PEAX Equipment

Getting Started

I went to Cabela's last night and looked at bullets, made me realize this is going to get expensive. A lot of the posts I see are different loads and different powders leading to a large list of combinations. Looking at quantity of issue of bullets and cost to find the one that the gun likes is going to take a bit. Any recommendations on how not to have 20 partial boxes of different bullets laying around waiting to never get used? (besides lots of range time shooting)

The best way is to buy 1 bullet, 1 brand of brass, 1 powder, and 1 primer type and to stick with that combination until you get bored. Chances are you'll find something that you'll find acceptable in accuracy

Match the bullet for what you are wanting to hunt. Take a look at several manuals and see what they recommend. Check out a few forum searches to see what guys are using. You'll see a trend of popular powders for you bullet/cartridge combination. Hopefully you can find a combination that works using 1 bullet, 1 powder, and 1 primer. Take a look at what you can get locally for powders and primers and see if something in stock can be put together that shoots your acceptable accuracy.
 
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My wife is getting me the Lee Anniversary Challenger set for Christmas. Looking forward to getting started. And I'm in the market for a 7mm-08HT. Mainly just because I'm a fan of the .308 family and want one, but also because I want to handload for it.

Thanks for all the advice guys. Keep it coming!

For the 7mm-08 these powders work well. Reloader 15, Varget, and H4350. If you are trying to start on the cheap, pick up a pound of any of these at your local dealer to save hazard charges / shipping and start having fun loading. Bullet costs are where things can get a little expensive.
 
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I've found that you can choose a bullet for the performance you want on the game you plan on hunting. Then I find most companies have a match grade version of their hunting bullets that are very close in shape (BC similar).
The match bullets can normally be purchased in boxes of 250-500 or sometimes in larger bulk packs at a huge discount.
Not always the case, but if they can be had cheaper, you can do lots of load development and shooting for less and then fine tune the loads with the hunting bullets and verify at the range.
Handloaders can usually get most bullets to shoot accurately by a little trial and error. Powders may need swapping around if the burn rates weren't chosen carfully beforehand.
In my experience a bullets ability to be loaded accurately is much easier to come across these days, as manufacturer process has gotten better and more exact.
To me, experimenting with the load is half the fun and shooting the loaded ammo from your own making is the best part of it all.

Use a good reloading Bible to research what powders are compatible with the weight and bullet type you want to use. Then use the powder manufacture load data for the min- max grains to have a safe perimeter to go with.
If you like it, great. If you don't, then try another powder.
If you are like me then maybe even if you like a load you may want to try another burn rate powder to see if you can out perform the last loading in accuracy or velocity.
Some powders will be best by burn rate, but most all manufacture powders will have a type powder for your application. So use a powder brand that you can get easily where you are at or one you have the most faith in.
IMR, Alliant, are easily found most redilly across the country. But, there are lots of good brands out there. So, be careful to not get caught up switching brands to often. It's much simpler to pick a brand and then learn their burn rates and what number designation they give each.
Alliant powder certainly has the easiest to figure out. Especially for a guy new to loading. They are marked Reloader 17,22,23,26, etc. Generally with their numbers the higher numbers mean slower burn rates in Alliant brand.
I'm mostly using Alliant powder now myself and feel it's as good or better than most, and comes in lots of burn rates that are very temperature stable for people that worry about that.
 
I went to Cabela's last night and looked at bullets, made me realize this is going to get expensive. A lot of the posts I see are different loads and different powders leading to a large list of combinations. Looking at quantity of issue of bullets and cost to find the one that the gun likes is going to take a bit. Any recommendations on how not to have 20 partial boxes of different bullets laying around waiting to never get used? (besides lots of range time shooting)
If you're rifle is shooting acceptable now with factory ammo, IMO/E you won't end up with 20 partial boxes of bullets. Match the bullets to the game, as stated above, find a load that's acceptable them mass produce.
 
I figure I'll start with 139grn Hornady BTSP Interlocks, but that's mostly because they're not too expensive, and I've had good luck with them in factory loads both in terms of accuracy and what the do to pile of deer and the couple of elk I've shot with them.

I know not a thing about the different burn rates of different powders, except that they are different and that magnums need slower burn rates, etc. Just don't know much about them. I gather the # on the container has some indication of the powder's burn rate. Is that correct?
 
