jimmyraythomason
Member
Yep,manipulated poll. I don't reload because I have never been interested in it.
For the folks who can't find .380acp, why not just reload it?
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j21blackjack
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Sorry about that, I was more gearing the poll to all the guys that complain about not being able to find .380acp. I'm just tired of hearing about it, that's all.
My poll should have said something like "For all you folks looking for .380, why don't you just reload it?" That would have been a little more appropriate, but it's too late now unless a moederator wants to change the title of my poll.
MinnMooney
Member
YouTube video on reloading using a Lee hand press -
I've got to admit, he loaded one .44 Mag. cartridge very easily in just over 2 minutes by changing the dies for each step. I realize that he did it that way only for instructional purposes. If he were reloading 200 cartridges, he'd mount the proper die and do all 200 brass or powder or bullets before changing dies.
I can see where he could conceivably load a couple hundred in an evening at the rate of 40-60 per hour. This time, of course, does not include brass cleaning, finished cartridge inspection, tool(die) set-up or record keeping. Nor does it include the dasterly deed of shooting those 200 cartridges.
I used to load handgun cartridges that way (only with a RCBS Rock Chucker press). I finally bought a Hornady Lock-N-Load AP and now pump out 1000 rounds in 2 hours. There's more set-up time but once everything is set the 1st time, it only take a few minutes to re-set for that caliber. Rifle cartridges take more time simply due to the fact that I want them to be more accurate so I check more things while loading.
I've got to admit, he loaded one .44 Mag. cartridge very easily in just over 2 minutes by changing the dies for each step. I realize that he did it that way only for instructional purposes. If he were reloading 200 cartridges, he'd mount the proper die and do all 200 brass or powder or bullets before changing dies.
I can see where he could conceivably load a couple hundred in an evening at the rate of 40-60 per hour. This time, of course, does not include brass cleaning, finished cartridge inspection, tool(die) set-up or record keeping. Nor does it include the dasterly deed of shooting those 200 cartridges.
I used to load handgun cartridges that way (only with a RCBS Rock Chucker press). I finally bought a Hornady Lock-N-Load AP and now pump out 1000 rounds in 2 hours. There's more set-up time but once everything is set the 1st time, it only take a few minutes to re-set for that caliber. Rifle cartridges take more time simply due to the fact that I want them to be more accurate so I check more things while loading.
Aran
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I'm lazy as hell, tbh.
j21blackjack
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Fixed the title to properly bias the thread.
I agree, it takes a while with the hand press, but if your only wanting to shoot maybe 400 rounds a month, then it's not bad at all, especially if you are shooting .380 and ammo only comes around one day a month if you are lucky. As for me, I bought myself a Lee Classic Turret Press Kit last week from here https://kempfgunshop.com//index.php...n=com_virtuemart&Itemid=41&vmcchk=1&Itemid=41 for less than $200, and that includes a deluxe 4-die set.
I agree, it takes a while with the hand press, but if your only wanting to shoot maybe 400 rounds a month, then it's not bad at all, especially if you are shooting .380 and ammo only comes around one day a month if you are lucky. As for me, I bought myself a Lee Classic Turret Press Kit last week from here https://kempfgunshop.com//index.php...n=com_virtuemart&Itemid=41&vmcchk=1&Itemid=41 for less than $200, and that includes a deluxe 4-die set.
ny32182
Member
I would consider the $100 initial setup to be bordering on pipe-dream (my initial startup cost for quasi-decent gear minus components was about $750) but lets address some of the other concerns here:
-"I don't have the space". Yes you do. My press is STILL mounted on a Black and Decker Workmate that takes up about 1' x 2'. The rest of my gear not including components could fit in a shoebox or two, which can fit under the Workmate in a pinch. I got this setup because I was living in a single small bedroom at the time that I got it. For almost two years now, I've had the space to get a real bench, and have been meaning to do so, but haven't for two main reasons: 1) I haven't found an ideal one; this is part laziness on my part, and 2) At the end of the day, the Workmate still basically suffices for my purposes, so replacing it hasn't yet worked its way to #1 priority for my "gun money", even after all this time. It sits in the corner of the gun room, taking up very, very little space. Eventually a real bench will go there.
