First Time Reloader Endevours!

[m70b1jr]

Hey guys!

I just wanna start off by saying this post is going to be *all* over the place, but I'll start off with a TL:DR to sum everything up. I also posted this on reddit, so hey if you see this twice

I'm a beginner reloader, and the cartridge I've decided to begin reloading with is 5.7x28. I've gottem decent results but could use some tips or improvements on my setup and methodology. I'm reloading 5.7x28 not necessarily to save money, but to get a higher performing round since all factory 5.7 is very underloaded. I conceal carry a ruger57 as my EDC, and shelled out $10 per round for SS190 for my carry ammo, since it's actually loaded to decent pressures.



Well guys - I've bit the bullet and started getting into reloading. Like most hobbies I get into, I've really been wanting to get into this one for a while, but couldn't justify the initial cost of getting into it - until I decided to piece out my own kit. Originally I purchased:



- Lee Breech Lock (Challenger?) single stage press (it's the O style): $100

- Lyman Universal Case Prep Tool: $30

- Cheap chinese amazon scale: $20 (keep reading)

- Gallon of concentrated simple green: ($20?)

- Lee Perfect Powder Measure: $30

- Lyman Funnel: $10

- Dillon Case Lube (Lanolin oil + alcohol): $10(?)



So ended up at $210, I then needed to order reloading supplies, so I got:



- Winchester #41 primers: 100 for $10

- Hornady 22cal 35gr projectiles: $25

- Accurate #7 Powder: $40

- Lee 5.7x28 reloading dies: $75 (also got a crimping die i'll probably never use)



With that, I started reloading. I cleaned my brass and lubricated it with the dillion case lube. (You CANNOT tumble 5.7 brass, which is why I didn't get a tumbler) The first piece of brass I used to start reloading with, was the AAC 5.7x28 brass, which is nickel plated. I heard some creaking on the upstoke, but it wasn't *too* difficult. Went to go on the downstroke, and ripped the rim right off the case. Stuck cartridge on my first go. I managed to removing the decapping rod thanks to how the lee die is designed, but had to cut the case off. This happened off & on occasionally, and kept getting stuck rounds with the AAC brass, but not the factory FN stuff. After finding an obscure reloading video, I realized it's kinda common with 5.7 brass and the lee dies for that to happen, and you shouldn't resize the brass on a single stroke. You should take it slow, backing it off, and going back and forth with it (insert some inuendo here).
If anyone has solutions for resizing the AAC brass consistently without ripping case necks, that'd be awesome.



Eventually I got to the point where I was no longer getting stuck cases, and was reliably resizing them, however, comparing them to a factory round, the shoulder of the brass seemed to start / form differently, and this concerned me. Not originally wanting to, I purchased a sheridan case gauge to verify everything was inspec ($60)



In the meantime, I purchased a brass trimmer

- Frankford Arsenal Universal Case Trimmer: $60 (?)



And trimmed / measured my brass. My plan was to original *not trim* hoping after a resize they'd still be in-spec (although not consistent with eachother), but they all measured out of spec for the length. While I waited on my case gauge, I decided I'd setup my lee perfect powder measure and get it to measure out 7.2gr, which is 0.2 grains UNDER the reloading manual for my projectile / powder combination. I dialed that in using my chinese amazon scale. I then wanted to see if i could reliably ignite primers with all my 5.7 guns - and I could not. It turns out the #41 small rifle primers I picked up were slightly too hard for 5.7, so I went hunting around for regular winchester small rifle primers, and I could set them off. I also practiced bullet seating and getting OAL, as well as chamfering and deburring the brass.



I was very happy once my case gauge came in, and everything was seating properly. I woke up the next morning to load me a few completed rounds to test, but I kept feeling paranoid about my chinese amazon scale. I went shopping and picked up a:



- Lyman 1500 scale. It's the one that can take AC power & batteries. I paid $80 for it.



Surprise surprise, turns out the amazon scale was not that accurate. It was measuring 0.2gr HIGH (better than low I guess), so my 7.2 I originally dialed in, was more like 7.0. Adjusted the powder measure, and started loading rounds. Went to the range the same day, and was very happy. I tested my handloads using a 3D-Printed P90, also known as the 3DP90. It's a 3d printed-DIY p90, that uses p90 magazines, and obviously chambered in 5.7x28. It's WAY overbuilt, and the barrel I have on it is essentially a barrel-blank profile, meaning if something catastrophic was going to happen, the printed P90 could handle it without issues.



So, since i'm typing this, you can tell I still have fingers. Everything went fairly well, all the rounds that actually ignited and set off cycled and ran, however about 40% of my rounds didn't set off at all, primers were hit, but didn't ignite. I' starting to think this was an issue with the primer seating depth, and will have to play around with it.

EDIT: I attempted to reload another batch, upping the grains to the minimum 7.4gr. I also did a little more "umph" on when seating the primers, and I managed to run that entire 50rd batch with 0 issues at all. Seems like I've started a successful process.



