A Quick Reminder For All Loaders: Data & Load Info

[evan price]

Welcome to the OFCC Reloader's forum.

Feel free to share any and all information related to handloading your own cartridges, be it for cheap plinking ammo or highly accurate target loads or anything in between.

I would like to remind all who post here that this forum will be viewed by many skill levels of reloaders; there will be experienced hands as well as new loaders who may read our posts.

For that reason, please, if you post load data, keep it within published maximums. If you have worked up a pet load that is outside of the maximums and wish to share it, please indicate in the post somewhere clearly legible that the load is outside published maximums.

Experienced loaders know what will or will not work- however a new loader may not, and seeing someone's post regarding a heavy shutzenboomer load for the Ruger Super Warhawk might make them think they can load that in whatever gun they have- after all it worked for YOU.

Reloading and shooting is much more fun with both eyes and ten fingers.

Thank you for following this guideline, and happy shooting!

[mbradst]

Evan, I think it might be a good idea to include use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) while reloading. I don't remember seeing any post on this and we should probably have a sticky with a list of PPE and other safety related topics.

[NordicRX8]

might be a good idea to include use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) while reloading.

I didn't used to... but read about a primer tube explosion on another forum. I now wear safety glasses when reloading.

[xd]

I made a few mistakes in reloading my rifle rounds. my equipment is a Hornady single stage classic kit. It came with an anvil scale, hand primer tray, and powder measure. all of my first use mistakes came from reloading .308 rounds.

1. Decapping: I was using the "One Shot" spray that came with the kit. I sprayed each case and immediately started getting stuck cases in the die. After 5 stuck cases I finally read the directions. LET IT DRY FIRST, than decap and size.
2. Crimping: I used 165grn SST with canelure so I had to set up seating die for crimping into the canelure. The process is "feel pressure" during the adjustment and you have to move the seating die in very small increaments. What happens if you're not careful the die will compress the neck just enough to expand the cartridge body. Everything looks looks fine and the loaded round will chamber. When you get ready to shoot the round is stuck back just far enough so the pin will not hit the primer and you have a live round stuck in chamber and as hard as you work the bolt will not eject the cartridge. Always make 2 or 3 dummies then check the the cartridge body right at the neck.

[xd]

I have a pretty good level of low humidity in my basement, abour 60%, which causes more static charge on plastic parts. It was driving me nut because I was getting inaccurate powder weights and powder jumping out of the powder measure as I neared the top of the plastic tube.

If you use a powder drop and most of the ones I've seen have the plastic tube. Wrap them with an anti-static dryer sheet BEFORE filling the tube. Otherwise the grains will be popping out like popcorn as you get to the top.
Change them when you see the grains start sticking to the sides.

For those us who measure there loads frequently, a problem is getting all the grains in the pan with nothing bouncing out or sticking to side of the drop tube. Get a small plastic paint cap and cut out the center so it slides over the drop tube. When you crank the handle just keep the pan flush with the cap. Your weights will be coming out more consistent. The same dryer sheet will keep the static off the paint cap also.

[mreising]

I have a pretty good level of low humidity in my basement, abour 60%, which causes more static charge on plastic parts. It was driving me nut because I was getting inaccurate powder weights and powder jumping out of the powder measure as I neared the top of the plastic tube.

If you use a powder drop and most of the ones I've seen have the plastic tube. Wrap them with an anti-static dryer sheet BEFORE filling the tube. Otherwise the grains will be popping out like popcorn as you get to the top.
Change them when you see the grains start sticking to the sides.

For those us who measure there loads frequently, a problem is getting all the grains in the pan with nothing bouncing out or sticking to side of the drop tube. Get a small plastic paint cap and cut out the center so it slides over the drop tube. When you crank the handle just keep the pan flush with the cap. Your weights will be coming out more consistent. The same dryer sheet will keep the static off the paint cap also.

I use powdered graphite inside the powder hopper and drop tube. Just puff a little in there and spread it around. It will eliminate the static build up and won't have the potential to contaminate your powder charge as the fabric softener on the dryer sheets could. I dump the first two powder charges just in case there is an excess of graphite in them. It lasts a long time.

[Ruger97]

For those us who measure there loads frequently, a problem is getting all the grains in the pan with nothing bouncing out or sticking to side of the drop tube. Get a small plastic paint cap and cut out the center so it slides over the drop tube. When you crank the handle just keep the pan flush with the cap. Your weights will be coming out more consistent. The same dryer sheet will keep the static off the paint cap also.

Do you have pics?

[htower099]

308 cartridges do not require crimping.. may I suggest if you do want to crimp any ammo, trim the cases after sizing to minimum case length as listed in your loading data's first page of componets used, and case dimentions are listed there.. htower099