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Just for fun, how many lbs of powder have you used reloading?

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Dudedog

Dudedog

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Thought it would be a fun thread
50
100
250
500
1000+
So much from so long ago you have lost count and have no idea:)

I'm a small timer probably only 75 or so. (but I haven't been keeping an exact count)
(takes a lot more rounds loading pistol! some of this was 12 guage from my younger days)

Applied guesstimation is ok here for those of use who don't have an exact #.
 
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I couldn't even speculate how much. I never thought to keep those records even though I now know some reloaders do.

I have no idea how many primers I've used either, sorry...
 
As a pistol-only shooter that uses almost exclusively light to moderate loads, probably not all that much. Even given the decades I've been doing it, at 6.0 gr or less for most loads it's hard to go through 1,000 pounds.

Maybe a couple of hundred pounds lifetime, and I'm 62. Five to seven pounds would last me a year.
 
I have only been loading for 3 years, and only load for handguns. I 'll bet I have gone through 10 pounds or more though. The 357 magnums really eat up the Win 296, but I get about 2000 rounds of 38 special from a pound of Titegroup
 
Stuff I distinctly remember...I somehow distinctly remember most component buys...

4350, 15 pounds through my .270
CFE223, 2 pounds. I like it and will buy more.
30-31, 4 pounds in a few calibers
H335, 2 pounds
231, 8 pounds
Bullseye, 3 pounds
AA7, 6 pounds
AA5, 4 pounds
Trailboss, 2 pounds
A few other rifle and pistol powders in onesie-twosie stuff I got on bench buys, probably several I tried and forgot. I guess I’m around 50-60lbs used over the last 20 years...and im only in my 30s so I have plenty time to increase that number. That seems low though at only 3 pounds a year average, but I didn’t shoot nearly as much until I turned about 25.
 
I don't know for a lifetime, but a couple of years ago I tossed my empty jugs in a corner during a winter reloading session. If I recall correctly, they totaled 13 lbs.
 
I guess I have a long way to go to qualify as a small time loader- according to my logs, in 7 years I loaded:

Pistol- 10 lbs (13,300 rounds for 9 calibers)
Rifle- 20 lbs (4,600 rounds for 14 calibers)
Total- 30 lbs (17,900 rounds for 23 calibers)

I don't have logs for shotgun (12, 20 & 410), but it would only add 3-4 lbs to my total.
 
My records are spotty at best, but I would guess right around 60-70lbs. I've gone through an 8# of Unique, 2 8#'ers of IMR4895, and a pretty good mix of 1# cans of Unique and other powders... H335, IMR3031, IMR4064, W231, WST, W296. I can recall some one-off powders... BlueDot, 2400, H4831, H4831SC, H322, RL7, RL10. Currently I have about 60# of powder under the bench, much of it rifle powder, so it's going quickly. In the Old Days I really only reloaded pistol cartridges, currently I've really stepped up my rifle cartridge game, so that changes things....
 
If count you count shotgun ... Probably well over a hundred pounds ... I used shoot sporting clays every Sunday after for many years .... all reloaded on a Mec 600 jr.

I have shot a fair amount of rifle powder ... never really kept up with it ... .223 being the main current user ...

Pistol powder is now my "in" powder to use right now ...

I've been reloading since 1965 ... So yeah quite a bit ...
 
I use about 16 lb of rifle and a couple of lbs of pistol per year give or take, so I am in the 150 - 200 range. I get a general idea of my reloads by keeping the primer trays. First of the year, throw em out and start a new stack. This picture was taken in September.


NCM_0262.JPG
 
ponchh said:
I use about 16 lb of rifle and a couple of lbs of pistol per year give or take, so I am in the 150 - 200 range. I get a general idea of my reloads by keeping the primer trays. First of the year, throw em out and start a new stack. This picture was taken in September.


View attachment 779923
Click to expand...
That's a good idea. I write down my load data, but never the amount of cartrdges. Mine definitely wouldn't that up much space. :)

In the 6 some yrs. of reloading, I'm not but a small fraction of the OP scale.
 
I started when I was 12, shot competition trap for over 5 years, reloading also for my wife, and now shoot long-range rifle competition, and steel Challenge pistol.
I used to reload with my MEC 600, but had to get a MEC 750.
My guess would be pretty close to that 500 estimate.
I am 70yo now and spend most of my income on reloading components. I shoot alone now, mostly...during the week...competition on weekends.
Just got a new shootin' pard.
 
I've loaded for 50 years, but only 20 years with very much volume - about 10 lbs a year for prairie dog trips. So, I'll call it 200.
 
~ 350,000 rounds of shotgun shells makes up the bulk @~ 18 grains each; DANG! the calculator blew up; guess I am close to the 1000# mark over 35 years or so......
 
Almost 1000 pounds, that's a lot of powder! :eek:


I am approaching 500,000 rounds reloaded (just for pistol, not counting rifle - counting primer boxes is easy way to track reloaded round count) and used average 4.5 gr powder charge for my calculation as I use 4.0 to 5.0 gr for typical 9mm/40S&W/45ACP target loads.

500,000 x 4.5 gr = 2,250,000 gr

(Since 1 pound = 7000 grains) 2,250,000 gr / 7000 = 321 lbs
 
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I lost my original log book, so I don't have records from when I first started reloading in the late 80's early 90's. So I would estimate a pound or so for then. 9MM only.
Since getting back into it in 2005, I have records and transcribed my log book to electronic.
Since 2005, I have loaded:
42.69 pounds
42,145 rounds
broken down to
36,085 pistol
and 6,060 rifle
Of all, 9MM is the one I load the most at 20,539 rounds.

I have it all in Excel now, and can break it down to powder type, etc. I have it set up as part log book, part inventory.
George P said:
~ 350,000 rounds of shotgun shells makes up the bulk @~ 18 grains each; DANG! the calculator blew up; guess I am close to the 1000# mark over 35 years or so......
Click to expand...
George, you are right at 900#.
Wow!

Oh, BTW, since it was part of the formulas built into one of the excel templates I borrowed to build on, I have the pounds of lead sent downrange too -- for me it's 805# over those 42,145 rounds.
 
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