-"I'm scared". This is understandable, but people load ammo every day. If this is your only barrier to reloading, understand that it is a mental thing, and get over it. You need to do it right, yes, but these are not nuclear devices that you are trying to build, either. It is no different than the apprehension you probably felt right before you started to drive as a teenager. The thing you need to really guard against is feeling invincible after five minutes in the "drivers seat" and seeing that the process is not black magic.
-"I want someone to show me how". This is ideal but not required. I'm not a mechanical genius, and I figured it out by reading manuals and asking questions here on THR. (And I still learn more all the time) If you have never loaded a round and own no equipment, reading the reloading forum is like trying to decipher Hebrew, I know... because I was there once. Once you have some gear in front of you, it will start to make a lot more sense. You'll ask some dumb questions, but that is how you learn. It IS better to ask a dumb question than make a mistake when reloading.
-"I don't want to breathe gun powder". Gun powder is not fine enough to go airborne; it is not talcum powder we are talking about here... it is a lot closer to the consistency of sand. You won't breathe it, and it is a lot less volatile than many standard household commodities like, say, gasoline, which everyone has. It does not explode when outside of a firearm's chamber. Just keep it away from open flame like you would any other potentially flammable substance, and it poses no more danger than anything else in your house.
-"Reloading will make you immune to ammo shortages". No it will not. As we are STILL seeing, component shortages can happen just as fast as ammo shortages. I've had 357sig bullets on order for months now. It regularly took months during the last year to get gear and components off backorder. "But I've stockpiled components so I don't care"... well, that is nice, but you could have stockpiled loaded ammo just as easily when it was available too. It isn't the act of reloading that keeps you in ammo, it is having a stockpile of whatever you need at the time it goes unavailable. If you are trying to get into a new caliber when everything is unavailable, you are just as screwed as if the loaded cartridge is unavailable.
-"I don't have the space". Yes you do. My press is STILL mounted on a Black and Decker Workmate that takes up about 1' x 2'. The rest of my gear not including components could fit in a shoebox or two, which can fit under the Workmate in a pinch. I got this setup because I was living in a single small bedroom at the time that I got it. For almost two years now, I've had the space to get a real bench, and have been meaning to do so, but haven't for two main reasons: 1) I haven't found an ideal one; this is part laziness on my part, and 2) At the end of the day, the Workmate still basically suffices for my purposes, so replacing it hasn't yet worked its way to #1 priority for my "gun money", even after all this time. It sits in the corner of the gun room, taking up very, very little space. Eventually a real bench will go there.
-"I'm scared". This is understandable, but people load ammo every day. If this is your only barrier to reloading, understand that it is a mental thing, and get over it. You need to do it right, yes, but these are not nuclear devices that you are trying to build, either. It is no different than the apprehension you probably felt right before you started to drive as a teenager. The thing you need to really guard against is feeling invincible after five minutes in the "drivers seat" and seeing that the process is not black magic.
-"I want someone to show me how". This is ideal but not required. I'm not a mechanical genius, and I figured it out by reading manuals and asking questions here on THR. (And I still learn more all the time) If you have never loaded a round and own no equipment, reading the reloading forum is like trying to decipher Hebrew, I know... because I was there once. Once you have some gear in front of you, it will start to make a lot more sense. You'll ask some dumb questions, but that is how you learn. It IS better to ask a dumb question than make a mistake when reloading.
-"I don't want to breathe gun powder". Gun powder is not fine enough to go airborne; it is not talcum powder we are talking about here... it is a lot closer to the consistency of sand. You won't breathe it, and it is a lot less volatile than many standard household commodities like, say, gasoline, which everyone has. It does not explode when outside of a firearm's chamber. Just keep it away from open flame like you would any other potentially flammable substance, and it poses no more danger than anything else in your house.
-"Reloading will make you immune to ammo shortages". No it will not. As we are STILL seeing, component shortages can happen just as fast as ammo shortages. I've had 357sig bullets on order for months now. It regularly took months during the last year to get gear and components off backorder. "But I've stockpiled components so I don't care"... well, that is nice, but you could have stockpiled loaded ammo just as easily when it was available too. It isn't the act of reloading that keeps you in ammo, it is having a stockpile of whatever you need at the time it goes unavailable. If you are trying to get into a new caliber when everything is unavailable, you are just as screwed as if the loaded cartridge is unavailable.
