That gun was strong, too. It is a Smith N frame, their large revolver frame. It had a Burris FastFire III on top. We found it about 40 yards behind us. We never found any of the cylinder parts.
Reloading ammo. How much do you save?
- Thread starter Toothpick
- Start date
simon1
Self Ignored by Vista
Reloading is fun, but you gotta watch what you are doing. This is a result from what was likely a double charge. This happened at my monthly metallic silhouette match a couple of months ago. I was standing beside the guy when it went off. It was pretty exciting.
So....I see you know Elmer Keith.
Save? Nothing at all. You just shoot more.
Casting's even more fun. Good (Lyman) molds are expensive, and since you "want to make it pay for itself," you'll be casting a zillion projos ... which need to be loaded ... it's a vicious circle.
AA
Casting's even more fun. Good (Lyman) molds are expensive, and since you "want to make it pay for itself," you'll be casting a zillion projos ... which need to be loaded ... it's a vicious circle.
AA
Slash McCoy
I freehand dog rockets
ROTFL how true! Only in rare circumstances do you actually save money, or save serious money, reloading. If you spend a lot of range time punching paper and use light loads so your cases last a long time, and you pick up your brass and also all abandoned brass you see, and use verrrrry basic cheapie bullets, you can save a fair amount. Buying brass puts you way over the top, though.
Reloading can be fun, though, especially once you are familiar with the basics and like to experiment. Sort of like honing straight razors. The rabbit hole gets pretty deep.
Guys who shoot really big rifle calibers sometimes handload. Costs maybe more than the cheapest surplus ammo but is cheaper than new premium production. Talking .50BMG, etc. Less common pistol calibers can be expensive. Maybe reloading 10mm or .40, for instance, might make economic sense. 9mm and .45 can sometimes be had for very heavy discounts, so for range fodder you have to be pretty frugal to reload cheaper.
My suggestion is to watch for a used scale, powder scoop, press and dies on craigs list and get your foot in the door cheap, with stuff you can always re-sell for what you paid for it. Then you are only out for a box of primers, bullets, and a can of powder if you give up on it.
Get your shooting buddies to save brass for you.
When shooting brass that has been trimmed a couple of times, the cartridge walls have stretched pretty thin and sometimes you will get case head separation, splitting, etc, making extraction a real chore. My advice is never load your gun for home defense or personal or car carry, with your reloads. And take it easy on the used brass. Hot loads should be in nice new or at least new-ish cases.
I have some old Lake City Match 30-06 brass that has been loaded 8-10 times. It's from the early 60's and is getting rather brittle now, but has served me well over the years.. I too have some 38 brass, surplus USAF from the early 70's that's still good.
Back in the 70's there was an article in one of the gun mags on just how long a light loaded 38 special case would last. They got over a hundred loadings. So I tried the same thing. 2.5 gr. bullseye with a 148 gr. Wadcutter. I also got over a hundred loadings before it finally split.
If you are easy on the brass, it will last a long time.
If you are easy on the brass, it will last a long time.
Necropost!:
Have any of you timed the process to see how long it takes per round?
Have any of you timed the process to see how long it takes per round?
I usually load much slower than my equipment is capable of and I sometimes break down the process, particularly to prime cases off of my semi-progressive press with a dedicated tool.
However, depending on the press you use, you can get up to several hundred rounds per hour. But you have to pay for that kinda speed. Probably only justifiable if you're a high volume shooter.
However, depending on the press you use, you can get up to several hundred rounds per hour. But you have to pay for that kinda speed. Probably only justifiable if you're a high volume shooter.
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simon1
Self Ignored by Vista
Using a single stage press, and visually inspecting every powder charge after they are in the loading block, takes me about an hour to load 50 rounds of .41 mag. but I'm slow...which can be a good thing.
Using an expensive Dillon...once you get it started it will crank out a round every time you pull the handle. I love those. Kinda wish I had one.
