Handloading Update: An Excerpt from the 2011 Gun Digest

The RCBS Bullet Feeder set up on the RCBS progressive loading press. It feeds the bullets, base down, directly into the feeding tube, ready to be dropped into the case mouth.

Reloaders need reliable reloading data. Thankfully, such data for factory, obsolete, and even wildcat cartridges is all over the place.

The hardbound volumes of data, such as those by Barnes, Hornady, Lee, Nosler, Speer, and others, or the large, softbound volumes of Lyman, Accurate Arms, etc., are enormously valuable. Their only downside is the lapse time between new editions. A recent trend is toward a smaller paperbound manual or magazine-size volume of data issued yearly, often by powder manufacturers or distributors. One of the most informative, the Hodgdon Annual, is issued by the Hodgdon Powder Company and published by Shooting Times.

The latest Hodgdon Annual features one less than a dozen excellent articles on reloading by well-known writers, plus the latest loading data for 135 rifle cartridges, from the .17 Ackley Hornet to the .50 BMG, and 72 handgun cartridges from the .22 Remington Jet to the .500 S&W Magnum. In addition there are a few other valuable features, including a table of Relative Burn Rates for powders, rated from the fastest (Norma R1) to the slowest (Vihtavouri 20N29); a table of Powder Usage for various pistol, rifle and shotgun powders; a description of many of the powders currently on the market; and a legend of the abbreviations used in the manual. (Data is provided for ten different 6.5mm cartridges, including two of the newest, the 6.5 Grendel and the 6.5 Creedmoor, but not for the older 6.5mm Remington Magnum.)

No loading data for shotshells is provided in this manual, but for each of the rifle or handgun cartridges, load data is provided as follows, for specified bullets (the bullet being listed by weight, brand name, bullet type, diameter and overall loaded cartridge length): powder, grains, velocity (instrumental) and pressure (CUP) for both starting loads and maximum loads. Other data provided for the loads for a specific cartridge include the case used (Federal, Hornady, Remington, Sierra, Winchester, etc.), trim length, primer brand (type and size), barrel length and rate of twist. It doesn't get much better or more complete than this.

Lyman Products will have a new Cast Bullet Handbook available by the time you read this. This is the fourth edition and the first new one in thirty years. The entire Lyman line of pistol and rifle bullet moulds will be chronicled, along with data for some moulds by other manufacturers whose bullet designs will be of interest to reloaders of cast bullets. A number of new cartridges since the third edition will be featured, such as the .327 Federal, along with some new black powder loads for a number of the popular older cartridges, especially those regaining status among Cowboy Action. A number of authoritative “how to” articles are also featured.

In addition to having some new cartridge loads available, plus a couple of new cartridges for U. S. shooter, Hornady Manufacturing has several new components and a couple of great equipment items for handloaders. The Lock-n-Load Power Case Prep Center was introduced last year. Combining a power trimmer with primer pocket uniformer, cleaner, reamer, flash hole deburring tool, case mouth chamfer and deburring tools, etc. , the Case Prep Center takes up little space on the reloading bench.The two new Hornady tools include the Lock-n-Load Auto Charge and the Sonic Cleaner.

The Auto Charge has a scale capacity of 1,000 grains and will weigh accurately to within 0.1 grains. Finished in Hornady red with a clear plastic hopper, the machine features an easy-to-use keypad with backlit display, manual and automatic dispensing options, plus trickle function, overcharge protection, and several other unique features. A side-mounted clean-out spout or drain makes emptying the hopper a real breeze. An electric Hornady powder scale with a 1,000-grain capacity should be available about the time you read this.

Sonic parts cleaners have been available and in use by the automotive industry and others for a good many years. Now Hornady has a Lock-n-Load Sonic Case Cleaner. The new Cleaning unit can hold up to one hundred .308-size cases, or two hundred cases of .223 size. Coupled with a unique cleaning solution called One-Shot Sonic Cleaner, available in one-quart containers, this device, which features a digital timer, uses ultrasonic action to literally blast away carbon and dirt building up from the outside, inside, and even the primer pocket areas of the cases. (The cleaner can also be used on small parts.) No tumbling, no vibrating, just put in the One-Shot, place the dirty cartridge into the solution, set the digital timer, and the Sonic Cleaner will take care of the rest.

In addition to the the new Auto Charge and Sonic Cleaner for handloaders, Hornady will have unprimed brass available in 6.5 Grendel, .338 Marlin Express and 9.2 x62mm, with the same available as Lock-n-Load Modified “Series A ” cases for the O.A.L. Gauges. Custom Grade, Series I two-die sets are available for the 6.5 Grendel, and a number of new FTX seating stems are available for use in seating dies. These FTX stems are available in five calibers, from .30 to .50, and for bullet weights up to 300 grains.

