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Old January 10, 2013, 03:25 PM   #1
godot
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Newbie question

As my state will soon have a CCW law, I plan of doing a lot of range shooting. Given the shortage of ammo and prices, I've been considering reloading.

A.) What is the major book on the subject (like reloading for dumbies)

B.) What is the most forgiving or easiest caliber to reload?

C.) Is there a particular handgun that is less picky about ammo then others. I'm thinking a revolver might take reloads better than an auto, but am open to insights.

Thanks very much for any info
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Old January 10, 2013, 03:32 PM   #2
m&p45acp10+1
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For the book check ABC's of Reloading. IT is a collection of articles. For a beginers reloading manual for handgun Lyman Pistol & Revolver 3rd Edition is a great one. Good easy to read information. Well illustrated.

Beginner friendly rounds.

For semi auto would be .45 acp.
For revolver .38 Special

As for guns not picky about reloads. Most modern semiauto .45 acp guns will feed most shapes, and profiles of bullets.

Revolvers a used 4 inch S&W Kframe can be found for not too awful much. Or a new Ruger GP100.

I would suggest getting a range gun to start shooting with. Then later once you master the larger gun enough to be proficient then buy a smaller gun for CCW that you decide on based on a larger number of factors than I have time to get into listing.
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Old January 10, 2013, 04:24 PM   #3
Crusty Deary Ol'Coot
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If we were in normal times and conditions, and not an obamanation, I'd say get a RUGER Mark II or III and a car load of .22 ammo and start burning it up.

A bit of instruction might also be real good, someone that can watch you and pick up on your bad points before they become hard to correct.

Then A big PLUS to the suggestion of a RUGER GP 100. Wish I had a 4" GP to go with my years old Security Six 4"

I have a .45 acp, a P345 RUGER, but all in all, for a new shooter a good .357 is a really good place to start.

Then load and shoot lots of .38 loads for practice.

Don't worry about the fing of lead/powder/lube that can form ahead of the .38 cases, it can be easy to clean and providing the build up does not prevent a .357 load from chambering, is not big thing.

Some of the off brands are a poor choice and in some cases are the pits!

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Old January 10, 2013, 08:47 PM   #4
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Another + for the 38sp. You don't have to dig around in the grass for your brass. Some .45 and 9mm sling brass a ways.

Doug
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Old January 10, 2013, 10:42 PM   #5
serf 'rett
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+1 on ABC's of Reloading

Do have a handgun yet? If not you may be getting the cart before the horse. Deciding what you will carry is more important.
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Old January 11, 2013, 12:07 AM   #6
Misssissippi Dave
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The ABC's of Reloading is a good place to start.

.38 special and .45 acp are about as easy to load as they come. Both are low pressure loads. When shooting .38 specials in a .357 magnum pistol, the safety factor improves. I think loading for .38 special would be the easiest to load. You do have to make certain you don't double charge the load. It is a big case. At the moment small pistol primers are in short supply at the moment. Large pistol primers are normally used, but not always, in .45 cases. They can still be found fairly easily at the moment. Later in the year the primer shortage will probably go away. Now is still a good time to start reading up on the subject.

9 mm is the cheapest caliber to purchase in center fire factory ammo. At the moment it is in short supply. What there is available seems to be rather high priced compared to just a few months ago.
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Old January 11, 2013, 12:11 AM   #7
godot
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Thanks guys, will order books tomorrow. Ruger seems like a logical (if not exciting) choice and will rent one. A 3-4 inch Ruger 357 for practice/HD and a smaller 5 shot snub for carry is the direction I'm leaning.
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Old January 11, 2013, 12:49 PM   #8
Crusty Deary Ol'Coot
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While RUGER may not be "exciting" it is one of the two most desirable in the world of wheel guns, the other being S&W.

Yes, there are brands like the Korth - $$$$$$$$$$$$$$ - and great single actions again a bit pricey but great quality, but then there are those iffy in quality with a lot of returns for repair at best and some just junk from day one.

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Old January 11, 2013, 05:29 PM   #9
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Yes repair & CS is a big issue. The gun I really want is the Chiappa Rhino with the 6 inch barrel. I have the feeling that if I got one the company would immediately go bankrupt or the parts would only be available in some small town in Italy in a shop only open during leap years. So Ruger probably
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