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Noob reloader questions

Jglitch

Private
Minuteman
Oct 27, 2021
38
3
Working behind enemy lines(CA)
So I have a lee precision 4 turret press kit and some dies I picked up for 150 on black fridayday on ebay thats heading my way I've done a fair share of research on the dies and tools I'm starting off cheap for now because I'm broke(spent all my money on a glass) my question comes down to components, what's the best websites to keep tabs on, because I noticed a couple of websites straight up seemed like a scam, and everything is out of stock.

Also what's a good resource for info on components I bought some ram hunter powder because it was all that was available and people online said it was usable for 6.5 cm just needs a grain or two extra of powder than most loads and I'm really nervous on mixing cheap powder with cheap cci primers(should I just bite the bullet and get the federal premium large rifle primers if anyone has any experience on this subject?)

Someone here might save me from wasting a lot of money of bullshit shipping charges and price gouging if they could tell me if anyone has large rifle primers in stock because I noticed most sites only charges 20 to 30 bucks for shipping everyone is 60+ on gb. I looked around and the couple sites I saw came up as scams on other forums. Is powdervalley safe? Lol I didn't get an email or anything for my purchase of 2lbs of powder haha 🤣

I apologize for this being something that gets posted here once a week some of my questions are very specific
 
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Any local shops that carry powder and primers? Finding a deal on either is going to be tough, even more so online due to hazmat shipping as you have found out isn't cheap.

While I hate giving them the clicks, I've used fb marketplace and joined local groups that has netted me some powder and primers.
 
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If it also means anything even though I don't plan on loading these immediately I picked up hornady .264 eld match heads 130 g, obviously I'll get other heads for cheaper loads I just wanted to have something and they were on sale for $35 for 100 so I figured why not but should I stick to 130 grain or go to 140/147 on my cross
 
Any local shops that carry powder and primers? Finding a deal on either is going to be tough, even more so online due to hazmat shipping as you have found out isn't cheap.

While I hate giving them the clicks, I've used fb marketplace and joined local groups that has netted me some powder and primers.
Funny enough everyone's hoarding in orange county here in commiefornia, so finding stuff in stores is impossible and finding someone willing to sell even harder.

I'll look for groups though that's how I got expensive knives dirt cheap
 
Don’t fall into the “heavier is better” trap. 130s can kick plenty ass out of a 6.5CM

Everyone is hoarding everywhere. Supply chain is also fucked. Good news is, it’s all getting better slowly. Local swap pages are helpful. Paying shipping/hazmat sucks but so does driving all over town checking the local shops every day…the fudds learn when recieving day is and will literally line up outside their favorite shop before dawn…and/or have their buddy behind the counter hold their stuff back for them….or As one employee at Sportsman’s told me last month, “if I had seen that jug of powder, it never would have made it to the shelf”. So, shipping/hazmat=less frustration.

Powdervalley
midsouth
brownells
midwayusa
Grafs
hodgdon.com
Cabelas
sportsmans warehouse

and dozens of others I’m not thinking of
 
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Don’t fall into the “heavier is better” trap. 130s can kick plenty ass out of a 6.5CM
It's just for target shooting at first I want to get comfortable behind the rifle before I start hunting bigger game I'm used to hunting shit that flies, or is small enough to use a .22 or 5.56 but the big killer is for me this is my first time taking up reloading due to ammo prices in the last 2 decades I've been behind a gun and I have 0 clue about bullet weights and types of powder and primers(almost accidentally bought large magnum rifle primers because I didn't know there was a difference so I appreciate the kind warning 147 grain shit is 5 to 10 bucks more anyways so I like saving money when I don't have to spend more)
 
First, you need a manual for a baseline. Then there is alot of info sources to be found. This is a good place to start. Good luck, sorry you think that you are going to "save" money. Soon you will learn.
 
Powder valley and graf’s is where I typically get all my supplies.


The above advise about 130 is good.

The Lee turret is a pretty decent press.
 
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Powder valley and graf’s is where I typically get all my supplies.


The above advise about 130 is good.

The Lee turret is a pretty decent press.
I've heard everything from Lee is pretty solid for the price point and most people who upgrade still keep and use their Lee's too for smaller batches. Thank you I'll check out graf.

It's just for target so I'm happy with sticking to 130 grain
 
Powder valley and graf’s is where I typically get all my supplies.


The above advise about 130 is good.

The Lee turret is a pretty decent press.
I've heard everything from Lee is pretty solid for the price point and most people who upgrade still keep and use their Lee's too for smaller batches. Thank you I'll check out graf.

