135034 The Swift Bullet Company, manufacture of premium hunting bullets, proudly announces the introduction of Swift reloading Manual Number Two. Data for them. But buy looking at their other loads it will help me in working up loads.

• Swift Reloading Manual Number 2

FAQ These frequently asked questions have been prepared for information purposes only. The answers presented represent the expert opinions of Sierra Bullet's ballistic technicians and are not intended to be exhaustive. Whilst care has been taken in its preparation, no responsibility is accepted for the completeness or accuracy of the information presented here.

Interested parties should not rely solely on this information and should directly contact a ballistic technician should they find the information presented here to be unclear. For more information please call 800-223-8799 or email us at. General FAQs.

No more than necessary to remove all signs of any belling and to lay the case mouth flat against the bullet. Don't try to make a case hold a bullet more tightly by applying a heavier taper crimp. If you are using a single stage press, you will need to set your die by measuring the dimensions of the finished round's mouth.

Measure the case mouth wall thickness with your calipers. Double the wall thickness and add the bullet's diameter. Then subtract.001. This should give you a good starting point. On a progressive press, perhaps the best way to go about setting the taper crimp is to use a case to set your die. Run a case into your resizing die.

Moving the case to the crimp station, run the press up to the top of its stroke. Screw the die down until you feel it contact the case mouth, and turn it 1/8 to 1/4 turn deeper. When a cartridge is loaded, this should give it about the right degree of crimp. As a general rule, roll crimps are recommended for most revolvers, rifles using tubular magazines, and situations that call for an extremely high bullet-pull. Taper crimps are normally best for straight-wall cartridges that headspace on the case mouth, particularly those to be used in an autoloading pistol. The object behind the roll crimp is to firmly grip the bullet, in order to provide better ignition and reduce the possibility of the bullets being 'pulled' under recoil. Taper crimping, on the other hand, merely removes the case mouth flaring left by the belling/expanding operation.

While this may also increase neck tension, the degree of improvement is relatively slight in comparison to a firm roll crimp. Without knowing what the propellant is and having it available, you can't. Factories often use a propellant that is specially blended, (referred to as a non-canister grade powder) propellant which they usually won't identify. Never try to identify a powder by its appearance! This can be extremely dangerous. Every year we hear tales of shooters who tried to duplicate a factory load by using the same charge weight of a powder they thought they had identified, only to damage their guns or injure themselves.

Stick to the loads listed in recognized manuals. For reasons of safety. Think about the sharply pointed Spitzer nose of one cartridge in a tubular magazine, resting in contact with the primer of the cartridge in front of it in the magazine. Upon firing, the recoil can cause the cartridges in the magazine to indent primer of the cartridge ahead of it and ignite that round. The results of such detonations are catastrophic, frequently resulting in the destruction of the rifle and serious injury to the shooter. Do not use Spitzer bullets in tubular magazines!

Swift Reloading Manual Number 2

For one reason, the metal used in the old guns isn't up to the standards of that used in modern firearms. Besides the metallurgy problems, the real factor is simply the design of the guns themselves. While a modern Colt SAA or replica may be made of better steel than their ancestors, they are not nearly as strong as a Ruger Blackhawk or Freedom Arms revolver, despite their physical resemblance.

The Colt (and SAA replicas) have relatively small cylinders, compared to the Ruger and Freedom Arms revolvers. This means that there just isn't as much steel surrounding each chamber, resulting in a weaker revolver. The.45 Colt has been an excellent and useful cartridge for well over 120 years without 'magnumizing' it. Use the data shown for the respective revolvers, and if you really need.44 Magnum performance, buy a.44 Magnum. Because the.221 Fireball doesn't actually use.221' diameter bullets. The '221' in the cartridge title is merely a name, making it immediately distinguishable from other.22 caliber cartridges.

