First Time Poster--Short Time Reader
02-02-2006, 04:42 AM
#1
Typical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Colorado
Posts: 654
First Time Poster--Short Time Reader
First of all I would like to say thanks for the nice forum. I haven't been into reading these types of forums until recently when I decided that it was time to stop wasting money on Ammo and start reloading for myself.
I am quite a newb (or maybe a neophyte? in your terms) to reloading. But, hey, if you need any help with hacking Dish Network, then I am your man.
After some, actually a lot of reading here and a few other places, I want to make sure that I am on the right track.
I plan on reloading rounds for a few different types of ammunition for just myself as well as help out the father-in-law with some of his. I will be primarily working with 7mm Remington Mags for myself and a little 243, 270, and some 30-06 thrown in there. Right now though, just getting all of the info I can on the 7mm.
Reading here I see that RL22 is the best powder to use. Of course, that is and everything else reloaded related is just an opinion, but most have agreed upon that. I plan on using some Nosler BT's as well assomecheap Remington Core Lokt. Both in the 150 gr. department. The Remington's for just BS shooting and the BT's for more accurate shots. I am not into big game hunting. Prairie Dogs and Coyotes are on my ticket, but my girlfriend wants to go hunting with her friend and dad as well as her own dad, so there will be some actual use for the loads.
I have two 7mm Mags. One a Weatherby Vanguard and the other is a Savage 110. Both shoot very well with factory ammo, the Savage being the better of the two....and that is just for now. I have ran more through the Savage than the Weatherby, but for some reason, it seems that whenever I try to zero in the Weatherby, I encounter 15 mph gusts of wind at the range..
I know, poor me.
Anywho..Just wanting to make sure that I am on the right track. Still looking for a reloader. RCBS seems to be good, but Lee is cheap. "Always get what you pay for!" I know...I know. But they can't be all that bad, right? I am also seeing more and more that I will need to get a OAL gauge. Direct me please to a place that I can get one. I swear I saw one at the RCBS site, but can't find it again. I do already have a Tumbler, bullets, primers, and a Die Set on order. Going to use the once fire casings that I saved from before. I guess for now, I can look at my shinny brass until I figure out exactly what I want to do.
I am quite a newb (or maybe a neophyte? in your terms) to reloading. But, hey, if you need any help with hacking Dish Network, then I am your man.
After some, actually a lot of reading here and a few other places, I want to make sure that I am on the right track.I plan on reloading rounds for a few different types of ammunition for just myself as well as help out the father-in-law with some of his. I will be primarily working with 7mm Remington Mags for myself and a little 243, 270, and some 30-06 thrown in there. Right now though, just getting all of the info I can on the 7mm.
Reading here I see that RL22 is the best powder to use. Of course, that is and everything else reloaded related is just an opinion, but most have agreed upon that. I plan on using some Nosler BT's as well assomecheap Remington Core Lokt. Both in the 150 gr. department. The Remington's for just BS shooting and the BT's for more accurate shots. I am not into big game hunting. Prairie Dogs and Coyotes are on my ticket, but my girlfriend wants to go hunting with her friend and dad as well as her own dad, so there will be some actual use for the loads.
I have two 7mm Mags. One a Weatherby Vanguard and the other is a Savage 110. Both shoot very well with factory ammo, the Savage being the better of the two....and that is just for now. I have ran more through the Savage than the Weatherby, but for some reason, it seems that whenever I try to zero in the Weatherby, I encounter 15 mph gusts of wind at the range..
I know, poor me.Anywho..Just wanting to make sure that I am on the right track. Still looking for a reloader. RCBS seems to be good, but Lee is cheap. "Always get what you pay for!" I know...I know. But they can't be all that bad, right? I am also seeing more and more that I will need to get a OAL gauge. Direct me please to a place that I can get one. I swear I saw one at the RCBS site, but can't find it again. I do already have a Tumbler, bullets, primers, and a Die Set on order. Going to use the once fire casings that I saved from before. I guess for now, I can look at my shinny brass until I figure out exactly what I want to do.
