New to reloading - what powders to look for?

[My 3 sons]

Lots of good info from everyone for you.

Lyman's manual is my preferred as Orygun stated it's not brand specific like the Hornady and Speer manuals.

Learn with your pistol cartridge to start. Rick B is right they are simpler than rifle cases with bottle necks. If you do .38 rounds first even less cost to work out the loading errors that can happen.

When I started reloading powder was easy to find but I didn't want small bottles of powder for each calibre I loaded. I looked at what powders were most flexible for what I had. This allowed me to buy 4lb or 8lb kegs to lower overall cost and save space/organization. I shoot for fun not for money so I have a less complicated outlook to keep things simple for me.

Unique is a good flexible pistol powder for me. 9mm, .45 ACP/Colt. Not easy to find now but it can be had if you are patient and consistely searching. This is a flake powder and has never given me issues loading.

For .308, 5.56 I use TAC or BLC-2. Out of desperation I got 8lbs of CFE-223 recently but have yet to load any rounds with it. These are ball powders that run nicely in a powder drop or auto dispenser scale.

I'm glad you are taking your time to get started. As a trainer for work it sounds like you learn better by doing. If that's true definetly hook up with a loading buddy before you strike out on buying equipment and such to start loading. Getting your hands on experience will answer a lot for you.

What equipment to buy is a whole other thread you will need to start as there are a lot of options.

I am happy to help with what knowledge and experience I have gained in the past five years. (Not much when compared to many on our forum) let me know anytime.

Tom

 

[spectra]

Being a newbie myself there is a lot of good info already posted Joe I have the Lyman 49th edition and also the latest Hornady I think. A lot of my info is also copies of articles and load info off the net as .300 black is a new cal. I will say it can be overwhelming at times but there is nothing like making your first round putting it down range.

And as stated when it comes to equipment that is another monster in itself I would say just start off on a SS and go from there. At times I really want to go bigger but the SS keeps me in check and makes me go at a steady pace.

Good luck and enjoy it is fun!

 

[RVTECH]

Unfortunately, this isn't the time to be picky about just about anything.

Thats for sure! It has been a little challenging with the shortages these days and depending on where you are you may be better or worse than others. The trick is when you see a powder on the shelf you are not familiar with open a manual or ask if they have a data pamphlet for the powder and see if it is something you can use across a 'range' of a few calibers. Unique and Bullseye good examples of powders that can be used for a wide range of handgun calibers. Rifle powders are a little less forgiving but still the same applies. TAC is one of my favorites as I can use it for my 30-30 and .233 - and I just happen to get some of the best accuracy ever out of it for both.

 

[Steve M]

I got started reloading this spring and didn't buy the equipment till I had powder in hand.

Ordinarily I would suggest starting as I did with 38 spl loads for your 357 then move into full power 357 loads, but finding these powders is a big problem. I did recently come across some H110 which is good for 357 but not 38 and very disconcerting to shoot for the beginning reloader as H110 is a full power load that will knock your socks off. No need to ask me how I know, use your imagination.

The easiest powder to find right now will be for the 308 as there are many powders that will work in it and rifle powders are easier to come by these days. The trick with reloading bottleneck cartridges like the 308 is that you have to set the shoulder back just enough for smooth chambering but not so much that you create excessive headspace. The very first time I reloaded for 308 I set the dies up per the directions and found that my re-sized brass remained at the same headspace dimension as before resizing, I had to screw the die in another 1/4 turn or so to get the 0.002" bump back that I needed to reach the same dimension as the factory loads that I had. Just follow the directions in a reloading manual or book and you should be fine.

 

[ridnjon]

Hey joe I'm close to you. I'll help you out and show you the steps for good reloading habits. You can see my set up and we can load some ammo, that way you can see the equipment needed to do the job. And what would work for you. Pm me and I'll send you my phone number.

 

[10 Spot Terminator]

Buy yourself a Lyman manual. Can usually find them at Bi-Mart. It's not the only manual I have, but it's the only one that is not bullet brand specific. All manuals are full of info, but if you have to start someplace, start with the Lyman.

