Thrifty Reloading Tips--- List yours

[OneInTheChamber]

This thread is turning out great. Let's keep it going.

Another thing I do is always have a big tupperware container to fill things over; incase you spill.

I've saved a lot of lead shot that way; a lot of primers that way too!

Keep track of everything. I can tell you exactly how much each load costs me down to the penny. I can also tell you how much I have saved by reloading.

Shell holders are a must have item. Whether you buy the plastic kind or make your own out of wood.

Number every box you put ammo in to. Make that correspond with the numbers in your log book. Makes life a lot easier.

Don't waste money on expensive range bags; a duffle bag or fishing bag will hold those little plastic trays, handguns in cases, tool boxes and everything else for $15.

[ledavatar]

For ancillary products used not exclusive to reloading, check out external sources - for example, you can find cheap bins here (http://www.uline.com/Browse_Listing_...onductive+Bins) and even an organizer here (http://www.uline.com/Browse_Listing_...Bin+Organizers)

[Edward429451]

Plastic Bin Box, Height 3 Inches, Width 4 1/8 Inches, Depth 7 3/8 Inches, Color Blue. Only shipped in quantities of 24. AKRO-MILS
30-220-BLUE 24 Today $1.69 2172

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/wwg/productIndex.shtml

If you have a Graingers in your town, you can buy em singly. For shipped, gotta be by the case.

[12 Volt Man]

The boxes that Berry's provides with their 250 bullet packs make great ammo boxes. They hold 150 loose loaded rounds of .40 S&W

[JustSteve]

I do the colander thing that 44 Amp suggests but the one I have almost fits completely into my tumbler,so I drilled a hole in the center annd slide it over the rod that hold the lid,tighten w/ wingnut,turn onthe tubler and let shake itself out.Works ok but I did make a mess tweakin' it
Just today I converted an old blender base into a power primer pocket cleaner,might be a waste of time but it's noisy enough to drown out the phone and doorbell

[mjrodney]

My tumbler does its fair share of work, and recently I discovered that it gets quite warm.

Actually, closer to hot.

And since heat is the enemy of most inexpensive motors, I added a small, table top fan to the mix that blows across the base of the tumbler while it is running.

Now the tumbler runs considerably cooler, and odds are I can expect a longer life from that motor.

[Edward429451]

Componant costs continue to rise...

44 mag cases which split at the case mouth can be trimmed to 44 Special length and continue to be used.

Split 44 Special cases can be trimmed to 44 Russian length (0.97") and continue to be used.

Reduece loads accordingly.

[JJB2]

get lee products from midway! i have used lee speed dies with great success for years.... get a smaller cat box scoop with holes in it to get the cases out of your tumbler..... this IS a great thread!! i also try to get to gunshows to buy once fired .38 spl brass... and always have my eyes open for other bargains............

[Scorch]

* Buy bulk bullets from sites like Midway or Cabela's. Everyone knows about Winchester and Remington bullets, but there are also bulk Hornady bullets!
* Buy primers by the case (5000) rather than the single or 10-packs.
* Use waterless hand cleaner (without grit) as case lube. It wipes or washes right off.
* Get a piece of low-nap carpet from a construction site. It stops things from rolling off your bench.
* Buy some cheap fanny packs from the dollar store to carry your plinking rounds in. Most have two pockets, you can put mags in the second pocket.
* Spread a piece of carpet on the bench you shoot from. It will keep you from chasing brass all over the range, unless you shoot a 1911 like I do, but even then it reduces it a lot.

[clayking]

My tumbler does its fair share of work, and recently I discovered that it gets quite warm.

And since heat is the enemy of most inexpensive motors, I added a small, table top fan to the mix that blows across the base of the tumbler while it is running.

Good tip. I just happened to have my tumber running when I read this and went and checked it and it was indeed fairly warm. I havea fan on my bench anyway so I turned it to hit the tumbler. Later when I went to check it was barely warm.

3. The canvas bags from shotshell reloading, filled with sand, make great bench rest bags.

Now you tell me. How many of those have I thrown away, but luckily there are still quite a stack of full ones along the wall of my garage.......now, to just find a few more empty containers...... ......................ck

[mjrodney]

My Lee single stage has a slot in the ram (priming arm removed) that allows the occasional spent primer to fly out during the sizing and decapping of the case.

This flying primer would always fail to hit the trash can I keep below the press.....until, that is, I tacked a small hand towel on the edge of the bench and led the other end of the towel into the trash can.

Now, most of the flying primers hit the towel and roll merrily along until they reach the can.

This probably doesn't seem important until you walk barefoot through the garage one day and impale your heel onto a spent primer.

You jump around fast enough to be chronographed.