Think about the.218 Bee, the.219 Zipper, the.220 Swift and the.225 Winchester cartridges. The name doesn't have to relate to bullet diameter at all, since.224' diameter bullets are correct for all of these cartridges. Despite its nomenclature, the.221 Fireball requires.224' diameter bullets. Sierra offers a complete line of bullets for this fine little cartridge. Case capacities in these two rifle and pistol cartridges are so drastically different, that any powder which would work well in both, will not be particularly well suited to either. The appropriate powder for a given application is determined by a number of factors. Large capacity rifle cases with relatively small bores (like your 270) are best served by fairly slow-burning powders, such as IMR 4350 and H4831.

The.357 is at its best with slow-burning pistol powders such as H110 and W-W 296. While a very slow burning pistol powder such as 2400 may be used in the.270 (and most other rifle cartridges as well), it can only be used with very mild, reduced loads.

These pistol powders burn too fast to generate much velocity in the.270 before reaching dangerous pressure levels. Economy is fine, but there really is no shortcut to using the appropriate powders for a given application. Refer to the powder burning rate charts and the reloading data table for a particular cartridge in order to determine which powders are best suited to it. Different nose profiles may require some adjustment to their over-all-length (OAL) for proper feeding and functioning. The correct OAL for a given bullet will depend more on its configuration and profile than on its weight, and this can be seen quite clearly in the Sierra reloading tables. This is why we include the lengths we used for specific types in developing our data, rather than just listing a SAAMI maximum OAL. Some experimentation may be necessary with your particular firearm to obtain best results.

No comprehensive manual has the space to show every combination. As a result, there will always be some combinations that don't get listed. In assembling our manuals, we try to include those powders which are best suited to the cartridge/bullet combination being tested. Manual volvo a40e. Of course, it may also be a case of the powder you have not being suitable to the cartridge you want to load, as well. For example, do you want to use W-W 231 in your 7mm Remington Magnum, because you have several pounds on hand for your.45 ACP?

It just isn't a suitable choice. In a situation like this, nobody is going to show loading data for such a combination. Upon ignition, the case expands in all directions, with the case walls tightly gripping the chamber. Almost instantly, the case relaxes its grip on the chamber walls as the pressure starts to drop, allowing the case to be extracted. If the cartridge were lubricated, the case wouldn't be able to grip the chamber walls, allowing it to slam back sharply against the bolt face.

In extreme examples, this force, called 'bolt thrust,' can even damage a firearm. For what it's worth, the British used to use lubricated cartridges to proof test a firearm, rather than the so called 'blue pill' loads used here in the US. Wipe those cases, and make sure your chamber stays clean and dry! Good question.

First of all, we need to understand that reloading manuals are not carved in stone. Think of a reloading manual as a report, and you'll be in a much better position to understand this. In essence, a reloading manual says, 'We tried this particular component combination, and these are the results we obtained.'

When you duplicate the load shown in a manual, you're using a different rifle (even if it is the same make, model, and caliber), a different lot of powder (even if it is the same brand and type), a different lot of cases (even if they are from the same manufacturer, etc.), a different lot of, well. You get the idea. There is an amazing number of variables that effect any load combination. With the difference in the manuals, you're just seeing first hand examples. Again, start low, and work your load up. To begin with, it's time to scrap any case when it develops neck splits, regardless of the number of firings it has on it.

Each time a case is loaded, the mouth is belled for the next bullet. After the bullet is seated, the neck is crimped to hold the new bullet in place. This constant working of the brass will harden it to the point that it develops splits in this area. This is probably the single most common cause for case loss. It can be reduced by simply working the brass no more than absolutely necessary. Don't bell the case mouth any more than is needed to get the next bullet started, and don't apply heavy crimps unless the load actually calls for it.

Yes, assuming of course that your load develops enough velocity at the muzzle. Although this is usually no problem with barrel lengths of six inches or more, just don't expect the same type of performance from a 2 1/2' snubby. If you're dealing with muzzle velocities of 1000 fps or higher, this bullet will give good performance. It has a jacket and core that are designed to expand even at velocities as low 800 fps.

