The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > The Skunkworks > Handloading, Reloading, and Bullet Casting

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old April 5, 2012, 12:30 PM   #26
TriumphGuy
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 5, 2009
Posts: 559
Speaking from the perspective of a person that reloads primarily to save money, if you're not looking for specialty loads, .223/5.56 and 9mm won't save you enough cash to make it worth your time. (At least not at the moment when ammo prices aren't through the roof.) The only reason that I reload 9mm anymore is to shoot at a local range that doesn't allow jacketed bullets.

.308 and .40 are another story though being that they're both more expensive to purchase off the shelf. Savings go up from there in direct proportion with the cost of the ammo off the shelf. A box of .45-70 costs about $35 locally and if I estimate $0.50 each to reload them, that's $25 a box I save.
TriumphGuy is offline  
Old April 5, 2012, 12:43 PM   #27
ScottRiqui
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 27, 2010
Location: Norfolk, VA
Posts: 2,905
Quote:
The only reason that I reload 9mm anymore is to shoot at a local range that doesn't allow jacketed bullets.
Interesting restriction - is it some kind of a special-purpose range? Other than .22 rimfire, the selection of factory non-jacketed ammo seems like it would be pretty sparse.
ScottRiqui is offline  
Old April 5, 2012, 01:06 PM   #28
TriumphGuy
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 5, 2009
Posts: 559
It's at a private club. They say that it's because the steel backstop at 30 feet from the line makes for ricochets with jacketed bullets.

I'm pretty sure it's because the folks running the range assume that it will weed out a lot of the people that would abuse the range by only allowing those dedicated enough to reload their own ammunition on it. I'm not so sure about that bit, but at least it's never very busy when I want to use it.
TriumphGuy is offline  
Old April 5, 2012, 01:08 PM   #29
zxcvbob
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 20, 2007
Location: S.E. Minnesota
Posts: 4,720
Quote:
If you do the same thing with your reloads as you do with your current ammo you can either shoot better ammo for the same price, or have a lower-cost dual setup, but reloaded.
Example:
Plinking ammo.
Get once-fired MilSurp Brass.
Use pulled projectiles & bargain powder.
You can also use bargain basement powder and primers but still use premium projectiles, then work up an accuracy load for that combo. Should be able to come up with a cheap load tuned for your gun that outshoots most factory ammo -- including the good stuff. I've just started reloading for a rifle, and that's my eventual goal. (but right now I'm doing it backwards; cheap projectiles and expensive powder )

Quote:
Quote:
The only reason that I reload 9mm anymore is to shoot at a local range that doesn't allow jacketed bullets.
Interesting restriction - is it some kind of a special-purpose range? Other than .22 rimfire, the selection of factory non-jacketed ammo seems like it would be pretty sparse.
My local pistol range is like that. It doesn't really make sense, but it's their rules and I'm OK with it. They do also allow copper-plated ammo, or anything with "range safe" on the box.
__________________
"Everything they do is so dramatic and flamboyant. It just makes me want to set myself on fire!" —Lucille Bluth
zxcvbob is offline  
Old April 5, 2012, 01:42 PM   #30
brickeyee
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 29, 2004
Posts: 3,351
Why would you only purchase 4 pounds of powder?

8 pounds jugs are out there, and buying four jugs (32 pounds of powder) spread the hazmat out to less than $1 a pound.
brickeyee is offline  
Old April 5, 2012, 02:29 PM   #31
zxcvbob
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 20, 2007
Location: S.E. Minnesota
Posts: 4,720
I think he just priced 4 pounds because that's about what it takes to load 1000 rounds. (and it looks like the 4 x 1-pound rate)
__________________
"Everything they do is so dramatic and flamboyant. It just makes me want to set myself on fire!" —Lucille Bluth
zxcvbob is offline  
Old April 5, 2012, 02:37 PM   #32
Wyoredman
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 6, 2011
Location: Wyoming
Posts: 1,350
Steve- Nice setup! .... Except for that CU Buffs sticker!

PS..I'm A CSU grad! HaHa
__________________
Go Pokes!
Go Rams!
Wyoredman is offline  
Old April 5, 2012, 02:45 PM   #33
kxkid
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 17, 2011
Posts: 207
I did my calculations and I can reload 223 for 4 bucks a box of 20. Localy that's over 50% savings since 8 is the cheapest American eagle, which is never in stock and 10 a box for wwb.


Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
kxkid is offline  
Old April 5, 2012, 03:12 PM   #34
wogpotter
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 27, 2004
Posts: 4,811
Quote:
Why would you only purchase 4 pounds of powder?
Because the state law (MD) says you are only allowed to keep/store 5 Lbs of the stuff.
__________________
Allan Quatermain: “Automatic rifles. Who in God's name has automatic rifles”?

