Reloading .22lr, too good to be true?

[alaskabushman]

I ran across this website yesterday and was really excited at first. Then began watching the videos and thinking about it and became skeptical. How economical would it really be to reload your own .22 rimfire? The "priming compound" seems a little...unreliable? This seems like a lot of time spent for not a lot of gain. I have only been reloading for a couple years, so I thought maybe one of you long time ammo rollers would have an opinion.
The kit seems a little expensive for what you get, I mean, you can pick up a fairly nice used RCBS or Hornady press for $180! All that said, it would be really nice to be able to shoot .22Lr brass more than once.

http://22lrreloader.com/

[Brian Pfleuger]

The information for doing it has been around for... decades... probably a century ... a long time anyway.

I've heard from a few folks that have tried it. I have yet to hear from one who thought it worthwhile.

[Bart B.]

I first learned of it reading an article about Siberians in Russia doing it. Not much ammo available in the Russian outback a hundred years ago.

Tips (white part) of wood matches would be cut off, ground then mixed to a paste with water to be pushed into the rims of fired cases. A charge of black powder (or sometimes ground up red part) put in after it dried then a cast bullet seated.

Indexing the case when loading let it be used several times. Worked well on small game at short range.

[Jim243]

Actually looked like a nice kit. I'd price it at $89.99 not $189.99. I'd go for the mold and the crimp the rest is just the rest.

Did like those bullets he made, now that would be nice.

Jim

[jmorris]

As soon as you post and easy an affordable way To iron out the rim and produce the primer compound, then disperse it into the rim (that is safe), it will not be too good to be true and if you sell the swage dies/lead wire or molds to cast the heeled bullets before shelves are full of it again, you would make a lot of money.

[trapper9260]

I have look into it and read some book about it and for all the things that is into it ,I will just keep so many for the 22 I have and then use 32cal S&W in my 327 BH .it is easyer in the long end for a replacement for use on my trap line.

[green_MTman]

.22LR. Does not have the ability to kill game or hit targets far away enough to make reloading beneficial.

Reloading is good to 150yd plus accuracy or if your hunting heavy weight thick skinned big game with smaller bore rifles and need bullets not found in factory ammo

[Unclenick]

Green MTman,

There are still folks who hunt rabbits and squirrels to put meat in the pot. Not a lot of range involved and if you don't want bloodshot meat, the .22 LR is just fine for that. If there is absolutely no ammo at the stores and you are hungry, then being able to reload old .22 cases can have value.

As to your 150 yard and over and thick skinned game limitations, I think you're making assumptions about the nature and purposes of shooting sports that are too narrow in scope. For example, I reload mountains of .45 Auto for ranges much shorter than 150 yards. You'll also find you have a lot of varmint hunters to argue with about the value of handloading for game that's not thick skinned. Rather, for them, as for target shooters, the value is in getting a load tuned to the gun for best accuracy for hitting a small target.

[passtime]

unclenick= "There are still folks who hunt rabbits and squirrels to put meat in the pot."

I am one of them. I have been hunting squirrel with a .22 since I was 10 years old. Started when I was 8 with a .410 single shot but as you said "don't want bloodshot meat". A head shot is the way to go. Nothing like some squirrel and dumplings. I don't know if it would be worth it to reload .22 though. In a pinch a sling shot will work.

[tangolima]

I read in the old old time you could buy a kit through mail order to reload 22s. It came with a quick wheel thingy to spin the priming compound into the rim. Although it was safer than shoving it manually with a little hook, it was still rather dangerous, as the compound was still volatile.

Also the loaded 22 ammo back then was all externally lubed, i.e. packed in grease. Certain old 22 semi auto action was actually designed to purposely slow down the bolt so that the round had enough time to squeeze its way out of the tube magazine.

Do I want to hand load 22s? Nah. I am not hungry enough yet.

-TL

[Jim243]

I had seriously considered using fired 22 LR cases for making .224 bullets a while back that seemed easy enough, but reloading 22 LR cases, nope, I just need to get some more from the store before we run out again.

Thanks
Jim

[Bart B.]

Rock Chuck Bullet Swage, the company Fred Huntington set up to make dies for sizing spent .22 rimfire cases into bullet jackets in Oroville, CA, in 1943. The rest is the history of RCBS.

[Bozz10mm]

Reload .22lr? I don't even reuse BBs.