It's just for target so I'm happy with sticking to 130 for now.
 
First, you need a manual for a baseline. Then there is alot of info sources to be found. This is a good place to start. Good luck, sorry you think that you are going to "save" money. Soon you will learn.
Already have one on order although I only see 3 pages for 6.5 cm so well see how helpful that is, as far as "saving" money is concerned locally 200 rounds of 6.5 cm runs me 600 something dollars after tax, the last batch I bought were hollow points still ran me 500 and ordering online jacks up the price by 50 or 70 bucks for the fee our FFL's charge locally plus shipping more times than not. Oh and a transfer fee since they do backgrounds for inanimate objects in this nanny state. So yes anything at this point is saving money. At least until I'm done working behind enemy lines when I go back to AZ I don't expect anything to be different as PV is a hoarder county too.
 
CCI primers have a pretty good reputation among the precision crowd. I’d venture a guess that cci 450s are the most sought after primers on the hide. At this point, no primers are cheap. The good news is, the primers are the least of your worries until you get pretty good at controlling your reloading process.
 
CCI primers have a pretty good reputation among the precision crowd. I’d venture a guess that cci 450s are the most sought after primers on the hide. At this point, no primers are cheap. The good news is, the primers are the least of your worries until you get pretty good at controlling your reloading process.
Strange came across a few threads of people saying the No34 primers from them would be last picks or avoided. Yeah apparently local reloading shops used to sell 8lbs of powder for 13 bucks and now shits 280 to 500. I figure the 2lbs of the rams hunter shit I snagged will hold me over for a little while

If the cci primers are alright I might as well pick up a bulk pack on my card I'm just trying to find anything I can get my hands on since I'm late to the party on 6.5cm despite I was recommending people swap over when it was 60 to 70 cents a round. So if it will go bang straight enough I'll add it to my stock
 
Cci 34s are NATO spec primers that will have a harder cup than 200 or 250s. If you can get them cheap, there’s no reason not to try them but if you have any failure to ignite issues, they will be the culprit.
 
Strange came across a few threads of people saying the No34 primers from them would be last picks or avoided. Yeah apparently local reloading shops used to sell 8lbs of powder for 13 bucks and now shits 280 to 500. I figure the 2lbs of the rams hunter shit I snagged will hold me over for a little while

If the cci primers are alright I might as well pick up a bulk pack on my card I'm just trying to find anything I can get my hands on since I'm late to the party on 6.5cm despite I was recommending people swap over when it was 60 to 70 cents a round. So if it will go bang straight enough I'll add it to my stock
8lbs of powder for 13 bucks has been gone long ago, and instead of using the word heads, projectiles or bullets sounds much better. CCI are great primers, but if you can get any at all of any brand that you can use, you probably should. Good luck
 
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"people online said it was usable for 6.5 cm just needs a grain or two extra of powder than most loads"
You would be smart to get a second or third opinion. "People on the internet" are largely full of shit.

That said if someone actually DOES use a heavier load with a specific powder that might only be good in THEIR GUN and in THEIR location. Load data in Florida will vary from load data in Arizona.

Work up your own loads. Period.

I'm really nervous on mixing cheap powder with cheap cci primers(should I just bite the bullet and get the federal premium large rifle primers if anyone has any experience on this subject?)"
What's wrong with CCI primers? Absolutely nothing. I have used CCI for years (as well as others) and had zero negative to say.

Your statement (how it was worded) implies that CCI is substandard. It is absolutely not.

Some people get off in the nuances of stuff and they DO find good combinations with a certain powder and a certain primer type FOR THEIR GUN in THEIR ENVIRONMENT... but just because someone else found something like that do not accept it as gospel for you. Yes it might warrant investigation but that doesn't mean it's always true for everyone everywhere.

Casting shade on CCI is not correct. It might not be intentional but the way it was worded sounds like that's what's being done.
Is powdervalley safe?

Powder Valley is awesome. Normally for my testing I buy my pound jugs locally. Buying online makes a lot more sense but in normal times you need to buy a lot more powder/primers to make it all make sense cost wise. There is no way I would order one pound of powder from anyone and then tack on hazmat on top of that.
 
Been loading since the late 70's, never seen 8lbs of powder for 13 bucks. One pound was around 10 bucks, maybe as low as 8/9 if it was some old stock in the gun store. Back then no mail order of powder or components was allowed.

