Reloading

Gunboards pulled some good reloading.equipment off there, eBay also.

Start with a single stage press and a bushing system.

Don't cheap out, if you stick with reloading you'll end up getting one anyway and will have wasted money and precision in the meantime.

I guess I don’t get what the issue there is.

So let’s say you tumble, then trim your brass as necessecary, then clean the primer pockets, then put into the press, they should be done to just go through the stages. I guess it’s a bit different for me where I have a single stage press, but it just does all the same functions one at a time.

I have been using fresh brass, with a lee 9mm 4 die set. I take the brass, trim to length, then just run it through the four dies as per the instructions.

I should have just got that, I bought all the pieces individually, spent way more money and didn’t get the powder thrower. Which I’ll be buying soon. Takes forever to weigh out charges individually.

How much does annealing matter? Is it something to do each time, or ever other reload?

Flaring case mouths

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For my 357/44/45 I just tumble. I don't even decap them beforehand. I leave the primer pocket dirty. I'm probably just a lazy shithead. Also, I find rice is an amazing tumbling media seems to work a lot better than corn cob.

I wish I would have just got a progressive press as I have nearly lost my mind loading thousands of rounds on my single stage press.

From the information I’ve found online most guys don’t do much with their pistol brass, a bunch don’t even trim it. They just tumble it and don’t bother to clean the pocket unless it’s filthy with carbon.

i bought everything either on amazon or ebay. i just pirated quickload and that is helping. not sure if i trust it yet. gotta get more shamwows too.

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If you KNOW you well reload a lot then I would just get a progressive press. The learning curve will be harder as you will have to get tuned at the same time. I refuse to reload any cheap (i.e. 9mm,223, etc) round on my turret press as I would only save a few pennies each round.

That's what I do too, more than once I didn't even tumble them. I don't even know how many times each piece of brass has been reloaded. From my gp100 off a rest, I get 4ish inches at 25 yards.

I started reloading 9mm mostly so I could start shouting defensive loads cheaply. I have hornady custom in my carry pistol, and at 16 bucks for 25 it’s not really cost effective to practice with. I figured I could buy the bullets for 19.99 per hundred and just work up a comparable load and practice Wirh that, while still carrying factory loads.

Is this a silly idea ?

I'm gonna want to reload all the 9mm brass I've saved. Just need to get gear tho that might be a while...what do I need for doing what you're doing?

Depends on the cartridge and how much you work it. As you work brass you create breaks in crystal structure, as these increase the brass becomes more brittle. It'll crack during resizing or firing. Annealing allows the metal to recrystallize making it malleable again. For small cartridges you may not need to anneal at all, or only every few firings, but for large cartridges you will want to anneal every time you size to lengthen case life.

For my reloading sessions, I mix new and old brass, and almost always have new brass. When I setup my annealing machine for one cartridge, I run all cases for that cartridge through it. So everything gets annealed. It only ads a few minutes to my wait time, and the majority of my brass is annealed every firing.

It's a good idea, though I would just buy the same weight bullets that are cheapest and just try to match velocity. POI might be different but you can get a lot more practice in.

what's your method for annealing?

Necessecary
Reloading press, 9mm dies, bullets, primers, powder, brass, powder scale, powder funnel, reloading tray (case lube, optional if you’re using carbide dies.) a bench you don’t mind putting screws/bolts through calipers. Don’t forget calipers.

Optional, powder trickler, powder measure, reloading manual of your choice, plastic boxes for putting loaded bullets, case trimmer, deburring tool, pocket cleaner, cordless drill, tumbler, tumbling media

That might not be a complete list, but it’ll definately get you rolling.

Honestly the lee anniversary kit plus some dies, powder, bullets and primers and calipers and you should be off to the races for cheaper than buying it all individually.

Awesome thanks man. Mostly just have pistol ammo so reload currently and making everything cheaper would be great

Amazon

hi Jow Forums, so i want to get into reloading partially as hobby and partially as money savings for shooting hobby. I have done a bit of research and found the dillon precision RL 550C, I think it's a decent price, 50-60 bucks per die is not a huge deal, and it's ability to do so many rounds (over 160 pistol + rifle calibers) is I think advantageous and sort of future proofing, as I dont know what guns i might purchase in the future. opinions?

