The Reloading Process
The reloading process is the procedure used when assembling ammunition. This is when you use the reloading equipment that you have invested in and the reloading components that you have diligently searched out to put your cartridges together. The reloading process involves up to 5 steps which are:
Prepare the Brass
Prime the Cartridges
Charge the Cartridges
Press in the Bullet
Crimp the Case
Some of these steps are considerably more complicated than others, and some of them only take a few seconds to complete. Before I break down each of the steps in the reloading process let me first give you a few tips to get the most out of your reloading.
First, most reloaders assemble ammunition in batches of 20-50 cartridges doing one reloading process step at a time to all the cartridges. This speeds things up as you have certain tools out, and you use only those tools until all the cartridges are done. Working this way helps to make sure that everything gets done properly to all cartridges, and done in order. It is a good idea to reload in batches also to prevent burning yourself out, you don’t want to sit there and trim and chamfer 500 cases at once (trust me on that one, it was not fun!).
Second, keep your things on your reloading bench tidy and organized. Only get out what you are using for each step in the reloading process, and put it away when you are done. Simple things like only having one type of powder out at a time to keep from using the wrong powder (or pouring one type of powder back into another powder’s can) are essential. Have everything put away so you know right where it is too, the last thing you want is to go looking around for tools and then come back to the bench only to forget which step in the reloading process you are on.
Third, keep track of what is in your cartridges. Write down what the powder charge (weight and powder type) is in a certain lot of ammunition. Also record what bullet is in the cartridge, what the overall cartridge length (O.A.L. or C.O.L., abbreviations are interchangeable) is, and how many times the cartridge has been fired. All of these things are very easily forgotten, yet absolutely critical to know. You wouldn’t want to make a load that shot the best out of anything you’ve ever made only to get home and not remember what it was, would you?
I write down everything about my cartridges on pages in my shooting notebook. I’ve made a serial number up for my personal use (I call it a load code); it’s kind of like a VIN number on a car. By looking at the load code for a certain lot of ammunition I know everything I need to about it, from what primer is in it, to powder type and charge, to the number of times the brass has been fired, to the cartridges overall length, and much more. I’ve found this is the easiest way for me (coming from the car world where I am used to long codes) to know how my cartridges are made. You should use whatever system works best for you, just keep records.
Fourth, STAY CONSISTENT! Do your reloading processes precisely the same on every single cartridge. Cartridges must be the exact same or they will not shoot accurately. As with all things related to rifles and shooting and reloading, consistency is accuracy (you will see this again). Do your best not to get distracted with other things while in the reloading process. If you get bored with the reloading process to the point where you are rushing to finish and move on it will be much better for you to set your stuff down, take a break, then come back and resume once you are refreshed. The reloading process can be monotonous, but if you stick with it the results at the range are well worth it.
Ok, now to break down each step in the reloading process:
Prepare the Brass
First up in the reloading process is brass preparation. You will need to do many things with both new brass and fired brass to prepare it for loading. Brass preparation is also one of the most important steps when it comes to accuracy. There is much work that can be done to brass to improve consistency, and if your seeking the ultimate in accuracy you will spend the majority of your reloading time working on the brass.
The steps in brass preparation are:
Clean the Cases
Inspect the Cases
Size the Cases
Trim, Chamfer, and Deburr the Cases
Uniform the Flash Holes and Primer Pockets (remove crimp)
Turn the Case Necks
Anneal the Case Necks
Click on each link above to learn more about the steps for brass preparation.
Prime the Cartridges
This is a very easy and quick step regardless of how you do it. If you are not priming on the press than just fill the feed tray of the priming tool you are using, making sure the primers are all upright (usually by gently shaking the feeder tray side to side), then prime away. If you are priming on the press you will likely need to place each primer individually on the priming lever in the ram. This will slow things down a bit, but not too much.
It should not take a lot of force to press a primer into the primer pocket, but it should take some. If it takes too little force to press a primer into the pocket then the primer could fall back out, this is obviously bad. If you ever have a case that drops the primer back out crush and discard the case. When seating primers try to develop a feel for when the primer hits the bottom of the primer pocket. Getting the primers to bottom out in the pockets will reulst in the most consistent ignition of the powder. A primer should never sit above flush with the case head. If it does the bolt of the rifle may not be able to close, or worse yet, it may set the primer off while closing. You will get the hang of the correct primer depth quickly through practice.
