choice of components

I use a little of everything, sometimes by choice but not always.

Use cci primers and imr the most.

I always look for CCI but have started buying Winchester and Federal primers since pickings are slim. Hodgdon is my favorite powders.

For powders, I have favorite loads using Western, Hodgdon/Winchester/IMR, and Alliant powders. It depends on the cartridge.

For primers, I use CCI, Winchester, and Remington. It depends on what is available but I prefer Remington 7-1/2 for small rifle primers.

I only reload handgun calibers.

Use Winchester and CCI primers almost exclusively.

Powders in order of usage:
Unique
Trail boss
#9
#7
2400
296
And a smattering of others to include H110, #5, #2, 300-MP, IMR 4227, Enforcer, Silhouette.

Whatever I can get cheap.
Ended up with 16# of Spanish powder for $50. And I have 7lbs left.

792mauser said:

Whatever I can get cheap.
Ended up with 16# of Spanish powder for $50. And I have 7lbs left.

Click to expand...

Jug Johnson, is that you?

I have over 30 handgun powders on hand. The only brand I don't have is VV. I've even got some Vectan and it's good stuff.

Primers....whatever are least expensive. Right now it's Winchester for $30/1000.

I check my 4 load manuals plus online data for each new load combo. For that reason alone, I prefer Hodgdon/Win/IMR, for their great online data. Have a little Alliant powder too, but their site is more frustrating/tedious to use.

Just got some Shooters World Tactical Rifle, haven’t played with that yet. That’s a different beast for data – their catalog only, as far as I know, for that powder anyway. Apparently no exact Lovex twin.

Not particular about primers, whatever I can find at a good price. Usually that’s Winchester. Even have a few hundred old Herters that still bang, working through those. Never tried Tula, Wolf, Fiocchi, Fort Smith or Cheddite, have no plans to.

I did notice you did not list Federal Primers in your list, maybe just an oversight.
I don't use them though.
When I started it was CCI, Hercules and Speer. Other primers, powders and bullets were not prevalent where I lived. There were some Winchester and Hodgdon powders and a lot of home grown cast bullet companies like NorthWestern Casting company. Shot a lot of those.
Now I shoot more Winchester primers but still favor CCI, Shoot a lot more IMR, Winchester and Hodgdon powders. Hornady seems to be the most commonly stocked bullets now but still shoot Speer when I can get them. Berry's and Accura now get a lot of use and for cast, Bumblebee bullets another home grown company, they don't even have a website. Great bullets though.

For powder I pick up a huge variety to make up test rounds in my guns.
Once I see what works best for each gun I buy a larger amount of that powder for that gun.

Primers here are hit & miss. So I have been buying the 1,000 piece bricks of primers.
I am about caught up.on gun & reloading purchaces
So here shortly I will be buying primers by the case of 5,000.
On primers I will make due with what ever brand is available at that time.

Bullets are another item I need to stock up on.
Same thing, for plinking loads I will buy bulk of lower priced projectiles and make them work.

Maybe I'm different, but I normally get my components after research. If my choice of powder is the cheapest, good but that's more often than not the reason. Same with all other components, I buy what I think will work best for me, my guns, my reloading, style and my shooting/intended purpose (I do not reload counting pennies but I don't throw money away either). I have 3 different manufacturer's primers (some work in every gun and some are more picky), I have most of the common powders, maybe 12-14 different kinds, plus 12-13 lbs of two "surplus" powders, All my components are chosen for what they do for me and my guns, the performance, not by a "popular name" or "new and improved", what the Gun Gurus use or the cheapest.....

When I got into hand loading Winchester LR primers were all that were available at that moment in time. I've not seen any reason to change. There may be better options, but they do what I ask and I have almost 3000 in the house.

I currently only load for 308, 6.5 CM and 30-06, but have loaded for 3-4 others in the past. My goto powders are Varget and H4350 for those 2. I like to keep some Ramshot Hunter around as well as IMR4064. I've found those to be more readily when others are hard to find. Ramshot is a decent substitute for H4350 and I can use IMR4064 for most of the Varget loads.

Miss my S+B SPPs being on sale for $20/k.
Using up the last I have. Switched back to CCi
Favorite powders for pistol
WSF
AA#2
Sport Pistol (haven't got to try it out much range has been closed but tests before the closure seemed promising)
HP38/W231 (for 45)
CFE-P

H110.W296 for .357 Full power
BE86 for less than full powder .357

and others but those are my main ones.

I like TAC for .223 (H335, 8208XBR and BLC(2) as well)
and H4831 for my 7mm rem Mag. (sometime when I have time I need to try some others for it but happy wth H4831 so not a priority)