Handloading
WHAT WORKS BEST FROM OUR EXPERTS
Handloading: Makin’ Bullets
Old .45 Colt barrels run .454". Later models run .451". Sometimes, I find bullets that meet my weight requirements, but they are too fat. I started by...
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Lee Precision Ram Swage Tool
Reloading brass with crimped primer pockets? Roy Huntington shows how the Lee Precision Ram Swage tool makes the job fast, consistent, and frustration-free.
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.454 Casull Penetration
My setup for reloading the .454 Casull is the Lee 40th Anniversary Challenger Press, using their new Breech Lock Dies. The Lee Challenger Press has the Lee...
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.38 Special Penetration,...
For part one of this study, I asked, “Can a .38 Special NON +P load achieve more than 18" of penetration in ballistic gelatin?” The goal was to...
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The .32 S&W Long: A...
We shoot for many reasons; many stem from our curiosity, thoughts, fantasies or desire to dip our toes into bygone eras. It’s the last category we’re...
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How to Reload ... At the Range
When I need to test new loads, I often do it right at the range. Here's the equipment you need and some starting tips.
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Moore’s Law...
Moore’s Law said processing power would double approximately every 18 months. For shooters, it offers benefits, too, like the paradigm-changing Garmin...
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Progressive For...
Anyone familiar with the science of birth order knows that the youngest child is generally the fun-loving one who doesn’t have a detail-oriented bone in...
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Dear Lindsey…
I’m considering buying presses for each of my sons. All three enjoy shooting, but have distinct personalities. My eldest, Zeke, shoots three gun. He has...
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Mind the Gap!...
One of my carry guns is a Glock 38. I derive great pleasure in shooting it, and since ammo is not readily available,
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Coated Bullets
Throughout my handloading career the vast majority of handgun bullets I’ve sent downrange have been cast – mostly by me but a significant minority by...
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Advantages Of...
It’s roughly two weeks to my yearly pilgrimage to the NRA’s Whittington Center and my ammo stash is running low. I need to manufacture some ammo … and...
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Lee Precision...
Inexpensive doesn’t necessarily mean cheap quality. Sometimes it does, proving the adage, “cheap is too expensive,” while other times, it’s a...
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10mm Loading Lessons
I find that people who reload the 10mm tend to be goal-setters. Of all the reloading hobbyists I know, 10mm reloaders seek a particular performance level....
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Pistol Powders
My very first reloading manual, Lyman’s Reloader’s Handbook #45 (1967), is still on my desk. Along with it is their new one, #51 (2022). Handbook #45...
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Brass
You can always spot the reloader at the range. He pads behind departing shooters who leave their brass behind or looks longingly as it hits the ground. I...
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Gunnysack The...
This aptly-named company, perhaps the best-kept secret known to thousands of competitive shooters, makes… blue bullets.
They may look like powder-coated...
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My EDC: The .327...
I am starting my campaign to make the .327 Federal Magnum the most popular revolver cartridge ever. The arguments for it are easy. It’s an effective...
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Handloader:...
If you had asked me 10 years ago if the .380 was a good cartridge for personal defense, I may have replied, “Marginal, at best.” But I have to admit the...
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Lead Bullet...
Like many, gun magazines have corrupted me. Hopefully, I’m returning the favor to you. One of my biggest influences was the day I read about cast bullets...
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Holy Smokes …...
I remember years ago reading about a company in Alabama that offered a unique service. They get an “A” for effort and originality for their company...
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Thoughts On The...
Sit back while we analyze Elmer Keith’s favorite .44 bullet, the Lyman 429421. It will be a review of sorts for you older codgers, while hopefully opening...
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DIY Bullets: You...
Something irking me now for over a half-century is someone saying, “My pistol needs jacketed bullets.” That attitude is especially wrong in the middle...
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Handloading:...
If anyone tells you that one can’t swage bullets at home, using standard reloading equipment, tell them that’s not entirely true. If you have not tried...
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Gunnysack: Lyman...
Most other manuals are produced by companies that make powder or projectiles, so the recipes favor those products. That’s OK, but sometimes you need the...
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Handloading:...
I was curious about their unique .40 S&W cartridges, and SPC Juliet led me to the back of her Rover and showed me how they were made. The furnace and baking...
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A Primer about...
We all know the primer is that little device that makes a cartridge fire when struck by a firing pin.
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Reloading...
When you buy your reloading press, don’t be shocked to discover you need something else for every caliber you want to reload. It’s called a die set and...
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Handloading:...
We have included Pyrodex with your shipment. We intended you to use it for Claymores, but it can be employed for loading .45 Colt. The .45 was originally a...
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Building a...
Lee Precision’s Challenger Press Kit has everything you need to get started except individual caliber die sets
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True Confessions...
For as many different shooting disciplines there are, handloader’s share a host of common traits, no matter their chosen shooting activity. Should the...
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Setting Up Your...
Make no qualms about it, I love LEE dies! Who wouldn’t? They’re priced competitively, they load accurate ammunition, and they even come with a shell...
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Frankford...
Frankford Arsenal's Platinum Series Rotary Tumbler holds an impressive amount of brass, capable of cleaning up to 1,000 pieces of .223 brass at a time.
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Taking a Tumble:...
Here we are, a month into winter, and I can think of no better time of year to head to the loading bench to reconstitute my ammunition supply. First though,...
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KaBoom! How Not...
Reloading is perfectly safe if you follow goo procedures. Don't be careless and you'll avoid the consequences of an exploding gun. Here are some vital tips...
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Hard Times...
Ever thought of making your own hollowpoint bullets?
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Handgunner...
I’ve tried other swappable mounting systems, but this is the only one I would recommend to a friend. The system consists of a steel mounting plate for...
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Reloading to...
I am twice as likely to carry a lightweight .38 Special revolver as any other firearm. When I reload for my revolvers, I deliberately make the cartridges...
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Should You Heat...
Ever since I started casting bullets with those Lee six-cavity molds, my tolerance for heat has increased. I got some after using their two-cavity molds for...
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Can You Reload...
Can I use small rifle primers in a pistol cartridge? The simplest answer is “no,” so that’s what I usually tell people.
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Shelves Bare?
I saw a recent post from someone saying their supplier didn’t have any powder suitable for handgun reloading. There were plenty of “agreeing” emojis....
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Consider Casting
The purpose of guns and cartridges is to direct a bullet into a target. In other words, without bullets, guns are useless.
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