Dillon ammo production rate claims per hour from their catalogue:
Square Deal B 350
RL 550C 500
XL 650 800 with case feeder
Super 1050 1000
I've never achieved 500/hr in my RL550C, but easily 300+. Having everything well organized, extra primer tubes loaded before starting, all components in reach in trays or bins speeds up the process and once you get a rhythm going it really spits them out.
Square Deal B 350
RL 550C 500
XL 650 800 with case feeder
Super 1050 1000
I've never achieved 500/hr in my RL550C, but easily 300+. Having everything well organized, extra primer tubes loaded before starting, all components in reach in trays or bins speeds up the process and once you get a rhythm going it really spits them out.
Single stage about a box per hour - 20 bottleneck rifle or 50 pistol. Dillon 650 setup for 9, 45 ACP, 45 Colt, 223 - comfortably run about 500 per hour, can do 1000 with a skilled helper.
So the bottom line is, IMHO:
If you invest in the equipment for a higher production rate, you will shoot more for the same amount of money, what ever your discretionary ammo budget is. This is also dependent on buying components in bulk. This probably only makes sense if you are a relatively high volume shooter. (Not to say that an average volume shooter shouldn't make this investment.)
OTO, if you are an occasional shooter and are only willing to invest in a "starter kit" set up or a high quality single stage press, you won't save time or money on common pistol calibers that are readily available like 9mm, but you will have an enjoyable hobby, be able to tailor your loads to your guns, load obscure or hard to find calibers and learn more about your guns than you can by buying your ammo off the shelf.
If you invest in the equipment for a higher production rate, you will shoot more for the same amount of money, what ever your discretionary ammo budget is. This is also dependent on buying components in bulk. This probably only makes sense if you are a relatively high volume shooter. (Not to say that an average volume shooter shouldn't make this investment.)
OTO, if you are an occasional shooter and are only willing to invest in a "starter kit" set up or a high quality single stage press, you won't save time or money on common pistol calibers that are readily available like 9mm, but you will have an enjoyable hobby, be able to tailor your loads to your guns, load obscure or hard to find calibers and learn more about your guns than you can by buying your ammo off the shelf.
Good post.
Really, the correct answer is: It depends. Back when remington UMC .38 specials were around $8.50 a box(50 rounds), I was loading commercially cast lead bullets in .38's at a cost of $2.44/50. I could have loaded them cheaper via bulk purchases of components.
You're not going to save much money loading 9mm unless you're buying components in huge bulk quantities, and even then the savings won't be all that much compared to virtually any other pistol cartridge. I load my own with bullets I cast myself....with lead I bought ten years ago and I doubt I'm saving much over buying whatever is cheapest currently. That being said, my loads are tailored to my guns and that can't be said for off the shelf ammo.
With .45 Colt, you can save quite a bit. I haven't really shopped for components(or ammo) lately, but I'm pretty confident that you'd spend half as much or less loading your own. That was the case when I bought mine, and I've never bought a single factory loaded cartridge for it. If you decide to pursue loading your own and you buy brass, look no farther than Starline brand. Mine has been through quite a few cycles of Ruger only level handloads and shows no signs of distress.
Not sure if it's still true, but most of the powder companies used to have at least some load data available online. If you want specific information as to what it will cost you to load whatever combination of components for a given cartridge, go see if it's still there and then find prices for those components. There are 7,000 grains(weight measure) in a pound, so you'll have to abuse a calculator a bit...or get your wife to set up a calculator spreadsheet in excel like I did. lol
You're not going to save much money loading 9mm unless you're buying components in huge bulk quantities, and even then the savings won't be all that much compared to virtually any other pistol cartridge. I load my own with bullets I cast myself....with lead I bought ten years ago and I doubt I'm saving much over buying whatever is cheapest currently. That being said, my loads are tailored to my guns and that can't be said for off the shelf ammo.
With .45 Colt, you can save quite a bit. I haven't really shopped for components(or ammo) lately, but I'm pretty confident that you'd spend half as much or less loading your own. That was the case when I bought mine, and I've never bought a single factory loaded cartridge for it. If you decide to pursue loading your own and you buy brass, look no farther than Starline brand. Mine has been through quite a few cycles of Ruger only level handloads and shows no signs of distress.
