Ammo reloading is and should be an enjoyable, rewarding, and money-saving hobby. It is all of that and more… as long as your process is safe and reliable. At the heart of an error-free process is proper handling of reloading supplies with special care given to powder and primers. Combining that with trusted manuals and precisely following the instructions for reloading supplies assures an error-free process that delivers desired results.
A clean and organized workspace is a productive and safe workspace. Start by clearing any remaining equipment and reloading supplies from a previous project off your workbench. That doesn’t mean pushing things to the side of your bench. It is best to have a storage place for everything and put everything in its place. Make sure powder and primers are well labeled, properly packaged, and stored apart from each other.
Next, go through your manuals, notes, checklists, and other instructions to identify what you need for the reloading project you are about to begin. Make sure only the equipment and reloading supplies that you are going to use are on the bench and then double-check everything.
Once everything is ready to go, run one round through your setup. Check that round for accuracy and recheck your setup. Pay particular attention to your powder load. Run nine more rounds through your setup and check everything out one more time. If everything is good to go and you have a clear mind, you are ready to do the job. It’s also smart to check more rounds on a regular interval such as one out of every ten. After seating a bullet and before the completed round is ejected from the press, you want to visually inspect it. Just a glance is all you should need to see if something is off the mark.
Know When to Stop
If you start pinching fingers or cases, your mind isn’t on the task at hand, and it’s time to stop. Same thing if bullets or primers are misaligned. Too tired? Something else on your mind? It’s time to walk away until you’re in the right frame of mind.
Your process should not be redundant. You should get the same results every time. If something goes wrong, stop to reexamine your setup and process. For example, spilling powder on a progressive press indicates a powder bridge, with heavy and/or light charges. Examine the powder trails. What happened? Why? How do you fix it so that it doesn’t happen again?
Have a Step-by-Step Sequence
Ask 10 experienced reloaders their exact reloading process and you’ll probably get 15 or 20 good answers. Customizing ammo to your specific needs is more valuable than you might realize. Experimenting with various reloading supplies, powders, and bullet types/weights enables you to find the most accurate combination for your firearm and application.
With research, practice, and experimentation, you’ll fine-tune a step-by-step process that performs to your expectations for each cartridge that you reload. You want to start with a basic documented process and document each and every change that you make until your results meet your expectations. Don’t expect to remember every detail about a load unless you document it. There are many ways to keep your documentation organized. You might consider a spiral notebook for load research and field notes but a separate composition book for your finished master notes.
Tip: Starting with a loading manual from the same manufacturer as the bullets you use will take you step-by-step through the entire process. Having a second manual on your bench allows you to cross-reference load data.
Titan Reloading is dedicated to helping novice and veteran shooting enthusiasts safely and properly reload their own ammunition every time. Let us hear about your ammo reloading tips and experiences via email. You’ll find updated stream of insights and tips on our blogs, newsletters, help videos, and FAQs.
Titan Reloading is a Master Distributor of Reloading Supplies & Equipment online. Choose from Lee Precision, Dillon, Hornady, Redding, Mec, & Lyman. For further information and/or to shop our online store please visit www.TitanReloading.com or contact Titan Reloading at 262.397.8819 with any questions.