As brass cases are fired and sized, they get longer. To make sure they will still fit in your firearm’s chamber you will have to trim them to the proper length with a case trimmer.
You can use the loading press to prime your brass or you can use a hand primer like this one from RCBS. Both will work just fine but the hand primer is a bit faster.
see a financial benefit. That said, if you have a buddy who is willing to split the equipment cost with you, you’ll only need to load half that many rounds to see some savings.
Picking A Press Like there are two types of people
who load ammo, there are two types of loading machines: a single stage or a progressive press. The single-stage press allows you to perform one function at a time. In other words, you’ll size all of your cases, prime all your cases, charge all your cases with powder and then seat all your bullets. You’ll perform each task completely and separately before you move to the next. After you become skilled with a single-stage press you can load in the neighborhood of 50 to 100 cartridges per hour With the progressive press, each
time you work the press handle you create a loaded cartridge. This is possible because with a progressive press you are working with multiple loading dies and brass cases at the same time. You work the press handle and then rotate the base, performing multiple functions at once. Once you become skilled at operating a pro- gressive press, you should be able to produce between 300 and 500 rounds
T 54
of loaded ammunition per hour.
Precision Ammo Some believe that it is difficult
to produce extremely accurate am- munition from a progressive press. That’s not true at all. The secret to making accurate ammunition is at- tention to detail and making each loaded cartridge the same way every time. I’ve loaded some very accurate rifle and pistol ammunition on a pro- gressive press but loading precision ammunition is somewhat different than just making ammo. When you are trying to extract
the best performance from your handloads, case preparation is criti- cal. All of your brass should be from the same manufacturer and lot, it all needs to be the same length and it should be sized to properly fit your firearm’s chamber. You should also pay special attention to the overall length of the cartridge with regard to how far the bullet must jump from the case mouth to the rifling in the barrel. You can do all these things with a progressive press; it just in- creases the preparation time before you actually start loading.
Pressing Matters If you think that loading your own
THE LOADING PROCESS
a cartridge is fired in a rifle or pistol the brass case expands. Before it can be loaded, it must be resized. A sizing die is used for this. It shrinks the case back to its original size and punches out the used primer. A new primer must be inserted into the case. This can be done with the press or with a hand-priming tool. This is a slow process with a single-stage press but happens automatically with a progressive press. There are basi- cally two types of primers to choose from, standard and magnum. They also come in four sizes; small and large
here are four components to a metallic cartridge: case, primer, powder and bullet. Of these four components, only the case can be reused. When
ammunition is something you would like to try I would suggest you start with a single-stage press, more specifi- cally a kit. This will help you learn the process and it’s always nice to have a single-stage press on hand when you are working up a load you’ll actually create with a progressive press. Addi- tionally, the tools that come in the kit will be needed regardless what type press you purchase. The two kits I would suggest are
the RCBS Rockchucker Supreme Master Kit and the Redding Big Boss Deluxe Kit. Both come with every- thing you need to start loading ex- cept dies for the cartridges you want to load for. The Rockchucker press is also expandable. By purchasing the RCBS Piggyback 3 Conversion Kit you can convert the Rockchucker press into a progressive machine. If you want to jump straight into
a progressive press, both the Dillon Square Deal and 550B are excellent machines. Another good choice is the Hornady Lock-N-Load AP pro- gressive press. Just keep in mind; you will also need additional tools with any of these progressive machines.
Recipes And Such To build ammunition you will
also need a cookbook. It’s true
pistol and small and large rifle. Your load manual will help you select the correct primer. With the case sized and primed, the next step is to put in the powder. Each powder charge must be weighed or, as a minimum, dispensed through a powder measure. Progres- sive presses have a powder dispenser built on the press and automatically dispense the powder as the press handle is worked. Your load manual will help you select the right powder and charge weight for the cartridge you are loading. Finally, the last step is to seat the bullet. Place the bullet on the mouth of the case and it is forced into the case by the seating die as you work the press handle. The depth that you seat the bullet into the case is critical from two aspects. The loaded cartridge must chamber in your firearm and it must also fit in the magazine. *
REALITY CHECK • 2011 SPECIAL EDITION
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