How To Reload Ammo

Manual loading or reloading has several functions. It allows shooters to become familiar with the ammo and significantly reduces the cost of shooting. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions before attempting to reload ammo.

Let’s move on to the steps of manual reloading.

Inspect

Take the time to carefully inspect each grip. The cartridges you use are the basis of the quality of the hand reloaded ammo, so be sure to inspect them carefully. Look for dents, dings, cracks, or corrosion. Anything that compromises the holster can cause pressure problems in the gun chamber.

Cleaning

After inspecting them, it’s time to clean them. Soak the plugs in a cleaner, which can be dry or liquid. For reloading, you can use RCBS Formula 1 walnut shell; It is made from finely chopped walnut shells that are mixed with a polisher. Then place the medium in a vibrating cleaner and let the cleaner do the work.

You can also clean your bushings with RCBS Ultrasonic Bushing Cleaner. This electronic device uses a cleaning fluid to keep your plugs perfectly clean. Simply pour the ultrasonic plug cleaning solution into the receptacle, put your gloves on the basket, and place the basket in the receptacle. When finished, empty the floor using the drain hose provided.

Resizing

After cleaning the plugs, it is necessary to change their size. Each time a cartridge is fired, the brass box expands and contracts slightly, changing its shape. The shots should be as close as possible to their original size.

This requires the use of a calibration die in combination with a reloading press. One of the oldest and most popular reloading presses is the RCBS Rock Chucker Supreme. Made of cast iron and covered by a lifetime warranty, it is robust and has a handle that uses composite lever. The sizing die is attached to the press and, once properly adjusted, resizes the chucks to the specified dimensions by compressing the chuck walls and resizing the chuck neck.

The RCBS Rock Chucker Supreme also removes the old cylinder head during the resizing process.

Trim

After resizing your case, measure it with a compass to check its length. If it is not correct, you will have to cut it to the correct length. Use a manual or electric cutter.

Final preparation

After cutting the overlay you will need to further prepare it by deburring the overlay opening and the primer hole, cleaning the primer cavity and chamfering the neck of the overlay. Chamfering and deburring the neck of the case creates a small angle for easy insertion of the bullet into the case

Place the primer

After preparing the baseboard, it is time to apply the primer. Be careful with primers so as not to damage or contaminate them with oils, solutions or liquids. You can purchase an automatic priming system for your Rock Chucker Supreme or you can use one of RCBS’s hand priming tools. The goal is to ensure that the bait is placed in the bait bag at the correct depth.

The correct driving depth is flush with the catch head. If the primer is too shallow, you may accidentally activate the primer when you are not pulling. Over-tightening risks crushing the primer and causing ignition failure. Note: Plugs with bent or folded priming bags require special attention. The post must be removed to insert a new primer.

Powder loading

All stages of manual loading are crucial, but powder loading tops the list of important steps. If there is too much powder in a cartridge, it can be catastrophic.

How do I know how much powder to charge? Use a reloading guide. Manuals such as Nosler’s Reloading Guide offer new manual loaders, the ultimate resource for loading. The manual contains information on the minimum and maximum loads for a given bullet weight and brand of powder. It also indicates which loads gave the most accurate results.

Once you know the correct powder charge for your application, be sure to measure it correctly. A few grains less in your load may not look like much on paper, but it can make the difference between a fun day of shooting and a visit to the emergency room. Using tools such as the RCBS Uniflow powder meter and the Range Master 2000 electronic powder scale can ensure that your loads are correct.

Weigh your charges, adjusting the measurement if necessary. After finding your weak point, fill the boxes with powder charges, stopping periodically to check that your measurements haven’t changed.

Positioning the bullet

The last step is to place the bullet in the case. A positioning die, provided in the die set, ensures that the bullets are placed at the correct depth. The reloading guide will provide the correct measurements for the total length of the bullet. Insert the case into the press cartridge holder and hold the bullet over the case opening to guide it into the die while pulling the press handle. You will feel some resistance during the initial insertion. Next, you will need to remove the cartridge and measure the entire length again to see if you need to insert the bullet deeper. A long cartridge will not fit into the magazine of the rifle and will not function properly. Bullets placed too deep can cause increased pressure in the chamber, so care must be taken during this process.

Once the bullet is in place, it may be necessary to crimp it. This compresses the barrel of the holster around the bullet so that it no longer moves into the holster when the firearm recoils. All pistol cartridges need to be crimped and so do some rifle cartridges. Using high recoil lever and semi-automatic weapons may require crimping the bullet. In general, crimping is not necessary for repeating rifles. Remember that crimping tends to increase pressure.

Developing and Improvement

Handloading is a complex process. Reading these steps can make the process oppressive. Since mistakes are always possible, distractions like cell phones and televisions have no place in the reloading room.

Take your time and focus on the task at hand. Good luck and good loading! Superior Ammo and Mags are available on Firearmssuppliers.com gun shop.