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I gather the # on the container has some indication of the powder's burn rate. Is that correct?

sometimes ;) but yes several powders are named with numbers based on their burn rates like mentioned before Alliant powders are higher number slower burn rate

There is a ton of load data for the 139 grain bullet so you'll have no problem finding a powder. H4350 and Varget are the common ones. IMR has a couple newer powders 4451 and 4166 that have the copper fouling reducer. Those powders seem to be catching on and 4451 may very well be the same formulation as 4350 with the copper fouling reducer. You mentioned 6.5 creedmoor so take a look for a powder that is popular in both to save from having extra tubs of powder. H4350 and IMR4451 seem to be the favorites for 7mm-08 and 6.5 creedmoor. Reloader 16 and 17 are also popular alternatives to 4350
 
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It is a great tip to try and purchase a powder that is compatible with most of what you are loading. That will help in initial cost for sure, and help simplify things some.
Most all cartridges that are based on any of the same parent case will usually be fine with the same burn rate powder.
The 7mm-08, .260, 6.5 creedmore, 243, are usually all happy to burn the same powders well. They are based on the
.308 and as long as you aren't trying to push heavy for caliber bullets a medium burn rate like that in Reloader 15-17 is good for em all.
The H4350, IMR 4831 are time tested choices too.
Many guys use medium burn powders in a few mag calibers too. But alot of velocity will sometimes be lost without the extra push a slow burn can give. They will many times shoot just as accurate though. IMR 4831 is a good example of a extremely versitile powder that can do well across the scale of cartridges.
 
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If you're rifle is shooting acceptable now with factory ammo, IMO/E you won't end up with 20 partial boxes of bullets. Match the bullets to the game, as stated above, find a load that's acceptable them mass produce.

I ordered the RCBS master supreme kit with the intention of loading the 130g Accubonds for my Creedmoor. Problem is that I wonder and daydream too much. After looking at the Barnes and Sencar, I know I won’t be happy until I shoot them. I have a feeling I am going to have little to no self control in staying with 1 bullet, 1 powder, and 1 primer.
 
I went to Cabela's last night and looked at bullets, made me realize this is going to get expensive. A lot of the posts I see are different loads and different powders leading to a large list of combinations. Looking at quantity of issue of bullets and cost to find the one that the gun likes is going to take a bit. Any recommendations on how not to have 20 partial boxes of different bullets laying around waiting to never get used? (besides lots of range time shooting)

I would suggest looking at cup and core bullet's, they are about half what the premium bullet's are! And little known fact, choose them properly and they do as well as any premium bullet.

Never liked the Lee scale but maybe it's changed, I don't know. Lee dies do the same thing as Redding, did I say that? Well I have both and they do! But admit to liking the Redding better. This whole business of reloading really get's out of hand sometime's. You can spend as much as you want or very little and do the same job! Once you get going good you can decide what you really want, you likely won't need it but you will want it! Once your going watch gun shows. Lot of overpriced stuff there but you really don't need to buy it. Last gun show I went to I got 100 new Win 243 case's for $25 and 1000, one brick, of CCI 200's for $20!
 
I ordered the RCBS master supreme kit with the intention of loading the 130g Accubonds for my Creedmoor. Problem is that I wonder and daydream too much. After looking at the Barnes and Sencar, I know I won’t be happy until I shoot them. I have a feeling I am going to have little to no self control in staying with 1 bullet, 1 powder, and 1 primer.
Then just change your "worry" to an expectation that you may have a bunch of partial bullet boxes! :D I've been very happy with Scenars out of my 260 on pronghorn.
 
I came across a YouTube vid the other night of a guy using his Lee press to resize .308 brass to 7mm-08. Something about that just doesn't really seem like a great idea. Is that a safe thing to do and isn't the 7-08 cartridge a little longer than the .308?
 
I came across a YouTube vid the other night of a guy using his Lee press to resize .308 brass to 7mm-08. Something about that just doesn't really seem like a great idea. Is that a safe thing to do and isn't the 7-08 cartridge a little longer than the .308?

They are essentially the same below the neck. Necking down will leave thicker/longer neck, so trimming and thinning the neck gets them to spec. Seems like a lot of extra work, but see no reason that they would be unsafe -- as I understand, this is how 7mm08 was developed in the first place.
 
OK, so with regard to cleaning brass. How important is it to use a tumbler to clean brass that has been fired only once before? For example, factory ammo that has been shot once at the range and put right in a container - does that brass really need to be run through a tumbler before reloaded?
 
OK, so with regard to cleaning brass. How important is it to use a tumbler to clean brass that has been fired only once before? For example, factory ammo that has been shot once at the range and put right in a container - does that brass really need to be run through a tumbler before reloaded?

Nope. mtmuley
 
I came across a YouTube vid the other night of a guy using his Lee press to resize .308 brass to 7mm-08. Something about that just doesn't really seem like a great idea. Is that a safe thing to do and isn't the 7-08 cartridge a little longer than the .308?

At one time I was low on 243 case's and couldn't find any. Ran some military 308 case's through the 243 die and necked them down in one pull. Didn't need to do anything but trim to length.
 
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