Hand load 38Waddcutters only? Minimal equipment?

[twoblink]

My friend Randolph (Good rest his soul) use to bring 38Spl pussycat wadcutters he hand loaded. Loved them. The bullets looked almost a as if it's flush with the casing.
I know little about hand loading.

Question: if all I wanted to do was to load sound like he did, what's the minimal equipment I would need? Also, seeing as the bullet almost doesn't stick out, I assume that makes it easier to reload since headspace is not really an issue? Thanks.

 

[rcmodel]

The bullet not sticking out or not has nothing to do with headspace.

In a rimed revolver cartridge, headspace is determined by the rim on the case.

To reload, you will need some method to resize the fired case, de-prime it, reprime it, measure the powder charge accurately, and seat & crimp the bullet.

Your best bet would be to just go ahead and buy a beginning reloading kit offered by all the major reloading manufactures.

See this sticky thread for basic equipment requirements.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=238214

rc

 

[twoblink]

Ok thanks

 

[Drail]

Find and read every reloading manual you can find. "The ABCs of Reloading" is a good place to start. If you can find someone in your neighborhood who has been reloading for a while they can teach you a great deal and answer questions. Buy or build a nice heavy bench bolted to a wall.

 

[thomas15]

Start saving your range brass.

 

[StrawHat]

The simplest reloading set up will be a hand held unit similar to the Lyman 310 tool or the Lee Loader. Both are slow but easily capable of reloading quality ammunition.

Once you step up to using a press, well, then things get complicated. For years, I used a simple "C" press but at some point got a Dillon 450 to feed my competition needs. If money is no object, consider Dillon.

Kevin

 

[Walkalong]

Something like this will get you started.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/121744/lee-challenger-breech-lock-single-stage-press-kit

Then add a suitable powder, primers, and brass. It will load most anything else you might decide to do as well. There are hand kits, but they are slow and aggravating. For a little over a hundred bucks, you will be reloading in style. You can spend a fortune getting started, or do like many, get a basic kit and start loading.

There are plenty of free sources of data on the powder makers sights in the form of PDFs, but that won't teach you to reload. Get a reloading manual for that, read it cover to cover, and then ask questions.

 

[Sistema1927]

I started with a simple Lee Loader many, many years ago, and successfully loaded thousands of .38 wadcutters with it as a teenager.

It can be done, and back then I had more time than money.

I now use a Lee Classic Turret press for my handgun loads and a single stage press for rifle. I also have a hand press, and sometimes take it to the range while working up rifle loads.

Better equipment saves you time, but you can turn out quality ammo with a minimum of tools.

Edited to add:

While I think that I paid less than $10 for mine, this is still quite a bargain, and you could quickly recoup your cost after a couple of boxes: http://www.midwayusa.com/product/459280/lee-classic-loader-38-special

 

[ATLDave]

Loading 38 wadcutters is about as easy or hard as loading any other straight-walled pistol cartridge. You need exactly the same equipment you'd use to load other .38 special (or .357 magnum) rounds. And exactly the same stuff you'd use to load 9mm or 10mm or .40 or .45ACP or .45 Colt or .32 Long or what have you, except for different dies and components.

Buy a good reloading manual. Read ALL the front material... everything from the introduction to the beginning of the specific loads. Then buy a second one and do the same thing. By the time you're done, if you have high-school-level reading comprehension skills, you will have a decent basic concept of what reloading entails and requires, and whether it is for you. If it is not, you will still have learned a lot about how guns and ammunition work, and it will make you a better gun-owner and shooter.

 

[Acera]

twoblink, you are lucky that you live in Houston for this.

Go check out 10 Ring, they are one of the best reloading shops I've ever been in. They have everything you need and the patience and knowledge to get you going in the right direction. (Don't let the good looks of the women working there fool you, they know their stuff.)

https://www.10ring.com/

 

[gwpercle]

The absolute most basic way is with a Lee Classic Loader Kit , no press, you use a plastic mallet to drive the case into and out of the die, spent primers are driven out with a punch and mallet and bullets are seated with the mallet, hammer everything in and out. Cases are charged with a little plastic scoop. Back in the day, the basic kit was 10.00 , now it cost 30.00 , still not bad . A lot of us got started with one, they might be slow, but very good ammo can be crafted with one. I still have my 38 special set from 1967 and still use it if I want to load a box or two and don't want to readjust the dies in my press. Great way to see if you want to get into reloading and it won't break the bank.
Gary

 

[Reefinmike]

OP- How much do you intend to shoot per month? 50rds? 500? 5,000? One of the lee loader whack a mole kits will work but is painfully slow.

I'd suggest atleast starting out with a single stage press. unless you really cant scrounge up the extra $30 or $40.

$35 lee C frame press will work just fine for 38spl. I would suggest checking out your local armslist reloading page, facebook reloading pages or here on thr(though shipping might be steep for heavy hunks of steel) for a quality single stage press. you should be able to find one for $50-80
$32 lee three die set
$20 lee safety scale
$15-20 for a reloading manual
$25-35 powder measure optional
$20 calipers- nice to have but optional with 38spl. just load them flush.

