What would I need to start reloading?

[lwsimon]

I've just set my sights on my first practical handgun, a CZ-52. Thing is, I can't find ammo around where I live. I can import S&B or surplus stuff easily enough, but that can get expensive! $200 buys me about 1.2k rounds of Romanian surplus, and S&B's FMJ is $8.50/50. The cartridge is 7.62x25. I'm thinking it might be much cheaper to just start reloading myself. I live in an apartment, but I can spare a large closet to dedicate to the practice, about 10x20, with 3 levels of strudy shelves.

So, what all do I need? I don't mind spending a lot of time at it, so slow is OK - I will certainly go slowly at first to make EXTRA sure I don't screw up any loadings. Ideally, all my equipment would be able to fit on a rolling cart that is narrow enough to go through a doorway, so I can reload on the couch. I was planning on watching TV, but it just occured to me that that mught not be a healthy practice.

Also, and this is a secondary consideration really - will it be cost effective for me to reload 7.62x25? I need to practice a LOT, especially in the beginning, so I plan on going throough 800-1k rounds each month. That's 4 weekly range sessions at 200-250 rounds each time. At this relatively small volume, will it be cheaper to reload, or just buy surplus to practice with?

 

[Black Snowman]

7.62x25 is a bit tricky to reload, at that kind of volume (12,000 rounds a year) you're looking at needing a progressive press, except that bottleneck rounds like the 7.62x25 need to be checked for case length and trimmed if nessisary. Also they need to be lubed where as a straight wall round doesn't.

I can't image putting that many rounds through my CZ 52. I'd suggest starting with the surplus, find out how much you're really going to shoot, and start collecting boxer primed brass (most of the surplus is berdan, which needs special equipment and primers to reload). The initial investment in all the reloading equipment and supplies you'll need will be much more than the cost of the gun, so put it off for a bit and see what your needs really turn out to be.

JMHO

 

[lwsimon]

Thanks for the honest answer. I don't even have the gun yet lol, but I'm picking it up this week. I'm going to be carrying Sellier & Bellot 85gr. FMJ rounds for now, as that's what I can afford to test its reliability with. I am aware of its penetration capabilities, and the drawbacks that come with it. My budget is very limited right now. I may end up with surplus stuff for practice, and handloads for carry. I did a little research first about reloading, and the ammo I bought is brass cased, boxer primed. I plan to purchase ~500 rounds of S&B, both to test the gun and to remind myself what my carry ammo feels like from time to time. I'm saving all the brass I fire - well, all that I can find, I understand the CZ52 shoots brass out like 30'! Is there anything I need to do to the saved brass? It will probably lie in storage for 6 months to a year, until I get in a better financial situation to start reloading.

Finally, my reason for handloading isn't primarily price, its effectiveness. I've only found one source of JHPs for this caliber, and they are rather expensive. I've HEARD - not verified - that I can use bullets intended for a .30 carbine, and I can load my own JHPs at least, hopefully I can find some other varieties to try out as well. All this is in the future, however, I just like to get a good feel for a major project before I jump in feet first.

So... anyone have an idea of a price for a beginning reloading setup for 7.62 Tok? I don't HAVE to reload 12k round a year, I can just load 1k or so and use surplus stuff for practice. I refuse to rely on surplus for carry though, as I've ad bad experience with the reliability of surplus ammo in other cailbers.