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I'm one step ahead of you... This should be here on Wednesday.

meles meles wrote:We hear tell that the real hardcore re-loaders even mine their own ore to smelt to make the copper to make the brass to make the...

Quick question ~ I'm just about setup as my workbench arrived on Thursday, the last 2 things to get are primers and the propellants. I'm reloading for .44 magnum and .308 first, does anyone have any recommendations on which brands of each would suit these calibers the best?

HALODIN wrote:Quick question ~ I'm just about setup as my workbench arrived on Thursday, the last 2 things to get are primers and the propellants. I'm reloading for .44 magnum and .308 first, does anyone have any recommendations on which brands of each would suit these calibers the best?

Halodin, for the .308 I use Federal Match primers M210 and another good primer is the CCI Benchrest2 primer. As for the .44, I take it this is for a lever rifle, as I don't load for that I'm sure someone in the know such as SimG will be able to help you with that. My go to powder for the .308 is N140, it tack drives in my .308

Blu

Depends what you want the .44 for- indoor light loads or more powerful.

I use bullseye in my indoor low loads and I find it's ok- bit dirty but very economical (used with CCI large pistol). Heard good things about Vhit Tinstar though.

Outdoor I believe I was looking at N540 but didn't get around to sorting it out before losing my reloading space- hopefully be setup again soon.

I use N140 for .308 with Federal large rifle- I don't have a local TR140/other N140 substitute supplier.

Thanks Blu! I didn't have much choice, so I walked away with 1000 x CCI "no. 200" large rifle primers and 1kg VihtaVuori for my .308's which has got me going. The next time I'm at a show or another shop I'll see if I can find some.

Blu wrote:Halodin, for the .308 I use Federal Match primers M210 and another good primer is the CCI Benchrest2 primer. As for the .44, I take it this is for a lever rifle, as I don't load for that I'm sure someone in the know such as SimG will be able to help you with that. My go to powder for the .308 is N140, it tack drives in my .308

Blu

The .44 is for my Taurus LBR and we're switching from the indoor to the outdoor range for evening sessions soon, so they should be as stout as possible...

How do you get on with the CCI primers, are they consistent?

My local shop didn't have anything for my .44, so I'll have to look further afield for powder and primers. I'll be pushing Prvi 429 240g FMJ's through it when I'm ready.

zanes wrote:Depends what you want the .44 for- indoor light loads or more powerful.

I use bullseye in my indoor low loads and I find it's ok- bit dirty but very economical (used with CCI large pistol). Heard good things about Vhit Tinstar though.

Outdoor I believe I was looking at N540 but didn't get around to sorting it out before losing my reloading space- hopefully be setup again soon.

I use N140 for .308 with Federal large rifle- I don't have a local TR140/other N140 substitute supplier.

HALODIN wrote:The .44 is for my Taurus LBR and we're switching from the indoor to the outdoor range for evening sessions soon, so they should be as stout as possible...

How do you get on with the CCI primers, are they consistent?

My local shop didn't have anything for my .44, so I'll have to look further afield for powder and primers. I'll be pushing Prvi 429 240g FMJ's through it when I'm ready.

I've never had a primer failure of any kind with CCI, and I think I'm around 1200 rounds in. I'm not good enough to tell if they affect accuracy.

If you can get some, try some PPU 240Gr factory ammo. Stiff out of my rifle, should be adequately amusing from an LBR.

I doubt I'd be able to tell without bolting the rifle down and running some tests. I suspect there's little in it when it comes to primers.

I tried 50 PPU 240gr through it when I first bought it, it started to hurt my wrist towards the end...

Got to say I'm really happy with my setup, certainly no regrets so far. I've bought a couple more shell holders because taking them out of the press to put in the hand primer is a nuisance. I've also bought the baffle for the powder thrower which should help with throw consistency.

I just need some provisional members to test my reloads now...

That is not for real, too bloody clean and tidy.