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Old 05-14-2012, 04:43 PM
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Ok guys.... this ADDICTION is getting serious

Now have had guns for years, Hunted etc... Buddies have reloaded for me... but never done it or seen it done

Ive heard ya can start at about $200 upto $1500 for equipement. have done some FORUM searching but got frustraded so figured i'd Start with YOU awesome guys for help

My main rd would be .223, with some 9mm and .38 special

Ive also heard anywhere from .10 to .25 to re-load.... I have started KEEPING my brass, more for a buddy, but maybe me as well

So what is some real Current costs/rd to re-load.
Plus's vs minus'

How long would it take to re-load 100rds of .223

Anyways, as always, thanks guys..... just wondering if this is something I can justify TIME wise for me.....
Sitting here on my day off. just cleaned all my guns from yesterday... and now wondering what to do...LOL

Later


Stav
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Old 05-14-2012, 04:50 PM
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Stav,

Reloading for rifle and pistol are two complete different animals. You need a lot more equipment to load rifle than pistol. For rifle, you have to tumble the rounds first, then they should be single staged sized and deprimed (after lubing) then back in the tumbler to get the lube off, then trimmed to length, then deburred inside and outside, then primer pocket swagged and/or uniformed and then flash hole reamed. After that, you can go to the progressive press and prime (unless you hand prime beforehand) powder drop and seat the bullet!

For pistol, no trimming stuff needed. Just clean the brass in the tumbler and hit the press.

Based on average retail prices of $130.00 for 8 pounds of powder, $80.00 for 100 bullets and $30.00 for 1000 primers your cost to load 1000 rounds will be $165.80. Drop the powder down to $90.00 for surplus WC844 and get primers for around $25.00 and the cost drops to $138.40 per 1000 rounds! BTW, these reloaded rounds will shoot better and be more accurate as long as you set everything up correctly.

Don't buy garbage equipment, you will end up replacing it. I started with a Dillon 550B and have never looked back!

G

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Old 05-14-2012, 05:09 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mosquito View Post
Stav,

Reloading for rifle and pistol are two complete different animals. You need a lot more equipment to load rifle than pistol. For rifle, you have to tumble the rounds first, then they should be single staged sized and deprimed (after lubing) then back in the tumbler to get the lube off, then trimmed to length, then deburred inside and outside, then primer pocket swagged and/or uniformed and then flash hole reamed. After that, you can go to the progressive press and prime (unless you hand prime beforehand) powder drop and seat the bullet!

For pistol, no trimming stuff needed. Just clean the brass in the tumbler and hit the press.

Based on average retail prices of $130.00 for 8 pounds of powder, $80.00 for 100 bullets and $30.00 for 1000 primers your cost to load 1000 rounds will be $165.80. Drop the powder down to $90.00 for surplus WC844 and get primers for around $25.00 and the cost drops to $138.40 per 1000 rounds! BTW, these reloaded rounds will shoot better and be more accurate as long as you set everything up correctly.

Don't buy garbage equipment, you will end up replacing it. I started with a Dillon 550B and have never looked back!

G
Nice... great info

How long does it take to do 100rds.... Sounds like multiple stages.... but a ryff time would be great to know....

Thanks

Stav
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Old 05-14-2012, 05:11 PM
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Mosquito, that's a good summary. For those of us who are complete newbies to the subject of reloading, can you tell us what your start-up costs were (ie, how much for a good press, decent tumbler, other essential tools)? I can Google the basics (near as I can tell, buying the whole shebang off the Dillon site with dies for .223 and .243 would cost me $900), but I'm sure I'd miss something important.

