So you're thinking about handloading for 1 caliber

O

oddshooter

Member
Joined
Aug 7, 2014
Messages
1,014
Reaction score
1,797
Location
the free state of Arizona
I thought I was just going to handload one caliber, the 357 Maximum. It was costing $2.25 a round and I had fallen in love; but I couldn't pay the fee to take her dancing.

Back in 1961, I learned to load 12 gauge shotgun when my step-dad decided my brother and I was shooting too much of his expensive ammo and locked it up. I stopped after a couple of years and forgot all about it.

Then years later my son was over in Phoenix and had a 550 press. I tried it and liked it a lot. I bought a 550 for the 357 Maximum rounds.
I discovered I could make better ammo than I could buy. It wasn't just cheaper, it was better.

So I got the conversion kit and the dies and the powder and the bullets.
Yippee, I'm done. That turned out to be a stupid, pitiful comment.
Once you've got the 550 loader, you may think you're done, but NOOOOO. What could one more caliber hurt?

I have now bought over 20 different powders and dozens upon dozens of different bullets and dies for

32 auto, 32S&W, 32S&Wlong, 32H&Rmag, 325fedmag, 32-20 WCf, 9mm, 38 special, 357mag, 357 Maximum, 40, 10mm, 41spl, 41mag, 44spl, 44mag, 45 auto, 45 Colt, 455 Webley, and others I've probably forgotten.
(anyone notice those are all handgun calibers)

That's a lot to buy and to pay for. I really was ignorant of the supplies needed, but I learned pretty fast.

I spent money everywhere. A guy can't live without a few Lee Factory Crimp Dies; and of course for those pesky bullets, you need a few "M" dies to make that perfect nest.

But please don't ever let me sound like I'm complaining. Handloading is now as much a part of my life as shooting. I would go stark raving mad if I couldn't chase the perfect load for the perfect gun.

Some guys just use one powder, one bullet, one recipe for one caliber. That's not me.

It's an addiction like no other.
Enjoy, but get ready for a journey that may surprise you.

Prescut
 
Register to hide this ad
I started about 10 years ago and load for everything I own. I try and avoid another caliber so I don't need different components. I have even been reloading 9mm since before it was cool. Have two presses and a third 550 that my son adopted when he started reloading. It is a great addiction and very relaxing to me.
 
Oh dear.

Will have to make a list to see all the cartridges for which I load. I'm "ate up with it" too and have been since the mid-1970s. I'm all sad right now and somehow feel detached because I just packed up all dies, press, supporting equipment, and handloading components for a move.

I can assemble ammunition to feed guns chambered in:


.22 Hornet
.223
.22-250
.220 Swift
.25 ACP
.257 Roberts
.270 Winchester
7X57
.30 Carbine
.30-30
.30 Remington
.300 Savage
.30-40 Krag
.308 Winchester
.30-06
7.62X28 Nagant revolver
7.62X39
7.62X54R
.303 British
.303 ICL Improved
.32 ACP
.32 Long Colt (.32 Short Colt as well)
.32 S&W Long
.32-20 WCF
.32 Winchester Special
.351 Winchester Self Loading
.380 ACP
9mm Luger
9mm Steyr
.38 Super
9X23
.38 Long Colt
.38 S&W
.38 Special
.357 Magnum
.375 H&H Magnum
.38-40 WCF
.40 S&W
10mm
.41 Long Colt
.41 Magnum
.405 WCF
.44 Special
.44 Magnum
.45 ACP (and Auto Rim)
.45 Colt
.455 Webley
.455 Self Loading
.45-60
.45-70
.45-90
12 gauge
10 Gauge
 
I gave up my Shotgun press & supplies probably 10 years ago. But my 550 has been running about 25 years, and the original "purpose" of cheaper 38 super ammo, has multiplied into close to 20 calibers.

I'm so thankful I stocked up on primers, bullets & powder as I went along. I can set down here in my basement for hours at a time, and forget to even eat at times.

When I hit a snag or get frustrated, I just walk away for a while. It's my most enjoyable hobby, and outside of buying more guns, the most expensive. But worth it.

I'm so glad I didn't buy a Square Deal press! One caliber is not enough to satisfy me for sure.
 
I have been reloading for over 35 years. It's amazing how the miscellany will accumulate; tools, supplies, various accoutrement.

I had a set of 41 Mag dies on the shelf for, well, I don't know how long. I'm not even certain how I acquired them, probably through a trade.

I toyed with the idea of trading them off, or even selling them.

Then one day at a gun show, a 3-screw Ruger in 41 Mag called my name as I walked down the aisle....it lives here now.

Don't sell anything, you may need it later.
 
I have been reloading for 49 years now. I have trouble remembering the last time I purchased factory-made ammo. Modern, vintage, antique, handgun, rifle, I cater to them all.

Every time I add a new caliber the first thing I do is order a set of dies and a bullet mold.

In the handgun calibers I regularly use I have thousands of cases, usually at one stage or another in the reloading process (cleaning, decapping, resizing, case mouth expansion, priming) and I usually have enough ready to dump powder and seat bullets to replenish my ammo locker.

Economy? As others have pointed out, we tend to shoot much more when we become reloaders, so that point must be conceded. I will argue in favor of economy, especially with home-made cast bullets, because I shoot most common handgun calibers for little more than .22 LR rimfire ammo costs. I currently average about 6 cents per round for powder and primers, re-using cases as long as they continue to perform and casting my own bullets with salvaged lead.

