Thanks for asking our advice. Welcome to reloading
Okay, I am getting ready to turn 35, and want to start a new hobby. ... The turret presses just seem to be set up for production, whereas I am wanting to spend more time with the process.
Congratulations. Reloading for accuracy or cost-savings is viable. Loading for .223, 9mm, .40S&W and 45 ACP, it is pretty hard to make big savings, but most other rifle rounds and revolver rounds, the savings are significant. My .357 Mag costs me about 1/3 of factory ammo.
Turret press advocates do tout their speed and convenience, but most turret presses are nearly equally competitive with single stage presses for reliability and accuracy.
Mostly because most single stage presses are cast in one piece and there is zero play between parts. All presses assembled from parts necessarily have some dimensional tolerance. In a single stage press, if alignment (between the ram and the die threads) is correct when the press was made, it will not change without REALLY extreme circumstances. It means one less variable to consider.
Now, the Forster is an exception. I have never used one, but am told the self-centering feature of the shell holder and the symmetrical design of the press guarantees perfect alignment. And I believe it.
I have also considered a hand press, but am worried about dumping powder, inconsistent crimps, etc.
I never considered a hand press. I mounted my bench-mount press on a board with carriage bolts and wing-nuts and wedged the board into the drawer of an end table.
Dumping powder with a hand press will not be a concern. You don't do that on a hand-held. You put your cases in a loading block and charge them all as a batch (en bloc, if you will). Then start the bullet in the case mouth before putting the assemblage into the press. No spill. Crimp is applied by your muscles and you can regulate (with practice) the force. Though, I admit I find a bench-mounted press a little easier to maintain consistency. In addition to the force in my hands, the position of the handle gives me visual feedback as well.
...so I am lucky if I can manage 1 range trip a month, though I thoroughly enjoy everything firearm-related (yes, even cleaning them). Am I going to get frustrated when working loads up, because it will be so long between trips,
If patience is a problem, (between loading a set of rounds to be tested and getting to the range), just make up the rounds closer to the date of the range trip. If patience is a problem otherwise, loading may not be a good choice for you
. You know yourself best.
Know this: As you get engaged in reloading you will find the study of internal ballistics (what happens between ignition of the primer and the bullet's exit of the muzzle) FASCINATING.
So, is this something I want to get started in, or will it be a nightmare?
TL;DR version: Will I enjoy reloading if I only get to shoot 6 days a year?
Aaah. That is the question. Why reload?
The fish I catch might cost more than the fish I buy;
The veggies I grow might cost more than the those I buy;
The ammunition I shoot might even cost more than retail;
Why do I fish, garden and handload?
If you have to ask why, you probably won't understand; these activities enrich my life.
Actually, to tell the truth, I do calculate the cost of my ammunition, fish and zuccini. I even include the dollar value of my time.
Here is an essay I wrote enumerating some of the reasons:
Why reload?
Let me count the ways:
Economy: Depending on what cartridges you are reloading (and whether or not you want to count your time and the up-front equipment costs) you can save anywhere from just a little to 80% or more of your ammo costs. (9mm is very close to no savings. 500 S&W, my friend's ammo costs are $0.75 per round, factory loaded ammo is $3.00 each for comparable ammo. More exotic calibers (especially rifle calibers) can save even more. Some rounds are not even available on a regular basis at any price.
Quality: Ammo you craft yourself can be tuned to your firearms particular characteristics. Handloaders for rifles quite often find some individual guns have quite striking differences in group size when shooting tuned ammunition.
Knowledge: As you study reloading, you will, perforce, also study internal ballistics. The study of internal ballistics leads into the study of how your firearms work. That cannot be a bad thing.
Customization: Ammo you load yourself can be tuned to your particular needs. My friend with the 500 S&W loads full power loads and "powder puff" loads that clock 350 grain slugs a little under 800 feet per second. I know that's more than a G.I. 45 ACP's power and momentum, but they shoot like 22 rimfire in that big, heavy gun. Great for fun, familiarization, training and letting the curious bystander go for a "test drive" with a super-light load, a medium load, a heavy load and, if they are still game one of the big boomers. This tends to avoid the "rear sight in the forehead" mark.
Satisfaction: Punching small bunches of small, medium or large holes in paper or bringing down a game or food animal with ammunition you crafted yourself has a good deal of satisfaction. Same reason I prefer to make my own biscuits instead of store-bought.
Smug satisfaction: When the ammo shelves are bare during a market or political scare, loaders are demonstrably less affected by the shortages. A couple of pounds of powder, a thousand primers and bullets (or few pounds of lead) and a hundred cartridge cases wouldn't fill a small book carton, but lets the loader know he can shoot while price-gougers take advantage of non-loaders.
Self-satisfaction: The repetitive, calm, attentive concentration of the reloading activities is often found to be so much fun as to bring to the shooter's mind the question, "Do I reload so I can shoot shoot or do I shoot so I can reload?". Some find loading to be as satisfying a hobby as shooting or fly-tying or many other hobbies.
The more fanatical among us combine a couple of the features I have mentioned and, instead of shooting for bullseye accuracy at the range, reload in a search for the "magic load" that achieves perfection in a given rifle. Then, they move on to the next target, which is another rifle and another tuned load. But you do have to be at least a little fanatical to even get it. It is the hunt they seek, for they enjoy the quest more than the goal.
Lost Sheep