Thanks

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Old 05-14-2012, 05:13 PM
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I bought the lee challenger kit, it gives you everything but the dies, shell holder, case prep tools and consumables ( powder, bullets and primers) in the last couple of years I have added some handier case preparation stuff, a digital scale. I used a black and decker workmate table opened it all the way up screwed two pieces of 1/2" or pretty close to it (well glued and screwed) and made a foldable loading bench. Including my 8mm Mauser Dies and my .223 dies I have under $250 in the whole set up. It probably takes me around 3 hours to load 100 rounds but I generally do it in stages and load 2 or 3 hundred at a time, prep and prime the cases and then load and seat the bullet and then do the final crimp. It actually turns into like 4 steps, you decap (take out the old primer) and resize the case. thats the most time consuming portion of it. then you prime your cases. then you load powder and bullets I do this as one step so my powder cant draw moisture then crimp. right now as I have it figured I am loading Hornady 55 gr V-Max for .25 a shot and Hornady Z-Max for .23 a shot if I bought my components in larger quantities I could get the per shot cost down. I am using Federal 5.56 Xm193 ammo cases from a bunch of that that I bought, I am using the latest and supposedly the greatest Hodgdons CFE223 powder and Hornady Bullets and CCI #41 5.56 primers. You can dang sure do it cheaper buy using regular primers and less expensive powders, but it is a part of shooting that is really cool, especially when your loads work and you watch them nail the bullseye. Sorry this was so long winded but I know that Crracer uses the same press for pistol rounds but those I dont load. Oh I have a Grafs Tumbler, after I decap and resize, I only size once, I put them in the dishwasher to remove most of the lube then I put them in the tumbler for a couple of two or three hours. I myself make reloading a two or three day thing but that is me.
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Old 05-14-2012, 05:20 PM
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I just looked up the price of a dillon 550b, just off of brian enos's store, he will sell you a Dillon 550B as it should be for $600. I know it is a great press and does a wonderful job, but $600 upfront for the press is out of a lot of peoples price ranges these days.
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Old 05-14-2012, 06:01 PM
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On my Dillon 550B, IF I GO SLOW, I can load about 350 rounds an hour.....THAT IS FOR PISTOL ROUNDS! Once the .223 brass is prepped, it actually goes much faster....because all you are doing is really powder dropping and seating the bullet! Everyone has their own routine and timing! I personally have thousands invested in my setup because I have complete separate tool heads with Powder measures and everything set so when I want to change calibers, I pull 2 pins, swap em and off I go.

Each Complete caliber setup (the way I have it) costs about $200.00 each including the dies and the stand to sit them on. I have separate setups for: .380 ACP, .9mm, .38 Special, .357 Magnum, .45 ACP, .44 Magnum and .223. That's over $1400.00 just in those setups plus the press and all the other stuff for rifle case prep and cleaning cases! IT IS WELL WORTH THE INVESTMENT! Buy the best that you can afford and gradually buy each additional part/setup that you want/need! You will not regret it and it will pay for itself very quickly!

Glenn

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Old 05-14-2012, 06:19 PM
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Sir dont get me wrong...I would love to have a nice Dillon Progressive press, just not in my budget for the next several years LOL, I was told that when a person starts reloading they should start with the simple stuff to learn what really makes a bullet work. but that is where I come from I dont mean any disrespect cause I would love to be able to load 350 in an hour.
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Old 05-14-2012, 06:38 PM
SW Gun Guy SW Gun Guy is offline
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Sitting here on my day off. just cleaned all my guns from yesterday... and now wondering what to do...LOL

Hi Stav, If you have that free time, then you should reload. I do the KISS (keep it simple stupid) method. For my 223 I clean the cases by hand with alcohol. Then I size/deprime (so you will need dies for $35-45 and a single stage press- Mine is an old RCBS single I have had for 30 years). Then the next time I have spare time. I use a Lee tool to sit in front of the TV and clean the primer pockets. When I have time again I length size the cases with the Lee tool and holder that fits in my drill. Next, I reprime them with the Lee hand primer. Then all you have to do is add powder (I know, Lee again, but I just use their scoops) and seat the bullet. The point I am trying to make, is that the fun of it and the good feelings I get about making my own, far outweigh any time involved. That and you can do any of the stages when you have 15-20 minutes free. You don't HAVE to sit down and complete 100 or 1000 rounds each time. If you are a competitor, then you might need speed reloading equipment for pistol and higher quality for rifle. But for plinking, hunting, having fun, you can turn out some pretty darn good rounds with the most basic of equipment. PS: I do not work for Lee, just like their simplicity and low cost. Sorry this is so long.
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Old 05-14-2012, 06:41 PM
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Although I've reloaded for pistol for a while, I just into reloading 223. In fact, I should finally be working up some rounds this evening after spending last week prepping 750 cases. The tumbling/resize-decap/tumble/swage/trim process takes a lot of time. I take comfort in knowing that I won't have to swage this brass again and only trim as needed on the future.

I should mention that I'm doing all of this on a 30 year old RCBS Junior single stage press. With all the manual steps that are needed to go through to prep rifle cases I can't see myself investing in a progressive press anytime soon. I'm just using an RCBS small base 2-dies set so no need for even a turret press at the moment.

