I just ordered my first Lee Reloading Press Anniversary Kit from Cabella's Canada. I won't be shooting matches or competitions, I will be using the basic kit to reload my rifle and 9mm Glock brass. Here is what I am planning to reload for now....

7.5x55mm Swiss (K31)
6.5x55mm Swedish (M96)
.243 Win
9x19mm Luger/Parabellum

I'm open to your advice and expertise and recommendations on manuals most of you are using....this of course is the next step in the evolution of my milsurp hobby...

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K98, M-48, K31,P-14, No.4 mk 1*LB, M96, M38, TT-33, SVT-40, 2 x Tula SKS, Izhevsk M/N "beast"

I like the lyman manual for loads and how to info. It has recipies for all of those accept for the 7.5 swiss. I am having trouble finding a recipe for 7.5 swiss, the info is available but o perfer to use imr4895 and I cant find any info for it.

There is moreinfo that you'll want to know before you decide to start reloading, and I'm shure others will chime in soon.

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The morning is dead And the day is too,
There's nothing left here to meet me
But the velvet moon.
All my loneliness I have felt today,
It's like a little more than enough
To make a man throw himself away.
~ J. Hendrix

I like the RCBS reloading manual, and the Speer book as well.

Powder manufacturers generally have some pretty up-to-date recipes, and they are free.

Be sure to calibrate your powder measure with a scale, so you don't get any over or under charged rounds.

I will make one more suggestion, as you are loading for a K-31. The overall cartridge length in most published manuals will be too long for commercial bullets. Those OAL's are based on the GP-11 bullet which doesn't reach .308 diameter until it's almost in the case. The ogives for most conventional bullets are much shorter, so if you load to the published length, your rounds will not chamber. I suggest making a dummy round, with the bullets you are using, make sure it chambers, and mark it with a Sharpie, noting the manufacturer and bullet. I used a fired GP-11 brass and drilled out the primer, to make mine. Then, whenever you start loading 7.5 Swiss you can compare your handloads to your dummy round, and avoid any chambering problems.

Also, all the K-31's I've owned did not like light loads or light bullets. They did not start to shoot well until I got withing a grain of the "do not exceed" load. Bullets in the 165 to 175 grain weight seemed to work really well....even cheap ones. My pet load was a 165 gr Remington CoreLoct bullet over 48 grains of H4831. I'm afraid I don't have one for IMR4895, though.

Have fun. Be safe.

Hector

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If you can't kill it with a 30-06, you ain't in North America.
"It'll feel better when it quits hurtin'." My Dad
The first rule of intelligent tinkering is, "Save all the pieces."

I don't have a load for IMR 4895, but if I wanted to load that powder, I'd probably start around 38 grains or so for 168 grain bullet and work up until the velocity was close to 2500 fps and stop. If you don't have a chronograph, I don't have a recommendation for you.

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"A church is not the less sacred because curs frequently lift up their leg against it, and affront the wall: It is the nature of dogs." Cato's Letters.
"With sufficient thrust, pigs fly just fine." - SPQR

Marc,

I like the Lyman manual, I usually start there first. The Hornady isn't bad either, though the loads seem a bit more 'lawyerfied' in the last edition. My Sierra manual is about 15 years old (but very nice), need to update to a newer version one of these days. Speer, and Nosler, meh. Don't seem to reach for them as much.

What's nice about having several is that you can cross reference back and forth with similar loads to get a feel for the load range and speeds. The actual loads and speeds vary a good bit between manuals. A chronograph is a great tool for down the road.

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Jim

"Payday came and with it beer" - Kipling

If I could have only one loading manual, I would get one from a manufacturer of reloading tools and equipment. The powder and bullet makers tend to recommend their own products rather than a competitor's. That's fine as long as you can get that manufacturer's powder or bullets where you are. The Lee guide is cheap and offers loads for a lot of different powders and bullets. Yeah, they tend to tout their own reloading gear, but you already have that so it will all apply specifically to you. Most people wind up with a multiple of books eventually. You can also often get load data from powder manufacturers from your powder supplier. Hodgedon has a pretty decent one on line, and my sporting goods store gave me free copy when I bought several pounds of powder. I look online to supplement my books. You will find that no two sources agree on maximum safe loads, play it safe starting out, and get a couple of recommendations before deciding on a starting load and working your way up. Most of the reloading advice I've seen here (including load data) has been conservative, safe, and decent. When in doubt ask here!

