General Reloading FAQs

Carbide is an extremely hard and very brittle metal. This is both an asset and a liability. The carbide’s incredible…

Different nose profiles may require some adjustment to their over-all-length (OAL) for proper feeding and functioning. The correct OAL for…

Visual inspection of the muzzle under direct light will reveal if there is any copper present. Careful attention to the…

When stored in such an environment, cartridges kept in sealed containers will last the best part of a lifetime.

No. Load data should be as specific as possible to the bullet used.

It’s not unusual for two barrels of the same manufacturer, using the same loads, to vary 100 fps or more.…

Military cases have crimped in primers. The crimp has to be removed before primers can be seated. The crimp can…

No. Each manufacturer uses a firearm that would be different from the other in chamber and barrel specs, making it…

No. You should stick with the data in your handgun manual while loading your pistols and use your rifle manual…

Not necessarily. At the cartridge’s ignition, a light load won’t always fully expand the case within the chamber. It does,…

Good question. First of all, we need to understand that reloading manuals are not carved in stone. Think of a…

Upon ignition, the case expands in all directions, with the case walls tightly gripping the chamber. Almost instantly, the case…

No comprehensive manual has the space to show every combination. As a result, there will always be some combinations that…

No. Case capacities in these two cartridges are so drastically different, that any powder that might work well in both…

Jackets of single shot pistol bullets are thinner to allow reliable expansion at lower velocities. All of our bullets are…

The primer anvil should be in contact with the bottom of the pocket for uniform ignition. For safety, be sure…

Because when you broke the powder up, you exposed parts of the kernels without a deterrent coating and changed its…

No. Aside from the possibility of a sharply pointed bullet striking a primer and causing a detonation, the deterrent coating…

Without knowing what the propellant is and having it available, you can’t. Factories often use a propellant that is specially…

As a general rule, roll crimps are recommended for most revolvers, rifles using tubular magazines and situations that call for…

By using the lightest bullet weights shown, or by using the load showing the minimum listed velocity. Using the lightest…

It may not be necessary if the mouths are not badly dented and have sufficient tension to hold a bullet…

Not without reducing your load by 5%. Magnum primers give a hotter and longer flame that causes the powder to…

Yes. High pressure will set the cartridge back into the bolt face, causing the brass to flow into the ejector…