My total investment for rifle reloading has been the set of dies ($38 from Amazon), RCBS swaging die ($41 from LGS), Lyman case trimmer ($59 from Grafs.com). This is the stuff that I didn't have but needed. I also purchases some upgrade stuff like a larger vibratory tumbler from Grafs as well as a Lee Perfect Powder Measure to replace my RCBS L'il Dandy measure.
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Old 05-14-2012, 08:09 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mosquito View Post
Reloading for rifle and pistol are two complete different animals. You need a lot more equipment to load rifle than pistol. For rifle, you have to tumble the rounds first, then they should be single staged sized and deprimed (after lubing) then back in the tumbler to get the lube off, then trimmed to length, then deburred inside and outside, then primer pocket swagged and/or uniformed and then flash hole reamed. After that, you can go to the progressive press and prime (unless you hand prime beforehand) powder drop and seat the bullet!
To clarify...." then primer pocket swagged and/or uniformed and then flash hole reamed" need only be performed once on the brass.

As for trimming.....my .223 brass does not stretch enough during each firing to require trimming each time I reload it. If you really want to all but eliminate the trimming step, use the X-Die resizing die from RCBS. It requires a one time trimming step, just like swagging the primer pocket or reaming the flash hole.

That being said, the brass prep is more time consuming for rifle caliber brass than it ever is for handgun caliber brass....no doubt about it.
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Old 05-14-2012, 08:37 PM
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I don't reload >>yet<<
I'm a new AR owner as well. My bud swears reloading is not only 40% cheaper then store bought ammo, he also says its more accurate. I buy all my ammo for now but I'm almost at 2000 rounds fired and I save most of my brass just incase I start reloading. BTW not one hiccup so far
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Old 05-14-2012, 08:59 PM
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Prepping rifle brass is time consuming but I take it one step at a time over the the course of a few days. I bought Imperial sizing wax and love that I can lube cases as I load them into the press rather than adding a separate lubing step to the process. Of course I love the carbide sizing dies for my pistol calipers even more. Haha.
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Old 05-14-2012, 09:05 PM
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There is nothing like talking to a reloader. I've been doing it for 50 years and love it. A few quick comments on this site will not make up for talking to an experienced reloader. I once loaned a complete outfit with everything to reload to a friend who loves to shoot. He brought it back. It was too boring. Find someone in your area to talk to. I load and shoot several thousand rounds a year. Few people are wealthy enough to shoot that much without reloading. Message me and I will be happy to talk to you about the pros and cons.
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Old 05-14-2012, 09:08 PM
Gomizzou1954 Gomizzou1954 is offline
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I bought a RCBS Rock Chucker single stage press years ago and it has done me well. I would reload in stages. Come home from range, throw brass in a cheap tumbler from Midway using crushed walnut hulls. Next day, measure brass if it was questionable for length, usully i only neck size brass for rifle and don't hot rod loads, this will keep brass from stretching too much. If length was ok, I would resize brass and back in tumbler to remove lube. Next day, sit in front of tv and hand prime brass with a cheap Lee hand primer. Next day, charge cases and put in a cheap RCBS plastic reloading tray. Then seat bullets, done. I never felt the need for a progressive because you can reload in the winter if it's too cold to shoot and l always kept up with what I shot. Also you do need to measure pistol brass for length. I've trimmed many .357mag, .44mag and .45 ACP

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Old 05-15-2012, 01:13 AM
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Reading some of the posts makes it seem way more work intensive than it is. Flash holes don't have to be uniformed. Buy new brass and the pocket swaging is not needed. Swaging is only needed if your are reloading military brass to take the primer securing crimp off. + 1 on the RCBS X-Die and it eliminates trimming after the initial trim to make all the brass the same length. I'm on my 9th reload of some .223s. Step1 wash off range dirt dry in oven. Step2 Spray lube cases in plastic bag, shake and size (first trip thru Dillon w/ only a size die) Step3 Tumble to remove lube. Step4 Run thru Dillon again this time with a universal decapper in place of sizer to knock out walnut from flash holes. this trip thru primes, fills and seats bullet, Step 5 Shoot and repeat. +1 on getting the Dillon 550. As a beginner you can use it as a single stage till your confidence grows.
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Old 05-15-2012, 07:31 AM
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Reloading for me is as much of a hobby as the actual shooting, I enjoy it very much and also find it very relaxing. I reload for accuracy and am in no hurry or need for a progressive press. I bought an RCBS single stage press about 20 some years ago and it still works great for me. I load mainly lake city brass and the only part I don't care for is removing the crimp from the primer pocket, but you only need to do that once.
Buy what you can afford now and get started, then find out if reloading is for you and how much reloading you will do. You can always upgrade to a progressive loader in the future if you out grow your first press.
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Old 05-15-2012, 08:14 AM
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You can easily get started for $200. Shop around and maybe find a used set up like I did. As for cost/rd this site is helpful Handloading Cost Calculator
I can load 100 rds in about an hour start to finish.
I suggest you ask your buddy if you could use his set up to load some and see if it is something you would like to get into. Go slow get in trouble slow...
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Old 05-15-2012, 08:19 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by stavman11 View Post
Nice... great info

How long does it take to do 100rds.... Sounds like multiple stages.... but a ryff time would be great to know....

