Keeping enough reliable ammunition on hand is always a concern. While I have not reloaded a lot of different calibers I have rolled plenty of my own ammunition. Mostly because of my favored selections. Some are getting a bit difficult to locate, and are going through the roof price wise. So, if you are like me, or if you just want to have an edge on self sufficiency this might be of interest.
In addition to a basic reloading set up you will need a case trimmer and a vernier to measure cases with. A set of go / no go gauges is one alternative. While I absolutely love progressive loaders such as the Dillon series I have to think that the more parts that there are the more prone to breakage they might be. Case in point though is that I’ve never seen anyone have to return one for a defect.
Then we get to safety. In addition to all the standard safety rules that will be noted in any of the manuals in a survival situation keep your loads in the mid or moderate range. Smokeless powder will be hard to come by. Not to mention that brass will probably last a lot longer with moderate loads than with super hot ones that are on the edge of maximum limit types. Not to mention that most accuracy loads will not be extreme in nature. As Fred noted elsewhere, one shot is the name of the game.
Next we will look at the components of a cartridge:
Primers will in all probability become the most difficult items to acquire, and are also tough to build in a survival situation. Actual fabrication of components will come at a later date in a separate posting. Load up on a supply of them. They are relatively inexpensive at this time, however, as political winds shift that may not remain to be true for various reasons. Most of the brands that are on the market work well. I tend to buy CCI Brand but offerings from Federal, Remington, and others also have a loyal following. Make sure that you stock up with the types that you intend to use, as well as others. It is just good planing. After all, your beloved 30/06 rifle might somehow become damaged but you did come across a 257 Roberts that will do the job so long as you do your part. In addition, primers can be used for other things than cartridges as will be discussed at a later time.
Brass: Get all the brass that you can in the calibers that you have chosen. Make sure that it is actual nickle or brass, not steel, and not corosive type European brass. It may look inexpensive at the time of purchase but don’t be fooled. Again, all the major brands that are listed above sell quality brass. How you care for it will determine it’s useful life. ( I will defer to Stick & String for more about that.)
Bullets: Get a good selection in a variety of types and styles. Including some that would be considered to be “solids” and FMJ. Remember that elephant that was at the Zoo? Give yourself a fighting chance…
Tags: firearms, news, pistols, reloading, revolvers, rifles, shotguns, survival
December 4, 2008 at 3:46 pm
You asked for my comments-here you go-katy bar the door! I’ve been a reloader since the ripe old age of 12. That’s when my mom & dad got me my first “real” rifle (centerfire) on my 12th birthday,and very shortly afterward,learned quickly how expensive centerfire cartridges were at a WHOPPING 3.40 per box of 20. Compared to what I had been used to paying for .22LR “shells” at about 45 cents per box of 50,these were extremely expensive. The ONLY thing saving the local groundhogs from total extinction was my lack of money for ammo. After discussing this with my fullblooded native american great uncle who was the “gun nut” of the family,I decided that reloading would stretch my ammo dollars. I got the “stuff” and a simple lee loader.
Basically,all metallic reloading has same functions-deprime empty case,reprime case,load powder,and seat bullet. The devil is in the details(as always). Now when reloading,it’s essential to clean the case inside so that it’s exactly same as new,otherwise,you would have powder fouling buildup and the primer wouldn’t seat in primer pocket. That’s where a tumbler and primer pocket cleaner comes in. If neccesary,or in survival situation with no power,you can do without tumbling,but primer pocket cleaning is a MUST and can be performed anywhere.
Now that the cases are cleaned and primed,we need to dispense powder in the cases. There’s 2 ways to do this,weighing the powder charges,and using a measure. Since I’m an ex competition shooter and accuracy freak,I weigh ALL powder charges for rifle. This is not neccesary or desirable when loading bulk,service rifle,or handgun so we’ll concentrate on measuring your powder for reloads. Also,scales to weigh powder charges have to be exactly level and are incredibly sensitive to any wind or vibration. In a survival situation,you won’t be needing match winning accuracy except perhaps in extreme long range “tactical” precision rifle and even then you can get by with good,consistantly loaded ammo. As far as powder measures,the adjustable kind is vastly superior to the fixed amount little “cup” sets. Now be aware that extruded powders,such as the majority of rifle powders,won’t measure properly due to the length of the individual grains.
So it’s still handy to keep a powder scale when loading for rifle if you intend to use “stick” powder.
As presses go,I found out long ago that while single stage presses do have their uses,I HIGHLY prefer turret presses. Single stage presses only hold 1 loading die at a time,while turret presses hold all the dies you need for loading a certain caliber/cartridge + the powder measure. The thing I don’t like about single stage presses is not only does it take longer to load,especially for different calibers,but it IS possible for your dies to go out of the correct adjustment of sizing or bullet seating. I’ve seen this happen many times,usually to others-regardless of loading die brand. That’s the reason I only use turret presses. You can still load single stage “batch” style,but all your dies are securely seated in turret head. In that way,I have a different turret head for each cartridge I load for with all the dies adjusted and locked down,never to go out of adjustment or loosen. The absolute best turret presses in the type where the case holder (bottom of press) remains stationary while the turret revolves.
Bullet seating is fairly straightforward in that you seat the bullet at the proper depth in the case for correct overall length. In handguns,it’s simplest of all because usually,most handgun bullets have a cannalure,or slight depression around case,indicating proper seating depth,where rifle bullets,except for factory style usually don’t have them.
Once you adjust seating depth on 1 bullet,it will change if you decide to use a different bullet later of course. That’s another reason for finding a perfect load and sticking with it.
Componet choices,especially bullet choice,are many and bewildering unless you pick what style/weight/brand/and type of bullet that performs best in your firearm for the uses you expect to use it for. Choose the bullet you want,work up a good load for it,and stick with that bullet once you find the 1 you want. Bullets keep pretty good by simply storeing them in airtight container.
Powder should be bought from same lot either by the 8 pound keg,or several 1 pound containers. Smokeless powder’s #1 enemy is moisture,so remember that when storing or using,leaving powder cannisters open as short as possible while using sliica gel. Store the powder in larger airtight container putting factory containers in it. Again,find a miminum amount of powders that will work in as many different cartridges as possible. Examples would be an fast burning powder for semiautomatic pistols,magnum powder for all magnum handguns and also rifles chambered for magnum handgun cartridges such as .357,.44,etc. Next would be rifle powder for smaller cartridges such as the .223 that everyone seems to be in love with,and larger rounds such as deer/game cartridges like the previously mentioned .308,30-06,etc. If you have rifles chambered for obscure or uncommon calibers like I do,it’s a MUST to have plenty of all componets on hand.
Primers can easily be purchased by the 5,000 case and is highly reccomended because primers are still very reasonable compared to everything else. There are small pistol,large pistol,small & large rifle. The magnum rifle primers are only neccecary on magnum rounds only,and even then you may subsitute regular primers for magnum.
Primers HAVE to be stored in airtight containers,and preferably even temp controlled if possible. Reloading componets may safely be stored this way for YEARS without deterioration-longer than you’ll be alive. I think I’ve about covered most of it for now.