2. On dillon's website you can shop for options for the press as well, do you guys think i should go with their stuff or are there better options for some of those extras?

3. I would also like to into reloading shotshells. I have .140 bore, 20 gauge, and 12 gauge guns, but would like to expand to more sizes in the future as well. bgs has entry level 16 gauge for $500, 28 gauge for $400, and 10 gauge for $1500.

what are your opinions on accomodating the different shotshells?

4. I have also learned a little bit about swaging but havent found much in the way of products, care to mention any setups you like?

5. what books should every reloader have?

6. do you fuck with casting your own bullets? this seems like another branch im not sure i want to deal with atm.

7. Thank you.

For large batches, I use an Annealeez with sized, cleaned, and polished brass.

With clean brass you can see a color change in the brass. You don't get that gray/purple shoulder on store bought ammo, but rather it starts to look a little more silver (or less yellow). I time it so that the silvered area gets just passed the shoulder and then the machine moves the brass out of the flame. About 6 seconds for most of my brass.

I spend the time making sure the hopper isn't empty and that brass doesn't jam in the machine. It's rare, but it does happen. If any cases do get jammed, I quickly flip the off switch and pull out any jammed brass to ensure it isn't over annealed. I usually then have to readjust the wheels. They're friction fit so it's just a nudge to the correct clocking and then I restart.

For Small batches, it's a handheld propane torch and a drill chucked with a socket and extension. I tip the finished brass into a bucket of cold water.

>as money savings for shooting hobby
You won't save money, you just shoot more.

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This is why Hornady HAPs exist.

Swaging is a waste of time. Just cut the crimp.

ABCs of Reloading is the only necessary book. It can he torrented.

The dillon is a high-volume press. It's made for people who shoot a fuckload. It is more complicated and more expensive than standard presses. You probably don't need or want that unless you know you are going to be serious about handloading. I would suggest you start out with a basic single-stage press. They are useful to have around even if you want a fancy press later. Also note that most presses can load far more calibers than the Dillons can. Dillons aren't bad, they're just meant for high volume specifically.

2) nothing wrong with Dillon parts, but like I said you probably want to start with something basic first.

3) Reloading shotshells VERY rarely makes financial sense. You need to shoot a FUCKLOAD to make it economical. Only consider shotshell reloading if you have special needs, like antique guns you can't just go buy ammo for. Do some math on the cost of components and you will see just how much you have to shoot before you begin to break even. I have owned MEC shotgun loading tools in the past, I have not used BGS.

4) Corbin has a variety of manuals and books on this subject.

5) A basic hanloading manual from any of the big names. The Handloader's Manual of Cartridge Conversions by John J. Donnelly. Any Shot You Want by A-square. Designing and Forming Custom Cartridges for Rifles and Handguns by Ken Howell. Hatcher's Notebook by Julian Hatcher.

6) Yes, but I do it only for antique firearms that I can't readily buy bullets for. If you shoot a lot of volume it can be a way to reduce your costs.

7) you're welcome!

Fuck yeah, reloading thread

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I wouldn't use Berry's out of a slingshot.
Take a 0-1" micrometer. Take ten Berry's bullets at random and measure them to .001
hmmmm dif sizes eh?
No weigh those same ten randomly chosen bullets.
hmmmm dif weights eh?
Overpriced, substandard garbage.

I've just recently taken the plunge into reloading, probably about 1k deep now, not counting components. I started with the RCBS supreme master kit and added on a lot from there. If I could do it all over again I'd probably either start with a lee single stage kit or just buy everything I want piece by piece individually. How did you start reloading, anons? And what are you loading these days? I'm doing a faux-262 load right now:
nosler 77gr HPBT cannelure
24.0 gr Alliant reloader 15

Haven’t tried them yet, but I had my eye on a box of 1000 for target plinking.

>How did you start reloading
Bought this and realized that it's chambered in $2 a round unobtanium

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find me cheaper. i have loaded thousands of them and they work just fine. im not concerned about such a small variance in any aspect.

Lol that's not unobtanium.

.375-50 Mach V is unobtanium.

Who here eroded forcing cone?

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>.375-50 Mach V
fucking what

I started like a month ago, I’ve been curious about it since I started shooting, but just recently decided to try it.

