What skills are required to make ammunition?

Hand loading ammunition may look daunting, as books and magazines on the subject show benches stacked full of dozens of components, tools and machines.

However, it is pretty simple as there are only four main parts of a cartridge, and these need to be assembled safely and carefully. Don’t fret: it’s not very technical or complex to assemble a round of ammunition. Where it does become more complex however is in the safety checking and testing to achieve the most consistent and precise load formula.

You can choose how sophisticated you want to be in making your own ammunition, and your need for precision, budget and time will be a driver of your choices.

You can build your own ammunition with very simple and inexpensive tools, but this approach best suits either a new Reloader or someone making only a few rounds. As you become more experienced and need to make greater volumes or types of ammunition, you may choose to use more complex presses and processes.

Building ammunition is similar to cooking. Can you buy from a shopping list, follow a set of rules as to how to mix the parts, weigh and measure accurately, and then assemble and check the results? If so and you are careful, methodical and use common sense both your food and ammunition will turn out great.

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Takeaway:

Being safety minded and methodical are key skills.