One handy item to have on the loading bench is the Die Maintenance Kit. This Kit includes spare decap pins, zip spindles, retaining rings, Sure-Loc ring, a decap retainer, and an Allen wrench. Another handy new items is the Universal Shellholder Extenstion. It isn't needed often, but it's worth its weight in gold when it is.

For the really dedicated handloader who wants to form a large number of standard cases into an improved design, without having to fireform, Hornady has the answer: a Hydraulic Form Die Kit. It's available in two basic sizes: for cases under 2.60 inches or less in length and for cases 2.601 to 2.999 inches in length. Prices are under $200. Custom dies are also available (form, size, seat, trim, etc.) as a single die, or up to a four-die set, depending on the cartridge.

It's not new reloading equipment, but new to the Hornady line is the 5.45x39mm loaded with a 60-gr. V-MAX in the Varmint Express line. No loading dies, yet. Another item, not related to handloading per se, is the Hornady Cartridge Introduction Board. Featured in a shadow box display are 21 the of the SAMMI cartridges which the Hornady firm has introduced since 1988, from the rimfire to the big bores.

Other new Lyman products for handloaders include a Big Dipper Casting Furnace, Big Dipper Casting Kit, Cast Iron Lead Pot, Magnum Inertia Bullet Puller, and a Universal Case Prep Accessory Kit. The Big Dipper Furnace has a 10-lb. capacity, features heavy-duty aluminum construction with a stable non-tipping design, and operates on 115 volts.

Heat-up time is rapid, with control to +/- 10 degrees. (The Casting Kit contains the BD furnace, a casting dipper, ingot mould, Super Moly Bullet Lube and the Lyman Reloading and Cast Bullet Guide – everything needed to get started in casting bullets, except for a bullet mould of the required size.) The Cast Iron Lead Pot has a 10-lb. lead capacity and is flat-bottomed to reduce tipping. A heat source, such as an electric hotplate, is needed to melt the lead and keep it hot. (With the older iron pot I used to use a tripod, similar to what plumbers used at one time, over a single gas flame; it worked.)

To salvage the components when you make a reloading flub, the new Magnum Inertia Bullet Puller will be handy. With a full size handle for comfort, the Puller features a head design capable of handling case sizes from the FN 5.7x28mm to the largest magnum. Insert cartridge, secure cap, strike puller on a solid sur face. (A 6×6-inch square, inch-thick plate of cold-rolled steel works very well as a surface on which to strike the Puller.)

Then unscrew the cap and remove the bullet, powder and case. Depending on the cartridge, bullet seating depth, and crimp tightness, two or more strikes may be necessary, but it will eventully remove the bullet.

The Universal Case Prep Accessory Kit features eight small tools to fine-tune trimmed cartridge cases prior to reloading. Packaged in a folding zippered storage pouch are a pair each of primer pocket reamers (small and large), primer pocket cleaners, primer pocket uniformers, and inside and outside deburring tools to eliminate the sharp edges on a trimmed case mouth. A new Carbide Cutter Head for the Lyman Case Trimmer and a new Universal Carbide Case Trimmer are available. (The Carbide head holds its sharp edge much longer than the regular steel trimmer head.)

Nosler

Nosler has several new bullets for handloaders, including some lead-free BT (Ballistic Tip) .204, .224, and .243 designs for varmint shooters. Designed to perform best at high velocity (a minimum of 1600 fps is recommended with no upper limit), these bullets feature a fragmenting copper core. Nosler now has new unprimed brass for the 6.5x55mm Mauser, .300 WSM and .375 H & H Magnum cartridges, and custom loaded ammunition for the last two cartridges.

A new, expanded (848 pages) Nosler Reloading Guide, No. 6, features loading data for 117 cartridges. Each cartridge section begins with an introduction by a different well-known industry name or writer, relating personal experiences, advice, or anecdotes. “Comments From The Lab” are presented for many of the cartridges. Written by the Nosler ballistics team, they provide advice and insight for working up safe, effective and accurate loads.

Load data for each cartridge is presented in a graphic format with easy-to-read bar graphs giving the reader a quick comparison of load velocities for each bullet weight. These graphs also permit a comparison between powders, making powder selection for a specific cartridge easier and faster than before. (Starting, intermediate and maximum loads for each powder listed are provided for each cartridge.)

Redding Reloading Equipment has a number of new die sets available, plus some new calibers in the regular die sets. (The G-R Carbide Push-Thru Base Sizing Die to resize the base section of fired .40 S&W cases were mentioned last year, and it's a excellent die for reloaders of large quantities of .40 S&W ammunition using once-fired brass.) Now available in the regular Series D die sets for bottleneck case are full length and neck-sizing dies for the .260 Remington Improved (40°), 6.5 Creedmoor, .370 Sako Magnum, and .458 SOCOM cartridges.

