| Revision as of 21:46, 2 September 2005 editFluzwup (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users6,801 editsm Expanded hidden outline of stuff to come.← Previous edit | Revision as of 03:16, 6 September 2005 edit undoFluzwup (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users6,801 editsm Hidden additions.Next edit → | ||
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| *]s, or shot and wads for shotshells. | *]s, or shot and wads for shotshells. | ||
| *]s | *]s | ||
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| ==Equipment== | ==Equipment== | ||
| The basic piece of equipment for handloading is the press. A press is a device that uses ] to push the cases into the ]s that perform the loading operations. Presses vary from simple, inexpensive single stage models, to complex progressive models that will eject a loaded cartridge with each pull of a lever, at rates of 10 rounds a minute. | |||
| The operations performed when handloading are: | |||
| *Case inspection (reloading only) | |||
| *Remove the fired primer (reloading only) | |||
| *] or ] crimp from primer pocket (reloading military cases only) | |||
| *Resize the case (reloading only) | |||
| *Expand the neck to accept the bullet | |||
| ⚫ | *Seat a new primer | ||
| *Add a measured amount of powder | |||
| *Seat the bullet in the case | |||
| *] the bullet in place (optional) | |||
| *Cartridge inspection | |||
| When previously fired cases are used, they must be inspected before loading. Cracked necks, non-reloadable cases (steel, aluminum, or Berdan primed cases), and signs of head separation all are reasons to reject a case. Competition shooters will also sort cases by brand and weight to ensure consistency, and cases that are over the recommended length are trimmed down to length. | |||
| Removal of the primer, called ''decapping'', is usually done with a die containing a steel pin that punches out the primer. Berdan primed cases require a different technique, either a ] ram or a hook that punctures the case and levers it out from the bottom. Military cases have crimped in primers, and decapping leaves a slight ridge that inhibits seating a new primer. A reamer or a swage is used to remove this crimp. | |||
| When a cartridge is fired, the internal pressure expands the case to fit the chamber. To allow ease of chambering the cartridge when it is reloaded, the case is swaged back to size. Competition shooters, using ] rifles which are capable of camming a tight case into place, often resize only the neck of the cartridge, called ''neck sizing'', as opposed to the normal full length resizing process. Neck sizing is only useful for cartridges to be re-fired in the same firearm, as the brass may be slightly oversized in some dimensions for other chambers, but the the precise fit of case to chamber will allow greater consistency and therefore greater potential accuracy. ] rifles often require a special ''small base'' resizer, that sizes further down the case than normal dies, and allow for more reliable feeding. | |||
| Once the case is sized down, the inside of the neck of the case will actually be slightly smaller than the bullet diamter. To allow the bullet to be seated, the end of the neck is slightly expanded to allow the bullet to start into the case. Boattailed bullets need very little expansion, while unjacketed ] bullets require more expansion to prevent shaving of lead when the bullet is seated. | |||
| Priming the case is the most dangerous step of the loading process, since the primers are pressure sensitive. Seating a Boxer primer not only places the primer in the case, but it seats the ] of the primer down onto the priming compound, in effect arming the primer. A correctly seated primer will sit slightly below the surface of the case. A primer that protrudes from the case can cause a number of problems; it will tend to hang up when feeding, and the anvil will not be seated correctly so the primer may not fire when hit by the firing pin. Berdan primers must also be seated carefully, and since the anvil is part of the case, the anvil must be inspected before the primer is seated. | |||
| The quantity of gunpowder is specified by weight, but almost always measured by volume. A powder scale is needed to determine the correct volume setting for the powder measure, as loads are specified with a precision of 0.1 grain (0.007 grams). Competition shooters will generally throw a slightly underweight charge, and use a ''powder trickler'' to add few granules at a time to the charge to bring it up to the exact weight for maximum consistency. | |||