One word of caution about priming cartridges; if it feels wrong, it probably is. If anything feels out of the ordinary when priming a cartridge STOP IMMEDIATELY and check to make sure everything is ok. Primers are pressure sensitive, and too much pressure can set them off in your priming tool. It is not terribly dangerous to have one go off unexpectedly at this point because there is no powder in the cartridge, but it sure will make you jump. This does bring up another point, you should always wear safety glasses when reloading from this step on. It will only take 1 piece of shrapnel 1 time to make you lose your eyesight permanently. It may never happen, but you should be prepared in case something does fly out at you. Wear your safety glasses!
Charge the Cartridges
This step in the reloading process consists of you measuring out a charge of your chosen powder, and then carefully pouring it into the cartidge. There are many ways to measure powder charges including mechanical powder dispensers, a scale and trickler, and electronic powder dispensers. Each method to charging your cartridges has advantages and disadvantages, but regardless the method every powder charge should weigh the same. Remember; consistency is accuracy. Click here to learn more about Powder Dispensing.
The powder charge’s weight is what controls the velocity of the bullet, and the pressure in the cartridge while firing. Generally speaking, a higher powder charge results in higher pressures and therefore higher velocity. Always stay within guidelines specified in your reloading manual, and always start developing a load at least 10% lower than the max recommended charge while watching very carefully for pressure signs. Too much powder in the cartridge can destroy your gun and put your safety on the line. Powder charge is one of the best ways to tune your ammunition to your gun in a process called load development. Click here to learn more about load development.
Press in the Bullet
Once you have charged the cartridges it is time for the next step in the reloading process, adding the bullet. I usually charge one cartridge, then press in the bullet, then charge the next cartridge and so on. You may find it more convenient to measure out all of your charges, then go back and press in all of your bullets; that is personal preference. Pressing in a bullet is a very easy operation. Set up your bullet seating die, put the charged cartridge in the press, sit a bullet loosely on top of the case mouth, and raise the ram all the way. You do want to try and have the bullet sitting as vertical as possible in the case mouth before raising the ram, otherwise you may seat the bullet slightly crooked (this is called bullet run out). The less run out the finished round has the better. Bullet run out is measured with a special tool called a concentricity gage, but this is typically only done by competition shooters that reload. The majority of us will never see the benefit in measuring bullet run out.
Bullet seating depth is very important for safety and accuracy. The recommended factory depth can be found in your reloading manual. It is adjusted by turning a knob on top of your bullet seating die and is one of the best ways to tune your ammunition to your gun. For more information on tuning your ammunition check out the Load Development page.
Crimp the Case
Crimping rifle cartridges is somewhat controversial as many see it degrading accuracy. I crimp everything, but I do not use the traditional taper or roll crimps that many use on pistol ammunition. I use a Lee Factory Crimp Die. It has a collet inside that squeezes the case mouth directly into the bullet when the cartridge is raised into it. This type of crimp greatly increases the amount of grip that the case has on the bullet, the effect is raising pressures before the bullet is released. By raising the pressure inside the case before the bullet is released we ensure much more consistent and even burn of the powder charge, therefore resulting in better accuracy. This die has taken 20% off of my average group size and made my groups far more consistent.
If you are loading hunting ammunition or for a semi-automatic rifle you will need to crimp your rounds. These result in rough handling of ammunition which can change the C.O.L. while the cartridge is in the gun.
All handgun ammunition should be crimped. Semi-automatic handguns are known for beating up ammunition, and revolvers can lock up the cylinder if the ammunition is not crimped. For handgun ammunition you have three crimping options, taper crimping, roll crimping, or the Lee Factory Crimp Die.
One other thing that some reloaders do is seal the bullets. This is done for better waterproofing, it is also rumored to aid in long term storage. A few companies like Makron offer a special bullet sealer that is much like clear fingernail polish.
That’s all there is too the reloading process. Although it is not really that complicated to assemble ammunition it is time consuming. It can seem a bit intimidating to see all of this information that you need to know but trust me; it’s not as bad as it looks. If you have any questions at all about the reloading process, or anything else related to reloading, please feel free to e-mail me personally from the Contact Me page. I will be happy to help.
Now that you have your equipment, and components, and have made some bullets, it’s time to tune your ammunition to your gun through a process called load development. This is where the magic happens, where you take something that goes boom and turn it into an absolute tack driver. Some people spend nearly a lifetime looking for the best load, experimenting different things aimlessly, but I will show you on the load development page how to narrow the playing field very quickly.
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