Elderly Hunter: “That's dashed unsporting. Probably Belgium.”
wogpotter is offline  
Old April 5, 2012, 11:51 PM   #35
Beentown71
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 1, 2009
Location: Midwest
Posts: 1,560
Quote:
I think he just priced 4 pounds because that's about what it takes to load 1000 rounds. (and it looks like the 4 x 1-pound rate)
Yep, dang newbs

I also chose Varget (more expensive) because I have read it is a good all around powder for various 5.56 loads.

IMHO best site on the net for all gun related discussions. Thanks again fellas!
__________________
Μολὼν λάβε

Time for the Mall Ninja list:
Beretta 92fs, Springer XD9, High Standard Model HB, RRA bull bbl...aw heck with it time to go plink
Beentown71 is offline  
Old April 6, 2012, 11:04 AM   #36
brickeyee
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 29, 2004
Posts: 3,351
Quote:
Because the state law (MD) says you are only allowed to keep/store 5 Lbs of the stuff.
Post a link to the law.

Every time I hear about these things they turn out to be wrong.
brickeyee is offline  
Old April 6, 2012, 11:10 AM   #37
ScottRiqui
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 27, 2010
Location: Norfolk, VA
Posts: 2,905
I looked it up when I first saw his post, and it appears he's correct - the rule comes from the Maryland State Fire Marshall regulations. Anything over five pounds of smokeless powder requires a license. It also appears that you can't store powder in "multifamily dwellings, apartments, dormitories, hotels, schools, other public buildings, or buildings or structures open for public use."

Quote:
§ 11-105. License required; exceptions.






(a) In general.- Except as otherwise provided in this subtitle, a person shall obtain a license issued under this subtitle before the person engages in business as a manufacturer or dealer, possesses explosives other than explosives for use in firearms, or possesses or stores explosives for use in firearms in the State.




(b) License to engage in business as dealer required.-




(1) A person shall obtain a license to engage in business as a dealer under this subtitle before the person engages in the business of loading or reloading small arms ammunition in the State.




(2) The owner or operator of a mine, quarry, or other operation or business that uses explosives, or a contractor who performs work that uses explosives, shall obtain a license to engage in business as a dealer under this subtitle.




(c) Exceptions - Armed forces and others handling explosives.- This section does not apply to the armed forces of the United States, the National Guard, the State Guard, or officers or employees of the United States, the State, or a local subdivision of the State who are authorized to handle explosives in the performance of their duties.




(d) Same - Possession of explosives for use in firearms.-




(1) Subject to paragraph (2) of this subsection, a person need not obtain a license to possess or store up to 5 pounds of smokeless powder for the loading or reloading of small arms ammunition, and up to 5 pounds of black powder for the loading or reloading of small arms ammunition or for use in the loading of antique arms or replicas of antique arms, if the smokeless powder and black powder are stored in their original shipping containers and are possessed only for personal use in firearms.




(2) A person may not possess or store explosives for use in firearms in any quantity in multifamily dwellings, apartments, dormitories, hotels, schools, other public buildings, or buildings or structures open for public use.




(3) Notwithstanding paragraph (2) of this subsection, the State Fire Marshal may issue a permit to allow temporary possession of explosives for use in firearms in a building or structure open for public use.
ScottRiqui is offline  
Old April 6, 2012, 12:08 PM   #38
sc928porsche
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 29, 2008
Location: now living in alabama
Posts: 2,433
One thing that you should keep in mind, is once you have your press etc. To change to a different cartridge all you need is a set of dies and maybe a shell holder depending on the dies you buy or the case head size. Some cartridges can be loaded with the same powder, some can be loaded with the same bullet, and some can be loaded with the same primer.
__________________
No such thing as a stupid question. What is stupid is not asking it.
sc928porsche is offline  
Old April 6, 2012, 02:15 PM   #39
brickeyee
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 29, 2004
Posts: 3,351
Now let the try to enforce the limit in a private single family house.


And not it is 5 pounds, not 4.

The entire rest of the law still needs to be reviewed for applicability.
brickeyee is offline  
Old April 6, 2012, 03:59 PM   #40
ScottRiqui
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 27, 2010
Location: Norfolk, VA
Posts: 2,905
wogpotter said that five pounds was the limit, so I'm not sure who you're correcting.

Whether the law is actively enforced or not, that's not the issue. It's still there, so now you have your answer - in Maryland, you're required to obtain a license before storing more than five pounds of smokeless powder for reloading purposes.
ScottRiqui is offline  
Old April 6, 2012, 04:16 PM   #41
wogpotter
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 27, 2004
Posts: 4,811
Thank you ScottRiqui I appreciate your posting the info.

brickeyee
I'm not sure what your problem is, can you explain why you feel the need to start a brawl in a perfectly polite topic. The question was why buy less than 4 Lbs, because it's not legal was a perfectly good answer, regardless of if you agree with the law or not

As for enforcement when you buy powder in MD it is logged & recorded, so there is enforcement of a sort, all be it unworkable, & virtually unenforcable but would you put down in writing that you were in the process of violating a state code, sign it & have it logged in abound book? I disagree with the rule but as it's on the books I am bound by it, regardless of if I like it or not.