Since the remaining velocity at 100 yards will be well above this, expansion will be reliable at any practical handgun range. They have a shorter sight radius than longer barrels which, in general, makes them harder to shoot accurately. If we were to mount two Smith and Wesson.38 Special revolvers, a six inch and a two inch, in a machine rest, both would very likely display about the same level of accuracy. However, if you were to try shooting both from a typical unsupported stance, you would probably believe that the longer barrel was more accurate. Its longer sight radius makes it easier to achieve and maintain proper sight alignment. Carbide is an extremely hard, and very brittle metal.

This is both an asset, and a liability. The carbide's incredible hardness and polished finish is what allows these dies to function without lubricant.

However, the very hardness of the carbide is what makes it so brittle. It's the small carbide ring embedded in the base of the sizing die which actually does the sizing. When pressure is put on it from the shell holder, it can literally shatter the carbide insert. You will need to keep a bit of clearance between the die and shell holder. First, clean each chamber thoroughly. It could be erosion or residue from shooting short cases and then switching to longer cases.

An example would be shooting 38 specials in a.357 Magnum and then shooting some.357s. The.38 leaves a ring of residue at the case mouth. The.357 case is enough longer that expansion from firing along with the residue under the mouth of the case make extraction hard.

After you have cleaned each chamber, check for erosion, tooling marks, or rough spots. They are another cause of hard extraction. If that is the problem, the firearm will need to be sent to the factory or a gunsmith to be polished out. Visual inspection of the muzzle under direct light will reveal if there is any copper present. Careful attention to the 'feel' transmitted through the cleaning rod and a tight patch will indicate tight spots, which could indicate fouling deposits. Copper dissolving chemicals that yield a colored patch is a good indicator of interior barrel fouling. Of course, any time a patch is pushed through the bore and emerges darkened, there is fouling somewhere.

In short, if the patch isn't clean, neither is the bore. Not unless you are working at maximum loads for your rifle. Even coarse grain stick powders can be thrown close enough to produce excellent accuracy. A good working habit would be to check every fifth charge on the scales, or any charge that 'felt' different when it was thrown. One exception to this might be if you are shooting long-range highpower competition. While very few competitors bother weighing their powder charges for ammunition to be used at the 200 and 300 yard lines, many do weigh charges for loads that will be used at 600 and 1000 yards. Boat tails have a higher ballistic coefficient than flat base designs.

This translates to more retained velocity and less wind drift at long ranges. Here's an example; we fire two 180 grain bullets from a.30-06, at a muzzle velocity of 2800 fps. One is a conventional Spitzer, and the other is a Spitzer Boat Tail. When both bullets reach 500 yards, the Spitzer is moving along at 1865 fps, while the Spitzer Boat Tail is still travelling at slightly over 2000 fps. For the hunter, this means more energy, flatter trajectory, and less wind drift.

But perhaps not. Loads that are shown to be below 'Maximum' in our test rifles may prove to be too hot in your particular firearm. It is important to understand that maximums vary with several factors, such as temperature, even within the same gun.

That load you worked up last fall may be more than a bit rough on your primer pockets when summer rolls around. Ask any prairie dog hunter who has had to shade his gun, put his cartridges on ice, and avoid leaving a loaded round in a hot chamber too long. Now, take into consideration variations in components.

This powder may have the same brand and type, but is slightly different in burning rate than the last lot you used. Your cases may vary within the same brand as to both volume and strength. Guns can vary dramatically from one another in internal dimensions. A short throat, a tight bore, and a host of other internal variables may combine to create substantial differences even between two guns of the same make, model and chambering. HEED OUR ADVICE: START LOW AND WORK UP YOUR LOAD CAREFULLY! As a general rule, roll crimps are recommended for most revolvers, rifles using tubular magazines, and situations that call for an extremely high bullet-pull. Taper crimps are normally best for straight-wall cartridges that headspace on the case mouth, particularly those to be used in an autoloading pistol.

