Wanting to get into reloading 38 SPL.

GA_Sheepdog

GA_Sheepdog

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I have no experience in reloading but I would like to get into it. I recently purchased a 642, no lock and I love it. This is the second J frame I've purchased but I ended up giving my 638 to my father. This is the only 38 SPL I currently own, all of my other guns are 9mm Glocks (17,19 and 26). I've never really felt the need to reload 9mm due to it being so cheap to shoot. I can find boxes for $9.99 and they function smoothly in my Glocks. Another reason is, I shoot mostly at a local indoor range and don't want to spend half my range time on my hands and knee's picking up brass. Plus the range I go to has a guy that comes in and sweeps up brass while you're shooting. Collecting brass with a 38 revolver would be easy as, empting the cylinder back into a box. Also 38 SPL is not an expensive cartage to shoot but is defiantly more expensive the 9mm.


Anyway, I've looked into supplies and reloading kits. I know there are many kits available but I don't want to drop $500.00 into a kit and the supplies at first, especially if I don't know if reloading is for me. I'm thinking of getting a basic Lee Loading kit. They can be had for around $25 to $35.


Any advise from the forum's reloader's? What would be a good kit and list of supplies I'd need to get started?
 
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For on the cheap, I would get a Lee Reloader (C-frame) single stage press with quick change bushings, a Lee 4 die set, an RCBS 5-0-5 scale and as an option that will make your life better, a Lee Auto-Drum powder measure.
 
Lee kit is a good place to start. I have one and like it. A lee hand press is also a possibility.
 
well i would get some RCBS dies and press....it will be a little more...but good used stuff is out there...my Dad has had his since the early 60's and it works great...just remember u want the carbide ones...these are all over the place and can be found for same money as the cheap new ones...good luck on search....God Bless, John
also make sure u get some good books for loads too..
 
Looking at what is included in the kits is a good start. Most of the kits contain extraneous stuff that most people don't use. The Lyman reloading manuals are good manuals. I'd buy that and read it so that you can start to understand the basics of reloading.

38 special is a good round to start on. 9MM is finicky and the cost savings are harde to realize.

The cheap Lee kits aren't a bad starting place except for the fact that I would recommend buying an RCBS rock Chucker for the press.
 
g17 said:
For on the cheap, I would get a Lee Reloader (C-frame) single stage press with quick change bushings, a Lee 4 die set, an RCBS 5-0-5 scale and as an option that will make your life better, a Lee Auto-Drum powder measure.
Click to expand...

I'll admit when I first seen this I had no idea of what you were taking about. A quick search on MidwayUSA gave better idea. Other then the actually powder, shells, and bullets, would this be all I needed other then maybe a loading book to get started?
 
GA_Sheepdog said:
I have no experience in reloading but I would like to get into it
Click to expand...

GA_Sheepdog said:
Anyway, I've looked into supplies and reloading kits. I know there are many kits available but I don't want to drop $500.00 into a kit and the supplies at first, especially if I don't know if reloading is for me. I'm thinking of getting a basic Lee Loading kit. They can be had for around $25 to $35.
Click to expand...

That's exactly what I'd recommend to start. I didn't know anything about reloading, got the itch to try it, looked at some of the presses but ended up getting the little Lee Loader kit and a simple RCBS scale. You can get away without the scale but it's certainly good to have.

A lot of people say don't bother with the Lee kit and go for a press because you can crank out more rounds faster, but to me part of the enjoyment of reloading is taking your time and building every round by hand. To me it's more enjoyable at the range. Every round counts even more. I'm not sure how long it takes to build a round with this kit but I'd guess in half an hour I have good handful.

You can always get a press with dies later. Right now, I have no desire to do that.

Another advantage of the Lee kit is that it's completely portable. If you run out of rounds, you can make new ones on the spot (I wouldn't recommend doing that at the range though).