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MinnMooney
Member
from BigDog57 (post 23) :
Exactly ! I have a small fortune invested in reloading equipment and my son once told me, "Pop, you'll never be able to shoot enough to break even after buying all of this gear." I told him, "Maybe, maybe not, but when I die, you can sell all of this on ebay (if ebay still allows reloading equipment) and get a very nice inheritance.............. or start reloading ammo yourself with no start-up fee.
Besides, he never complains when we go prairie dog shooting and I supply all of the ammo!
Exactly ! I have a small fortune invested in reloading equipment and my son once told me, "Pop, you'll never be able to shoot enough to break even after buying all of this gear." I told him, "Maybe, maybe not, but when I die, you can sell all of this on ebay (if ebay still allows reloading equipment) and get a very nice inheritance.............. or start reloading ammo yourself with no start-up fee.
Besides, he never complains when we go prairie dog shooting and I supply all of the ammo!
huh.
Well I guess nobody told me you cant reload for less than 200 bucks in setup, cause.... I do it all the time.
Lee Hand press etc. it works really well and its fun.
I can see the enjoyment of a huge expensive press, but I cant justify it.
This little guy gives me the ability to turn my old cases into something usefull, play with loads, and its nice to have the ability to DIY.
Well I guess nobody told me you cant reload for less than 200 bucks in setup, cause.... I do it all the time.
Lee Hand press etc. it works really well and its fun.
I can see the enjoyment of a huge expensive press, but I cant justify it.
This little guy gives me the ability to turn my old cases into something usefull, play with loads, and its nice to have the ability to DIY.
willymc
Member
I'd like to find some 90gr. Speer Gold Dots so I could reload. Got plenty round nose.
Erik M
Member
I would have to vote other, which is not listed, because i only own 1 pistol chambered in .380 and I dont shoot it enough to invest that kind of money into reloading equipment. I never had trouble finding .380 in the last year or so, so reloading spent cases would be an enormous waste of my resources.
j21blackjack
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Man, I'm glad I'm not the only one, I thought I was going to get the crap beat out of me on this thread!
M2 Carbine
member
All the reloading equipment you need to load pistol rounds will fit in a mid size carboard box that can be kept in a corner of the closet.
It takes a little over a half hour to load a box of pistol rounds with this Lee Hand Tool. I have a Dillon press but still use this Lee once in a while for small jobs.
All my reloading is done when I have nothing else to do. In ten minutes I can load a box of pistol rounds on my Dillon press.
Instead of watching the TV talking heads (I don't anyway) a couple minutes between chores I can turn out plenty of shooting ammo at about $2-$4 a box.
.
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huntsman
Member
Naw you shouldn't feel that way, I think you're doing what you want and that's cool.
Maybe some thought you $ figures were a bit off, I priced out basically the same equipment you're using and with what I felt I needed I was closer to $150.00
I assume you're shooting hard cast bullets? for me I only want jacketed stuff so that'll take costs up.
Right now it's just more prudent for me to spend $40.00 a month on ammo then to lay it all out at once. But I'm saving brass just in case.
j21blackjack
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That's a good idea. I dug out almost 200 empty .380 cases from the back of the closet that I kept "just in case".
yakkingallover
Member
I agree with the original poster and several others. I reloaded with a hand press in my apartment and now that I bought a house I upgraded to a Lee turret which I haven't set up yet. I continue to use my hand press and that press, dies and components was around $100 dollars. This sight is great but if people say they can't find ammo they are told to hunt around and that deals are out there. If you tell someone to hunt around and find good deals on reloading gear people make it sound like you are trying to change water into wine.
j21blackjack
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My Lee Classic Turret kit and .40 dies arrives tomorrow from Kempf. I already have a rolling computer desk ready to convert into my portable reloading bench so I can still load on the couch .
.I reload only when I feel like I "have" to. I find it absolutely mind-numbing, time-consuming tedium. I don't think it has saved me any money (eventually, I suppose it will...), and it certainly hasn't saved me any time.
