New to reloading which primers to use

[Muddyboots]

"Buy once cry once" is term most of us have endured. Try to buy the best reloading tools you can first time, as you gain knowledge you will appreciate having better reloading tools.

Reloading manuals are great reads on how to reload as well. They provide best loads for their bullets. Plenty of reloading references on line as well.

Run search here for reloading safety and you will get tons of info.

Try to identify powders that work across multiple cartridges such as 4350 type powders.

Nosler:

Nosler Load Data

Explore the world of Nosler, renowned for crafting the finest bullets, ammunition, rifles, and brass. Discover our extensive lineup, including Partition, AccuBond, E-Tip, Ballistic Tip, Custom Competition, and more. Experience superior quality and performance with Nosler products.

www.nosler.com

Speer:

Rifle Data

Speer Ammo

www.speer.com

Alliant powder:

Alliant Powder - Reloader's Guide

www.alliantpowder.com

Hodgdon powder:

Reloading Data Center – Hodgdon Reloading Data Center

hodgdonreloading.com

Sierra and Berger have great CS if asked for reloading data. Just ask and they will send it along.

Loads posted on the internet are rarely verified through pressure testing and they can be dangerous to use.

RELOADING SAFETY:
1- wear safety glasses
2- only one type of powder on bench at a time!
3- only one type of primer on bench at a time
4- NEVER start at max loads, work up every load
5- record reloading data for each load

 

[Gary in MD]

OP,
You're just starting out, don't try and over think things...yet.
Just buy those federal 210s, they are one of the best primers out there and perfect for the 308.
Buy several manuals, they all contain useful information.

 

[ChrisInKY]

You can buy second hand loading manuals for pennies on the dollar. And actually get info that may not be in the newer manuals.

Well worth repeating.

 

[Dr. Richard Gray]

I reload several calibers from 5.56 to .375 and have been reloading since 1971. I have used all major brands of primers and have never seen much difference, if any. Just LR or SR is the only basic difference. One thing I learned just last year is that the magnum large pistol primers,.44 mag, are the same specs as the large rifle. Have not tried them but was considering it when magnum rifle primers were extremely hard to find. That has not been a problem recently and when they became available I purchased 600 rounds.
As for the manual, I have a 1970's LYMAN publication and would recommend something much newer. I have not opened it much in the 15-20 years. I am a constant user of the NOSLER LOAD DATA on line service. Why NOSLER is because they show no bias to powder brands or primer brands and provide good solid data for accuracy and performance, and for almost all calibers. When I encounter a caliber that Nosler has no info on I turn to Hogdon's reloading site or VihtaVouri., Winchester also has a site and I recommend ALL of them.
Equipment: Follow the advice of others in the forum. Especially the ones recommending the same press and dies, i.e. RCBS with RCBS, Lyman with Lyman, etc. Other than the press and dies, case prep tools I have always used either Lyman or RCBS. RCBS has a great reputation and the one thing that stands out in their favor, at least with me, is that several years back I lost my small rifle powder measure tube and they sent me a new one, no charge. I've had this powder measure for 40 years and I recently found it in my .357 pistol die case.
Some of the essentials that you will need are a good scale, press, die for every caliber you use, case trimmer (nothing fancy), a tumbler, and I would recommend a primer pilot cleanout tool as well ( they are low cost and well worth it).
Hope I have provided you with some good advice and I enjoy reloading as long as it is not for competition purposes.

 

[William W.]

I use Federal Magnum or Magnum Match in all rifle loads. All cases are uniformed and flash hole reamed out.

 

[William W.]

Well worth repeating.

Buying the old and new Hodgdon manuals online has been useful.

 

[bonie]

First Buy some reloading manuals and read and understand them so you know what you may want and will need. the .308 is a great round to load for there is a lot of info out there for it.

 

[surgeon260]

In all seriousness, buy as many of those Federal 210s as you can afford. DO IT NOW. They are the best primers you can buy for your 308, and if recent trends continue they may become unavailable for many months or years.

 

[ottobounds]

As stated above, the primer issue is pretty straight forward. For the reloading tools decision, I believe the "buy once cry once theory" applies but that is totally budget dependent. Lots of YouTube help on the process, tips, and tools. I've mentioned this before to a new reloader but Jim on BackfireTV does a really good job describing the entry level, mid level, and advanced level reloading set up choices and it's worth the watch. Welcome to the rabbit hole!