The limit is a TOTAL of 5 Lbs of smokeless & 5 more of B/P, so if you have a couple of different types of smokeless powder & add another 4Lbs. 4+1+1=6 & the limit is 5.
__________________
Allan Quatermain: “Automatic rifles. Who in God's name has automatic rifles”?

Elderly Hunter: “That's dashed unsporting. Probably Belgium.”

Last edited by wogpotter; April 6, 2012 at 04:23 PM.
wogpotter is offline  
Old April 7, 2012, 10:45 AM   #42
CrustyFN
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 4, 2006
Location: West Virginia
Posts: 2,258
Quote:
Speaking from the perspective of a person that reloads primarily to save money, if you're not looking for specialty loads, .223/5.56 and 9mm won't save you enough cash to make it worth your time.
That's kind of confusing to me. You reload to save money but loading for 50% less than factory isn't worth it?
__________________
I don't ever remember being absent minded.
CrustyFN is offline  
Old April 7, 2012, 11:00 AM   #43
zxcvbob
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 20, 2007
Location: S.E. Minnesota
Posts: 4,720
Quote:
As for enforcement when you buy powder in MD it is logged & recorded, so there is enforcement of a sort, all be it unworkable, & virtually unenforcable but would you put down in writing that you were in the process of violating a state code, sign it & have it logged in abound book? I disagree with the rule but as it's on the books I am bound by it, regardless of if I like it or not.
One could drive to Virginia or Pennsylvania to buy powder. Hypothetically, of course (wouldn't want to advocate breaking the law.)

5# limit for black powder almost makes sense. 5# limit for smokeless is ridiculous -- 20 would be OK, or more with a properly constructed powder magazine.
__________________
"Everything they do is so dramatic and flamboyant. It just makes me want to set myself on fire!" —Lucille Bluth
zxcvbob is offline  
Old April 7, 2012, 11:02 AM   #44
brickeyee
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 29, 2004
Posts: 3,351
Quote:
I'm not sure what your problem is, can you explain why you feel the need to start a brawl in a perfectly polite topic. The question was why buy less than 4 Lbs, because it's not legal was a perfectly good answer,
except as usual it was wrong.

The posted law is 5 pounds.

And if it actually applies cannot be determined without reading the entire code section (a typical legal requirement to actually understand what is covered).

Repeating the wrong claim does not make it any more correct.
brickeyee is offline  
Old April 8, 2012, 07:24 AM   #45
TriumphGuy
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 5, 2009
Posts: 559
Quote:
That's kind of confusing to me. You reload to save money but loading for 50% less than factory isn't worth it?
Percentages are relative.

50% of a box of 5.56 is about $3.
50% of a box of 45-70 is around $20.

50% of a box of 9mm is $4.
50% of a box of 45 auto is at least $10.
TriumphGuy is offline  
Old April 8, 2012, 11:04 AM   #46
CrustyFN
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 4, 2006
Location: West Virginia
Posts: 2,258
Quote:
Percentages are relative.

50% of a box of 5.56 is about $3.
50% of a box of 45-70 is around $20.

50% of a box of 9mm is $4.
50% of a box of 45 auto is at least $10.
Very true but most people load more than one box. If you look at 1,000 rounds you can save at least $100 on any of those calibers and that's compared to the cheap stuff.
__________________
I don't ever remember being absent minded.
CrustyFN is offline  
Old April 8, 2012, 12:18 PM   #47
m&p45acp10+1
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 3, 2009
Location: Central Texas
Posts: 3,930
I reload for 7.42x54R it cost me more than twice as much as the spam can ammo to reload for it. Though it is a lot easier on the shoulder, and more accurate so I reload for it as well. Though I do not shoot a whole lot of them most of the time. It was to help the Mrs. as she has a preexisting back, and neck injury that shooting spam can ammo makes her want to go home after shooting ten rounds. With the hand loads she can shoot 50 and is mad that she ran out of ammo. Looks like I am gonna have to buy her some more of that Norma Brass from Midway.
__________________
No matter how many times you do it and nothing happens it only takes something going wrong one time to kill you.
m&p45acp10+1 is offline  
Old April 8, 2012, 08:32 PM   #48
TriumphGuy
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 5, 2009
Posts: 559
Quote:
Very true but most people load more than one box
For sure, but I have too many irons in the fire to have time to load for everything I shoot. Better to concentrate on the pricey stuff.
TriumphGuy is offline  
Old April 9, 2012, 05:23 AM   #49
Tim R
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 30, 2004
Location: God's side of Washington State
Posts: 1,601
Quote:
The posted law is 5 pounds.
I've never heard of anyone getting busted for having too much powder ln their home. When I was a LEO (retired) I could understand the limit if it was black, but smokless isn't going to blow. I do know I went to a couple of house fires where the firemen stayed back for awhile untill all the popping stopped from ammo cooking off.
__________________
God Bless our Troops especially our Snipers.
Tim R is offline  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 09:20 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.11370 seconds with 10 queries