Reloading

[missy83]

Looking at getting into reloading. Is there a good store in Ontario that would be a one stop shop for supplies. Also what is a good book that would cover everything from A to Z for a beginner?


thanks in advance
Dustin

[rf2]

Higginsons, if you don't mind ordering stuff without going in person.
The ABCs of Reloading is a good starter book.

[Terrible_E]

First off welcome to your new obsession, reloading is a whole other hobby unto itself. It's a lot of fun but try not to get lost in all the gadgets out there.

First you need a reloading manual and I will suggest Lyman 50th Edition. It has a good solid explanation of how to reload with colour pictures and recipes for nearly every caliber. Read that twice back to front and then another two times front to back, or maybe it's the other way around but either way read that thing so many times you could nie near recite it. It'll save you from accidentally turning your rifle into a pipe bomb.

Start with a Lee single stage O-frame (do not use a C-frame press) press. It's a solid piece of equipment that won't break the bank. Higginson Powders in Hawkesbury are the distributer for Lee products and they also have a great selection of gun powders (keep in mind reloading supplies are a little scarce at the moment but don't worry the best time to plant a tree is still yesterday). You'll need a beam scale or a high quality electronic scale. Avoid inexpensive electronic scales, they are too inaccurate for reloading purposes in my opinion.

You can often get the Lee anniversary kit from Cabelas on sale and it has almost everything you need. If you're looking for Canadian owned shops in Ontario most carry a few reloading supplies but I do most of my shopping at Xreload. It is a Quebec shop but they are close to Montreal so the shipping costs are usually the most reasonable. They just have the most selection I have found so far. There are a few other shops in Canada that focus on reloading exclusively but they are further west and in the past year or two I've found the shipping costs to be prohibitive.

Have fun and stay safe, if you have any other reloading questions feel free to ask here or shoot me a DM. I work in a ballistics lab and load ammo almost every day.

[Sam Menard]

Powder can be very hard find right now and you could end up using an alternative that gives sub-optimal results. Reloading is a mixture of different components and getting the right recipe for your firearm is a matter of trial and error. What works well in your buddy’s rifle might not be the same in yours. Reloading can be be very enjoyable and rewarding, but it can be very frustrating too. A word of advice… buy good quality tools (Calipers, powder scale, etc) as precision count! Good luck and have fun,

[Gun Nut]

Looking at getting into reloading. Is there a good store in Ontario that would be a one stop shop for supplies. Also what is a good book that would cover everything from A to Z for a beginner?


thanks in advance
Dustin

I guess my first question would be what are hoping to reload for rifle, shotgun or both? You can really get weigh down with a lot of reloading equipment and the cost keeps going up. I began simple with hand tools and work my way up to reloading presses. LEE LOADERS work well and come in most rifle calibers and have an instruction sheet and load tables. LEE dropped their shotgun LEE LOADERS and now market the LOAD ALL for different shotgun gauges. The LEE LOADERS only neck size, so you can be limited brass form fired in your own firearm, if you're picking up brass fired by a different gun, your talking a loading press and dies where you have a full length sizing die. The LOAD ALL comes with a sizing ring to reform the base part of the shotshell hull. MEC build a good reloader for shotshell, and does a great job on fold crimps, they are more expenses, I've lucked into a couple at yard sales and gun shows, and MEC sells parts to convert from one gauge to another. As for books Lyman is a good name they generate two books one for rifle and one for shotgun, new they can be expensive but they can sometime be picked up cheaper at gun shows. My advice would be to start out with a LEE LOADER to see if reloading is something you want to do, and build from there.

You don't stop hunting because you grow old. You grow old because you stop hunting.
- Gun Nut

[Kilo Charlie]

I started with a Lee Anniversary kit 30 years ago; they are still a great deal.

The Lyman reloading manual is the best book I have; lots of instruction and load data. Mine is the 47th edition, but except for newer cartridges' load data, it's quite current.

Higginson's is great to deal with and they are a full Lee dealer. I order from them all the time, and I live in Yellowknife, lol!

Honestly, once you've reloaded a box or two of cartridges, you'll wonder why it was ever a mystery. It's not at all difficult, and the safety rules are all commonsense things you'll learn easily and won't forget.

[diverduck]

I’ve been reloading for a while now. I started about 20 years ago with Lee loaders in specific calibers. Then I bought a Lee kit, and eventually as gifted an RCBS press by a good friend. I have reloading manuals, but I never use them. I’m more apt to get on the Hodgdon website for load data. Just copy and paste the data and print it out. I print a hard copy of all my favourite loads. You can learn more about the how’s of reloading from YouTube now than you can from a manual. I say that, and I’m pretty old school in most things but YouTube certified is the way to go in my opinion as you can see what’s going on. It’s really not voodoo. The most important thing is to check and double check your work. Lee stuff is decent and value priced. Elwood Epps has pretty good selection most of the time.

[Terrible_E]

Reloading is like rock climbing that chances of something going wrong are pretty small but the consequences are really big. Don't learn from a public platform where anyone can publish anything. Read your manuals.

[Stu]

Reloading is like rock climbing that chances of something going wrong are pretty small but the consequences are really big. Don't learn from a public platform where anyone can publish anything. Read your manuals.

One other thing about manuals, book form or credible on line form, if you don't find the data in a credible manual don't load it. Just because John Doe says his gun can stand a real hot load doesn't mean yours will. Never start at a maximum load. Start relatively low and work your way up. I always work in 1/2 grain increments starting at maybe just below mid range of the data listed. I shoot two 5 round groups of each load. Alot of people will argue that 3 round groups are all that is needed. I have quite often found that 3 round group can be quite different than 5 round. I usually allow the rifle to cool a bit between rounds fired. After I have my desired load I will shoot some relatively fast groups to see what a hotter barrel does.

[diverduck]

No one should ever rely on YouTube load data, or forums load data. That is all provided for free online by the manufacturers now. I never reference a loading book anymore when searching out load data for a new cartridge, I generally go to the powder manufactures site and get busy. Hodgdon has an excellent platform. I’d say older reloading manuals probably have some spicier loads that what’s available online now as the manufactures lawyers have gotten even more nervous over the years. As for the mechanics of reloading, tons of good info on YouTube and like platforms so people can visually see what’s going on and learn from it if they don’t already have that knowledge.