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Reloading for F-Class Competition  Being new to F-Class shooting, I went to school on two NRA Master shooters when it came to reloading match-grade ammunition. Although I have been reloading hunting ammo for almost a half century, it was a real education to watch competition ammunition being loaded. In
this article, I will assume that you already have some experience and equipment
for reloading metallic cartridges. If not, you can purchase one of several commercial
packages with a reloading manual for around $350. Most hunters start reloading
to save money, but wind up reloading primarily to develop accurate loads for their
favorite rifle. However,
loading for bench rest or F-Class shooting is a different story. I don’t know
any champion centerfire rifle shooters who use factory loaded ammunition. The
commercial stuff is fine for hunting, but when you stretch it out to 1,000
yards, it fails miserably. Hence, it is necessary to reload for competition. Before
I list the equipment that you need, hang on to your wallet and sit down. The
costs are sure to give you heartburn.
However, once you have taken the initial plunge on equipment, it doesn’t
cost appreciably more to load match-grade ammo than your favorite deer or elk
loads. And, if you use the same techniques and equipment for reloading your
hunting stuff, you will be amazed at the newfound accuracy of your favorite
rifle. The
additional equipment for reloading match-grade ammunition has as much to do
with the rifle as the ammunition. The chamber tolerances of competition rifles
are very precise for maximum performance. Most factory rifles are manufactured with
somewhat less precision due to the necessities of mass production. As such,
they easily accommodate the variations in factory ammunition. While it is true
that factory ammunition meets the minimum specifications of each caliber, the
+/- tolerances vary from company to company, as well as from lot to lot. Such
variances, while satisfactory for hunting rifles, are not acceptable in a
competition gun. Most
competition shooters load one cartridge at a time and have no need for
multi-stage turret presses. As such, if you have a good single stage press you
are in business. If not, I would suggest the Redding Big Boss II to handle some
of the newer match dies with 1 ¼” threads. The Boss II is supplied with a steel
bushing for use with standard 7/8” dies. The bushing can be removed to handle
1¼” dies. Alan Warner of Warner Tool Co is making a custom set of 6.5-284 match
dies with 1¼” threads for my daughter’s new Savage F-Class rifle. Since my old
Pacific press predates these new dies, I picked up a Redding Boss II to use
with Alan’s dies. The
number of tools that you will need for brass preparation depends upon the brand
you select. If you decide to use Lapua or Norma brass, you won’t need buy a
concentricity tool or flash hole reamer. (We
are finding the new Nosler 6.5-284 match brass to also be excellent. -Ed.) But,
if you use Winchester, Federal, R-P or Hornady brass, you would be well advised
to purchase those tools to “true up” your brass before loading. The reason is
that their cases are softer, with thinner walls. Softer brass “flows” more
readily during firing and needs to be brought back to specs prior to reloading
(Lapua and Norma brass also flow, but to a lesser extent). If a hunter reloads
softer brass without “truing” the neck and flash hole, accuracy will be in the
neighborhood of 1” at 100 yards. That’s quite acceptable in big game hunting,
but not good enough for competition. Before
everyone gets on my case about brass, I know an NRA Master shooter who uses .308 R-P brass because he can
squeeze an extra couple of grains of powder into the case due to it’s thinner
wall. But, he has to turn and trim the necks after every firing, check them
with a concentricity gauge (throwing out a fair number of cases), ream out the
flash hole and debur the flash hole inside the case before reloading. That’s a
lot of extra work for a slight gain in powder capacity. As of this writing, his
loads have not been more accurate than folks using Lapua or Norma brass. For
purposes of comparison, the following is the average cost of 100 unprimed cases
of .308 Winchester brass: Lapua
- $53, Norma - $79, Remington - $30, Hornady - $31, Federal - $36, Nosler -
$37, Winchester - $30 You
get what you pay for. Lapua is considered the “standard” for brass quality, and
Norma is superb if you aren’t worried about cost. My daughter and I use Lapua
brass because we don’t want to spend the additional time on case preparation required