The object behind the roll crimp is to firmly grip the bullet, in order to provide better ignition and reduce the possibility of the bullets being 'pulled' under recoil. Taper crimping, on the other hand, merely removes the case mouth flaring left by the belling/expanding operation.

While this may also increase neck tension, the degree of improvement is relatively slight in comparison to a firm roll crimp. Such a situation calls for either lower velocities, less frangible bullets, or both. This may be as simple as changing bullet weights, or altering your load to your hunting situation.

Oddly enough, a bullet and load that may not be an ideal choice for a given situation may perform quite well in one gun, and yet may fail under exactly the same circumstances in an otherwise identical gun. We have always maintained that there is no such thing as a 'universal' bullet, one equally well suited to all tasks.

This is exactly why we produce such an extensive line of bullets in each bore size. Different weights, different nose profiles, and different jacket thicknesses all go into making one particular bullet the best suited to a particular task. Carefully match the bullet to the job at hand, and you will be rewarded with the optimum bullet performance.

Without knowing what the propellant is and having it available, you can't. Factories often use a propellant that is specially blended, (referred to as a non-canister grade powder) propellant which they usually won't identify. Never try to identify a powder by its appearance!

This can be extremely dangerous. Every year we hear tales of shooters who tried to duplicate a factory load by using the same charge weight of a powder they thought they had identified, only to damage their guns or injure themselves. Stick to the loads listed in recognized manuals. A set of dies are usually one of three different types. They are generally classed as: full length, small base, and neck sizing dies.

Neck sizing dies size only the neck of the case. These are used for cartridges that are to be fired in the same rifle time after time without having to work the case any more than necessary. Full length dies size the case back to smaller than fired dimensions, but not all the way back down to its unfired dimensions. This is the most common die found and usually used on most bolt action rifle ammo. With their terrific camming power, a cartridge can be easily forced into the chamber even if it is a bit snug. Semi-autos and pumps do not have this type of camming power, and as a result, require the case to be resized somewhat smaller than what the full length die can do. This is exactly the type of situation that calls for the small base sizing die.

A set of dies are usually one of three different types. They are generally classed as; full length, small base, and neck sizing dies. Neck sizing dies size only the neck of a case. These are used for cartridges that are to be fired in the same rifle time after time without having to work the case any more than necessary. Full length dies size the case back to smaller than fired dimensions, but not all the way back down to its unfired dimensions. This is the most common die found and usually used on most bolt action rifle ammo.

With their terrific camming power, a cartridge can be easily forced into the chamber even if it is a bit snug. Semi-autos and pumps do not have this type of camming power, and as a result, require the case to be resized somewhat smaller than what the full length die can do. This is exactly the type of situation that calls for the small base sizing die. Because when you broke the powder up, you exposed parts of the kernals without a deterrent coating and changed its geometry.

This deterrent coating plays a major role in controlling the burning rate of the powder. By altering the powder, you have created an extremely hazardous situation which could result in destroying the rifle and possibly injuring yourself. If you run into a situation in which you are loading a tightly compressed charge (this is perfectly normal with some combinations), you might wish to try using a drop tube to help the powder settle into the case more compactly.

What ever you do, keep your wife's rolling pin off the reloading bench, and don't alter that powder! For reasons of safety. Think about the sharply pointed Spitzer nose of one cartridge in a tubular magazine, resting in contact with the primer of the cartridge in front of it in the magazine. Upon firing, the recoil can cause the cartridges in the magazine to indent the primer of the cartridge ahead of it and to ignite that round. The results of such detonations are catastrophic, frequently resulting in the destruction of the rifle and serious injury to the shooter. Do not use Spitzer bullets in tubular magazines! Case capacities in these two rifle and pistol cartridges are so drastically different, that any powder which might work well in both, will not be particularly well suited to either.

