Category: Blog

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Rules of Safe Gun Handling

Gun Safety Rules

At Titan Reloading, we’re big believers in your Second Amendment rights. We believe that carrying a firearm is one of the absolute best ways to protect yourself and your family from harm. Generally speaking, people seeking reloading supplies are experienced enough with firearms to handle them safely and with common sense. However, it’s always worth reiterating some of the core rules of safe gun handling — we see frequent accident reports that could have been avoided had these rules been followed.

Firearm Management

Firearms should only be loaded when you are prepared to use them, either via concealed/open carry or at the shooting range. At home, store your weapons and ammunition separately in a safe area that children cannot access. Your firearms are your responsibility. Your reloading supplies should also be stored in a secure location.

Pointing the Gun

The most important rule in firearm safety is this: Never, ever point a gun at something you are not intending to shoot. The muzzle of your weapon should always be aimed in a safe direction. Accidents can and do happen; you can avoid them with proper muzzle direction. Always assume a weapon is loaded and hot.

Trigger Discipline

Watch movies or television and you can tell the difference between trained shooters and actors pretending to know how to handle a weapon. Keep your trigger finger away from the trigger until it is time to pull — your finger should always be outside of the trigger guard unless you are actively shooting. Don’t be afraid to correct poor trigger discipline of friends and family.

Double-Check Your Target

Remember that bullets move at extremely high velocity and will often penetrate their targets. Know what’s in front of you, but also know what’s behind your target. You are responsible for the rounds fired, regardless of your intentions. Checking behind your target is a simple step that can avoid major problems.

Take a Firearms Safety Class

Regardless of your level of shooting experience, a firearms safety class can teach you how to handle a weapon, how to clear jams and other problems, and how to clean and maintain your weapons in between uses. Unless you’ve been trained in some official capacity (via the military or the police, for example), you will learn new things in a safety class.

Titan Reloading considers itself a member of the greater shooting community and hopes that all reloaders will act safely and responsibly when handling their weapons. For more information or to attend one of our classes please visit www.TitanReloading.com or contact us at 262.244.7023.

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What are the Benefits of Reloading?

Reloading Safety Basics

Thousands of shooting enthusiasts across the globe have discovered the unique joy of reloading their own ammunition. Armed with the right reloading supplies and a bit of knowledge as to how to use them, you too can experience the satisfaction of reloading. If you’re new to the hobby, it’s worth taking some time to understand the big benefits that come with the reloading process. It’s about more than saving money.

Reliability
Put simply, hand reloading your ammunition gives you more control over your loads and more precision in your ammo. Manufacturer-loaded ammo is packed on an assembly line and while ammunition makers strive for accuracy and consistency, hand reloading is far superior. If you care about reliability and accuracy in your ammunition, hand loading is the only way to go.

Accountability
When you load your own ammunition, you know exactly what’s going on with the rounds you fire. There are no surprises. You’re accountable for your ammunition and its performance on the range, end of story. Taking control of the reloading process puts the responsibility for ammunition performance squarely in your hands, which is one huge reason reloaders enjoy the hobby so much.

Self-Reliance
Understanding how to reload your own ammunition and how to use reloading supplies correctly ensures that you never have to rely on a manufacturer for reliable, consistent rounds; hence, enables you to take control of your ammunition supplies and to keep reloading ammunition you like even if manufacturers make changes to their products that make you unhappy. There’s no better tool for the serious shooter than that of reloading.

Learning to reload is a challenging but rewarding process that gives you greater flexibility in your ammo choices and greater power over the performance of your rounds. Not only is reloading more cost-effective, it’s more rewarding and more fun than purchasing manufacturer ammo. For more information or inquiries please visit www.titanreloading.com or contact us at 262.244.7023.

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More Safety Rules for Reloaders

Reloaders

At Titan Reloading, we’re big fans (obviously) of reloading as a hobby. We love helping new reloaders find their way around reloading supplies and reloading equipment, and we work hard to make the reloading community a welcoming place through our dedicated staff and our monthly reloading workshops. It’s important to us that reloading grow and thrive.

Safety is a major concern in reloading, for new and experienced reloaders alike. We’ve touched on safety before, but it’s always worth revisiting. Here are a few safety tips that can help you keep your reloading process safe and consistent:

Find Focus

Do not split your attention between reloading and another task. Wait for the kids to go to bed, leave the television in another room, and don’t converse with visitors in the middle of a reload. Reloading ammunition improperly has serious repercussions; treat the process seriously. If you can’t find a quiet moment, try again the next day.

