I've just got myself an RCBS Rock Chucker Master reloading kit and I was wondering if I need to get a case cleaner immediately, bearing in mind all my brass is from factory ammo.

I will be reloading for my .375 H&H and 7x57, could you recommend a powder suitable for both?

And finally, as I don't know anyone who reloads to show me the ropes, can you recommend any good videos/books suitable for the novice?

Many thanks!

Eric.

RCBS has alot of information on their web page. As far as case cleaning, do you mean tumbler? Or case preparation kit? Both are nice to have but not needed if you got that kit. Only think I recommend is good set of calibers and powder Trickler. Also, one tip, I wish I knew when I started. Use a dryer sheet for static clean in your powder thrower, and funnel, and scale pan. That will keep the static cling from making your life rough while loading. What else? While lubing up the brass, don't overdo the lube. Will cause hydrolic dents. What I do is lube the body real good and before sizing, I wipe away excess so there is a lubicant film that you can feel with your hand. Don't even attemp to size without the lubing. Big problem! One more thing, I recommend, when cleaning out the primer pockets after depriming, don't get the bright idea to use a drill with the wire brush. It will cut the primer pockets too deep. Just twist easily by hand. You don't have to have primer uniformers and all that starting out either. All these mistakes, I have clearly made maybe more than once and wanted to save you the hassle. One more thing, just cause one bullet you can load up to max powder on, don't mean you can for another. Found a great load for 180 Nosler PT and it was near max load. Tried it with Bearclaws, and siezed the brass up in the chamber. Thats all I can think of.

Eric,

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Hello Eric,

Welcome to reloading!

I like the Lyman reloading manual for it's explanation of the reloading process and warnings, but all of the reloading manuals give you a good idea of what is involved. The more the better. I highly recommend reading at least one manual thoroughly before priming your first case.

Reloader 15 is one of the best 375 H&H powders that there is. It should also perform well in 7X57, but I have not personally loaded 7X57.

When I started reloading, the only cartridge I loaded for was 44 Mag. After 4 or 5 reloads without cleaning, the brass got extremely dirty.... Now I generally clean my brass between each firing. You will need to lube your cases, which I did not have to do using carbide dies in 44 Mag, and cleaning the cases after sizing will remove the lube.

Bill

I started out just like you about 6 months ago. First step is to read the Speer Manual. There are some very good instructions there. Try to find someone who will let you sit and watch while they do some reloading. That is the best way to learn other than actually reloading. Some gun stores might even give classes on reloading. I have not played around with the RCBS Uniflow Powder measure that came with the kit. What I got was a set of Lee Powder dippers ($7) and a RCBS powder trickle ($9). Using these two devices I can quickly measure every powder charge used. An old teacup and an old spoon is another way to go but not nearly as fast. The next thing you want it a set of metal calipers accurate to 0.001 inch. Should by about $30. Get a dial or digital pair, they are much easier to use than a pair you have to line up lines on. (That makes no sense unless you have had to do it.) Then you can accurately measure the dimensions on the reloads. This is useful for finding and adjusting cartridge overall length. And, also get a kinetic energy bullet puller. Then when you notice your scale is set for 10 grains to high or low you can undo you mistakes. As far as case cleaning (I am not expert here) all I have been doing is wiping the brass down when I wipe off the case lube. I don�t mind a little tarnish. If you want bright and shiny reloaded cartridges then you will need a case tumbler to polish the brass. BTW the oil on your hands is what causes the brass to tarnish.

One last piece of equipment you should consider purchasing. Get a hand primer. Lee makes a hand primer (the auto-prime) that you can buy for about $10. You can get a set if shell holder for that for another $12 or so. This is a lot easier and can be a lot faster than using the on press priming system on the Rockchucker. That being said the priming system on the Rockchucker works just fine. The trick for fast priming with the RCBS priming system is to resize the case when you put the ram up, and the prime the case when you bring the ram down. Instead of resizing all the cases and then priming all the cases. Just make sure all the primers are flush or under the edge of the case.

Ben

I have not got a case cleaner yet either, I just wash my cases in some dish washing detergent in the sink, rinse them off in cold water and then dry them with a towel and let them dry properly over a couple of day's.

You have made the right choice in the rcbs kit, thats what I got and it will do from my .22 hornet through to my .585 Nyati.

Place the dirty cases in a tight mesh bag of some type, tie it shut and throw em in the washing machine with a dark load of clothes. You will be impressed with the results.

And if you want REALLY pretty cases, after washing and before a rinse/dry, mix with some regular old white vinegar, about 2 cups in a gallon of water, swirl-swirl-swirl and rinse-rinse-rinse.

Umm...Og like shiny things...umm...

