Shreveport Gun and Target Club

what do i need to reload .308 ammo?

i want to reload .308 rounds for my rem700. what is everything i need and where can i get it cheep?

You will need a set of reloading dies if they do not come with the kit (not all die sets come with a shell holder for the press…if they don’t, then you may need to by a shell holder). Reloading dies are sold for specific cartridges (such as dies for a 308 Win). You’ll see full-length sizing dies and Neck Sizing dies. As a rule of thumb, full-length sizing dies can be used for any firearm, but neck sizing dies are usually used only on bolt action rifles (neck sizing is easier on the brass case. The main advantage is that it allows a case to be fitted to the chamber of a specific rifle. Your reloading manual should cover this).

If you decide to use full-length sizing dies, you need case lubricant (I have by far had the best success with RCBS case lube)

You need to get a reloading manual. The brand of manual isn’t very important, but for the beginner, I’d try to find a manual for the brand of bullets you plan on using.

I would get a caliper to measure the overall length of your cartridges. When you are reloading for bench accuracy, the overall length of the cartridge can have an affect on accuracy. Most reloaders I know of will load for a specific rifle and use an overall length so that the bullet just touches the lands of the rifling (I do this by shortening the overal length until I get to a length where the round chambers with a bit if difficulty, then I shorten it a bit more. You’ll notice scratches on the copper jacket of the bullet when it hits the lands). The caliper is used to double check the length of all cartridges.

I would consider getting the powder and primers locally. When you have to ship gun powder and primers, there is a Hazardous Materials surcharge to ship the items (I think $20). You should be able to find the powder and primers much cheaper locally. I would wait until you read the reloading manual to decide on a powder type.

Once you get more familar with reloading, there is all kinds of crap you can buy (case tumblers, flash hole tools, a tool to make primer pockets a uniform depth (the name escapes me), reloading trays, etc..

To be honest, I am not sure you need a bullet puller. I have been reloading for years and I have yet to use one. They do have their place and if you need to pull cartridges apart, that is about the safest way of doing it.

As far as your other questions…

The reloading manual will tell you the safe powder charges you can use (min and max…don’t go past max unless you really know what you are doing if ever).

Bullets are typically sold by caliber and size. 30 caliber and 0.308″ are one in the same. With some cartridges, you’ll see the size in millimeters as well as inches (7mm and 0.284″ are the same). There are times where bullet size can and will get confusing. A 7.62 Nato (military version of the 308 Win) and the 7.62x39mm look like they should use the same30 caliber bullets. However, the 7.62x39mm round uses a bullet with a width of 0.310″. Your reloading manual should specify which bullet to use with which cartridges.

Primers are usually taken out by the sizing die. There is a pin on the bottom of the sizing die that removes primers in boxer primed cases (you’ll want to learn the difference between boxer primed and berden primed…it should be covered in the reloading manual. If not, look it up online)

Above all, don’t take short cuts and never assume anything. Always know what type of powder you are currently using (as you begin to use different types of gun powder, it is a great habit to only have 1 can of powder on your reloading area, the type of powder that is in the dispenser..keep the rest of the powder somewhere else). When in doubt of anything, ask someone, do it over, or throw it away.

Good Luck and welcome to the world of reloading.

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