Thanks

Stav
I'd say 15-20 minutes with a progressive press, provided that you have the dies set up already and the brass is tumbled and visually checked. You won't reload that few in one go, better load 500-1000 in one go once you have the recipe sorted out.

I have a simple single die press for revolver stuff and use Dillon 550B for "mass consumed" ammo like 9mm, .45acp... no .223 yet on the list but shouldn't be too different with once-shot or pretrimmed brass.

Presses that autoindex and have stuff like case or bullet feeders are way faster. 400-500 rounds an hour with a 550B is the norm.
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Old 05-15-2012, 08:35 AM
rixx rixx is offline
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I have been researching reloading for about a month. You might want to look at the promotion hornady has going, where you get 500 free bullets with the purchase of their AP press. Plus another 100 each for purchase of the caliber die sets. So if you got the AP press $386, and three caliber dies @ 40$ each, you'd have 800 bullets in your choice of caliber.

My plan is to get a die and a shell plate a month for my reloading initial setup (9mm, 45ACP, .223) and get the press later this year or when I can find it on sale.

FYI, the free bullets promo ends 12/31 but they had a similar promo last year so they may have another one for 2k13.
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Old 05-15-2012, 08:46 AM
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I have been researching reloading for about a month. You might want to look at the promotion hornady has going, where you get 500 free bullets with the purchase of their AP press. Plus another 100 each for purchase of the caliber die sets. So if you got the AP press $386, and three caliber dies @ 40$ each, you'd have 800 bullets in your choice of caliber.

My plan is to get a die and a shell plate a month for my reloading initial setup (9mm, 45ACP, .223) and get the press later this year or when I can find it on sale.

FYI, the free bullets promo ends 12/31 but they had a similar promo last year so they may have another one for 2k13.
As good as that sounds.....once you start reloading you will find that 800 bullets is nothing! Don't buy equipment based solely on getting a small amount of reloading components. 800 bullets is 2 hours of loading on a progressive press.

The other thing to note to anybody reading this who wants to get into reloading is: you have to buy components in bulk, if you really want to save money! I buy bullets and primers in the 10's of thousands at a time and yesterday alone, 64 pounds of powder was received for me and a few buddies to split just for .223 loading! Get together with some friends and buy components in bulk quantities. You will save a bundle!

To give you an idea on powder yield: 1 pound of powder is 7000 grains. If you load .9mm with lets say 4.0 grains of a specific powder, you will get 1750 rounds out of that 1 pound. For .223, I use 24 grains so that one pound (different powder, of course) yields only 291 rounds. Quite a difference!

G

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Old 05-15-2012, 10:44 AM
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Man lots of info for sure....

Thanks guys

So what to do... Looks like just under $900 from Brian Enos he's in tempe AZ like 25 minutes from me)


what about BEST options for Sundries.. bullets, Powder, Primer, etc.....

Thinking .223 at 1st and then some 9mm and .38s/357 later


wanna get a good handle on the $$$ and investments to really look at this.....

Sounds like Fun and something i would enjoy

Thanks again guys

Stav
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Old 05-15-2012, 10:45 AM
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thanks mosquito, that is good advice. i've put a feeler out to my local buddies on someone to go in as a reloading buddy but got little traction.

i'm across the street from wideners but can't find reloading buddies. WTH!
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Old 05-15-2012, 10:50 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by stavman11 View Post
Man lots of info for sure....

Thanks guys

So what to do... Looks like just under $900 from Brian Enos he's in tempe AZ like 25 minutes from me)


what about BEST options for Sundries.. bullets, Powder, Primer, etc.....

Thinking .223 at 1st and then some 9mm and .38s/357 later


wanna get a good handle on the $$$ and investments to really look at this.....

Sounds like Fun and something i would enjoy

Thanks again guys

Stav
Stav,

I would not start with .223. Start with pistol! It is much easier, quicker and less expensive. You do not need to do any case prep other than tumbling them clean! Once you learn your press and how to reload pistol rounds, rifle will be much easier to do AND to understand!