What powders you need depend entirely on what you want from each round. H110, W296 and Blue Dot will give you everything you can ask for from a .357 Mag.
Unique works somewhere for most handgun rounds.
Bullseye is great for target 38 Special loads.

Not sure, off hand, about what works for different 308 loads, cuz I don't load .308, but there is a TON of info for that round.

Welcome to the party. You didn't pick a great time to get started, but it's not as bleak as it has been.

Good luck.

I too recommend the Lyman manual as the best beginners guide . As stated Lyman doesnt doesnt make any of its own jacketed bullets but does reference its own cast bullets made from their molds . In their load data for any specific cartridge with a specific bullet and weight they will show the powder most recommended due to their load tests for the firearm used for the test . I have found this data to have a high percentage of accuracy for me over 30 years of loading for a couple dozen cartridges . Dont get ne wrong , I own several other manuals many of which are made by the bullet manufacturers which prove valuable as well but find the Lyman data to match my best loads more often than the others . For overall best reading and easiest to comprehend all of the nuances of loading I would refer the beginners to either of the last 2 manuals written by Richard Lee of Lee Reloading Products . This is where to start before attempting to load your first cartridge . Learn to walk before you start to run as they say and it will help keep you safe as well as be able to put together quality ammo for your weapons .

Reloading is a great and very satisfying hobby and hope you enjoy it as much as I have over the years .

 

[Certaindeaf]

A reloading manual is like a cookbook.. it resembles a Jack in the Box drive through with big pictures.
not. it involves sharp knives, hot skillets and exact measurements of time, heat and volume.. etc. maybe start out cooking something up in your kitchen.. of which there are infinite possibilities. same same good luck you can do it?

 

[Joe13]

A reloading manual is like a cookbook.. it resembles a Jack in the Box drive through with big pictures.
not. it involves sharp knives, hot skillets and exact measurements of time, heat and volume.. etc. maybe start out cooking something up in your kitchen.. of which there are infinite possibilities. same same good luck you can do it?

You must not cook much...

Cooking is an Art.

Baking is a Science.

 

[Member 34319]

For what you loading. If you can find it that is. Titegroup and 2230 will do you fine.

Sportsmans in Hillsboro had 2 8# jugs of 3031 on the shelf as of Friday 179$ is the reason why I think. That powder will work for 223, and 308.

Other than that get a book. Hornady's book has a good portion in the front about reloading before it even gets to recipes. It is a good read for someone getting started.

 

[rutilate]

I think I saw Curt's post herein where he stated that he has some Unique in stock. Don't know how their prices compare with others, but that would be a great place to start.

The best prices I've ever found online are at Powder Valley. If you can stomach buying $1000 worth of powder/primers or find a couple of buddies to partner with, the hazmat and shipping are amortized over a large volume and become very reasonable. Otherwise, shipping and $27 hazmat fee is way too expensive for 1-8 pounds. If you go this route, find Powder Valley on Facebook and get alerts from their feed. When they get shipments in they typically post it on Facebook and a feeding frenzy ensues. Sometimes they'll give you advance notice of the manufacturer's shipment they received so you can prepare and watch for their website to be updated.

 

[blitz]

my powder of choice for the 357mag alliant 2400 under 158's. i have several powders that would work but that is what i settled on.
for 9mm i use w231 and n340.i dont load for the 308 but my friend does. i will have to ask him what powder he uses. i think 4895.

can never have enough loading manuals so i would suggest getting the newest edition of each one. atleast the popular ones (nosler, speer,lyman,hornady barnes and sierra)

another thing is i like to use 2 scales, a beam and a digital. if i am hand weighing my charges i use the beam scale (rcbs 505) and check the charges every ten rounds or so with the digital (hornady something or other) just to make sure it is not wandering.
if i am using my powder drop i check the charges when i start and every so often with my beam scale.
i would also grab a lee powder measure kit, it makes it alot quiker when you are hand weighing charges

heard alot of people say to start reloading with pistol because there are more steps with rifle so alot of people get turned off from reloading due to the tedious steps involved. i say start reloading for whatever you shoot most or is most expensive i started reloading with 223 then 9mm then a whole list of other calibers.

we started with a hornady lnl ap press and later on switched to a dillon 650 and hornady single stage lnl. the hornady ap was great but it seemed like we had to replace parts to much, which was all covered under warranty and hornady was very quik to get them to us.

