Thanks dude, being messing around try to size my 7.62x39's and it just was not measuring up. Your gifted teachings solved my problems, Good advice here people.
I love 7.62nato…. My favorite surplus to buy… love trying all the different countries that have produced it for over 70-80yrs…. German dag and men…. Aussie adi… Brit radway green… South African r1m1… Portuguese fhm…. All awesome and clean good brass… some have berdan primers tho…. But for the most part the newer produced stuff is great brass for reloading 308
I have removed ALL from my dies the decapping pin to prevent overworking the neck inside instead I use Lee's Collet Die for more than 25 years of reloading (33 years as of this month). 308 W is my new reloading challenge cartridge.
This is the best beginner reloading tutorial out there. So many others offer great instruction, but they speak a thousand words per step. They mix in more advanced instruction and other tips not needed to just GET STARTED. Thank you! One question: do you have to crimp the .308 shells? If it's a choice, what's the difference - more assurance that the bullet will not fall out or get knocked crooked?
@ZildjianMan30 - appreciate the compliment! As far as crimping, I crimp everything. I run the .308 in the AR platform so if I don’t apply a light crimp I’ll sometimes have ramp feed issues from the mag to the chamber. When I apply a light crimp that issue goes away. Yes, it also helps with projectiles being inadvertently pushed into the case by aggressive handling, storage, etc. Some reloaders may respond with other ideas, however, this works for me with zero issues. Just don’t over crimp as it could pressure issues. Hope this helps! 👍🏻
@k2defense That makes sense. I'm hoping to finally get into reloading. I have almost everything required to get started saved to a wishlist. Waiting for the big, end of year sales.
JayDubz91 - glad you found this video helpful! My goal is to be as thorough with the whole process as I can including bullet seating and crimping. Thanks for the comment! 👍🏻
thanks for the video. i'm considering getting into reloading but i'm concerned that it's too easy to screw something up and hurt myself. you made it look very easy though. god bless
Take your time, read reloading manuals, watch videos and keep a journal! Pay attention to detail and you should be fine. It can be intimidating but once it clicks, you’ll love it! Good luck! 👍🏻
I have .308 Browning BLR lever action rifle. There is no way a regular .308 full size die will chamber. I bought a RCBS small base die set and now its no longer an issue. So I would say its essential for this rifle.
Great video and i like your simple but efficient set up. Ive watched the end of the video many times an I can't quite understand the difference between the seating and the crimping. It looks like your doing the same thing.
I explain how to do both at the same time. Some folks don’t like doing it that way. First seating, then crimping, then setting it to seat and crimp simultaneously. It’s tricky until you get the hang of it. 👍🏻
So could you keep a completed round at your desk to use as a guide for setting your crimp and seat die? Wouldn't that save allot of effort. Then you can double check your first rounds with the calipers to make shure your at the right col and presto you just set your press in half the time.
Damned Angel - I take it a step further and use locking rings. Once you set them, you can forget them. All you need to do is screw the die into the press and off to the races you go. To your point, the main idea with reloading is consistent repeatability. Thanks for the comment! 👍🏻
Was wondering why you did not include a step to check the formed case in a gage to confirm it is meeting headspace specs? When I first started reloading 308/7.62 Nato, with my 1st batch of 300, many would not allow the bolt to close. Bought a Hornady cartridge check gage.. found the ones that would not chamber, failed the check. Ended up pulling all of them apart, and carefully ran them thru the process again.. I figured I was not running the case all the way into the die. Problem solved. Now, when I do a batch, especially if I am using fired 7.62 nato brass, I check every single case. Sometimes, no matter how many times I resize a case in question, it fails the gage check. Those I toss. All of my dies are Lee Brand for all the calibers I reload.
Thank you. I've been reloading for decades, but not a lot of .308. The question that always comes up that I'd like people's opinions on is how much crimp is enough. I've read where the right answer is none, the mouth of the brass should be the diameter of the bullet plus both case walls and nothing more. I've also seen factory ammo that had a slight crimp. Anyone care to weigh in?
Hello @oldsalt898 - I'll start off the conversation. Like you said, you'll hear mixed recommendations. Here's my rationale as to why I crimp. I have ramp feed and chambering issues when I use reloads in my AR style platforms. So I use a light crimp on all of my .308 reloads. It will be interesting to hear others chime in with their thoughts! 👍
@@k2defense So if I'm hearing you correctly, you would put a slight crimp for the AR, but maybe not for a bolt action rifle like a Remington 700? Thank you for taking the time to reply to my question. It is appreciated.
