Initial shopping list for reloading

[tweek]

Time for an update.

I'm reading Horandy's "Manual of Cartridge Reloading". Fasanating stuff, I can see why people get in to it. First, you sorta save some money on the cost of ammo. But you'll end up blowing that b/c you'll shoot more. But the real fun comes in hacking what you are shooting. Changing the bullet type, weight, powder, amount of powder and then adjusting how you position the bullet in the case. Do you just resize the neck or do the entire case? Tons of choices available. And the only way to know what the good choices are is to go shoot more! Load up a batch, record what you did, take it to the range and see how it performs for you. Wash, rense and repeat. Application also matter: going to go bust a cap in Bambi's retarded ass? Different setup than just shooting paper targets. Going to compete with the wild eyed people on the board at one of the matches? Different again.

I was going to hold off on buying a kit until Christmas, but after speaking w/ MrsTweek I'm just going to start off withe the Lee progressive kit. It's not particularly expensive and it'll let me start gaining some experience. If I keep it up and want something new I'm sure I'll be able to craigs lists it to another n00b who is also just starting out.....maybe I'll check the list before raiding the store.

 

[Texas42]

CONGRATS!!

I have no experience with the Lee Progressive, but you'll find about half the reviews are good, and half are bad. Which means it works50-75% of the time with no problems. I;ve heard most of the problems people experience is with the priming and the relative "cheapness" of the feel. Priming systems are always going to be a little finacky, even on the more expensive systems.

Personally, I'm happy with my dillon with mostly Lee accessories (Lee makes great stuff). I'd probably spend some more money a get a good scale (Lee's is all right, . . but not as good as the other's. )

Good luck, and when you get your setup up and running, let us know how it works. I'm not as experiences as other loaders here. I've only loaded 6k of 9mm luger and 300 .223 and 100 7mm rem mag. You learn a lot in the first thousand. Its fun. And yes, you can definately get into the different bulets and powders.) Its fun.

 

[bryonbush]

DO NOT BUY A LEE PROGRESSIVE!. if this is your first time reloading, you dont want to start off with a machine that wont teach you a thing except how not to controll your anger. every lee progressive that i have seen, has had nothing but problems. KISS (keep it simple stupid.) get the cheapest kit you can find because the goal of reloading when starting out is to save money. ive been using the lee breech lock kit for 4 years now and im glad i went with it after having problems starting out with the lee pro 1000. learn the process one step at a time. once you learn the process and when you find loads you like, you can transfer that load data to an AP unit. but for now, dont go broke buying every little peace of equipment for every gun you own, just to find out its not worth your while, or you blow a hand off.. either way, for most of use that reload, the objective is to keep the costs of shooting cheaper than buying manufactured ammo. hope that helps.

oh also, on here there was a fella talking about problems he has been having with his Lee automatic press. that many negative reviews for lee ap presses cant be a lie.

 

[tweek]

Didn't get a progressive. I went to Cabela's and got a Lee single stage. The kit is so-so because they forgot a few important pieces: the priming tool and part of the powder system. So I had to go back to Cabela's yesterday to for a priming tool and powder thingy.

I ended up buying the RCBS priming tool b/c it is universal - it will hold any bullet. The Lee version apparently requires different bushing for different calibers.
I also bought the RCBS powder feed.

So my first experience so far: I really don't see that this will save me a single dime. I'm paying every step of the way and every minute I spend on this. Not complaining. I actually enjoy it, but he illusion is totally shattered. For what I can bill clients for my time I'd be better off driving to the store and buying whatever I need to stock up on.

First: cleaning the brass. This is quick and easy on my part. Setup the tumbler, dump the media in it and then dump about 400 pieces of brass in it. Turn it on, set a timer for 1 hour and go watch Ren & Stimpy. When 1 hour is up (or more) is when the first annoyance arrives. Getting the brass back out of the media and in to your 'clean brass' box. I need a colander or something b/c a lot of the media is inside the cartridge, so there is a bit of work there, not a big deal but it isnt unloading the dishwashwer either.