*Added: The little plastic bound books that are specific to a single caliber that you will see everywhere are a compilation of load data from dozens of resources, much of it I recognize as coming from my other loading manuals and component manufacturers. They are a good buy if you only plan to load for only a few specific calibers, and are a wealth of information for the specific caliber they are intended for.

I would disagree Mr. Dare, as I have found Lee's loading data to be old and mostly copied from other sources.

I prefer powder manufacturers data, because I usually find myself sticking to a smaller selection of powders and powder manufacturers than bullets.

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"A church is not the less sacred because curs frequently lift up their leg against it, and affront the wall: It is the nature of dogs." Cato's Letters.
"With sufficient thrust, pigs fly just fine." - SPQR

Well, I did recommend looking for the guides from the powder manufacturers... I like having as much load data as I can find. I know that until I figured out which powders I was going to use though I found it handy to have a book that was not especially partial to one bullet or powder manufacturer over another. Bullet makers tend to cover a wider selection of powders in their data, and powder manufacturers tend to have a wider selection of bullets. The equipment manufacturers fall somewhere in between. At least that has been my experience. Once you narrow the field a bit, you can focus on more detailed resources.

thanks guys. I will keep one of my current Prvi Swiss 7.5 x 55 cartridges as a template, I have had no issue with this ammo, and i will be using this brass to reload. My club safety officer will get me up to speed and teach me the basics. He has been reloading for decades and uses a Dillon press. I will try to find the most common powders available for me up here and work the loads accordingly.

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K98, M-48, K31,P-14, No.4 mk 1*LB, M96, M38, TT-33, SVT-40, 2 x Tula SKS, Izhevsk M/N "beast"

I honestly like the Lee "Modern Reloading SECOND EDITION" the best for finding loads for milsurp rifles. I think it has the best introduction and general reloading information for new loaders. There are a lot of loads for the 7.5 Swiss. Other odd military cartridges are well covered too.

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No. 4 Savage Enfield
1938 RC/K98
Russian M44
Russian M91/30's
91/41 Italian Carcano
Japanese Type 99
M95 Carbine
French MAS36
Swiss K31
Russian SKS

http://www.dabson.us/milsurp
http://www.dabsonastronomy.com
http://www.etsy.com/shop/connysstainedglass

Look in your area for what are the most common projectiles. I recommend getting manual for projectiles you plan to use. Sierra bullets, Sierra manual, Hornady bullets, Hornady manual ,ect. & a good reference manual. Read it til you under stand what you`ve read. Always air on the side of caution. Wouldn`t hurt to cross reference manuals for loads using the same powder over multiple cartridges. Saves on money & material. Make sure you have a good understanding of the must dos , & must don`ts . A good set of calipers !! & use them! I`m sure I`ll think of something else later

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Fate Favors Those Who Are Prepared!

I was thinking about that actually. I like prvi ammo, i have their brass, seems like I can buy prvi projectiles for both my Swiss and Swedish Mauser. I believe Sierra match kings are avilable also. Calipers I agree are an absolute must. What has been your experience with sharing powders across calibers for rifle byrdmann?

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K98, M-48, K31,P-14, No.4 mk 1*LB, M96, M38, TT-33, SVT-40, 2 x Tula SKS, Izhevsk M/N "beast"

thanks Dan. I have a Lee loader, so it makes sense.

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K98, M-48, K31,P-14, No.4 mk 1*LB, M96, M38, TT-33, SVT-40, 2 x Tula SKS, Izhevsk M/N "beast"

My pet load for K-31's was 165 gr Remington CoreLoct bullet over 48 gr of H4831 with a CCI 200 primer.

Just a suggestion. YMMV.

Hector

_________________
If you can't kill it with a 30-06, you ain't in North America.
"It'll feel better when it quits hurtin'." My Dad
The first rule of intelligent tinkering is, "Save all the pieces."