I want to learn to reload!

[OLNfan]

Okay so Iv been doin some research and I want to get in to reloading. I have a few firearms that I would like to reload for fun, and a few that I NEED to reload or else I only put 10 shells through it a year.
45-70- (ammo $35-$50cdn)
300 winmag-(ammo $27cdn)
6.5x5.5- (ammo $27cdn)
.38 special (is this worth reloading would I save money? $15 box of 50.)
.223- ($12 bucks of 20) is this worth reloading? Im in the procces of purchasing an .223 and I will just evenutally buy one bulk pack of 1000 or what ever they come in and then just reload those. Is this worth reloading will I save money?
How much would it cost to get in to a cheap reloading kit for these 4 calibers? Mainly looking to reload the 45-70, 300winmag, 6.5x55. and the .223 the 38 is just a maybe..would it be worth it? Can any one tell me prices, what the coast of the items I will need etc? again I just deceided to think about reloading as of an hr ago and did some searches on the net. feed back would be great! Thanks.

[dmazur]

Here's a "sticky" in the Handloading & Reloading section -

For the New Reloader: Equipment Basics -- READ THIS FIRST

If you read through this, and look through Midway's site, you can make up a list of dies & equipment you will need.

Hornady's Lock 'n Load is a good system (as you don't have to readjust dies), but there are lots of other mfgrs that are just as good.

Here's a link to Midway. I think they can ship to Canada, as you aren't talking about gun parts.

Midway USA

[OLNfan]

Thank you! Im reading those posted links right now! Im slightly confused so their are 2 stages of reloading? single stage=slower and possibly more accurate and whats the other stage? Im interested on as much as I can do as fast as I can do.

[dmazur]

No offense, but reloading is one area of gun ownership where fast may not equal good.

Take your time and read everything thoroughly. Then read it again.

Get a reloading manual. Speer makes a good one. (They also are RCBS and CCI primers...) Speer's manual has a section in the front that does a complete job of explaining the reloading process, and the hazards to watch for.

To your question, the "stage" refers to how many operations occur with each pull of the press handle. Single stage presses can mount one die at a time, thus the term "single stage". Multiple stage presses are progressive, mount several dies and perform multiple operations simultaneously with each pull of the handle.

Turret presses are kind of a hybrid, mounting multiple dies above a single shell holder. They are faster than a single stage, as all you have to do is spin the die you need into place. However, they still perform only one operation per handle pull.

Good luck!

[FrankenMauser]

The other 'stage' is actually two types of presses. "Progressive presses" and "turret presses" are also explained in the stickies of the reloading forum.

Because of the complexity of the other presses (specifically the 'setting up and adjusting' phase), and the cartridges you plan to load.... I highly reccommend a single stage press for you.

My suggestion is the RCBS RC Supreme Master Reloading Kit. The Lee lovers will be here soon to attempt to condem my suggestion, based on price. I still stand by it. You get the scale all others are judged against, a press you'll never have a problem with (it will live longer than you will), and some accessories that make life much better. -Check Midwayusa.com and cabelas.com for an estimate of current prices.- However, the kit is not complete. There are a few other accessories that will be needed, for different cartridges. You'll get better feedback with this in the reloading forum.

[OLNfan]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOpN9iYOyE8 Is this a single stage? this looks like it will work just fine. I wouldn mind using this method either http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nwr0F...eature=related One reason I want to reload is that I want a hobby that involves my firearms, besides shooting them and cleaning them.

[handlerer]

I started reloading in 1976 and have to recommend the RCBS supreme kit. I bought this set two years ago. It contains almost everything you are going to need, except trim die, reloading dies, cartridge holder, powder and primer. If you can afford it I would get carbide dies especially for your pistols. This eliminates the need to lube cases. Like one of the earlier posters stated Midway, Cabelas, Brownells all offer this kit. There being no sales tax here in Montana, I found that it was cheaper for me to buy it at the local Sheels. I would recommend that you find an outlet offering powder and primers in you area, because Midway and Cabelas add a $20 surcharge for shipping powder or primers. Reloading does reduce the price of shooting significantly and you will be able to make loads unavailable in any store. I reload for 300WBY, 340WBY, 223, 44mag. The WBY cartridges are pretty expensive and after the initial purchase of ammunition it makes it much more affordable to shoot. There are accessories that you will want to add later on, such as a good caliper, bullet puller, I use the inertial type. A good reloading manual, Speer makes the most comprehensive one, but Barnes, Lyman, Sierra and all the powder manufactures publish a reloading manual. There is software, I use RCBS.load. It contains dozens of reloading manuals and tools allowing many ballistic calculations. Just remember to read the loading instructions that come with the dies thoroughly, especially the seating and crimping instructions. Good luck!

