Large batches of reloads?

[Bayou52]

How many reloads do you usually make up and just set aside? It's getting cold and days are short so I want to do a lot of loading and stock pile some stuff for crap hit the fan and fun when the weather warms up.

I want to have a couple k loaded up but I'm worried that's a bad idea.

I used to reload alot and store the stuff. Invariably, though, I find that as I progress along the shooting/learning curve, I like a different load or cartridge configuration better. Something gets changed or refined.

So, rather than load and store a bunch of reloaded stuff, I just prefer to have the components on hand and load as I go.

 

[jmorris]

I never thought of it from this direction before but when people buy press mounted collet bullet pullers, I have always wondered "how many" do they have to pull that would justify the cost?

 

[GBExpat]

... by the time I get home and load up say 100 rifle rounds its dark and I cant shoot. I figured load up a bunch this way when I say I want to go shoot I have plenty and don't have to rush and reload some then go shoot. ...

I feel compelled to say ...

In my entire reloading life I (and no reloaders that I have known) have never operated in the mode of "reload my ammo just before I shoot it".

I have always maintained some ready-to-go ammo for those times when I have the sudden urge to grab a gun and dash out the back door to the farm.

 

[Reloadron]

So, rather than load and store a bunch of reloaded stuff, I just prefer to have the components on hand and load as I go.

Which brings us to the fact you can never have too many reloading components stored at any given time. Things like powder and primers have a very long shelf life when properly stored. This year I loaded and shot powder and primers I have had since 1990 which were properly stored, and the shelf life of brass and bullets borders on forever.

I got an invite from the new Cabela's in Avon Lake, Ohio for a November 4th through 6th Friends and Family Weekend for an employees discount. The discounts vary by product but overall here are some good deals to be had. I thought I was done stocking up on reloading components but maybe there is more I need?

Ron

 

[GBExpat]

I never thought of it from this direction before but when people buy press mounted collet bullet pullers, I have always wondered "how many" do they have to pull that would justify the cost?

I have found my (~$20?) Hornady Cam-Lok collet bullet puller to be very handy when replacing S&B 7,62x25 85gr FMJs with SPs or HPs. It has also proved a quicker way to remove the 174gr FMJ bullets from click ----bang Mk7 ammo.

The main thing that I do not like about the hammer-style bullet pullers is the propellant mess.

 

[jmorris]

In my entire reloading life I (and no reloaders that I have known) have neveroperated in the mode of "reload my ammo just before I shoot it".

You know one now. I can't tell you how many times I have loaded ammunition for the match, that morning. Lots more times if you also count the night before. Thousands more times if you count load development and/or chronographing.

Depends on what "just before" means to you but I know lots of folks that load during the week to shoot the ammunition that weekend.

With this setup it has been loaded for just a few seconds before I shoot it. Makes working up loads fast and easy vs loading various loads before had.

 

[Reloadron]

In my entire reloading life I (and no reloaders that I have known) have never operated in the mode of "reload my ammo just before I shoot it".

Most of my outdoor shooting is done at a Bench rest Range in Lawrence Ohio. While I am not a bench rest type I enjoy watching them shoot. I have watched as they shoot 5 rounds, clean the rifle and load five more right there and then shoot them. This goes on for hours. In the time they shoot twenty rounds and have loaded each at five round intervals I have shot my hundred rounds of .308 Win or .223 Rem. Some will do this with three shot groups rather than five.

Ron

 

[lightman]

I see no problem with loading large amounts of ammo. Just be sure that its a load that you like and that the ammo will function in your fire arm. Also, keep it stored in a location with a stable temperature.

I have what I call my working stock. It consist of several thousand rounds for several pistol calibers and 2 rifle calibers that I shoot a lot of. When one caliber runs out I will process that brass, cast enough bullets to load it again, and then set up the Dillon to get it loaded again. These are all proven loads and I make sure that they will chamber ok before I load all of that batch. These are stored in a controlled environment.

Now, I prefer to load my match and hunting ammo in smaller batches so that it is fresh. I don't know if it makes any difference.

 

[alexcue]

Depends on the caliber, 9mm and .45 I keep between 1000 and 2000 on hand. Brass about another few thousands plus components to reload for them. .223 maybe a little less, but plenty of brass to reload. Since I use an XL650 it's just easier to do several hundred at a time. Now for other pistol and rifle calibers, I'll keep maybe a few hundred on hand, and rifle usually 20-50 tops. I'm only planning on adding some new brass for .357 mag and .45 Colt. maybe about 500 or so, if the bug hits me I'll reload them all.