Here's my system and what I'd recommend:

- Lee Reloading Kit (I paid $26 new a couple years ago)

- Small 2-headed soft-faced hammer, I think this is the one I got:
Estwing 12 oz. Double-Face Soft Hammer-DFH12 - The Home Depot

- RCBS Range Master 750 scale ($120) - you can get away without it but I love mine, and it lets you use recipes other than the few that the Kit includes because you weigh the charge and don't just depend on filling the supplied spoon which limits you to a single weight

- Bottle of brass cleaner from your local gun shop. Typically dilute it and I just use a glass peanut butter jar to toss the brass in and shake, let it soak for a bit

- 38 special bore cleaning brush - I use it to clean out the cases before throwing them in the cleaner

As for a recipe, if I remember correctly I ended up finding one for Unique powder with a Speer 158 gr LSWC (leaded semi wadcutter) but I can't remember how many grains of Unique so you'll need to check the data. I use CCI #500 small pistol primers. The recipe ended being great for the range - pleasant to shoot but not too wimpy, yet not punishing either. Speer makes the 158 gr LSWC in 500-count boxes for around $45-$50.

A couple suggestions for the reloading process:

#1 NEVER work on a round with your head/eyes directly above it. Human nature probably causes us to do that: as we hammer in the bullet, we like to be directly above it, it seems natural, best view, etc. Never put yourself in the path for obvious reasons. Especially if you forget to do #2 below:

#2 After your new primer is seated, don't forget to put the "toilet seat ring" under the case before working on it. The hole/opening is what lets the primer NOT go off when you hammer away. This is particularly important when there's a powder charge in there, again for obvious reasons.

38 special is my favorite round and I absolutely love the Lee kit so let me know if you have any questions; I am by no means a reloading export/guru but I'll be glad to help. I like to keep things slow and simple (snub J frames, 38 special, Lee kit) so if that's your thing I think you'll be happy with this setup.
 
well best thing before u buy anything...i would highly suggest u go and look at them....maybe a friend or relative has some or check out gun shows or gun shops...look at the quality of the piece u are buying...i am very partial to RCBS and Dillon stuff but these is many excellent others out there too...reloading can be a lot of fun but can be a real nightmare with the wrong stuff too..please keep us posted on what u get and how it works...God Bless, John
 
I got into reloading about 2 years and started with .38. Very forgiving cartridge. I got the single stage Hornady kit. I use everything except the scale. Digital scales just aren't stable enough. I use Lee dies, because you can get them with the separate crimping die. If you go to the Lee website, they have great tutorials on setting their dies. I use the Hornady die adapters thst allow you to twist the dies out without screwing them out.

Reloading always saves you money, but in .38 it saves you big money. I can load 100 rounds of .38 for about 13 bucks. That's about 1/4 the price of factory. After you load 1000 rounds, the equipment I'd paid for.

Ask lots of questions here, and watch some YouTube videos. I've been happily cranking them out for 2 years now and I don't see myself ever stopping.
 
On the chance you haven't seen it, in the Notable Thread Index in the sticky at the top of this forum is a posting titled something like "So You're Thinking About Getting Into Reloading". There is a *TON* of information in there.

Good luck and have fun!

OR
 
Thank you everyone for the great advice. Right now I got it in my head that the basic Lee Loader is the best for me to start out with. A couple more questions.

Some have mentioned it would be good to get a scale. If I had the little spoon that comes with the kit, what would the scale be for?

Also I use 158gr, lead semi-wadcutter's as my carry ammo. I'd like to also use these same bullets for my reloads. Does anyone have any advise on bullets, primer's and powder to buy?
 
Since you are asking for advice here is mine (don't forget that I'm on the interwebs and you don't know me personally).

Skip the Lee Loader. If money or uncertainty about your ultimate interest in handloading will pan out then ask around and find someone locally that handloads if they would be kind enough to show you what its all about. I was in Cabelas a few weeks ago when they had a gentlemen giving hands on demonstrations. I know of an LGS that has a press mounted off the side where interested customers can try it out.

