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I have owned an SAI M1A for several years, shot it not too often, bought ammo off the shelf. I've fired most everything from .22s to Tank Guns. But I never got close to the bullet making end of things, until now. I got a good deal on a Hornady Auto Progressive (AP) Press, but bare bones. Bought dies, bullets, powder, scales, a book or two, found this forum and tuned-in often. (Thanks for all the good advice here and to those that shared it.) Being a fairly good technical guy, I thought it would be fairly quick & easy to crank out some hand loads and blow less expensive holes in targets. I was wrong.
Here's the first few of many lessons learned: (1)Go slowly, study a lot before you do anything. I thought I knew the details and I had just scratched the surface. Wonder I didn't hurt myself or damage the rifle. (2) Calibrate any instruments you're using, or get stuff you know you can trust. Being just a little bit off makes a big difference when you're dealing in 1000's/inch (thousandths of an inch) or 10s/grain (tenths of a grain). (3)Makes sure you understand the language, abbreviations, and acronyms and other terms more experienced reloaders may use. (4)Never rush to get something done, make sure you have more than enough time if you have to back-up, regroup and make sure you get it right. (5)Case Preparation is very important, time consuming and maybe the least fun, but don't ignore any portion of it. If you have more than one kind of brass separate it and work on one kind at a time.
Remove old primers, clean, resize, check headspace and case length, trim cases if needed, chamfer. Can't say enough about proper cleaning and case resizing (lube is important). Headspace and case trim length are even more critical. There are many case trim tools available in a great range of prices. Investigate the different types, try more than one if you can afford it. Find the kind that best suits your budget and the number of reloads you plan to do. After Lee and Lyman, I settled on an antique Redding, modified it a bit and made a new blade. Works pretty darn well, maybe a Wilson someday. There are good discussions about case trimming and tools on this Forum. Dress or bevel (chamfer) the case mouth both inside and out with a proper tool to ensure no burrs on the outside and easier bullet seating on the inside. A run-around with a green kitchen scouring pad (3M makes'em) adds a good finishing touch. Don't ignore the primer pocket. It may be small and it takes more time, but do it anyway.
When it is time to start building the new ones, make sure you follow a known and proven recipe. As a beginner there is no room for making it up as you go. (6)Seat the primer below the plane of the case end. If it wiggles standing pointy part up on a good level and hard surface the primer is sticking out of the case a tiny bit, but way too far. The M1A bolt closing on a protruding primer can cause a premature firing of the cartridge before the bolt lugs lock in place. (I learned about that on this forum).
(7)Measure your powder carefully. Calibrate and practice with the scale to make sure it measures consistently. If you use an automatic powder drop on a rotating or progressive press check its drop rate carefully. Load several cases and weigh the powder to check for consistency. Once you think you have it set just right, drop powder in 10 cases, pour all 10 together and weigh again, divide by 10. If the average weight is not within a minor fraction of your target weight the powder drop is not working consistently. You may need to take it apart and clean it, polish it or otherwise try to make it work better. Sometimes I take things apart to see how they work and make sure they are clean and ready to go. If later it doesn't work right I have an idea of why. Load your first cartridges (with powder) on low side and gradually work up to a more powerful load. (8)Now for the part we all want to get to: At first seat the bullet a little longer out of the case mouth as you adjust the die downward to your maximum overall length (2.810 for MIA as in the Hornaday Manual). It’s a lot easier to adjust down than it is to try to adjust back up. (9) Check your rounds for proper neck tension. The bullet shouldn't twist or wiggle in the case mouth. If it feels like there is any play at all it isn't right. The sizing die usually squeezes the neck to give enough pressure to hold the bullet without crimping. Check this forum for a lot more talk on "Crimps" and feeding the M1A. Give your creations one final rubdown with a soft clean cloth, paying attention to anything inconsistent from one round to the next, burrs or any thing out of the ordinary. Put them in a re-cycled ammo box, make your own box, put them in a Zip-Lock Bag or container of your choice. Label them with the type of brass; number of times the brass has been fired/reloaded; brand/type(#) & weight in grains of powder; brand, type and weight of bullet; date assembled and any notes you may want to remember about this reloading session.
