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Dans Club
May 17, 2009
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I'm thinking about doing reloading 9mm, 357, and or 44. What do I need to get started and is it cost effective? I shoot about 400 rounds of each caliber a month right now. Thanks
Range Officer
Range Officers
Dans Club
February 9, 2009
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Jaggman,
You would need a reloading press, an RCBS rockchucker would be a nice start. You would need the correct dies to fit each of your calibers, I suggest carbide since you are looking at all straight wall cases, this eliminates lubing the cases. You'll need primers, powder and bullets to match the loads you are trying to achieve. There are many loading manuals on the market, try to do a little on-line searching for ones that would offer many suggestions for your caliber choices.
Second part of your question, I believe it is absolutely cost effective especially given the current state of ammo supply is almost non-existant. The most difficult part you will find is obtaining the components right now. That is something you'll have to keep watch on constantly trying to collect the components as they are available.
I find reloading an enjoyable relaxing past time myself.
Good luck!
SMF
A man cannot have too many SuperMags
February 4, 2009
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I think SMF summed it up pretty well.
I second the cost effectiveness as well as the therapeutic nature of reloading.
Oh, in case I never made it to your intro, 
.
Dans Club
March 2, 2008
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So let me ask this question:
What about progressive reloading presses? I used a Rockchucker single stage in the good old days, when I reloaded to "craft" loads and experiment, that was fine. If I (or jaggman) want to reload to shoot 1500+ monthly, will a progressive give me acceptable consistency? I think I'm more interested in quantity and reasonable consistency, and speed. I remember the days on the single stage, and it was fun, but to produce good range ammo, I like the progressive idea better.
Any opinions/experience? (what am I asking, I KNOW there's gonna be opinions 
)
I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman "Were is the Self Help Section?" She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.
George Carlin
April 25, 2008
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Absolutely Steve! I have a Dillon 550B and I reload most of my silhouette ammo on it, plus the volume stuff like 9mm, 38 Special. The ammo that comes off the Dillon is accurate enough to hit half-scale silhouette targets at 300 meters. If I miss, it's because the nut behind the trigger got loose. I never worry about accurate ammo being loaded on my Dillon. Sure does save a lot of time, considering I shoot around 15,000 rounds per summer.
The Savantist
Dans Club
May 17, 2009
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Well, this reloading stuff sounds like it is a bit involved. You guys sell reloads (LOL)? I guess I'll do some research and ask you about what I am considering buying BEFORE I buy anything. Thanks for your indepth input!
Ed
Dans Club
March 2, 2008
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Jaggman- It's really not hard. My question looks at the difference between a single stage press, where you set up to perform the same function to a lot of cartridges, then set up to do the next function for all of them ... until you're done.
The progressive press puts all those functions on the press at once, and each pull of the handle does 3-4 functions at once, and each cartridge "advances" automatically to the next step.
IHMSA, about a year ago a group of guys that my son is pretty tight with in TX were considering buying a commercial reloading machine from a reloader going out of business (couple of them are Class III guys with BIG ammo needs). They didn't do it and I'll bet they're kicking themselves now.
I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman "Were is the Self Help Section?" She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.
George Carlin
January 4, 2009
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Hmmm... commercial reloading machine eh !!! sounds like something our factory should have...
Jagmann .... I just went thru this exercise.. You can spend a lot or a little..
depends on your level of experience,,( but O.J.T. is NO big deal) and how many rounds your planning on making.. 1200 or rounds of ammo a month is not a lot.
You should get a single stage to start..( you'll always use it to "dial in" new loads in the future) and the Rockchucker is the one most guys use.. I hate to say "best".. but it does seem to be a bench mark machine.. simple. easy. cheap.. lots of stuff to and easy to find stuff for it..I got a used one on line for $45 .. got a lot of used dies on line as well.. you should get the dies SMF recommends..
I really considered , hard,.. getting a multi stage ( progressive), press.. but I just shoot not enough .. plus I load for 8 different calibers... so I can get confused.. I have made mistakes before in reloading, ( it's easy to do), so I like to take my time, stay on track on do one thing at a time..
You will not lose any $$ if you start with a single stage and later, decide to move up.. you use most everything like the dies, etc. from the single stage to the multi stage machine..
Good Luck,
Wayne
Dans Club
March 2, 2008
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Wayne has reminded me of something important.
If you have not reloaded before, go single stage. What you learn in crafting your ammo step by step is both important and fun. If you devote the time to developing your skill and your loads, you will be rewarded in the long run with knowing that you are shooting what you made.
I'll say it again, this OF (you can decide what OF means) is probably getting back into reloading soon
I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman "Were is the Self Help Section?" She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.
George Carlin
January 4, 2009
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STEVE... aka.. OF...
Good luck finding Primers and powder...
Powder is not so hard..
Primers.. buy them as you find then... I do..
They are like hens teeth now... bummer..