[LoneStarWings]

I live in a condo. Are there any hazards to reloading indoors (not in a garage)? Can it be done in a bedroom sized area? Loooking to reload .308 or possibly .40 s&w.

[OLNfan]

Thank you! great information every one. Keep the info coming! From what I have been reading, its pretty scary/loud when a primer goess off. soo moral is always wear gloves and eye protection and possibly a level 3 bullet proof vest lol (jk on the last one)

[dmazur]

LoneStarWings -

I also load indoors. However, as tumbling brass can involve some nasty dust from fired primers, I do that in the garage, wear a respirator and gloves and clean up the area to get rid of settled dust.

I'm not aware of any hazards from indoor reloading. If you store large quantities of powder, you might consider getting some type of approved powder magazine. (Big locking steel box)

If you drop primers in pile carpeting, you may find out that vacuum cleaners and primers are not compatible... (I haven't done this, yet.)

I don't have children, but I imagine there might be more trouble keeping the kids out of the reloading stuff if it was inside rather than in a basement or garage.

I believe the hazards are present regardless of location, meaning taking appropriate precautions for eye protection, wash your hands if handling lead bullets (not jacketed bullets), etc.

The only other hazard I can think of is distractions, and this should not be played down. If you have an indoor location such as a spare room, you can control the distractions by shutting the door and not having a TV in there. If you have a "corner" of the living room, I would be concerned about distractions.

[BurkGlocker]

The Lee lovers will be here soon to attempt to condem my suggestion, based on price.

LOL, that was the only reason that I bought my Lee press, and it has served its purpose very well. But my buddy brought his RCBS turret press and Chargemaster (GOTTA GET ONE!) over the other day and we reloaded .45, and in about an hour, with both of us doing various tasks, we loaded almost 400 rounds (ran out of primers ). If it wouldve been me alone doing it on the single stage it wouldve taken me about 7-8 hours.

Reloading can be somewhat expensive starting out, but the cost will be offset in the longrun, especially if you shoot alot. You buy a good sturdy press, and it will give you YEARS of service. If youre trying to duplicate a load that a major manfacture has produced, same bullets, brass, primers and whatever powder happens to work, you can always load it cheaper and you'll probably make it more accurate... after extensive testing, of course, which means more reloading, and shooting. But you have to also beware, reloading can become habit forming, you will shoot more, you will reload some more. Then before you know it, youre wife's questioning your need for more of these screwy thingy-ma-bobbies that goes into the thing that is now bolted down to the coffee table. Yes, I am a current member of RA... Reloaders Anonymous...

I also load indoors. However, as tumbling brass can involve some nasty dust from fired primers, I do that in the garage, wear a respirator and gloves and clean up the area to get rid of settled dust.

I used to tumble my bullets in moly, and that stuff got EVERYWHERE, so I got a plastic tote and drilled a hole in the side for the cord to go through and duct taped it closed and I had some pieces of conveyer belt, that I somehow came across, and put that under the tumbler because otherwise it made an awful racket when running. But it kept everything contained and made it easy to maintain. But, I also had to mark it accordingly so that the wife would try and use it for storage.

[kyle663]

i'm not gonna bash rcbs, but if price is a factor, get a lee single stage press to start with ( kits come with most things you will need) and see if reloading is for you. abc of reloading is a must read IMHO. you can always upgrade to rcbs if you take to the hobby/art, i have 2 press's on my bench i single stage for rifle and a turret press for handgun. i'm more picky on my rifle reloading. as for reloading in the house, the risk is minimul as long as you take proper care in storing powder and primers. if you have kids put a lock on the door, keeps my grand kids out till they'r ready. check out the reloading threads on here and you should be fine.