I'm not yelling or scolding you but it is simply not true that you can buy 9mm ammo cheaper than you can handload it. A lot of people on the webs say it but the reason I know this isn't true is because I handload boatloads of 9mm. Between my wife, daughter, son and my needs I require about 1000 rounds 9mm per month.

We also own 2 S&W Airweight j frame snubbies. Love the guns but shoot no where near that amount of ammo. You of course are not me but seriously look at how much 38 ammo you actually consume and if it's less than 100 rounds/month it's not going to be worth your time to handload, if it's more than 100 rounds/month the Lee Loader will consume massive amounts of your time.

Powder scale. I know that the Richard Lee book has all kinds of data for using their dippers and auto-disk measuring devices but a serviceable digital powder scale (one that measures in grains) is about $30.00 and is the most important tool on the bench. Take one of your standard velocity factory rounds apart and pour out the powder and take in the minute amount that is in that big giant 38 case. The 38 was designed to be a black powder cartridge. A powder overcharge is something that after you experience will wonder why you ever thought that you were saving money my skipping the scale.

So in summery, my opinion is save your money, and while your waiting for the fund to hit $500.00, find or make a friend that handloads and find out what lies ahead. If you are the kind of person that hits the range 3 or 4 or more times/month buy the stuff you need to do this right and don't even think about handloading not being for you. Either way, the worse advice you could ever receive is to skip using a scale.

Yes I'm a mean person.
 
The little spoon that comes with the kit is part of a lee set that has a whole bunch of spoons, they are measured in cc's and they correspond with powder weights. That same spoon/measure will dump different weights for different powders. Fluffy powder like unique will have less weight from that measure than let's say H110. You still need a scale to check the powder with the dump load of powder out of that spoon. Now there is a conversation table that goes along with the set and it gives you a fairly close estimate of the charge weight to powder for the individual spoons/measures. You still need a scale to check the weight.
 
As you can see Thomas is a fireman and we are Police, that be said he is correct about the scale thing, also don't skimp on a scale, a RCBS 5-0-5 is a great scale, had one for 35 years still nut perfect dead on.
 
apollo99 said:
As you can see Thomas is a fireman and we are Police, that be said he is correct about the scale thing, also don't skimp on a scale, a RCBS 5-0-5 is a great scale, had one for 35 years still nut perfect dead on.
Click to expand...

HAHA!!! I just now realized that!


I'm still going to have to research about why exactly I need a scale or what to do with it. I've spent a couple hours today watching YouTube video's of people using the basic lee loader. All they did with the powder was use the little yellow scoop and scoop some powder and put it in the cartage.
 
ok so you do want to drop a lot of cash. but you can not go wrong and will be lots of cash ahead if you buy the rebs starter kit. it is based on the famous rock chucker single stage press. and comes with a balance beam scale. not as fast as a fancy computer scale but when worked right just as accurate.
after dropping cash on the kit get a couple books (about $100.usd yes they charge a lot for them). these will have the loading tables for your safety.

then just dies, the shell plate, for 38/357. (great starter cartridge).
a box of primers,(1000),
pound of powder.(can buy in one pound or 8 pound jugs),
lead.(can get very good pricing shipped to you bought online).
the only consumables in reloading.

buy quality dies,(2 or 3X the price of the cheap ones), if you decide to not reload easer to sell away.
many shy away from the lee stuff.
but rcbs has a very big fan base,
hornady has a single stage press,
dillion??
other brands??
but any company will not sell trash as they do not want to dragged into court.
check out flee-bay.

watch a lot of u-tube videos.
and only three things to remember
1: SAFETY
2: SAFETY
3: SAFETY.


for me i find it relaxing. but sometimes a chore.
if done right ammo will be half to one third the online store cost's.

.
 
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GA_Sheepdog said:
I'll admit when I first seen this I had no idea of what you were taking about. A quick search on MidwayUSA gave better idea. Other then the actually powder, shells, and bullets, would this be all I needed other then maybe a loading book to get started?
Click to expand...

