If your going to shoot Highpower competitively, you will have to handload ammunition. Due to my experience with the .223 Remington, this article will focus on that cartridge. Reloading other calibers is simply a matter of purchasing different tooling (dies, shellholder, etc.). Delving into the process of load development is beyond the scope of this article. There are a number of excellent books that cover the process of developing safe and accurate handloads. One of the best is the book published by Sierra Bullets. Since you will most likely use Sierra bullets, you really need their manual. Two other excellent books are the Sinclair 10th Edition Reloading and Shooting Manual plus the Precision Shooting Reloading Manual. Both are available from Sinclair International.
While it is possible to purchase high quality short line ammo (69gr. or 77gr. bullets for 100, 200 and 300 yards) the cost can be prohibitive. 600 yard ammo, loaded with 80gr. bullets, is not available from the factory. Highpower shooters reload. Period.
I will describe, in considerable detail, the equipment and tools you'll need to produce quality handloaded ammunition. I will also suggest more sophisticated equipment that you might consider purchasing as your budget permits.
My reloading bench is equipped with four reloading presses. Two are progressive (a RCBS Pro 2000 and a Dillon 550B) and two are single stage (a RCBS Rockchucker and an RCBS Partner). All case sizing is preformed on the Rockchucker. I load all of my short line ammo on the Pro 2000 progressive. 600 yard ammo is loaded single stage. Primers are seated using a hand priming tool. Powder charges are weighed and bullets are seated on the Partner press.
The complete process of reloading is as follows:
1. Clean brass
2. Lubricate brass
3. Resize and deprime brass
4. Remove lubricant
5. Remove primer crimp (Only performed once on once-fired military brass. This step is not required on commercial brass or once-fired military brass that was commercially prepped)
6. Uniform/clean primer pocket
7. Trim case to proper length
8. Chamfer inside of neck
9. Deburr outside of neck
10. Prime
11. Add powder
12. Seat bullet
13. Box
14. Label
Reloading Presses
Individuals new to
reloading should start with a single stage press. In the future, after you gain
experience, you can add a progressive press. Some years ago, I wrote an
article on reloading match ammo on progressive reloading equipment. In it, I
covered a lot of the basics of precision handloading. Even if you are not
interested in progressive reloading, there's still a lot of good info in the
article. The article is available on the Articles page.
The reloading press is your primary tool. A quality press will be heavily
built, ideally of steel or iron. It must be rigid, to reduce flex to an
absolute minimum. It is essential that the press has compound leverage,
necessary when full length resizing large rifle cases. The RCBS Rockchucker is
a quality single stage press that fulfills all of these requirements.
Certainly, there are other excellent presses. The Ultramag, by Redding, is
heavier than the Rockchucker and provides even more leverage. Another highly
respected press is the Forster Co-Ax. Lyman does not make quality reloading
presses and I don't think too highly of Hornady. Buy a Rockchucker.
Powder Measure
For the stick powders used in rifle cartridges, a drum-type powder measure works
best. There are a number of excellent powder measures available. Any measure
made by Redding is a good one but the best is their BR-30. It's designed for
benchrest shooting, for cartridges with charge weights up to approximately 50
grains. The RCBS Uniflow is also a good measure, especially with their optional
micrometer drum. Much more expensive, are the Culver-style measures made by
Harrell Precision. Buy a Redding or a RCBS Uniflow, with the nod to the
Redding.
Powder Scale
You will use a powder scale for accurately setting and verifying your powder
measure. Both mechanical and electronic scales are available. Unless you are
willing to purchase a high-end electronic scale, such as those from Denver
Instruments, buy a mechanical beam scale. RCBS scales are made by Ohaus, and
are excellent. The Redding powder scales are also excellent. The Dillon beam
scale is of low quality. I'm not overly impressed with the electronic scales
from Pact, RCBS (made by Pact) or Dillon. I have a Redding Model 2 Master beam
scale and an old RCBS electronic scale. The latter was made by Ohaus and is no
longer available.
Dies
Standard rifle (2-die sets) dies are available from a lot of manufacturers. I'd
recommend RCBS or Redding, preferring the latter. Cases should always be
resized in a full length resizing die so don't buy a neck sizing die.
At some point, you might want to improve the quality of your reloaded ammunition. Typically, this means reduction of TIR (Total Indicated Runout). Switching to a bushing full length resizing die (Redding Type S Full Length Die) will improve the concentricity of your cases. Using a competition bullet seating die will greatly improve the concentricity of your loaded rounds. This type of precision seater is available from RCBS, Redding and Forster. I've heard mixed reports on the RCBS competition die. The Redding and the Forster are excellent, with both brands producing low TIR ammo. I use both brands and see little difference between them.
Shell Holders
Buy either RCBS or Redding.
Redding does offer a set of graduated shell holders, allowing for accurate
control of sized case headspace.
