I’ve reloaded ammo before but decided to get back into it a while back. So I’ve got a decent little set up and figured I would share and see who else is into it.
All I’m reloading right now is .308 because that’s all I’m shooting. But may get into .223 since a bunch of friends are begging me to.
I’m using mostly Hornady stuff. Which, by the way, if you get dies or a press from them right now, they are giving away free bullets.
So here is my setup.
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I do and have for a long time. I moved into a smaller place though and am struggling to get stuff set up again. I reload for .357/.38 special and my 7x57 hunting rifle. .223 will be starting up pretty soon as well, but I don’t have the dies yet.
I enjoy reloading but I’m giving it up. I may work up some handloads occasionally for load development on precision bolt guns but that’s about it for me. To me, it’s just not worth the risk.
One of the things I’ve learned with my gunsmithing pursuits is that hand loading is one of the most common causes of firearm failure. Everybody thinks they won’t fuck up, but it can happen. I’ve done it myself and I’ve prided myself on being anal as hell and following the manuals carefully when reloading. Still managed to do something wrong and had a squib load in a Ruger Blackhawk. I’m just not messing around with it anymore. I’m not trying to get killed or maimed over some fucking bullets.
That said, it is a fun hobby. Enjoy.
I did it for economical reasons, but now that lead is so expensive, it’s difficult to justify the investment in time over the cost of Blazers for pistol ammo. I’ll keep up with the shotshells though. Largely moot, ever since The Man hired me to work fro Big Pharma, I can’t carry at work, which means I rarely carry, which means I have less impetus to practice, so I don’t go through 100-250 rounds a week of centerfire any more.
[QUOTE=ermghoti;2824161]I did it for economical reasons, but now that lead is so expensive, it’s difficult to justify the investment in time over the cost of Blazers for pistol ammo. I’ll keep up with the shotshells though. Largely moot, ever since The Man hired me to work fro Big Pharma, I can’t carry at work, which means I rarely carry, which means I have less impetus to practice, so I don’t go through 100-250 rounds a week of centerfire any more.[/QUOTE]
I plan to start reloading shotshells, as we (as a family) started shooting trap again. The shot is pretty expensive, though, still, cheaper in the long run reload. I’ve been saving shotshells for a long time.
Yeah, I was thinking of doing shot shells, too. May end up doing that.
I’ve had squib loads and misfires from factory loads. So, I guess it can go both ways. It’s pretty fun though.
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[QUOTE=Diesel_tke;2824164]Yeah, I was thinking of doing shot shells, too. May end up doing that.
I’ve had squib loads and misfires from factory loads. So, I guess it can go both ways. It’s pretty fun though.
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It is fun, and yes you can get bad factory ammo. But the factories are going to have quality control systems and automation in place that mostly eliminate the possibility of human error. There is less risk with factory ammo.
I decided a couple months ago that I was going to give reloading a shot. Not to save money, but to gain experience. I bought into the Lee single press and Ultimate .223 dies. And, since yesterday, I’ve accumulated a bag of brass.
At this moment, I lack a tumbler, case trimmer, primers, bullets, and powder, so I’m not 100% ready to go. Easily rectified with a little purchasing power. I figure I can start knocking out spent primers tonight, though.
I’ve watched a couple of videos and read some articles, but wondering if anyone out there has practical advice for the first-timer?
if i ever get into shooting really long range, i’ll pretty much have to get into reloading, although i’d have to somehow convince my stepdad to let me set it up in his place, cause it’s illegal in NYC.
[QUOTE=submessenger;2893123]I decided a couple months ago that I was going to give reloading a shot. Not to save money, but to gain experience. I bought into the Lee single press and Ultimate .223 dies. And, since yesterday, I’ve accumulated a bag of brass.
At this moment, I lack a tumbler, case trimmer, primers, bullets, and powder, so I’m not 100% ready to go. Easily rectified with a little purchasing power. I figure I can start knocking out spent primers tonight, though.
I’ve watched a couple of videos and read some articles, but wondering if anyone out there has practical advice for the first-timer?[/QUOTE]
Get a good manual and follow it step by step. Seriously.
For example you are going to “knock out” spent primers. Are you going to resize at the same time ? That is the usual procedure. If you do that, you need to lube the cases, and it is a good idea to inside lube the case necks with graphite (off of a neck-cleaning brush), or the expanding button will be a LOT harder to pull through and will stretch your brass more, plus making an awful noise. I see that Lee ultimate dies don’t need lube, though…follow their instructions.