02-02-2006, 06:37 AM
#2
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Berkeley Springs, WV
Posts: 1,293
RE: First Time Poster--Short Time Reader
Your 1st hurdle will be getting over the face your a Sterlin fan and trying to reload through the tears of watching him race.
For actual help though--2 of the places I buy alot of my reloading stuff from other then Cabela's is
www.midwayusa.com
www.natchezss.com
They seem to be pretty reasonable and have whatever you need.
For some free load data you can go right to the websites of the power manufactorers and they have a ton of load data right on their sites. The same with the bullet manufactorers.
I like using maninly RCBS and Redding stuff but everyone has their favorites.
For actual help though--2 of the places I buy alot of my reloading stuff from other then Cabela's is
www.midwayusa.com
www.natchezss.com
They seem to be pretty reasonable and have whatever you need.
For some free load data you can go right to the websites of the power manufactorers and they have a ton of load data right on their sites. The same with the bullet manufactorers.
I like using maninly RCBS and Redding stuff but everyone has their favorites.
02-02-2006, 07:20 AM
#3
Guest
Posts: n/a
RE: First Time Poster--Short Time Reader
ORIGINAL: #40Fan
First of all I would like to say thanks for the nice forum. I haven't been into reading these types of forums until recently when I decided that it was time to stop wasting money on Ammo and start reloading for myself.
I am quite a newb (or maybe a neophyte? in your terms) to reloading. But, hey, if you need any help with hacking Dish Network, then I am your man. After some, actually a lot of reading here and a few other places, I want to make sure that I am on the right track.
I plan on reloading rounds for a few different types of ammunition for just myself as well as help out the father-in-law with some of his. I will be primarily working with 7mm Remington Mags for myself and a little 243, 270, and some 30-06 thrown in there. Right now though, just getting all of the info I can on the 7mm.
Reading here I see that RL22 is the best powder to use. Of course, that is and everything else reloaded related is just an opinion, but most have agreed upon that. I plan on using some Nosler BT's as well assomecheap Remington Core Lokt. Both in the 150 gr. department. The Remington's for just BS shooting and the BT's for more accurate shots. I am not into big game hunting. Prairie Dogs and Coyotes are on my ticket, but my girlfriend wants to go hunting with her friend and dad as well as her own dad, so there will be some actual use for the loads.
I have two 7mm Mags. One a Weatherby Vanguard and the other is a Savage 110. Both shoot very well with factory ammo, the Savage being the better of the two....and that is just for now. I have ran more through the Savage than the Weatherby, but for some reason, it seems that whenever I try to zero in the Weatherby, I encounter 15 mph gusts of wind at the range.. I know, poor me.
Anywho..Just wanting to make sure that I am on the right track. Still looking for a reloader. RCBS seems to be good, but Lee is cheap. "Always get what you pay for!" I know...I know. But they can't be all that bad, right? I am also seeing more and more that I will need to get a OAL gauge. Direct me please to a place that I can get one. I swear I saw one at the RCBS site, but can't find it again. I do already have a Tumbler, bullets, primers, and a Die Set on order. Going to use the once fire casings that I saved from before. I guess for now, I can look at my shinny brass until I figure out exactly what I want to do.
First of all I would like to say thanks for the nice forum. I haven't been into reading these types of forums until recently when I decided that it was time to stop wasting money on Ammo and start reloading for myself.
I am quite a newb (or maybe a neophyte? in your terms) to reloading. But, hey, if you need any help with hacking Dish Network, then I am your man.
After some, actually a lot of reading here and a few other places, I want to make sure that I am on the right track.I plan on reloading rounds for a few different types of ammunition for just myself as well as help out the father-in-law with some of his. I will be primarily working with 7mm Remington Mags for myself and a little 243, 270, and some 30-06 thrown in there. Right now though, just getting all of the info I can on the 7mm.