Right now I’m working up a target load for plinking, only get to shoot once every couple weeks and I have to pay for range time. Haven’t shot any of my handloads yet. I decided it was best to just load up tbebabount of rounds that I usually shoot, with varying powder charges, with the same oal, and then see what powder charge produces the best result. Next time I’ll keep the winning powder charge, and then do batches of 20 or so with carrying coal. I figure I’m two range trips I should have a good target load worked out.

Currently, working with 115 fmj-rn hornady, 1.1465 coal, ramshot silhoutte 5.2, 5.4, 5.6, and 5.7 grain powder loads. No idea how any of them will perform. According to other guys on the forums 5.7 was the most accurate load for them, but they all had much shorter load lengths.

That's a pretty good kit... I tossed most of the small tools and balance, but it's still cheaper to buy the kit than the press, hand primer with shell holders, and perfect powder measure individually...

It's a wildcat. Invented by Klaus Horstkamp, the original owner of State Arms Gun Company. It's a 50 BMG necked down to .375 caliber. I used to own the last rifle that he made before he died in a car accident. Serial no. 00014.

Barrel length 40" Rifle weight about 50 lbs.
Muzzle velocity just shy of 5000 fps. Used WC872 (20mm powder). Took 4 dies just to reform the brass.

You doing pistol or rifle? I decap and wet tumble everything now, but if it's just pistol, there really isn't a reason to clean the primer pockets.

>5.6, and 5.7 grain powder loads.
Can you consistently throw that exact amount in a reasonable time? my throws vary +/- .1 gn. Though I just shoot for blasting ammo and not autismo accuracy.

I can't be arsed to go out to my workshop right now but if this thread is still up tomorrow I'll take some pics of a few cases I have lying around. I sold the rifle years ago but I still have a hadful of brass.

To add to the book list: Propellant Profiles by Wolfe. Ammo & Ballistics by Forker

What’s a “reasonable amount of time” lol. I weighed out each powder charge individually, takes about 30 seconds each, so anywhere between 25-30 minutes, just weighing out powder since I load in batches of 50. I’m going to be investing in a lee perfect powder measure soon. Then I can just set the thing to like .1 or .2 grains short of desired and then trickle in the remaining powder.

For me, that takes too long for blastin ammo. I can load like 2 357s in that amount of time. If it were for serious work I would take my time but for practice ammo that is silly. As I said earlier my loads are like 4 inches at 25 yards. Which is good enough for a handgun. But then if you are having fun, then whatever. I also use an "auto" powder dispenser so that helps a lot.

>2. On dillon's website you can shop for options for the press as well, do you guys think i should go with their stuff or are there better options for some of those extras?
Its said a lot, but I'd honestly recommend starting with a good single stage press kit, lots of options there: Lee, Hornady, RCBS all work. And don't be turned off of Lee stuff just because they're cheap, for the most part everything they make works, and works well.

>4. I have also learned a little bit about swaging but havent found much in the way of products, care to mention any setups you like?
I just use a lyman multi tool to cut the crimp out, nothing fancy. It is an absolute necessity to remove the crimp if you're reloading military brass.

>5. what books should every reloader have?
You'll need manuals with load data, of course, but you can find that for free all over the internets(hint: powder manufacturers put up load data for free on their websites). I'd still get a manual to have on reference, either one or several of: lee, hornady, nosler, sierra, lyman, speer. Hodgdon puts out an annual magazine-style manual too, but again all their stuff is available already for free online.

>7. Thank you.
y-you too

I use a Lyman powder measure and keeps me within .1gr
I can load a hundred in about 5 minutes

>The dillon is a high-volume press. It's made for people who shoot a fuckload. It is more complicated and more expensive than standard presses. You probably don't need or want that unless you know you are going to be serious about handloading.
Yes basically. I have been wanting to do it for years and am now getting close to buying. trying to do homework so i know what to look for in xmas deals.

>I would suggest you start out with a basic single-stage press. They are useful to have around even if you want a fancy press later.
care to elaborate on handyness?

>Also note that most presses can load far more calibers than the Dillons can.
oh i will have to look into this further.

