Arik 565 Posted October 30, 2009 Report Share Posted October 30, 2009 For someone starting to reload for the fisrt time is this a good kit? Looking to reload x51 (.308), x39, x54 What kind of bullets, brass, primers, powder should I be looking for. I started to look around but there is so much stuff out there. Kinda got lost in all of the products. For instance I found some cheap 30cal (.308) and it took me a little while to realize it was for a .30 carbine. Not what I was looking for in a 308. Point me in the right direction...PLEASE!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
evildog 20 Posted October 30, 2009 Report Share Posted October 30, 2009 First and foremost, get a good reloading manual like Hornady or Speer. There are others also and make your decisions from there. It will have what works best for accuracy in what caliber your doing. Just go slow and you'll be fine. It can be a great way to relax doing when the snow flys and you can find what works best in your guns over factory loads. Good luck Quote Link to post Share on other sites
IndyArms 10,186 Posted October 30, 2009 Report Share Posted October 30, 2009 Read the "reloading" topic stickied at the top of this section... It will walk you through most of your questions... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mscottrogers 56 Posted October 30, 2009 Report Share Posted October 30, 2009 (edited) Get yourself a good reloading book or look online at hornady,hogden or alliant for recipes. these loads are all different and you will need separate dies. 7.62x51 is .308, 7.62x39 is about .310 or 311 I believe, and 7.62x54r is .311 or 312. You need to do a barrel slug for your 54r. You can find instructions online. basically you will grease your barrel, very important and hammer a fishing weight( sinker) into your barrel from the muzzle and push it through with a wooden dowel. then measure it to get the exact size of your barrel. I did this with my psl to get the exact size. By the way the best reloaders on the market are Dillon. Had a friend that went through every manufacturer before he found out and it saved me a ton of stress and cash for brass you need to get boxer primed brass because that is what is popular for all the reloading machines. It has one hole in the base of the flash hole versus 2 that the berdan primed brass is. http://www.shootguns.info/ammo.htm http://data.hodgdon....tridge_load.asp http://www.surplusri.../slug/index.asp http://www.realguns....ads/762x54r.htm these are a good start Edited October 30, 2009 by utahhandyman Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mullet Man 2,114 Posted October 30, 2009 Report Share Posted October 30, 2009 FYI Hornady is running a special right now for up to $300 in free projectiles (choice of cailber) when you buy one of their reloading systems. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
HillBilly2 9 Posted October 30, 2009 Report Share Posted October 30, 2009 Go to Amazon and get "The ABC's of Reloading", any edition. It will really help you get a perspective on the basics. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
buckandaquarterquarterstaff 5 Posted November 6, 2009 Report Share Posted November 6, 2009 For someone starting to reload for the fisrt time is this a good kit? Looking to reload x51 (.308), x39, x54 What kind of bullets, brass, primers, powder should I be looking for. I started to look around but there is so much stuff out there. Kinda got lost in all of the products. For instance I found some cheap 30cal (.308) and it took me a little while to realize it was for a .30 carbine. Not what I was looking for in a 308. Point me in the right direction...PLEASE!! The Lee classic cast turret press is what I'd recommend. It's capable of doing pistol rounds at a much higher rate than a standard press, and it's quite rugged (you will eventually want to load pistol rounds). As mentioned, get a good reloading manual FIRST, then decide what you want to invest in. Also, if you can find some locals that reload and can walk you through loading even a dozen rounds you'll be much wiser about it than you can be by just reading about it. Check out the videos on youtube about basic reloading, and any that are on the websites of equipment manufacturers. I'd strongly advise you to spend about 3x as much time as you think is needed in gathering and processing info about reloading and the products before spending your first dime. You learn all sorts of stuff by re-reading books and talking to others. Along the way, I produced some real crap ammo, that could have been better if I'd known now what I didn't know then. Get 2 sources of data for each and every caliber, bullet, and powder combo you want to load with when you start out. Start on the low side of powder charges and use the lower charge to learn reloading before working up anything near the pressure limits. Good luck, it's a worthy thing to spend time learning. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
spitstickler 1 Posted November 19, 2009 Report Share Posted November 19, 2009 Go to Amazon and get "The ABC's of Reloading", any edition. It will really help you get a perspective on the basics. ^^^ +1 Definitely a very good book, and a great first step to understanding what's what as far as reloading goes. I bought this and read through it several times before I bought any components or reloading gear when I was getting started. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
eric1785 15 Posted November 24, 2009 Report Share Posted November 24, 2009 Google hodgen reloading data they have a great program setup, you select your case bullet weight and it gives you a list of weights and powders, pretty neat ive used it for awhile now. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Frank Rizzo 8 Posted November 26, 2009 Report Share Posted November 26, 2009 Thats the same kit I started out with, used it for a few months, learned the ropes, then moved to a progressive press. I can only echo what the others have stated. Find a good reloading book, start looking at what you want to reload, and try to find powders and primers that will work across the board. Buy your powder in 8 pound jugs if you can, it's cheaper that way, and you'll go through it quicker than you may think. Dont automatically start loading max charges. Thats one of the most important things I learned early on. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.