Hands-On Beginner’s Guide to Reloading

RE Factor was fortunate enough to host Frankford Arsenal at our shop last week and learn how to reload our ammo from empty brass to capped shells with bullets. As intimidating as it was to learn how to reload our ammo, Frankford Arsenal made it seem so much easier than it previously looked. 

I had minimal experience, but I always thought that Hornady made the best reloading supplies. We were shown many reasons Frankford Arsenal deserves a shot to become your one-stop shop for reloading tools. This blog will explain how to reload from the very beginning with empty, dirty brass to charged ammo, ready to shoot. 

What Do I Need to Start Reloading My Ammo?

This is one of the most popular questions asked across the world of ammo reloading, and it is one that I started the workshop with. To keep things simple for everyone, I included a list explaining the tools you need to reload your ammo. For this section, I will include the tools you must have to start your reloading, and I will get into the optional tools later in the blog. 

1. Ammo Boxes/Reloading Trays
2. Rotary Tumbler 7L
3. Brass Cleaning Media
4. Brass Cleaning Solution
5. Single-Stage Reloading Press
6. Intellidropper Electronic Powder Measurer
7. Perfect Seat Hand Primer
8. Calipers (I prefer the digital model)
9. Powder Funnels
10. Universal Bullet Seating Die
11. Hand Deprimer
12. Case Trim & Prep Center
13. Case Prep Expansion Tools

I Have a Bucket of Brass, What’s Next?

One of the biggest issues with reloading your ammo is that most people don’t know what they’re doing or how to start. If you’re anything like me, you save your ammo cases from the range, have multiple buckets of 9mm or 5.56mm cases, and have no idea what to do. 

Until Frankford Arsenal came to the office, I was incredibly intimidated even to start trying to reload my ammo. The last thing I want is to pull the trigger and have a bullet blow up in the barrel and maim me for the rest of my life. Talking with many of my friends, they all feel the same way. So, hopefully, we can relieve that stress and show you it’s not as hard as it seems. 

First, you must prepare your tumbler based on the amount of brass you have. I prefer the 7L Platinum Series Rotary Wet Tumbler because it can clean up to 1,000 shells of .223 or 5.56mm at once. If I’m being honest, I don’t even shoot my AR very often, but I try to shoot as often as I can with my pistols and hunting rifles. I can easily fit 1,000 rounds of 9mm brass in my tumbler.

Step 1- Inspecting Brass

Anytime you’re considering reloading, you must inspect the cases before you try cleaning and reloading the brass. According to Frankford Arsenal, there are 7 easy steps to consider when inspecting a case.

Follow these 7 steps and place your brass into the bucket so you know it is ready for cleaning. I always inspect the brass I pick up from the range or the brass I use before placing it in the bucket.

I prefer to inspect the brass before I clean it because you don’t want to and then find out you can’t use it. According to Jarrod, you should always inspect the brass after you clean it to ensure it is clean, but just in case you missed something at the beginning. 

Pro-Tip from Jarrod, Brand Manager of Frankford Arsenal

If you ever see a casing you’re unsure of but you think might work, don’t use it. There is no point in trying to load brass that is potentially suspect because you can cause serious injury or death if a damaged case blows up in your face. 

1. Examine each cartridge to see if it conforms to the proper cartridge specification.
2. Look at case material: aluminum, brass, or steel (green, lacquered, or gray in appearance). Only reload the brass.
3. Check the headstamp (may have manufacturer listed, or date case was manufactured.)
4. For handgun brass, check for a slight bulge on the side of the case.
5. Check to see if the case is meant for a Berdan, two-hole primer, or a Boxer, single-hole primer. If brass has two holes (Berdan) then it cannot be reloaded.
6. Check for splits or cracks and dents in the case of the brass and throw them out.
7. Check for crimped primer pockets on the military rifle and pistol ammo. If so, you’ll have to swage the pocket out to fit a new primer

Step 2 – Brass Cleaning

Pour the bucket of brass into the tumbler, then pour the stainless steel media into the tumbler with the brass. Once your media and brass are inside the tumbler, you can also put the water and cleaning solution inside.

You can use multiple lubes or cleaners, but the experts at Frankford Arsenal use the brass cleaning solution. This step is incredibly easy; all you have to do is follow the instructions on the bottle or tub like a Traeger grill, set it, and forget it. 

Many people are immediately concerned about how long it should take to clean their brass, but with the 7L model, you can set your timer, so you won’t have to worry about that.