It's true though, sometimes you think you have a good recipe and then someone comes along and recommends another change in powder or bullet and now I'm just burning through ammo for the sake of using it up!

 

[GBExpat]

... Depends on what "just before" means to you ...

"just before" as in, "I have no zero ammo in this caliber and I want to walk out the back door and plink right now".

The handle on the press is still warm from your hand as you walk out of the door to shoot.

It seemed to me that he was referring to just wandering out to plink and depended upon enough time after getting home after work & before dark to roll the ammo with which he planned on plinking.

That is what I have never done and not a planned approach that would appeal to either me or any of the reloaders that I have known thru the years.

If I found myself in that situation, I would use the too-dark-to-shoot time tonight to roll some ammo for use on future nights. I would never plan to roll the ammo and shoot it between getting home from work and too-dark-to-shoot.

Periodically, I will roll a few 10-round Test Strings just prior to walking out the back door to my range, but I will almost always do that at least a day in advance.

"I want to go shooting", to me, is much different from loads development.

I have never known anyone who depends upon having time after work just prior to leaving for the range to mfr the plinking ammo.

That's all ...

 

[375supermag]

Hi...
Typically, I do the vast majority of my reloading from just after New Year's until the weather warms enough for the outdoor shooting season begins(generally sometime in late March early April depending on temperature).
I generally reload for my handguns in batches of 500 rounds for plinking/target/general purpose loads. I have tried and tested loads for every handgun caliber so I maintain adequate components to load as much as time allows. I keep my brass re-sized and primed so that when the reloading season starts I have hundreds or thousands of pieces of brass ready to reload depending on the caliber. When it comes time to reload I will load up ten loading blocks with empty brass and start on that caliber until I have exhausted my supply of empty brass, then move onto the next caliber. As I work through of the various calibers, I may load as many as several thousand rounds of the most used calibers, depending on how much brass I have. If I want to test a new load, I generally load 50 rounds to shoot through each handgun of that caliber.
As far as rifle rounds, I usually load in small batches of 20-50 rounds but then I shoot rifles basically to work up one load to hunt with.

 

[rondog]

I'm known to fill 'em up and stash 'em. I definitely make more ammo than I shoot, by orders of magnitude. I buy those white ammo boxes from Midway 100 at a time. Hey, ya never know.....

And although I have more brass than I'll ever need, I still pick it up and drag it home. It's definitely some kind of disorder, I'm sure. But I also sell lots and lots of brass - helps fund bullets, primers, powders, new guns, etc.

 

[AZAndy]

I try to keep four or five shooting sessions' worth. 1200 .45ACP, 500 .357, 500 .38. I guess you can tell what I shoot the most.

 

[jmorris]

"just before" as in, "I have no zero ammo in this caliber and I want to walk out the back door and plink right now".

That would drastically reduce the number.

Heck, I have some ammunition for calibers I don't even currently own a firearm chambered for them, just not a thousand rounds preloaded.

It's pretty safe to say if I have any firearm there are at least a few rounds of ammunition sitting around. Even if they are just "plinkers" that beats pulling them, if I loaded more than I should have of a certain load, that turned out to be less than ideal.

 

[Steve in PA]

Well, I have about 5k rounds for my AR, about 2k rounds for .45acp and 9mm. I have about 500rds of .38sp, .357mag and .44mag. I think I have about 1k rounds loaded for my M1 Carbine and M1 Garand. Anywhere from 50-100rds of hunting .30/06, .303 British, 8mm Mauser and 7.5 Swiss.

 

[bullseye308]

I have a load my 357 loves and keep 3000 loaded for it and components for another 2000. 38 spl has a load for it too and I keep 3-4000 loaded for it and enough components for another 5k. I just today got the load down for one of my 9mm's and will load 5000 for it. Once I get my other 9's dialed in ill load at least 5000 for each unless they share one.

Now I finally have a 45 and am in the process of working a load for it, but I have some to start with leftover from when I loaded some for a friend 10 years ago. Once I get it dialed in ill load all 2000 cases I have.

