New to reloading!!

[Whitetail fanatic]

The heading says it all I'm new to reloading and need some start up help,I'm shooting a Bushmaster AR with an 18" barrel with a 1:12 twist. I'd like to shoot the bergers 35 grain but I dont have a clue as to brass,primers or pwder any and all help would be greatly appreciated.

[wirelessguy2005]

Its great to see another fellow shooter find the enjoyable hobby of handloading.
As far as brass is concerned this is a tough time to attempt to find 204 Brass. Shortages have been an issue for the last couple years. Typically the hardest brass to find is Winchester and Rem 204. The best brass available for the 204 is Nosler in my opinion. Luckily its also a little easier to find than the other brands. As far as primers are concerned i would recommend a magnum type primer for use in the 204 Ruger in general and especially in an AR. I have been using Tula small rifle magnum primers in all my rifles for the last 3 years and have had great results. You can find them at Powder Valley and they typically sell for around $25 per box of 1,000. Keep in mind that you will also have to pay hazmat shipping fees which are around $26 on top of regular shipping. In order to help offset the cost of that fee you can combine powder and primer orders. My favorite powder for the 204 Ruger is Ramshot Xterminator or Accurate 2230, they are both the same powder. Other good options include: Hogdon benchmark, IMR 8208 XBR, Ramshot Tac to name a few. I would also highly recommend purchasing a good reloading manual such as the Lyman #49 manual. It will provide you with a wealth of knowledge and help make the process of learning handloading a little easier. If you find you have any additional questions feel free to shoot me an email at: sales@customreloadingtools.com

Brad

[Whitetail fanatic]

Thanks Brad I will be checking out your website.

[rhino81]

If you go to www.hodgdonreloading.com and put in your caliber and what grain bullet you want load data for it will give you data for Hodgdon and IMR powders

[Bill K]

The posts above give you a really good direction to go. Hodgdon's data site is a good one, but there are others out there also. If you have not purchase at least one good reloading manual/book, read it and follow it's guide lines for reloading, loads, etc. Play safe and sane and you will enjoy your rifle and find a good shootable load or loads. Welcome to the addiction. Bill K