BULLET RELOADING; VERY CAREFULLY--
Reloading ammo is a sport that has come a long way since frontiersmen used to do it on the run with their flintlocks.
Today, instead of powder horns and lead balls the ammunition reloader uses a wide range of very sophisticated tools to create cartridges that often out perform those from the major ammo manufacturers.
Local NRA Instructor and shooting range owner Dave Baker has been reloading more than 40 years. He believes, “About 2 shooters out of 100 are active reloaders and estimates they save about 30 per cent of the cost of factory ammunition.”
“There are several other advantages,” he continued. “It is a very nice hobby by itself, which often leads to more shooting which itself leads to better marksmanship. And, it allows the reloader to experiment on developing the best load possible for his guns.”
Some reloaders enjoy the hobby in order to reload ammo that is no longer on the open market, thus allowing them to continue to enjoy grandpa’s old and reliable fire arm.
Every gun will demonstrate its own preference for specific ammo. The reloader, by carefully chosing between a wide variety of powders and an even wider variety of bullets and primers, plus, adjusting the powder load within carefully measured limitations can zero in on a load that is safest and most accurate for his gun.
“A person new to the process should always work with an experienced reloader at the beginning,” Baker cautioned. The process has its perils for a careless hobbyist. He has the remnants of a .44 caliber revolver that exploded on his range because it was accidently loaded by that shooter with twice the normal powder charge.”
Fortunately, because of his constant focus on shooting safety, Baker’s range is equipped with steel baffles between shooting positions which prevented the incident from injuring nearby shooters.
Some folks refer to such guns as that .44 as “Spontaneously disassembled,” he quipped.
Baker has a Dillon Progressive Press which uses a turret of four dies to somewhat automate the hand-powered process. The old primer is extracted, the empty brass is resized for the new bullet, a new primer is pressed into place, the powder charge is loaded and the new projectile is crimped into place.
After a careful set-up and testing of the first few loads, Baker can load about 400 bullets per hour and loads mostly for his range customers.
Examples of other tools in the process include a tumbler that cleans the previously fired brass and allows for its inspection, precision micrometers and calipers for bullet and brass measurements and a digital scale for precise calibration of powder measure.
Some reloaders add a chronograph to their stable. This is an instrument that measures the velocity of a fired projectile. Yup, you simply fire the bullet past the instrument and it will tell you that bullet was traveling, say, 1053 feet per second.
Powder loads used in the reloading process can produce pressures in your gun exceeding 30,000 pounds per square inch.
You want to do this stuff very carefully indeed.
Reloading ammo is a sport that has come a long way since frontiersmen used to do it on the run with their flintlocks.
Today, instead of powder horns and lead balls the ammunition reloader uses a wide range of very sophisticated tools to create cartridges that often out perform those from the major ammo manufacturers.
Local NRA Instructor and shooting range owner Dave Baker has been reloading more than 40 years. He believes, “About 2 shooters out of 100 are active reloaders and estimates they save about 30 per cent of the cost of factory ammunition.”
“There are several other advantages,” he continued. “It is a very nice hobby by itself, which often leads to more shooting which itself leads to better marksmanship. And, it allows the reloader to experiment on developing the best load possible for his guns.”
Some reloaders enjoy the hobby in order to reload ammo that is no longer on the open market, thus allowing them to continue to enjoy grandpa’s old and reliable fire arm.Every gun will demonstrate its own preference for specific ammo. The reloader, by carefully chosing between a wide variety of powders and an even wider variety of bullets and primers, plus, adjusting the powder load within carefully measured limitations can zero in on a load that is safest and most accurate for his gun.
“A person new to the process should always work with an experienced reloader at the beginning,” Baker cautioned. The process has its perils for a careless hobbyist. He has the remnants of a .44 caliber revolver that exploded on his range because it was accidently loaded by that shooter with twice the normal powder charge.”
Fortunately, because of his constant focus on shooting safety, Baker’s range is equipped with steel baffles between shooting positions which prevented the incident from injuring nearby shooters.
Some folks refer to such guns as that .44 as “Spontaneously disassembled,” he quipped.
Baker has a Dillon Progressive Press which uses a turret of four dies to somewhat automate the hand-powered process. The old primer is extracted, the empty brass is resized for the new bullet, a new primer is pressed into place, the powder charge is loaded and the new projectile is crimped into place.
After a careful set-up and testing of the first few loads, Baker can load about 400 bullets per hour and loads mostly for his range customers.
Examples of other tools in the process include a tumbler that cleans the previously fired brass and allows for its inspection, precision micrometers and calipers for bullet and brass measurements and a digital scale for precise calibration of powder measure.
Some reloaders add a chronograph to their stable. This is an instrument that measures the velocity of a fired projectile. Yup, you simply fire the bullet past the instrument and it will tell you that bullet was traveling, say, 1053 feet per second.
Powder loads used in the reloading process can produce pressures in your gun exceeding 30,000 pounds per square inch.
You want to do this stuff very carefully indeed.
.357 magnum 115 grain, semi-jacketed hollow point bullets are pictured on the left. On the right are finished, .357 cartridges.
No comments:
Post a Comment