I got sick of waiting for the shed to get build and have bought a reloading kit. It has finally happened.
I’ve decided to reload for my M96 Swede as it is my favourite rifle and I have lots of spent brass for it.
I’ve got the dies sitting in my cart on the Projectile Warehouse site but how do I choose which projectile to go with? There are 70+ options ranging from 90 gr to over 140. I’m only going to shoot targets with it so don’t need ballistic tips etc. Do I just try and create something that is as close to the milsurp ammo as possible?
Most M96s seem to like 139-140gr.
People will have had success with all weights.
I shoot 140gr Hornady interlocks and they work very well in my M96 and m38
I generally target shoot and plink with my milsurps and this is exactly what I do. Just try to replicate milsurp bullet weight, shape and velocity. That’s about it. At some stage, you’ll start with experimenting… But, always start at a minimum and work up to desired velocity.
Also, don’t buy in bulk, get the least amount of everything possible, once you find what works, stock up.
How far are you planning to shoot?
I’ve found 108gr Lapua scenars brilliant out to 400m in both my 6.5 x 55 and 6.5 Creedmoor.
Mind you they are both modern guns with tight chambers and short throats.
Mil-surps tend to be long-throated and would need a bullet with a weight/profile that will “close the gap”.
Went with Redding (http://www.midway-australia.com.au/redding-big-boss-pro-pack-reloading-press-kit/). I was originally going to go with Lee to save some money and just upgrade the scale later but when I saw that I’d need to upgrade the press as well once I wanted to reload bigger stuff (eg. .577 Snider) the Redding became the better option. I’ll start out without a powder thrower and just go slow to start which is probably not a bad idea anyway.
I’ve just realised that Projectile Warehouse sell sample packs of different projectiles I can try which is good. Might grab a few and have a play around.
Projectile Warehouse seemed well priced and has a great range. Anywhere else I should be looking?
After you are comfortable, start experimenting Projectile warehouse sells sample packs - get those. Once you know what works, it’s just a matter of shopping around…
In 6.5 I think the Lapua Scenars are a very good choice for accuracy loads in the range 123-139 grn. tip dont always go for the heaviest projectiles you normally get better accuracy with a medium weight bullet going relatively fast but not at the upper limit of powder qty but filling the case with powder is also a good spot. Hence a powder like 2209 works well in a lot of 6.5 it fills the case without producing over pressure loads check before proceeding.
It can make a small difference. It depends a bit on your expectations and the rest of your system. Go with something like the BR2 or Federal Gold Medal match or Rem 7 1/2 and you will be pretty well served and not have to worry. The match type primer just reduce the variability that can occur between individual primers somewhat. A bit like weight sorting could.
Midway-Australia is a very good eBay seller of all things reloading and other accessories. Very easy to deal with, I found and very reasonably priced. 90% of all ‘accessories’ I get online come from him.
Thanks for everyones’ replies. Very much appreciated.
At this point I’ve ordered my reloading kit, dies and two sample packs of projectiles. 10 140gr boat-tails (same as the post 41 milspec) and 10 160gr round-nose (same as the pre 41 milspec). Stopped into my local gun store to tell them the good news and picked up 500g of AR2208 (as advised by the ADI data) and 100 Federal primers. Also got a copy of Nick Harvey’s Reloading Manual so I feel like a real reloader now.
Big shout out to Midway Australia and Projectile Warehouse. Ordered through both today and both orders are already on their way with tracking numbers. Very impressed.
I actually could have saved $50 by buying the Redding kit out of the US but I think COVID has made me a bit more of a patriot than I was before so I went local. Also, I didn’t want to wait!
Just a ward of caution… Harvey’s manual is sort of split into 2 parts - the ‘manual’ and the ‘reference’.
The manual is great. I suggest reading that in full. The reference (load data); hrmmmm. It’s great when you don’t have something else to look at, it’s based on weight and does a good job for more obscure starting points. BUT his loads are VERY hot and I question some of them. Excellent book, don’t get rid of it, you will find yourself looking at load data a lot, but your first port of call should be the ADI website. And then projectile manufacturer website (most of them have load data - 2208 is Varget in US).
Anything else that’s missing, post here and chances are someone will have a published manual and will post a photo of the data you need.
I might suggest getting the Hornady reloading book as well.
Some great information and a great cross reference.
More importantly, it lists all Hornady projectiles which a lot of other sources don’t. For some reason Hornady data is lacking in a lot of other reloading resources.
Probably because they publish their own data and have it copyrighted?
Also, agree on Harvey’s book. The “how to” part is great for starting out as he covers most aspects of reloading. However, tear the load data section off and throw it in the fire where it belongs.
Projectile warehouse sells sample packs - get those. Once you know what works, it’s just a matter of shopping around…