Getting ready for retirement and am going to start reloading for a couple of calibers. Special loads because I'm Special? Lol. 1st is in 444 Marlin in 300 grain ceramic coated bullets. Shooting it out of a C Sharp's with a 32 inch barrel.
Second is a 35 Whelen. Shooting out of an Interarms Mark X, 26 inch barrel. I was given a box of 275 grain bullets and would like to use them. Just having fun. Plus the pigs out here in Texas are getting bigger. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks for your time. Pete

Pay attention to detail,

Don't try and push the envelope.

.35 Wheelen is ideal for pigs. I would use a 250 grain round nose bullet. Heavier will work but may blast through the pig.
Interarms Mark-X rifles are well made. I have one in .25-06 with a 28" barrel and it is a fine shooter.

1. Rock Chucker Press
(Actually #1 is a sturdy bench to put it on.)
2. RCBS electronic scale.
3. Most any measure.
4. Hornady reloading manual. READ it.
5. A loading block to set the cases in.
That's all you need to start. Go from there if you really start loading more than a few rounds.
I actually started on a Lee Loader in 30-30 in 1966 and loaded 2000 thousand rounds on it. A Lee press kit will work fine too. I have 6 presses of different makes; they all work.
Read.

Buy the RCBS Rockchucker kit. Has the basics you need to start with. Might need to add a set of dies. Get the carbide dies for your 444. They will save you from having to lube the cases and then wipe them after sizing.
+1 What DPCL said about READ THE MANUAL.
Hard part right now with Bidenovitch in power is getting components. Good luck with that.

tejas.....PM sent

Yes, buy a good press and I say buy good dies too. These last forever and you'll not have to buy twice.

I don't use an electric scale but rather tha balance beam type and I only use the powder measurer to throw under weight and then use a trickler and scale to hit the desired charge.

Think! Always think before you do something. This is after you've read all the appropriate material you can get (as others have said).
Don't get in a hurry or careless. We're talking about lots of pressure here.

Ask! Don't be afraid to ask someone who really knows and has been loading for a long time. I help my buds on a daily basis.

There much more but you're getting a good start with the info given by other on this thread already.

Zeke

There is a Hornady kit in the classifieds as I type this; not mine.

Until you learn how.
Charge your cases and set them in the loading block.
Use a flashlight and look into each one to make sure they are all charged the same amount before putting a bullet in.

Bad habits are very easy to start and mighty hard to break.

Good luck and have fun. It's another enjoyable hobby if you let it be.

George

True; the only reason I shoot is to make empty brass so I can reload!

You may want to look at the Lyman reloading manual. Those from bullet companies generally only include their bullets. The Lyman manual covers many brands plus cast. Read the first half, general instructions, twice before you reload anything. My local dealer wouldn't sell a newbee any reloading supplies if they didn't have a manual.
Best

quote:

Originally posted by dpcd:
True; the only reason I shoot is to make empty brass so I can reload!

Made me laugh but so true with me too, man.

Guys talk about the money savings of reloading but I talk about therapy and relaxation!

I've said many time that I'd reload even if it cost MORE money than factory ammo.

Zeke

Things i learned thru my 30+ years of reloading:

As said, reloading is a really fine hobby.

Best if you can have a dedicated reloading location. Secure if you have kids around.

Keep a written record of your reloading with each caliber and each group of cases.

Buying a kit to get started is good advice. Later you can add things you NEED.

Yes, read the manuals, including information from the internet [from reputable sites ] and find mentors.

Your goal probably will be to form reliable consistent cartridges for your rifles.
You dont have to use maximum loads for that.

Take your time. its a fine pastime.

Learn by goiing where you have to go.

Thank you gentlemen. I have some good teachers and mentors who've been doing this for awhile. I'll certainly abide by logic, and principle. Have a blessed day.
Peter

#1 Take your time, don't get distracted!

#2 Don't use loads you got from some BUTT HOLE off the internet!

#3 NEVER! NEVER! NEVER! have more than one type of powder on your loading bench!

BE SAFE!

Hip

As a shoestring reloader, I did without a lot of stùff for a long time.

If you don't have a workshop for reloading, your press can be bolted to a folding workbench, perhaps braced with a 2x4. Other things like powder measures and case trimmers can be screwed on or gripped by the bench. If you need extra purchase when FL resizing, a foot on the low cross brace will give it.

One thing you can save money on is a powder trickler: just drill a sloping hole through an empty 12-gauge case, plus one hole in a tight-fitting tube and poke it through the hole in the hull. Turning the tube's hole up or down adjusts the speed of powder flow. Often, with it turned down, a tap over the scale's pan will give the few granules you need.

