Will you learn to reload now?

[heeler]

Okay,so help me out here guys.
Could you please tell me or show pictures of all the necessary components that are necessary for reloading??
Let's say an absolute fresh start such as having to buy a few hundred cases of factory brass and primers to match and powder.
How do you decide what kind of powder to use and I ask this because once upon a time a factory rep from an ammo company claimed they used proprietary powder that was not sold to the public.
Not sure if that's true but he seemed straight up in our conversation.

Last,there must be an art to reloading because on three different occaisions I have been given reloads to try in big bore rifles and all three examples from three different "reloaders" were horrible in the least and one damn near ruined the bolt on my 6mm. rifle as it took a mallet to hammer it open after the shot!!!
Needless to say I am quite wary.

 

[Squeaky Wheel]

Okay,so help me out here guys.

Please spend a considerable amount of time READING and then re-reading on the subject BEFORE you attempt any reloading. The short answer is that there are loading "recipes" that give safe, known loads for different cartridges, bullet types, and powders.

 

[heeler]

I savvy what you are saying Squeaky and have no intentions diving headlong into something that could blind or cripple me by making some stupid juniour high chemistry lab experiments with gun powder.
I just wanted to see what's needed.
I actually know someone who no longer hunts or shoots and he might be willing to part with the equipment.
Not sure how much components have advanced or changed but his reloading stuff is circa late 1970's in age.

 

[Certaindeaf]

Okay,so help me out here guys.
Could you please tell me or show pictures of all the necessary components that are necessary for reloading??.

Primer, powder, payload/bullet, case/shell. If you're loading shotgun, include wads.

 

[heeler]

The actual tooling required to reload is what I meant.

 

[gspn]

The actual tooling required to reload is what I meant.

Read this:

http://www.thehighroad.org/archive/index.php/t-238214.html

There is no "art" to reloading. It's like following a recipe. If you follow the recipe you will get good results.

Some people can't follow recipes and mess things up...and it leaves you with a bad taste in your mouth. Don't shoot reloads from people you don't know...and don't shoot reloads from friends who you know can't/won't follow instructions.

Once you are geared up and "learned up" it's very easy and enjoyable.

 

[izhevsk]

I recently purchased the Lee Challenger kit and a Lee's reloading manual from Midway, as well as primer / powder / brass / bullets / and a set of dies from Cabela's. I'm holding off on giving it a go until I can get a digital scale and digital caliper set, however, as I'm a bit wary of actually using that Lee safety scale for measuring powder without a way to double check the measure. The 1/10 grain increments on the scale seem to be a bit difficult to read, and I'd rather be safe than sorry.

 

[thump_rrr]

Are you interested in reloading for pistol, rifle, or both?

This is because reloading for rifle is a little more complex and requires a few more tools and a few more steps.

A rifle cartridge when fired pushes the shoulder forward and the brass flows forward.
This means that the dies will need to be adjusted to push the shoulder back the proper amount for proper headspace. The case will then need to be trimmed if the brass became too long. It won't need trimming every firing but at some time it will.
Also the bullet can be loaded to an infinite number of overall lengths so again being able to measure where the rifling on your firearm begins is another step.

Hornady, Sinclair, and a few others make tools which allow you to measure all these things.
A headspace gauge, a case gauge and a bullet comparator will enable you to do all these tasks and once your dies are set up for the gun and bullet combination of your choice you will not need to use these till you either change bullet profiles or get another rifle to load for.

I don't mind investing in quality tools since they will last me for my entire lifetime and maybe a few more generations to come.

I started gradually on pistol calibers then went on to rifle once I was confident in my abilities.

You can checkout the youtube channel of iraqveteran8888.
He has a bunch of good reloading videos.
Also ultimate reloader is another good site to go see.

 

[bottom shelf]

And what would you say the cost (per round) of reloading is compared to purchasing?

My reloading costs per round are:

9mm = $.13
.38SPL = $.18
.357MAG = $.21
.40S&W = $.17
.44 MAG = $.28
.45ACP = $.20

This is with primers running $32/1000
Powder = $24/pound
Bullets are all FMJ purchased from Montana Gold
Brass is picked up for free.