My next plan is to experiment with different projectile, and chronographing them. 2000+ FPS with the current hornady 35gr out of my ruger 57 load would be awesome. I plan on picking up some SS190 projectiles to load those as well. If there's any data for SS190 + Accurate #7, that'd be nice to have. Factory / Consumer 5.7 overall just seems really anemic, and I'm really just wanting to get the most out of this cartridge I can.

[panzermk2]

Welcome to the forum!

[towerofpower93]

Welcome to reloading.

Ref the failures to ignite. As you found out, that was likely from not having the primer seated all the way in the primer pocket. One way to see if you're not seating the primer deep enough is if all the failures to fire go off on the second attempt. This can mean the primer wasn't seated deep enough, but the first strike of the firing pin was able to seat it fully, allowing for proper ignition on the second strike. The easiest way to tell if you've seated the primer fully is to visually inspect and ensure it's below the case head. You can also feel this with a fingernail, as it will feel like your nail drops a tiny bit into the primer pocket when the primer is seated fully.

FN crimps the primer in place and this crimp can still be present after decapping. This makes it difficult/impossible to seat a primer fully and can also lead to crushing a primer if one side catches on the remaining crimp ring and gets the primer tilting. I use a swage-it on my Dillon XL650 to remove the crimp, but there are other tools you can use to swage or cut the primer crimp out of the primer pocket.

I'm not sure if AAC crimps their primers in place, but I'd stick to the FN brass for now. I'm not sure if AAC has a different case capacity, but it seems like all of the load development you'll find here and elsewhere is done with FN brass. Changes in case capacity can lead to changes in pressure, and this little guy can build pressure quick.

[lklawson]

Welcome to the forum.

First, I would say that 5.7x28 is not the cartridge I would recommend to start with for a new reloader. For a bottleneck cartridge, I'd say to start with .223 because it is more forgiving on just about every metric from powder charge to bullet weight. However, because you jumped in feet first, I guess just go with what you have. You already have to be anal retentive when it comes to hand-loading ammo and the 5.7 is twice that. Strap on your OCD hat and never take it off when it comes to 5.7.

Second, as you found out, you cannot trust a chinesium no-name powder scale. You absolutely must use a scale from a reputable manufacturer. Even the Lee Safety Powder Scale is fine but never ever trust a weird named scale from who knows where. I would also be extra cautious with entry level digital scales, even from reputable names. I have a Lyman Pocket digital scale and it can sometimes vary by 0.1 of a grain. Stick with a balance beam scale. The chinesium scale you were using was under-weighing by 0.2 of a grain. If you are at the top of the pressure spec, that's enough to cause a kaboom in the 5.7. So, no, it is not better over than under. When I load for 5.7, I actually use 3 scales to check against each other. I keep talking myself out of check-weights but they're a good idea.

You mention that you have the Lee Perfect Powder Measure. That is a fine powder dispenser but its design can cause it to leak powder when it cycles, particularly if the powder is a fine dust-like powder such as Tightgroup or AA #7. You will need a shallow dish below the mechanism to catch the leakage and you will absolutely need to run a check charge every so often. I recommend a check charge every 25 dumps for a leaky powder.

Pretty much any case lube is fine but my experience is that the best case lube is a lanolin base. IMS, Oneshot is lanolin base lube or you can google up various recipes for "lano-lube." I've tried various lubes and the lanolin base simply works the best. I will never use anything else again if I have the choice. The only catch with the lanolin lubes is that you absolutely must give sufficient time for the carrier (alcohol) to evaporate fully.

As user "towerofpower93" states, some cases have crimped primer pockets. Use care in reforming the primer pockets. There are primer-pocket swagers, which mechanically squish the pocket to the correct size and press out the crimp, and there are primer pocket reamers, which chamfer (cut) the crimp off. I've used both. The reamer creates a nice angled funnel type shape which guides the primer in easily but sacrifices material at the top of the pocket and can sometimes not be perfectly concentric. They also often take more time than the swager and leave brass cuttings. But they are a bit more portable. I chucked my reamer into an electric hand drill and got pretty quick with it. The swager is, imo, a better option. It doesn't make as nice a "funnel" to guide the primer down it. Instead, it makes a decent rounded shelf. They tend to be more concentric and don't sacrifice material. The 5.7 is known to be hell on primers. It will crater primers even when at safe pressures and if you've sacrificed primer pocket material it could even pop a primer partially out when it ignites. I believe that Jay (forum owner) recommends the barest kiss of a swager, just enough to remove the crimp, in order to maximize the lifespan of the brass.