Don’t Guess or Estimate

Reloading supplies have specific ways they’re meant to be used. At no point in the reloading process should you be guessing or making estimations. Follow a safe, proven workflow and do not deviate from this workflow until you’re certain you understand every element of reloading. If you get stuck, contact the product manufacturer or your fellow reloaders for help.

Use Proper Storage

Keep your powder and primers away from children and away from sources of heat. Store each of your reloading components in a designated, labeled space so that you always know where things are and how to find them. Keep reloading supplies secured when not in use and clean your workspace thoroughly after every reloading session.

Hygiene

It sounds strange, but hygiene matters in reloading. Lead is a potentially dangerous chemical. You should never eat or drink at your reloading bench and should always wash your hands after each session. Do your best to keep your hands in the work area while working to prevent lead from ending up on your face, neck, or anywhere else.

For more information about reloading safety or which reloading supplies will work best for your needs please visit www.TitanReloading.com or contact us at 262.244.7023.  Our workshops are free to attend and occur on the second Thursday of every month at 7:00 p.m. – look forward to meeting you!

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Curious About Reloading Supplies? Stop By Our Workshop!

Reloading supplies

Like other hobbies, when you first get started with reloading you’ll find yourself overwhelmed with information. There’s vocabulary to learn, gear to buy, workflows to master, and tons of other details to understand before you can become a safe and efficient reloader. If you’re curious about getting started in the world of reloading but don’t know where to begin, consider attending one of Titan Reloading’s free reloading workshops.

Our workshops take place on the second Thursday of every month and start promptly at 7:00 p.m. in our showroom (660 Grand Ave., Hartford, WI 53027). The workshop is a great place to learn more about reloading supplies, processes, and efficient work habits. Veteran and rookie reloaders are all welcome; it’s important to us that we support the reloading community as a whole. We do prefer that attendees RSVP ahead of time so we know what size crowd to expect; or you can contact us to mark down your reservation. We do have limited space in the showroom but can accommodate small and medium groups as needed.

Reloading is a rewarding and sometimes challenging hobby with an infinite learning curve. There’s always something new to discover, whether it be a more efficient use of your reloading supplies, a different type of brass to pack, or a new method for reloading that gives you more accuracy in your shots. The more you talk to other reloaders and share your experiences, the better you’ll get at reloading. Our workshops are designed to be a tool through which reloaders can interact and share, building better habits and learning new things along the way.

Titan Reloading offers a wide range of reloading supplies and we’re happy to walk you through the basics if you’re considering taking your first steps into the world of reloaders. For more information  about reloading, our showroom, or our free reloading workshops, please visit www.TitanReloading.com or contact us at 262.244.7023.

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The Value of Experimentation

Reloading Supplies

As you become more comfortable with reloading your own ammunition, your interests will likely shift from simply loading safely and correctly to loading ammunition that is consistent and accurate. Optimizing your ammunition for performance and consistency is one of the greatest challenges of being a reloader, and it’s also one of the most fun and exciting elements of the hobby. Experimentation, when done safely, is an excellent method for fine-tuning your reloading practices.

Different Reloading Supplies
Reloaders with years of experience often have one particular set of supplies they prefer. Brass, for instance, has more than one manufacturer and it’s inevitable that you’ll like the work of one more than the other. The best way to figure out which you prefer is to test as many different types as you can. This goes the same for almost all reloading supplies; different supplies give you different results right down to the tools you use to do the job.

Building on the Work of Others
The great thing about the reloading community is that it is very open to new reloaders. Visiting a reloading forum (or stopping by one of our monthly reloading workshops) is an excellent way to find out which setups have worked best for other reloaders and to get feedback on your ideas. Once you have a baseline as established by the community’s collective knowledge, you can fine-tune your workflows within that baseline for optimum results. This also helps you to stay safe while you experiment.

Finding the Fun
For many beginning reloaders, reloading can feel a touch stressful. There’s a lot of pressure to get the measurements and the process right, and you can lose yourself in the details. Once you’re comfortable, however, you’re free to start making informed decisions on the best way to move forward with the reloading process, allowing you to have a little more fun when working with your ammunition. Safety should always be a priority, but testing different reloading setups is certainly an exciting day at the range.