Little things you learn as you go may seem obvious to some folks that have been at it longer, but may be worth sharing. At first I would take each case from pan #1, lube it up and resize it, wipe it off and put into pan #2. Then I learned to sit on the stool, lube all the spent cases from #1, put them in #2, resize them, back to #1, wipe them off, back to #2. Check headspace and case length, at first all of them, once you're satisfied that your adjustments are correct check 1 in 10 or what ever makes you happy. Doing a batch of 100, just this simple change saved several minutes.
At his point your cases should be de-primed, cleaned, re-sized, headspaced and trimmed to length. Now I clean them again to remove any of the lube or other contaminates. A well shaken bath of super hot water with dishwashing detergent (Dawn) and followed by a rinse of the same hot water and a good air drying has worked OK for me. (A pine 1x4 with 100 finish nails makes a good drying rack. Gently drop the wet hot cases head up over the nails, dry in a few minutes.)
Just a thought on equipment: The Hornady AP with its attached Case Feeder works just as it it's supposed to once adjusted and everything lined up properly. You can dump a bunch of cases in the top and it drops and feeds them to the press and you don't have to touch them until five stations later when they drop in the little red box. But like a lot of things that work well, it has its limitations. I put a Lee Primer Punch Die in one station and crank around all the spent cases knocking out the old primers in little time. Resizing sometimes takes a little "Ummph". I found using the resizing die, now with the decapping pin removed in RCBS Rock Chucker on a good heavy bench, focuses the energy exerted on the case better than resizing on the Hornaday AP. Once all the heavy work is done the AP with case feeder makes the powder dropping and bullet seating (and maybe someday a taper crimp die) work like a charm. All said the AP works as it is supposed to. I can abuse the Rock Chucker all I want and don't think I'll ever hurt it.
On more thing I want to add and this may seem like a commercial endorsement but I feel like it made enough difference to mention. The Wilson Fixed Headspace and Case Length Gauge solved several aggravations from calipers with do-dads screwed on the arms that never gave the same readings twice. I would recommend it as one of the first things someone new to reloading for the M1A purchase. The Wilson Gauge provides a clear visual reference for Headspace and Case Trim Length. There may be more sophisticated measuring devices for high-tech tuning, but this gauge works right now for me.
Now for the final comment: If you end up with some reloads you don't trust, dig a hole and bury them. Don't risk getting them mixed up with new ammo, or other you may have around. The cost of primer, powder, and lead is not worth the risk of injury to yourself, your rifle, or to a bystander.
Comments, agreements, disagreements, your own experiences, are all welcome. My feelings don't get hurt easily. Most of the time I'm like Eyore, I'm just glad you noticed.
Here's the first few of many lessons learned: (1)Go slowly, study a lot before you do anything. I thought I knew the details and I had just scratched the surface. Wonder I didn't hurt myself or damage the rifle. (2) Calibrate any instruments you're using, or get stuff you know you can trust. Being just a little bit off makes a big difference when you're dealing in 1000's/inch (thousandths of an inch) or 10s/grain (tenths of a grain). (3)Makes sure you understand the language, abbreviations, and acronyms and other terms more experienced reloaders may use. (4)Never rush to get something done, make sure you have more than enough time if you have to back-up, regroup and make sure you get it right. (5)Case Preparation is very important, time consuming and maybe the least fun, but don't ignore any portion of it. If you have more than one kind of brass separate it and work on one kind at a time.
Remove old primers, clean, resize, check headspace and case length, trim cases if needed, chamfer. Can't say enough about proper cleaning and case resizing (lube is important). Headspace and case trim length are even more critical. There are many case trim tools available in a great range of prices. Investigate the different types, try more than one if you can afford it. Find the kind that best suits your budget and the number of reloads you plan to do. After Lee and Lyman, I settled on an antique Redding, modified it a bit and made a new blade. Works pretty darn well, maybe a Wilson someday. There are good discussions about case trimming and tools on this Forum. Dress or bevel (chamfer) the case mouth both inside and out with a proper tool to ensure no burrs on the outside and easier bullet seating on the inside. A run-around with a green kitchen scouring pad (3M makes'em) adds a good finishing touch. Don't ignore the primer pocket. It may be small and it takes more time, but do it anyway.
When it is time to start building the new ones, make sure you follow a known and proven recipe. As a beginner there is no room for making it up as you go. (6)Seat the primer below the plane of the case end. If it wiggles standing pointy part up on a good level and hard surface the primer is sticking out of the case a tiny bit, but way too far. The M1A bolt closing on a protruding primer can cause a premature firing of the cartridge before the bolt lugs lock in place. (I learned about that on this forum).