I use proper lubricant but a buddy reckons motor oil is just as good. Having worn down the neck expander on one die, I now drape an oily rag over a screw sticking out of the bench, to make sure the inside of the shoulder doesn't give resistance.

If you don't need to crimp, you can do without a case trimmer for a while by use of a file and extra effort with the deburring tool. A vernier caliper to check you're in the ballpark is a good idea, though. A small, flat screwdriver can be used to clean primer pockets.

I have never owned a case tumbler, and don't see the point in shiny cases when hunting. Instead, I jiggle them around them in a jar of Shellite (white gas) after resizing, and let them dry.

A micrometer to check head expansion and a chronograph are good investments, though, if you decide reloading is really for you. As a rule of thumb, I'd say that if your loads approach the manual's maximum velocities, even when your weight of powder is still grains away from max, you've gone far enough.

Tell your buddy to chuck that motor oil!
After I stuck an '06 in the die from no lube.
That's what I tried and killed a bunch of primers with it.

Up too close to tell what part of a 6pt bull elk I was looking at thru a K4. Then relocating him and taking aim that SNAP was mighty damned loud! Of course the elk were gone by the time I recovered and jacked another in. Dad was quite pissed as the same thing happened to him that year on a cow.

I started at 14 in 1958 and no one we knew reloaded. I learned by doing and screwing up. A stuck case and motor oil were just two of them. It's a real wonder I didn't blow that old '17 Eddystone up. Likely because I didn't have any pistol powder those days.

George

Buy a couple different loading manuals for the bullets you want to use. Read them thoroughly twice. Be very aware of every step you take in the process while loading ammo because a small mistake can be dangerous. It’s a very enjoyable hobby and satisfying to shoot small groups and harvest game with ammo you’ve loaded yourself.

We should start a thread in which everyone confesses to mistakes they have made at the reloading bench. I bet everyone has one or two. I know I do!

Except me.

quote:

True; the only reason I shoot is to make empty brass so I can reload!

....and I thought I was the only one.

I thought I made a mistake once-----But I was wrong!


I DIDN'T !!!

HIP

quote:

Originally posted by dpcd:
5. A loading block to set the cases in.

In terms of producing ammo that is safe to shoot, this is the single most important piece of equipment. And it's so simple pretty much anybody could make their own. Put all the cases you are going to put powder into in such a block, and once you have charged the cases with powder, visually inspect them to ensure they all have about the same amount of powder in them. Squib loads and double-charged loads can both be lethal under certain circumstances.

The other important things (with regard to safety) are:
1) Make sure you use the right components. Correct type of powder, correct size and weight of bullet, correct primer, correct case.
2) Make sure you start with the start load out of a loading manual, not some other guy's internet load. Some rifles are tighter than others.
3) If any component changes, think about and understand the ramifications. For example, cases can vary by quite a lot in terms of weight (and thus internal volume) between manufacturers. This can have a significant impact on pressures.

Invest in a stuck case remover. You might not never need to use it, but, shit happens.

quote:

Originally posted by rcraig:
Invest in a stuck case remover. You might not never need to use it, but, shit happens.

He will need one much sooner than later if following sambarman338's buddy and uses motor oil as a case lube. Imperial Wax resizing lube is the best.

I do agree with sambarman338 and also use Shellite (camp cooker fuel) on a paper towel to roll cases in after resizing to remove the Imp Wax and give a natural shine.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by georgeld:
Tell your buddy to chuck that motor oil!
After I stuck an '06 in the die from no lube.
That's what I tried and killed a bunch of primers with it.

Up too close to tell what part of a 6pt bull elk I was looking at thru a K4. Then relocating him and taking aim that SNAP was mighty damned loud! Of course the elk were gone by the time I recovered and jacked another in. Dad was quite pissed as the same thing happened to him that year on a cow.

I started at 14 in 1958 and no one we knew reloaded. I learned by doing and screwing up. A stuck case and motor oil were just two of them. It's a real wonder I didn't blow that old '17 Eddystone up. Likely because I didn't have any pistol powder those days.

George[/QUOTE

Thanks George, how are you going?

My use of white gas would probably save primers from the oil but (in regard to squeezenhope's post) not if remedial action is needed. I once overdid the crimping on a 338WM round, causing the shoulder to bulge. Not sure if this is advisable, but I removed the decapping assembly and resized the round enough to chamber in my rifle. Had I failed to lubricate that one I might have been in a spot of bovver. Getting motor oil on the primer would not have helped either.