with inexpensive brass. Many
reloaders use the primer attachment on their press for seating their primers. That
is great for hunting, but problematic for competition. Match primers need to be
seated snugly against the bottom of the pocket, but not compressed. This is
difficult to do consistently with a press. Most competition reloaders use a
hand priming tool. These vary in price from the $14.95 for the Lee Auto Prime
to $33.60 for the Hornady Handheld Priming Tool and finally $109.50 for the Sinclair
Priming Tool. (After breaking a couple of
the flimsy Lee tools we switched to the RCBS hand priming tool--about $30--and
we have used them for years with excellent results. -Ed.) They will all do
what is required after you develop the “feel” for the tool. I bought the
Sinclair tool due to it’s stainless steel and aircraft aluminum construction. You
can’t break it and it’ll last a lifetime. After carefully priming each new case
with the hand tool, you are ready for the powder. You
can use just about any powder measure. They range from $30 up to $300,
depending on their accuracy. I actually use an vintage Pacific volumetric
measure that cost $15 when it was new. Why not a more expensive one? I weigh
every load, even when I am using my friend’s Harrell Classic Culver measure which
cost him $340. Ok, I am picky. But, I want every load to be within +/- 0.05 of
a grain. Because each charge is weighed, I see no reason to spend money on a
more accurate powder measure. If you don’t want to weigh every charge, then buy
the most accurate measure you can afford. The Harrell powder measures are very
accurate and range in price from $200 to $350. However, the most convenient
device around is the RCBS Chargemaster Powder Dispenser/Scale Combo at $327. It
dispenses your powder and simultaneously weighs the charge. I have that one on my
wish list. (We have been using one since
we reviewed it--see the Reloading Page--and it is simply wonderful. -Ed.) Buy
a good digital scale if you are going to weigh each charge. I realize that a
lot of folks swear by the balance scales, but they have some issues which can
affect their accuracy. When shopping for a digital scale, DO NOT buy an Asian knockoff.
There are a lot of them around (internet auction sites abound with them). These
cheap copies are inaccurate, break easily and carry no warranty. Buy your scale
from a reputable dealer. Don’t go cheap, as your rifle (and life) depends on an
accurate load. Among the best scales are RCBS, Dillon and AccuLab, with prices
ranging from $200 to $300. I have used a My Weigh DuraScale for several years
with no complaints. However, if you want the absolutely best-of-the-best, the
AccuLab is hard to beat for accuracy. This scale weighs your loads to within
2/100th of a grain. It costs $300, but is well worth the price if
you are going to do a lot of reloading. Your choice of
bullets depends on the caliber of rifle and barrel twist that you are
using. For example, in 6.5-284 Norma, the 142 grain Sierra HPBT (MK) is the
standard (1 in 8 twist), while in the 6mmBR, the 105 grain Berger VLD or 107
grain Sierra HPBT (MK) are preferred (1 in 8 or faster twist). (We are testing the new Nosler 140 grain
match bullet in 6.5mm and so far it looks good, too. -Ed) The choice of
bullets for the .308 Win and .300 WSM is the subject of an ongoing debate among
competition shooters. That also applies to seating depth, and whether you are
going to “jam” your bullet into the lands or “jump” it. My suggestion is to
seek out an experienced F-Class or Bench Rest shooter and get their advice for
the rifle and twist that you are using. Now comes the fun part. You
have fired your new brass once and are ready to prepare it for reloading. Please
read these steps through, several times, before beginning. Step
1: Place your fired brass into a tumbler for
cleaning. Use a mildly abrasive media like ground corn cob. Adding a little
Rooster Bright Case Polish will not only enhance the cleaning, but will extend
the life of your media. Step
2: After removing the cases from the tumbler,
make sure that all media is out of the case and clean the inside of the case neck
with a neck brush to remove any powder or media residue. Step
3: De-prime the brass with your de-capping die
(or universal decapping tool), making sure that you adequately lubricate the
case prior to inserting it into the die. A stuck case can damage your die, not
to mention the frustration you experience. However, sooner or later, you are
going to get a stuck case. Thus, I recommend buying a Stuck Case Remover if you don't already have one. These