(7)Measure your powder carefully. Calibrate and practice with the scale to make sure it measures consistently. If you use an automatic powder drop on a rotating or progressive press check its drop rate carefully. Load several cases and weigh the powder to check for consistency. Once you think you have it set just right, drop powder in 10 cases, pour all 10 together and weigh again, divide by 10. If the average weight is not within a minor fraction of your target weight the powder drop is not working consistently. You may need to take it apart and clean it, polish it or otherwise try to make it work better. Sometimes I take things apart to see how they work and make sure they are clean and ready to go. If later it doesn't work right I have an idea of why. Load your first cartridges (with powder) on low side and gradually work up to a more powerful load. (8)Now for the part we all want to get to: At first seat the bullet a little longer out of the case mouth as you adjust the die downward to your maximum overall length (2.810 for MIA as in the Hornaday Manual). It’s a lot easier to adjust down than it is to try to adjust back up. (9) Check your rounds for proper neck tension. The bullet shouldn't twist or wiggle in the case mouth. If it feels like there is any play at all it isn't right. The sizing die usually squeezes the neck to give enough pressure to hold the bullet without crimping. Check this forum for a lot more talk on "Crimps" and feeding the M1A. Give your creations one final rubdown with a soft clean cloth, paying attention to anything inconsistent from one round to the next, burrs or any thing out of the ordinary. Put them in a re-cycled ammo box, make your own box, put them in a Zip-Lock Bag or container of your choice. Label them with the type of brass; number of times the brass has been fired/reloaded; brand/type(#) & weight in grains of powder; brand, type and weight of bullet; date assembled and any notes you may want to remember about this reloading session.
Little things you learn as you go may seem obvious to some folks that have been at it longer, but may be worth sharing. At first I would take each case from pan #1, lube it up and resize it, wipe it off and put into pan #2. Then I learned to sit on the stool, lube all the spent cases from #1, put them in #2, resize them, back to #1, wipe them off, back to #2. Check headspace and case length, at first all of them, once you're satisfied that your adjustments are correct check 1 in 10 or what ever makes you happy. Doing a batch of 100, just this simple change saved several minutes.
At his point your cases should be de-primed, cleaned, re-sized, headspaced and trimmed to length. Now I clean them again to remove any of the lube or other contaminates. A well shaken bath of super hot water with dishwashing detergent (Dawn) and followed by a rinse of the same hot water and a good air drying has worked OK for me. (A pine 1x4 with 100 finish nails makes a good drying rack. Gently drop the wet hot cases head up over the nails, dry in a few minutes.)
Just a thought on equipment: The Hornady AP with its attached Case Feeder works just as it it's supposed to once adjusted and everything lined up properly. You can dump a bunch of cases in the top and it drops and feeds them to the press and you don't have to touch them until five stations later when they drop in the little red box. But like a lot of things that work well, it has its limitations. I put a Lee Primer Punch Die in one station and crank around all the spent cases knocking out the old primers in little time. Resizing sometimes takes a little "Ummph". I found using the resizing die, now with the decapping pin removed in RCBS Rock Chucker on a good heavy bench, focuses the energy exerted on the case better than resizing on the Hornaday AP. Once all the heavy work is done the AP with case feeder makes the powder dropping and bullet seating (and maybe someday a taper crimp die) work like a charm. All said the AP works as it is supposed to. I can abuse the Rock Chucker all I want and don't think I'll ever hurt it.
On more thing I want to add and this may seem like a commercial endorsement but I feel like it made enough difference to mention. The Wilson Fixed Headspace and Case Length Gauge solved several aggravations from calipers with do-dads screwed on the arms that never gave the same readings twice. I would recommend it as one of the first things someone new to reloading for the M1A purchase. The Wilson Gauge provides a clear visual reference for Headspace and Case Trim Length. There may be more sophisticated measuring devices for high-tech tuning, but this gauge works right now for me.
Now for the final comment: If you end up with some reloads you don't trust, dig a hole and bury them. Don't risk getting them mixed up with new ammo, or other you may have around. The cost of primer, powder, and lead is not worth the risk of injury to yourself, your rifle, or to a bystander.
Comments, agreements, disagreements, your own experiences, are all welcome. My feelings don't get hurt easily. Most of the time I'm like Eyore, I'm just glad you noticed.