The appropriate powder for a given application is determined by a number of factors. Large capacity rifle cases with relatively small bores (like your 270) are best served by fairly slow-burning powders, such as IMR 4350 and H4831.

The.357 is at its best with slow-burning pistol powders such as H110 and W-W 296. While a very slow burning pistol powder such as 2400 may be used in the.270 (and most other rifle cartridges as well), it can only be used with very mild, reduced loads.

These pistol powders burn too fast to generate much velocity in the.270 before reaching dangerous pressure levels. Economy is fine, but there really is no shortcut to using the appropriate powders for a given application. Refer to the powder burning rate charts and the reloading data table for a particular cartridge in order to determine which powders are best suited to it.

In general, most rifles which are properly bedded shoot best when the barrel is free-floated. It is important to understand that barrels vibrate when a shot is fired. Ballisticians refer to these vibrations as a barrel's 'harmonics.' Anything touching a barrel at the time of firing, such as a warped fore-end, will affect these vibrations.

This in turn effects the gun's ability to place its shots consistently. To put it in other words, it effects the gun's accuracy potential.

Free floating a barrel is simply an attempt to eliminate a potential source of accuracy troubles. In most factory rifles, free floating will help accuracy, especially if it is done in conjunction with a good bedding job. No comprehensive manual has the space to show every combination.

As a result, there will always be some combinations that don't get listed. In assembling our manuals, we try to include those powders which are best suited to the cartridge/bullet combination being tested. Of course, it may also be a case of the powder you have not being suitable to the cartridge you want to load, as well.

For example, you want to use W-W 231 in your 7mm Remington Magnum, because you have several pounds on hand for your.45 ACP? It just isn't a suitable choice. In a situation like this, nobody is going to show loading data for such a combination. Military cases such as the 308 Winchester (7.62mm NATO) and.30-06 military brass have thicker case walls, and therefore less internal case capacity. It has been generally recommended that handloaders reduce all load charges by at least one grain when using.30 caliber military cases. In the.223 Remington (5.56mm NATO), the internal capacity of most military brass we have worked with has not measured significantly different from commercial cases.

When using military cases, always check the capacity against the last lot of commercial brass you were using to avoid any potential problems, and adjust the load accordingly. Upon ignition, the case expands in all directions, with the case walls tightly gripping the chamber. Almost instantly, the case relaxes its grip on the chamber walls as the pressure starts to drop, allowing the case to be extracted.

If the cartridge were lubricated, the case wouldn't be able to grip the chamber walls, allowing it to slam back sharply against the bolt face. In extreme examples, this force, called 'bolt thrust,' can even damage a firearm.

For what it's worth, the British used to use lubricated cartridges to proof test a firearm, rather than the so called 'blue pill' loads used here in the US. Wipe those cases, and make sure your chamber stays clean and dry! If we're talking about the differences between a Spitzer and a Spitzer Boat Tail, ballistic coefficient can be ignored for ranges of about 250 yards and closer. The differences in trajectory between these two is just too slight to notice in the field, at least at these ranges.

As the ranges increase, so does the advantage of the higher ballistic coefficient. This is why long-range shooters are always so concerned about using bullets which have a high ballistic coefficient. The best way to settle this for your situation is to do a quick review of the exterior ballistics tables in the back of the Sierra manuals, and choose your bullets accordingly. Good question.

First of all, we need to understand that reloading manuals are not carved in stone. Think of a reloading manual as a report, and you'll be in a much better position to understand this.

In essence, a reloading manual says, 'We tried this particular component combination, and these are the results we obtained.' When you duplicate the load shown in a manual, you're using a different rifle (even if it is the same make, model, and caliber), a different lot of powder (even if it is the same brand and type), a different lot of cases (even if they are from the same manufacturer, etc.), a different lot of, well.

