Rhodes1968 1,638 Posted August 24, 2009 Report Share Posted August 24, 2009 Due to to unfortunate events I find I have to do my reloading as inexpensively as possible. I dont want to skimp on quality but I dont want to spend a penny more than I have to to reload 308 and 7.62x54 Russian. Those are the only two I will be reloading. The goals of this project are on 308 to cut down on the cost per round and gain some accuracy and the 54R for accuracy alone. The problem; I know reloading on the 308 will have to contend with the way the Saiga dents the brass on eject. Presses and Dies or other equipment keeping it as inexpensive as possible Primers- which ones are working out best Brass- what kind and where to get it Powder- what works best in a 20-21" S308 or a 22" Mosin. I trying to piece together everything primarily using Lee's products but would really appreciate some knowledgeable advise from you experienced guys. Thanks in advance Quote Link to post Share on other sites
IndyArms 10,186 Posted August 24, 2009 Report Share Posted August 24, 2009 I reload for both... You may want to go to the auto parts store, get some trim moulding, and cut a chunk to fit the edge of the dust cover, to keep the brass from getting mangled. With that said... You can go cheap... but how cheap is cheap? check out the RCBS all inclusive case loading kits available... should be all you will need. ( even though it isnt... see my stickied "reloading" thread at the top of this section... also my " got the sniper load all set" post in here as well for a kickass recipe!! ) brass can be found anywhere... I would start with GRAF and SONS they have one price shipping for whatever you buy. Stick with one powder that will intermix for both... VARGET would be my first choice... whatever large rifle primers you can get will work... and go from there... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rhodes1968 1,638 Posted August 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 25, 2009 I reload for both... You may want to go to the auto parts store, get some trim moulding, and cut a chunk to fit the edge of the dust cover, to keep the brass from getting mangled. With that said... You can go cheap... but how cheap is cheap? check out the RCBS all inclusive case loading kits available... should be all you will need. ( even though it isnt... see my stickied "reloading" thread at the top of this section... also my " got the sniper load all set" post in here as well for a kickass recipe!! ) brass can be found anywhere... I would start with GRAF and SONS they have one price shipping for whatever you buy. Stick with one powder that will intermix for both... VARGET would be my first choice... whatever large rifle primers you can get will work... and go from there... Thanks a ton! Looking at a single stage press from Lee I know it isnt the best but its enough for my small needs, only about 500 a month tops. Time isnt that much an issue. The where to buy info was needed the worst. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
IndyArms 10,186 Posted August 25, 2009 Report Share Posted August 25, 2009 I use a single stage lee for all of my cartridge reloading... Your best bet for powder and primers is to find them locally... otherwise you get creamed in hazmat fees when they ship.... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rhodes1968 1,638 Posted August 27, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 27, 2009 I like most of Lees gear. They have a talent for getting the price down without affecting quality. Yeah and thats not working out well either. May take primers a bit longer to come back since ammo makers are still running full bore. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
IndyArms 10,186 Posted August 27, 2009 Report Share Posted August 27, 2009 Thankfully I dont have to worry about such things... I have about 75 pounds of different powders ( 50 pounds of that is for the .50 BMG) 12 or so for shotshell reloading and the rest for pistol and rifle reloading... and probably close to 20 thousand primers of all flavors... 50 BMG as well as large and small rifle in standard, magnum, and benchrest... as well as large and small pistol in standard and magnum... as well as 7 or 8 diferent brands/types of 209 primers for whatever shotshell load I need to make... The little mom and pop gunshops might be your best bet for finding primers and powders... I know the big box outdoors stores are usually WAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYY overpriced... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Darth AkSarBen 20 Posted August 27, 2009 Report Share Posted August 27, 2009 I have Lyman .223 dies and got a stuck case and then went with the LEE. Never regretted it. I still have the Lyman dies, but even my wife found out how much smoother and easier it is to resize with the LEE over the Lyman.. FWIW. I use door modling and have no issues with AK dings now. I also use a LEE single press and it's cheap but it's doing a great job!! Use Magnum primes if you can find them. Reason: Just reduce the load a bit to prevent over pressure on extruded powders but they are pretty much necessary for complete ignition of ball (spherical) powders, such as BLC-2 (example). Might as well just buy ONE primer and not have to have separate ones lying around. You can use regular LR primers, but when loading the ball powders, won't give you as good of a seal as the magnum primers will. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rhodes1968 1,638 Posted September 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 18, 2009 That door molding is one of the best working ideas I seen in a long time, works so well. I neck size only since its going back into the same rifle that fired it and hope to get better accuracy and longer case life. If I get a second 308 that be have change though I could keep them separate or just use steel in the second one. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
John O. 0 Posted September 18, 2009 Report Share Posted September 18, 2009 That door molding is one of the best working ideas I seen in a long time, works so well. I neck size only since its going back into the same rifle that fired it and hope to get better accuracy and longer case life. If I get a second 308 that be have change though I could keep them separate or just use steel in the second one. I wouldn't think neck sizing would work in a semi auto. Any feeding issues? I will stick to full length sizing. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Darth AkSarBen 20 Posted September 18, 2009 Report Share Posted September 18, 2009 +1 !! I would strongly advise against neck sizing. On any Semi Auto, they always recommend full length resizing. On my resized rounds, even the full length, when you put one in the chamber after sizing, and close the bolt it is a very tight fit, almost to the point that I am concerned that it does not FULLY go into battery. The last thing you want is the bullet to fire if it is not in fairly secure battery. Factory closes and is tight. My resized brass closes and is EXTRA tight. Neck sizing would be even worse. My 2 cents. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rhodes1968 1,638 Posted September 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 19, 2009 Haven't had any problems yet. Just using the Lee Classic Loader, the one you use a soft hammer instead of a press. So far no issues see how it goes. I do a slow rate of fire any way, so checking battery is something I do anyway out of habit. The brass should not be that tight as you describe, brand of brass perhaps? I use mil-spec. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mtjccmotel 12 Posted October 13, 2009 Report Share Posted October 13, 2009 +1 !! I would strongly advise against neck sizing. On any Semi Auto, they always recommend full length resizing. On my resized rounds, even the full length, when you put one in the chamber after sizing, and close the bolt it is a very tight fit, almost to the point that I am concerned that it does not FULLY go into battery. The last thing you want is the bullet to fire if it is not in fairly secure battery. Factory closes and is tight. My resized brass closes and is EXTRA tight. Neck sizing would be even worse. My 2 cents. Check your case length, depending on how many times you have fired the brass it will stretch and eventually need to be trimmed. I have found that with the 308 depending on the type of brass it will sometimes stretch beyond the maximum length after firing once. On all my rifle cartridges, I will size then trim to proper length to ensure that the bolt will continue to lock properly. In addition to a case trimmer you should invest in a neck chamferring tool. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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