Reloading is about more than having the right reloading supplies. It’s about finding the right supplies for you, and figuring out how best to deploy those supplies for your needs. For more information or any inquiries please visit www.TitanReloading.com or contact us at 262.244.7023.

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Striving for Reloading Consistency

about Reloading Supplies

As you learn more about reloading supplies and get more experienced with reloading your own ammunition, you’ll eventually want to improve the accuracy of your ammo. Once you’ve mastered the basics and feel comfortable with reloading and all the processes that come with it, it’s time to start taking stock of the things in your workflow that might affect the overall consistency of your ammunition.

Here’s the basic rule: Accuracy comes from consistency. Ammunition that has been reloaded with consistency in mind will be more accurate than ammo that has not, and the reloader’s goal should always be the most accurate, consistent reloadings he or she can manage. Focusing on consistency will make your reloading not just more enjoyable, but safer and more efficient as well.

Brass Consistency

If consistency is your goal, you should be using brass from the same production run. You can mix and match brass if you’re short on reloading supplies, but brass that shares a production run will always be more consistent than brass from a bunch of different manufacturers and sessions.

Powder Quality

Clean-burning, temperature stable powder is always going to deliver more consistent performance. While lower quality powders are available and will cost less in the short run, high quality powder is a necessity if you’re shifting the focus of your reloading supplies to creating consistency.

Powder Load

Carefully measuring your powder load is one of the single most important things you can do to control ammunition consistency. Eyeballing it simply isn’t enough if you’re working to improve accuracy in your shots. Test different powder loads with your brass to get a feel for what works best and then strive to match those loads exactly in every reload.

Equipment

You can get started with reloading by picking up the very basics in reloading supplies. But the better your equipment, the more precise your reloads. A high quality die is an absolute must, as is a very precise scale. Your reloads are only as good as your gear.

Titan Reloading is passionate about reloading and the community that surrounds it. For more information or questions please visit www.TitanReloading.com or contact us at 262.244.7023.

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A Note on Brass Etiquette

Brass

One of the best things about having a full stock of reloading equipment is that you’re free to reload your own ammunition at any time, saving money and taking greater control over the precision of your shots. But even with reloading equipment set up and ready, you need brass to start reloading. The brass you use is critical for your firing results; high quality brass with few firings will always work better than low end brass that’s been through the ringer.

Now, it’s true that collecting brass at a firing range is one way to increase your brass reserves without spending money. But it’s important to take into account some key bits of range etiquette before you start filling bags with spent rounds:

Observe Range Rules

Every firing range has different rules regarding the collection of spent brass. Some allow you to pick up brass fired by others, while some prefer you only collect your own brass. If you’re unsure about the rules at your particular range, ask an employee before you make assumptions. Always be respectful to your range, its employees, and your fellow shooters.

Stay Safe

Even if your range allows you to collect spent brass, you shouldn’t be wandering around collecting it while the range is hot. Collect brass at the end of the evening or when no one is actively shooting. Your collecting of brass should never create a safety hazard or inconvenience for the other shooters at the range. And don’t forget that brass is often hot!

Check Your Brass Later

Don’t waste time at the firing range inspecting every piece of brass you see. Collect the brass that looks good and wait until you’re home with your reloading equipment to check it out. Once again, your gathering of brass should never annoy or inconvenience the other shooters on the range; stopping to inspect every piece of brass could distract other shooters or cause other annoyances.

Titan Reloading is an industry leading supplier of reloading equipment. For more information about our brass collection or reloading please visit www.TitanReloading.com or contact us at 262.244.7023 with any questions. We also offer free monthly reloading clinics so be sure to check that out!

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Tips on Brass

Pistol Brass

There is no question that the brass you select is among the most important items in your reloading supplies. For those of you who are new to the world of reloading, “brass” refers to the cartridge case in which you load your primer, powder, and projectile. Choosing the perfect brass is one of the more challenging steps when getting started in reloading, as finding a brass you really like often comes down to trial and error.

If you are reloading just for “plinking”, the brass you select only needs to be carefully inspected for cracks, bulges or any other signs of pressure damage that has weakened the case. If you are a bench rest shooter desiring the most consistently accurate ammo possible you need to adhere to a few more considerations in your brass selection. Here are a few quick tips that will help you find the best brass for your intended use:

Staying Safe

Brass cartridges are not designed for infinite firings and will eventually fail, so it’s best to only work with those cartridges for which you have a known firing history. Brass rarely suffers catastrophic failure but even small problems can cause complications in your firearm. Thus, it is highly recommended that you only reload new brass you have fired yourself or brass that is reputably known to be “once fired”.