You get the idea. There is an amazing number of variables that effect any load combination. With the difference in the manuals, you're just seeing first hand examples. Again, start low, and work your load up. The problem here is not one of pressure, but of port pressure. Port pressure is the amount of pressure remaining in the barrel of a gas-operated firearm, when the bullet passes by the gas port.

The Garand was designed for use with medium burning rate powders 4895 and IMR 4064. Using a slow-burning powder such as 4831, even if the load develops relatively mild chamber pressure, will still give excessively high port pressures. This causes violent cycling of the action and can result in a bent operating rod. Load your Garand with only those medium-burning powders which are compatible with its gas system. Not necessarily.

Follow along for a moment. At the cartridge's ignition, a light load won't always fully expand the case within the chamber.

It does, however, develop enough pressure to force the primer out of the pocket and against the bolt face, at least as much as headspace will allow. An instant after the primer has been forced back out of the pocket, the pressure will begin to drive the case backwards towards the bolt face. As the case moves back, it reseats the primer, often flattening it in the process. When the case is extracted and examined, the primer will appear to have been used in an extremely high pressure load.

In some instances, primers can be a good indication of pressure. In others, they can be extremely misleading and utterly worthless as pressure indicators. Two factors limit OAL, magazine length and throat length. The heaviest spitzer bullet OAL as shown in your manual for your cartridge will normally reflect the maximum suggested OAL. You should also open the floor plate of your magazine and roll your loaded rounds through to be sure they will clear. Next, assemble a dummy round with the chosen bullet to the exact OAL you tested in the magazine. Chamber it carefully.

Note the feel of the bolt handle when closing. Open the bolt and carefully eject the dummy round. Inspect the bullet just above the mouth for any signs of contact.

If in doubt, smoke the bullet and repeat the chambering exercise. Copper showing in small smudge points indicate contact. Visual inspection of the muzzle under direct light will reveal if there is any copper present. Careful attention to the 'feel' transmitted through the cleaning rod and a tight patch will indicate tight spots, which indicate fouling deposits. Copper dissolving chemicals that yield a colored patch is a good indicator of interior barrel fouling.

Of course, any time a patch is pushed through the bore and emerges darkened, there is fouling somewhere. In short, if the patch isn't clean, neither is the bore. No, not exactly. While they may not be much different, they are different enough that you should reduce your load by five percent.

Work up in not more than one grain intervals to your chosen load level. Be alert to excessive pressure indications and you should be able find an acceptable load. These frequently asked questions have been prepared for information purposes only. The answers presented above represent the expert opinions of Sierra Bullet's ballistic technicians and are not intended to be exhaustive.

Whilst care has been taken in its preparation, no responsibility is accepted for the completeness or accuracy of the information presented here. Interested parties should no rely solely on this information and should directly contact a ballistic technician should they find the information presented here to be unclear. For more information please call 888-223-8799 or email us at.

Basic Reloading Precautions 1. Modern ammunition uses smokeless powder as the energy source.

Smokeless powder is much more powerful than black powder or Pyrodex®. Never substitute smokeless powder for black powder or Pyrodex® and never mix it with either. Follow loading recommendations exactly. Don’t substitute components for those listed. Start loading with the minimum powder charge listed in the data. Never exceed manufacturers’ reloading data.

Excess pressures caused by excessive loads could severely damage a firearm and cause serious injury or death. Understand what you are doing and why it must be done in a specific way. Stay alert when reloading. Don’t reload when distracted, disturbed or tired.

Set up a loading procedure and follow it. Don’t vary your sequence of operations. Set up your reloading bench where powder and primers will not be exposed to heat, sparks or flame. DO NOT smoke while reloading. ALWAYS wear safety glasses while reloading. Keep everything out of the reach of small children. Keep your reloading bench clean and uncluttered.

Label components and reloads for easy identification. Do not eat while handling lead. NEVER try to dislodge a loaded cartridge that has become stuck in the chamber by impacting it with a cleaning rod. Have a competent gunsmith remove the round.