I can't tell if you already have a chronograph or are just talking about using one later. With most reloading, if you follow published loads and stay well below the max, then, frankly, you don't need a chrono. But you wrote that you are wanting to maximize performance for the 5.7. If that's your goal, then you're going to be pushing your loads to the top end. For that goal, you absolutely need to know how fast your bullets are traveling. You simply cannot depend on what velocity is published. If you want to try to top out the 5.7 then you'll need to chrono them. Wouldn't hurt to chrono a few of those SS190's out of your gun (because every gun is different) so you have a comparison.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

[m70b1jr]

Welcome to the forum.

First, I would say that 5.7x28 is not the cartridge I would recommend to start with for a new reloader. For a bottleneck cartridge, I'd say to start with .223 because it is more forgiving on just about every metric from powder charge to bullet weight. However, because you jumped in feet first, I guess just go with what you have. You already have to be anal retentive when it comes to hand-loading ammo and the 5.7 is twice that. Strap on your OCD hat and never take it off when it comes to 5.7.

Second, as you found out, you cannot trust a chinesium no-name powder scale. You absolutely must use a scale from a reputable manufacturer. Even the Lee Safety Powder Scale is fine but never ever trust a weird named scale from who knows where. I would also be extra cautious with entry level digital scales, even from reputable names. I have a Lyman Pocket digital scale and it can sometimes vary by 0.1 of a grain. Stick with a balance beam scale. The chinesium scale you were using was under-weighing by 0.2 of a grain. If you are at the top of the pressure spec, that's enough to cause a kaboom in the 5.7. So, no, it is not better over than under. When I load for 5.7, I actually use 3 scales to check against each other. I keep talking myself out of check-weights but they're a good idea.

You mention that you have the Lee Perfect Powder Measure. That is a fine powder dispenser but its design can cause it to leak powder when it cycles, particularly if the powder is a fine dust-like powder such as Tightgroup or AA #7. You will need a shallow dish below the mechanism to catch the leakage and you will absolutely need to run a check charge every so often. I recommend a check charge every 25 dumps for a leaky powder.

Pretty much any case lube is fine but my experience is that the best case lube is a lanolin base. IMS, Oneshot is lanolin base lube or you can google up various recipes for "lano-lube." I've tried various lubes and the lanolin base simply works the best. I will never use anything else again if I have the choice. The only catch with the lanolin lubes is that you absolutely must give sufficient time for the carrier (alcohol) to evaporate fully.

As user "towerofpower93" states, some cases have crimped primer pockets. Use care in reforming the primer pockets. There are primer-pocket swagers, which mechanically squish the pocket to the correct size and press out the crimp, and there are primer pocket reamers, which chamfer (cut) the crimp off. I've used both. The reamer creates a nice angled funnel type shape which guides the primer in easily but sacrifices material at the top of the pocket and can sometimes not be perfectly concentric. They also often take more time than the swager and leave brass cuttings. But they are a bit more portable. I chucked my reamer into an electric hand drill and got pretty quick with it. The swager is, imo, a better option. It doesn't make as nice a "funnel" to guide the primer down it. Instead, it makes a decent rounded shelf. They tend to be more concentric and don't sacrifice material. The 5.7 is known to be hell on primers. It will crater primers even when at safe pressures and if you've sacrificed primer pocket material it could even pop a primer partially out when it ignites. I believe that Jay (forum owner) recommends the barest kiss of a swager, just enough to remove the crimp, in order to maximize the lifespan of the brass.

I can't tell if you already have a chronograph or are just talking about using one later. With most reloading, if you follow published loads and stay well below the max, then, frankly, you don't need a chrono. But you wrote that you are wanting to maximize performance for the 5.7. If that's your goal, then you're going to be pushing your loads to the top end. For that goal, you absolutely need to know how fast your bullets are traveling. You simply cannot depend on what velocity is published. If you want to try to top out the 5.7 then you'll need to chrono them. Wouldn't hurt to chrono a few of those SS190's out of your gun (because every gun is different) so you have a comparison.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

I appreciate the reply, but just wanted to address / ask a few things -

So, my chinese scale was measuring high is what I meant. Like, it measured power charge at 7.2gr, when in reality it was 7.0gr on my Lyman scale, so I did have more of a safety buffer originally. The Lee Perfect Powder measure does leak, but I make sure to measure my charges every few rounds or so when loading.

I've been using the Dillion Lube which is Lanolin + Alcohol, and I have been waiting for it to dry. It just doesn't seem to help with the AAC brass.

I don't have a chronograph, but I do want one. I would want one I can use at the bench at the indoor range I shoot at, and while the LabRadar looks nice, it's a little pricey.

[lklawson]

I don't have a chronograph, but I do want one. I would want one I can use at the bench at the indoor range I shoot at, and while the LabRadar looks nice, it's a little pricey.

Apparently the new Garmin has knocked the LabRadar off its pedestal.

I bought the ProChrono DLX.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

[panzermk2]

FYI when you sage the primer pocket, do it just enough to get rid of the crimp. Fully swaging the pocket will have your primers popping out on 1x loads. 5.7 is hell on primer pockets and the more you work them the more to take away the life of your cases.