Wayne... aka.. "Ditto OF"
BTW... I was in a pawn shop 45 days ago ( + - ). and he his ammo shelves were "bare,. was in same shop last week... fully, almost , stocked up..
The ammo guy at the Greenville SC. gun show 3 weeks ago told me the pinch would start to ease up in about 1 1/2 to 2 months.. it's starting.. IMHO..
Wayne
Dans Club
March 2, 2008
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I agree on the "pinch". There is product on the shelves now, not in enough quantity to push good pricing. The good news is that the rush to meet the demand may well cause oversupply 3 or so months from now-that's the time to buy big
I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman "Were is the Self Help Section?" She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.
George Carlin
April 6, 2009
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You mean there is a primer shortage ? I am still trying to use up the boxes of RWS Sinoxide primers I got back in the seventies for $17.45 for a box of 2500 and cans of unique for $ 2.98. Loved reloading so much I loaded up about 20,000 rounds of 45 and 3006 and still have some of it 30 years later! Havent seen anymore than boxes of a 100 on the shelves around here for months, sure hope it comes back soon cuz my wife says that I should share with others, and everyone I know reloads so I wont have any either!
December 17, 2008
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high standards said:
Loved reloading so much I loaded up about 20,000 rounds of 45 and 3006 and still have some of it 30 years later!
I'll be sharing this with my wife who says I "go overboard about things"... shoot, I don't hold a candle to that...
Thanks for the help...
January 22, 2008
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I currently reload several calibers (380, 9mm, 38/357, 45 ACP, 45 Colt, 5.7 (PITA!), 223, 22-250, 308, 30.06, 338 Lapua Mag, and 50 BMG). I have 4 different presses. A RCBS “Rock Chucker”, a Dillon 550, a Redding 7 stage turret and a Corbin CSP-2 Mega-Mite. All the posts above recommending you start with a rock chucker are spot on. You can do almost any reloading with this press and the buy-in cost is not too much. Start with a few good books on reloading, take your time, heed all the warnings and go 
have fun.
January 4, 2009
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HIGH STANDARD... Sticker shock time... primers,, IF.. you can find them.. and a good price.. I mean a really good price is $30 per THOUSAND.. so your 2500 will cost you at least.. $75 .. next time you buy.. I hope your REEEEAL old so you won't live long enough to have to re-stock.. lol..
Tell your wife.. NO.. hang onto your stuff YOU may have to use them for trade goods in the next few years.. if our fearless leader prevails.. he hasn't a clue what to do.. not a clue.. I watch, with horror Jimmy the bung hole Carter do almost the same thing and it took us like 30 years to recover.. some of his stunts we haven't gotten over to this DAY !!! Save your Primers, powder and ammo Dude...
Man we GOT to break the Democrats majority in the congress.. put a leash on the wild dog in the White House
W
DWF Supporters
Dans Club
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November 17, 2008
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By all means if you love to shoot, reloading is the only way to go. Cost savings can be substantial to none at all depending on the choice of components. Usually there will be at least some savings. But the best part is being able to tailor your loads to your needs. Not only can you produce load combinations that are not available over the counter, but with a little careful expermintation, a firearm can reach its full accuracy potential which may not be achieved with factory loads. Factory ammo is very good but it is designed to work the best in all types of firearms. You can build a load specifically for your shooter. In the end loading your own is almost as fun as shooting you own. All the other guys are right on also so Ill skip all the warnings and such. Good luck and have fun.
LB
Wisdom is merely the realization of how little one knows, therefore I am wise.
April 6, 2009
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Couple of weeks back at work a fork lift turned a corner to fast and slid a tube with 10,000 primers onto the floor and it busted, thoughs little suckers went everywhere ! Maintinance guys couldnt get them to sweep up so they had to get out a shop vac, two days later they were still finding them under things. To the haz mat dumpster they went . I asked nicely but DoD regs wont allow it, so all I could do is watch a part of something that is "more fun than a barrel of monkeys " get dumped in the trash!
December 17, 2008
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January 4, 2009
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lbruce... I would NEVER have used a shop vac to suck those up.. lol... why do you think they store those in individual little holes in the packs.. ??
I can just imagine one going off.. and setting off a chain reaction inside the can.. even if they used a bag liner .. it was still risky .. That's one reason your supposed to wear eye protection when re-priming .. you never know when one will detonate...
Oh well .. The Lord was watching out for those guys..
W
Dans Club
March 2, 2008
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When I did reload, I had a special "Watermelon Thumper" load for my DW. Basically, what would today be a .38 +P charge behind a hollow base wadcutter, seated reversed, so that it had a hollow point cavity you could park a Volkswagen in.
Anyone remember the comedian Gallagher, and his Sledge O Matic?
My version of Sledge O Matic, surprisingly accurate out to 25 yards or so, and literally blew the back off a melon.
I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman "Were is the Self Help Section?" She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.
George Carlin
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