Reloading Basics - Hand tools worth adding to the reloading bench
- Last updated: 11/11/2024
The press is undoubtedly the centre of the reloading operation, but several smaller hand tools are both useful and practical. They are not vital, but they do make an important contribution to the quality of your ammunition.
Powder dippers
Lee Precision include one of these with their die sets, but they are often never used. They also make a set of 15 graduated dippers. Although simple, they can actually be used to measure pretty accurate and consistent powder charges. The key is to level off the powder in the dipper cleanly, without compressing it. A plastic ‘wiper’ is ideal, and you need to push off the excess powder to leave what remains absolutely level.
These dippers are also handy for other powder handling duties, like trickling powder onto a scale to get a powder charge absolutely spot on, or calibrating a scale.
Case trimmer
Larger case trimmers are ideal for processing a batch of new cases, but setting one up for the occasional trim of a case or two can be time-consuming. This is where hand-held trimmers are more practical. Having a simple trimmer to hand can be useful to check a case or two as you de-prime them to see if there are any signs of the cases becoming elongated. If you find that the trimmer is cutting excess brass, then it might be time to trim them all. If not, you can continue to reload them as they are.
Dial calliper
It is very important to check the case length and Cartridge Overall Length (COL), and a dial calliper is the ideal tool, whether it’s a digital or dial version. The dial calliper does not rely on a battery, making it more reliable. Checking the length of your cases is important because they will stretch over time. The COL is vital and well worth checking occasionally to ensure that your bullet seating die is not slipping out of adjustment. With lead projectiles, the bullet seating plug within the die can suffer from a build-up of excess bullet lube, which will push the bullets deeper into the case and reduce the COL. Measuring the first and last rounds of ammunition that you make in a batch with a dial calliper is a very useful safety check.
Hand priming tool
Primer seating is very important and sometimes it is well worth taking this stage of the reloading process off the press and doing it by hand. You get a better ‘feel’ for the primer seating correctly and have more control over the amount of pressure applied directly to the primers. If you are having problems seating primers on the press, because of particularly soft or hard primers, priming by hand allows you to feel your way around the issue and seat them correctly.
Torches and mirrors
This might seem an odd addition to the reloading bench, but these items are really useful. If you use a progressive or turret press, a lot is going on with each cycle of the handle, making it hard to ensure everything is working correctly. If powder stops flowing into your cases, due to it bridging in the drop tube or the powder measure not cycling properly, you may not notice until you are at the range and fire a primer-only round. By using a small mirror and a torch, you can actually look into a case before a bullet is seated, allowing you to check that it contains a powder charge. It is a good idea to do this every five or six cases to prevent a batch of primer-only rounds from being produced.
Powder funnels
Often included with other kit and put to one side, these are handy little tools to have around. You can use them to return powder to its original container more safely, to drop powder into cases if you are reloading them one at a time, or on top off a powder-thru-expander-die to reduce the chances of spilling any propellant. Sometimes the powder does not flow through the funnel properly and needs a nudge to restart it. Drilling out the narrow hole on the funnel (slightly) and tilting the funnel to one side both increase the rate and smoothness of the flow.
Flash hole uniformers and deburring tools
The flash holes in cases are often neglected but they are well worth giving a bit of attention. The size of the hole determines how effectively the ignition from the primer is transferred to the powder charge, and this is something that needs to be as consistent as possible. When cases are brand-new, there may be some burrs where they were punched through during the manufacturing process. A simple deburring tool will reach inside the case and cut away any burrs. A flash hole uniformer will ensure that all of the flash holes are the same size by cutting them to an industry standard. Both of these operations are beneficial in the quest for more consistent ammunition.
Stuck case remover
Unfortunately, cases get stuck in dies. This usually happens because they have not been lubricated, and getting them out can be a real problem. If you try to pull the case out of the die, by pulling the ram of the press back down using additional force, you risk tearing the rim off the case and making the problem worse. There are several different tools available for removing stuck cases from dies, and it is worthwhile having one on the reloading bench. It is far better to have one and never use it than to have your reloading come to a complete standstill because you have a case stuck in the die.
Conclusion
These are just a few of the useful hand tools that you can add to your bench to make life a bit easier. They all come in a range of prices and buying the best that you can afford is the best option. Making do, and working without these useful tools, can be a false economy, as you lose the necessary accuracy and consistency that they bring.