I have what I consider a bare-bones setup. The minimum of what I need to do the cartridges I want to do. Lyman orange single press, Lyman plain balance scale (I can now dribble out 6.0 grains of Unique by hand almost without even having to weigh it!). Dies, some Lee, some RCBS. Two RCBS bullet moulds, which AIN'T CHEAP (haven't had luck with the Lee moulds...they cast undersize for me), One Lee sizer for .452 ('cause I ain't spending another $160 on a "good" sizer/luber plus all the little bits and pieces that must go with it), Lyman tumbler, Forster trimmer with cutters and pilots (the little Lee trimmers are neat, but they cut too short for me), a Lee hand primer because the primer on my press doesn't work well, primer pocket reamer, deburrer and sundry other small gizmos... I started with the basic Lyman kit many years ago, and added much of this stuff only recently (it had pretty much sit idle for a long time). The deburrer alone is like 10 bucks. All this stuff is not cheap and it adds up very quickly.
My casting "setup" is me sitting in a chair in the middle of the shop floor with a propane torch heating up a few bullets worth of lead in a ladle at a time and pouring it into the mould. Lube with Alox with my fingers, then size in the Lee die (for .45, anyway). That's certainly as basic as you can get.
Pretty much the only thing I load for is .38 Special/.357, .44 Special, and .45ACP. I have some rifle dies, like .30-30, 7mm Mauser, 7.65mm Mauser, and maybe a few others, but I don't think I have fired a CF rifle in years!
Sure, you CAN load with the ultra-basic Lee kit....IF you have fully prepped, clean brass already cut to proper length, and if you use factory bullets. BUT, if the brass is dirty, I sure ain't scrubbin' 'em out in the sink with a brush, and they're gonna need to be trimmed to length, and then you'll need....
I have what I consider a bare-bones setup. The minimum of what I need to do the cartridges I want to do. Lyman orange single press, Lyman plain balance scale (I can now dribble out 6.0 grains of Unique by hand almost without even having to weigh it!). Dies, some Lee, some RCBS. Two RCBS bullet moulds, which AIN'T CHEAP (haven't had luck with the Lee moulds...they cast undersize for me), One Lee sizer for .452 ('cause I ain't spending another $160 on a "good" sizer/luber plus all the little bits and pieces that must go with it), Lyman tumbler, Forster trimmer with cutters and pilots (the little Lee trimmers are neat, but they cut too short for me), a Lee hand primer because the primer on my press doesn't work well, primer pocket reamer, deburrer and sundry other small gizmos... I started with the basic Lyman kit many years ago, and added much of this stuff only recently (it had pretty much sit idle for a long time). The deburrer alone is like 10 bucks. All this stuff is not cheap and it adds up very quickly.
My casting "setup" is me sitting in a chair in the middle of the shop floor with a propane torch heating up a few bullets worth of lead in a ladle at a time and pouring it into the mould. Lube with Alox with my fingers, then size in the Lee die (for .45, anyway). That's certainly as basic as you can get.
Pretty much the only thing I load for is .38 Special/.357, .44 Special, and .45ACP. I have some rifle dies, like .30-30, 7mm Mauser, 7.65mm Mauser, and maybe a few others, but I don't think I have fired a CF rifle in years!
Sure, you CAN load with the ultra-basic Lee kit....IF you have fully prepped, clean brass already cut to proper length, and if you use factory bullets. BUT, if the brass is dirty, I sure ain't scrubbin' 'em out in the sink with a brush, and they're gonna need to be trimmed to length, and then you'll need....
thebaldguy
Member
I'm not sure I shoot enough to make it worth it. I have a cousin that reloads and he shoots quite a bit. It seems like a lot of money, time and effort when I probably won't go through more than 200 rounds a year. In addition, those little .380 cases are always hard to find after ejection. I save the empties for reloading friends and family, but I always lose around 10% of the empty cases.
I found stores with American Eagle and PMC .380 for $16/50 rounds of FMJ. Stores in the metro area may have be out, but some stores in the outstate areas had .380 appear at those reasonable prices about a year ago. If you're in northern Minnesota, check out L & M Fleet/Farm stores for .380 ammo.
