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Reloading your own ammo..

5K views 49 replies 16 participants last post by  kelly andersen 
#1 ·
OK guys I am totally green on this. I have never thought about reloading my new ammo.. Can you guys give me the readers digest version of how tuff it is to do, cost savings, time it takes to reload each round and that kinda stuff... Again I am totally green on this subject and have only seen the things on a store shelf.. Never even seen how it is done.. Help a brother out.. Thanks
 
#2 ·
Subscribing. I have never thought about reloading my own stuff either, so I will be watching how this pans out.
 
#3 ·
I worked with a guy out here (he quit a few weeks ago but I still talk to him) that reloads his own stuff. He told me how he did it but it sounded like a PITA!! He said he had to weigh the powder for each round... Clean all the shells a few times.. load them into the machine after he put the right amount of powder in... then pressed the bullet in... Im sure there is more that I missed.. But he did they you need to look at each one close to make sure it loaded to the right height...
 
#4 ·
Not only that but picking up your own brass after a day of shooting was what turned me off.
 
#6 ·
My Father does allot of indoor competiton shooting with a few different custom 1911 45's. He loads his own stuff for accuracy. Its a proccess in itself but not difficult.

You have to clean,resize,prime each shell. He has a loader that dumps the same measured amount of powder into each shell. That makes it easier than measureing each powder charge. For rifles you want to measure each one for the accuracy but handguns are not as critical. Afterall you are shooting less than 100 yards.
 
#7 ·
Monty, I've been reloading for over 15 years and reload 10 different pistol rounds and 24 different rifle rounds, some cartridges as small as .14 cal all the way up to .50 cal. I shoot 12-14 wildcats, a "wildcat" is a cartridge where factory brass or ammo is not available, so you have to form it from another parent cartridge case.

Reloading is not rocket science by any means, but like anything else can be fatal.

Generally, a case is resized then primed, you drop a powder charge, seat a bullet and crimp. The later 2 steps can be done in the same operation using th esame die. Depending the type and the amount of money spent on your reloading press setup, you can load 50-60 or as many as 500-600 rounds an hour. Reloading presses are either single stage or progressive, a single stage allows one operation per pull of the handle, a progressive presses allow more than one operation to occur during each pull of the handle.

On many of my varmint and competition benchrest cartridges, the cases are weighed, sorted and the case necks are turned on a case lathe which cuts the neck thickness so that's it's concentric all the way around.

The smokeless powder and bullet makers publish reloading manuals which has recipies for each cartridge. The unit of measurement for bullet weight and powder weight is the grain.Smokeless powder is commonly sold in 1lb containers, approximately 7000 grains of powder are in a 1lb can.

It's been a few years but the last time I figured up what it cost to "put up" 50 rounds of 230 grain 45ACP loads, it was about $6.15 using previously fired brass.

Some typical prices of new components

100 pieces of new .45ACP brass- $15
100 primers- $2.50
100 230 gr FMJ 45 bullets- $12
1 can of powder - $18

Lee Precision makes an entry level kit including reloading manual for around
$90

http://www.chuckhawks.com/cartridge_case.htm

http://www.chuckhawks.com/reloading_introduction.htm

http://www.chuckhawks.com/reloading_handgun.htm

Here's a popular brand of press for high volume reloading

www.dillonprecision.com
 
#8 ·
Reloading is fairly easy to do. If you have a progressive multi-stage press, it doesn't really take that much time to do. Every pull of the lever will produce a "new" round. Once you've got everything set up and get a system going, you can easily make 100's of rounds in an hour.

Cost savings is directly related to how often you can re-use your brass. As long as you don't overwork your brass, it can be reloaded 8+ times without concern. The most expensive component is the actual bullet, which is available in many different configs and prices. You can get plated bullets for very cheap. You can get the total cost of your reloaded ammo down to less than 1/3 of store bought stuff.

Cleaning used brass is cheap/easy. I dump all my used brass in an electric tumbler (can hold 100-500 brass, depending on caliber and size of tumbler) with corncob media and a little polishing additive. Turn it on for a few hours, dump out the brass, and you're done. Comes out better than new.

Powder drop. I have one on my Dillon progressive press that once I set it to drop a prescribed amount of powder, I can pretty much forget it. I do spot check it now and again in the mddle of a reloading session just to verify that it is doing what it should.
 
#10 ·
For general case cleaning I have a couple of tumblers as well. For my BR cases, I purchased an small ultrasonic cleaner and I use the solution thats used for cleaning autoclaves and it works like a champ.
 