Reading here I see that RL22 is the best powder to use. Of course, that is and everything else reloaded related is just an opinion, but most have agreed upon that. I plan on using some Nosler BT's as well assomecheap Remington Core Lokt. Both in the 150 gr. department. The Remington's for just BS shooting and the BT's for more accurate shots. I am not into big game hunting. Prairie Dogs and Coyotes are on my ticket, but my girlfriend wants to go hunting with her friend and dad as well as her own dad, so there will be some actual use for the loads.
I have two 7mm Mags. One a Weatherby Vanguard and the other is a Savage 110. Both shoot very well with factory ammo, the Savage being the better of the two....and that is just for now. I have ran more through the Savage than the Weatherby, but for some reason, it seems that whenever I try to zero in the Weatherby, I encounter 15 mph gusts of wind at the range..
I know, poor me.Anywho..Just wanting to make sure that I am on the right track. Still looking for a reloader. RCBS seems to be good, but Lee is cheap. "Always get what you pay for!" I know...I know. But they can't be all that bad, right? I am also seeing more and more that I will need to get a OAL gauge. Direct me please to a place that I can get one. I swear I saw one at the RCBS site, but can't find it again. I do already have a Tumbler, bullets, primers, and a Die Set on order. Going to use the once fire casings that I saved from before. I guess for now, I can look at my shinny brass until I figure out exactly what I want to do.
I got away with not using a OAL guage (measures at the ogive) for years. Its a nice to have thing.Other things to me that are impossible to do without is a powder trickler. Some guys use little film canisters. With the 7mm rem mag, it takes a fair amount of stick powder and you can't always throw it great.
02-02-2006, 09:41 AM
#4
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Texas - BUT NOW in Madison County, NY
Posts: 6,270
RE: First Time Poster--Short Time Reader
Reading here I see that RL22 is the best powder to use.
First of all, welcome to the ranks of handloaders! Basically, all rifles are individuals, and what works well in one may not be worth two hoots in another, and vice-versa! For example, while RE 22 is a very good powder for the 7mm Mag. (and many others!) it is not necessarily THE BEST OF ALL POSSIBLE powders in EVERY7mm Rem.Mag. I get better accuracy and higher speeds with 175 grain Nosler Partition bullets usingIMR 7828 in my 26" barreled 7 Mag. than I can get with RE 22 in that particular rifle. I have also had good results with H4831 in the 7mm Remington case. And don't disparage the Remington Corelokt bullets too much! They can often surprise you with their accuracy. The 7 Mag. group shown below was fired at 200 yards with the 175-grain Remington bullet using Norma N205 powder, which is similar to RE 22.
All the cartridges you listed are bottleneck rifle rounds, and thus reloading each of them will require the same procedures, just different bullets and powders. I am sure you will enjoy meeting the challenge of producing ammo that is individually prepared for each of your guns, and I am confident that you will master the art of making ammo that is better suited to your needs and uses than any factory round!!
Good luck!
First of all, welcome to the ranks of handloaders! Basically, all rifles are individuals, and what works well in one may not be worth two hoots in another, and vice-versa! For example, while RE 22 is a very good powder for the 7mm Mag. (and many others!) it is not necessarily THE BEST OF ALL POSSIBLE powders in EVERY7mm Rem.Mag. I get better accuracy and higher speeds with 175 grain Nosler Partition bullets usingIMR 7828 in my 26" barreled 7 Mag. than I can get with RE 22 in that particular rifle. I have also had good results with H4831 in the 7mm Remington case. And don't disparage the Remington Corelokt bullets too much! They can often surprise you with their accuracy. The 7 Mag. group shown below was fired at 200 yards with the 175-grain Remington bullet using Norma N205 powder, which is similar to RE 22.
