A good deal on a beginers set up?

m&p45acp10+1 · December 8, 2009, 07:24 PM

Just recently I finaly managed to obtain a decent beginer's set up for reloading. Most of it came through trade. I purchased a small bit out of pocket. I was saving pick up brass from the range, and ceaning it with a tumber, and bagging it. I was holding off on buying equipment until I could find primers. The guys at my local range would let me pick up brass that was on the ground and scrounge the buckets. Thier words were if the person that shot it wanted to keep it they would not have thrown it in the bucket. So I picked it up and saved it, polished it, and bagged it.
End result after a year.
5 10# ice bags of .45 ACP
2 1 gallon bags of .44 spcl
1 10# ice bag of .357 mag
3 10# bags of .38 spcl
half of a 10# ice bag of .44 mag
4 one gallon bags of .45 Colt
1 5 gallon bucket of 40 S&W and 9mm Lugger in 1qt bags
100 500 S&W casess
50 .454 Casul cases
100 .50 AE cases
Price of it all was $30 per range day (usualy one ever week, a few times of 2) for a little over a year. Labor on part to pick up, sort, and tumble polish.
What I traded off.
2 bags of .45 acp and all of the rest of what was listed.
What I got.
1 Lee Breech Lock Challenger Kit (press, scale, priming tool, 3 quick change bushings, case trimmer, primer pocket cleaner, and powder measure)
1 4 die set of Lee dies for .45 ACP
1 pound of Bull's Eye
1 pound of IMR 800x
1 pound of Tite Group
1K Lazer cast LSWC 200 grain
100 Hornady DPX 230 grain JHP
1 K CCI 300 LPP
1 K wolf LPP
And 200 rounds of MilSurp 7.62x54 R for my 91-30 (traded a lot of brass for it too

)
What I bought
1 digital powder scale from Cabella's bargian cave ($9.99 it was missin the powder dippers, and still had the weight $20 off)
1 Lyman 3rd edition Pistol and Revolver manual (it is awsome by the way) $8 for m the bargian cave (was not in shrink wrap)
1 Harbor Freight digital dial caliper on sale $9.50
So how did I do for less than $30 out of pocket?

Doodlebugger45 · December 8, 2009, 08:58 PM

I would say you did very well. I'm amazed that you can find brass at the range these days though. Around here the only brass that you ever see on the ground is .22 rimfire.

m&p45acp10+1 · December 8, 2009, 09:24 PM

The range I go to very few like less than 1 in 25 people keep thier brass. Most will pick it up and then throw it in the buckets. I usualy leave with a walmart sackfull ever time I go. I had to trade off a lot of what I had due to the fact that I live in a small duplex apartment, and was running out of room in my closet. I still have more brass to sort and clean. It just surprises me that he guys at the gunshows did not seem interested in trading at all. The guy at the gunstore was eager for the brass, as he says it helps him to sell reloading equipment to newbies if he has the supplies there also.

Fullthrottle · December 8, 2009, 09:55 PM

Seems like you did very well! My local range sells brass that you must mine through for $4.50 per lb. At that they are very liberal with the price(if you pull 1 1/4lbs they round down to 1lb). There is plenty of brass there. Last weekend I left the range (I picked it up as I shot), with more than I came in with. They don't seem to care after talking to them about that! I guess I live in an area that there are few reloaders!

Jim243 · December 8, 2009, 09:59 PM

You did really good.

Jim

chris in va · December 8, 2009, 10:34 PM

You're lucky. The outdoor range I go to mandates I can only pick up what I've fired. Anything else is considered "our property" and is considered "stealing" (per some woman that laid into me while sweeping up the brass). "We sell it and that's how a lot of our money is made."

Fortunately some of the RO's 'look the other way' during cold range calls...