Priming
For precision ammo, it's better to use a hand priming tool instead of the
priming mechanism on the press. A hand tool gives you more feel, letting you
seat the primer firmly in the primer pocket without crushing the primer. You'll
be able to sense when the primer is seated properly. Buy the RCBS Hand Priming
Tool (the one with the tray).
Measuring Tools
You will need either a dial or digital caliper for precision measuring.
Inexpensive calipers are available from most suppliers of reloading equipment.
Professional quality precision tools can be quite expensive. If you want the
best, buy Starrett or Mitutoyo.
You will need some method of measuring case headspace; i.e., the distance from the case head to the datum line on the shoulder. You need to know this dimension after the case has been fired but before sizing. For safety, especially in semi-automatic rifles, you want to shorten the headspace about .002" - .003" from the fired dimension. This is done by adjusting the sizing die in the press. At a bare minimum, you'll need a Wilson or Dillon case gauge. Far better is the RCBS Precision Mic.
Short line ammo OAL (overall length) is limited by magazine length. Long line ammo is single loaded so you are not limited by the length of the magazine. For best accuracy, you want the bullet seated so that it is near the rifling. You'll need a few tools to accurately measure this critical dimension. In addition to the caliper mentioned above, you will need the following: Stoney Point Chamber-All Over All Gauge, Stoney Point Overall Length Case (cartridge specific) and a Stoney Point Chamber-All Bullet Comparator body and insert (caliber specific).
Case Trimming
Cases stretch. At a certain point, often after only one or two firings, you
must trim the case. Not doing this can result is serious pressure problems. A
manual case trimmer is like miniature, hand cranked, lathe. Most manufacturers
of reloading equipment make one and I don't think there's a big difference
between them. I have a Forster and it works okay. After trimming the cases,
the inside of the neck must be chamfered and the outside of the neck must be
deburred.
There's no getting around the fact that trimming, chamfering and deburring cases is tedious and time consuming. At some time you might want to consider a powered case trimmer. Both the Gracey and the Giraud case trimmers will perform all three functions at the same time at a rate of 300-400 cases per hour. Both units work on a similar principle but there's really no comparison between them. I had a Gracey but replaced it with a Giraud. The Giraud is incredible.
Uniformer
Buy a primer pocket uniformer from Sinclair International. A uniformer will
square the bottom of the primer pocket and also remove primer residue. Also
purchase a handle for the uniformer. A better, and faster way is using a
variable speed drill to power the uniformer. I use a Milwaukee angled variable
speed drill.
Case Cleaning
Purchase a vibratory case tumbler for case cleaning and removal of case lube.
They are available from a number of manufacturers. Life is easier if you also
have a rotary media separator. Otherwise, you'll have to shake the polishing
media out of each case. I have a VibraShine tumbler and a MidwayUSA Rotary 7
Media Separator. Both work quite well. I only use corn cob media and add
liquid polish. I like the polish from MidwayUSA/Frankfort Arsenal. I have used
the Dillon polish and it works okay.
Military Crimp Removal
Military brass has a crimp in the primer pocket that must be removed. You can
purchase processed once-fired brass that has already had the crimp removed or
you can remove the crimp yourself. I have the RCBS crimp remover and the Dillon
Super Swage 600. The RCBS is worthless. The Dillon works extremely well but is
expensive.
Bullet Pullers
You will need a bullet puller. The inertial pullers are fine if you are only
pulling a few bullets. If you have to pull a lot of bullets, you'll need a
collet puller that mounts in a reloading press. I prefer the collet puller from
RCBS. In addition to the puller, you'll need to purchase individual collets,
which are caliber-specific.
Chronograph
A chronograph is an electronic device that measures bullet velocity. I really
can't imagine how any reloader can do without one. Although there is not a
direct relationship between pressure and velocity, velocity is an indicator of
pressure. Chronographs are available for under $100.00. If you want the best,
buy an Oehler.
Cases
I use once-fired military for short line and Winchester commercial for 600
yards. I prefer to unprocessed once-fired military brass. I can then closely
control the complete process of case preparation.
Bullets
Use 77gr. Sierra MatchKings at 200 and 300 yards. At 600 yards, use the 80gr.
Sierra MatchKing. MatchKings are easy to get to shoot well.
Powder
There are a number of powders that work quite well in .223 Remington. Hodgdon
Varget, Alliant Reloder 15, 4895, Vita Vouri 135 and Vita Vouri 140 powders are
widely used. I prefer Varget since it is not sensitive to changes in
temperature. Use the same powder for all loads; i.e., don't use one powder for
you short line loads and then a different one at 600 yards.
Primers
At least in an AR-15,
Winchester
primers have a tendency to pierce, damaging the firing pin and the bolt face.
Use Remington 7 1/2 primers.
Boxes
The best deal on ammo boxes is from Scharch Manufacturing.
Case Lube
Use spray lube. I use the one from Dillon Precision.