Second is fun: depriming. Setup the press put the sizing and depriming die in place, put the cartridge holder on the piston and go to town. This step is pretty easy and quick to do. Just be careful not to force the brass in to the die. It should go in smoothly without being forced.

Third: Use a set of calipers to measure your brass. If the cartridge is too long you get to shave it down to the right size. Also clean out the primer pocket. I sat on the coach watching TV while doing this. I had the box of clean deprimed brass on one side of me, a box for good brass on the other and a bag for brass the needed sizing. Take one of out the box, check it, if it is good to go it goes in the other box, otherwise it goes in the bag. Once the box of deprimed brass is empty it gets filled up with the brass from the bag. Now each piece is taken out, shaved down to size, chamfered so the edges are smooth and then remeasured and added to the box of ready to load brass. This is the step that took me forever.

I have been told that there are dies that will deprime, size/shave all in one step. I might look in to that because this is by far the most time consuming step of the process.

Forth step is to seat new primers. This one is pretty easy, the biggest pain is that primers are really small and you have to load them the right way. If you get one backward you have to get it back out of the feeding tray and flip it over. So take your time loading. Priming the empty cartridges is easy. This time I had the box next to be and a loading tray in my lap. Take a cartridge, pop a primer in it and place the primed cartridge in the tray.

Today I'll finish the process. I have 50 243 cartridges waiting to be loaded and 50 223 as well.

 

[bryonbush]

okay, ill probably catch flack for posting this but oh well. first off, when reloading with a single stage, make each stage worth your while. do each step with a few hundred rounds. deprime 100 or so, then switch dies. save your self some time and skip the primer pocket cleaning. unless your shooting some super awesome loads, then you dont NEED to do it. second, if your shooting pistol brass that is cheap enough to get (9,40, 45) then if its too long for your liking, pitch it. i purchased the lee hand primer so i can take a break from the bench and prime em up while sitting on the couch watching TV. i dont reload to shoot super accurate loads, i just do it so i can get out there and shoot. youll find out little tricks along the way and from others that will save you time and money. but i view it as time is money, and the more time i spend at the reloading bench is money im losing. take it for what its worth.

 

[Texas42]

Didn't get a progressive. I went to Cabela's and got a Lee single stage. The kit is so-so because they forgot a few important pieces: the priming tool and part of the powder system. So I had to go back to Cabela's yesterday to for a priming tool and powder thingy.

I ended up buying the RCBS priming tool b/c it is universal - it will hold any bullet. The Lee version apparently requires different bushing for different calibers.
I also bought the RCBS powder feed.

So my first experience so far: I really don't see that this will save me a single dime. I'm paying every step of the way and every minute I spend on this. Not complaining. I actually enjoy it, but he illusion is totally shattered. For what I can bill clients for my time I'd be better off driving to the store and buying whatever I need to stock up on.

First: cleaning the brass. This is quick and easy on my part. Setup the tumbler, dump the media in it and then dump about 400 pieces of brass in it. Turn it on, set a timer for 1 hour and go watch Ren & Stimpy. When 1 hour is up (or more) is when the first annoyance arrives. Getting the brass back out of the media and in to your 'clean brass' box. I need a colander or something b/c a lot of the media is inside the cartridge, so there is a bit of work there, not a big deal but it isnt unloading the dishwashwer either.

Second is fun: depriming. Setup the press put the sizing and depriming die in place, put the cartridge holder on the piston and go to town. This step is pretty easy and quick to do. Just be careful not to force the brass in to the die. It should go in smoothly without being forced.

Third: Use a set of calipers to measure your brass. If the cartridge is too long you get to shave it down to the right size. Also clean out the primer pocket. I sat on the coach watching TV while doing this. I had the box of clean deprimed brass on one side of me, a box for good brass on the other and a bag for brass the needed sizing. Take one of out the box, check it, if it is good to go it goes in the other box, otherwise it goes in the bag. Once the box of deprimed brass is empty it gets filled up with the brass from the bag. Now each piece is taken out, shaved down to size, chamfered so the edges are smooth and then remeasured and added to the box of ready to load brass. This is the step that took me forever.

