How do you like to reload? Marathon sessions or fit it in whenever?

[ShadowsEye]

Well for hand gun ammo, I don't store large quantities, so I load 2 or 300 rounds of a caliber and I'm done, usually takes an hour or so.

For rifle ammo I load in phases, case prep all the cases, prime in front of the TV with the hand primer. Then I always do the critical stuff when I'm fresh, charge a round, seat a bullet. OR I load 100 rounds start to finish in an hour or two and have ammo to shoot.

 

[stiffdogg06]

With .40 S&W, I'll reload 100 rounds in one session 15-20min session. I normally will only reload 100-150 in one night because that is normally what I shoot at a range visit.

With .223, I fit it in when I can. I'll resize a bunch in one night and keep doing that for a few days until all are resized. I will then start the process over in the next step of the process.

 

[1SOW]

cfullgraf:

I prefer to resize my cases at a separate time from reloading and I prefer to process them shortly after shooting. These sessions are usually relatively short, an hour or less to process a couple hundred or three from the day's shooting session. With the resizing process, cleaning/tumbling extends over night and I put the prepped cases i storage the next day.

I do 'exactly' the same with pistol ammo on a second single stage press on the patio.
I'm very retired, so I tend to tinker every day with something to do with reloading. I try to stay a couple of months+ ahead of my shooting.
My son bought me a sign for my reloading area that says; "MYNAME"'s MAN CAVE.

I usually don't load ammo for more than two hours at a time on the LEE turret press.

 

[Dudemeister]

When I used to use the turret press, I used to go for the long 2-3 hour sessions, over a couple of days.

Then a little while ago, I bought a Lee hand press, originally to load a few 30-30 rounds. Now I find I use it to load just about anything.

Since I don't have to set anything up (other than the powder dispenser), my sessions have become a "whenever" and for "however long" I feel like it: One day, I'll sit there and deprime a few hundred rounds, then toss them in the tumbler. A few days later I'll prime and flare the cases. All those steps are pretty simple and don't require my "undivided" attention, so I can do them while watching TV or whatever.

Later, when I can set aside some time and pay attention to what I'm doing, I drop the powder and finish them off.

 

[Andrew Leigh]

As I tend towards obsessive compulse when loading, so for me it is about batches. I like to complete stages of reloading and tick them off. So for each batch of cases I have I will record the amount of times loaded and for each one of those there is a check sheet for the state of progress for each.

So I will tend to do operation A for all batches ready one one night and operation B on another. I seldom load a batch from scratch i.e. from depriming and cleaning to seating. The other reason for batch processing is that it is quicker as you get into a groove so to speak

I do like to have batches of cleaned, sized and trimmed cases just waiting for primers, powder and a pill. All the other stages for me are the grind but when you sit down for one session merely to prime charge and seat that is when loading is real fun.

At the moment I have 4 batches of 30-06 waiting annealing, which I will only do once my DIY annealer is designed and complete.

 

[Steve2md]

I break it up into sessions. I toss everything into the vibratory tumbler with walnut when I get home from the range (my brass and pickups). Separate when I get some time (the kids love that part), size/deprime if I reload for that caliber, or universal deprime if I don't. Wet tumble in stainless. Run in progressive for .45ACP, or single stage in batches of 200 or so for others (12 gauge I'll go until I run out of hulls or other components). takes me a week or so to get through them all, unless I'm really bored, but "honey dos" keep me pretty busy (I worked less when I wasn't retired!)

 

[Henry45]

I do mine in stages. I work until I get tired, or until I just need to do something else, and then I walk away. I get to it as i can, when I can, and enjoy the either short amount of time, or the occasional, long amount of time i have to spend. But, generally have at least a few hours per week that I can sit in silence and just enjoy reloading.

 

[Geckgo]

I haven't been doing a ton of shooting lately (working too much) so I haven't had the need or desire to sit at the bench most of the time (when I am actually home). I will get and urge and act on it. Sometimes, when I get enough brass, I will spend a day with the tumbler running in the background while I'm doing other stuff. Other days are watching tv and resizing/priming/sorting. When I do sit down to reload, it's usually 1 1/2 to 2 hours in a session. I get everything set up (takes about 10 minutes if that), crack a beer and set it on a shelf next to the reloading station, load a box, take a sip of beer, load a box, take a sip of beer, load a box, pour out warm beer and put everything away, then grab another beer and get on with my night.

 

[James2]

I have a Man Cave with a lock on the door, so if grandkids are expected I just lock the door to keep them safe. I reload whenever the mood strikes. If I really need some ammo for an occasion I may put in a couple of hours, but usually just 30 mins or an hour at a time. Size some brass today, prime it tomorrow and finish it some other day. Another day, cast bullets, then size and lube them whenever, maybe spend half an hour at a time on the sizer. I do usually make a marathon out of casting on the days I cast. I load single stage. I am usually way ahead of my shooting these days.

