Pennsylvania Game News - August 2021 - 11

primer is seated just a little bit deeper than
flush with the base. In time you'll be able
to tell with your fingers when the primer is
seated correctly, but in the beginning it's a
good idea to use a commercially-loaded
case for reference.
Once your primer is in place, measure
the recommended amount of the recommended
smokeless gunpowder. Most loads
suggest a minimum and maximum amount
of powder to use. For safety, most loading
manuals suggest starting any load at the
lowest listed powder charge, then reducing
its weight by 10 percent. You can work your
way up in increments from there.
Note that most powder loads are measured
in grains. That doesn't mean that each
individual powder particle is a grain. Rather,
grain is a unit of weight measurement.
Never go above the recommended
maximum powder load. Using a scale, pour
powder into a measuring cup until the scale
indicates you've reached the desired grain
weight. Use a reloading funnel that fits over
the case mouth and pour your powder in to
the funnel. Tap the funnel to get all of the
powder into the case.
Ball- or sphere-shaped powders flow
well for this, though some flake-shaped
powders do pretty well, too. Extruded
powders, shaped like small rods, don't flow
very well, so be sure to observe the design
of your powder to ensure proper charging.
Now you can seat a bullet. Your load data
or " recipe " will recommend pairing a specific
bullet with a specific grain weight. It's
best to stick with those guidelines to avoid
pressure problems and performance issues.
Some seating dies will have a crimp
mechanism built into them to ensure that the
case mouth presses slightly into the bullet
to hold it in place; read your instructions
on how to set the seating die with the crimp
mechanism or purchase a separate crimp die
for your caliber. That latter tool is recommended
for copper-plated lead bullets, as it
ensures that the crimp does not separate the
AUGUST 2021
plating from the internal lead.
Screw the bullet seating die into the top
of the ram with a case in the shell holder at
the top of the stroke. Most bullet seating dies
will have a way to back the actual seating
rod out to a maximum length. You want the
internal roll crimp - the point where the case
bends inward to grip the bullet - of the seating
die to come into contact with the case
mouth at the ram's highest point.
Now lower the ram and adjust the seating
rod down, raising your ram with case
and bullet.
Check the length between base and bullet
tip with your caliper between turns of the
seating rod until your bullet is seated to the
length of the recommended load.
Back the seating rod out several turns.
Then screw the seating die in one-quarter
to one-third of a turn and raise the ram to
crimp the case mouth; adjust as necessary
to get the desired crimp. Then screw in the
bullet seating rod until it touches the bullet.
Charge another prepared case and seat
a bullet. Check the overall length against
your recipe and adjust the seating rod as
necessary to get consistent length.
Go through all those steps, loading just a
few rounds initially. Then head to the range
and fire them off, seeing how they group.
Based on their performance, you can start
over, increasing the powder load in small
increments - no more than 0.3 grains to
0.5 grains between batches - and shoot
those until you're happy with how your
rifle groups.
Then, when you've identified the particular
load that performs best from your
particular firearm, you can take that recipe,
churn out as much ammunition as you need
- empty shelves or no empty shelves. Just
keep in mind that different lots of powder
might have slightly different performance
characteristics and that can affect grouping
from lot to lot, even when following the
same recipe. The same can be said for lots
of cases, bullets and primers.
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Pennsylvania Game News - August 2021

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