You can get started reloading for a little over a hundred bucks. You can easily spend much much more. If you want to shoot a lot, look into casting your own bullets. You can get started for about $100 and the new methods of powder coating bullets make it easier than ever to get excellent results every time.

 

[mdi]

My reloading began in 1969 with a Lee Loader in 38 Special, 1 lb. of Bullseye, 100 CCI small pistol primers, 100 generic lead bullets, and a yellow plastic mallet. I had some of my once fired brass from factory ammo I bought, and a bunch of range pickups from the Police range I frequented. I used the dipper supplied with the kit, used the instructions and load data supplied with the kit, and made safe,accurate ammo for about a year and a half before I got a bench press. Slow by some standards, but not a drudgery, I'd sit down and reload a box of 50 in less than an hour.

 

[Salmoneye]

There's always the classic Lee Loader...

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/459280/lee-classic-loader-38-special

 

[vaalpens]

My reloading began in 1969 with a Lee Loader in 38 Special, 1 lb. of Bullseye, 100 CCI small pistol primers, 100 generic lead bullets, and a yellow plastic mallet. I had some of my once fired brass from factory ammo I bought, and a bunch of range pickups from the Police range I frequented. I used the dipper supplied with the kit, used the instructions and load data supplied with the kit, and made safe,accurate ammo for about a year and a half before I got a bench press. Slow by some standards, but not a drudgery, I'd sit down and reload a box of 50 in about an hour.

mdi gave you a good idea how to start simple and less expensive.

I also try and keep things simple, since it leads to repeatability and maybe for safe reloading. Looking at my 39special WC load, I can see how I can get away with the minimum of tools, and still create a safe an accurate load.

148gr WC bullets (I use DEWC's)
Bullseye powder
Small pistol primers
Single stage press
Lee 3 set die
.3cc Lee dipper (lee load data included with the 3 die set identifies a few different powders where you can just use the .3cc dipper)

A few extras that will make it easier and more precise:
A loading tray will make it easier to do some batch loading, or you can make your own.
An added scale will allow you to be more precise with your charges.
A trickler to help getting to the exact powder charge.

Whatever you do, make sure you stay safe.

 

[mdi]

Personally I think the Lee Loaders are the best thing to come along since smokeless powder. I still have 4 of them (along with 3 single stage presses, one hand press and one turret press and 1.52 metric tons of assorted reloading equipment) and I'll take one out and pound out a few rounds whenever I feel "retro" or don't want to reset a press. I know they are not 100% unique as there were other similar tools, but the Lee Loader got millions of fellers started in reloading...

 

[thomas15]

OP you should ask some of your shooting friends that handload for pistol if they can show you what they use and how they use it. As has been pointed out you can get started in this endeavor for less than $100.00 At that amount of investment your not getting something that will be fast but will make some ammo.

Speaking for me personally if I had to rely on one of the various wack-a-mole handloading systems I probably would have given up on handloading at about the 5th bullet but that is just me. Others are fine with it.

I think a bench mounted press, even an inexpensive "C" press is better than anything handheld. If you ammo needs are modest then handloading will cost you more than any savings you might realize. But, if you consume a lot of ammo or are planning on increasing you ammo consumption, or if you are in search of a particular load for your guns then you should consider handloading. When the next crisis hits and the ammo shelf at your local store is bare, we handloaders can, if we keep enough stock of components at our bench, can shoot without interruption while our non-handloading brethren search for a box of Winchester white box.

I say this from time to time and some agree with me others do not but to throw out a cost to get started in the hobby of handloading ammo you will need approx. $500.00 A lot of shooters that say they want to start handloading will say that they want to first start out with a pistol caliber then move on to a rifle caliber. Most of the press kits sold have rifle handloaders in mind. So if you go that route then you will get stuff that you don't need if your loading handgun. This is why finding someone local that handloads if a good idea, you will see what you need not what comes in the box of a press kit.

I'm no fan of Lee Precision products but for a beginner looking to load handgun calibers and wants to do so on a very tight budget I would say give the Lee classic turret press kit a good look. You will get some things that you don't need and will need to buy other things that don't come with the kit but it's a reasonable starting point. If you shop around you might get this kit for less than $200.00, midway or midsouth I forget which, had it on sale a few weeks ago for something like $180.00

One thing that almost all of us here will agree on is that to be good at this hobby takes a lot of work, a lot of trial and error, some experimentation and occasional humiliation. Again finding someone local to help you get your feet wet is a good idea.

 

[Jesse Heywood]

I will make a different recommendation, especially since you live in the Houston area. Where guns are ranked just behind God.

Find a local range that offers classes in reloading. Before you buy any equipment, take the basic reloading class. You will more about reloading than you thought possible. You will get hands-on experience. And you will find what equipment you will want to buy.

I have a friend who is an instructor, and these classes are a vital source of information for the reloader.