I finally have all the equipment and components and books and im about to start my first reloads.

So far I have de primed and re primed a case and made a powder measurement on an RCBS balance beam scale. Ive gone through the whole process in my head and come up with all sorts of questions.

1. I have a Lyman #55 powder measure. Ive read the instructions and found them sort of vague. How do I set the slide scales to zero and then how do I set it up to throw a charge say 7 grains unique.

.2 I have a die set for .45 colt. I was using the de primeing/re sizing die it seems to be adjustable. Is it factory set for .45 Colt or do I have to set it up ?

.3 Is the bullet seating die also factory set or do I have to adjust that ?

.4 Starting with virgin brass are the steps as follows (prime the case, charge, seat bullet) or are there other steps in the process like prepping the brass in some way ?

.5 I have a lot of once fired Hornady brass. The brass seems to be in good shape and the case lengths seem to be the same as my virgin Starline brass. Is it possible that the once fired cases dont need re sizing. What prep do these cases need before they can be reloaded ?

Thanks!

I think your first time at the reloading bench should be to get the feel of things. I'd manually measure the powder for a few cases and then seat a few bullets and be prepared to tear them down and chunk the components. Or they could be great. But you may crush a few case mouths and seat a few too deep and tear up a bullet or two first starting.

LWD

Dude. Seriously. Start with an experienced friend (not the internet). You have way too many questions for my comfort. Use the pictures in your manual and go sloow...

If I were you I would just look up the history on this forum for other New reloaders posts. Plenty of advise there.

The first step is to buy the latest Lyman manual and read it 3 times and just stick to that one manual for at least one year. Second step is to ask an experienced and responsible friend to help learn. BTW - If your friend is always getting 100 fps faster than the book, he is NOT responsible & DO NOT learn from him!

quote:

Originally posted by Blackcat:
I finally have all the equipment and components and books and im about to start my first reloads.

So far I have de primed and re primed a case and made a powder measurement on an RCBS balance beam scale. Ive gone through the whole process in my head and come up with all sorts of questions.

1. I have a Lyman #55 powder measure. Ive read the instructions and found them sort of vague. How do I set the slide scales to zero and then how do I set it up to throw a charge say 7 grains unique. You need to set the measure, throw 2 charges which you will dump back in the measure, throw a third charge and weigh it. If it is too heavy or too light, adjust the measure and repeat until you can throw 3 charges in a row that are correct.

.2 I have a die set for .45 colt. I was using the de primeing/re sizing die it seems to be adjustable. Is it factory set for .45 Colt or do I have to set it up ? yes

.3 Is the bullet seating die also factory set or do I have to adjust that ? adjust it

.4 Starting with virgin brass are the steps as follows (prime the case, charge, seat bullet) or are there other steps in the process like prepping the brass in some way ? Read the "how to" section of your manual.

.5 I have a lot of once fired Hornady brass. The brass seems to be in good shape and the case lengths seem to be the same as my virgin Starline brass. Is it possible that the once fired cases dont need re sizing. What prep do these cases need before they can be reloaded ?
Read teh "how to: section of your manual.
Thanks!

I would also seriously advise you to find an experienced reloader to help you get started.

What type of dies do you have?

You need to adjust the dies according to the instructions! I prefer Lee dies for ease of use. Your once fired cases will need to be full length resized and tumbled. Trim if need be again using a Lee Trimmer and chamfer the mouth of cases. Prime using a Lee Primer. They will need to be "opened" up to allow the bullet to seat (that will be another die) should be included in the Lee deluxe set? You will need to seat the bullet once you properly ADJUST the seating die to the correct length. Once bullets are seated. You will need to crimp the cases. Preferably with a Lee Crimp Die.

No offense but you seem to be a youtube video in the making? We all start off somewhere and you may not have the luxury of learning to reload from someone else (I didn't), but go very slow and make sure you know what you are doing so you can enjoy shooting your firearms without harm to yourself or others. READ, READ, and then do some more reading. There are several DVD's on how to reload and great books. Both are highly suggested before you start reloading. LEE's ABCs of Reloading as well as others.

Get yourself a Lyman Reloading Manual and read it.

One of the most important tools would be a pen.
document what you have done. All componets, date, overall length. Good Idea to tape what powder is in the measure. Verify by double checking manuals. Do a few, test, don't load more than you need. If you have a problem you will be pulling bullets. Don't have outside distractions. IF possible, have some experience beside you...go slow !
Tacksmacker

LUBE, LUBE, LUBE, LUBE...

#1). If you wish to avoid problems, pick a lube for sizing and use a lot of it. LEE is cheap and can act as hand cream too... And washes off with water... You can cut back as you learn, but if you don't start and "stick a case" you will be very sorry. I really think Imperial is the BEST, but others are close.

#2). It seems you need to reread the books a couple times. You ask if you need to resize once fired cases? !!! .45 Colt is usually a revolver, 6 shots. That is 6 chambers. Do you really know so little about mechanical things to not realize that all 6 chambers are not exactly the same. You take a case out of one chamber and you might be able to force it back into that chamber with thumb pressure because .45 Long Colt works at relatively low pressures. Another chamber? It might fall in and it might no go at all. This is why you re-size. Lube the case first even for carbide dies. Lube helps "float" the crud off the case and makes the press stroke noticeable easier...

#4. You are going to find scheme after scheme to "prep" brass. Yes, the basic is prime, charge, and seat bullet. From there you can probably find someone who swears he gets better groups by leaving the cases out in the full moon...

No, factory dies are not set up at the factory. What brand press do you have? The tolerances are many. You have to adjust. Then there is the question of bullets. You loading 185 grain target bullets. 300 grain bear stompers. They are not the same size. Die has to be adjusted. Same as varying the powder charge with your scale. Lee dippers, used properly, are remarkably uniform. If you wish to set up a powder measure, learn to do it right and it will serve well.

Look, this is not a great deal more dangerous than working on your car or house, but if you do something bad enough wrong you can hurt yourself badly... Keep up your insurance and as the cliche puts it, you have two ears and one mouth... do twice as much listening and learning as talking... LUCK.

Not trying to be... harsh, but your questions make me nervous and give the impression you have not gained the understanding of your equipment yet to proceed to the actual process of loading ammo. It may be a very dangerous situation.

As has been said, go to the book, and read it completely. You really could benefit from some tutoring. Have you tried to find a gun club in your area?

When all else fails, read (and maybe re-read one or two times) the instructions. And, as has been mentioned, try and find an experienced tutor.

Get an inertia bullet puller and some brass that you can afford to scrap.
Put together some dummy loads to practice then pull the bullets when you think you have everything set.
Then use a starting load and load a few and go shoot them.
But this investigation period should take weeks not 2 hours. Slopping through the loading process just to save a few $$$ is not the right attitude. You do not get a lot of do overs if you make a bad mistake.

It has already been said, but finding someone with years of reloading experience to help you in the initial stages will gain invaluable time and save a lot of headaches in adjusting dies and solving problems as they arise.

The latter is not always treated in reloading books. If a case gets stuck in the resizing die, for whatever reason, an experienced reloader may be able to show you how to fix the problem without ruining your dies, show you how to crimp properly, show you how to measure overall cartridge lengths and understand the effect on pressure, etc.