Jumped in with both feet. How'd I do?

[NC-Mike]

After thinking and reading about reloading for a couple years. I finally jumped in. Yes the election has something to do with it. What exactly that is, please don't ask.


I ordered a bunch of stuff today and almost called it quits when I saw how much this was going to cost but I clicked the confirm order buttons and now my stuff is on the way.

I am interested in reloading for 38 Special/357, 45 ACP and .223

I hit Wideners...

Lake City M193 55gr FMJBT Projectiles 1,000 78.00
MBSS109 62GR FMJSCBT SS109 500 42.00
38 CAL 158 GR TMJ BULLETS 300 47.10
45 CAL 230GR TMJ BULLET 300 72.00

CPP 8LB SPHERICAL PISTOL POWDER 8LB 82.00
WINCHESTER 748 (8lbs) 118.00
WINCHESTER 231 2 lbs 33.00

CCI 41 Military Small Rifle Primers 2000 58.00
CCI 300 Standard Large Pistol Primers 2000 49.50
Federal Small Pistol Primers 2000 56.00
Federal Small Pistol Magnum Primers 1000 28.00

LEE DELUXE TURRET PRESS KIT (4-HOLE) w/ AUTO INDEX $91.00

From Midway:

Lee Deluxe Handgun 4-Die Set 45 ACP 32.49

Lee Deluxe Handgun 4-Die Set 38 Special/ 357 Magnum 32.49

Lee Pacesetter 3-Die Set 223 Remington 19.89

Lee Auto Prime Hand Priming Tool Shellholder Package of 11 11.99

Lee Auto Prime Hand Priming Tool 11.49

Frankford Arsenal Quick-N-EZ Case Tumbler Master Kit with Quick-N-EZ Rotary Media Separator 110 Volt 59.99

Frankford Arsenal Brass Cleaning Media Treated Corn Cob 4-1/2 lb Jug 14.99


So with shipping, almost a 1,000 thousand dollars and I'll get 1,500 .223 rounds, 300 45 rounds and 300 38 Special/357 rounds...

Didn't strike me as a great money saver.

I could buy the .223 rounds for 525.00, the 357 for 130.00 and the .45 for 115.00. 770.00 total and i wouldn't have to screw around loading these rounds...

Anyway, I bit and I'm in. I tried to buy the standards, excepting the CPP powder from Wideners that I will pretty much use exclusively for 45 ACP.

The W748 powder will go into the .223

The W231 for 357/38 Special

Brass I have already collected.


I didn't want to start loading with lead bullets right away but that seems to be the best way to save money reloading. Once I get my feet under me, I'm going to look into some lead bullets for the 357/38 Special and 45 ACP.

So it looks to me, setting yourself up for reloading doesn't begin to pay you back till you load at least 3,000 rounds. Then you can see some savings.

What I want to do is standardize a traditional, classic load quickly and stay with that load. I don't think I will be into tinkering and chronoing loads right off the bat.

Still don't know if I made the right decision to do this but I shall find out...

 

[Hud]

NC-Mike,

Well, you could have spent the majority of that on booze & women, & the rest foolishly, but I think your long time satisfaction will far outweigh the initial investment.

Hud

 

[lgbloader]

If your happy, then we're happy for you, Mate.

LGB

 

[NC-Mike]

If your happy, then we're happy for you, Mate.

LGB

Don't know if I'm happy yet...

 

[jagugator]

Trust me, after you see your first round go down range and hit the target you will be very

Plus I find my time reloading as very relaxing and a great way to deal with the stressors of the day.

When all of those boxes come you will think it is Christmas!

Be safe and have fun!

Ed

 

[SASS#23149]

Unless I missed it,I don't see a case trimmer n that list.Rifle ammo almost always requires trimming,pistol seldom if ever.The Lee zip trim will do the job,but thee are better ones.
polish your brass,SIZE it,mike it and see if it 'grew'.If so it could be too long for the chamber,and could cause pressure spikes.
reloading is a great,relaxing hobby to me,and even if you decide it's not for you the equipment will sell fast.
glad you went 4-die on the pistol sets,makes it MUCH easier to adjust depth and crimp.
do you also have a manual or 2,and calipers?

 

[SSN Vet]

Hey Mike,

Don't bother looking back and second guessing yourself.

You're likely going to find that you enjoy reloading as much if not more than shooting.

And the investment you made in equipment will be paid for soon enough.

Casting your own is the key to economy and with a Lee pot and molds, is cheap to get into. Your biggest savings will be with the .44 acp and the .357 mag.

Time to start scrounging wheel weights now. In a year you'll be doing your first smelt.

 

[The Bushmaster]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but did you get calipers with any of that stuff? No? I hate to tell you this (yer not through spending), but you will need one and a bullet puller like an enertia hammer (don't say anything rcmodel and Walkalong)...

Then there's...Well... You'll find out soon enough, I amagin... It's like a ragging fever...

 

[Remo-99]

Welcome to the reloading faternity, it's a whole new area to the shooting sports for many.
And the costs of ammo lately have seen many newcomers into the practice of reloading. The biggest outlay at the start is getting setup with a reloading press and the equipment needed to ensure safe and reliable reloads/handloads.
But the help you get from others in these forums, that have been reloading for many, many years, is priceless. And it don't cost a cent, so don't be afraid to ask questions.