G
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Old 05-15-2012, 10:53 AM
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Originally Posted by rixx View Post
thanks mosquito, that is good advice. i've put a feeler out to my local buddies on someone to go in as a reloading buddy but got little traction.

i'm across the street from wideners but can't find reloading buddies. WTH!
I buy from many different sources. The absolute lowest price that I have ever found on lead bullets (which is what I mostly shoot due to cost and some indoor club/range requirements) is bulletsdirect.com Matt is a great guy, his product is great and he is much less expensive than anyone else that I have been able to find, and I have searched! My buddies and I have bought probably 100,000 bullets from him and I have not had a single bad issue! Tell him Glenn from Long Island sent you!

G
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Old 05-15-2012, 11:51 AM
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I reload .45 and .45 LC but I normally end up using those in my Governor. I just have a simple Lee hand press, it's ok but actually when you get all said and done you really only save about 33% and if you figure in how valuable your time is...well... doesn't exactly pay off (well, maybe for the Long Colt ). Anyhow, for an AR however, with how finicky they are on ammo, no I don't think I would do it. Certainly not with a hand press and I don't have the cash to invest 1500 bucks into a reloading system that cost more than my actual rifle.
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Old 05-15-2012, 02:08 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Capt Crunch View Post
I reload .45 and .45 LC but I normally end up using those in my Governor. I just have a simple Lee hand press, it's ok but actually when you get all said and done you really only save about 33% and if you figure in how valuable your time is...well... doesn't exactly pay off (well, maybe for the Long Colt ). Anyhow, for an AR however, with how finicky they are on ammo, no I don't think I would do it. Certainly not with a hand press and I don't have the cash to invest 1500 bucks into a reloading system that cost more than my actual rifle.
Some of my thoughts are just that... My Time mainly....


Still thinking this one thru.... and as always... YOU guys rock....


Need my BULK ammo to arrive to shoot this weekend and decide MORE if I need to EXPAND my addiction more


LOL


Stav
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Old 05-15-2012, 03:50 PM
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Bulk ammo is the better way to go IF you are just plinking and accuracy isn't that important. I use my AR for hunting and am confident out to 400yds with it. No way I would ever attempt that with bulk ammo. I also use a single feed insert when shooting reloads, the longer, heavier bullets won't fit in the mag and it helps me to slow down and concentrate on the ones that will. If I just want to pull the trigger and hear the gun go boom I shoot bulk. If I want what I'm shooting at to have a precisely placed 22 caliber hole in it I shoot reloads. We all have different opinions as well as different budgets. $900 to $1500 sounds insane to me but is walking around $ to someone else. Lee has a 4 hole turret press kit for less than $200. I have the same one that I bought used and it works flawlessly. Is is a RCBS, Dillon or Lyman? Absolutely not but it works for me. (Kinda the same reason I got a Smith instead of a Les Baer)
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Old 05-15-2012, 03:56 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gatorade View Post
Mosquito, that's a good summary. For those of us who are complete newbies to the subject of reloading, can you tell us what your start-up costs were (ie, how much for a good press, decent tumbler, other essential tools)? I can Google the basics (near as I can tell, buying the whole shebang off the Dillon site with dies for .223 and .243 would cost me $900), but I'm sure I'd miss something important.

Thanks
I can help here since I just started reloading. Here is everything I bought.

Equipment
Hornady Lock n Load Progressive press-$425 Cabelas(on sale)
Dies-$ around $30-$40 per caliber
Tumbler-$50 Cabelas
Media-$19
Digital Scale-Franklin Arsenal-$25
Digital Calipers-$25 Cabelas
Primer Plates-$7-8 each
Loading Blocks-$7-8 each
Lee Zip Trim-$35(you need some sort of case trimmer for rifle rounds)
Lee .223&.308 shell holder and case length gauge-$5 each
Lee Primer pocket Cleaner-$3
Lee Deburrer tool-$5

Components
Bullets-buy in bulk and save$$$ this varies greatly by caliber
Powder-$18 ish per pound if you buy a 1lb at at time.
Primers-$25-$30 per 1000
Brass-free. I pick up at the range and re-use my own

I started with 9mm. Easy to load. Like others have said it's much faster than rifle.

Rifle rounds just have more prep involved. Once you prep some brass it should be as quick as loading rifle, especially on a progressive press.
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Old 05-15-2012, 04:29 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Capt Crunch View Post
I reload .45 and .45 LC but I normally end up using those in my Governor. I just have a simple Lee hand press, it's ok but actually when you get all said and done you really only save about 33% and if you figure in how valuable your time is...well... doesn't exactly pay off (well, maybe for the Long Colt ). Anyhow, for an AR however, with how finicky they are on ammo, no I don't think I would do it. Certainly not with a hand press and I don't have the cash to invest 1500 bucks into a reloading system that cost more than my actual rifle.
Capt,

If you are only saving 33% on .45 ACP and .45 Colt, then you must be buying components at retail, in small quantities and at very high prices!