(Individual dies and Deluxe sets are available, but no trim and form dies for these cartridges.) Redding has new National Match Die Sets available for the .223 Remington, .308 Winchester, and .30-06 Springfield cartridges. These three-die sets, which list for over a pair of C-notes, include a full length sizing die, competition bullet seating die, and a taper crimp die.

(Taper crimp dies are available for handgun cartridges that headspace on the case mouth, and for the following additional rifle cartridges: 6.5 Grendel, 6.8 Remington SPC, .30-30 Winchester, 7.62x39mm, .300 Winchester Magnum, and .300 Remington Ultra Magnum.)

Benchrest shooters and any other handloader interested in obtaining maximum accuracy from their handloads can now obtain an “Instant Indicator” Headspace and Bullet Comparator for two additional cartridges, the .204 Ruger and .338 Lapua Magnum.

(The Instant Indicator, with or without the dial indicator, is currently available for 34 different rifle cartridges. It can be used on any family of cartridges that have the same shoulder angle.) It is supplied with the proper bore diameter bushing, surface contactor, shoulder contactor, headspace gauge, and complete instructions.

Its use permits the sorting of bullets and sized cases for uniformity – uniformity of shoulder bump, bullet seating depth, trimmed case uniformity, and comparison of fired cases to sized cases for headspace differences. It can even be used to sort cases fired in different rifles, determine when cases need trimmed, and sort loaded ammunition for uniformity.

Any handloader with a loading press and a set of dies, but lacking other essentials, might check out the Redding Versa Pak Reloading Kit. It contains all the other items, powder measure, case trimmer, case lube and pad, powder funnel, powder scale, etc. that simplify the handloading process, including a new Hodgdon reloading manual and a DVD titled “Advanced Handloading Beyond the Basics.”

Bullet pullers and feeders seem to be the hot items at present for reloading equipment manufacturers. RCBS has a new Pow'r Pull kit and two two Bullet Feeder kits for their progressive presses. The Pow'r Pull features a rugged one-piece body, plus cap, and comes with three chucks to accommodate cases heads from the 5.7x28mm to the Winchester WSM and Remington RUM families. (By the way, NEVER attempt to pull bullets from rimfire cartridges using an inertia bullet puller.)

The RCBS Bullet Feeder kits are available in two sizes, one for 22- or 30-caliber rifle cartridges, and one for handgun calibers from 9mm to .45 ACP. The Feeders operate on 110 VAC, with adapters for United Kingdom, Australian, and continental European use included. Designed to fit onto most 7/8″x14 threaded progressive presses, the Feeders orient the bullets to drop into the feed mechanism, but are for jacketed or FMJ bullets only and not for use with lead bullets, cast or swaged.

Hopper capacities are approximately 250 (22-caliber) or 100 (30-caliber) bullets for the rifle caliber feeder and 200 for the handgun caliber feeder. The Feeders carry a two-year warranty and are said to increase the loading rate by as much as 50%.

Keeping loading presses, dies, etc., cleaned and lubed is a necessity for both successful and long-term operation. RCBS has a couple of Die/Press Lube Kits: one kit for loading dies and a separate one for loading presses. These kits contain the necessary chemicals and brushes to permit proper cleaning and ensure equipment longevity.

RCBS has added six new calibers to their loading die lineup.

These include the .30 T/C and .338 Marlin Express to the Group A line, and 6.5 Creedmoor, .30 Remington AR, .338 Norma Magnum, and .416 Ruger to the Group D line. Full-length die sets and neck sizer dies are available, but no trim dies at present.

Not exactly new, but for those handloaders of the really big bore, RCBS has die sets for the .416 Barrett, .460 Steyr, and .50 BMG cartridges, in addition to a Safari Series line covering seven calibers from the .404 Jeffery to the .505 Gibbs. If what you need isn't available, RCBS does have a listing of nearly 650 “special order” die sets. (Note that the firm no longer produces one-of-a-kind custom die sets.)

Sierra, The Bulletsmiths, has a new laminated countermat that illustrates the entire Sierra line of bullets, including the Long Range Specialty Bullets, from .22 to .338. Other non-bullet items of interest to the handloader include four reloading videos, VHS or DVD, plus an advanced video, “Beyond the Basics.” Handloaders wanting to check out exterior ballicstics can do so on the Sierra Infinity, Version 6, Computer Software.

This software, which is available in CD-ROM format only, has the entire 5th Edition of the Sierra Rifle and Handgun Reloading Manual integrated into it. An Infinity Mobile program is also available for handheld computers, using the Windows Mobile Operating Sysem, Versions 5.0 and above. Previous Page

This article is an excerpt from Gun Digest 2011. Click here to get your copy.