How long to make 50 rounds?

[Unclenick]

Depends on the caliber and on whether or not I have a helper. Per 44 AMP's point, for a gun I have few cases for, I might have to start counting when I am at the range because I have to shoot to get some brass to reload. Sounds ridiculous until you consider getting excited to try a new bullet mold and having none of the obscure brass in a new or fired state needed to make the test.

On the other hand, for 45 Auto, for which I have several thousand new cases and a caliber-dedicated Dillon Square Deal on the bench with primers and powder and bullets often already in place from the day before, and with a bullet placing and powder checking assistant borrowed from another part of the household, the first fifty might come down the chute in under four minutes. But if you are a forensic reloading accountant and want to count opening boxes of primers and getting primer tubes filled, count my time and the helper's time additively when I have one, the time spent refilling the powder hopper, periodic machine cleaning, time to perform load change setup, time spent case cleaning when I don't use new brass, time spent ordering components, or worse, taking the time to cast my own bullets, and the time spent researching and working up a load before I can load it, well then you are into a lot more total time invested.

[5whiskey]

But if you are a forensic reloading accountant

My MS (and sometimes my job) is in forensic accounting. Not a reloading specialty though... data analytics speciality

[Pumpkin]

Originally Posted by hooligan1

Im in no hurry when I handload.. Sometimes 50 rnds requires 2 naps and something to eat..

Amen!

[rodfac]

About 15 minutes if the Dillon 550B is set up for the caliber & primer size. 99% of the time, I don't use the full 4-station capability of the press. Instead, I size & deprime then index the case to the powder drop die, then index that same case to the seating die while sizing and decapping/repriming another case. The re-index to the crimping die, while dropping the powder charge in the next case.

This allows me to keep a close eye on the powder drop and priming stages. I effect, I'm using every other station, and getting ~50 rounds loaded in 15 minutes.

Best regards, Rod

[cdoc42]

Before I retired, I did everything I had to do in the 182 hours a week that I needed in the 168 that I had. But God made retirement for a reason. Now I have 168 hours to do whatever I want, and I sit and wonder how I previously did it. So I load 50 rounds and I quit at 3PM and have a Scotch, and I now always put off today what I can do tomorrow.

[Metal god]

That sounds about right for me , 50rds in 20 min for pistol on a turret press . Problem is , that's starting with cleaned primed cases . Include cleaning and priming ..... that would add at least another 10min per 50

[wachtelhund1]

I do my case prep separate and start loading with primed cases. When I load rifle rounds, I weigh each charge, first dropped from Lyman 55 powder measure and then weighed with a Sagortiours jewlers scale. Then fill cases and seat bullet. I take my time.

Pistol is another subject. I use an old Ponsness Warren P-200 press with Lee Auto-disk measure. With this 9mm, 380, 38s, .25-20 and 45 colt takes about 25 - 30 minutes for 50 rounds. Again, I'm taking my time checking each case before seating the bullets.

[Rifletom]

Post 30 for the win. Retirement was/is a blessing in sooo many ways. Handloading being one of them. Touche`.

[FITASC]

fastest way I know to "make" 50 rounds is go to the store and buy them. Now, do you start your timer when you get in your car to go to the store, or at the front door of the store, or when you take the box to the counter to pay for it ???

Even faster is going to my front door to pick it up off the front step after UPS leaves

[KBP75]

Great question but you need to specify if its rifle or pistol. You need to specify if it's for match grade reloading or target or hunting purposes! The time will vary greatly if you are using a single station press or a progressive press and even if you are loading with new or used brass!

[44 AMP]

Even faster is going to my front door to pick it up off the front step after UPS leaves

Not if you count the time between placing your order and it reaching your doorstep...

[Paul B.]

I ave no idea just how long it takes me to load a batch of bullets. Frankly, I really don't care. Handgun ammo is usually done in fairly large batches while rifle not so much. Rifle might be 100 rounds to sometimes 500 or more. Handgun ammo is usually in batches of 1,000 or more. Last run of .38 Spl. wadcutters was 1,800 rounds IIRC, it took a bit over a week from start to finish with me more or less taking my time.

To be honest, it takes a lot more time casting, lubing and sizing the bullets to load than anything else and for the wadcutters I use two four cavity molds.

I handload strictly for my own pure pleasure.
Paul B.

[Crankylove]

I do case prep separate.

Once back from shooting. Everything gets tumbled, then separated by caliber. Then decapped/sized, trimmed, and expanded if necessary. Then it’s put on the shelf.

When I’m ready to actually load, I grab my already prepped brass and go to town on the single stage.

Usually do 50 pistol (.22 Hornet and .223 also fall into this group) rounds, or 20 high powered rifle per batch. Haven’t timed it, am in no rush to get it done, would guess loading a batch is probably 45-60 minutes.

[Aguila Blanca]

Originally Posted by Prof Young

Out of curiosity I timed how long it takes me to make 50 rounds. I did this with 9mm and 380. Using a turret press I can crank out 50 round in about 18 minutes. And this is at the non-rushed, enjoy the process speed.

Your idea of "non-rushed" is significantly different from mine.

Although I own two progressive presses, I still do most of my reloading on a Lee Turret Press, with auto-indexing enabled. This means once a round is started, it advances automatically to the next position. I also start with pre-primed (off press) cases, and I have a Lee AutoDisk powder measure on the press. Other than pulling the handle four times, the only manual intervention is putting the bullet in position before the seating operation, after resizing and charging.