The ammo expert, whom everyone calls Jarrod, suggests setting it for 3 hours and doing whatever else you need or want to do during that time. If you’re concerned that your brass will be too clean, you’re stressing about nothing.

How Do I Know When My Brass is Clean Enough?

Jarrod told me that the brass should be shiny and any carbon, oil, or dirt should be cleared off. If you set the 7L tumbler to 3 hours, your brass will be good if you follow the directions. He suggests that you should wipe off each round before you’re ready to start with the more technical steps, such as loading data and gunpowder. 

Pro-Tip from Jarrod, Brand Manager of Frankford Arsenal

He suggests the night before you want to reload, you put your brass through the tumbler so you can let it dry through the night and have it ready for the day. He’s a competitive shooter who competes every weekend in the United States Pistol Shooting Association (USPSA). To save money, he continually has a bucket of brass ready for his tumbler so he can reload when he’s ready.

After 3 hours, turn the tumbler off and pour everything into the Frankford Arsenal Platinum Series Wet/Dry Media Separator. After it’s separated, spread the brass out on a workbench or table and let it dry overnight.

Step 3 – Case Prep

Once the brass is trimmed properly, the only way to know with certainty is to measure with the calipers. I’m not proud of my math skills and can get easily confused when we talk 10,000/inch. For this reason, I recommend using the Frankford Arsenal Electronic Calipers instead of the dial model.

If you’re good with numbers and trust doing math in your head or on a calculator, Jarrod uses dial calipers, and he likes them more than the electronic model. Simply, it’s a matter of going with what works best for you. For me, that’s the digital version. 

As we get into the load data of the gunpowder, you need to make sure that you know the size specifications of the brass you’re using. One way to do this is by looking up the bullet manufacturer and seeing their exact specifications. Once you know the specs, you measure them with your calipers to verify your measurements are within 20,000th of an inch. The easiest way to do this without guessing or using math is the electronic calipers. 

Pro-Tip from Jarrod, Brand Manager of Frankford Arsenal

As you finish with the case trim and prep center, you must feel around the mouth of the case to ensure that there are no burs or spots that catch your finger. If you find those spots, put the brass back in the chamfer and get it smoother outside the mouth. 

Continually inspect the brass before you put each piece into the tray holder or ammo box. Jarrod uses multiple sources for load and case data, but he suggests going to the manufacturer’s website, where they will post their specific load data for the bullet and case you’re trying to reload.

Step 4 – Sizing and Depriming

When sizing and depriming your brass, you can do it in a few different ways, but the easiest and most efficient way is the Frankford Arsenal Single Stage reloading press. Since your brass is already clean all you have to do is use the Frankford Arsenal Spray bottle to lightly coat each piece of brass. Once you apply it to the entire case (including the mouth), let it dry for 5 minutes, and you’re ready to size your brass. 

I may be a little biased because I own the Frankford M-Press, but I’ve used the Hornady model, and Frankford makes a much better press. Before I digress too much, the Frankford Press de-primes your shells and sizes them according to your desired specifications. 

How Do I Know the Correct Size of the Brass?

Fortunately, Frankford thought about guys like me who need a little more assistance before I feel comfortable shooting a reloaded round. The M-Press has a case gauge for the most common bullet calibers to help eliminate the guessing game. As you put your die block in and adjust to the right setting (watch the video below), place your clean and lubricated brass inside, press de-prime, and size your brass. As you take your brass out, place it in the case gauge and follow along with the video for exact instructions. 

Pro-Tip from Jarrod, Brand Manager of Frankford Arsenal

It becomes much easier after you load a few times, but this step is vital to ensuring you reload brass that doesn’t jam or feed properly inside your gun. Use the proper gauge; you shouldn’t worry about the case being too long. However, if the case has expanded beyond proper measurements, follow step 5.

Step 5 – Case Trimming, Chamfering, Deburring (if necessary)

Once your ammo is inspected, clean, and dry, the next step is to ensure your brass is the correct size, the primer pocket is clean and uniform, the length of the case is trimmed to the proper specifications of the manufacturer, chamfering the inside of the case mouth. Finally, the outside of the case mouth (the top hole where gunpowder goes in) is deburred.

When Jarrod told me all this, I was immediately overwhelmed and anxious that I couldn’t do this step. Luckily, he showed us how to use the next piece of equipment, the Frankford Arsenal Case Trim & Prep Center. 