[CPLMIKE]

I use Marvel Mystery Oil before I resize my brass. I use about a quater sized drop on my pad, does about 30 rounds before more is needed.:D

Semper Fi

[Strikeph]

I use the Cone paper cups to make custom sized, disposable funnels. The best thing about them is that since they are paper not plastic, there is no static cling, and I can cut the bottom to a size that will fit the opening. I found a clearance center that had them for about $2.50 for 250, so I have them for a while.

They also work well as funnels for oil and water in the car, when a big funnel won't fit.

[Strikeph]

These are the little paper cups like you put catsup in at fast food restaurants. They are great for using on my digital scale for weighing lubed bullets and powder, since they are disposable, and not sensitive to static. I just zero out the scale with a new cup when it gets too dirty for me.

[Strikeph]

I've found that many shell holders work well enough for more then their advertised cartridges.
For example, my .45ACP-.30/06 shellholders (both Hornady Shellplate and #3 RCBS) work just fine for my 6.5mmX55mm Swede, and my #20 .45Colt-.454Casull works for my .44 Special/Mag.

I'd be interested in what other combinations you've found.

[skeet47]

Lead shot works well to balance a crooked chandelier

[mrawesome22]

Got this one from 918v. Take a hacksaw and cut a slit length wise down the neck, just barely into the shoulder, of a empty case. Now seat a bullet just barely into the case. Chamber the case in your rifle. Eject the case and measure O.A.L. You now have a starting point for O.A.L. I seat mine .015" from this aquired O.A.L. and play with it until I get great accuracy. NOTE 1: This O.A.L. might be too long for magazines. NOTE 2: This O.A.L. might be too long for light bullets to be seated properly. NOTE 3: This procedure hase to be done with EVERY different type of bullet even if the manufacturer is the same. You are measuring to bullet ogive and every type of bullet has a different ogive. Thanks 918v. This procedure saved me a lot of money off those stoney point guages. And it is much more precise. Every bullet type is now custom fitted to my rifle! Awesome. One more tip. Don't get nickel plated brass for .22-250 if you plan to reload it. This is once fired brass and after only one pass through the size die, I can see places where it is chipping off.

[Edward429451]

Lead shot also works good inside setscrew holes. Tightens down cleaner & easier with less wear & tear on setscrews & tooling.

[DanM2000]

Buy your corn cob or walnut cleaning media at the pet store. They sell it for animal bedding. 25lb. bags are dirt cheap. It comes in different grinds, use the small or fine size for cleaning cases.
Plastic paper plate holders work well for media seperators if they have a grid design. They fit right between the tumbler and a the bucket.
If it works, do it.

[mjrodney]

A yellow plastic mustard container, the one with the cone shaped top that you twist to open or close, works well to store and dispense Hoppe's #9.

No dippin' and drippin' all over the bench/table.

[Randy_che]

In response to the shellholder multitask post above, Midway has a chart with all the RCBS shellholders, and all the cases that will fit into each shellholder.


http://www.midwayusa.com/midwayusa/s...ellholders.pdf


It came from the following page, which has dozens of technical tables and charts.

http://www.midwayusa.com/static.exe/...age=charts.htm

[kansas45]

Put a piece of velcro somewhere on your bench. Then use the other side to wrap around the allen wrenches & other tool's & stick them to the velcro strip. It make's them handy to use & easy to keep track of.

[BigJakeJ1s]

If you have an old hard drive that you don't mind destroying, open it up. The head drive magnets are REALLY strong. They'll easily hold screwdrivers or wrenches where ever you need to (like on the side of your cast iron press). Don't let your wife know about this, or she'll commandeer them for holding up stuff on the fridge! My wife uses one to hold up a large callendar even through the whole calendar (like in December when all the pages are flipped to the top).

Andy

[klw]

I shoot mostly cast bullet reloads.

Whenever possible use wheelweights. They can not be driven to as high a velocity as, say, linotype but wheelweights don't cost much and, if you are lucky, they don't cost anything.

Look up loading data for the bullet/cartridge you want to reload and try, at least initially, whatever powder has the lowest charge. For example I can use either 13 grains of Unique or 20 grains of 5744 in my 45-70 BUT Unique is cheaper and each round uses a lot less Unique compared to 5744.

Buy the equipment you can from RCBS because their non-electrical stuff is guaranteed forever. I've return my inertia bullet puller at least three times in the last 20 years. I've returned at least a couple expensive limited production mould blocks because I wore them out. The RCBS guarantee is forever so none of the replacements cost me anything other than return shipping.

Go to a your local gunshows and get business cards from anyone selling powder or primers. Get their price sheets. Check those prices against what you can find on the net. If these prices are cheaper, e-mail them and make a purchase to be delivered the next time they pass through town. Saved the shipping charges and hazardous shipping charges, if any.

[rrp]

If you know anyone in food service have them save the large plastic peanut butter containers. They are great for storing cleaned,sized,trimmed, ready to load brass. I leave a note in the containers stating times loaded and other important information. They stack nicely and you can see what you have without opening them as you would in box.