All the cartridges you listed are bottleneck rifle rounds, and thus reloading each of them will require the same procedures, just different bullets and powders. I am sure you will enjoy meeting the challenge of producing ammo that is individually prepared for each of your guns, and I am confident that you will master the art of making ammo that is better suited to your needs and uses than any factory round!!
Good luck!
02-02-2006, 01:26 PM
#5
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: A flat lander lost in the mountains of Northern,AZ
Posts: 3,171
RE: First Time Poster--Short Time Reader
yep i started with lee products too just needed somewhere to start especially at the time my budget was quite limited. But over time Ive switched to Hornady progressive presses I have a Lock-N-Load AP press and recently just a bought a 366 progressive 12 gauge press. I still buy and use lee die sets I dont know why but I do like them the best over other dies, i also do have a couple sets of rcbs die sets. Last year i did buy a lee classic cast press it is deffinately a first class cast iron press it produces some very uniform ammo.
IMO the lee powder measure throws the most consistent loads I tend to prefer it over my hornady L-N-L powder measure though I do use both about the same. My Lee challenger press has found its permanent purpose of resizing pistol brass.
Though you might start out with lee products, you will likely become more serious about reloading and find the need for better stuff but as you progress you will still find uses for the lee stuff so in honesty lee products arent really a waste of money to start out with, as many seem to insenuate. Also if you arent sure how serious you might become about reloading Lee is deffinately the most econmical way to get into it in the event you decide you dont want to do it anymore atleast with the lee products you wont be out tomuch hard earned cash.
When I started reloading with lee products I was only in it about 200 bucks and was loading for 4 calibers and producing decent ammo. Now Im probably in it about 2 grand worth of equipment though im making ammo faster the quality is about the same as loading away on the old challenger single stage press. I take alot more time with my rifle cartridges, ive actually got slower with the rifle caliber reloading but im turning out some seriously @n@l retentive quality handloads loads. good luck
IMO the lee powder measure throws the most consistent loads I tend to prefer it over my hornady L-N-L powder measure though I do use both about the same. My Lee challenger press has found its permanent purpose of resizing pistol brass.
Though you might start out with lee products, you will likely become more serious about reloading and find the need for better stuff but as you progress you will still find uses for the lee stuff so in honesty lee products arent really a waste of money to start out with, as many seem to insenuate. Also if you arent sure how serious you might become about reloading Lee is deffinately the most econmical way to get into it in the event you decide you dont want to do it anymore atleast with the lee products you wont be out tomuch hard earned cash.
When I started reloading with lee products I was only in it about 200 bucks and was loading for 4 calibers and producing decent ammo. Now Im probably in it about 2 grand worth of equipment though im making ammo faster the quality is about the same as loading away on the old challenger single stage press. I take alot more time with my rifle cartridges, ive actually got slower with the rifle caliber reloading but im turning out some seriously @n@l retentive quality handloads loads. good luck
02-02-2006, 04:56 PM
#6
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: MD
Posts: 4,572
RE: First Time Poster--Short Time Reader
My killer load for 7 mag is 66.5 gr Re 22 and 140 B/T's seated to 3.31
eldequello mentioned about 7828 working well for him, but I have found the 7828 works better for the heavier .284 bullets (160 and up) while the Re 22 works better for the lower gr bullets.
eldequello mentioned about 7828 working well for him, but I have found the 7828 works better for the heavier .284 bullets (160 and up) while the Re 22 works better for the lower gr bullets.
02-12-2006, 08:09 PM
#7
Typical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Colorado
Posts: 654
RE: First Time Poster--Short Time Reader
Hey guys. Been a while since I have been able to do anything on the internet. Glad to see some responses.
Too bad that you had to knock Sterling Marlin. I guess that I have to be a fan of Stremie now.
I ended up getting a Lee Aniversary Kit. It really isn't that bad of a kit. Not as well built as the RCBS, but seems to do the job very well. I even bought a RCBS die set as well as the Lee to compare the two. Both do a great job. I kind of like the All In One bullet seater and crimper of the RCBS but the Factory Crimp Die of Lee's really kicks ass.
