Ammo

Partisan Ammo

Reloading

Reloading

by Charley Moriarty

So, you want to shoot that "pet" Mosin-Nagant. Milsurp ammo is almost all corrosive ball, and Norma hunting ammunition is too damned expensive. What choice does one have? Reload!

Reloading or hand loading is a fairly simple process. Any competent adult who can pay attention to detail can reload safely and effectively. Cost? hand loading can be as cheap or expensive as you wish. Generally, more expensive equipment allows one to load faster, not necessarily better.

Let’s look at the reloading process. We will look at tools and components later on.

Step 1: Inspect and clean your brass if needed. Clean brass (free from dirt, grit, etc.) is a MUST! Shiny brass, on the other hand, is not needed. Most reloaders reach the point where they want polished brass, but it is not needed. Inspect the brass for cracks, split necks and the like. For the beginner, use only new or once fired brass. Later, as your knowledge and experience increase, you can pick up and use all that brass that non-reloaders leave at the range.

Step 2: Install the sizing die and shell holder in your press. Adjust the die by following the manufacturer’s instructions. Usually, one screws the die into the threads on the press until it contacts the shell holder at the top of the stroke, then the die is backed out one-half a turn, and locked in place with the die’s locking ring.

Step3: Lubricate the clean cases. There are many lubes on the market, ranging from spray on to waxes to greases. (I like Dillon’s spray lube. It is an alcohol/lanolin mix that is effective and easy to apply) Lee has a very good wax lubricant that works well and removes easily. Cover the case neck and body with a thin layer of lubricant- stay off the shoulder, or you will form "lube dents", places where the lube is trapped in the die and pushes in parts of the case shoulder. They do no harm, as long as they are small, but they look bad.

Step 4: Run the lubricated cases into the sizing die. Clean the lube from the first case, and try it in your rifle. If the case chambers, great. Size the rest. If the case will not chamber, you will need to adjust the sizing die down until it will chamber. ( Always try a case in the rifle you will shoot it in. Believe me, it is a royal pain in the butt to size and load a batch of ammo, then discover it will not chamber in your rifle.!)

Step 5: Clean lube from all the cases, using cleaner suggested by the manufacturer. Lee suggests using detergent and water to remove their wax lube. Other lubes can be removed with alcohol, mineral spirits, or other solvents. Use a solvent that will not leave a residue. Some folks use old bath towels to wipe cases with, others use paper towels, but the important thing is to remove the lube. Lubricant left on the case attracts all kind of dirt and debris, and it also will not allow the brass to cling to the rifle chamber walls when fired, increasing thrust on the bolt.

Step 6: Prime cases using appropriate primers. All boxer primed 7.62x54R brass I have seen takes large rifle primers. I like CCI and Winchester primers, but that is personal prejudice. Use whatever brand you wish, but be consistent. Do not switch primer brands in the midst of reloading a batch of ammo. Cases can be primed on the press or on a separate hand tool, such as the Lee or RCBS priming tool.. I prime on the press, generally. Clean hands are a MUST when handling primers. Any oil contamination can cause a misfire.

Step7: Charge cases. This can be done with a powder measure, powder scoops, or a scale and powder trickle. As a general rule, starting and midrange loads can be measured by volume, using a powder measure or scoops. Top end loads should be weighed on a scale. Until experience is gained, I suggest staying with midrange loads.

Step 8. Install the seating die into the press, and back out the adjustment for the seater. Take an unprimed, uncharged case and set a bullet in the case mouth, then raise the ram into the die. You can feel the bullet enter the case mouth. Check overall length with a caliper and/or your rifle magazine. Keep adjusting the seater until the bullet is seated properly in the case and the cartridge is the correct overall length.. Check this round in your rifle’s magazine and chamber. NEVER DO THIS CHECK WITH A LOADED CARTRIDGE! USE THIS DUMMY ROUND ONLY! When you are satisfied that the overall length and bullet seating depth is correct, then load bullets into the charged cases and run them into the seating die. Label the dummy round as to bullet type and overall length. If you load another bullet type and change die adjustment, use the dummy round to readjust the die back.

Step 9: Record all reloading data on labels and affix them to the cartridge boxes or bags. Include the caliber, bullet type and weight, powder and charge, and primer type. These are a minimum to record. Some reloaders record date, lot numbers, measurements, and many other items. Always label your ammunition in some way. You will not remember specifics, so write them down!

Reloading Tools

Disclaimer! In this section, I will try to give an overview of available reloading tools and, in some cases, my opinion of the tools or a suggested use. I’ve reloaded a bunch of ammo over the years, and I know what works for me. These are just suggestion. If tool "A" works better for you, and tool "B" works better for me, great. I’m not out to promote or badmouth a specific brand or piece of equipment.

Presses

You don’t need a press to reload! At the bottom end of the price scale for reloading equipment is the famous (or infamous) Lee Loader. This is a die set wherein the fired case is driven into the resizer with a mallet, driven out with a mallet, reprimed with a mallet, and so on. This set can produce excellent ammo, but is noisy and glacially slow. I would recommend the Lee Loader only if your ammunition needs are very modest, and cost is the overriding concern.

Next up are the hand presses made by Huntington and Lee. These are presses that do not need to be attached to a bench.. The dies are screwed in place, and hand pressure moves the ram and case into and out of the die. These are advertised as a go anywhere reloading press. I would not reload at the range, there are just too many distractions, despite what the advertising claims are. I believe these are special purpose tools for use when bulk and weight are at a premium, as when on an extended trip where shooting and reloading are to be done.

Single stage presses are what many a dinosaur like me started reloading with. I do not believe there is a bad single stage press on the market now.

I prefer the "O" type press to the "C" type press, but either will work fine for most reloading purposes. Inexpensive presses are usually some sort of aluminum alloy, while the more expensive presses are cast iron. Cast iron is more durable, but even aluminum alloy presses will last thousands of rounds if properly maintained and not abused. Lee, Lyman, RCBS ,C-H, Hornady, Redding, and Dillon, among others, manufacture single stage presses.

Turret Presses are somewhat faster than single stage presses. The turret press holds the reloading dies in a turret that moves the dies over the ram. Usually, two or more operations can be done at the same time. Lee, Lyman, and C-H produce turret presses.

Last, but not least, is the progressive press, where several operations are done simultaneously. Many produce a loaded round with every pull of the handle.

I suggest progressives for experienced reloaders only, although many people start with them. I use a Dillon 550B for the bulk of my reloading. Lee, RCBS, Dillon, and Hornady are the major players in this market.

Dies

The die set is what actually does the work of reloading. A bottlenecked rifle cartridge, such as the 7.62x54R, usually is reloaded on a two die set consisting of a sizing/depriming die and a seating die. A straight walled case, whether for rifle or e

I prefer Lee dies for military cartridges. The design of the sizing/depriming die allows the case mouth expander and depriming pin to slide up into the die if it contacts an obstruction. This means that when, not if, a piece of berdan primed brass ends up in your brass box, the deprimer will not break off. You simply loosen the collet that holds it in place, readjust, and continue to load. Lee dies allow us to circumvent Grennel’s Law, which states: "The number of berdan primed cases ALWAYS exceeds the number of replacement decapping pins by one."