#12 ·
Your supposed to measure the amount of powder?
Yes, it's normally done one of several ways either using a beam scale, "Culver" type drop powder measure, disk type drop measure or electronic pan scale. In addition prior to fancy measure's, charge weights were calculated based on each powder's bulk density and how much volume it would occupy in a cylinder of a certain voume.




http://www.sinclairintl.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?category=REPMRC&type=store

http://www.sinclairintl.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?category=REPMRM&type=store

http://www.leeprecision.com/cgi/catalog/browse.cgi?1175215326.1214=/html/catalog/powhan1.html

http://data.hodgdon.com/cartridge_load.asp

Load data 40 S&W
http://www.gunsandammomag.com/reloads/40_smith_wesson/
 
#15 ·
X2. :smt119 I thought he was kidding when he posted that. Some slower burning powders you can get away with doing that (I reload some hot 44 mags where I actually pack the powder down when seating the bullet). Most fast and medium burning powders if you put a double charge in (which sometimes accidentally happens when reloading), you will blow your gun up in your hand.
 
#23 ·
I'm gonna pick up a press next week and give it a whirl. $40.00 a box for 50 rounds of .45 & $39 for 20 rounds of .454 tells me I will be reloading. just gotta get back in the swing of it, I used to load all my own shotgun shells when I shot tournaments, I used to go through 15 or 20 boxes a weekend, sure saved me alot of money. The press, powder, bullets. primer and the rest of the components are actually pretty reasonable.
 
#25 ·
I know you guys are talking about reloading single projectiles, but ill add this, i have been around reloading (shotgun) shells for over 30 years, its not worth it. UNLESS your shooting a gazillion rounds a week or your shooting something very specialized, its not worth it. ON EVERY GUN WE SELL, ITs stamped right on the barrell. USE ONLY FACTORY LOADED AMMUNITION. REASON well i have personally seen what happens when a shell blows up the entire gun in your hands, you get hurt the person aside you gets hurt, fatally whatever. The cost savings is not worth it. You reload because its a hobby or like i said you are shooting very specialized ammo.

If your motor blows up because you didnt have the nitrous right, usually no big deal, build another motor.
You blow up your gun because you fuked up and it takes out your eye or hand or your buddies aside you, youll feel really good about that 2 or 3 bucks you saved on a box of shells. I mean come on, if you can afford a nice gun, you can afford the ammo to put in it, FACTORY LOADED AMMO.

In all the years we have been in buisness we see at least 1 or 2 a year that blow up, and they cry out the ass over the complete loss of the gun, and all of them swear they used factory ammo. The gun gets sent out to winchester and in EVERY single case, EVERY one they find out they were reloaded ammo. STUPID. Im sorry for the rant, ive just seen to many people and guns messed up just because somebody wanted to save a couple of bucks.
 
#26 ·
Common Sense

I
In all the years we have been in buisness we see at least 1 or 2 a year that blow up, and they cry out the ass over the complete loss of the gun, and all of them swear they used factory ammo. The gun gets sent out to winchester and in EVERY single case, EVERY one they find out they were reloaded ammo. STUPID. Im sorry for the rant, ive just seen to many people and guns messed up just because somebody wanted to save a couple of bucks.
Yeah and microwave popcorn bags have disclaimers on them as well, you can't legistlate common sense or safety.

Called me biased because I reload for 3 dozen different cartridges and have shot tens of thousands of my reloaded rounds. I see your point, but if that logic was used on many of the things we do, many would be banned, including drag racing.


Using a chain saw to trim tree limbs in your yard is more inherently dangerous than reloading ammo. Several people die every year from carbon monoxide posioning from portable gas generators trying to save $40 worth of meat in the fridge, but that does not make generators neccesarily unsafe on a whole to use. Somewhere every year somebody will go fishing and drown trying to catch fish they may could have just purchased from the fish market. The guy that lost a couple of fingers, or the family that died from CO poisoning or the guy drowned while fishing.........I guess they were STUPID for trying to save a buck?


Sometimes "reloaded ammo" the classic tag line that the factories always give. Winchester stated the same thing before they found the root cause of "blowups" on Model 70 varmint rifles. The initial cause was "reloaded ammo", even when it was stated that factory ammo was used. Well come to find out, the chamfer at the rear of the chamber was cut to deep, which cause the case head to separate. A couple of years ago Baretta stated the same thing, when in reality in an attempt to save money, an inferior quality of barrel steel was used on Sako fluted rifle barrels. The barrel steel in combination with the flutes weaked these barrels which imploded with both factory and reloaded ammo.


Contrary to what they may tell you, if the gun comes back without any remains of the case that was fired in it. They can't tell if reloaded ammo was used in it or not. Ask the person about gas chromotography or mass spectrometry and I bet you will get a long pause.


