Just Getting Started in reloading

[Guest SkyDog]

So I finally got my kit (Rock Chucker Supreme Master Kit), vibratory cleaner, calipers, dies, etc. Still need to build a bench and have decided to try the NRMA bench shown in my ABCs of Reloading book. I've been checking my local reloading supply house (Widener's) and have noticed that they have a very limited supply of powder, primers, and bullets. I will be ready to get started any day now and still have some questions. For right now .45 ACP will be the only caliber I will be reloading but I will eventually want to do 9mm, .38 SPL, and .40 S&W as well as 30-06 and .223/5.56.

Are supplies generally difficult to find at this time? AND Who has the best selection/prices? Is mail order going to be better than waiting for Widener's to get stock in even with the added hazmat cost?

Are the Hornady Lock-N-Load Press and Die Conversion Bushings worth putting on immediately or should I get the feel for reloading before going with them?

Thanks for your help.

[enfield]

Mailorder powder and primers are god-awful expensive -- I wouldn't do it (again) without exhausting all other resources. I'd rather drive 50 miles than pay another Hazmat fee. Bullets are another matter - Missouri Bullet Company is a good source for cast lead pills, usable if you're not going to push them too fast.

Personally, I'd get a set of .45 ACP dies (my faves are RCBS and Hornady) and load some before buying more equipment.

By the way, Stanley published plans for a workbench several years ago that works fine for reloading. I've built 3. 4x4 legs, 2x4 stretchers, 2x8 foot 1 1/2" thick plywood top.

I'll scan my copy and email to you if you're interested.

Edited January 19, 2011 by enfield

[leroy]

Sky:__________

I would recommend ya stick with the single stage press and tools until ya get the feel for reloading. Progressives (...even the best of em--we have a Dillon....) can be an aggravation that tends to take away the concentration that i think is needed to do the reloading job safely. The best of 'em dont like the caliber change thing. We tend to load pistol rounds on a progressive in large lots; that minimizes the aggravation with doing the adjustments. For small jobs; say 200 rounds or so, we use the single stage.

RE: Reloading supplies. WE buy em everywhere; and buy in bulk. Here is a partial list:

Brass: Starch (...link here: Products ...) We buy "once fired" processed brass from them. Their 223 processed and primed brass is great. Trimmed to the right lenght, resized, and primed. Ready to reload. Their primed and processed 223 brass is the best i've seen anywhere; we've have gaged it with our gages and it is dead on specification and ready for reloading. All we do is chamfer the inside and oustside of the case mouth, add powder, seat the appropriate bullet, and crimp (...if necessary...). I would never buy 223 brass from anyone else; nobody is even close (...even the new stuff requires more work...). We have a pile of it. I suspect their 45 acp and other calibers are just as good. Highly recommended. Dont be afraid of "once fired brass". It works just fine and is a great value.

Powder and Primers: We have used Powder Valley for lots of stuff (...link here: Powder Valley, Inc. ....). We just started doing business with em based on recommendations from Froggy here on the board. They have the best prices on powder and primers i've seen. The trick with this stuff is to buy a lot. That spreads out the cost of the obligatory "HAZMAT" fees and makes them reasonable. That being said; lots of folks worry about having "dangerous materials" in their basements, garages, and outbuildings. If you are worried about that; i would do business with Widners; they are great folks and are doing a great service for the reloading and shooting community (...its great to have someone like them in your back yard; i wish we did --- we are about 2 hours away...). You can pick up locally from Widners; and i think that is a great thing (...check their website for details; they do it only on certain days and you have to place an order beforehand....).

Bullets: We like hard cast or plated bullets for our pistols and hornady bullets for our AR's. The AR bullets come from Powder Valley, Midway (...when on sale...) and Graff and Sons.

We buy lots of plated bullets from Midway (...when on sale...). The best suppliers of hard cast lead bullets (... 44 mag, 44 special, 45 colt, 38 special, 357 mag...) we've found is this guy (....Leadheads Bullets,Gas Checked and Plain Based Bullets ...). He is delightful to deal with and makes a great lead bullet. We also like the Oregon Trail laser cast bullets from Midway (...when on sale....); the Rainier plated bullets from Midway (...when on sale...). You get the picture.