An 8 pound jug of Titegroup can be found on the Web at $105.00 to $110.00. Buy a few different 8 pound jugs and/or get 3, 4 or 5 buddies to go in and absorb the shipping/Hazmat fees and you are looking at "maybe" $120.00 for 8 pounds. That's $15.00 per pound. I buy 230 gr., .45 ACP Lead Bullets from bulletsdirect.com for around $80.00 per thousand and Primers can be had (along with your powder shipment for "MAX" $25.00 per thousand! At these prices (which are high) the cost to load a box of 50 rounds of .45 ACP is $5.71. GARBAGE .45 ACP on sale here is over $20.00 a box. That is a 70% savings! And BTW, I use titegroup to load .380 ACP, .9mm, .38 Special, .357 Magnum, .45 ACP and it can be used for .45 Colt!

AR's finicky????? That gun (at least the 5 I own) will shoot anything I feed them AND, my reloads cost 1/2 the price of "bulk" factory ammo and shoot much better!
G

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Old 05-16-2012, 06:48 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mosquito View Post
Capt,

If you are only saving 33% on .45 ACP and .45 Colt, then you must be buying components at retail, in small quantities and at very high prices!
The prices in Finland mirror your insight.

Here, the cheapest 9mm ammo costs over 20 cents a piece. I can reload it using the cheapest components at 13-14 cents a piece. That's 33% savings...

With .45acp the savings are dramatic: cheapest factory .45acp is about 37cents a piece. I can reload it at 19-20cents a piece, provided that I have empty brass. Almost 50% savings.

Also, most factory ammo seems to be loaded pretty "hot" for marketing purposes. I like my loads mild for a variety of reasons.

I haven't started loading rifle ammo yet because for hunting the best ammo in the world is widely available here (Lapua/Sako) and you don't shoot that many of those... and the cheapest brass case .223 (Sellier&Bellot) works fine in my S&W AR. I mostly spend 7.62x39 rifle ammo in SKS and AKs and the surplus stuff is so cheap there is no reason to reload it either...
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Old 05-16-2012, 07:10 PM
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Looks like i have a FRIEND who works at Dillon... and yes, they are about 25miles from me

So...........

Looks like some Re Loading is in my FUTURE!!!

FUn Times ahead


Stav
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Old 05-16-2012, 07:11 PM
Ralph G. Briscoe Ralph G. Briscoe is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BHarada View Post
Although I've reloaded for pistol for a while, I just into reloading 223. In fact, I should finally be working up some rounds this evening after spending last week prepping 750 cases. The tumbling/resize-decap/tumble/swage/trim process takes a lot of time. I take comfort in knowing that I won't have to swage this brass again and only trim as needed on the future.

I should mention that I'm doing all of this on a 30 year old RCBS Junior single stage press. With all the manual steps that are needed to go through to prep rifle cases I can't see myself investing in a progressive press anytime soon. I'm just using an RCBS small base 2-dies set so no need for even a turret press at the moment.

My total investment for rifle reloading has been the set of dies ($38 from Amazon), RCBS swaging die ($41 from LGS), Lyman case trimmer ($59 from Grafs.com). This is the stuff that I didn't have but needed. I also purchases some upgrade stuff like a larger vibratory tumbler from Grafs as well as a Lee Perfect Powder Measure to replace my RCBS L'il Dandy measure.
I also use an old RCBS jr...bought in 1976, and RCBS scale and Ohaus powder measure of similar vintage--that stuff lasts forever. I wore out a Thumler's tumbler and now have a cheap Midway vibratory tumbler that works fine. I've loaded 30-06, .35 Rem, .223, .38 super, .45 acp, .38/.357 and .32 long/HandR. I'll put it this way....if you don't reload you're missing out on half the fun of the shooting sports, and spending more than you need to on ammo. A chronograph adds a lot to the fun as well. Go for it!
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Old 05-16-2012, 07:23 PM
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You don't need to spend a fortune to get into reloading, I know alot of guys might cringe when they read this but I really love using Lee equipment. I have a Lee Challenger press, Lee dies, I have an RCBS scale, a Lyman case trimmer and a few other basic things, but for about $300 you can get up and running. I have loaded untold hundreds of rounds of .38 Special and .357, alot of .45 Colt and then .41 Magnum, .44 Magnum, .44 Special and .22 Hornet, all on a $60 press with dies that cost $25 for a set. If you get the Lee .38/.357 dies get the set of four with the separate crimp die, trust me its easier.
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Old 05-17-2012, 12:24 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by David LaPell View Post
You don't need to spend a fortune to get into reloading, I know alot of guys might cringe when they read this but I really love using Lee equipment. I have a Lee Challenger press, Lee dies, I have an RCBS scale, a Lyman case trimmer and a few other basic things, but for about $300 you can get up and running. I have loaded untold hundreds of rounds of .38 Special and .357, alot of .45 Colt and then .41 Magnum, .44 Magnum, .44 Special and .22 Hornet, all on a $60 press with dies that cost $25 for a set. If you get the Lee .38/.357 dies get the set of four with the separate crimp die, trust me its easier.