I have been told that there are dies that will deprime, size/shave all in one step. I might look in to that because this is by far the most time consuming step of the process.

Forth step is to seat new primers. This one is pretty easy, the biggest pain is that primers are really small and you have to load them the right way. If you get one backward you have to get it back out of the feeding tray and flip it over. So take your time loading. Priming the empty cartridges is easy. This time I had the box next to be and a loading tray in my lap. Take a cartridge, pop a primer in it and place the primed cartridge in the tray.

Today I'll finish the process. I have 50 243 cartridges waiting to be loaded and 50 223 as well.

You'll get a process when you do it.

I agree, sizing brass is a pain, but you usually only have to do it once or so. You can get a "go/no go gause" (either make it or buy it) a peice of wood or metal that is the mas length of the intented brass and eyeball it. If it is longer put it in the case trim pile. All the decapping dies I know also size it, but case trimming takes other tools.

I bought a RCBS rotary media separator that is worth its weight in gold at separating media from cases.

i really think that reloading serves a couple purposes
1. It save money on bulk items, like mass pistol/223 rounds. I load my pistols with plated rounds, and medium light powder loads. They are accurate and punch paper well. It takes time to find the best deals and what works for what you want. It usually takes putting some big money down for years worth of shooting stuff to maximize your savings. If you don't have tons of free time. . . you really need to factor in the cost of your time (and why progressives are so much more valuable).
2. Gives you options and variety. All the different kinds of bullts and powder, its fun to experiemnt. Accuracy is just part of this.
3. Just in case. Its a lot easier to store 30lbs of powder and 50k primers/bullets and 10k cases than to have all that stuff as loaded cartridges in your, SHTF stash.

Its a hobby. I've got a lot of money invested in random crap that helps you make better ammo, or be more efficient. In truth, in 10 year and I'm an MD making decent money, I'll probably just buy ammo in bulk and spend more time with my family. I really do enjoy it. I made ~200 .223 in a couple hours. I had to fight off a few hornets. I'm not the fastest. I also had to figure out a problem i was having.

Good luck.

 

[tweek]

Well, now I'm in trouble. I have 50 rounds of 243 all loaded up and ready to go. I'm scared to actually go try them in case I blow up the rifle.

I measured the powder 2 or 3 times. Getting that blasted Lee scale zeroed was a huge pain. Then getting the powder feeder adjusted to drop exactly the right amount was fun. Once that was done loading up the cartridges was a snap. Then seating the bullets in the cartridges was a snap. I had to adjust how far in the bullet went so the lengths came out right. I was at surprised at how easy the bullets went in to the cartridge.

Guess the concern is having never loaded before loaded and read about how too much powder can cause the rifle to explode. On the other hand I was careful and measured everything several times to be sure. Guess we'll find out on Wednesday when I get some time to go out and try it out. By the I'll have 50 223 rounds to try as well.

As for doing large batches at each stage - I completely agree. I'm cleaning big loads of brass right now. I'm using the box the tumble came in (about 16" X 16" x 16") to hold the cleaned brass (about 3" deep now). Once they are all clean I'll deprime them. Then I'll measure & trim. As I work my way through the box I'll transfer the worked bass over to another box. That way things won't get confused.

Once I've shot this first batch I have the confidence that I'm not goint to blow myself up I'm going to make some bulk orders of primers, bullets and powder.

 

[TheDan]

I really don't see that this will save me a single dime.

I came to the same conclusion. I still want to get into reloading just from the self sufficiency aspect, but I don't really think I'm going to save any money. Especially not with cheap calibers like 9mm or .223.

 

[tweek]

Can't wait to see how these rounds work. Have 50 rounds of 243 and 50 of 223. Now if I can get myself down to shooting 1MAO or better so making high quality hand loads will matter.

 

[San Antone RR]

I got into it a little backward. Spent lots of money on good equipment before I knew if it was something I wanted to do. Bought a Dillon RL500B with all RCBS accessories. I let it sit for a couple of years because I just wasn't into it. Now I am glad I didn't get the single stage Lee. I like using the Dillon.