Yes, all you need are the components for the ammo and load data and you're well set to load 38 spl or 357 mag.
 
Please do not omit a scale, any scale but get one. I am so paranoid about powder weight that I use two of them to check and double check my powder. The Hornady LocknLoad and RCBS 505, if either one of them do not match the others load I recalculate both of them. My fingers and my handguns are worth more to me than the price of the scales. Overkill? Maybe. You really only have 4 phsical components in a completed bullet, brass, primer, powder and bullet. For each piece of equiptment used to load each component buy the best you can individually afford. Be safe and have fun doing it, you can make some amazing ammo cheaply.
 
GA_Sheepdog,

If you shoot at a local range, try to become friends with hand loaders. Hopefully, they'll invite you over for hands on loading. If you actually load a few rounds, you'll know whether it's a hobby for you. It is a great hobby. My guess is you'll become a hand loader.

If you get in to hand loading, check the used market for presses and other stuff you'll need.

I have a 30 year old RCBS Rock Chucker single stage press. It was intended for big game hunting cartridges. However, I do load handgun cartridges. If I were to load thousands of rounds a month, I'd by a Dillon multi-station press.

I have an RCSB Chargemaster electronic scale. It makes loading a lot easier when loading maximum rifle loads. It's more than precise enough. When I load .38 Special ammo, which is a very easy cartridge to load, I use an RCBS Uniflow powder measure. I load handgun only for target shooting, so I'm at the low end of the power continuum. A tenth or two of a grain one way or the other won't matter when loading at the low end. But some powders such as Titegroup will throw consistent charges out of a Uniflow. I do check about every 5th case to assure it's darn close. Other powders such as Power Pistol also throw consistent chargers. Unique, which used to be my favorite handgun powder because of its wide applicability, is flake powder and is not conducive to powder measures.

I do plan to load a few hundred 180 grain .357 Mag rounds for black bear defense. When I get around to loading these, I'll measure every powder charge. When I'm done, I'll have enough to last the rest of my life.

I'd start researching powders now. I really like Titegroup. I hate to write this because it can be interpreted as .45 ACP heresy: I think Titegroup is better than Bullseye for the .45 ACP & .38 Special cartridges. It seems as though that competitive shooters have moved to Titegroup. I used ~3 grains of Titegroup with 158 grain lead bullets. It's an excellent and accurate load for target shooting. Anyway, look for appropriate powders that throw consistent changes from a powder thrower.

Best of luck and have fun.
 
GA_Sheepdog said:
HAHA!!! I just now realized that!


I'm still going to have to research about why exactly I need a scale or what to do with it. I've spent a couple hours today watching YouTube video's of people using the basic lee loader. All they did with the powder was use the little yellow scoop and scoop some powder and put it in the cartage.
Click to expand...

I started out over 35 years ago with the Lee Loader kit and still use them on ocassion. I have one for every caliber I own. It's a good way to get into reloading for not much money. Down side is they are a little slow, but they produce excellent ammo. IMO, there are very few GOOD videos on YouTube showing the correct use of these loading kits, there are detailed instructions that come with the kit.

If you can afford a press loading kit and have the room and a bench, that is a good place to start at around $200 with a Lee loading kit. Lots of good choices for powder and bullets, depends what is available in your area. Can help with any questions if you want to PM me. Have fun and let us know what you choose.
 
GA_Sheepdog said:
Thank you everyone for the great advice. Right now I got it in my head that the basic Lee Loader is the best for me to start out with. A couple more questions.

Some have mentioned it would be good to get a scale. If I had the little spoon that comes with the kit, what would the scale be for?

Also I use 158gr, lead semi-wadcutter's as my carry ammo. I'd like to also use these same bullets for my reloads. Does anyone have any advise on bullets, primer's and powder to buy?
Click to expand...

