couple reloading ?'s

[lunchbox]

Start off by telling you that Im new to reloading and have no experience at all. I do have a bench and bought a reloading set.
Now I am wanting to get a couple new rifles and wondered how hard it would be to reload for them ( the caliber). or should I look at something else to shoot and reload for.
6.8 spc
.458 socom
Im not sure what I want to do with them other than shoot them yet. Maybe hunt with them if they are allowed anywhere that I may take a hunting trip.
Thanks for the help

Sorry i put this in the wrong place. Please move to the reloading page.

[mdgroundhogger]

Not familliar with the reloading either cartridge. But I will say welcome to the (reloading) family . Just remember to research several different manuals/websites before you settle on a load to start with. And make sure your sources of info. are credible. The best advice I can give you is to work up to the max and back off the minute you see excessive pressure signs. When rolling your own, attention to detail will save your butt. The joy of shooting that 1/4 inch group with something you loaded is more fulfilling than anything coming out of Washington these days!!! ;D

[lunchbox]

What are the pressure signs that I should look for. The only one I know of is a bulged primer but I have not seen one to actually know what that looks like.

[Rifleman]

Actually there are NO reliable signs of excessive pressure, one can have excess pressure with no signs at all. Best advice I can give you is to buy a Sierra reloading manual and read all the chapters in the front of the book. It will save you time and money in the long run.

[DHinMN]

Some of the things that may be over looked by a beginner reloader is case length. You need to measure and trim the case to specs. Too long and you can get high pressures and to short and you get throat erosion in the barrel. The other is watch the size of the flash hole ahead of the primer. If they get too large you can get blow back. Use something called a flash hole gauge. That is just a couple examples of things that may be over looked by the beginner and not getting all the tools you need to reload. And don't go jumping into the max loads right away either. Like the others have said, read and re read. It really isn't all that hard once you under stand the details.

[esshup]

Dwight, can you measure the case dia right above the base, and measure it again after firing to see if they're stretching too much?

Another tip. Wipe off the sizing lube from your cases before you shoot them. If not, you'll see signs of excessive pressure where there isn't excessive pressure.

[mountainam]

Personally, I will not use any loading manuals that do not show the pressures. Usually good reloading manuals will have all the answers to the questions you just asked covered. My favorite is the Lyman Reloading manual. I have others,but I use them for comparison. When I choose a powder I usually pick the one that gives me the highest velocity along with the lowest pressure. That's a good way to stay safe. Good Loading!

[rsbhunter]

I have been reloading for approx. 35 years, and still don't know half of what i would like to....THAT being said, stick to the recipes, or loads in the manuals....these companies spend alot of $$$$ to test these loads....i have seen and heard of horrible things happening when someone thought they knew more than the manuals.....please invest in a digital caliper, a trimmer and read ALL you can on the subject...it's hard to shoot if you've lost your eyes or fingers to an accident...don't want to put a wet towel on the fun, just start slow, listen to experienced reloaders, and NEVER take a load that someone says is "really hot"...it is a fantastic hobby, and makes super accurate ammo...the last thing i suggest is getting a cartridge comparator from Hornady....a bullet set to far into the rifiling, or not far enough from, can raise pressures INSTANTLY....possibly into the dangerous level....Go slow, read, and enjoy the hobby...rsbhunter

[stubblejumper]

esshup

I am with Dwight on this one, I recently read an article that I will try to find the link for that showed that even expansion of the case does not reliably indicate the pressure. Be safe, use proven loads, and dont try to turn a 30-06 into a 300 mag as I used to. That is not the purpose of the hobby. Bewarned it is very addictive =)

[Rifleman]

Dwight, can you measure the case dia right above the base, and measure it again after firing to see if they're stretching too much?

Another tip. Wipe off the sizing lube from your cases before you shoot them. If not, you'll see signs of excessive pressure where there isn't excessive pressure.

Scott, to answer the first question, you can do this, but again it is not a reliable sign for excessive pressure. Say for instance you are using a cartridge that has an average working pressure of 55K ( there are alot of cartridges that operate in the 50's) and you measure the case before and after firing. Well any difference between the actual case dimension prior to firing (looseness) and the chamber size will show up. Reloading dies, cartridge wall thickness, and chambers all vary a little, at the pressures of most if not all cartridge rifles, the case will swell to fit the chamber. If what you are suggesting is that a case upon excessive pressure will stretch the chamber for a split second during firing and this can be detected through careful measurement later on, I would simply say that you better be very very good when it comes to measurement and analysis. Every excellent work I have read on reloading written by experts on the subject of internal ballistics have all said the same thing- There are no reliable signs of excessive pressure. I must say I disagree with that in one point.

[glow=red,2,300]A blown gun is a reliable sign of excessive pressure, albeit I think that is what we are trying to avoid.[/glow]

To address your second point about shooting lubed cases. Of course it is not a good idea and every military manual I have read tells you not to put any lube or oil on your rounds. Well, go to a machine gun shoot sometime, and you will see almost without fail the old timers spraying whole belts down with WD40 or some like substance. First time I saw this I was mortified. In reality, the guns work a whole lot better when they are hot and dirty with lubed cartridges. We are talking everything from 5.56, .308, 30-06, .303, 8mm and 50 BMG.
Adding lube to the outside of the case does not increase pressure to any significant effect, it simply reduces tension inside the chamber and makes extraction easier. Does this have negative effects? Why yes it does. It increases pressure on the locking lugs of the bolt, and quite possibly reduces the working life of some parts of the weapon.

[glow=red,2,300]But a jam reduces the working life of the operator, so it is a good trade off.[/glow]

Also lubed cartridges pick up dirt, and introduce them to the gun so you must be careful about handling them to prevent this. In a perfect world you get to start with a pristine clean weapon and chamber, a gun that is properly lubed, and a nice dry day about 65 degrees. But how often is that in the real world. You would be surprised how many semi auto and full auto guns I have fixed on the line with a can of WD40 with a shot to the bolt and a shot on the ammo. I know we are talking about bolt guns for the most part, but I wanted to give some perspective. I don't normally lube my ammo, matter of fact almost never. But if I was at the end of a long run, I would and not think a thing about it. Also if you do lube a case, of course it will show more stretch and require more resizing to bring it back to size for reloading. But another point is that most lateral case stretch occurs in the sizing die, not the gun, which is why we trim after sizing, not before. I suppose it all depends on what your needs are at the time.

[esshup]

Dwight, I'm with you on the case stretching. But, I've found different for a lubed case. I can see your point in the machine guns, but for a gun that I'm looking at better accuracy with, no lube for me and here's why:

I started metallic reloading by jumping in with both feet and loading for a .257 Wby. Even at minimum powder levels (from the different load manuals) I was seeing bold face marks on the bases, and the chronograph said I was way short on speed. It took a while to get it figured out, but the excessive pressure signs went away when I wiped off the sizing lube from the cases. You're right, all the force is being held by the locking lugs, not the case gripping the walls of the chamber. It also causes more work hardening of the cases due to excessive sizing.

[Rifleman]

Scott, no doubt your case stretched more with the lube, as there was no wall tension taking place with the lube. My point was not to state you should shoot lubed cases, but that lube does not raise pressure, it just changes the mechanics of what is going on in the gun. No doubt it is much harder on the brass. I would never recommend shooting lubed cases in a bolt gun. No point really. However if you did shoot a lubed case and saw excessive stretch you might think this is a sign of excess pressure, but it is not. Again, my point is the same- There are no reliable signs of excessive pressure, unless of course you want to count a blown up gun. I think that is a pretty reliable sign pressure was excessive.