@oldsalt898 - I prefer to crimp both. However you wouldn’t need to unless the reloading instruction requires it or if you notice pressure issues or notice that the COAL changes with the lack of crimp to hold the projectile into the case mouth. For this reason, I crimp everything. Some more than others. Hope this helps! Happy to dialog more if needed. 👍🏻
Small base dies are for auto loading rifles and aren't needed for bolt rifles. Sometimes even an auto loading rifles doesn't need the cases sized is SB dies. I did an AR 10 upper in 308 then got lucky that this AR Stoner barrel works fine for cartridges sized in standard 308 Redding and RCBS dies. I own AR 10 uppers in 6mm - 284 win / 6.5 284 Norma / 375 - 300 WSM and with these uppers the reloaded casings didn't need me to request the sizing die to be made a small base sizer die. Personally, I wouldn't back off the bullet seating die at all once screwed down to a stop on a cartridge because I want the full alinement of the bullet as it is pressed into the cartridge. By backing off the seating dies it can cause the wabble affect and cause at the base of the bullet is unsupported letting push outward in any direction. For seating bullets in the cases I seat the bullet a little a time then check with the rifles where the bolt closed in the loaded cartridge and then set the die for that bullet seat depth. Some rifles have a longer chamber throat than you can seat the bullet out then the cartridge won't fit into the rifle's magazine so in this case I seat the bullets to where the cartridge fits into the magazine. Not all chamber reamers are the same so going by book recommendations for bullet seating isn't always true for the rifle you own. As an example, when I bought from Pacific tool & gauge the reamer for the wildcat called 375 - 300 WSM there is also a reamer 378 WSM, the 378 WSM cuts a longer throat than the 375-300 WSM and being this is in the AR 10 I have to remember the loaded 375-300wsm cartridges must fit in the steel 20 magazines of an AR 10 so the 378 WSM wasn't what I wanted. If someone wants to know about the 375-300 WSM look it up and it is a match in power for the 375 H&H magnums.
Holy shit I want to get into reloading just for consistency reasons but damn it! Seems like there are so many steps for error!!! No wonder store bought ammo has vast difference when shooting
Great information, excellent work on explaining details. Do other dies work the same way, or does the process steps change when using Hornady or other dies?
The steps are similar. There are some differences when neck sizing, FL sizing, and SB sizing. Carbide and steel dies have variables as well. You’ll want to make sure to read the instructions when using each type of die. Hope this helps! 👍🏻
My reloading instructor says small base dies are for convenience. To teach proper fundamentals, skip the small base dies and ask students to carefully measure headspace/shoulder bump and look at the SAAMI specs.
@tomalophicon - maybe he meant mentor. When I first started, my father-in-law mentored me. I still run things by him especially when I’m wild catting. I like to avoid pitfalls in these situations. 😂👍🏻
This is by far the best video I’ve seen so far for a beginner like me. Thank you for going step by step and not doing 50 cartridges in between. One question, when you do an additional quarter turn on the resize die, is that a measurement somewhere that needs to be made? Is that different for full size vs small size? Is it unsafe if I did so with a full size die? Or just possibly less accurate? Thanks again man, great video.
Austin Buttenob! The quarter turn is for the cam over with SB resizing die. You don’t need to do that with the FL resizing die. Let me know if you have any additional questions! Glad this video helped! 👍🏻
@@k2defense I’m starting in .308 reloading, but i already do another calibres my Redding Dies has a neck sizing. I’ll recharge 5.56 that don’t need the resize in AR-15 platform and a .308 in Bolt action that becames interesting
Diamond Fred - honestly I don’t check primer seating depth on my plinking rounds. The best seating depth is just below flush. I run my finger across the bottom to make sure they’re not flush or just above flush. I’m concerned for slam fires as I mainly use this ammo in AR platforms. March grade shooters find a sweet spot by measurement just below flush so 0.007” is adequate. 👍🏻
i'am noticing that at 2;30 you are holding a cae that seems to not be sized at the head of the case i can see a line on the case , to me that means the cam over is to much. i've had case do that and stick in the chamber after that.
Hello @ultimatecreedmoor! Knock on wood, I’ve never had that happen. If you’re having trouble with it, turn your die down by an 1/8 turn, resize, then plunk test it until you hit that sweet spot. I run all my ammo the same for AR and bolt platforms.
I kinda want to reload a hobbie, and some for cost. What do you think price is over factory? 50% less? (I know there's a large initial buy in... thanks, great vid
@mathewmue5547 - short answer is, your return on investment will take time to break even unless you are mass producing ammo. Long story, if you have the money to invest in a kit or piece things together, perfect. I started out buying the least expensive piece of equipment to later end up buying the same piece of equipment but paying more. So, as you can see you can tumble down a rabbit hole pretty quickly. To be transparent, there are too many variables to give you a reasonable answer on the return on investment. This is why some of the reloading folks playfully say, “I got into reloading to save money”. If you have resources to invest, I would say go for it. If you’re living paycheck to paycheck, this may not be a hobby for you. I will say, once you make the investment of the equipment, it is a journey well worth it. Happy to discuss more if you’d like. I hope you find my response helpful. 👍🏻
@DS-gd1xw - I apply a light crimp to help with ramp feed issues. Yes, mainly used in semi-auto. Since this video was for beginners, I wanted to keep it simple. Thanks for the comment! 👍🏻
Noobie here..so do u buy nultiple single head stations to avoid removing and reinstalling those dies every time you want to reload? or do you just do a whole bunch of one step at a time?