Get a scale. The RCBS model is what I have. The 505 I think? Beam scales are much better than digital. The digital scale I got with my hornady kit would fluctuate .2 grains up or down nearly every time. I batch load, meaning I do every stage in batches. So I'll tumble 300 cases, then size 300 cases, then expand 300 cases, then prime them with a priming tool while watching tv. Not 300 at once, obviously. When they're primed they go in a bin under my bench, so whenever he mood strikes, I'll load 50 rounds and dump the rounds into my ammo cans. I weigh EVERY charge. Overkill, maybe. But my fingers and guns are worth a little more time. Unless you're looking for heavy volume, I would stay away from a progressive press. Easier to screw something up, especially if you're a newby. 2 years into reloading and I consider myself a newby still.

I use the lead bullets from Missouri Bullet Comlany, but my next batch will be the plated 158 SWC from Xtreme bullets, simply because they usually have free shipping and it makes cleaning up a bit easier.

When I started, I used Red Dot powder because thst was all they had during the shortage. I loaded over 2200 rounds of 38 with one pound of thst powder.

I just switched to HP38, because it meters much better. Dead on every time, in fact. Red dot wasn't very consistent. And HP38 can also be used for 9MM, so it makes it easier to only have one powder.

I don't care if you only shoot 100 rounds a month. Reloading will still save you money. It will just take you longer to recoup your money. And for me, it's not just saving money that makes reloading worth it. It's not being s slave to the next panic, and there's always a next panic. After Newtown, there was no ammo anywhere near me. Now I don't worry.
 
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I would recommend a decent single stage press. If you get started reloading, you will probably continue with it. Good SS presses can be had for a little over $100 brand new. I wold avoid the aluminum presses, as usually the linkage is not as robust. A solid SS press will last a lifetime, and most reloaders that move on to turret or progressives keep their SS press for a variety of different uses.

Used is great, if you can find what you want. I tried the Lee hand loader, not the whack a mole. I works and is a great way to get started, but I wanted a bench mounted press very, very quickly.
 
I'm sure dipping a scoop is great for practice rounds in a snub. EDIT For Bullseye matches, I need consistent loads and to be able to tailor the recipe for the round to my gun as well. END EDIT I use a progressive press and the powders I use meter very accurately. I've used a manual beam scale from day one, almost 25 years ago. I bought a Dillon square deal progressive for my 38 sp because that's what my friend had and demonstrated for me. I still use it and have a second for 45. also have a $25 electronic scale that is dead on accurate and repeatable, but I verify with my beam scale once I get my powder measure set. That said, I recently saw a Lee Pro 1000 press that looks nifty for under $200. And a tumbler. Nothing fancy, and media is from the pet store. A cap of mineral spirits and some synthetic car wax and your brass is clean and shiny. You can reload 38 brass almost indefinitely so I don't factor brass cost into the equation. And you can get over 2000 rounds out of a pound of powder. Reloading is very satisfying. Some choose not to do it because they don't feel the time is worth the savings. I pick up their once-fired brass at the range. I grabbed 450 9mm brass last week that a group of 3 people left behind. It is a good feeling to have the components available and not be subject to the vagaries of buying what happens to be available. I was in east St Louis last November when the verdict was announced. Walmart, at the behest of local officials, had pulled all ammo from the shelves. "public safety" or their version of it, trumped the second amendment once again.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
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GA_Sheepdog said:
Some have mentioned it would be good to get a scale. If I had the little spoon that comes with the kit, what would the scale be for?
Click to expand...

A scale is essential for safe reloading. The little powder scoops (and Lee's Disc measure) come with a spreadsheet. These are merely for getting into the ball park. Powders vary in density from lot to lot and even with changes in ambient conditions like temp & humidity.
 
Many say reloading isn't worth it if you don't shoot a lot because you won't save much money. But keep in mind that's assuming the goal is to reduce the cost per round. A worthy goal of course, but for some (like myself) reloading is enjoying the process of making a cartridge.
 
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