considering reloading...questions (time, space, danger)

[kirby]

I'm considering reload, it would be one pistol caliber. Besides being "neat" to do, I want to lower my cost per round. I was thinking I could set aside a "reloading day" and crank out hundreds of rounds over several hours, then use that the rest of the month. Questions:

- Assume I'm meticulous, good a paying attention, following directions, more than a little OCD-ish. I'm worried about safety. Is there danger in just having the primers and powder stored? Or is the danger really only hot or squib loads?

- I have no dedicated space for this, I'm thinking about bolting a press to somthing then clamping that to a table to do my work for the day. Is this workable?

- How long can I reasonably do this for in one sitting? Reading a bit, I'm hoping I could crank out nearly 1000 rounds in 4hrs once I get good. Is this unreasonable?

 

[Sistema1927]

I have never found any danger in storing primers or powder. Keep them locked up where the kiddies can't play with them , and everything should be fine.

You can do just what I do. Bolt the press to a stout board (I use a 3/4" piece of white oak), and C-clamp it to a table. I have a three foot length of board that mounts a Lee Classic Turret Press, a Lee Champion Press, and a Lee Perfect Powder measure. I originally started out with the Champion and the powder measure at opposite ends, with room to work between, but mounted the turret press centered between them and still have room to use a powder scale, trickler, and to handle components. Make sure to counter sink the wood and use bolts that are short enough not to protrude, and you won't have to worry about messing up the finish fo the surface you are bolting your reloading set-up to.

While I started out with a single stage press, and still use it for some rifle reloading and other small lot functions, I really, really, like the Lee Classic Turret. It has simplified and speeded up my pistol reloading considerably, and if I didn't reload for rifle I wouldn't use anything else. With the auto-disk powder measure and safety primer, this is a very slick way to reload at a reasonable price.

As to speed, I can reload about 125-150 rounds of pistol ammo an hour, but I don't know if I would want to do that for 4 hours straight. I have reloaded about 500 rounds in the past week, but spaced it out into several sessions of 100 rounds each.

 

[FJC]

Read the manuals, pay attention to what you're doing, and don't be one of those hotshots that pushes the loads too hot and there's little danger in reloading.

Squibs and double-charges are of course the issue, but if you're careful and take precautions (such as always, ALWAYS looking in the case, with a good light positioned correctly so you can see into it, before putting a bullet on top of it) you'll be fine. I also like to pick loads that fill most or all of the case, so that a double charge is blatently obvious.

The only other real danger is having a primer (or primers!) detonate while you're priming cartridges. Wear safety glasses, handle primers with respect, and even if it happens you'll likely just get a good scare.

In 17 years of reloading, I've never had a double charge, and only recently had my first and only squib round. I've never had a primer detonate while priming.

 

[lee n. field]

Is there danger in just having the primers and powder stored?

No particular danger. Store according to the directions on the box or bottle.

I have no dedicated space for this, I'm thinking about bolting a press to somthing then clamping that to a table to do my work for the day. Is this workable?

Absolutely. A lot of people end up using a Workmate or similar stand.

How long can I reasonably do this for in one sitting? Reading a bit, I'm hoping I could crank out nearly 1000 rounds in 4hrs once I get good. Is this unreasonable?

A couple hours per sitting, probably. 1000 in 4 hours? Only with a progressive.

RTFM (Speer and Lyman are good). Search back through threads here -- your questions come up very frequently.

 

[kirby]

Search back through threads here -- your questions come up very frequently

Damn, sorry. I hate being that guy. I was lazy. I was just assuming a progressive. Thanks to everyone for the info.