Stop being so eclectic?

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Nightcrawler

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Should I break down and get a .44 Magnum and/or a .357? To date, my only revolver is in .45 Colt, and I've grown to like the round, looking for other revolvers in the same chambering. But, ammo is expensive (even moreso than .44) and loads with any power to them are difficult to find.

So, should I give up my preferance for the round and buy a .357 and/or a .44 next instead? (I'm not going to sell my 25-5, mind you.) Should I buy a full sized revolver, a snubby, and a lever carbine in .357 or .44 instead of .45 Colt? It'd certainly make things easier for me.

.357 would be cheapest and has the widest variety of guns, but I do prefer big-bore rounds.

.44 Magnum is available in a wide variety of nice guns and is cheaper than .45 Colt. There are also 5-shot .44 Special snubbies out there to go with it.

Your opinions, please. No gun purchases are currently pending; taxes came back. Apparently, the IRS messed up last year and didn't take enough last year, so they're practically doubling the amount I need to send this year. :cuss:
 
For about a hundred bucks you can get set up to reload from LEE: press, powder measure, primer tool, and a set of 45 colt dies.

Now a bunch of guys are going to jump in here and say you can get a lot better stuff than Lee for only 4 or 5 hundred. And they are right but the Lee stuff will certainly do.

45 is an easy one to reload since everything is so big and easy to handle. You just have to get used to the fact that you are putting an teensy weeny amount of smokeless powder in that loooong colt case.
 
Not necessarily...one of the .45 Colt guns I want is a Ruger Redhawk. It'll take stuff that'd ruin my 25-5.

Don't know if I have the space to reload. Can't do it in the dorm room and don't have much room at home. Maybe when I get my own place.
 
 
Reloading is a good deal. It takes less space than your computer set up. I just push mine out of the way when I set up my press. Clamp it to the desk and I'm ready to roll. I can refill the brass for around $6.00 per box shooting 200gr Lead bullets.
However, shooting 38 is cheap whether you reload or not. One can never have too many guns. In these unsettled times more caliber choices are a good thing.
 
Nightcrawler, if you're only reloading pistol, Lee makes (made) and "hand press" that doesn't require a bench to mount it. I used mine for years in the dorm, various apartments, or when I had an unheated shop and wanted to be in the house! I wouldn't use it for rifle cases (not enough leverage), but for pistol cases it works like a charm.


Now, just where is mine? I need to stuff some cases...
 
I'd have a hard time saying one should have one caliber over another except that if it were strictly between the .357 or .44 I'd have to pick the .357. Primarily because it is extremely versatile and relatively inexpensive to shoot, especially with .38 Spcl loads. That being said, reloading for me is certainly not an option, couldn't afford to shoot like I want otherwise. If it is a case of room, there are several options such as the Lee Loader however, I'd check into a Lyman tong tool which is basically an overgrown pair of pliars and will work quite well for handgun rounds. I've used one for both handgun rounds and straight walled rifle cases without any trouble. A bit slower than a bench with all the tools and toys, but certainly effective and cheap to use. Good luck, BD
 
Listen to charleym3 and Britt Nightcrawler.

Biggest mistake I ever made in my purchases (which is saying a lot! ;) ) is that I kept buying a new gun I *needed* evertime I got up enough money to buy a reloading setup. When I finally started reloading I realized all the time I'd been wasting. I've later regretted buying several guns, never once have a regretted my reloading press...

My advice buying stuff in order:

#1 Gun
#2 Holster
#3 Training (if they can provide you with a above, then this goes to #1)
#4 Reloading setup
#5+more guns, custom gunsmithing,books, etc. etc.

You got more than one gun and not reloading? :uhoh:
 
Reloading in my dorm room is not a question of space; it's a University rule forbidding having containers of gunpowder. Ammunition is okay, but they had an incident where some fool was playing around, lighting blackpowder on fire across his desk. Well, a spark leaped into the open container, and boom....

So I can't do it here. A compact setup for reloading pistol rounds would be nice for my room at home, though.
 
A Lee Hand Press may be the answer.

Many, many, many years ago I started hand loading with a Lee hand press. Small, compact, easy to use and does the job. Certainly not the press for large scale production but for the situation that you describe it could be an excellent choice. The press itself costs less than $30.00. Of course dies, etc. will add to the overall costs but where space is a major concern it is an excellent way to go. FYI here is the Lee URL. http://www.leeprecision.com/ Good shooting;)
 
Rifle ammo is easy on a hand press too if you only neck size, or FL size on a big press at home before taking them back to school.

Tall Pine is right about the Lee stuff, it WORKS. May not be the equivalent of a Dillon but it does work and make decent ammo.

$100 for the loading equipment and $100 in components ( you have been saving the brass right?) will load nearly TWO THOUSAND ROUNDS of 45 Colt!!!!!!!!!!!!! Lots of shooting for a hundred bucks eh? If you did it right it would load over 2500 rounds.

357 is not drastically cheaper to load, but it is a little cheaper. I load both 45 and 357 for just under $3 for 50 rounds without looking too hard for deals on components.

As far as space goes you only need a 2 foot long section of kitchen counter. Bolt your single stage press to a board, pull a drawer out of the counter in the kitchen and C-clamp the board to the counter top. All marks on the counter are hidden if you sunk the bolt heads for the loader, so no worries there. Crank the handle for a while and enjoy a whole new part of the shooting sports. Reloading is a satisfying hobby in itself.

I would not buy another gun until you can reload, reloading gear makes it possible to afford far more guns in the future, or shoot the ones you have a LOT.
 
how about gettin the 357. i have both .357 and .45 revolvers, i dont reload yet so i just shoot the 357 more since 45 colt is more expensive and less available in my area. i just buy all my ammo mail order it just saves so much time. i dont feel the need yet for a 44 when i have a .45

where do you buy your stuff in the UP? the local co-op at my hunting place has a good selection but i wouldnt want to buy it frequently at their prices.

Craig
 
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