8lbs of powder for 13 bucks has been gone long ago, and instead of using the word heads, projectiles or bullets sounds much better. CCI are great primers, but if you can get any at all of any brand that you can use, you probably should. Good luck
 
Been loading since the late 70's, never seen 8lbs of powder for 13 bucks. One pound was around 10 bucks, maybe as low as 8/9 if it was some old stock in the gun store. Back then no mail order of powder or components was allowed.
I was replying to the ops comment, im not old enough to have ever seen it for that price myself either.
 
I usually check the below to see where I can get the best prices and it's always a mixture of all of them depending on availability etc:
grafs.com (can get some fantastic pricing every once in a while but usually good prices overall)
powdervalley.com (usually best availability for powder/primers online)
midwayusa.com
brownells.com
natchezss.com
sportmans.com (for sitting in line 3hrs prior to store open, to get stuff on the truck when online ordering is hopeless)
patsreloading.com (mainly for .50BMG components)

Worst case scenario emergency use only: GunBroker/eBay
 
Cci 34s are NATO spec primers that will have a harder cup than 200 or 250s. If you can get them cheap, there’s no reason not to try them but if you have any failure to ignite issues, they will be the culprit.
Hmm. Do they have other large rifle primers I should keep my eye out for. I might give them a shot once I confirm an address I just remembered I'm hitting the end of escrow so I might be out of a home here soon so I'm forced to wait until I find a second address.
 
Been loading since the late 70's, never seen 8lbs of powder for 13 bucks. One pound was around 10 bucks, maybe as low as 8/9 if it was some old stock in the gun store. Back then no mail order of powder or components was allowed.
Strange older friend of mine had a receipt for 3x 8lb jugs of different stuff for 50 or so dollars in the 90s must have gotten a nice deal 🤣. Then again he would buy crates of guns all the time might have been a hookup
 
Hmm. Do they have other large rifle primers I should keep my eye out for. I might give them a shot once I confirm an address I just remembered I'm hitting the end of escrow so I might be out of a home here soon so I'm forced to wait until I find a second address.

Large rifle are #200, Large rifle Benchrest are #250.
 
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Some military pull down surplus powder might have been that cheap years back...
 
What's the difference between BR and non?
Depends on who you ask…maybe better quality control at the plant, maybe different people running the same machines, maybe nothing. I’ve never gotten a straight answer.

For your purposes, there is effectively no difference. If you get to the point of competitive benchrest or f-class shooting you may look to the BR primers to produce lower velocity variances.
 
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So I have a lee precision 4 turret press kit and some dies I picked up for 150 on black fridayday on ebay thats heading my way I've done a fair share of research on the dies and tools I'm starting off cheap for now because I'm broke(spent all my money on a glass) my question comes down to components, what's the best websites to keep tabs on, because I noticed a couple of websites straight up seemed like a scam, and everything is out of stock.

Also what's a good resource for info on components I bought some ram hunter powder because it was all that was available and people online said it was usable for 6.5 cm just needs a grain or two extra of powder than most loads and I'm really nervous on mixing cheap powder with cheap cci primers(should I just bite the bullet and get the federal premium large rifle primers if anyone has any experience on this subject?)

Someone here might save me from wasting a lot of money of bullshit shipping charges and price gouging if they could tell me if anyone has large rifle primers in stock because I noticed most sites only charges 20 to 30 bucks for shipping everyone is 60+ on gb. I looked around and the couple sites I saw came up as scams on other forums. Is powdervalley safe? Lol I didn't get an email or anything for my purchase of 2lbs of powder haha 🤣

I apologize for this being something that gets posted here once a week some of my questions are very specific
I've always liked dealing with MidSouth Shooters and Midway USA for supplies and tools. Eric Cortina on YouTube has some really good vids on reloading......along with many other you-tubers.

One thing I like personally to do that I don't see mentioned........after charging the powder into a rack of shells, I always take a flashlight and peek into each one to be sure I didn't miss any. Only takes a minute and it relieves the squib worries.
 
Anyone reloading should be doing this. Always line them up and take a look in, over/under easy enough to tell. If you manually drop pistol rounds it's even more important to visually check. 500 checked!

20211125_201429.jpg


One thing I like personally to do that I don't see mentioned........after charging the powder into a rack of shells, I always take a flashlight and peek into each one to be sure I didn't miss any. Only takes a minute and it relieves the squib worries.
 
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I've always liked dealing with MidSouth Shooters and Midway USA for supplies and tools. Eric Cortina on YouTube has some really good vids on reloading......along with many other you-tubers.

