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Reloading

Bowtie747 said:
Any have a round count an hour on a single stage press? I’m still debating pretty hard
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Exactly what @sureshotscott said. I have a poor mans reloading set up: single stage RCBS partner press, old school analog rcbs scale for measuring charges and all hand held trimming, deburring case prep tools. I load for 308 and 357 mainly and usually do about 10-20 rounds per hour or so. That's start to finish and I am slow. From taking a used piece of brass, depriming it, trimming, chamfer, deburr, sizing (I do mostly neck sizing for the 308), priming, powder drop, seating and crimping. But usually I do it in 2 phases across a few days. clean, prep and prime 20 rounds and then a day or 2 later I will powder measure and bullet seat. love doing this on rainy days when I can't work outside or no other hunting season is open.
 
philsanchez76 said:
Exactly what @sureshotscott said. I have a poor mans reloading set up: single stage RCBS partner press, old school analog rcbs scale for measuring charges and all hand held trimming, deburring case prep tools. I load for 308 and 357 mainly and usually do about 10-20 rounds per hour or so. That's start to finish and I am slow. From taking a used piece of brass, depriming it, trimming, chamfer, deburr, sizing (I do mostly neck sizing for the 308), priming, powder drop, seating and crimping. But usually I do it in 2 phases across a few days. clean, prep and prime 20 rounds and then a day or 2 later I will powder measure and bullet seat. love doing this on rainy days when I can't work outside or no other hunting season is open.
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I gotcha! I definitely will have the attention to detail I just think 20ish round for me with rifle rounds is fine but I’d want more volume for handgun ammunition. I like to shoot John Wayne style with my revolver so I go through rounds pretty quick.
I still think I like the idea of the Dillon rl 550c because it manually indexes the rounds. So I can have the attention to detail with the benefit of more volumes of rounds. Also I wanna reload black powder some and will need to measure powder separately for each case.
 
Bowtie747 said:
I gotcha! I definitely will have the attention to detail I just think 20ish round for me with rifle rounds is fine but I’d want more volume for handgun ammunition. I like to shoot John Wayne style with my revolver so I go through rounds pretty quick.
I still think I like the idea of the Dillon rl 550c because it manually indexes the rounds. So I can have the attention to detail with the benefit of more volumes of rounds. Also I wanna reload black powder some and will need to measure powder separately for each case.
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I have been eying the Lee cast turret press. Dillon should be awesome too.
 
philsanchez76 said:
I have been eying the Lee cast turret press. Dillon should be awesome too.
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Yea I like the lee too! I’m just wondering the longevity of the Lee. Dillon’s lifetime warranty is hard to beat.
I’ve considered the Lee since I’m just getting g started but I’m how I am. If I like it I’ll want something better. Lol I’m dumb
 
Bowtie747 said:
Yea I like the lee too! I’m just wondering the longevity of the Lee. Dillon’s lifetime warranty is hard to beat.
I’ve considered the Lee since I’m just getting g started but I’m how I am. If I like it I’ll want something better. Lol I’m dumb
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Ive tried to ask as many folks as I know with the classic cast turret how they've been holding up and its pretty unanimous that no one has been able to loosen one up or break one. But ya never know. I'd so go with the best you can afford.
 
philsanchez76 said:
Ive tried to ask as many folks as I know with the classic cast turret how they've been holding up and its pretty unanimous that no one has been able to loosen one up or break one. But ya never know. I'd so go with the best you can afford.
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Yea I’ve heard about the same thing! It’s hard to ignore!
 
I reload because I suffer from MAGNUMitus. I like powerful guns and it's the only way you can afford to shoot them consistently to be proficient. Unfortunately, like everyone else as said things are asinine as far as prices.
Before this however, to put the cost savings into perspective:
My 338-378 Weatherby runs 167 a box of 20 before tax. Reloaded box of 20 cost 22$!
My 460 S&W Magnum box of 20 cost 40-60$
Reloaded box of 50 was 23$!
 
bigmike23 said:
I reload because I suffer from MAGNUMitus. I like powerful guns and it's the only way you can afford to shoot them consistently to be proficient. Unfortunately, like everyone else as said things are asinine as far as prices.
Before this however, to put the cost savings into perspective:
My 338-378 Weatherby runs 167 a box of 20 before tax. Reloaded box of 20 cost 22$!
My 460 S&W Magnum box of 20 cost 40-60$
Reloaded box of 50 was 23$!
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What kind of press r you reloading those turds on? I love big calibers! Something I wanna get into
 
bigmike23 said:
I reload because I suffer from MAGNUMitus. I like powerful guns and it's the only way you can afford to shoot them consistently to be proficient. Unfortunately, like everyone else as said things are asinine as far as prices.
Before this however, to put the cost savings into perspective:
My 338-378 Weatherby runs 167 a box of 20 before tax. Reloaded box of 20 cost 22$!
My 460 S&W Magnum box of 20 cost 40-60$
Reloaded box of 50 was 23$!
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Yes, when you load the big stuff it makes sense, for sure. Have you shot any game animals with that 338-378?
 
