reloaders?

[Kevin1989]

Does anyone on here reload? I try to shoot a lot but its getting expensive, does anyone on here reload? And if i buy a reloader can it do rifle and pistol rounds.... The main ones I wanna do are .40 9mm and maybe some 7.62 rounds. I just wanna know if its worth it.

[MWoods26]

I reload but mostly just .50AE for my Desert Eagle. I can load it for half what it cost to buy factory ammo. Im not sure you will save a whole ton of money reloading 9mm or 7.62 considering what you can buy it for in bulk but reloading is fun so even if its just a few cents a round its worth it.

[ibstrokin]

Yeah, I'm starting to reload. I have my brother's Dillon setup at my house. Dillon presses are nice because they are progressive (faster), and they have a no b.s. warranty. I would avoid Lee, they are the lowest quality, but cheapest. Most presses will do rifle and pistol. Check out Dillonprecision.com

[Mista Bone]

single stage for rifle ammo, progressive for pistol.

[facemelter71]

What Bone said.Also,I don't think you can reload berdan primed 7.62 ammo.If you can,it will get pricey because of the extra process with berdan primed ammo.I reload all the time. Which includes 40cal,.223,30-40 krag,.308.

[ibstrokin]

I load .223 in a progressive, and will be loading .300wsm soon, why would anyone load rifle ammo in single stage if they can do it in a progressive?

[facemelter71]

They say single stage is more accurate at loading precision rifle cartridges than a progressive loader. I load. 223 on a single stage. And what I shoot is extremely accurate.

[ibstrokin]

Not to be contrary, but they say a lot of things. All I can tell you is I use a progressive and have had great experiences with it. Both will do the job, but one does it in less time.

Either way, reloading can be dangerous, so take it seriously and be safe.

[facemelter71]

On your progressive. Does it have a powder measure on it? Or are measuring powder? I'm kinda weird about COL and powder weight of every shell. I've never used a progressive. What type of powder do you use and what make dies are you using?

[ibstrokin]

Yes, it has a powder measure, but it's a good idea to test the charge periodically with a grain scale. The col should be spot checked also. I'm using Redding dies. Also, my .300 WSM dies and equipment just showed up today. I still need to order powder and a few different bullet's to work up a load.

[jeep45238]

For pistol rounds, it is worth it. For rifle, well, unless you're doing match grade or some odd calibers (like 7.5 Swiss), it's not worth it.

When I started I was given small rifle primers, .224 cal bullets, and .223 casing for free. All I paid for was powder, and I still couldn't touch the price of Wolf for plinking.


Now - handguns - you really can save, but depending upon the machinery you will buy, it may take a while to get to the savings point. Yes, single stage machines are cheap, but they take forever to put out the ammo. Progressive presses are fast, but they are not cheap (and the Lee Loadmaster is straight up dangerous).

I cast my own bullets from wheel weights, and it costs me about $3.50 for a box of 9x19mm, and about $4.25 for a box of .45ACP. Big savings over retail. A friend buys plated bullets, and comes in around $6-7 bucks for a box of .45ACP.



If you're just starting off, don't buy a progressive. There's too much going on at once to really learn and troubleshoot the process, and let's face it - you're going to be lighting off something with 55,000 psi of pressure (rifle) a few inches from your face or 20-35,000 psi of pressure (non-magnum pistol) in your hands.

I like their dies, and that's about all, but the Lee Turret press is a great learner press. You can run it much faster than a single stage, but only one thing is going on at once, so you can still learn and trouble shoot the process pretty quickly. If you decide it's something you want to continue to do, I strongly recommend the Hornady Lock N Load AP, followed by a Dillon 650.

[facemelter71]

What Dillon press are you using? If you say the progressive is as good as a single stage at holding it tight,I might just have to go buy one.

[Mista Bone]

I had a RCBS Rockchucker II which I was able to convert to a 4x4 setup.

Start with a single stage so you learn the steps. It is like nitrous in a way. You don't slap on a 700 shot 3 kit setup your first time out.

My Marlin 30/30 with factory vs. my first handload for it @ 50 yards benched, 6 shots each target.

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m307/bonespec/Honda/RR/30-30.jpg

[Dirtyd0g]

I've thought about it a few times. I even have a smelting pot and everything. Can't decide to change it to propane or just sell it.
Alan

[Bman]

Dillon 550 here I love it.

[ibstrokin]

It's a Dillon RL550, it's actually my brothers, but he ran out of space at his house so we set it up @ mine, which works out for both of us.

The topic of single vs progressive for new reloaders rages on like any other topic, Ford/Chevy, Coke/Pepsi etc. My opinion is to jump straight in, learn it once, spend the money once.

But admittedly, I'm not an authority on reloading, I'm still in the learning process. But I have my brother to help me through it, and he has more experience than me.

But as far as rifle not being worth it, it really depends on what you shoot, and how much. Good ammo for .300WSM is around $50 per 20 rounds, so $250/100. Parts cost to load the same ammo, which I can adjust for my rifle (col,powder,bullet) to squeeze the most accuracy out of, is around $150/100, not including the press and dies. Of that $150, $70 is the brass, which can be reused numerous times, so my second 100 rounds would only cost around $80/100. Also, the more you buy in bulk, the lower the cost is, so for shooting my .300WSM, I pretty much have to reload for it to enjoy it.

If I only shot .223, and only occasionally, I would just buy it.