One thing I like personally to do that I don't see mentioned........after charging the powder into a rack of shells, I always take a flashlight and peek into each one to be sure I didn't miss any. Only takes a minute and it relieves the squib worries.
Don't know If the press I got is even considered fully progressive but I know I got one of the cheapest ones I could so I could learn the absolute last thing I'd want to do is destroy a barrel or my rifle, I'd almost rather the round blow up in my face and kill me(as unlikely as it may be) then destroy shit I will spend years trying to replace so rest assured I will be taking all proper precautions to make sure everything is done right. It's also why I'm on the hunt for a more in depth reloading manual the one I have only has 2 pages on the one round I'll be reloading the shit out of. It did mention checking your casings to make sure you added powder though 🤣 made me chuckle then realized that must be a common mistake if you're just cranking out cartridges.

I like having stuff to read when it comes to this kind of stuff because I can remember it easier from referring back to it constantly, and it's something to read in my down time. I've watched a few videos but I like seeing charts with starting weights and max weights with specific powders and grain projectiles. The Lee manual I picked up was perfect in that aspect but as I said 2.5 pages on 6.5 creedmoor I only see the powder I have mentioned once it's with a sub 130gn projectile and a 140 and I'm not sure I should be finding a middle ground with the charge as opposed to having data and recommended charge weights considering my projectile is smack dab in the middle of the two weights.

Idk I think not knowing what the fuck I'm doing is what makes this fun to me, it's like throwing me into a chemistry lab(Asian and don't know math not a good combo) and playing Russian roulette but it's up to me to make the right call. Jack of all trades master of none is my motto.
 
Don't know If the press I got is even considered fully progressive but I know I got one of the cheapest ones I could so I could learn the absolute last thing I'd want to do is destroy a barrel or my rifle, I'd almost rather the round blow up in my face and kill me(as unlikely as it may be) then destroy shit I will spend years trying to replace so rest assured I will be taking all proper precautions to make sure everything is done right. It's also why I'm on the hunt for a more in depth reloading manual the one I have only has 2 pages on the one round I'll be reloading the shit out of. It did mention checking your casings to make sure you added powder though 🤣 made me chuckle then realized that must be a common mistake if you're just cranking out cartridges.

I like having stuff to read when it comes to this kind of stuff because I can remember it easier from referring back to it constantly, and it's something to read in my down time. I've watched a few videos but I like seeing charts with starting weights and max weights with specific powders and grain projectiles. The Lee manual I picked up was perfect in that aspect but as I said 2.5 pages on 6.5 creedmoor I only see the powder I have mentioned once it's with a sub 130gn projectile and a 140 and I'm not sure I should be finding a middle ground with the charge as opposed to having data and recommended charge weights considering my projectile is smack dab in the middle of the two weights.

Idk I think not knowing what the fuck I'm doing is what makes this fun to me, it's like throwing me into a chemistry lab(Asian and don't know math not a good combo) and playing Russian roulette but it's up to me to make the right call. Jack of all trades master of none is my motto.
Try the Lyman manual, it has a bunch of loads in it and they are relatively cheap. It's a pretty good manual.
 
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Try the Lyman manual, it has a bunch of loads in it and they are relatively cheap. It's a pretty good manual.
I don't know if it's against the sites rules to ask this question so if it is just ignore me, but do you know where I can find the pdf of that just to check the 6.5 cm side because I want to make sure my powders or more information will be available but all I see is the 47th edition which doesn't have 6.5cm. Or maybe I should just check the jug when it gets here/worry about this when I'm set up and ready. Got primers, powder, bullets just need brass which will be easy to buy or just shoot more. My press is 99% ready. I probably should've gotten something easier to research than ram hunter in 6.5 but everything else was 30 to 500$ more and I read online it's a decent powder just needs a tiny extra in the grains department to push what H4350 or whatever the numbers are with a 130grain projectile.

Honestly all the criticisms information feedback about this plan/starting off/me winging it has really helped me think things more carefully through so feel free to call me a fucking idiot at any point and time if I've made some grave errors.

I'm straight up making a lot of assumptions based on what I'm reading and what my little book tells me which I have a looming suspicion that's how a lot of you got started. Again though don't want to destroy my guns in the process so I'm trying to proceed with caution.

