EDITION 7.0 Table of Contents

Table of Contents

GETTING STARTED: Considerations and Helpful Tips ..........................2

Setting Up...................................................................................................................2 A Reloading Place.......................................................................................................3 The Bare Essentials....................................................................................................3 The Chamber, the Throat and Neck Sizing...................................................................4

RELOADING BASICS ............................................................................5

Good Habits................................................................................................................5 Examine the Cases.....................................................................................................5 Lubing........................................................................................................................6 Sizing..........................................................................................................................6 Maximum Case Length and Chamfering.....................................................................7 Priming.......................................................................................................................8 Powder Charge............................................................................................................8 Bullet Seating.............................................................................................................9 Seating Depth and Pressure Changes.......................................................................10 When to Crimp..........................................................................................................10 Roll Crimping............................................................................................................10 Taper Crimping.........................................................................................................11 Storing the Finished Product.....................................................................................11

TIPS, TRICKS AND SIGNS OF TROUBLE ..............................................12

Work in Batches........................................................................................................12 There is No Free Lunch..............................................................................................12 External Pressure Signs............................................................................................12 Measuring Pressure..................................................................................................13 Squib Loads..............................................................................................................13 Use the Right Powder................................................................................................14 Use the Right Amount...............................................................................................14 Bullet Stabilization Problems....................................................................................14 A Hobby for A Lifetime...............................................................................................15

LOAD DATA AND ABBREVIATIONS........................................................16

Warnings/Disclaimers...............................................................................................16 Abbreviations List.....................................................................................................17 Understanding the Data/General Guidelines/Notes on Cartridge Overall Length......18 Handgun - Powder to Cartridge Reference List.........................................................19 Handgun Data..........................................................................................................20 Rifle - Powder to Cartridge Reference List................................................................38 Rifle Data..................................................................................................................41 Shotshell - Warnings/Disclaimers.............................................................................82 Shotshell Data..........................................................................................................84

MONTANA X-TREME GUIDELINES FOR PROPER GUN CLEANING.......102

Recommended Cleaning Procedures.......................................................................103 Gun Cleaning Products...........................................................................................104

BLACKHORN 209 HIGH PERFORMANCE PROPELLANT......................107

Take Charge of Your Accuracy.................................................................................108 .50 Cal. Load Data..................................................................................................109 Black Powder Cartridge Load Data.........................................................................109 Optimizing Performance.........................................................................................110 Blackhorn 209 Comparison Data............................................................................111

BURN RATE CHART ..........................................................................112

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EDITION 7.0

EDITED by ROB BEHR Western Powders, Inc. PO Box 158 Miles City MT 59301 Ph: 406-234-0422 Fax: 406-234-0430

?2018 Western Powders, Inc.

EDITION 7.0

Getting Started: Considerations and Helpful Tips BY ROB BEHR

Savings and accuracy are the two most common reasons for shooters to begin handloading. Some never move past the basics and enjoy the hobby for a lifetime, just for the savings alone. For others though, reloading becomes the gateway to precision that no factory ammunition can provide, where groups are measured in thousandths of an inch and accuracy is king. Handloading can resurrect a family heirloom that uses ammunition long since discontinued or turn an obscure war prize into a shooter. A good handloader can transform a deer rifle into a varmint rifle or a low-recoil plinker. In the end, it is this versatility, along with savings and accuracy, that keep handloaders happily loading cartridges.

SETTING UP n

This article is intended as an overview of reloading basics. It needs to be supplemented by other reloading manuals, including at least one by a prominent bullet manufacturer. Barnes, Sierra, Hornady and Nosler, along with many others, all offer

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EDITION 7.0

great books on the subject. Friends and the Internet are also useful resources for loading tips, but they need to be treated with a grain of salt. If their advice differs significantly from published data, common sense should favor companies with ballistic labs and staff experts.

A RELOADING PLACE n

A good reloading space should be free of distractions, well lit, dry and warm enough to be comfortable. Ideally it should be a room dedicated to the hobby. The bench simply needs to be sturdy. A press exerts quite a lot of force on the bench, which must be stable enough not to break or bounce as it is used. Several nice reloading benches are available complete from their manufacturers. Plans for dedicated reloading benches are also readily available from Internet sources. Even a reinforced kitchen table works well. The bottom line is that handloaders need a bench before the first round can be made.

THE BARE ESSENTIALS n

There are basic tools every handloader needs, and reloading kits offer an excellent way to get started. Kits should include most of the items listed below. The rest will need to be purchased separately. Whether they come from a kit or individually, these are the tools everyone needs to safely begin reloading:

SINGLE-STAGE PRESS

This is the main tool used for handloading. It uses mechanical advantage to resize fired cases and seat bullets. Most have some provision to seat primers.

RELOADING DIES

A rifle die set is usually comprised of two dies. The first sizes and deprimes fired cases, and the other seats a new bullet. For straight-walled cases, like many pistol cartridges, die sets will include a third die used to flare the case mouth prior to bullet seating.

SHELLHOLDER

Shellholders mate a case into the press. They are machined to match the rim or extraction groove of the cartridge being loaded.

POWDER MEASURE

Most kits will contain a powder scale, most of which use weights on a balance beam to measure powder. More expensive options may include an electronic scale, which can be more accurate and faster.

POWDER TRICKLER

A tool used to precisely pour (trickle) powder onto the scale.

LUBE TRAY AND LUBE

Lube is used to keep resized cases from sticking in the die. The lube tray is a simple roll-on type applicator.

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"It's easy to see that reloading makes good economic sense."

