{"id":56269,"date":"2016-04-20T17:45:42","date_gmt":"2016-04-20T21:45:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/blog\/?page_id=56269"},"modified":"2017-06-02T08:58:22","modified_gmt":"2017-06-02T12:58:22","slug":"reloading","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/gunsamerica-guides\/reloading\/","title":{"rendered":"Reloading Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"progressive-press-priming-1\"<\/a>If you\u2019re thinking about reloading your own ammunition, then our series is for you. Like learning to play the guitar, ordering sheet music isn\u2019t the best first step. First, learn the basics and the process, then get sheet music.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the same with reloading. You need a reloading manual for recipes, but this series will get you started. After you\u2019ve completed our reloading series, the manuals will make a whole lot more sense.<\/p>\n

If you are new to the game and want to get your feet wet in this exciting hobby or are an experienced reloader and want to simply learn more, then take a look at the GunsAmerica.com Reloading Guide. There is a lot of great information here, so dive right in.<\/p>\n

Part 1: Want to Reload Your Own Ammo? Basic Questions to Consider<\/a><\/strong>
\nShould you consider reloading your own ammunition? Will you save money? For what types of calibers is reloading feasible and cost effective?<\/p>\n

Part 2: The Reloading Process<\/a><\/strong>
\nLet\u2019s get started by a walkthrough of the reloading process for the simplest reloading scenario \u2013 straight wall pistol cartridges. Once you understand the basic process, we\u2019ll go into detail in the later articles and those steps will make a whole lot more sense.<\/p>\n

Part 3: The Gear You\u2019ll Need and What It\u2019ll Cost You<\/a><\/strong>
\nWhat do you need to get started? Like most activities, there\u2019s a minimum required set of equipment you need to safely reload ammunition. We\u2019ll talk about what\u2019s nice to have as opposed to what you need to have.<\/p>\n

Part 4:\u00a0Brass Cleaning and Preparation to Load<\/a><\/strong>
\nBrass cleaning and preparation is not just about appearance. While it\u2019s nice to have shiny reloads to show off at the range, clean brass is a must for safe reloading. It doesn\u2019t have to look pretty, but you have to get the dirt and grime off so your components will feed through reloading dies and eventually into your gun.<\/p>\n

Part 5: Brass Resizing<\/a><\/strong>
\nWhen you shoot, the brass case expands. The first step in the actual reloading process is to mash your brass back into the proper dimensions. We\u2019ll show you how.<\/p>\n

Part 6:\u00a0Trimming Cartridge Cases<\/a><\/strong>
\nWhen you resize rifle cartridge cases, they tend to stretch in length. You\u2019ll need to trim them back to size to make sure your cartridges are consistent and feed properly.<\/p>\n

Part 7:\u00a0Repriming the Cartridge Case<\/a><\/strong>
\nThe primer is what turns mechanical energy of the firing pin into the chemical energy of burning propellant. As it\u2019s a one-time use item, you\u2019ll need to remove the spent one and insert a fresh one in each cartridge.<\/p>\n

Part 8:\u00a0Powder, Propellants, and Pressure<\/a><\/strong>
\nModern powder doesn\u2019t really explode, but it burns really fast in order to create gas pressure to drive bullets out the fiery end. We\u2019ll discuss the different types of powders for rifle and pistol cartridges and why you need to understand things like powder burn rates.<\/p>\n

Part 9: All About Primers<\/a><\/strong>
\nWhat types of primers do you need? If they appear to be the same size, are they interchangeable? What\u2019s a magnum primer and when do you use it?<\/p>\n

Part 10: Projectiles: Materials, Weights, and Styles<\/a><\/strong>
\nDepending on the caliber you reload, you might have a wide variety of choice for bullet material (lead, jacketed, or plated), bullet weight, and even bullet shape. What differences do these things make and how do your choices impact load recipes?<\/p>\n

Part 11: Seating and Crimping Bullets<\/a><\/strong>
\nSeating is easy. You simply stuff a bullet to the correct depth in the cartridge case. However, crimping is one of the most widely misunderstood topics in reloading. We\u2019ll tell you why.<\/p>\n

Part 12: To Crimp or not to Crimp
\n<\/a><\/strong>Since crimping is one of the most misunderstood steps in the reloading process, we\u2019re devoting an extra segment just to that topic. Can crimping fix bullet seating problems resulting from “less than perfect” technique? In short, no. Here, we\u2019ll discuss what crimping does, and more importantly, doesn\u2019t do. We will also discuss why you should never rely on crimping alone to properly secure a bullet in the case.<\/p>\n