Dillons aren't bad, they're just meant for high volume specifically.
My time is worth something to me, i dont want to the reloading to be as basic as possible, i want it to be as efficient as possible.

I’m only weighing out each charge that way for now to develop a load, and because I don’t have a volume powder measure to use. Once I have purchased one and have worked up a good recipe I won’t be weighing them all out that way. It takes forever the way that I’m doin it.

Is anyone else going full autist while waiting for this to be released? Its been "coming soon" for at least a couple months now.

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ah, I do that too when working up a load
I have a set of scoops just for that purpose
I highly recommend you get a powder measure though for loading batches
way worth the money

>Reloading shotshells VERY rarely makes financial sense.
I have been told this, but would still like to own the ability and skillset.

>Swaging is a waste of time.
myself and people i know shoot plenty of .22lr, which can be swaged into 223, which i also have, so im not sure is a waste of time for me.

I was going to say xtreme, but I think they filed for bankruptcy..

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Ya, that’s what I was thinking. Lee makes one for like 20 bucks. I don’t see how that couldn’t be worth it, even if it isn’t exact, I could always just dump it onto the scale and then trickle in the .1 grain I need. Reviews on Amazon are all stellar, they said it’s consistsnt as hell for the price

if you want to swage, get a copy of handloader magazine for the ads
they have all that stuff advertised

(((car accident))) ?

lee makes good stuff but I don't like their powder measure
I feel that RCBS and Lyman are the way to go there

No, I have a lyman gen 6 I got for like $50 less... I would probably buy the RCBS light version if I had to get another auto dispenser...

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most of Jow Forums is too daykare to reload user.

Jesus..

>care to elaborate on handyness?
Let's say you have your dillon all set up the way you want it (lots of tedious adjustments), but you need to do a minor job, like maybe seat some bullets a hair deeper, or whip up a couple of loads in a different caliber for testing purposes. Insted of having to go through the hassle of reconfiguring your fancy progressive press, just do the other job on your single stage.

Regarding the number of calibers the Dillon can load: it's certianly got the A-list covered. It can handle most common calibers. But if you have any oddballs, antiques, big bore, etc, then they may not have the dies you want.

>>i want it to be as efficient as possible.
I get that. But what's most efficient depends on what your needs are. A progressive press like the dillon excels at doing the exact same thing very quickly. OTOH it's a huge pain in the ass if you want to make changes or experiment with variations. So consider the two scenarios:

1) you are a bigtime competitive shooter and you fire off thousands of a common caliber every month. You shoot the exact same load all the time and you don't need to experiment. Progressive press like Dillon is a great idea.

2) You have a variety of different guns, and/or you like to experiment with different loads: testing various combinations of factors to tweak your accuracy. For that you want a simpler press.

Any complex press takes a lot of fiddling around to get it set right. Once it's set up it makes ammo fast. So the question becomes how often do you need to make changes? If you need to change things often the Dillon becomes inefficient because of the adjustments. If you don't need to change things often and you're doing the same load same caliber every time that's not much of a problem.

what makes you want the RCBS light over lyman gen 6?

Nope. I had an automatic scale/dispenser years ago. I hated it. it was SLOOOW and was no more accurate than a mechanical measure.

>I have been told this, but would still like to own the ability and skillset.
Then go for it. Keep in mind that if you just want to learn, you don't need anything other than a roll crimping tool. The presses are only for high volume.

As for the swaging, I guessed you were asking about swaging bullets, hence why I directed you to corbin. I think most of the other people assumed you were asking about swaging the crimp out of the primer pockets on military brass. Two very different things.

So I want to reload 308, and home defense rounds for .223/556, 9mm and 38/357. Should I get a single stage? Or should I get a progressive? I just got my lyman cyclone wet tumbler but other than that I dont have anything else for reloading. I know I need
>loading press
>dyes for everything
>calipers
>case trimmer for rifle cases
Also what does everyone use to clean brass in a wet tumbler? Dawn and lemmi shine?

Swaging bullets vs swaging primer pockets disconnect I think... If you want to make your own 223 projectiles you are looking at like $5k in custom dies and a super beefy dual ram press... Cutting primer pocket crimps is faster (in my experience) than swaging... Then I get better results with my primer uniforming tool after cutting too.

I’ll look into it.