Let's talk about CHEAP and STUPID- why does a guy spend $50K on a car, 12K on a trailer, 30K on a tow vehicle and then complains about having to spend $400 on a firesuit or wear the just fire jacket and sweat pants because he'sd too cheap to buy the pants. Anybody ever seen this, the fire jacket and short pants?
Mike
 
#27 ·
Awesome post MrMike990. Bottom line here is it's not reloaded ammo that blows guns up, but careless reloaders. Have personally made 1,000's of rounds of ammo in numerous calibers for various guns of mine (some of them very hot) without any incidents.
 
#30 ·
Ok i was gonna not say any more but since you are being disrespectful im gonna have to say no im not full of shit, im in the fucking business for over 35 years with one of the most respected names in the industry, our shop is responsible for working on and modifying some of the most expensive guns in the country guns that cost in excess of 40,000$ Krieghoffs, Perazzi,Purdee, maybe you heard of them.
And when these guys blow there shit it up it comes to us and ive seen alot of guns in 35years. And in almost every case there was no obstruction. The problem is the reloaded shell. I never said NOBODY knows how to reload, i said its something better left to the SERIOUS reloader or the FACTORY. We often ask shooters how much extra powder it takes to make a double charge, the most common answer, twice as much. That is a fact of the responses we get. Sorry but that tells us that alot, not all, alot know absolutely nothing about reloading, and wonder why there shit blows up. Twice as much powder wont make a double charge, it makes a bomb.

We even produce our own barrels for a certain shotguns, that we sell, so we know all about proof testing. Please i dont want to trash you or your opinion but it sounds to me as if because you reloaded for many years and never had a problem, that so should everybody else. Not as easy as you think for the common person. When your in the BUISNESS of selling SHOTGUNS and repairing SHOTGUNS for 35 years as i have im NOT FULL OF SHIT.

When it comes to the drag magazine im sure i will never say to you, your full of shit kelly, So Have a nice day.
 
#31 ·
Watch mythbusters they had to weld the barrel shut to get a shoptgun to blow up. Your reloaded ammo crap dont cut it !!!! nowhere on my .454, my 44 mag or my 500 s&w did it say anything about factory ammo


Thats some funny shit right there too. We dont use mythbusters as the authority on shotgun barrel manufacturing, or modifying. My personal job just happens to be modifying 12 gage shotgun barrels. I work on 3 or 4 every week. But im full of shit.
And i said every shotgun we sell has use factory loaded ammo. who said anything about your 454 or your 44 mag or your big 500 s&w sounds like you have nice rifles there.
 
#33 ·
Your arguments hold no water!! Use your real name and the alledged company you work for!! Ya I know what a perazzi and a kreighoff are, I shot the grand american 13 years in a row in vandalia with a k-80, I also own 3 3200 remingtons which kreighoff bought the patent to for the k-80 one has a stan baker 10 gauge barrel set. so what are you gonna tell us about barrels. Who do you work for?? hastings, magnaport?? And what do you do forcing cone work, mount ribs barrels It doesnt matter anyway, The only way a shotgun will blow up is if the barrel is plugged, or some dumb ass uses rifle or handgun powder. 3-4 guns a week must be a slow shop !!! Use your real name for some credibility around here !!!!
 
#32 ·
I don't have the time for reloading. I had a new Dillon 650, tumbler, scale, and all the rest of the crap. It all sat in my closet[in the boxes] for 3 years....so I sold it. It's not really that hard, but labor/time intensive. I stick to mostly military calibers[NATO], and bought plenty of surplus when it was plentiful. If I had the time....I might consider it. But then, I wouldn't work on my cars. :smt067 2 hobbies is a double edged sword.
 
#34 ·
First things first, so now your bitching that i dont use my real name, that was not the issue. The name is Mike Allem The business is Allemsguncraft And ive been to the grand american for the last 40 years. Happy now. And i said i work on 3-4 barrels a week that dosnt include all the work i do, we have a 2 week turn around, we have more than enough work. But again all you do is BITCH. and look for excuses to get off the real subject. As far as your K-80s, they are nice guns, take a look at the barrels, what do they have stamped on them. And again if a barrel has a bore obstruction the barrel ends up with a buldge, we have a few of them laying around after customers did that. But more of them are from straight out put too much powder in the shell and then blew the entire gun up. Just had a call last week from the insurance company discussing a blown up K-80 from a elderly gentleman, and well be seeing that gun very soon. You just cant seem to grab the reality that what im saying is true, not my problem. And as far as not using my real name, when i first joined, i saw names like Montes and thought they were made up, so whats the big deal, alot of people on hear use fictitious names, your not out bitching at them.

