Back in early 1999 my wife and I had just moved back to US after living overseas for couple years and had just purchased our first house. By end of summer I had finished building my dream reloading bench in the garage. 18' work bench with 4 Dillon press mounted on one side with 10' work bench with 2 single stage press and 3 cabinets on front wall. Our 3 car garage became 1 1/2 car garage which wife didn't mind as I had left plenty of room for her car...but my truck had to stay outside. My father had been casting bullets while I was away and he didn't reload very much so we had plenty of bullets in various calibers. About that time my father and I got in on the shooting club group purchase on primers and powders so we purchased enough to last us for years. I hadn't shot for over 3 years so I was ready to make up for lost opportunities.
Come Thanksgiving I took a week off from work but my wife had just started working so she could only get Thanksgiving day and Friday off so I was going to be home alone for almost a week. My father asked me to load some 38 Special and 45ACP ammo for him when I had time. Well, I had time so I decided to spend the week loading ammo. For a week before I started loading I was cleaning brass every night after work and ended up with about 5 or 6 buckets full of clean brass. I filled every primer tube I had and on Saturday morning I started loading.
I loaded several different loads that week and by following Sunday I had loaded just over 12,800 rounds on Dillion press and about 300 rounds of 44 Special and 44 magnum rounds. Majority of what my father spent 3 years casting bullets were loaded in a week. Some of this ammo was all shot within months while others too much longer...I still have some (about 200rounds) of that 357 mag ammo in an ammo can.
38 Special - 148gr WC @ 700 fps
38 Special - 158gr SWC @ 800 fps
357 magnum - 158gr-GC @ 1,100 fps
9mm - 124gr FMJ @ 1,050 fps
9mm - 124gr JHP @ 1,050 fps
9mm - 135gr Cast Flat Nose @ 920 fps
45ACP - 200gr SWC @ 800 fps
45ACP - 200gr SWC @ 900 fps
45 Colt - 250gr SWC @ 850 fps
I never loaded such large amount of ammo again but for several years I loaded 500 rounds of 45ACP - 200gr SWC @ 900 fps every week for use at the range and in the field.
They came kids and life completely changed...
Come Thanksgiving I took a week off from work but my wife had just started working so she could only get Thanksgiving day and Friday off so I was going to be home alone for almost a week. My father asked me to load some 38 Special and 45ACP ammo for him when I had time. Well, I had time so I decided to spend the week loading ammo. For a week before I started loading I was cleaning brass every night after work and ended up with about 5 or 6 buckets full of clean brass. I filled every primer tube I had and on Saturday morning I started loading.
I loaded several different loads that week and by following Sunday I had loaded just over 12,800 rounds on Dillion press and about 300 rounds of 44 Special and 44 magnum rounds. Majority of what my father spent 3 years casting bullets were loaded in a week. Some of this ammo was all shot within months while others too much longer...I still have some (about 200rounds) of that 357 mag ammo in an ammo can.
38 Special - 148gr WC @ 700 fps
38 Special - 158gr SWC @ 800 fps
357 magnum - 158gr-GC @ 1,100 fps
9mm - 124gr FMJ @ 1,050 fps
9mm - 124gr JHP @ 1,050 fps
9mm - 135gr Cast Flat Nose @ 920 fps
45ACP - 200gr SWC @ 800 fps
45ACP - 200gr SWC @ 900 fps
45 Colt - 250gr SWC @ 850 fps
I never loaded such large amount of ammo again but for several years I loaded 500 rounds of 45ACP - 200gr SWC @ 900 fps every week for use at the range and in the field.
They came kids and life completely changed...