After getting the kit and decapping/resizing over 200 rounds and getting them cleaned up, I went looking for powder. There are a few places around town that sell powder. None sell ReLoader 22 or any Reloader powder. I was able to find some IMR4831. Bought a pound of that and started loading a few test rounds.
I began at 50 grains loading 10 cartridges and worked my way up by 2 grains to 56. Got a chance to go out and shoot and none showed any signs of excessive pressure. So I came home and loaded 10 more with 58 grains and took them out.
I was impressed with the results. They all shot great at a 100 yards. Still no signs of excessive pressure. The temp was in the 50s so I didn't want to go any further until I was able to test in higher temps, but I went ahead and loaded another 20 at 58 grains.
Another chance to shoot and I set up a target at200 yards and here is the best group of three shots that I got. Shooting off of sand bags. If I can get these results every time I will be very happy. The worst group that I got was about 2 inches.
When the weather warms up I plan to make sure that the 58 grains is still not to much and go up from there if I can.
One thing though, this is actually quite fun reloading. Not only saving bucks but gives me something to do. It wasn't that hard to learn how to set everything up either. Using a couple of cordless drills to speed up the primer pocket cleaning, case trimming and deburring really helps as well. Might have to pick up one of those units that holds all of those tools for you.
Thanks for the help guys.
Too bad that you had to knock Sterling Marlin. I guess that I have to be a fan of Stremie now.
I ended up getting a Lee Aniversary Kit. It really isn't that bad of a kit. Not as well built as the RCBS, but seems to do the job very well. I even bought a RCBS die set as well as the Lee to compare the two. Both do a great job. I kind of like the All In One bullet seater and crimper of the RCBS but the Factory Crimp Die of Lee's really kicks ass.
After getting the kit and decapping/resizing over 200 rounds and getting them cleaned up, I went looking for powder. There are a few places around town that sell powder. None sell ReLoader 22 or any Reloader powder. I was able to find some IMR4831. Bought a pound of that and started loading a few test rounds.
I began at 50 grains loading 10 cartridges and worked my way up by 2 grains to 56. Got a chance to go out and shoot and none showed any signs of excessive pressure. So I came home and loaded 10 more with 58 grains and took them out.
I was impressed with the results. They all shot great at a 100 yards. Still no signs of excessive pressure. The temp was in the 50s so I didn't want to go any further until I was able to test in higher temps, but I went ahead and loaded another 20 at 58 grains.
Another chance to shoot and I set up a target at200 yards and here is the best group of three shots that I got. Shooting off of sand bags. If I can get these results every time I will be very happy. The worst group that I got was about 2 inches.
When the weather warms up I plan to make sure that the 58 grains is still not to much and go up from there if I can.
One thing though, this is actually quite fun reloading. Not only saving bucks but gives me something to do. It wasn't that hard to learn how to set everything up either. Using a couple of cordless drills to speed up the primer pocket cleaning, case trimming and deburring really helps as well. Might have to pick up one of those units that holds all of those tools for you.
Thanks for the help guys.
02-12-2006, 08:24 PM
#8
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: MD
Posts: 4,572
RE: First Time Poster--Short Time Reader
ORIGINAL: #40Fan
02-13-2006, 08:26 PM
#10
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 493
RE: First Time Poster--Short Time Reader
My first choice would have been 4831 based on burning rates, although i've never loaded 7mag. It's just a little more capacity than 270win. I started loading on RCBS equipment back in the early 70s and now I do most of mine on a Lee 4 hole turret press and I like it much better. Ialso have a RCBS uniflow powder measure which isn't as accurate as my son in law's lee measure. I have a Dillon RL 550 which I load my .40 cal ammo on, but for rifle it is the Lee. I haven't read any opinions about the Lee collet size dies ,but I just love them, no lubing ,no stretching and almost no trimming-----and verrrry accurate ,whatta yall thank!
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