 

[Westfair]

A tip one of my chemistry teachers taught me is applicable to reloading - NEVER attempt to base measurements on memory, and triple check RELIABLE SOURCES if you are unsure as to the severity of outcome.

Always consult your reloading manual to at least determine a basic load for the brand/type of powder for the caliber & bullet weight you are reloading.

 

[HoosierQ]

A lot of people are not going to reload. There's risk. There's investment of time. There's capital investment. Some people reload some don't.

 

[SharpsDressedMan]

If someone is serious about starting to reload in North Ohio, I would be willing to show them how, and have some extra gear I have acquired that I can part with (press, powder measures, scale). I won't post the stuff for sale until I know that any THR guy near me that takes me up on this offer doesn't want it. Send me a PM if you are interested and can drive to Wadsworth (near Akron).

 

[vito]

I thought the same thing and ordered what I thought I needed to get started. I ordered a Lee Classic Turret press, 2 sets of dies, a tumbler, scale, caliper, kinetic hammer, funnel, reloading book and basic supplies. As soon as I get a chance I will put everything together and then try to get started. I will admit its a bit intimidating, especially in how to set up each die, and to make sure I don't overfill cartridges, but I am excited about getting started. If anyone reading this knows of a link to a good set of basic instructions with step by step information it would increase my confidence factor significantly. But between the ammo shortages that seem to occur every few years, and the high cost of factory ammo, I thought this was a hobby worth getting into. (I also need to find a way to overcome my wife's fear about having one pound containers of gun powder in the house.)

 

[pockets]

Will you learn to reload now?

No, not 'now'. I learned to reload cartridges over 3 decades ago.
Still have some of that unused equipment around somewhere.

These days, I have neither the time nor the inclination to reload. It is not fun to me, nor is it relaxing.

I have a side business from which the 'dollar return on hours invested' earns me far more cash to buy factory ammo, than I could possibly save in home reloading....even if all the components were free (which they are not). All of my guns are purchased with this side-cash also (as was my Jeep and most of my guitars).
Okay, technically speaking I suppose I do 'reload' my flintlocks.
.

 

[UKWildcats]

I made the jump years ago, first to feed my Prairie Dog guns since finding good ammo is expensive and time consuming


PD Ammo -- Varmint Bullets not FMJ -- what I get is cheaper and far more accurate
Hornady 53/55 VMax -- $0.15/each
Primer -- $0.03/each
Powder -- $0.08/load (25 grain)
Case -- essentially free

Total -- $0.26/cartridge that will outshoot most anything on the shelf -- Replace the VMax with a 55 FMJ at about $0.09/each and it brings the cost down to $0.20/cartridge


I have reloaded for 45acp for a while and will continue -- generally 200 gr LSWC over Win 231 -- bullets are generally Missouri Bullets which run about $0.09/bullet -- giving me a estimated cost for each cartridge of $0.15/cartridge.


What I have done is plan to start reloading for 9mm now -- already had the dies and Dillon Conversion kit along with bullets and cases -- will convert Dillon from 223 to 9mm next and pump out 1K rounds.


Ordered yesterday 2k 9mm bullets -- expected delivery in April ? -- 124gr JHP from Precision Delta -- also about $0.09/bullet -- Cartridge cost of about $0.15/cartridge


On a Dillon 550 I can easily do 400 pistol cartridges an hour -- 223 is a little slower but comparible


Reloading is not hard or unsafe as long as you pay attention to the details.


UK

 

[rdhood]

I have been reloading since the very first day of gun ownership. I have shot (maybe) two or three boxes of retail handgun ammo ever. In fact, I originally bought about 10 boxes of .40 for my first handgun. I shot one box, and started reloading. I sold the other 9 boxes off in the last panic in 2009.

Reloading is not hard or unsafe as long as you pay attention to the details.

Yep.

 

[holdencm9]

I decided to get into reloading this past fall/December when I got my first .45 Auto pistol. And I am so glad I did!