[billcarey]

If noise and dust bothers you get a drum tumbler instead of vibrator type. They make little to no noise and the drums seal tight enough to use liquid.

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

The Lee lovers will be here soon to attempt to condem my suggestion, based on price.

You gotta get Lee! I love Lee! Lee is the best! Lee Lee Lee! J/K But, for the price it is hard to beat. I use all Lee dies and press and found it to work just fine.

[Storm52]

OLNfan: No one has taken the time to ask you how much shooting you actually do with each caliber or the purpose (other than hobby) of reloading each particular caliber.
.45-70 gov't although still a popular hunting round it is more likely to be reloaded for Cowboy Action shooting. This cartridge does benefit with handloadings as ballistics are greatly improved. You need to justify the amount of actual shooting or what you want to accomplish before expending considerable cash to setup reloading.
.300 win mag is definately hunting cartridge and unless you are unhappy with commercially loaded performance and want to wring the best possible accuracy from your rifle, you will gain little by reloading. You have to weigh the cost of the power, primers, bullets and dies against the cost per box of ammo.
I could ask the same questions of the other calibers you listed. Handloading is a great past time for me. The benefit, beside knowing that I assembled the ammunition, is that I shoot more often. You really don't save money as you end up shooting more. You also have to understand that when most of us quote cost per rounds to you, that we are mainly factoring expendable items for a cost. These being power, primers and bullets, as we already have the brass after intial purchase. We don't count the cost of the equipment, which can be as simple as the Lee Handloader or as ornate as a Dillon 1050, with everything available in between, scales, calipers, case trimmers, guages, and the list could be endless.
I do not want to dissuade you from reloading, but only you can justify costs by how much of each caliber you really shoot.
I have an old Weatherby .270 mag that I have used for deer hunting since 1968. I shoot a maximum 15-20 rounds a year (Louisiana has a long deer season and limit). I would not undertake loading my own for this gun, as the dies are expensive, not to mention I have never reloading anything but straight walled ammunition.
Well that is my 2¢

[30-06'in]

I dont mean to thread jack...and i to have read the sticky about reloading, but what do you all think about the Lee 50th Anniversary Reloader Kit? Besides dies and a reload book what more do you need? I ask this because iam in the exact same situation as OLNfan except i only use a 30-06.Thank!

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

it is a good starter kit. If you don't shoot a lot, it is not worth it. If you plan on making hunting rounds only, you would have to shoot a lot of stuff before even a cheaper kit like the lee would pay for itself. You need to figure how much you are gonna shoot and compare that to:the cost of factory ammo VS the cost of you reloading it (ie, cost of brass, powder, primers, bullet, cost of press and other equipment, your time). Good luck and welcome to TFL!

[30-06'in]

Thanks yeah it would mostly just be range ammo i would reload. Untill i feel comfortable with my reloading abilities, then i would start making my hunting rounds. It would be nice to put out 30 rounds a week and not shell out $30cdn.

[Ulrice]

OLNfan, if you live in western Canada than check out wholesalesports.com for reloading equipment and supplies.

[Dave R]

Don't think you have to buy everything new, or everything at once.

I started out with a well-used press I bought for $20, and used C clamps to attach it to the kitchen table. Cleaned the brass by hand, etc.

But, hey, if you've got the budget--good gear makes the process much faster and much more enjoyable!

[flpirate]

Buy a Cast Iron Press, either single stage or Turret. Then get Lee measurer and Lee scales, they are inexspensive and accurate. You will get all your money back in less than 1000 rounds of reloading rifle ammo. So head off to the range with a big smile knowing your shootin for less than 50% of the cost of factory ammo and you will have created these rounds yourself, exactly as you want them. Be safe inside reloading and get a lockable locker for your exsplosives, child proof.

[Lost Sheep]

Go to your local library and read "The ABC's of Reloading". Other manuals aer good, too, but ABC's starts out with more general explanations. Lyman's, Speer, Sierra etc, all have descriptions in the early chapters. Each set of editors/authors write differently and emphasis different aspects, so when you read several, you will get a more rounded exposure to reloading and by the time you have read 4 or 5, your grasp of the vocabulary will promote better communication. Nothing is so dangerous as the written word when the two writers may understand the terminology differently.

Read first.

