How do you de-prime a Berdan primed case vs. a boxer primed case?
Brass Cleaning:
Is it necessary all the time? Can cases be reloaded a few times before cleaning?
Case trimming:
How often do I need to trim? Every reload? Every couple of reloads?
Sizing:
Neck Sizing vs Full Case Sizing? Do you need to on pistol rounds? On rifle rounds should I full case size on unknown brass or brass shot from someone elses rifle then only neck size once they have been fired through my rifle?
Powder recommendations:
#1) .308 going for accuracy #2) 5.56 for practice #3) 5.56 for accuracy #4) 6.8SPC for practice #5) 6.8SPC for accuracy #7) Pistol 9mm and .38SPL/.357
For Boxer primed casings the sizer die will have a decapping rod and pin that pushes the spent primer from the casings during the resizing process.
Brass Cleaning is highly subjective as to frequency and requirment. I clean my pistol brass after every 2nd or 3rd shooting session depinding on what powder I am using and the condition of the brass after it is picked up out of the dirt/mud at the range and if it is for a Semi-Auto Pistol or a Revolver. Clean brass runs better through the autoloaders. Rifle brass for my Benchgun gets cleaned every loading…for my AR…again it depends on the overall condition. . . But at least after every two or three loading cycles.
As for how often to trim…With new unfired brass. I will always trim them before loading the first time. I will take a random sample of casings from the batch…at least 10% and as long as these are within the OAL specs listed in my loading manual then I call them good and load them. If I find any (even just one) out of this sampling that are over…I will measure another 10% or so and trim all the brass out of the lot if I find more that are over spec.
I tend to be a little more critical of brass than some may be.
You will always be full length sizing handgun brass…In my Semi-Auto pistols I use small based dies to resize the web of the casing. Small Based Dies tend to cost a little more but in my opinion are well worth the few dollars extra.
As to your rifle brass…I always full length size brass for Auto-loaders and even for Lever Action Rifles. For my Bolt Guns I will full length size any Brass that has never been shot through the paticular rifle I intend to use it in. After that I neck size only unless I begin having hard extractions…in which case I will set up a full length sizing die to just bump the cases shoulder during sizing. For best accuracy a slight (Crush Fit) when you cam the bolt down is better.
I’m not going to make any specific powder recommendations other than to say that you should buy a current reloading manual and read it thoroughly…I prefer the manuals put out by Powder companies like Hogdon, Vihtavouri and IMR to those put out by the Bullet Manufactureres myself.
Whatever you decide to do…just take your time and ask questions if you dont know and have fun with it.
First off, I highly suggest sitting down with a couple of good books and do some reading. Start with “The ABCs of Reloading” and then pick yourself up Speer #14 reloading manual, (or any other good reloading manual). They all have quality information about the wonderful world of reloading.
As to your questions…
#1 You throw berdan brass into the recycle bucket and sell it as scrap. It’s not worth the time and effort to reload.
#2 Personally, I tumble all my brass before reloading. This keeps any gunk from tearing up my dies.
#3 With rifle brass you will generally need to trim after each sizing. An RCBS X-Die can put a stop to this tedious chore.
#4 For me that depends on what I am feeding, precision bolt guns with brass that has been fired through that specific rifle generally get neck sized only, it it’s been fired through a different rifle then it gets full length sized. Also, if I am loading for a semi auto, I full length size. Pistol brass always gets a full length size, (get yourself carbide dies for your pistols).
#5 Pistol first. My wife and I have been reloading for over ten years now, our favorite pistol powder has been Bullseye. It meters well, is reasonably clean shooting, and in most of our pistols it is accurate.
As to powder for your rifles it really depends on what your rifles like and just how accurate you want to be. I’ve got a bolt action that I worked up a load for that will turn 0.33" 5 shot groups when I do my part.
In 308, 223, and maybe 6.8, Varget or BLC-2 may be a good powder to start with. Keep in mind, brass, primers, and bullets will all have an effect on the accuracy.
Really accurate load development, (one hole type groups) requires finding that optimum combination primer, case, powder and bullet.
For standard accuracy, (not bench rest one hole groups), I’d recommend picking a type of brass, Winchester, Lake City…, picking a brand of primer, (I like CCI), picking a bullet manufacture, (I like Hornady) and experimenting within the load data listed in the reloading manual, with the types of powders, charges of powders, and bullets to find a good sweet spot for a given rifle.
Another nice piece of kit for reloading that I’ve recently discovered is a good chronograph, I’m currently wondering why we didn’t buy one earlier.