I found stores with American Eagle and PMC .380 for $16/50 rounds of FMJ. Stores in the metro area may have be out, but some stores in the outstate areas had .380 appear at those reasonable prices about a year ago. If you're in northern Minnesota, check out L & M Fleet/Farm stores for .380 ammo.
wvshooter
Member
I have reloaded some 380 but have had problems doing so. No problems with 9mm, 40 caliber, or 38 special however.
I won't be trying to reload 380 again, but I'll keep the one 380 gun I have and just shoot it sparingly. Part of my lack of interest is my feeling that the round is inadequate for self defense and .22 rimfire makes more sense for small caliber target shooting. I also don't like that the 380 brass is so close in size to 9mm brass.
I won't be trying to reload 380 again, but I'll keep the one 380 gun I have and just shoot it sparingly. Part of my lack of interest is my feeling that the round is inadequate for self defense and .22 rimfire makes more sense for small caliber target shooting. I also don't like that the 380 brass is so close in size to 9mm brass.
Mad Chemist
Member
j21blackjack,
Be careful about decapping spent brass in your living quarters. The lead styphnate residue from spent primers is pretty toxic and can accumulate over time. Most of the other components are relatively low in toxicity. As long as you are thorough when you clean up it's OK. Just a heads up from another relatively new reloader.
JH
Be careful about decapping spent brass in your living quarters. The lead styphnate residue from spent primers is pretty toxic and can accumulate over time. Most of the other components are relatively low in toxicity. As long as you are thorough when you clean up it's OK. Just a heads up from another relatively new reloader.
JH
MachIVshooter
Member
While you may be able to load a couple of pistol calibers with such inexpensive and simple equipment as mentioned, when you want to load rifle cartridges and go for accuracy, you're gonna spend a bit.
I've been reloading for a long time, load for 42 different cartridges. Yes, I've recouped the invesment, which is probably around $2,500 with die sets. Of course, with the exception of a few dies, all of my equipment is RCBS. Incidentally, I still run on a single stage rockchucker, because I really never sit down and load 500 or 1000 of any one cartridge. If I make an evening out of it, it might be 100 rounds of 10mm, 100 rounds of .220 swift and 50 rounds of .45-70. I would lose more time setting up a turret than the extra bit it takes on a single.
But anyway, while I commend your trying to get more people into it, I don't personally ever recommend the cheap tools that will be relegated to the back of the closet once one becomes more serious. Buy good equipment the first time, and it'll last you a lifetime
I've been reloading for a long time, load for 42 different cartridges. Yes, I've recouped the invesment, which is probably around $2,500 with die sets. Of course, with the exception of a few dies, all of my equipment is RCBS. Incidentally, I still run on a single stage rockchucker, because I really never sit down and load 500 or 1000 of any one cartridge. If I make an evening out of it, it might be 100 rounds of 10mm, 100 rounds of .220 swift and 50 rounds of .45-70. I would lose more time setting up a turret than the extra bit it takes on a single.
But anyway, while I commend your trying to get more people into it, I don't personally ever recommend the cheap tools that will be relegated to the back of the closet once one becomes more serious. Buy good equipment the first time, and it'll last you a lifetime
ATBackPackin
Member
Well then can you guys give some good references of how to start for someone who knows exactly nothing about reloading. Like I stated before I would like to learn how to, but I really know absolutely nothing about it and it's a little overwhelming not even knowing where to start. As someone stated previously it is a really steep learning curve. I could probably get a budget of around $400. Now what???
j21blackjack
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I would spend time researching and reading some of the massive amount of information on the internet, Google works pretty well. There are plenty of good books on reloading out there as well. I got started after a little interenet reading and bought a Lee Classic Loader for .44spl. It's an extremely basic setup that involves the use of a mallet instead of a press. It did not work out so well, and I never even loaded a single round. What it did was allow me to learn hands on the basics of reloading. Then I got my hand press kit, read the directions, and started reloading. There are plenty of people who are going to say you need to spend tons of money on your reloading equipment, but obviously you don't. I think youtube probably taught me the most about the actual process of reloading. It's almost like you can try out all the different reloading gear without actually buying any of it, so you decide what you want and need.
berettaprofessor
Member
Don't know how.
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