Cost Calculation: i don't know the prices in your area, so you will have to get the raw data first. When I first started reloading for .357 Mag, I could load for a nickle a shot. Of course, retail commercial ammo was only 20-25 cents a shot back then. The 1:4 ratio still probably holds, but there are neat calculators on the web that will run the numbers for you, such as this one:

http://www.handloads.com/calc/loadingCosts.asp

or just do an internet search on the phrase "Cost of reloading" or "reloading cost" or phrases like that. There is even one that has a downloadable EXCEL spreadsheet you can use offline.

I have gathered together a series of "10 Advices" that seem to answer often-asked questions. I posted them here:
http://www.rugerforum.com/phpBB/view...b241feed59fd81
or, if the link does not work, paste this into your web browser
rugerforum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=13543&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=15&sid=c438bc4743faf69accb241feed59fd81

Welcome to your new obsession. Reloading can be quite the hobby in and of iitself and very relaxing as you focus your mind on round after round of consistent precision.

Then, Remember, only believe half of what you see and one quarter of what you hear. That goes double for what you get from the internet. Even this post. Maybe especially this post.

Do your own research when ANYONE gives you new facts on the web.

Also remember, even the idiotic stuff might have a kernel of truth buried in there somewhere.

Lost Sheep

Good luck, good shooting and happy reloading.

[aaalaska]

How old are you. I started reloading shotgun at 13 , rifle pistol at 14-15 Didn't have money then and the price was more than I could really afford at the time. That was over 40 years ago, the equipment I bought then still works today, and with todays prices it seems like a real bargain. So if your looking to recoup your cost on the first hundred rounds ,no its not worth it . But if your in this for long haul and are willing to work at getting the best deals then yes reloading will save you money,give you hours of enjoyment and lead you to learn more about the sport of shooting.If you believe the price of ammo is going down and the supply will always be exactly what you want then don't bother ,after all its a lot of work. Alex

[McClintock]

Just for the Canucks in this post, thought I'd offer my personal experiences with WholeSale Sports, but, as always, YMMV. If you have a local WS store, I have had good luck with their inventory that is actually on the store shelves, but their online experience has left a bad taste in my mouth.

On the 5 different occasions to order ammunition, reloading components, and firearms from there, and have been disappointed each time. Their website does not tell you if they actually have the items in stock at the time of order, so, you takes your chances. Every order I have placed resulted in a phone call 2 days later saying my items were backordered, and they have no idea when they will be available (which resulted in my cancelling the order). The topper in my experience was when I wanted to order a Savage Model 16 in 22-250, a kit that comes with a 3-9x scope. I received the inevitable backordered phone call, so I asked them if they had a timeframe. The customer service rep told me that they had none in stock, and had no upcoming orders for that rifle, so they would have to place a special order that would take 4 weeks to arrive. I say no problem, I'll wait. 6 weeks later, still no rifle, so I call back, and politely ask the CS rep as to the wherabouts of my order... Not sure, she says, let me contact the buyer and find out... so, 2 days later, I get the call, "The buyer hasn't placed the order yet, but it should be placed 'soon'".... Not good enough, so once again, I cancelled the order.

On the other hand, I have had more success with Cabela's, http://www.cabelas.ca, out of Winterpeg. Though a lot of their reloading supplies are backordered, at least the website tells you that before you order. So far, both items I've ordered (the same Savage 22-250 and a Cabela's brass tumbler kit) showed up 7 days (or less, tumbler arrived in 5) after placing the order.

My $0.02,
McClintock

[mikld]

The first youtube link press is a Lee Turret press. The second reloader is the Lee Loader. I used the Lee Loader for several months when I started reloading. Loaded a few thousand 38 Specials and I learned a lot about reloading using that set. I always suggest the first purchase is good reloading manuals, more than one. Lyman's 49th, Lee Modern Reloading, and ABCs of Reloading are good starters. I suggest a single stage press. When you use a single stage press you learn each step, individually, and the theory behind it. Also adjusting dies will show you what effects each adjustment has on the finished round, and how to troubleshoot chambering/sizing problems.

IMO, there is a difference between throwing a bunch of compenents together to go bang and custom manufacturing ammo for a specific gun (reloading vs handloading) and learning theory enables "custom" ammo manufacturing.