 

[tribbles]

And if nobody's told you yet, you won't actually SAVE any money, but you WILL shoot more...

 

[NC-Mike]

Yeah guys, I have a whole nuther wish list on Midway that I will pull the trigger on Monday. Case trimmer and all that other stuff.

I realized I ordered the wrong press and had to switch out to the Lee Classic Cast press and off the Deluxe Press which is the aluminum model so I had to get a scale, powder charger, deburrer and everything that came with Deluxe kit because the cast press wasn't a "kit"

Then I saw a needed a double disk charger, powder charge riser, special shell holders for the hand primer, bla bla bla. It's enough to make your head spin.

I bought the Lee Zip, case length gauges and the ball grip. Also got a bullet puller for the press with the collets I need and a couple extra turret heads.

What's a couple hundred more at this point...

I have a nice set of calipers already.

 

[The Bushmaster]

Assuming we have at least one loading manual like Lyman's 48th or 49th edition. Two would even be better. Like Sierra Edition V Second printing...

I'm just assuming here now...

 

[RPCVYemen]

Wow! You really did jump in with both feet. I started with

• Hornday reloading manual
• Lyman reloading manual
• a donated Lyman turret press and power measure
• a Hornady scale
• a set of Lyman dies in 45 LC
• a set of calipers
• 1 lb of powder (actually less - it was Trail Boss)
• 200 bullets
• 200 pieces of brass
• 200 primers

Altogether, I spent about $200 - and that seemed like a big leap to me.

After the 1st session I added

• a bullet puller.

After a month, I added

• a Lyman case tumbler

I haven't added anything except bullets, powder, and primers since. I did have some saved brass.

But I haven't added anything else in the last couple of thousand rounds (I am not how many - I am on at least my 3rd box of 2000 primers). I have tried two or three different powders (Trail Boss, Unique, and TiteGroup), and two or three different bullets (Hornady 200gr SWC, Horndy 255fr RN, and Magnus 265 SWC).

Actually, now that I think of it, I got the newest Hornady manual, and the Hodgdon manual that looks like a magazine.

I hope you enjoy this hobby as much as you think you will.

Mike

 

[RustyFN]

I realized I ordered the wrong press and had to switch out to the Lee Classic Cast press

Smart move. You will be much happier with the classic turret. Congrats and welcome.
Rusty

 

[dagger dog]

NC,
You started loading at one end of the spectrum, I started at the other: Lee Loader .38 .357 $9.00 1 lb. Herculese 2400 powder $5.50 100 158 gr SWC bullets $ 6.00 200 magnum small pistol primers $1.50 1 tube RCBS case lube $1.00. Had a mallet and a couple hundred rounds of once fired brass. TOTAL $23.00 These prices reflect 1982 pricing

 

[armoredman]

Wow. You did jump in with both wallets. I had a press donated for three months before I started aquiring stuff. That was a few years ago, and I would have to say I may have loaded 5-6K rounds, not much by many standards, because I am a small volume shooter, and a single stage press user. Definately remember to resize and trim all that brand new rifle brass. That is the one thing I don't like about reloading, the trim and chamfer.
Get some Hornady One Shot spray on lube, and go heavy.

 

[Walkalong]

Yea, you jumped into the deep end, that's for sure. Most of us get started a little at a time. It doesn't seem to cost as much that way. It does, it just doesn't feel like it.

Congrats. Now all we need is some reports on your progress.

 

[SSN Vet]

I think you'll be glad you upgraded to the cast press.

first thing you do when you get your scale is drop your wallet on it and sigh.....it will never weigh that much again.

 

[NC-Mike]

I think you'll be glad you upgraded to the cast press.

first thing you do when you get your scale is drop your wallet on it and sigh.....it will never weigh that much again.

Been through that before when I got my C&R license...

The reason I got everything at once is I have been looking into reloading for quite some time. Long enough to have accumulated several thousand pieces of brass so I kinda had a good idea of what I would need.

I want to work up a generic 223 load with the 55 grain projectiles that will be shot across three rifles, all with different barrel lengths but the same 1 in 9 twist. That's why I want to standardize on a load that would perform well on all three.

The 62 grain I will work up for a Sig that has a 16 inch barrel and 1 in 7 twist. I could play around with that load a bit as I will only shoot the 62 grain ammo in that rifle. May separate the brass shot from that gun and save the full length resizing if that is any great benefit.

I have a lot a 9mm brass but it hardly seems worth it to reload 9mm when Dick's sells Remington for 8.98 a box when you buy 10 boxes.

I like the idea of casting my own bullets. That's something I'm going to have to think about after I get started. I'm going to load 100 or so 38 special rounds to get my feet wet before I start on the auto-loading calibers.

 

[armoredman]

I reload 9mm, have for years, more fun than buying it, especially after I started casting. I use the same 124gr LRn bullet for 38 and 9mm, drops at .360, then gets pushed through the appropriate Lee sizer for either .358 or.356. Works great. Now my 9mm loads are dirt cheap!