 

[blitz]

let me know if you need any tips or possibly some of my load data. we load for 338wm, 300wm, 30-06, 308, 300 aac, 223, 357 mag, 45acp, 40s&w, 9mm and 380 and i will be starting to load for my 10mm soon.

 

[davef]

handloads.com has some great load data. use w caution though cause you never know who submitted them.

 

[rutilate]

handloads.com has some great load data. use w caution though cause you never know who submitted them.

I've always been very careful to use handloads.com as a corroborating source when I find either discrepancies between the Lee and Hornady books, or when the specific bullet I'm using doesn't show up in the books.

 

[Joe13]

This is awesome advice from everyone! Thanks a ton for taking the time to help me get started.

I love this community

 

[Joe13]

I'm on my way...

I bought the Layman 49th ed as a place to start and have already learned a lot.

I also splurged a bit on some powders (they were there...) - 3 of the 4 will work for cartridges I use already, so I guess I have some trading material for when I actually get started making rounds.


I'm leaning towards buying someone's full setup used - there has been what looked like very good deals lately.

 

[rick benjamin]

Clear the bench except for the powder, primers bullets and tools.
Keep notes of what you do and why.
Stage your cases in a loading tray.
Do the same procedure per batch of cases, size 50, prime 50, powder 50.
VISUALLY inspect powder volume by eye. Use a strong overhead lamp.
The eye will pick the odd looking volume out of the 50.
As soon as you finish charging with powder, seat the bullets.
I use zip-lock baggies to hold reloads
A dated note with caliber, bullet make model Ballistic Coefficient, powder and amount, primer make.

If you don't have a chronograph, you won't know what your recipe is doing.
I have a Chrony F1 (30 years). Still works, just used it to chrono shotgun slugs.
Chrony made some improvements, the F1 Master display has a 16 ft cord (to the bench)

I decided to go modern so I searched for a chronograph with a USB port. Of several choices,
I ordered the CED M-2

 

[gunfreak]

http://www.hodgdonreloading.com/data/pistol

I use this site for most of my data. I wrote down a list of the powders I use for the calibers I load and put it in my wallet. Then when I go in a store with powder available I can buy powder that is compatible.

 

[cookie]

Find a powder that will work with all your pistol calibers. It may not be the ideal powder but it is less of a chore than changing powders and eliminates the chance of grabbing the wrong powder. Even I make mistakes. Get several loading manuals and study up . What will you do for a press?

 

[Joe13]

As soon as I have a stock of powder, bullets and primers (I have a good amount of brass from factory ammo I've bought) I will look at the reviews on some of the different high end progressive presses.

Ideally I will save up a grand or so and keep an eye out for someone selling an entire setup (for whatever reason) and buy it used.

Until then, I thought I might start out with a single press setup (used) to get used to havin to measure the different points and work thru a few hundred rounds slowly (nothing like hands on for me) and get a good feel for it.

Then I'll jump up to all the time saving toys and a faster press; I have a limited amount of time to add yet another hobby to my list of gun related hobbies that take up my time so I need to spend my time as efficiently as possible.

I have at least one offer to see a setup work in person so I think after that happens I will have a very good idea of what will work best for me.

I'm very mechanically inclined and have fixed a large list of things so I'm not really afraid of the process, it's more that I like to thoroughly understand something before I commit to it.

Money is my biggest hurdle so it may be a few months or more before I plunge into this.


This thread has been a huge help for me.