The point is, there are details you will want to attend to carefully and slowly at first. Just resizing has options as to full length (necessary if you are reloading for an AR, usually), neck sizing, or bumping the shoulder back a bit and how much (this is most useful in single shots and bolt actions). Some semi-autos require a small based resizing die, as do some lever actions.
Hopefully, you get the point. It’s not trivial, and mistakes can make for lousy ammo and/or accidents.
The instrux do say to lube if you’re using the “Full Length Sizing Die,” for “mixed rounds,” but are ambiguous if you’re using a case that was “only fired once from your gun.” In the latter case, you should use the Collet Neck Sizing Die.
On another note, Trail Boss for reduced loads (or normal pistol loads) is good because it’s so “fluffy”. It’s difficult to charge a case with too much powder, in most cases it will overflow. And under charge is difficult (Devil’s “squib” load problem), unless you just forget to put the powder in.
That’s why you always check each case visually before seating the bullet. Unless you are using a progressive press, LOL! I think they make a gauge of some sort for that though.
[QUOTE=submessenger;2893134]The instrux do say to lube if you’re using the “Full Length Sizing Die,” for “mixed rounds,” but are ambiguous if you’re using a case that was “only fired once from your gun.” In the latter case, you should use the Collet Neck Sizing Die.[/QUOTE]
Are you reloading for an AR ? If so, I think full length resize is necessary, as is usual for semi-autos and lever actions.
You can (usually) get away with neck sizing (of one form or another) if shooting a single shot rifle or bolt action, and once fired (or more, depends) brass.
As you can see, all this “depends” and “usually” stuff starts to add up quickly.
If you want to just deprime, you can set the sizing die to where you are only de-priming, and not resizing. At least I can with my plain-vanilla RCBS resizing dies. Then when you get the resizing thing figured out, you can go ahead and proceed to resize, then trim the cases if necessary. You will want to measure each one at least to make sure it’s not over the max length (after resizing), or under the trim-to length.
You don’t need a tumbler to reload, either, BTW, unless our brass is really filthy, it’s not necessary IME at least.
[QUOTE=BKR;2893139]On another note, Trail Boss for reduced loads (or normal pistol loads) is good because it’s so “fluffy”. It’s difficult to charge a case with too much powder, in most cases it will overflow. And under charge is difficult (Devil’s “squib” load problem), unless you just forget to put the powder in.
That’s why you always check each case visually before seating the bullet. Unless you are using a progressive press, LOL! I think they make a gauge of some sort for that though.[/QUOTE]
I would guess a sensitive enough scale could tell the difference between a case with no powder and one with “enough”. I don’t (yet) own such an instrument. Maybe that’s why single stage presses are good for beginners?
[QUOTE=BKR;2893140]Are you reloading for an AR ? If so, I think full length resize is necessary, as is usual for semi-autos and lever actions.
You can (usually) get away with neck sizing (of one form or another) if shooting a single shot rifle or bolt action, and once fired (or more, depends) brass.
As you can see, all this “depends” and “usually” stuff starts to add up quickly.
If you want to just deprime, you can set the sizing die to where you are only de-priming, and not resizing. At least I can with my plain-vanilla RCBS resizing dies. Then when you get the resizing thing figured out, you can go ahead and proceed to resize, then trim the cases if necessary. You will want to measure each one at least to make sure it’s not over the max length (after resizing), or under the trim-to length.
You don’t need a tumbler to reload, either, BTW, unless our brass is really filthy, it’s not necessary IME at least.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, I went for the AR first; I figure .45 ACP is in my future, as well, and that one will be for cost.
I do tend to buy shitty ammo, but I’ve read some accounts that tumbling isn’t as big a deal as many people make of it.
(edit) Instrux say “Use the collet sizer for bolt action rifles or cases that have been fired in your gun only.” It goes on to elaborate on some other stuff. Perhaps I’ll post a selection as an image, for posterity.
(edit) peeking inside the collet die, it doesn’t have any neck bends or whatever you call them. It’s just the outside diameter of the bullet that narrows to a pin at the end for pushing the primer out.
[QUOTE=submessenger;2893141]I would guess a sensitive enough scale could tell the difference between a case with no powder and one with “enough”. I don’t (yet) own such an instrument. Maybe that’s why single stage presses are good for beginners?[/QUOTE]
yes, a normal scale used for reloading would be sensitive for that. But that’s not what is used on a progressive press.
And yeah, single stage is the way to go for a beginner. I’ve used one a couple of times, and, well, it worked, but pain in butt even when it worked.