CASE CUTAWAY

1 2 3

4

5

8

7

6

1. Case Mouth 2. Neck 3. Shoulder 4. Case Body 5. Case Web 6. Flash Hole 7. Primer Pocket 8. Extractor Groove

EDITION 7.0

CASE FUNNEL

A funnel specifically designed to pour powder into a case mouth.

DEBURRING TOOL

A tool used to chamfer and deburr the case mouth.

DIAL CALIPER

Precise measurements are required for safe and reliable handloads. A good caliper is the best tool for the job.

PRIMING TOOL

Most presses come with a tool to safely prime cases. Several after-market hand tools are also available.

CASE TRIMMER

Cases stretch during firing and loading. This may eventually cause problems with chambering and higher than expected pressures. Lee offers trimmers intended for individual calibers. Lathe-type trimmers add versatility for the larger scale handloader.

THE CHAMBER, THE THROAT AND NECK SIZING n

For a handloader, understanding a bullet's interaction within the chamber is fundamental to good accuracy and safe handloading. The throat is a smooth, funnellike area of the chamber that guides a bullet into the rifling. This space allows a bullet to move forward relatively unimpeded for several thousandths of an inch before it begins to swage down to the bore diameter and into the rifling. Precise alignment of the bullet with the throat is a key to rifle accuracy. If a bullet is misaligned with the throat, pressure will still drive it into the barrel, but on a plane other than its ideal ballistic axis. A bullet on its ballistic axis spins much like a well-thrown football. Off its axis, the bullet will yaw, severely diminishing accuracy. This is most commonly seen when a bullet (usually light and short for the caliber) is seated far away from the throat. Once fired, this bullet has a long "jump" into the rifling, which may keep it from fitting concentrically into the barrel. On the other extreme, a bullet set beyond the throat and into the rifling, can spike pressure and damage the firearm. This is why consistent resizing and precise bullet seating is fundamental to making accurate handloaded ammunition. Once a cartridge has been fired, it expands to match that chamber's dimension and then shrinks slightly as it cools. This case can usually be used again in the same chamber with very little reworking, except to add tension to the neck so it will hold a bullet. This type of reloading, called neck sizing, creates a more precisely aligned cartridge, because it already matches a specific chamber. Neck sizing is one area where the reloader has an accuracy advantage over factory-produced ammunition. Where factory ammunition must fit many chambers and action types, handloaded ammunition can be made to fit one firearm very precisely.

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"Neck sizing is one area where the reloader has an accuracy advantage..."

Reloading Basics

GOOD HABITS n

Handloading is a fun and safe process when simple safety guidelines are followed. The most obvious areas for concern are open flames and heat sources. Never smoke while reloading. Avoid intoxicants. Keep your reloading bench clear of clutter and only allow components needed for the job at hand to be on the table. Never mix powders or substitute components. Stick to published loading information. Extreme care must be used with any reloading data that fills a case less than half full, which raises the threat of a double-charged cartridge. Finally, if something does not seem to be working, stop and figure out the problem. A few minutes of research is time well spent.

EXAMINE THE CASES n

In the photographs, new factory

cases have been used. Whether you

use factory new or previously fired

cases, it is important to examine

each one for defects. Small dents

in the case mouth (Example 1) can

easily be corrected as part of the

sizing process. Others may have

manufacturing defects and should

be discarded, like the case head

separation seen in Example 2 or

the malformed primer pocket seen

Example 1: Dented Case Mouth

in Example 3. Other defects, such as

cracks on the neck, case body or distinct lines above the case web (a sign of potential

case head separation) are all reasons to discard brass.

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Example 2: Case Head Separation

EDITION 7.0

On European or Asian manufactured cases, especially in military calibers, it is worthwhile to check each case by shining a flashlight into the case mouth. These cases may use Berdan priming, rather than the more common Boxer priming. A Berdan primed case uses two offset flash holes instead of the single, centralized one seen with Boxer primers. It is easiest to discard these cases. If rarity, or some other reason, makes reloading them necessary, special tools are required. Attempting to deprime this type of case using standard dies will break the decapping pin.

Example 3: Malformed Primer Pocket

"Cases stretch as part of both the firing and resizing process."

Example 5: Sizing Die

LUBING n

Cases need to be lubed to prevent them from sticking inside the sizing die. A small amount of case lube should be applied to the lubing tray and the cases gently rolled by hand (Example 4). Too much lube will cause pressure dents on cases, so any excess amount should be wiped away. Too little lube can result in a stuck case and a quick trip to the sporting goods store for a removal kit, conveniently sold by all of the big reloading companies for just this purpose.

Example 4: Applying Case Lube

SIZING n

The next step is to install the sizing die, shown partially dismantled in Example 5. The decapping pin needs to protrude at least /3 16 inch below the bottom of the die. Loosening the set nut allows the decapper to screw up and down inside the die. Once the pin is set, relock the nut. A die-locking ring, located on the threaded portion of the die body, is usually held in place by a small setscrew. This needs to be loosened.

Now screw the die into the top of press and raise the ram to the top of its stroke. Screw the die down until it touches the top of the shellholder and then lower the ram clear. Twist the die down approximately one-eighth of a turn farther to set it for full-length resizing. Test this setting by raising the ram. It should contact the bottom of the die and then cam overcenter, which feels like a little bounce in the completed stroke (Example 6). Neck sizing, which is for cartridges that have already been fired in your rifle's chamber, utilizes the same die, using a different setting. The point here is to set the die so that it resizes the neck but does not engage and resize the shoulder.

Now place one of the lubed cases into the shellholder and slowly run it up inside the die. If everything is set correctly, a primer should fall out of the case and the return stroke should expose a resized case. Now wipe the case down with a clean rag and set it aside. Repeat this process until all lubed cases are sized and ready for the next step.

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