Pro-Tip from Jarrod, Brand Manager of Frankford Arsenal

It can be intimidating to remove metal from the case, so you need to follow the directions. As you place the brass into the trimmer, you’ll feel it cut the case. The case is properly cut after about 3-5 seconds. You’ll notice there is no give, and it’s smooth inside the Case Trim and Prep Center. 

Step 6 – Primers

We’re finally getting into the actual reloading of the brass with gunpowder and preparing for the bullet press. The last thing we need to do is set the primers into each piece of brass and place them into the trays or ammo boxes. The Frankford Arsenal Perfect Seat Hand Primer is the best way to get your primers in quickly and easily. 

In this step, you should ensure that you don’t touch the primers with your fingers and get your oily skin on them. This can attract dirt and dust and cause the primer to not seat perfectly, which can be dangerous to the shooter. Once your brass is primed, you’re free to place it into your trays and place it near the Frankford Arsenal Intellidropper powder measurer and scale.

Pro-Tip from Jarrod, Brand Manager of Frankford Arsenal

The hand primer case that holds the primers has little bumps that feel like reading braille. These little bumps are designed to catch the rough side of the primer, and as you shake it (lightly), they will turn over to the smooth side. Always make sure your primers have the shiny side up, and NEVER touch them or turn them with your hands. Let the tools work for you. 

The best way to use this tool is to put the handle face down toward the ground as you prime each shell. This will ensure that your primers feed correctly each time and you’re not getting double feeds or jams. Another consideration is never to force the primer to shut; if it’s not closing with the regular amount of force, there is an issue with the feeding, and you need to relax. Lightly shake the hand primer and put light pressure on the handle until you feel the extra stiffness disappear.

Step 7 – Measuring Gun Powder

The most technical part of ammo reloading will be measuring and loading the gunpowder in each piece of brass. Fortunately, it’s not as hard as it sounds if you’re using the Frankford Arsenal Intellidropper. Not only does this machine measure and dispense your gunpowder, but it learns and remembers your previous load data, so you don’t have to reset it all if you’re reloading the same ammo. There are very few machines capable of this feature, and Frankford Arsenal is the only one I know of that can keep track of multiple load data points for multiple calibers. 

I can try to explain the entire process, but the Ultimate Reloader did a great video on how to use the Intellidropper, and I think it’s better than what I can explain to you through text. Follow along with the video below, and he will show you exactly how to set it up.

Step 8 – Charging Your Brass

There are multiple ways of doing this, but the easiest way (by far) is using the Frankford Intellidropper. Once your powder is measured for the load, use the Frankford powder funnels to ensure you get every grain inside your case. If you follow the video of the Ultimate Reloader, he does an incredible job of showing you how to use the Intellidropper. As you charge each piece of brass, you’re ready to load your bullets in (We’re in the home stretch!).

Pro-Tip from Jarrod, Brand Manager of Frankford Arsenal

The Intellidropper is incredibly sensitive because it has a built-in scale that measures the exact grain. A measurement so small requires a sensitive scale. If your workbench is wobbly or you have a fan running around you while you’re measuring the gunpowder, you can get an inaccurate reading. 

While practicing in the warehouse, we had to turn off the fan and ensure the machine was stable. As hot as it was in Denver, the best way to get an accurate reading was to ensure no environmental factors impacted the Intellidropper. Once our environment was controlled, we didn’t have any problems. 

Step 9 – Loading Bullets

Whew! I know it seems like a lot, but we’re almost done, and the best part is loading your first bullet into your case. The video below explains how to set up each case to load your bullets to the specifications you need. Once each round is loaded, measure the finished product with a previously (correctly) loaded bullet or the factory bullet you’re trying to emulate. The digital calipers will get you to the exact measurement you want if you follow the video instructions below. 

Step 10- Final Inspection & Storage

Before you store your ammo, you must check it for any extra oil, dirt, grit, etc.… Wipe off each round to ensure that no residue is on your bullets, and you’re ready to store your reloaded ammo!

When you store your ammo, you want to make sure it’s stored properly in environmentally controlled rooms and in proper containers. The easiest way to do this is to spend $15.00 and get a few Frankford Arsenal ammo boxes. The worst thing you can do is put it in a plastic baggie or leave it rolling around on your workbench. For a few dollars, you can properly store your ammo anywhere in your house without paying attention to the cases. 

Conclusion

Following our 10-step guide to reloading will relieve and eliminate the stress and anxiety that come with starting to reload your ammo. The best part about this guide is that each step comes with a video showing exactly how to do each step. As an educator, I pride myself on providing multiple learning methods because we all learn differently.