BTW only reason I'm hesitant on picking up that manual is because I'm broke and there might not be that much different info from my 2021 Lee manual. It just had little in the 130gr department and nothing with the type of powder or similar to what I'm using/going to be using. Hence why I asked about the pdf I'm actually looking at a pdf on internet archives on hornady and lyman but nothing current
 
I don't know if it's against the sites rules to ask this question so if it is just ignore me, but do you know where I can find the pdf of that just to check the 6.5 cm side because I want to make sure my powders or more information will be available but all I see is the 47th edition which doesn't have 6.5cm. Or maybe I should just check the jug when it gets here/worry about this when I'm set up and ready. Got primers, powder, bullets just need brass which will be easy to buy or just shoot more. My press is 99% ready. I probably should've gotten something easier to research than ram hunter in 6.5 but everything else was 30 to 500$ more and I read online it's a decent powder just needs a tiny extra in the grains department to push what H4350 or whatever the numbers are with a 130grain projectile.

Honestly all the criticisms information feedback about this plan/starting off/me winging it has really helped me think things more carefully through so feel free to call me a fucking idiot at any point and time if I've made some grave errors.

I'm straight up making a lot of assumptions based on what I'm reading and what my little book tells me which I have a looming suspicion that's how a lot of you got started. Again though don't want to destroy my guns in the process so I'm trying to proceed with caution.

BTW only reason I'm hesitant on picking up that manual is because I'm broke and there might not be that much different info from my 2021 Lee manual. It just had little in the 130gr department and nothing with the type of powder or similar to what I'm using/going to be using. Hence why I asked about the pdf I'm actually looking at a pdf on internet archives on hornady and lyman but nothing current

It has 6.5 Creedmoor in it. Probably can find it cheaper somewhere else, maybe. Paperback is cheaper than hardback too by the way.
 

It has 6.5 Creedmoor in it. Probably can find it cheaper somewhere else, maybe. Paperback is cheaper than hardback too by the way.
I'll just end up buying it or the mega one for 70$ when my house sells. Not walking away with much so I'm going from Sig p226 tier buying to hipoint tier buying for the next couple years hence the large investment into my shooting hobby while I still have kidneys to sell.

I figure they'll be a bunch of reloading manuals in some used book section out in Idaho or Montana once I get where I'm goin. wherever the hell that is.
 
best of luck reloading it's been great fun so far hope it all works out well for you.
 
Strange came across a few threads of people saying the No34 primers from them would be last picks or avoided. Yeah apparently local reloading shops used to sell 8lbs of powder for 13 bucks and now shits 280 to 500. I figure the 2lbs of the rams hunter shit I snagged will hold me over for a little while

If the cci primers are alright I might as well pick up a bulk pack on my card I'm just trying to find anything I can get my hands on since I'm late to the party on 6.5cm despite I was recommending people swap over when it was 60 to 70 cents a round. So if it will go bang straight enough I'll add it to my stock
I recommend not falling into the "I'm behind the curve so I have to get everything" trap, you'll end up with a bunch of crap that never gets shot. Reloading is Sebring, handloading is La Mans, neither is a drag race. Figure out what you're going to shoot, meaning rifle or pistol, hunting or target, stuff like that, then methodically develop the knowledge base and component supply to accomplish that task. I kinda get the sense that you're not exactly sure which way to go so you're just trying to do everything. In the end, you'll get results that mirror that tactic. New loaders should spend a whole bunch of time reading, maybe more so than actually putting bullets in brass. You need information, not random powder.

One other thing, if you're going to buy the cheapest stuff on the market, try to make sure it doesn't have every feature under the sun. I'm not hating on any one company, but sometimes they'll will pack every feature into a product they can think of because it makes their product look better, but in the end the execution is lacking and disappointment ensues. If you're going cheap, or if you're new, I urge single-stage, not progressive. I can just about guarantee you'll spend more time screwing around on it than actually loading. Pick products that do a few things well, not everything poorly.
 
Lots of powder manufacturers also publish reloading data for their powders, usually available online for free. One of the ones I use frequently is the Hodgdon site. Ramshot also has a reloading data manual available, for that Hunter powder and all their others. I believe I've seen Accurate powder has one too. Just do a search for the powder manufacturer and look around the site for their own actual, tested load data
 
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I just got reloading myself recently...I was going to say I've never had a problem finding manufacturer's load data online. Check the bullet and powder manufacturers, besides the load data, they also have good reloading info, especially the "does and don'ts".
I am assuming you mean Ramshot hunter, they have load data for a range of 6.5 creedmoor. I started in the middle of the advised range, to get my "feet wet". Right now I don't have access to anything over 150 yards, so my needs are just to get out and shoot.
 
Just don't expect Midway to do a very good job packing the shipment....