I haven't seen any savings. I shoot more.

 

[tweek]

I'm still alive. Shot all of the 223. It felt a bit weak compared to the stuff I normally buy. Guess I'll up it to 26 grains next time and see how that goes.

4 of the 223 rounds got ate up by the rifle - they didnt feed right. Not sure why. Misfeeds happen.

I only shot 5 of the 243 rounds. They all worked perfectly, but again they felt week compared to the store bought stuff. Again, I'll add another grain to the next set I load up.


Cool stuff. Can't wait to load up another batch to try.

 

[robin303]

I go up .02 gr a time to find that sweet spot and only about 15 rnds at a time. Do you chrono.

 

[AusTex]

I would get yourself the Lee decap die. That little bastard is tough and you take all your spent primers out then tumble. If you do that every time you won't have to mess with primer pocket cleaning for awhile. Also if you ever happen to accidentally pickup the wrong .223 brass and get some surplus super crimped primer brass shit mixed in you wont ruin your lee .223 die like I have done before.

 

[AusTex]

What powder did you use on the .223? I really like h335 and h322. I load down to 20grns of h335 on 50 grn soft points. I do this cause I shoot small game and I use a suppressor this reduces noise, felt recoil, and less explosive on the animal is I make a bad shot. The can is probably what allows it to cycle at that low of a charge though. My point is because the thing doesn't blast like military loads doesn't mean there is a problem. You can get somewhere in the middle and have yourself a good load. Also get a headspace gauge for .223. This ensure proper die setup which can be easily messed up by new reloaders. Also if you go through and check every case at the end like I do it forces you to visually inspect each bullet yet another time to ensure proper head space, proper primer seat, and make sure there are no cracks, dimples or anything that could lead to problems in the field. If all of this has been covered sorry for the repeat but I didn't real all posts on this thread.

Jeremy

 

[tweek]

I'm using Hog whatever Varget powder.

So here is what happened: I screwed up. When I zeroed that scale I didnt read the manual first. The small slide on the end that controls the individual grain weight was in the wrong place. I was basically 5 grains off on my loads! I just shot another 50 rounds and they were just about perfect. I used 26 grains so there is still a decent margin for error. I also weigh all the bullets afterward to make sure they all weigh about the same amount. They all ended up pretty close with only a small variance from bullet to bullet.

I really need to get a digital scale. I actually like the Lee balance scale, but I spend too much time getting is zeroed, and even after being zeroed it takes too long. I also would have avoided the mistake of too little powder in the first batch. However, I suspect too little is much better than too much.

At this point I'm pretty much hooked. I really like making my own loads. I don't care that I can't crank out 1000 rounds an hour (wish I could). don't care that it doesnt really save me any money. It's just cool as shit having a box of ammo that I loaded myself and see that it works! It also does seem to be a little more accurate than the HVAC and Tulo stuff I'm buying.

 

[randmplumbingllc]

At this point I'm pretty much hooked. I really like making my own loads. I don't care that I can't crank out 1000 rounds an hour (wish I could). don't care that it doesnt really save me any money. It's just cool as shit having a box of ammo that I loaded myself and see that it works! It also does seem to be a little more accurate than the HVAC and Tulo stuff I'm buying.

Tweek,

Congrats on reloading. You seem to be proud and think it is "cool" to make your own ammo. You are right, it is, and you should be very proud.

Now, the next step is casting your own bullets. It takes some time, but is easier then most think. The NEXT step......is swaging a FMJ bullet. I am starting to get into that now.

Soon......I will be making 230 gr. 45 ACP Hornaday look alike XTP hollowpoints, from once fired .40 cal. brass, like these ! Notice the 40 cal. rim on the bottom of the 45 cal. bullet. Is that cool...... or what ?

 

[tweek]

That is actually really cool and does offer a lot of potential for screwing around and having some fun. However, I believe Mrs Tweek would apperciate it if I just reloaded a while before I start collecting more toys.