I also like the Lee stuff. I have had great luck with their stuff and it does the job just fine. I use the Classic Turret Press. You can use it as a single stage or progressive. Yes rifle is a bit more labor than pistol but like was stated before it's a hobby. I also load for accuracy. Yes I save 10 to 15 cents a round. Now that is the cheap brass store bought stuff. If you shoot steel case it's much less, a few cents. You can load using better components and save that from the off the shelf stuff. I am still in the process of tuning my load but I can say already, open sights, I have cut my groups in half using hand loads over store bought. I don't count my time I enjoy it. Truthfully it will take you a long time to "save" money reloading. Even with modest equipment at 15 cents a round it will take a while unless you go through hundreds of rounds every time you go out. Remember even at a hundred round you saved only 15 bucks. Anyway it's fun. If your reloading just to plink then buy your ammo and give me the brass. LOL
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Old 05-17-2012, 01:16 AM
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You can always use a single-stage press, even if you have a progressive press too. Working up a load, pulling bullets and short runs (<100) are best done that way. Still, you should be thinking ahead to a progressive press, especially with .223 and 9 mm, which you will probably shoot a lot. It all boils down to time.

With a single stage press, you are lucky to turn out 100 rounds/hour, and half that is more typical. With a Dillon 550b, you can turn out 300 rounds/hour without breaking a sweat, and 400/hour is not unreasonable. I accumulate 250 or more empty cases and load them up before switching to another caliber. If I get bored at the computer (I work at home), I'll run down to the basement and load up 100 rounds for a change of pace.
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Old 05-17-2012, 01:39 AM
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Loading your own ammo is easy, cheap, and you can tailor your rounds to work really well. You don't need a lot of expensive equipment. If you get so you shoot 600 or a thousand rounds each weekend, then a progressive will help cut down on time, but otherwise a ****** little single stage will make good ammo.
I am using equipment I bought 35= years ago. I also have an assortment of real old equipment bought on the cheap, and it works just fine.
Now you gotta do it......
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Old 05-17-2012, 01:39 AM
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I used a Lee turret press for 12 years and it worked just fine. Once the cases were prepped I could do 200 - 300 rds an hour. It does the job just fine and doesn't cost a fortune. I just went to the Lee site and the turret press is selling for about $115.00 for just the press. Turret heads, dies, and accessories are extra.
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  #39  
Old 05-17-2012, 08:50 AM
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Mosquito...you say that you use mostly cast bullets, are you shooting cast bullets in your AR?. I was just wondering and if so how does it work. Do you size and gas check them also?
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Old 05-17-2012, 09:49 AM
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The Lee Classic Turret Press is the shizzle! No more adjusting dies in between caliber changes (although as with any type you use, you do have to readjust for bullet seating depth if you are changing to a different type of bullet).

This press can be had for about a hundred bucks and can easily double or triple the output of a single stage press.

I use it for all my pistol reloads and also 223. I still use my single stage for large caliber rifle, mostly because I simply don't load that much at a time for bolt action.

You can buy a complete Lee Classic Turret press kit for around 200 bucks, this gets you the lee scale(which I spent a hundred buck on a digital scale just to confirm this cheap lee scale is accurate and you don't have the problems associated with a digital scale). Also comes with the Pro Auto disk powder measure, riser and the Lee auto prime.
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Old 05-17-2012, 10:16 AM
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For Christmas my wife bought me a Lee Classic Cast Press. For the money you cannot go wrong with this press.

I have reloaded now for over 35 years. During this time I have purchased MAYBE 200 rounds total, and then only to get the brass for reloading. Even with the increase in prices of components I still find reloading to be cheaper and is very satisfying to harvest game with a load I have developed.
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Old 05-18-2012, 07:23 PM
BHarada BHarada is offline
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Took my first batch of .223 reloads to the range today, and am happy to say that there were no catastrophes. haha

I loaded Hornady 55gr FMJ-BT, Ramshot X-Terminator powder, CCI 400 primers, and mixed range brass. I started off with the Ramshot listed minimum of 22.5gr and did .5gr steps up to 24gr, staying a full grain below their published max.