Not sure if it's still true, but most of the powder companies used to have at least some load data available online. If you want specific information as to what it will cost you to load whatever combination of components for a given cartridge, go see if it's still there and then find prices for those components. There are 7,000 grains(weight measure) in a pound, so you'll have to abuse a calculator a bit...or get your wife to set up a calculator spreadsheet in excel like I did. lol
FWIW, have heard of some in the muzzle loader days who'd try to pick shots where, if they missed, the bullet would hit a tree where they could dig out the lead for reuse.
From the Peanut Gallery:
Don't know anything about reloading, but have thought reloading companies should give away a .45-70 with each starter kit.
Just saying.
Don't know anything about reloading, but have thought reloading companies should give away a .45-70 with each starter kit.
Just saying.
I would think that anyone who relied on a BP firearm for subsistence hunting either shot very well or starved. And if they couldn't hit a deer, what's the likelihood of hitting the tree? Not saying it couldn't happen.
The old saying with muzzle loaders was "one shot, meat. two shots, maybe meat. three shots, no meat."
It varies with the equipment.
The reloading process is, at a minimum, a three step process:
- Resizing Die - This die reforms distorted cases as they are pressed up into it. This die normally has a pin that pushes out the spent primer at the same time. Most presses have a lever arm that will insert the new primer.
- Expanding Die - This die bells out the mouth of the case to accept the bullet. Typically the powder is dropped through this die to charge the case, often from an automatic dispenser.
- Bullet Seating Die - This die seats the bullet at a consistent depth and crimps the mouth of the case to hold the bullet in place.
You have 4 basic types of presses:
- Hand tools - The Lee Loader and Lyman 310 are primitive systems that don't use a press to force the case into a dies. The Lee Loader uses a die that you hammer the case into and the Lyman tong tool is a nut cracker like device.
- Single stage press - These have one die in the top of the press and you put individual cases onto the ram. You pull the lever to perform the function of the current die on the current case and then you pull it off and put the next case on. Generally you will run all of your cases through with one die, change dies, and run all of your cases through with that die. Repeat until you run all of your cases through all of your dies. All of that case handling makes for slow work.
- Turret press - These have an entire die set mounted in a disk that spins into position over the single bullet. The dies are rotated into position sequentially and the lever pulled for each die. Once you have rotated the last die in place and pulled the lever the bullet is completed. It's the same number of lever pulls, but time is saved because shell handling is minimized. Most people seem to keep their dies in the rotating disk, so caliber switches are super quick.
- Progressive press - This press has the full die set on top like the turret press, but multiple bullets rotate beneath the dies. Through most of the process you will be performing different steps on different bullets all at the same time, thus improving throughput.
My results reloading pistol ammunition has been:
- Lee Loader (whack a mole) - 50 rounds per hour. You and everybody around you is ready for you to quit by the end of that hour.
- Single stage press - up to 100 rounds per hour. I had one empty Saturday that I spent 7 hours cranking out 700 rounds of pistol ammunition in two calibers.
- Turret press - 250 rounds per hour. This is another process that you can go on for hours with if you have the time and need.
- Progressive press - See earlier posts for the claims made by manufacturers and the experiences of other forum members.
You will spend a certain amount of time cleaning any previously fired brass. We normally don't count that time against production as the hands on portions are pretty quick. Mostly that is just dumping the cases in a tumbler, letting them run unattended for a few hours, and then spending a few minutes separating the media from the brass.
My first press didn't have a built in priming tool, so that was an extra step which took more time.
For turret and progressive presses a Powder Cop die may be inserted between steps 2 and 3 to mechanically indicate that the case was properly charged before topping it with a bullet.
Some die sets have a fourth die to create a tapered crimp instead of a rolled crimp. Again, that can mean an extra pull of the lever and more shell handling.