handy tools are inexpensive and well worth the price. Some match
die sets combine de-capping and full length sizing into one operation to save
time. If you have this type of die set, Step 3 and 5 will be combined. Step
4: Use a primer pocket uniformer to cut the
depth of the primer pocket to the correct SAAMI specs, as well as clean carbon
out of the pocket. This step is essential for proper seating of the primer. Use
a flash hole deburring tool to clear and clean the flash hole from inside the
case. Check the flash hole in the primer pocket to make sure that it is completely
clear. Step
5. Full length resize the case with your match
dies. If you can’t afford Alan Warner’s custom dies, which are absolutely the
best in the world (they cost about $500), then I would use the Redding Type S
Match FL Die Set with titanium nitride coated bushing at $140. Match dies cost
about twice the price of “regular” dies, but they are essential if you want to
obtain maximum accuracy in your reloads. Again, make sure the cases are
properly (but not excessively) lubricated before using the FL die to avoid
sticking. Step
6: Measure the diameter of the case neck with a
micrometer and turn it down to original tolerances with a neck turning tool (if
needed). Here again, it may not be necessary with Lapua or Norma brass, but
will definitely be needed with the other brands. There are several good neck
turning tools on the market, ranging in price from $60 to $100 dollars. Sinclair
and K&M turners are among the best. Step
7: Measure the case length with a set of
calipers and trim to specification. Just about any regular case trimmer will
work. Here again, you have a variety of choices from Redding, Lyman, RCBS,
Holland's, Forster, Wilson and Sinclair. Prices also vary, from $50 to $150. I
use my original Forster with new pilots for our 6mmBR and 6.5x284 Norma. Step
8. Debur the case mouth and slightly chamfer the
inside to more easily accept VLD or boat tail bullets. Most reloaders have an
inexpensive deburring tool @ $12, but the chamfer tool will cost you an extra
$25. Step
9. Prime your prepared case, using the hand
priming tool. Be careful not to compress the primer, but make sure that it is
seated level in the bottom of the pocket. Step
10. Select your powder, pick your load and charge
the cases as outlined earlier. Step
11. Select the correct bullet for your caliber
and seat it to the desired depth, using a match grade seating die, like the
Redding Competition Seating Die @ $80 - $125, depending on caliber. For details
about bullet seating, refer to your manual and/or seek the advice of a known
expert. Step
12. Go out to the range and practice, practice,
practice--then come home for more reloading! And yes, the order of some of the
steps can be changed. I simply laid out how we do it, because it works for us. For
the purposes of this article, I have assumed that you already have the tools
found on most reloaders bench, such as powder funnels, powder trickler, case
neck brushes, case lub pad, case lubricant loading blocks, case tumbler, etc.
If you are just starting out, they can be ordered along with the competition
tools. Those
of you considering F-Class reloading are ready to go back to the beginning of
the article with a calculator and start adding things up. I am going to save
you the trouble, as I just finished ordering everything that I discussed. Once
these tools are on your bench, you have the satisfaction of knowing that
everything is a one-time purchase. From now on, all you have to buy are
primers, power, bullets and new cases (after 3-4 firings), pretty much the same
as you would for hunting ammunition. Reloading Equipment for F-Class Competition (To supplement a regular reloading setup): Redding Type S Match FL Die Set (your caliber of choice*) $119 Total = $860* *
applies to .308 Winchester, .300 WSM, 6mm BR or 6.5-284 Norma Required Tools If You Are Not Using Match brass: Flash Hole Reamer $ 36 Total = $131 Some
Final Notes: I guarantee that you will produce more reliable and accurate
hunting ammunition if you use these tools and techniques for all your
reloading. Please remember, when picking a load for any given bullet/powder
combination, start at 10% less than the maximum recommended in your manual and
slowly work your way up to the ideal charge for your rifle. Every rifle has a favorite load, so never assume that another shooter’s accurate load will also be the best for your rifle. Be patient and work up the optimal load for your gun. Your time and effort will be well spent. Your reward will be consistently high scores if you do your part. |