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ligonierbill · October 17, 2012, 06:32 AM

Brass is available for the 7.62x54R commercially. No problem there. In fact, of all your cartridges, this round benefits the most from handloading. If you have not yet done so, find out what the bore is - these rifles vary. My RCBS dies came with two expanders, .308 and .312. Bullets are readily available in either diameter, more for .308 of course. +1 on single stage - I added a turret this year, but the old Rockchucker gets a lot of use.

Ammo prices being what they are, especially for .380 and .357 Sig, you can save some money there. Think practice ammo - it's difficult to improve on the performance of commercial offerings in these calibers.

Shotgun shells are another story. More like volume production and more expensive setup. Haven't tried that, but then I am not a competitive shooter.

October 17, 2012, 06:32 AM	#5
ligonierbill Senior Member Join Date: May 20, 2007 Posts: 2,448	Brass is available for the 7.62x54R commercially. No problem there. In fact, of all your cartridges, this round benefits the most from handloading. If you have not yet done so, find out what the bore is - these rifles vary. My RCBS dies came with two expanders, .308 and .312. Bullets are readily available in either diameter, more for .308 of course. +1 on single stage - I added a turret this year, but the old Rockchucker gets a lot of use. Ammo prices being what they are, especially for .380 and .357 Sig, you can save some money there. Think practice ammo - it's difficult to improve on the performance of commercial offerings in these calibers. Shotgun shells are another story. More like volume production and more expensive setup. Haven't tried that, but then I am not a competitive shooter.