All four loads shot well at 100 yards with only two strings out of 22 over 2" (both were 2.25"). My best load was at 24gr which produced on 1" 5-shot group and another at 1.25". Definitely want to see how much free-floating my barrel can improve on these results.

The bad news is that I have only one pond of X-Terminator, but have 16 pounds of surplus 844 coming next week. So hopefully that powder will yield a good load as well.
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Old 05-19-2012, 12:06 PM
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Nice BHarada... where you get yer Products from??? meaning Lead, Powder and stuff.

I am a rollercoaster on this... some days i wanna start.. some not sure..

the Lee Turret does look inviting and inexpensive....

what to do what to do....

LOL

Stav
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Old 05-19-2012, 01:01 PM
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Grover asked me to post pics or it never happened.

1" 5-shot group at 100 yards off a bench with sandbags...


1.25" 5-shot group at 100 yards off a bench with sandbags...


But the spread on the upper four shots was only .75"...


Stavman11, to answer your questions about components, I've been collecting brass at the range (both my own and whatever 223 brass is lying around the bench I'm shooting at). Most of it is Lake City,but all the reloads for this range trip was mixed PMC, Remmington, Winchester, etc...

The bullets are Hornady 55g FMJ-BT which I ordered from Midway. They're on sale for $81/1000 but are backordered with unpredictable shipping dates. When I placed my order the listed ship date was in June, but I got it at the beginning of May. So place your order and take your chances. haha

Powder and primers I picked up at my LGS mainly because I was getting impatient waiting for my bulk supply order to ship. The surplus 844 powder I ordered if from Wideners which at $85/8 lb is a bargain in today's market. I also ordered another 3000 primers from them to save on the hazmet fees.

I've also ordered cast lead bullets for my 44 mag from Missouri Bullets and powder and primers from Powder Valley.

As for reloading hardware, I've bought a lot off of Amazon when it's available with Prime shipping. Otherwise I go to Sinclair (which is a subsidiary of Brownells) and Graf's. The nice thing about Graf's is that they have a $5.95 flat shipping rate.

Pick up a Lee Perfect Powder Measure, It's got a great reputation and is typically found around for under $30. With the X-Terminator powder it metered very consistently.
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Old 05-19-2012, 01:05 PM
BHarada BHarada is offline
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Forgot to add that the 24g X-Terminator load was giving me right around 2900fps (measured ~6' from the muzzle) out of my Sport.
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Old 05-19-2012, 01:29 PM
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Great Shooting my friend, now when Ranier gets that free float handguard in stock...LOL
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Old 05-19-2012, 01:52 PM
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I've been reloading since I bought my RCBS RockChucker for $29.00 from Cabelas and that's been a while to say the least. Before that I watched and helped my uncle for several years load rifle stuff on a Lyman press. Once I got started I added a little bit of good equipment each year. In my opinion the most expensive part of loading is buying equipment twice. Best advice I can share is find someone local to mentor you. If you don't know anyone find, join and hang around a gun club. You will find many who are willing to share knowledge and maybe even find good used equipment cheap. Good Luck
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Old 05-19-2012, 02:24 PM
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WOW some GREAT shooting and awesome Info guys


I am Kinda leaning towards the Lee Classic Turret system to start out... $300 vs $900 is a BIG difference.... and since Most will be .223 rds there is MORE time involved in prep than reloading.....

Figure ill shoot 200-400 rds a week ish.... depending on 1 or 2 trips to desert.... so I should be able to keep up with that amount no problem

Gunna hit cabelas on way home after racing and just check some $$$$
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Old 05-19-2012, 02:28 PM
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Originally Posted by stavman11 View Post
WOW some GREAT shooting and awesome Info guys


I am Kinda leaning towards the Lee Classic Turret system to start out... $300 vs $900 is a BIG difference.... and since Most will be .223 rds there is MORE time involved in prep than reloading.....

Figure ill shoot 200-400 rds a week ish.... depending on 1 or 2 trips to desert.... so I should be able to keep up with that amount no problem

Gunna hit cabelas on way home after racing and just check some $$$$
Now your coming to a whole new level, and the fascination with seeing how well you can shoot with your own bullets is just amazing...good luck and seriously welcome to the Club!!
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Old 05-19-2012, 02:53 PM
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Originally Posted by oneyeopn View Post
Great Shooting my friend, now when Ranier gets that free float handguard in stock...LOL
Thanks, Grover. Combo wrench and upper vise block have been ordered so it's only a matter of time...
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