For 223 when I start on it and get it figured out I'll probably load 5000 for it too.

I usually load in batches of 500-1000 and lately on a single stage and weigh every charge & check oal on every round. Time I have lots of. I usually cast one caliber at a time and in 100# batches, and have a few years worth ready.

 

[mstreddy]

Like many here, I'm in the camp of if it's a proven load then I load up a bunch. I shoot 9MM on almost every range trip, generally once a week. So, I try to build up a working stash of 600-1000. Once I get below a couple hundred, time to load another batch. Build up to the stash and switch to other calibers. I try and have stash levels for the calibers I shoot more often -- 38 Spcl 300-500, 357 Mag around 300. 45 ACP 500-800, 223 Rem 800-1500, 300 Blackout around 300, 30-06 200-300.
Other calibers I don't shoot as often, 50-100.
I don't like to feel rushed to load for a caliber for an upcoming range trip. So, I try to have on hand.

 

[thomas15]

I have three main loads for 9mm. My plinking load, I currently have about 6000 in the can so it will be quite some time before I need more. My Glock competition load I try to keep 1000 on hand and if the level gets to 500 I start making plans. The 9mm load for my revolver, I try to have about 3000 as this is the one I consume the most of. I let the stock run down to nill, as of last weekend I have 23 rounds, that it. So I ordered 3300 Bayou Bullets and when they get here I'm going to load up maybe 500 rounds, this will get me through the winter and through the first match in the Spring.

Going forward I'm not going to stock 1000s of rounds of finished ammo instead will load as I go. Over the winter I'm stocking up on bullets as this is my component achillies heel. When spring gets here I'm going to do some rifle load development. Others like 38 and 45 I have enough target loads to last a while. My goal for 2017 is to really refine my methods and increase my understanding of handloading in general.

 

[luzyfuerza]

I reload so that I can shoot. A lot. I love to take an ammo can to the range, and shoot until I've accomplished my training objectives. I hate worrying about how many rounds I can shoot that day.

When the shooting's done, I do my "reloaders' yoga" moves and pick up the spent brass. When my buckets of empty cases are full, and the cans of loaded ammo are a little too low for comfort, then I get the reloading equipment going to build up a comfortable supply.

Between my 650 and 1050, I'd say that my average production run of ammo is between 3k and 5k rounds per batch. My single stage press is just for unusual rifle cartridges, and for load workup.

 

[Bayou52]

Which brings us to the fact you can never have too many reloading components stored at any given time. Things like powder and primers have a very long shelf life when properly stored. This year I loaded and shot powder and primers I have had since 1990 which were properly stored, and the shelf life of brass and bullets borders on forever.

That's very true - I guess you can reach the point of saying enough is enough, but I'm clearly not there yet. And may never be!

Regarding the shelf life of primers and powders, I've got both powders and primers reckoning back to the late 70's and early 80's that I'm now loading. It all works like new. Goes bang every time.

 

[hdwhit]

How many reloads do you usually make up and just set aside?

Every serviceable case in my house is at some point in the reloading process. But that doesn't mean I am stockpiling it against the collapse of civilization; rather I have to load here because I travel some distance from home to the place I normally shoot.

I have a .50 caliber ammunition can with six 140 round bandoliers of .223 Remington that I keep on hand in case there is a short-term breakdown of law and order along with a hundred or so rounds each of .25ACP, .38 Special, .9mm and 45ACP. I use a single-stage press, so everything I do is in small batches. For example, currently on the counter next to the reloading bench are reloading blocks with 120 9mm and 50 .223 cases that will be sized, primed, and loaded in the next couple of weeks. They will probably all be shot over the Thanksgiving holiday.

 

[Blue Thunder]

I reload 500-700 rounds of 9MM or 40S&W in batches when I reload. I have a large stash of .45ACP so it is good to go. When I go to the range (Indoor Membership), I shoot one mag of Social on a weekly basis. About once a month I will go shoot 100+ rounds of reloads to insure the 15 year old formula still works as good as it was when I worked it up. Still using primers and powder that is 15 years old, but have been stocking a regular quantity of new stuff in the last 8 years a bit at a time. I now have enough to last for a few years. Social ammo I am stocked in depth since buying large quantities back in early 2008. Avoid the rush now and get stocked up. Hopefully Trump will get elected and we can stop thinking about the other side.....