[Gary L. Griffiths]

I've seen at least one article about reloading .22 rimfires in, IIRC, The Backwoodsman. It wasn't intended as a "cheap alternative to store-bought" article, but rather one about survival in a post-apocalyptic world.

Interesting in that regard, but hardly practical.

[Sure Shot Mc Gee]

I don't think of 22s as being a cartridge I'd care to reload. Cheap inexpensive throw type away ammo. Reloading of. Not hardly. {Well not for me anyway.}
I'd be better off spending that 189.99 on a Gamo or Benjamin. These 2/fellows in their pricing of fore mentioned equipment forgot about the alternatives to a thinking shooter like myself and so many others. Right off the get go since "Teddy" Kaczynski showed off his ability to use Strike-any-where's I haven't seen a new box of Diamond Blue or Red Tips S/AW in years. Then again measuring Pyrodex by the Grain. Really!! I don't care to use that stuff (Pyrodex) in my B/P powder rifle because of its known problems concerning rust. Why would I use it in a small bore 22 I hardly ever clean. You could bet the farm those kids cap gun caps aren't non-corrosive. Honestly I see little positive in the ownership of such tools. But for those who do. "Go for it Charlie."

[A400 Fan]

I am one of them. I have been hunting squirrel with a .22 since I was 10 years old. Started when I was 8 with a .410 single shot but as you said "don't want bloodshot meat". A head shot is the way to go. Nothing like some squirrel and dumplings. I don't know if it would be worth it to reload .22 though. In a pinch a sling shot will work.

Or even a nice .177 or .22 air rifle - pellets are readily available and cheap

[Onward Allusion]

Never say never, but it doesn't make sense for now, at least. Still much less expensive to buy a brick at $50 than to roll your own 22LR. I have noticed, however, that I place a lot more care with the little 22LR's. If a round has a light strike or just doesn't go bang on the first hit, I will now put it into a 22LR shell holder instead of just tossing it into the dud container at the club.

[Mike / Tx]

My pop growing up through the end of the depression with 9 other siblings and their dad passing, they did all sorts of things folks wouldn't consider nowadays.

He and his brothers used everything more than once including reloading their own .22's. He said he had a pair of pliers that they fixed up to allow them to squash out the firing pin dent, then they used a mixture from strike anywhere matches for the priming compound. The bullets were sourced from round lead pellets, and the black powder they made up themselves. It might not have been mainstream, but he said they put many a meal on the table.

[Jimro]

There is always value in having knowledge, skills, and the tools necessary to do something.

It just isn't always "practical."

But when you are time rich, and money poor, reloading rimfire becomes a lot more "practical" than when you are time poor, and money rich.

Jimro

[bedbugbilly]

If a person wants to do it - more power to 'em!

I'm getting too old and my fingers aren't nimble enough to handle those little casings and bullets. Right now, I can reload my 38spl at about 8 cents a round as I cast my own bullets from lead/alloy that I've scourged up.

At one time, I was thinking about loading 25 cap until I talked with some who have or who do reload it. Like most things, it can be done but is the frustration really worth it?

[mboylan]

Beware. The blackpowder or pyrodex used for these kits is extremely corrosive.

[Bigdog57]

I 'bit the bullet' and ordered the kit - JIC. The heeled bullets need to be cast, and I am not yet to the point of doing casting. Still getting scrap lead together. The instructions mention being able to open up the FP crimp, but I won't try that in early testing. They list a couple pistol powders (besides BP and Pyrodex), so I may go that route. Keep the bore as clean as possible.
One minor problem - the wee powder scoop has two different size scoops, and one came off the rod - need to epoxy it back on. The bullet mold provides two weights of bullets, a light 22 grain conical and a 38 grain RN, both with lube grooves. They do highly suggest lubing them before loading.
The mold also has a provision for doing a light crimp around the case mouth.
They provide some load data, but not for powders I currently have (except the Pyrodex P).
I may try substituting Triple Seven, as I have a good bit of it.
I figure the test rifle will be my BSA International Martini, as it has the beefiest action of all my rimfires.
I do not expect to get factory quality ammo, just seeing if this would be a viable alternative for post-SHTF ammo making.

[zxcvbob]

Wouldn't you be better off reloading .223, 270, or your favorite .30 rifle cartridge with a little bit of shotgun powder and a lead round ball? I think they are called "gallery loads"