December 8, 2009, 07:24 PM	#1
m&p45acp10+1 Senior Member Join Date: May 3, 2009 Location: Central Texas Posts: 3,930	A good deal on a beginers set up? Just recently I finaly managed to obtain a decent beginer's set up for reloading. Most of it came through trade. I purchased a small bit out of pocket. I was saving pick up brass from the range, and ceaning it with a tumber, and bagging it. I was holding off on buying equipment until I could find primers. The guys at my local range would let me pick up brass that was on the ground and scrounge the buckets. Thier words were if the person that shot it wanted to keep it they would not have thrown it in the bucket. So I picked it up and saved it, polished it, and bagged it. End result after a year. 5 10# ice bags of .45 ACP 2 1 gallon bags of .44 spcl 1 10# ice bag of .357 mag 3 10# bags of .38 spcl half of a 10# ice bag of .44 mag 4 one gallon bags of .45 Colt 1 5 gallon bucket of 40 S&W and 9mm Lugger in 1qt bags 100 500 S&W casess 50 .454 Casul cases 100 .50 AE cases Price of it all was $30 per range day (usualy one ever week, a few times of 2) for a little over a year. Labor on part to pick up, sort, and tumble polish. What I traded off. 2 bags of .45 acp and all of the rest of what was listed. What I got. 1 Lee Breech Lock Challenger Kit (press, scale, priming tool, 3 quick change bushings, case trimmer, primer pocket cleaner, and powder measure) 1 4 die set of Lee dies for .45 ACP 1 pound of Bull's Eye 1 pound of IMR 800x 1 pound of Tite Group 1K Lazer cast LSWC 200 grain 100 Hornady DPX 230 grain JHP 1 K CCI 300 LPP 1 K wolf LPP And 200 rounds of MilSurp 7.62x54 R for my 91-30 (traded a lot of brass for it too) What I bought 1 digital powder scale from Cabella's bargian cave ($9.99 it was missin the powder dippers, and still had the weight $20 off) 1 Lyman 3rd edition Pistol and Revolver manual (it is awsome by the way) $8 for m the bargian cave (was not in shrink wrap) 1 Harbor Freight digital dial caliper on sale $9.50 So how did I do for less than $30 out of pocket? __________________ No matter how many times you do it and nothing happens it only takes something going wrong one time to kill you.

December 8, 2009, 09:24 PM	#3
m&p45acp10+1 Senior Member Join Date: May 3, 2009 Location: Central Texas Posts: 3,930	The range I go to very few like less than 1 in 25 people keep thier brass. Most will pick it up and then throw it in the buckets. I usualy leave with a walmart sackfull ever time I go. I had to trade off a lot of what I had due to the fact that I live in a small duplex apartment, and was running out of room in my closet. I still have more brass to sort and clean. It just surprises me that he guys at the gunshows did not seem interested in trading at all. The guy at the gunstore was eager for the brass, as he says it helps him to sell reloading equipment to newbies if he has the supplies there also. __________________ No matter how many times you do it and nothing happens it only takes something going wrong one time to kill you.

December 8, 2009, 09:55 PM	#4
Fullthrottle Senior Member Join Date: October 24, 2009 Posts: 280	Seems like you did very well! My local range sells brass that you must mine through for $4.50 per lb. At that they are very liberal with the price(if you pull 1 1/4lbs they round down to 1lb). There is plenty of brass there. Last weekend I left the range (I picked it up as I shot), with more than I came in with. They don't seem to care after talking to them about that! I guess I live in an area that there are few reloaders! __________________ When seconds count, why is help minutes away?

December 8, 2009, 08:58 PM	#2
Doodlebugger45 Senior Member Join Date: April 15, 2009 Location: Wyoming Posts: 1,717	I would say you did very well. I'm amazed that you can find brass at the range these days though. Around here the only brass that you ever see on the ground is .22 rimfire.

December 8, 2009, 09:59 PM	#5
Jim243 Senior Member Join Date: January 5, 2009 Location: Just off Route 66 Posts: 5,067	You did really good. Jim

December 8, 2009, 10:34 PM	#6
chris in va Senior Member Join Date: December 26, 2004 Location: Louisville KY Posts: 13,806	You're lucky. The outdoor range I go to mandates I can only pick up what I've fired. Anything else is considered "our property" and is considered "stealing" (per some woman that laid into me while sweeping up the brass). "We sell it and that's how a lot of our money is made." Fortunately some of the RO's 'look the other way' during cold range calls...