Maybe I’ll start a thread after I go to the range and test out my loads.

I just started getting in to this, so it’s helpful to talk to other people who have been doing it a while.

I'm not sure what you are asking me.

Klaus Horstkamp was the owner of State Arms Gun Company. He died in a car wreck. This was nearly 20 years ago. Since then State Arms was picked up by East Ridge, who AFAIK still has it.

honestly, I have a handful of powder measures
I reload several cartridges with the same powder and I found that with 3 measure preset I can load all but one cartridge
I have a fourth measure for working up loads or loads I can't do preset for
worth the money to me and as fast as I care to go

Try more like $500 and a standard O-frame press.

Yeah, that's what I said when I saw the chrono reading.

Cool at first, but not so cool in practice. Most bullets couldn't handle the forces upon firing and would disintegrate outside the muzzle. I had to shoot monometallic bullets since jacketed ones would just fly apart. Barnes X stayed together but weren't very accurate. I ended up ordering some lathe-turned solids from GS Custom in South Africa. I dunno if they are still in business or not. Those worked great and were very accurate.

once you've worked out your loads, you really are set to go
I load the same .357, .45, and .44 loads a lot
now I know what my loads are, i just set up the powder measure and bang out the charges quickly

I use a propane torch and tempilaq. I hold the case in a spark plug socket mounted in a cordless drill, then drop the case into a bucket lined with damp paper towels.

The lyman has some odd quirks and it seems like the motor is under powered. It throws a tenth under like 60% of the time so I have to tap the tube to bring it up. Plus I prefer the three point calibration on the rcbs because I'm a science nerd... The scale on the lyman is pretty good though. I made check weights referenced to our labs fancy microgram balance and it tracked well...

>If you want to make your own 223 projectiles you are looking at like $5k in custom dies and a super beefy dual ram press

youtube.com/watch?v=4-vQpwgiHbA

certainly doesn't look like 5k worth of tools me.

for those who cast, what sizer do you use?
do you like it and why?
anything I should be aware of if I choose that one?

I mainly use a Star lubrisizer.
One of the best out there but be prepared for sticker shock.

I bought a 55gr .224 mold for $70 and I shoot cast out of my AR without issue

>Should I get a single stage? Or should I get a progressive?
I'd honestly start with a single stage press. You can still move up too a progressive press later and your single stage will still have use for autistically accurate rifle loading, and you'll have a better understanding moving into progressive reloading if you want to do that.

In addition to all the common things you'll need, I'd recommend picking up case gauges for each caliber you want to reload as well.

Well never mind.... Last time I looked it up, CH4D was the only one making dies and required a more beefy press.... I'd still rather have a dedicated swaging press...

WhereS your source for cheap pistol bullets for range blasting and practice? Don't want to cast my own. I have found Missouri bullet company and Rocky Mountain with Google, wondering if there's anything else better. Also do they ship discretely? I live in commiefornia and don't want a 60lb box that says BULLETS showing up at my apartments common mail room

Black bullets international is my go to coated bullet manufacturer... They ship in generic usps flat rate boxes. Precision bullets out of Texas is super cheap but I have issues with leading using their bullets so order a few to test before ordering in bulk.

ok, I bookmarked the page

about $1k for a Corbin setup

I get HSM bullets when I don't feel like casting
works well enough

I pan lube since the stuff I cast for is antique stuff larger than .50 cal and nobody makes a lubrisizer which can take that diameter.

get a PO box then faggot

how do you ensure the proper diameter of your bullet?

Just about every compnay goes up to .50. Stars go to .58
Can also get larger press mounted ones from CastBoolits

I need .604

Anyone have that?

I took chamber castings & slugged the bore of my rifle, then drew up a bullet design. I had accurate molds make me a custom mold to cast that exact diameter in the alloy of my choosing. I am using hardball.

In fact, I can link you to the exact designs I am using:
accuratemolds.com/bullet_detail.php?bullet=61-500M-D.png
And
accuratemolds.com/bullet_detail.php?bullet=61-700M-D.png

Rifle is a Portugese contract Snider carbine (.577)

Should be able to get a custom sizer made, check the thread on CastBoolits. Star is beefier than Lyman style so probably easier to do. Lee stlye would be my preference for this large.