Storing gunpowder, even fairly large quantities, is not nearly as dangerous as we might think, because modern smokeless powders are not explosives, they’re flammable solids. When unconfined, they burn, generate little pressure, and leave quite a bit of sooty residue. When contained, for instance when inside a cartridge casing, which is surrounded and reinforced by…

A common question among new handloaders is, “How long will my primers last?” The answer is that there are a lot of variables affecting that, and no definitive answer. But basically the answer would be, “If you do your part, pretty darn long. Decades, certainly. If you don’t do your part, considerably less.” Ideally you…

In “When checking ammunition to ensure it makes power factor (pf), a number derived based on the bullet’s weight and velocity, the most important measurement, of course, is the average velocity for a multi-shot string. Arguably the next most, and still critically, important number would be the standard deviation (SD).

When Cowboy Action Shooting began taking off, a lot of shooters wanted to fire guns with Old West period-authentic black powder. They just didn’t want all the problems that came with doing that (more about which shortly). The time was right for a superior alternative, that gave the feel and experience of shooting black powder…

Priming compound, the material with which the primer cup is filled, is pressure-sensitive and ignitable, in other words, you hit it and it burns. Priming compound is a complex blend of chemicals designed to accomplish different things, but for purposes of this discussion we’re interested only in what makes the compound pressure-sensitive and ignitable, which…

In “action” pistol matches, it’s common that a competitor’s ammunition must make a particular power factor (pf), a number derived based on the projectile’s weight and velocity. There are standards for what that number must be, and not making pf carries with it penalties. While we rarely see a chrono at club matches, at a…

There are three types of cartridge cases, defined by their overall shape, used in pistol ammunition. These are (1) straight-walled, (2) tapered, and (3) bottlenecked. Let’s discuss their virtues and vices.

Certain undertakings are not group activities, and handloading is one of them. Handloading is best undertaken by a single person, an individual who can give the process their undivided attention, from start-to-finish. Handloading is a safe undertaking that can be executed by anyone willing to learn a few simple rules. Some of those rules relate…

Once you’ve realized having clean cartridge cases for reloading is desirable, the next question to ask yourself is what sort of media you’re going to load into your Dillon vibratory case cleaner. You have two options: crushed walnut hulls or corncob. Both have their virtues.

One of the most common reasons a handloaded cartridge fails to chamber is the split case. Before we discuss how to prevent split cases from ever finding their way into our firearms, let’s address how they happen in the first place.

As a cartridge fires, the gunpowder burns, producing a large quantity of expanding gases; this presses outward on the interior walls of the case, causes them to expand until stopped by the surrounding, steel chamber walls. When this happens, the case seals off gas from blowing backward, past the case, and instead ensures it’s all…

As a cartridge fires, and the bullet is forced out of the casing, it hits the barrel’s rifling; at this point there’s a certain amount of impact. Gas pressure is pressing on the rear of the bullet, there’s friction between the sides of the bullet and the bore (hole through the center of the barrel),…