I just sold my 550b and will say that it is a very nice press and of high quality. I would buy Dillan again in a heartbeat. The one thing I would say is take your time, I was always extra careful and would re-weigh every 20th round to make sure I was dispensing the correct amount of powder. It never gave a bad weight but coming from the pharmaceutical industry I am anal about accuracy lol.
Like everyone is saying just be careful and don’t rush. Follow your loading guides and start at the lowerend and work your way up until you find what shoots best out of your guns. This will differ from others loads due to barrel length and other factors so make sure you dial it in to the gun your using. Write everything down for each box you make, there are printable sheets to track it. It is a really fun process but does take time. I would factor that into the equation of if its worth the initial investment. Right now I don’t think I would jump back in with the cost being so high for primers and powder. When I bought my stuff I was getting 1000 primers for practically nothing and would buy 20k at a time. When I sold my reloader I still had 10k left and made 6x on them. Looks like you are wanting to shoot a lot so I would figure out how much each bullet would cost you to make and how many you will need to reload to recoup the cost of the gear. If it’s going to take less than a few years I would do it but any more I would wait until prices come down again.
Good luck on your adventure
 
Irishman said:
I just sold my 550b and will say that it is a very nice press and of high quality. I would buy Dillan again in a heartbeat. The one thing I would say is take your time, I was always extra careful and would re-weigh every 20th round to make sure I was dispensing the correct amount of powder. It never gave a bad weight but coming from the pharmaceutical industry I am anal about accuracy lol.
Like everyone is saying just be careful and don’t rush. Follow your loading guides and start at the lowerend and work your way up until you find what shoots best out of your guns. This will differ from others loads due to barrel length and other factors so make sure you dial it in to the gun your using. Write everything down for each box you make, there are printable sheets to track it. It is a really fun process but does take time. I would factor that into the equation of if its worth the initial investment. Right now I don’t think I would jump back in with the cost being so high for primers and powder. When I bought my stuff I was getting 1000 primers for practically nothing and would buy 20k at a time. When I sold my reloader I still had 10k left and made 6x on them. Looks like you are wanting to shoot a lot so I would figure out how much each bullet would cost you to make and how many you will need to reload to recoup the cost of the gear. If it’s going to take less than a few years I would do it but any more I would wait until prices come down again.
Good luck on your adventure
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Thanks for the advice! When u say primers are high how high are you talking to where they should be? I’m finding them for less than 10$ a box on most occasions
 
NMSbowhunter said:
Yes, when you load the big stuff it makes sense, for sure. Have you shot any game animals with that 338-378?
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Lots of deer and tons of porcupines. The porcupines eat the wooden hunting shacks on a piece of private I hunt so we kill them all off. It's something else watching a 160 grain barness ttsx moving at 3700fps hit a porcupine. Just a puff of quills. This was the exit on a doe I shot 2 years ago. I still have no idea how the stomach got pulled through the exit holeScreenshot_20220409-103108_Gallery.jpg
 
Bowtie747 said:
Thanks for the advice! When u say primers are high how high are you talking to where they should be? I’m finding them for less than 10$ a box on most occasions
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They used to be around $20 per 1000, not sure where you are finding them for $10 a box but if that’s the case buy all you can afford and resell them for $80!!! No What I think you are seeing is the price for a sleeve of 100, plus if you are ordering them you have to pay a hazmat fee which can be upwards of $20+ on top of the price, also most sites will have a minimum amount you can purchase so it could end up costing you a few hundred dollars for a primer order
 
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bigmike23 said:
Lots of deer and tons of porcupines. The porcupines eat the wooden hunting shacks on a piece of private I hunt so we kill them all off. It's something else watching a 160 grain barness ttsx moving at 3700fps hit a porcupine. Just a puff of quills. This was the exit on a doe I shot 2 years ago. I still have no idea how the stomach got pulled through the exit holeView attachment 64415
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Back when I deer hunted with guns, before getting into bowhunting, I shot a doe with a 375 H&H Magnum with a 270 grain Remington Core Lokt Factory load at 90 yards. It was a clean in and out and dropped her in her tracks. No more meat damage that a 30-06.
 
I started into reloading all in the name of customized accuracy, not cost savings, so this may not be entirely the response you are looking for but... A friend of mine was making some impressive groups out to 300 yards and caught my interest. Anyways, I dove into it, learning as much as I could from him while using his setup. Once I became comfortable running my own loads I bought my own setup. I use a RCBS Rock Chucker with just about all RCBS accessories (a few Hornady thrown in). Best advice on the purchase I can give, don't go cheap when purchasing scales and powder accessories. Also, find someone local that you can pair up with that can teach you the ropes and give you a feel for whatever press they may be using. Once you decide it is an avenue you want to take, purchase some good books. The ABC's of Reloading should be on that list. I also like to buy bullet manufacturer specific books to get a decent guide/start on loads. I normally use Sierra or Hornaday bullets so I start in those books for good load setups. Then I make about 10 (3 round groups) of loads that may vary in powder amount or powder type. I will continue to tinker and test through my rifle until I find something that I'm so set on I don't want to test anymore. FOR sure keep a history of your loads, write them down on the targets you shoot, and find a good way of organizing so you don't get mixed up on what is what before you test. Another tip, find a good plan for a reloading bench and build one. I don't like using my home and auto work bench with my reloading stuff. I have one made entirely for that process only, helps me stay organized and safe. And a good light over that bench is a must! Have fun in this adventure, it will take some time to recover your costs but if you shoot enough, it is very likely you will.
 
I used to spill primers and sweep them up like trash… now I’m on my hands and knees looking for each one lol, last time I looked for primers it was more like $200/1000, large rifle magnum, thank god I still have enough..
 
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