Once you get started, you’ll find the reloading data to be an invaluable resource. If you’re thinking about learning how to “roll your own” ammo, check out the Hodgdon Reloading Data Center for some beginner tips. New powders may be released, or newer formulations of existing powders might change the safe minimum and maximum load amounts.įor these reasons, I like getting my reloading data straight from the horses mouth so to speak. Reloading manuals have similar information but can quickly go out of date. It’s a handy tool, and I use it all the time. The Hodgdon Reloading Data Center also provides other critical information like the maximum length of the completed cartridge and the length to which I should trim the resized. As long as I construct my cartridges with at least 21.0 grains of H322 and less than 22.4 grains, I’m in safe territory. This represents my safe range of powder charge. 223 Remington as the caliber, 55 grains as the bullet weight, Hodgdon as the powder manufacturer, and H322 as the powder.Īfter hitting the “ Get Data” button, I’ll get results with Starting Loads and Maximum Loads. Hodgdon Reloading Data CenterĪfter entering the Rifle Reloading Data section, I enter values in the first four steps. To find out exactly how much powder to use in my loads, I can start a rifle load recipe search. I happen to have some Hodgdon H322 powder. Here’s how one might use the Hodgdon Reloading Data Center. As long a you stay within their published minimum and maximum recipes and follow procedures exactly, you’re good to go and will be constructing safe cartridges. In the lab environment, pressures can be measured to ensure that load data does not exceed industry specifications. The folks at Hodgdon have tested safe minimum and maximum loads for thousands of bullet and powder combinations. But first, remember that when assembling your own cartridges, never, ever, ever guess at load recipe data or use recipes from an unknown source. The presented through their Hodgdon Reloading Data Center online tool, the website contains thousands of tested and proven recipes for handgun, rifle and shotshell loads from three different powder brands: Hodgdon, IMR and Winchester. I’m glad to see the folks at Hodgdon providing more education in the Hodgdon Reloading Data Center, but for me, the even bigger value is the load recipe information. Watch the videos, then read my book or any other, and things will make a whole lot more sense. Heck, I wrote an entire book on how to get started reloading. The videos aren’t intended to be an immersive reloading training program, but rather an introduction. Insanely Practical Guide to Reloading Ammunition It’s a great way for new reloaders to understand the additional detail that they’re reading in the manuals. In this case, the video walks through the process of reloading a spent 12 gauge shotshell using a MEC Sizemaster Shell Press, reloading machine. As with the pistol and rifle videos, seeing is understanding. Last in the first batch of videos ( above) is an overview of the Shotshell Reloading process. So far, there are three new videos to complement the written introductory and tips and tricks information in the Hodgdon Reloading Center. There’s a lot of energy being released when we pull a trigger, so extreme caution in both the process and the load data recipes is in order. They key word here is “ safely.” Even lowly handgun cartridges operate at extremely high pressure, usually in the neighborhood of 20,000 to 35,000 pounds per square inch. They’ve published tons of reloading recipe data for years, but now they’ve launched a series of videos to help teach people the art and science of safely making their own ammunition. Helping folks learn the process is exactly what the Hodgdon folks are doing now. But before that load recipe data means much, you need to learn the process and science of reloading. For example, one of the companies that provides reloading powder, Hodgdon, freely provides all sorts of safe and well-tested load recipes for Hodgdon, IMR and Winchester powders.
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