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This is part of the About Hunting & Shooting online Reloading Course. Check my Ammo Loading Course Index for links to other existing articles, and be sure to bookmark it and check back there from time to time, since I'll be adding more as time goes by.
Back to page one - Introduction - Benefits of Handloading
You'll need this stuff to build your ammo
1. Cartridge
Cases
Commonly called shells or casings, this is what holds your cartridge together.
In most rifle and handgun ammo, it's usually made of brass. Using fired cases
from factory ammo is probably the best and most common method of acquiring cases
(hence the term "reloading"), though unprimed, unfired shells
can be had for many of the more popular (and some obsolete) cartridges.
2. Bullets
These are the projectiles that your cartridge will fling down the barrel of
your gun (so please don't refer to loaded cartridges as "bullets,"
it's incorrect and makes me crazy). A wide variety of bullets in many calibers
is available to the reloader, both from ammunition manufacturers and companies
that make only bullets.
3. Primers
These are the little jewels that provide ignition for the powder. For rifle
and pistol loading, there are several types, so make sure you get what you need
(any good manual will tell you what primer is recommended for a particular cartridge).
You may need more than one type, if you're going to load more than one type
of cartridge.
4. Powder
A vast array of powders is available to the handloader today. Most powders are
suitable to several different calibers, and several types of powder for each
cartridge are usually given in the loading data of most loading manuals.
So, where do you find all this stuff? Among my many links, I have several links to reloading manufacturers' sites in my "Reloading Manufacturers " links, and I will be adding more in the coming weeks. It's also worthwhile to check your local gun shops, as they may have some good used reloading equipment available... it's tough to wear out most of this gear.
Reloading ammunition saves money, allows one to custom-load ammo for a particular gun and/or type of game, and it's a lot of fun to boot. The grin on my face will no doubt be wider than usual when I bag a buck using ammo that I built myself!
Equipment
Needed
A rundown of the tools you'll need to get started loading ammo
Russ Chastain
One Year ago this week: 10/19/99 - Is it Really Worth the Pain? - Some thoughts on bowhunting for deer in the Southern US.
Two Years ago this week: 10/14/98 - Learning to Grunt - A lesson a buck taught me that I'll never forget.
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