@Sirdadbod - great question! I’d suggest you watch this video for in-depth answer to your question. I’ll give you the short answer here. If you want to do multiple steps you’d be better off purchasing a turret or progressive style press rather than a single stage press. If you don’t mind doing resizing/decapping, then seating/crimping in separate steps, a single stage press will work just fine. What’s the difference? Single stage press is better known for low volume better accuracy than turret/progressive presses that pump out quantity. Before people that have turret/progressive presses blow a lid, I’m am not suggesting that they produce lesser quality ammo. Single stage press allows for folks to address each step intimately before moving on to the next step. For instance, I use a progressive press for pumping out a large amount of ammo in a short period of time. I use my single stage for my precision ammo that I want to take my time making. Hope that answers your question! 👍🏻
@@k2defense OK yes thank u...i appreciate the time u took...i literally know no one who reloads..I'm starting out my search for info on reloading...before I make a purchase,I'm gathering info..I see your point on single press intimacy..wonderfully said...i would never have saw it that way searching utube..thank u..
@SirDadbod - glad I could help! Holler back if you need anything. Love reloading and helping others. I had a great mentor. So I’m paying it forward. 👍🏻
I was smashing brass till I figured out my dies put a roll crip and seated the bullet. Think I’ll just get a set of Lee pacesetter die sets. That way I don’t smash any more brass. lol
@vindicator54 - The maximum case length for a 308 Winchester is 2.015" (51.18mm) and the case trim length is 2.005" (50.92mm). As with most cartridge cases the trim length is 0.010" less than the maximum length.
From memory they are slightly different neck sizes. I think 308 is the skinnier neck so it's ok to go 7.62 brass into a 308 rifle but not the other way around.
Hope this helps. Lee 3-Jaw Chuck Case Trimmer Kit: amzn.to/403oqv8 Lee Precision 308 Win Gauge/Holder: amzn.to/3Jbpu9p LEE PRECISION Lee Preciesion 90950, Case Conditioning Kit: amzn.to/3yvUxrl
I understand this video is for beginners but you're totally guessing and most likely bumping the shoulder more than needed and overworking your brass going with the 1/4 turn. Even beginners should be taught to take fire formed brass from their gun, measure it and be reloading for their chamber. 1-2thou bump for bolt guns and 3-4 for semi auto
Hello Natural State Pool and Spa! I bought a lot of my stuff pre-pandemic. Now, the only place I can find them is at Scheels and Cabellas. Hope that helps!
Do you neck lube? With the mandrel in the fl die running through the neck i have seen adding a little wax or dipping in dry lube. But im not seeing anyone else doing that
@RockinRack - with bottle neck cases I only lube the lower third of the case. However, if you’re finding that the cases are hard to resize because of the expander ball or hearing loud squeaking I sometimes add a shot of case lube spray to the case mouth to help with these issues. I won’t typically tell anyone that they’re doing it wrong. As long as it works for you and you’re getting the results you’re looking for, that’s all that matters. Experiment with different ways of lubing and different types of solutions. All the tips I provide “work for me” related to case lubrication. Others may have varying opinions on processes. 👍🏻
@@k2defense thanks for the response 👍 I recently read that once fired brass has enough carbon in the neck to act almost like a dry lube which makes sense. They were of the opinion of only doing so if you find it necessary, so now I have 2 opinions that agree and make sense. Keep up the good work I enjoy the channel!
You can also get yourself started with a Lee classic loader from Lee precision. everything is by hand but they make them for a lot of popular calibers and they run $30-50 depending on where you buy it. Just something to think about to get your foot in the door
turnup your voice volume and lower the intro with your voice volume turned you all the way up to hear you and then BOOM your logo and sound burst my eardrum
sorry dude.. i have a serious issue taking any man seriously that is to afraid of getting his hands dirty or a few callouses. I worked as a mechanic for about 40 years and not once did i wear gloves. heck no such thing existed back then.... i mean come on man.. man up!!
@johnskinner6204 - I wear gloves because I like to have a dip whilst reloading. I don’t want to have to run back to the house to wash my hands so I don’t put lead in my mouth. Thanks for the comment! 👍🏻
Hello Francisco! If no crimp is needed, set your seating plug to seat the projectile at the appropriate COAL and call it good. Let me know if you have any other questions. 👍🏻 you can use this video as a reference. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ktUftCmF_2k.htmlsi=u9dOoHRL5-1ReH7g