 

[holdencm9]

The Lee PPM hopper can be closed, lifted, and dumped quite easily. There are some powder measures with a swappable insert for quickly changing loads, and for such measures you can buy a powder dump insert - basically it just leaves a hole in the bottom of the measure. Lift the handle, and all the powder dumps out. You might consider fashioning a quick release mount for your measure, if it is lacking such features.

It doesn't take long to take it off and dump it out, I just wonder if it does much good? The hopper isn't air-tight but it isn't necessarily exposed to open air either. I think I am more likely to spill or introduce contaminants by pouring it back out every time I load. Assuming of course that the powder is never sitting for longer than a week.

I haven't been doing a ton of shooting lately (working too much) so I haven't had the need or desire to sit at the bench most of the time (when I am actually home). I will get and urge and act on it. Sometimes, when I get enough brass, I will spend a day with the tumbler running in the background while I'm doing other stuff. Other days are watching tv and resizing/priming/sorting. When I do sit down to reload, it's usually 1 1/2 to 2 hours in a session. I get everything set up (takes about 10 minutes if that), crack a beer and set it on a shelf next to the reloading station, load a box, take a sip of beer, load a box, take a sip of beer, load a box, pour out warm beer and put everything away, then grab another beer and get on with my night.

you consume an adult beverage while reloading?!?! tisk tisk. I am just kidding. Sounds like a nice way to spend an evening. I must say, last night I deprimed a bunch of brass, then during some television-watching with the wife, brought it out to the living room for a beer and some primer-pocket cleaning and chamfering (herter's not-quite crimped but very sharp edge on the pocket). It was quite nice to take care of some more menial tasks while not being down in the fortress of solitude.

 

[jeeptim]

1k process at a time. 1 size de&rePrime. 2 tumble. 3 measure and trim. won' load any untill i have at 1K cases ready and at 4 that point with my lee turret press and FCD 200+ to 300+ an Hr and 5 tumble W new-finish.
3 or 4 sittings 1k only do rifle and use a rcbs powder measure have not had good luck with the through the die powder measure.

 

[hentown]

I load on a 650 and usually load for 2-3 hours at a time. I generally take a couple of breaks along the way. I might do that for an entire day, depending on how much I feel like reloading and what else I might want to do. Loaded around 1k .223s yesterday and today. Need to decrimp about 1k pcs of brass that I picked up the other day before I finish with .223s. Will go to 9mm next. I use small rifle primers for .223 and 9mm, so that simplifies things a little.

Got a press-mounted RCBS primper pocket swager on the way from Midway. Hope it works as advertised.

 

[rdhood]

I usually go ahead and prepare all empty cases as soon as I have a big enough batch: tumble two hours, deprime/size, tumble two more....

Then, when I need the ammo, I'll create 100 cartridges at a time (primers come in a box of 100). At the end of 100, I'll decide if I want to go 100 more.... and 100 more.

I keep around 500 rounds of finished pistol ammo at a time (per caliber), and replenish when I get down to about 100.

In short, I go on marathon depriming sessions, and 100-at-a-time construction sessions.


BTW, its interesting that many of us do a variation on this same process (prepare cases as one process, load cases as a second process).

 

[FROGO207]

I clean/process my brass as I get it or when I shoot it and then put it away "ready to load" in buckets. Then when I use some up or want to stock up on something I load whatever I feel like till I am done with it. Might be only 20 rounds, might be 500--all using the batch method on my single stage or turret press. I usually load for my expected yearly usage in the wintertime and shoot most of what I shoot in the warmer months. But the 38-SPL and 9MM I use continually year around at the indoor range with the other guys.

 

[Kachok]

I like to do it all at once, but sometimes when you are developing loads you have to make a trip to the range to figure out what you are doing next.

 

[redclay]

I batch all of my reloading, might size and deprime one night, prime while the tumblers running. I no longer do anything of critical nature after 9PM. and I never hurry, 300 an hour has no appeal. A while back I was having over pressure signs in a standard load for 5.56 for my AR. Well I had forgot to crimp and the bullets were setting back, damn lucky to still be here.

 

[Bud0505]

If I'm reloading one of my tried and true loads I do them in increments of 100. I'm loading on a 550B so I'll fill a primer pickup tube with a hundred primers, set my powder measure to appropriate amount needed for my load and the turn out a hundred. Time and attitude permitting I may load for an hour or two or maybe not. But always in increments of 100.

 

[gpb]

It depends on what I'm reloading.

I shoot more shotgun than centerfire metallic, so I have a tendency to load 300 to 400 shotgun shells over couple hours. For the centerfire metallic I'll just load 50 to 100 over an hour or two.

Since I'm not a high volume shooter, I use single stage loaders for both types. Luckily I enjoy reloading, so the time spent doesn't bother me.

 

[Jaxondog]

I will load 6 round's, step over to the window, fire them off and make adjustment's. Since i have the new reloading room it is much more at ease. When I get a load that satisfies that particular rifle or handgun I will then load either 50 or more.