Part 13: Inspection and Final Tips<\/a><\/strong>
\nSince you might be dealing with pressures above 50,000 pounds per square inch releasing inches from your face, care and inspection during the reloading process and at the end is critical. We\u2019ll offer up some ideas on how you can double and triple check your work as you go, and what to look for at the end of the reloading process.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re thinking about reloading your own ammunition, then our series is for you. Like learning to play the guitar, ordering sheet music isn\u2019t the best first step. First, learn the basics and the process, then get sheet music. It\u2019s the same with reloading. You need a reloading manual for recipes, but this series will […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":0,"parent":56251,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"_specdata_upc":"","_specdata_placement":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-56269","page","type-page","status-publish"],"yoast_head":"\nReloading - A GunsAmerica Guide<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/gunsamerica-guides\/reloading\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Reloading Guide\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"If you\u2019re thinking about reloading your own ammunition, then our series is for you. Like learning to play the guitar, ordering sheet music isn\u2019t the best\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/gunsamerica-guides\/reloading\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Gun Reviews and News | GunsAmerica.com\/Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gunsamerica\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2017-06-02T12:58:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/progressive-press-priming-1-384x300.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@gunsamerica\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/gunsamerica-guides\\\/reloading\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/gunsamerica-guides\\\/reloading\\\/\",\"name\":\"Reloading - A GunsAmerica Guide\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/gunsamerica-guides\\\/reloading\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/gunsamerica-guides\\\/reloading\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.gunsamerica.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/04\\\/progressive-press-priming-1-384x300.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-04-20T21:45:42+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-06-02T12:58:22+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/gunsamerica-guides\\\/reloading\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/gunsamerica-guides\\\/reloading\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/gunsamerica-guides\\\/reloading\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.gunsamerica.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/04\\\/progressive-press-priming-1-384x300.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.gunsamerica.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/04\\\/progressive-press-priming-1-384x300.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/gunsamerica-guides\\\/reloading\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"GunsAmerica Guides\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/gunsamerica-guides\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Reloading Guide\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/\",\"name\":\"Gun Reviews and News | GunsAmerica.com\\\/Digest\",\"description\":\"Gun Reviews, Industry News, and Product Reviews for Rifles, Pistols, Revolvers, Shotguns, Optics, and Ammunition. Looking to purchase a firearm online? Look no further than GunsAmerica.com, America's premier destination for buying and selling firearms.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"GunsAmerica\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/image-3.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/image-3.png\",\"width\":286,\"height\":156,\"caption\":\"GunsAmerica\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/gunsamerica\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/gunsamerica\",\"https:\\\/\\\/instagram.com\\\/gunsamerica_official\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/user\\\/GunsAmerica\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Reloading - A GunsAmerica Guide","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/gunsamerica-guides\/reloading\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Reloading Guide","og_description":"If you\u2019re thinking about reloading your own ammunition, then our series is for you. Like learning to play the guitar, ordering sheet music isn\u2019t the best","og_url":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/gunsamerica-guides\/reloading\/","og_site_name":"Gun Reviews and News | GunsAmerica.com\/Digest","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gunsamerica","article_modified_time":"2017-06-02T12:58:22+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/progressive-press-priming-1-384x300.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@gunsamerica","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/gunsamerica-guides\/reloading\/","url":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/gunsamerica-guides\/reloading\/","name":"Reloading - A GunsAmerica Guide","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/gunsamerica-guides\/reloading\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/gunsamerica-guides\/reloading\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/progressive-press-priming-1-384x300.jpg","datePublished":"2016-04-20T21:45:42+00:00","dateModified":"2017-06-02T12:58:22+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/gunsamerica-guides\/reloading\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/gunsamerica-guides\/reloading\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/gunsamerica-guides\/reloading\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/progressive-press-priming-1-384x300.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/progressive-press-priming-1-384x300.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/gunsamerica-guides\/reloading\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"GunsAmerica Guides","item":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/gunsamerica-guides\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Reloading Guide"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/#website","url":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/","name":"Gun Reviews and News | GunsAmerica.com\/Digest","description":"Gun Reviews, Industry News, and Product Reviews for Rifles, Pistols, Revolvers, Shotguns, Optics, and Ammunition. Looking to purchase a firearm online? Look no further than GunsAmerica.com, America's premier destination for buying and selling firearms.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/#organization","name":"GunsAmerica","url":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/image-3.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/image-3.png","width":286,"height":156,"caption":"GunsAmerica"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gunsamerica","https:\/\/x.com\/gunsamerica","https:\/\/instagram.com\/gunsamerica_official\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/GunsAmerica"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/56269","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56269"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/56269\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/56251"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56269"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}