The bottom line on all this stuff is to shop around and keep a pretty good stock on hand. We usually have at least 1000 rounds of stuff for pistol and AR rifle calibers on hand for reloading; that way ya dont run out. Stuff ya dont shoot much (...450 bushmaster or 357 hh come to mind...). We keep about 200 to 500 rounds of components around.

Hope this helps and gives a bit of insight into where to find this stuff.

leroy

[Guest longshot007]

I agree with LeRoy. Stick with the single stage until you understand how everythig works and comes together. Then start saving your pocket change for a Dillon Square Deal B. I have a few Dillons for my pistol Square deal for my most loaded caliber (.45ACP) a 550 for 223 and all of my other pistol calibers. If you plan on reloading rifle rounds stick with the single stage and measure every charge. You will be amazed at the ccuracy you get out of a rifle just doing that.

A word of warning:

Reloading IS a drug. It is a science, and can become an obsession. (I speak from experience). Just remember when it comes to OAL, Primer pocket seating depth, VLD chamfering, and flash hole deburring.... Ignorance is Bliss and Education is Expensive!

[Guest Terry L Rantala]

Hello, I am looking to hand load for my AR-15 for coyote hunting and am looking for advice on the best components to use for such. I own a DPMS AR with a stainless 24" bull barrel and want to create the best and accurate round I can try to create and that won't totally blow the hide apart at the same time. Can any of you who have experience give me some advice? Thankyou. T.R.

[titan14]

Hello, I am looking to hand load for my AR-15 for coyote hunting and am looking for advice on the best components to use for such. I own a DPMS AR with a stainless 24" bull barrel and want to create the best and accurate round I can try to create and that won't totally blow the hide apart at the same time. Can any of you who have experience give me some advice? Thankyou. T.R.

How about starting your own thread and not crapping up this one?

OP...I have had pretty good luck getting primers and powder @ The Gun Rack in Kingsport. Tri-Cities Gun Depot also has a few things in stock for reloading. Check those 2 establishments before buying online. Also, check out the gun shows for reloading supplies.

I use Zero bullets for my 9mm and 45acp. The last 1000 I bought were from czcustom.com...excellent customer service and good pricing.

[Lumber_Jack]

I would buy powder and primers locally, Mahoney's carries reloading supplies as well I've not bought there so Im not familiar with prices. Even if you had to drive to Kingsport, or Elizabethon, you would still be better off than paying the hazmat fees

As far as the Hornady LNL bushings, they are designed to make changing dies in a single stage faster. I see where they could be very handy, but I would just stick with the standard for the first couple hundred rounds before you bought something you might or might not want

Edited January 23, 2011 by Lumber_Jack

[USMCJG]

Actually, right now it's easier to find powder and primers locally(I found Varget and Bullseye locally long before the online retailers had them) than it is to find them online from places like Widener's and Midway, but you'll pay for that convenience. Bullets are fairly easy to find online now and I usually order mine from Midway. Locally, Mahoney's has a pretty decent selection of reloading supplies, but they are pricey. The Gun Rack in Kingsport has a really good selection of components too, but again, pricey compared to mail order. I prefer the Gun Rack to Mahoney's because they are smaller and their sales people are usually more willing to help. Mahoney's probably has more reloading tools but the Gun Rack has a better selection of components, especially bullets and usually powder.

Expect to pay $5 to $10 per pound more for powder and ~$10 per 1,000 more for primers locally than you would online. So if you are ordering a couple thousand primers and a couple pounds of powder you will probably come out ahead online even with HazMat fees. I don't like paying HazMat fees, so I buy most of my powder and primers locally and the rest from Widener's when they have what I want in stock.

And I highly recommend the Lock N Load bushings. I have them on all of my dies, along with Hornady locking rings(by far the best locking rings out there now). Not really necessary starting out, but definitely worth having.

[Curiousgb]

I have been using laser caste 200gn swc's in my 45acp. I buy them off their site it save on shipping. 45acp is a easy to load cartridge. I have been using 4.8 to 5.0gn of WST, and WLP primers with any 200gn swc I could find for many years. I use a Dillon 550 but started with a Rockchucker; which I sill have. As has been said learn on the single stage and then move to a progressive. A sturdy mount will make your reloading much easier. I had a "Bubba" buddy once. He mounted a single stage press to a work bench with about a dozen drywall screws. I just shook my head.