You will need a scale for sure. Even a simple balance designed for use in reloading will work. Get a powder trickler, too. I use Lee powder scoops for sub max loads quite a bit. Otherwise, you will want (eventually) some sort of powder measure/charge thrower.
Lots of money to spend, for sure, lots of cool toys.
[QUOTE=submessenger;2893142]Yeah, I went for the AR first; I figure .45 ACP is in my future, as well, and that one will be for cost.
I do tend to buy shitty ammo, but I’ve read some accounts that tumbling isn’t as big a deal as many people make of it.
(edit) Instrux say “Use the collet sizer for bolt action rifles or cases that have been fired in your gun only.” It goes on to elaborate on some other stuff. Perhaps I’ll post a selection as an image, for posterity.[/QUOTE]
I think if I had an AR, unless I was reloading for super-accuracy, and had a rifle that was worth the time for that, I’d just buy bulk commercial ammo.
The .45 ACP is easier to reload as it’s a straight walled pistol case (you can get a carbide die set and avoid all the hassle of lubing cases). But it head-spaces on the mouth of the case, so the brass all needs to be trimmed closely to the same length. Wahoo!
I love to reload, however, time wise, until you get into a good progressive press (if you are looking to save money AFTER you recoup the expense via savings on reloads), it’s probably a wash for rounds like .223, 9mm Luger, .45 ACP, that you can get cheap bulk ammo. That plus reloading components are a LOT more expensive than say when I started reloading back in the early 80s.
It’s a great way to learn about performance of your firearm, though.
I am reloading the reduced loads because nothing like that is available. I bought .308 win. rifles for my wife and kids specifically because loaded ammo (bulk) is relatively inexpensive, and components are relatively cheaper to reload.
I can reload limited number of specialty hunting rounds if I want, plus, I can reload (as I noted earlier) reduced power rounds for practice (trigger/breath control, field positions) that are not available commercially (can be done for other rounds as well, but .308 components are cheaper and more plentiful, in fact, I had two specific bullets in mind already that are inexpensive in bulk form). Then,I can reload specialty hunting and practice rounds on a sliding scale of recoil and muzzle blast with commonly available .30 cal bullets. So if my kid wants to hunt with his .308 loaded to 30/30, or maybe 300 Savage levels of power, I can easily do that.
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Completely unobjectively, I think I should be able to eventually save money on the .45 ACP. I haven’t researched it, yet, but I know it’s the most expensive per-round for my current arsenal. .223 is a close second, but I have heard that tends to be just under the line of cost savings for reloading. Actually, scratch that; .32 ACP is the most expensive, followed by .45, then .223. But, the USP is much more fun to shoot than the PP.
I don’t have any special load requirements, as you have expressed. Experience is my first goal. I just want it to go boom and put decent holes in cardboard and zombies.
I eventually want to get into reloading. I mainly shoot .22lr, 9mm, 5.56/.223, .357mag/.38spl, and .308. I also have firearms chambered in 45-70, .243, and .300 win mag. Reloading .22lr is dumb, even though it is sort of possible now. 9mm and 5.56 don’t seem like a good time investment for me unless I start competing. Reloading .357/.38 is probably marginal, but I might eventually do it. I never shoot the .243, and am basically just planning on using the action as a donor to make a nicer rifle anyway. As I see things, if I were to start reloading tomorrow, I would load .308 for my precision rifle, .300 win mag, and 45-70. I only really shoot the match grade stuff from my .308, and it is a 1/10 twist so it really likes those expensive 175gr FGMM rounds. Additionally, it has an 18" barrel, so being able to optimize for that length should really give me some velocity gains. The other two I would reload simply because paying $1.50-$5.00 a trigger squeeze adds up, even if I don’t shoot them that often.
Why don’t I currently reload? We don’t have the space and my wife isn’t sold on the idea of having gunpowder in the house. Also, I think Maryland has slightly weird rules about storage of gunpowder, though not as bad as NY.
cost is a serious consideration for me, TBH, and ammo prices seem to keep going up (and we’re in a fucking election year… ugh) right now i’m paying $.42/round for .223 and $.23/round for .45acp from freedom munitions. at the range both come close to $1/round, and if i want to use match ammo, even ordering online .223 is usually over $1.10/round. next year i plan on getting a rifle for real long range shooting and looking at match ammo in .308 or 6.5 creedmoor gave me a heart attack. i guess the key is to shoot far fewer shots and make them count.
i’m getting decent results with the 69 grain .223 rounds from freedom munitions at 100 yards, but we’ll see how well they do at 200 yards. i’m hoping to use this ammo while i fix my bad habits, and then see if i can manage to get a reloading setup or beg some time on someone else’s.