The press is a 4-station operation, so one round requires four pulls on the handle. 50 rounds in 18 minutes works out 2.78 round per minute, or one round in 21.6 seconds. That's one pull of the handle every 5.4 seconds, for an hour straight -- and within that you have to place each new case into the press and then place each bullet for the seating step.

I can't work that fast, and certainly not safely.

[Jack Ryan]

If you are in a hurry you don't have time to reload.

I HAD a job. Didn't like it.

I don't intend to turn something I like into another one.

[georgehwbush]

loading ammo is therapeutic. why rush ?

[jetinteriorguy]

Originally Posted by georgehwbush

loading ammo is therapeutic. why rush ?

According to all the loaded ammo I have on the shelf apparently I need a lot of therapy. LOL, this is true though, I find it very relaxing.

[surveyor]

I used to load everything on the indexing lee turret press, yes 4 pulls per round.
I picked up a square deal and that took over pistol duties.
I noticed more of a savings of movement than speed, and my elbows thanked me.
The time savings is in only handling brass once or twice.

I translated it back to the lee, took the index rod out, and use it for rifle Now.
Case prep is done separate, only handle brass twice for lube,deprime, size, trim, deburr chamfer, primer pocket cleaning, and brushing of case mouth. Takes about 20 to 30 seconds a case.
Loading is separate with priming, charging, seating,
Still only handle brass twice, going in shell holder and coming out.
Most turrets have universal decap die, size die, powder charge die to use a funnel, and a seat die.

Now the electric trimmer and the case prep center and chargemaster let me do this.
But all rifle ammo is consistent.

[Wyoredman]

I really need a faster case trimmer! Seems like case trimming is the slowest step in reloading.

Last weekend I made 90 rounds of .220 Swift. It took me about 1/2 hour to talk myself into starting; 30 minutes to sort the 90 W-W cases out of the .220 swift brass bag; 1 hour of tumbling in corn cob and dumping it out of the cases and wiping the residue off; 1/2 hour setting up my dies (and finding a new radio station), powder measure and case trimmer; a 45 minute break for lunch and to throw the ball for the dog; 1/2 hour to resize and de-prime, 1 hour to measure and trim the brass to "Trim-to Length; 1/2 hour to deburr, chamfer and clean primer pockets; 1/2 hour to prime the brass; and finally 1 hour to charge and load the rounds to correct seating depth.

So it took me 6:45 to load 90 .220 Swift last weekend.

Time flies when you are having fun!

***This accounting of my reloading time does not take into account the record keeping, packaging and labeling of the loaded ammo. Nor does it account for the cold victory beer and clean up and admiration time at the end of the day!

[gwpercle]

Reloading Ammo isn't a "Speed Game" ... the object is not to reload the most rounds in the shortest time .

The Object is to load "Safe and Accurate " ammunition .

My Mom had "Sayings" one was ... " Haste Makes Waste" ... what she meant was the faster you rush through a job ... the more likely you are going to screw it up ...
in Reloading you can blow you and your gun up ... it can get dangerous !

If it takes you all day to reload 50 Safe and Accurate rounds ... that's just fine .

Take your Time , Load Safe .

Now my Daddy would say ... " Boy , Don't be acting the fool !"
Gary

[riverratt]

With plinking rounds in my handguns I average between 450-500 rounds an hour, once I get everything timed right on my old Lee Loadmaster press. That in itself can be a chore. Because of this, I usually make it an all day affair durring a cold winter day and crank out 4 to 5 thousand rounds if everything is running smoothly. That will last me about 6-8 months per service caliber.

As far as my "low volume" guns, such as bolt guns and magnum revolvers, I use a single stage press and trickle charge each round. Starting with already cleaned fired brass, I will go through the entire process from brass prep all the way through a finished round. This will take me about 2-2.5 hours to complete 50 rounds. But, I know that every round is as accurate and consistent as I can possibly make it with my equipment. It does not matter if I grab a bag of bullets that I loaded 2 years ago, or 2 days ago, everything is exactly the same within my tolerances of +/- .003. Every piece of brass or seated bullet that falls outside this tolerance gets thrown into a separate box labeled "rejects" and will be used for general plinking or fouling purposes.

[coyotes220]

With any luck I'm going about this correctly. Just got a German single shot in 9.3x72R. just wanting to know if anyone has a idea how to get around buying the150ish dollar 9.3x72r dies. I certainly don't intend to run high pressure so hopefully FL sizing won't be necessary, just mouth sizing and bullet crimping.

[1972RedNeck]

I've got some nasty 357 Mag Blazer brass that has been in the tumbler for over 8 hours. If that counts into my reloading time, I better not figure out the hours per round...

I take my time and enjoy it - if I take out the tumbling time, I figure right at an hour for 50 rounds through my single stage with 4 different dies.

Rifle rounds through 2 dies is about the same as I am pickier about the powder charge.

[jetinteriorguy]

Originally Posted by coyotes220

With any luck I'm going about this correctly. Just got a German single shot in 9.3x72R. just wanting to know if anyone has a idea how to get around buying the150ish dollar 9.3x72r dies. I certainly don't intend to run high pressure so hopefully FL sizing won't be necessary, just mouth sizing and bullet crimping.

Instead of inserting this question into threads that aren’t relevant, you’ll be more likely to get an appropriate response by just starting your own thread.

[coyotes220]

I'll try and get it done