cut a wood block to hold my mold handles so the mold can sit flat on the plate while it preheats. 3. Start with powders that are known to give good accuracy with cast bullets. 2400, AA#9, and 296 are good powders for max loads. Bullseye, 231, and Unique are good powders for midrange and target loads. Work up your loads in increments of .3 of a grain of powder. You should be able to see trends in the groups. You can always try more powders if these don’t work for you. 4. Start with a good lube. There are many good recipes for lube, but if you buy a good one to start with, you can eliminate a variable while you are beginning. After you are doing well in your casting and sizing, then it would be time to experiment with different lubes if you want. Your budget will have to decide what method of lubing and sizing you are going to use. 5. Check the barrel with a push through slug to see if there are any restrictions, particularly where the barrel is screwed into the frame. If there is a restriction, firelapp using LBT’s techniques until the restriction is gone. Slug the barrel to see what size it is. A bullet one thousandth over bore size often works well. 6. The cylinder exit hole should not be smaller than the size of the bullet you are sending down range. Have a gunsmith open up the cylinder holes so your bullets are not swaged down before they enter the barrel. This is also something you can do yourself. The ultimate boolit size is that which requires felt finger pressure friction when pushed through the Largest cylinder exit. The size chosen should not be so large as to cause a loaded cartridge to have any felt friction when placed into the Smallest cylinder 7. At this point you need to decide what your accuracy goals are. Will you only shoot at combat distances, or are you going to shoot at longer ranges, or is the ultimate goal to shoot silhouette at 100 or 200 meters? 8. Test your loads by shooting your gun off the bench. If at all possible, put optics on the gun that you will be testing. The optics can help you remove human error while you shoot for groups. You can take the optics off after testing if you want. You may find that the point of impact often varies when shooting from the bench and shooting offhand. You should shoot groups at the distances you intend to shoot. You may find that many bullet/powder combinations will fall apart at 50 yards and beyond. 9. Keep targets and accurate records. Check and see if groups are round, or elongated. The shape of the groups can be indicators of problems with grip and technique. I also think you should consider adding a chronograph to you toolkit. Knowing your velocity is an important ingredient in working up loads. I don’t have one yet, but I will in the future. 10. Enjoy yourself. There is quite a bit of satisfaction in shooting the bullets you cast, not to mention the savings. I load and cast so I can shoot more for the money I spend. I like being able to shoot a bucket full of ammo instead of a couple boxes of store bought bullets....crabo Crabo, that is very good. Add to paragraph 6: The ultimate boolit size is that which requires felt finger pressure friction when pushed through the Largest cylinder exit. The size chosen should not be so large as to cause a loaded cartridge to have any felt friction when placed into the Smallest cylinder. ... felix A beginner's guide to revolver accuracy - Cast Boolits

[jimkim]

Here's some articles about primers.
The Rifleman's Journal: Primers - Large Rifle Primer Study
http://riflemansjournal.blogspot.com...mer-study.html Check out the Remington 7 1/2's.

Here's a thread with links to cast bullet manufacturers. http://www.go2gbo.com/forums/index.p...,144909.0.html

http://www.baldwin-telecom.net/~vernand/

[jimkim]

I wish someone would combine these posts so there aren't so many.

Innovative Technologies - Reloading Equipment
I'm trying to find some links to little known manufacturers. Add some if you have them.

http://www.shooters-supply.com/reloading_equipment.html

Here's a link to a bullet database. http://www.shootforum.com/forum/bulletdb.html

[cekkk]

Sorry for not knowing where and how to ask this question, but I've purchased two handguns this year I'd like to get familiar with but can't find more than the rare box of ammo. So I'm interested in loading my own so I can start shooting again and see if a couple of my friends are as good as they say they are. I can't hunt anymore so it's targets for me, which means lots of rounds. So I'm asking, are all the things I'll need, primers, powder, easily available, hardly available, and is it still way cheaper to load than buy boxed stuff? If it matters, I'd be loading .380, .38 special, 9mm, .223 and .308 for now. Two retired LEO friends reload a lot and will give me good help and safety training but I just don't want to get started with them yet so I'm asking here.

[gandog56]

After the initial investment hand loading is WAY cheaper. But it all depends on how much you shoot till it starts paying off.

[cekkk]

Thanks for that. Luckily, I can shoot off my back deck, so I'll fire a few if I get started. But I'll have to pay a hasmat fee if I can find powder and stuff online as it's way cheaper than driving to the closest city.

[heilung]

A quick safety tip. Melting lead especially at max heat, will VAPORIZE the lead. Then it condenses on things, or you breath the fumes. Be sure the pot is well ventilated. I made a fume hood out of that black plastic flexible drain irrigation pipe, the one without drain holes, and a spare computer cooling fan, using a discarded power supply ( all free stuff).
My buddy had been casting a lot of .45 bullets in his garage. He hadn't been feeling well, (don't remember his symptoms), and his smart doctor checked a hair sample. He had lead poisoning!. Over time it cleared up, maybe he got some pills, I don't remember.
That white powder on old lead is DANGEROUS. Including old FISHING WEIGHTS! It is Lead Oxide and soluble in water, especially hot water. Fresh clean lead is pretty safe, it's insoluble.
Prevention is simple: WASH YOUR HANDS, DON'T EAT WHEN SHOOTING or RELOADING. Wash your hands before you eat. Mom was right.
Heilung

[mouser868]

The most important thing a newbie to reloading need to know is how to READ!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[jimkim]

I found something new. I hope I'm not duplicating anything.
40 S&W IPSC Loads.http://www.precisionbullets.com/PDF/maashl40sw.pdf

[hillbilly86]

I've been wanting to start reloading my own ammo but didn't know where to really begin. This help point me in the right direction on all my questions.
Thanks Jim

[GlockMeister]

I wanted to add yet another great resource for handloaders/handloading. I did look through the posts to see if it was already linked. I didn;t see it but there was so many links I honestly might have missed it? If I did, my bad. But like I saw previously said about something else that was posted again, "I'm glad it was reposted, because I missed it the first time". So, maybe this was missed by someone the first time and they'll be glad this too was reposted.

Anyhow, I came across an excellent reloading website. I also like the roller handle the guy is making and selling for the Hornady LNL AP Press, also linked below.

Ultimate Reloader

Ultimate Reloader Roller Handle for Hornady Lock-N-Load AP Ultimate Reloader

[jimkim]

New link. Ammo and Reloading Supplies

[Klub Jdub]

Hi JimKin...

I'm a Newbie reloader. When Im depriming my casing and then releasing it to put in a new primer my Rock Chucker.... (It's the older version, about 50 plus years old) is really hard to release. Popping the primer out is difficult too. What am I doing wrong. I lubricate the inside of the casing, but maybe not enough. Hope you can help. Jdub

[jimkim]

It sounds like you're just lubing the inside of your cases. If that's the case, try lubing the outside too.

[M14man]

Quote:       Originally Posted by Klub Jdub

Hi JimKin... I'm a Newbie reloader. When Im depriming my casing and then releasing it to put in a new primer my Rock Chucker.... (It's the older version, about 50 plus years old) is really hard to release. Popping the primer out is difficult too. What am I doing wrong. I lubricate the inside of the casing, but maybe not enough. Hope you can help. Jdub

What caliber are you reloading, and what exactly do you mean by 'release'
There is a slight resistance as the primer is knocked out, and then on the reverse movement of the handle there is a resistance as the expander ball goes thru the neck. Then a resistance again as one seats the primer.

[jimkim]

I love these pictures. Anybody know of a better sight with more pictures.

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