Please dont tell me my info holds no water now. I have seen personally more barrels and guns that were destroyed or blown up, so dont try to tell me otherwise, i have the guns and the reports from the manufactures to proof everything i say. I also know Deter Personally. Im sure you know who he is.

Your 3200 remingtons are shit guns. So what.

You just seem to like to bitch no matter what. I work directly in the business i said, and am referring to actual accounts. PERIOD dont like the truth thats not my problem.

And as far as this thread goes or any other on this site. There are alot of people on hear that when i take info from this site i dont even question its validity because most of these people speek the truth, there not deliberately trying to steer someone down the wrong road. I speak of what i know and we get a continual amounts of work every day, so i guess they must all be stupid and sending there guns to us because i dont know shit.

Monte you are more than welcome to give me a call and i would be happy to discuss anything related to shotguns 12 gage related. Everything i say i can prove. Pictures what ever, but i think this info is not exactly what you wanted to know.

Oh Kelly by the way i didnt see your name on the high overall list out at the grand any year they held it. Or am i mistaken, you beat out nora martin or maybe debbie ohye. In your own words of wisdom " it dosnt matter anyway" the only way a gun will blow up is if the barrel is plugged. WRONG. I got plenty of proof.
 
#35 ·
3200s Shit guns??? yup there so shitty kreighoff bought the patent.for that statement your an idiot!!!!! How many trap shooters buy ammo???? Maybe sponsored guys. Your average every weekend shooterwho shoots 200-500 rounds a weekend loads his own!!! You want names Howard munson, Multi time sporting clays world champion John Kruger was introduced to sporting clays and international trap by me. So dont use names to try and sound like the king of shot guns. Never said I was on the high list at the grand either but I can hold my own at the 27 and beyond if need be !!! People load for fun and economy. if you think it ruins guns, so be it. at least you had the balls to use your name thats better than most and gives some credibilty to your statements. oh and by the way most of the reloading talk was for handguns, not shotguns. Tell me it better to buy $50.00 ammo than to reload, I think not. Just a subject people will not agree on, I'm done with it!!! But I will keep bitching just to keep you happy LOL:yawinkle:
 
#38 ·
I should blow you?:-gay Whatever dude..you sound like your wound a little too tight on your last post thats all..relax its all good. If we have to read your wining ass post you have to read mine. As far as my 2 posts go, Ive watched this site for a few years, just dont have anything add. I really like this new form, I have reloaded for a few years and its something you have to be very serious about and it deserves all of your "Sober"attention. Yea guns can go BOOM I have seen it happen look at the Glock 40's, unsupperted barrel. Too much pressure in a pistol barrel is not a good thing. Be safe. And oh yea:finga: back at cha, just funin wit cha foo.CMAFR:
 
#40 ·
Hey kelly hows that 10 gage workin out for ya.
 
#42 ·
I have been reloading for many years with no problems. Its a great hobby and can save you some money if you shoot odd ball or magnum rounds. You can also tailor your rounds to your liking. When I load 45 acp ammo for plinking around or for the wife to shoot I load 185 gr bullets. less recoil quicker shot recovery and so on.

I would recommend getting a good reloading book and read through it then buy the equipement you need. If you are reloading handgun ammo dillon makes great stuff.


Shotshells are getting tough to save any money when reloading. The way I justify reloading shotshells is I get great quality at the price of cheapo shells.

If you have any specific questions ask away, I have loaded quite a variety of ammo and may be able to help you out.

Cary
 
#44 ·
This started as a handgun ammo deal, But someone decided to bring shotguns into it and said it was way to dangerous to reload them and reloads blow up guns, The reload is only as dangerous as the incompetent person loading it. I bought a super redhawk in 454. casull, thats what I was reloading for since ammo is $45+ for 20 rounds, and I shoot a shitload. If I can cut my ammo cost I can shoot all that much more.
 
#45 ·
I guess it was you who brought it up.

I used to load all my own shotgun shells when I shot tournaments, I used to go through 15 or 20 boxes a weekend, sure saved me alot of money. The press, powder, bullets. primer and the rest of the components are actually pretty reasonable.
 
#46 ·
You are correct sir. I dont do hardly any shotgun stuff any more. just dont do enough shotgun stuff, plus ammo is so cheap to buy now its not worth the time. I think we both brought it up, I just copped an attitude during a long hot week, and its not worth arguing over, we all got our opinions, some times I just space that out. !!! Its all good!!! If you wanna be pissed at me still, thats cool, I'll understand !! I apologize for disrespecting you !!!
 
#47 ·
I have to say your a gentleman after that comment. I guess i can learn to like you. lol. Its all good im not a hater, i understand.
 
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