Keep it simple to start out. Decide on "one" bullet make. Use only one case brand and don't mix. Follow reload recipes in the book exactly and do not substitute components, like using Winchester primers when the book says use Remington. Get more Manuals other than just the one (Speer) that came with your kit. If you want to shoot Nosler bullets get the Nosler Manual. Ditto for Hornady and Sierra. I recommend also to buy the Powder Manufacturer Manual. If you decide to use IMR or Accurate Arms powder get their manual. Most powder companies have their data on their Web site. Check all your sources to compare data. If one manual says 50 grains is MAX and another says 55 is MAX then look at the components and rifles that they tested them in. Work up powder charges starting at the recommended charge. Load 3-5 rounds at the starting charge and test 1st. Move up and shoot the next higher charge. Do this on paper. "IF" you find a load that groups very well then load up a few more rounds and see if you can duplicate the good performance of your test rounds. If an accurate load is found that is a couple hundred feet slower, then be satisfied.
A few key points. Cartridge overall length with the bullet seated is critical. A deeper seated bullet will cause pressure to rise. Follow the load data length to start out. Learn to use your scale. Read and follow directions. I "highly" recommend a set of "scale check weights". Not expensive and should be used to check the accuracy of your scale at each reloading session. Seating primers is an "art". Some do it by feel and others by seating depth. Either way, after seating the primer take a straight edge like a 6" scale and put it on edge over the case head, hold it up to a light source and look to see that the primer is seated flush or below flush. This will show you that the primer is properly and uniformly seated. You don't want to smash the primer and more importantly you don't want a "high" primer that could cause a misfire, jam, or accidental discharge when shutting the bolt on a high primer. Enough for now. Be careful and welcome to the pleasure of reloading.

Thanks everyone for all your advice, I really appreciate it!

1894, thanks for the offer, I'll give you a call when you're back from Sweden.

Cheers,
Eric.

Eric,

I'm back 20th so give me a call that week. I'm on holiday (read preparing for the doe season)so should have some time.

The most important thing you must learn in reloading your own ammo is the maximum load listed is the law. Many a fine rifle has been destroyed by not observing that cardinal rule in reloading. Most reloading manuals will tell you the powder that gave them the best accuracy with given cartridge and bullet weight. Seating depth of the bullet also shrinks groups. Primers are packed in 100 count packs 1000 to a carton. Federal primers are hard to beat in all shooting applications. It is best to buy them by the 1000. One tool you will need and use often is the case trimmer. Proper case length must be kept to specs at all times. Always record your information when testing loads so you know and can refer to those notes in all your testing sessions. This forum has volumes of knowledge for you to drink in. When in doubt, do nothing until you know the right path to take. There is no such thing as a stupid question and only a mentally deranged idiot would would make fun of a novice for asking it.
With over 45 years experience in the reloading and shooting sport under my belt I find I still feel that same warm feeling inside when I fire my own ammo. I find that normal tarnished brass fires just as well as sparkling new looking brass. Brass in constant use has no time to get very diry and need much if any cleaning other than the noraml use prep. The day you sit at the shooting bench and fire that first round you put together yourself you will be a lifetime reloader from that day on.

On getting started. some of these are not going to be the most popular, but I think you'll find them advantageous. I am giving you tips for starting to reload, rather than to get benchrest accuracy. Just aim for a 50% improvement in group size to begin with, and then you can begin you PII (grin--that's the pursuit of irrelevant increments)

1: get a record book. write EVERY thing that you can done. power charge, make, case make, bullet weight, oal, primers, crimp, etc. group size, wind, etc.

2: for starting, ignore crimping. This might be a a little odd, but you'll be trying to learn how to meausure your cases and powders, and crimping can EASILY let you ruin cases, which will frustrate you beyound reason. Especially after you've put a ton of work into it, and then, at the last second, you ruin cases.

3: DO NOT WORRY ABOUT PRIMER POCKETS AND DEBURRING. This is a "next step" type of issue, as it's very easy to oversize the hole or cut too deep. Just wait a month or two before your worry about this.

4: trim your cases .010 too short to begin with. This process is rather tedious, and you'll get several shots through them before it becomes an issue. You'll probably shoot out your first batch of cases before you start crimping, so this will be a non-issue

5: when you get started, the MIDDLE loads should be your ceiling for loading. You can not get a 30-06 to go as fast as a 300 winnie under sane pressures, so don't try. If you want a 300, get one. But, you can make YOUR 30-06 (or whatever) have it's favorite diet of length/bullet weight/primer/powder

6: DO NOT EXPERIMENT OR ESTIMATE with powders. Than means, don't go with a really light (unlisted) load, and don't read a powder burnrate guide and say "oh, since 123 powder is the same burn rate, I can use ABC powder that is the same" This will get you hurt.

7: only load one caliber at a time, when you are starting out, and then only take those loads to the range and test.

8: buy a chronograph. the "master" version of the chrony have remote reads, so you can reset and read easy. just spend the $100. really, seriously, if you are wanting to KNOW the vels, you HAVE to have the chrony. ANYTHING ELSE, other than shooting at 25, 50, 100, 200 and 300 yards is a GUESS. Your reloading will make you much happier to know the speed, and WRITE IT DOWN rather than guessing.

9: it does cost more to get started than it should. But, once you get around the purchase, you can shoot several times more than you thought.

10: measure your OAL for every bullet and weight you are going to shoot. Then subtract .0275 to get started (my opinion) and make dummies of each. This is the critical path (as in project management) to consistency and accuracy.

have fun, be safe
jeffe