There is also a very strong argument to be made in becoming, and remaining, independent of the vagaries of ammo supplies and periodic shortages (over which none of us has any control). The past few years have given us several chances to see what can happen in the marketplace for those who are not prepared to take care of their own needs.
 
one of the things that blows apart the "saving money" plan is once you can load your own, of course you need to test different loads to find what your guns like and just how accurate they can be. of course, there are a whole range of powders to test, bullet weights, design, and brands that need to be tested. look up how to calculate factorials and you will soon see why you don't save money...
 
Oddshooter:

What happened to .25 ACP? I restarted reloading this little guy when ammo hit $1/round to unobtainable. I started with .38/.357 in 1964 and I'm currently loading 14 different handgun cartridges - not much compared to some of you guys! Time to head to the basement and load up a box of .38 S&W.
 
HKSmith said:
Oddshooter:

What happened to .25 ACP? I restarted reloading this little guy when ammo hit $1/round to unobtainable. I started with .38/.357 in 1964 and I'm currently loading 14 different handgun cartridges - not much compared to some of you guys! Time to head to the basement and load up a box of .38 S&W.
Click to expand...

Some of that sounds like me....
From 32 ACP to 500 S&W magnum and lot in between..... :D
 
Yeah, I know the feeling. Oh and by the way same applies for casting :D during this shortage of everything I couldn’t find any .501 commercial bullets to feed my 500Mag and 50 Beo, so I’ve decided to buy just one mold, pot Lee APP and one sizing die. Few months later I’m up to a dozen molds and wondering why I’ve waited so long :D
 
I have the same problem with the 41 magnum . I started out with one mold , now have over a dozen for that caliber . I really love shooting the 41 magnum from " mild to wild " in molds in different cast weights and bullet designs . I lucked out a few years ago and was able to be get the " real Keith swc 220gr H&G 258 " it gets the most use . But so yes , I understand . Regards Paul
 
I have never saved a penny by reloading my ammo. My reloads cost no more than 1/2 the cost of factory practice ammo, but I end up shooting twice as much with my reloads, so no cost savings, just twice as much trigger time. My reloads can also exceed the accuracy of the cheap, factory made practice ammo.
 
Been reloading for my rifles over 50 years. Got into casting my own bullets big when I started shooting handguns. The single shot rifles in my repertoire demand the odd, hard-to-find cartridges... 32-20, 32-40, 45-120, 50-70. And it is cheaper to make my own 45-70 ammo than buy factory. Got dies for every centerfire round I shoot. and I bought a set of 25-35 dies for when I find an affordable model 94 to round out my collection.
I even branched out into collecting the old Ideal hand loaders in my quest for decent molds. It's a fun hobby.

John
 

Attachments

  • 20210720_105349.jpg
    20210720_105349.jpg
    141.1 KB · Views: 32
Savings! ? !

Most of the posts above sound like "my story"! That being stated, I must add to this discussion. The next step in reloading for me has been to acquire and shoot guns in calibers long gone and/or "out of favor" by the shooting world. Try to find a box .256 Win Mag or 22 Rem Jet on the shelf of your LGS! I also shoot the seldom heard of .224 Harvey K Chucker! The knowledge learned in my reloading of all the cartridges I shoot, rifle and pistol, have allow me to advance into the world of case forming and reloading for the above mentioned cartridges.
SIDE NOTE; You may ask "why .256 Win Mag"? Because Smith & Wesson made ONE , mod 53 chambered in .256 Win Mag! ! I already own S&W guns in the other calibers and there is always HOPE to own one S&W in the .256
Win Mag!
jcelect
 
Last edited:
Like many, I started long ago with no idea of reloading 13 calibers. Summer of 1969; one little Lee Loader in 38 Special, 100 CCI SP primers, one pound of Bullseye, brass I scrounged from the local police range, 250 generic 158 gr LSWC and I was off and running. I have to be careful now as I really have no more room in my shop for another gun and reloading stuff (I had to stop myself from hitting "confirm order" on a vendor's forum for dies, brass and bullets for 327 Fed Mag. I've been eyeballing a Ruger LCRx in 327 for a few months)...
 
Last edited:
I have been reloading for 50+ years now. I don't buy that BS that it's not cheaper. I get to shoot more than twice as much for the same amount of dollars as I could if I was buying ammo. And I shoot 41 mag, 44 mag and 475 Linebaugh. Not to mention the weatherby calibers, and the 264 mag, and the 220 swift. Enjoy what You do.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

chief38
updated 02/14 - MY COLT 1911 COLT GOLD CUP WEIRDED OUT YESTERDAY - OR SO I THOUGHT!
2
Replies
28
Views
2K
Shibadog
S
T
Managing Reloading Inventory
2
Replies
30
Views
2K
NFrameFred
NFrameFred
1
.357 Magnum +p+?
2 3
Replies
50
Views
3K
Doug M.
Doug M.
A
27-2 oddness
Replies
10
Views
931
6GUNSONLY
6GUNSONLY
B
Introduction-LONG post warning
2 3
Replies
41
Views
1K
rwsmith
rwsmith

Latest posts

Back
Top