I always maintain a decent stash of factory ammunition just in case, for times like these, but it is a very satisfying feeling to crank out a box of ammunition, and I actually enjoy cleaning and sorting the cases, and comforting to know that I have enough components to absorb most mini-crises, although I am already halfway burnt through my pistol powder.

As far as cost and savings, people will say that you won't save any money because you will just shoot more, but I have so far avoided that trap. People also say the main reason to reload is so you can have control over every aspect of your ammunition, which I agree is nice, but I started first and foremost to save money.

My initial purchase was a $240 lee classic turret kit form Kempf gun shop, that included the press, pro auto disk measure, safety prime system, a 4-die carbide set, and some ammo boxes. I highly recommend.

I then had to buy about $100 worth of stuff off Amazon (reloading book, bullet puller, reloading scale, caliper, funnels) and spent about $250 on components at Cabela's (small/large pistol primers, two pounds of powder, about 1000 bullets, and a couple reloading manuals).

So that is about a $590 initial investment, but so far I have already SAVED about $200, without even trying that hard. I could buy cheaper components, or buy in bulk, and save more, but so far I am satisfied. I save about $20 per 100 .45's, and $6 per 100 9mm. That is about what I shoot in any given range trip so I look at it as saving $26 per visit. If I keep going at this rate I will probably get my ROI by about August.

There is probably some risk but not much more than with factory ammo, and with all the great advice here, you can get any questions answered. And it is pretty fun. I won't lie, I probably wouldn't do it if I didn't save SOME money, but to me it is even worth it to reload 9mm where I only save a few bucks each time. Also, I started with handgun rounds (45 and 9mm) but eventually will get into rifle rounds once I have some more experience.

 

[Bigdog57]

I began reloading about twenty years ago, and was taught by a co-worker and shooting buddy. He had a Lee Turret Press and a separate turret for each caliber. I started with just the basics.... .38 Special and .45ACP. Now I am set up to load eighteen different calibers. The turrets make it a 'plug&play' system.
I use two powder measures - one for pistol and one for rifle - minimises the adjustment necessary for the different types. Also two Lee hand primer tools - small and large - again for ease of use and speed in set-up.
I keep a good stock of components, probably having all I need for the rest of my shooting life, but I do restock as I use them, and this served me well during the 2008-2009 period with the last buying spree. Had I not already had my equipment and components, I would not have been able to shoot during that time. Ditto right now - as Yogi said, "It's Deja Vu all over again!"
This is a matter of basic prepping - food, water, ammo, etc. Expecting to always be able to go to Wally's and buy your ammo needs, just doesn't work at times like this. The bullet selections at my favorite online vendors is reduced, but still enough to get started. Brass for most popular calibers is available at your local range - unless they have rules against it - mine does not. I can also convert/reform some popular calibers of brass to others:
.30-06/.270 into 8mm Mauser.
.284Win into 7.5X55 Swiss.
.243Win into .308Win.
.32-20 into 7.72X38R Nagant.
.223Rem into 7.62X25 Tok.
This is the more advance area of reloading, but shows what can be done to ease shortages. Casting our own lead bullets is popular too. I am just getting into this.
The very advanced reloaders can even swage .22LR brass cases into bullet jackets, but this can get expensive for the equipment to do so. I've read of shooting clubs investing in this.

With sufficient knowledge, equipment and funding, we can do most anything the factories can do, on a smaller scale and with better QC. In certain calibers, it can be very cost effective. Not so much in some oddball calibers.
I expect to continue handloading for quite some time to come! The biggest limitation is primers and powder, but there are even alternatives there, if the need arises.

 

[youngda9]

If you cast your own, bullets cost about 2-3 cents each (assuming you pay $1/lb for lead). That will cut your total reloading costs in half.

 

[longknife12]

Back in the 50's, a cop took a 15 year old kid n taught him to shoot and reload....the kid is still doing it.Simple, I've never found any hazard.
Dan

 

[bergmen]

I pack my own parachutes and load my own ammo (except rimfire of course). One round at a time, inspected at each step. Never an issue in more than 20 years of reloading (and 42 years of packing parachutes).

Dan