Choosing Brass

Reloaders all have different opinions when it comes to the “perfect” brass. Finding the one you like most will require that you test different manufacturers and setups. However, matching your brass by production run will help to ensure consistency across cartridges, and sticking with familiar manufacturers such as Remington, MagTech and Winchester is always a good bet when quality is a concern. Verify manufacturers by checking the headstamp at the bottom of the cartridge.

Brass Production

While manufacturers strive to build consistency into their brass, changes do occur in the production line. It is important to remember that two same-caliber Remington cartridges are not guaranteed to have the same case capacity, because they may have been manufactured in different runs or at different times. Weighing each of your cartridges to ensure they are within 2 to 3 tenths of a grain is a recommended practice for highly accurate rounds.

There’s much more to be learned about brass and other reloading supplies. If you’re interested in getting started, we’d love to have you at one of our free monthly reloading workshops. And for more information or inquiries please visit www.TitanReloading.com or contact us at 262.244.7023.

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Is Reloading Safe?

Reloading Safety Basics

At Titan Reloading, we’re big proponents of investing in your own reloading supplies and manually reloading your ammunition. It’s more efficient, gives you a better understanding of your firearms and the ammunition they use, and saves you an enormous amount of money over the long-term. That’s why we host free reloading seminars every month — we want people to explore this rewarding hobby and to see how fun it can be.

One of the most common concerns new reloaders have is the safety of the reloading process and the reliability of reloaded ammunition. Because we receive so many inquiries related to safety, we thought we’d cook up a quick overview of safe reloading practices.

Safety Basics

Reloading safety follows some common sense safety rules. Always wear eye protection when reloading, don’t eat or drink while you’re working, and store all of your components and chemicals in their proper containers. A sloppy workspace and sloppy work habits are the most common causes of faulty ammunition or reloading accidents. If you approach reloading with safety in mind, you can prevent these accidents from happening.

Additionally, never mix components from different ammunition types or manufacturers, and don’t attempt to substitute when you’re short a necessary element. Every manufacturer approaches reloading differently and messing with components from different systems could have dangerous consequences. Similar powders and brass are not interchangeable and should be kept and worked with separately.

Finally, keep your substances away from pets and children and be certain to keep solid records of your loads. Reloading supplies demand that you pay close attention to what you use, when you used it, and how you used it, so keep a written journal so you can identify problems or reproduce results. If you notice anything weird about your loads while shooting, stop shooting immediately and check the ammunition for irregularity.

Titan Reloading is here to help with both reloading supplies and the knowledge you need to use them. For more information or any inquiries please contact us at 262.244.7023 or visit www.titanreloading.com.

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Reloading Kits for Beginners

Reloading Kits

Reloading KitsWhen you’re just getting started in the world of reloading, figuring out what gear you need and what gear you don’t can feel like a monumental task. Reloading supplies are easy to understand once you get the hang of things, but there’s a lot to learn for new reloaders and it’s certainly not unusual to fear making a mistake in buying the wrong press or coming up short on a much-needed tool.

Here on the blog we’ve talked a bit about the core items needed for starting as a reloader. But if you’re still feeling concerned about getting the right items or are perhaps considering reloading supplies as a gift for a friend or loved one, it might be easier to pick up one of our pre-made kits.

Reloading kits include all of the reloading supplies you need to get started with this fascinating hobby. Purchasing a kit can also net you quite a discount over purchasing items individually, though this will largely depend on which items you want to pick up and whether you already have some of the necessary tools in your workshop. Perhaps most importantly, picking up a kit helps to alleviate the concern that you’ll end up with incompatible parts or short of a critical tool. Because the contents included are chosen for their compatibility, you’ll be able to start reloading as soon as possible.

Kits are an easy way to ensure you have everything you need for a successful first dive into the hobby of reloading. Once you have the core reloading supplies you need, you’ll be able to add items as you go for more specialized purposes. Flexibility comes with the addition of equipment, but it’s always good to have a solid base before you look to expand into new challenges.

For more information about our products or our new workshop please visit www.titanreloading.com or contact us at 262.244.7023.