| Competition shooters also often sort bullets by weight, often down to 0.1 grain (0.007 grams) increments. The bullet is placed in the case mouth by hand, and then seated with the press. At this point, the expanded case mouth is also sized back down. A crimp can optionally be added, either by the seating die or with a separate die. Taper crimps are used for cases that are held in the chamber by the case mouth, while roll crimps may be used for cases that headspace on a rim or on the cartrdige neck. Roll crimps hold the bullet far more securely, and are preferred in situations, such as magnum ]s, where recoil velocities are significant. A tight crimp also helps to delay the start of the bullet's motion, which can increase chamber pressures, and help develop full power from slower burning powders (see ]). | |||
| Dies--2 and 3 die sets | Dies--2 and 3 die sets | ||
| Powder/bullet scale | Powder/bullet scale | ||
| Priming tool (optional) | Priming tool (optional) | ||
| Powder measure (optional) | Powder measure (optional) | ||
| ===Presses=== | ===Presses=== | ||
| Single stage | Single stage | ||
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| inspection | inspection | ||
| trim to ] | trim to ] | ||
| ===Loading sequence== | |||
| Decap | |||
| Resize | |||
| Expander | |||
| ⚫ | Seat primer | ||
| Load powder | |||
| Seat bullet | |||
| Crimp | |||
| ==Safety/Caveats!== | ==Safety/Caveats!== | ||
| Keep face clear when priming | Keep face clear when priming | ||
Revision as of 03:16, 6 September 2005
Handloading is the process used to create firearm cartridges by hand versus those put together en masse and sold commercially, generally in packages of 6 to 50. When previously fired cases are used, the process is often called reloading. Generally only boxer primed cases (see internal ballistics) are reloaded, though there are exceptions.
Reasons for handloading
The most common motivations for handloading cartridges are increased accuracy and cost savings, though handloaders may sacrifice one for the other. Reloading fired cases can save the shooter a significant amount of money, as the case is usually the major cost of a cartridge. The handloader can also create cartridges for which there are no commercial equivalents, such as wildcat cartridges. Collectors of obsolete firearms often have to handload since many obsolete cartridges are no longer produced. Hunters may desire cartridges with specialized bullets. Target shooters seek optimum accuracy. Many handloaders customize their cartridges to their specific gun. This is usually in the pursuit of accuracy, though it can also lead to an increase in case life. For these specialty applications, cost is usually not a primary motivator, and such cartridges may cost more than commercial ones.
Variables in the reloading process
The handloading process can realize increased accuracy through improved consistency of manufacture. Each cartridge loaded can have each component carefully matched to the rest of the cartridges in the batch. Brass cases can be matched by volume and weight, bullets by weight and concentricity, powder charges by weight. Primers also play a role in accuracy and consistency, but the handloader usually has no ability to manufacture these, so the handloader is limited to experimenting with different primers available commercially. In additon to these items that are considered critical, the equipment used to assemble the cartridge also have an effect on its performance; dies used to size the cartridges can be matched to a given rifle's chamber, high precision scales can give more consistent and accurate measures of powder.
Atypical handloading
It is typically agreed that rimfire cartridges (e.g. .22 Long Rifle) are not handloaded, although there are some shooters that unload commercial rimfire cartridges, and use the primed case to make their own loads, or to generate speical rimfire wildcat cartridges. These cartridges can be remarkably labor intensive to produce, and the process of unloaded the live rimfire cases can be dangerous, since any crushing of the thin brass rim can ignite the primer and cause the case to explode.
Berdan primers, with thier offcenter flash holes and lack of self contained anvil, are more difficult to work with than the easily removed Boxer primers. The primers may be punctured and pried out from the rear, or extracted with hydraulic pressure. Primers must be selected carefully, as there are more sizes of Berdan primers than the standard large and small pistol, large and small rifle of Boxer primers. The case must also be inspected carefully to make sure the anvil has not been damaged, because this could result in a failure to fire.
Materials required
- Cases or shotshell hulls. For shotshells, plastic or paper cases can be reloaded, though plastic is more durable. Steel and aluminum cases do not have the correct qualities for reloading, so a brass case is essential.
- Gun powder of an appropriate type. Generally, handgun cartridges and shotshells use faster powders, rifle cartridges use slower powder.
- Bullets, or shot and wads for shotshells.
- Primers