want to learn how to reload/handload

Midget

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Jun 1, 2002
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hey, i have an itching to start reloading my .45acp shells. where do i start?

i'd like to know what i'm getting into before throwing down the funds for all the equipment.

how much, total, does all the initial reloading equipment generally cost?

will it be safe to run this operation out of my one-bedroom apartment?

this is what i've read so far:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reloading
 
For years I made and reloaded 22-250 Remington for a gun that I made for target and varmit shooting. Then I discovered that clay pigeons were alot more fun and always around so I now reload 12 ga on a progressive reloader. Each time I pull the crank out pops a fully loaded shell.

It is not hard if you are patient and careful. I never have more than one kind of powder (who needs the confusion) and only reload with one kind of shotgun hull, wad, and primer. My reloader is very accurate with the powder I use but I still will scale out loads from time to time just to be safe. Smokeless powder does not explode, it just burns. However under compression in a loaded shell it burns very rapidly.

Using the same type of supplies makes life easier and cheaper since I get them in llarger quantity. I'm not sure I save much if any money. But I enjoy the process and get some satisfaction of knowing I have a well made shell.

Here is a place that is the reloader's heaven. Then have gobs of stuff. You might go by the local gun shop and see if there is a gun club in your area. If there is you go to one of their meetings. It's a good place to meet folks with similar interests. There are many reloaders around and it is really nice to see how someone else does it and get the little secrets.

http://www.midwayusa.com/

Dillion has their Blue Press which is very popular.
http://dillonprecision.com/default.cfm?cookieClean=1


Have fun!
 
I reloaded for many years, in a wide variety of calibers. Did my own bullet casting and so forth.

Step one, buy a book. Seriously. Get a copy of the Lyman or other good quality reloader's manual, which will not only give you specific directions, but also working instructions for charges, bullet weights, and so forth.

You will need, at minimum:

A press. (the machine that holds the reloading dies)
There are single-station (cheapest, and you change dies for each operation)
Rotary- all the dies are mounted on a rotating plate atop the machine.

There are very expensive automatic machines as well....Not for beginners.

I reccomend the single-stage press, that's all I ever had. RCBS and others make fine ones.

A set of reloading dies for the caliber you are working with. Spring for the ones with a tungsten-carbide sizing die; you don't want to be fooling with stamp pads full of sticky lube.

A powder scale. Mine was an actual balance scale, I believe they are all electronic now. Much more accurate.

A powder measure. Device to throw the charges into your primed cases.

Other goodies to consider include a primer-pocket cleaner, a deburring tool for case mouths, loading blocks (plastic trays to hold cases and finished rounds), and so forth.
I imagine someone is putting up a beginner's "kit" or set; that may be the best way to go.

Storing modern smokeless powder is no problem. Powder is not considered to be an explosive, it's a propellant. Keep it in the factory container, and keep it in as cool and dry a place as you've got.
Primers are remarkably stable; they just need to be protected from moisture.

Hehe-if you're living in an apartment, you might want to read the lease agreement carefully. Many people are ill-informed about such things, and might panic if they learned you were "making bullets" in your apartment.
 
I'll be keeping an eye on this thread... I have a ton of once used .45acp that I hope to one day reload. All I need is a Man-Cave to set up for this.
 
The standard line with reloading is that you won't save any money, you'll just get to shoot a lot more for the money you spend. Reloading is basically a tradeoff between time and money. You can buy a single stage press for very little money, but then you have to perform each step of the reloading process individually. First you resize all your cases, then you prime them all, then you measure powder into each case, then you press a bullet into each case, and finally you crimp each case. This is a good way to learn about the process of reloading, but it's relatively slow. For each step, you have to reconfigure the press. Reloading 100 rounds could take hours.

The other type of press is a progressive press. Check out dillonprecision.com for the best ones. This is a bigger (and more expensive) machine that holds all of your dies and performs all of the reloading steps simultaneously. You just insert cases into the press and pull the handle, and it sizes, primes, measures, loads, and crimps them in a round robin fashion. With this type of press, you can crank out 1000 rounds in a couple of hours.

Some people enjoy the methodical activity of reloading and use a single stage press. You can get started with everything you need, including a single stage press, for as little as $100. I personally just want to get the reloading done as quickly as possible, so I use a progressive. For a progressive press, expect to pay $500-600 for everything you need to get started. There are basic kits to get you going, but there are also lots of little accessories you will need.

You also have to consider where you are going to do this. You can reload in a small apartment, but I suggest you set things up so that you can move the press if need be. I have a Dillon progressive press that I bolted to a piece of heavy plank about 1x3 feet, which I then clamp to a heavy desk. It's a solid setup, but I can take the whole thing down and store it on a closet shelf.

You also have to consider dirt and lead. The process of loading isn't bad, but cleaning cases in a tumbler is a real dirty business that you should best do outside the house. My apartment has a utility shed where I keep the tumbler. Also, if you have kids around, you should be concerned about the lead released into the air during the depriming process. I'd better capitalize that. DO NOT RELOAD IN A ROOM WHERE KIDS HANG OUT.

Before you begin, follow the advice of the others here and get yourself a good reloading manual (such as Lyman) and read up about the process. Safety is paramount. Reloading is not something to do casually. Don't expect to turn on the TV, put your feet up, and casually reload a few hundred rounds while relaxing at night. You have to concentrate on the process and be vigilant at all times, or you could end up with a double charge of powder that blows up your gun, or a squib load that leaves a bullet lodged in the barrel.
 
Get some books , the one that is often recommended is "The ABCs of Reloading " [IIRC] .Don't do it when there are distractions .As long as you are carefull and follow the proper procedures it is safe .
 
Loading blocks are a must, make the whole thing quicker and easier. Also use a separate priming tool, normally quite cheap, miles easier than trying to prime using your press!!!
With the laoding blocks you can do a quick visual check of every round to check the powder level isn't abnormally high or low.......
 
Oh and by the way, the best and safest way to learn is to have someone experienced showing you how AND read the books! If you use different powders don't fall into the trap of basing your loads on relative burning rates it's a surefire way of ending up struggling to count to TEN!!!
 
For an inexpensive way to start, buy a Lee anniversary kit-80$, RCBS scale $80, Carbide dies, $15, 1lb of Bullseye powder,$23, 500 primers $12, and 500
45 cal 230g roundnose cast lead bullets. That will let you load 10 boxes, and have a lot of powder left over along with the tools to continue. And get a good manual too. Your first box of ammo will cost $300, but after that like $5 a box. I used to load 50rds of .45 in 45 min, 100 rds in 1 hr on a single stage setup like the one described. For an auto I also like to have a dial caliper to check OAL.
 
It starts slowly......"okay, I have my press, dies, cases, bullets, primers, powder, and a scale"...then if progresses "hmmm...I better try a few more powder/primer/case/bullet combinations to see which is better".....then the disease spreads...."If I get that new piece of equipment, I can be faster and more effecient so I can spend less time reloading and more time shooting"...then it impinges on your wife..."I need more space for my new whoosiwhatsit honey...you didn't really NEED your sewing room did you?"....then it makes you anal retentive..."If I weigh each case/bullet and segregate by uniformity of mass, my loads will be more accurate...right?"...then the disease mutates..."I do all this reloading, now what can I do to my weapon to make it better also"...you start to purchase gunsmithing tools, gun vises, and miscelaneous other items which cause a whole new outbreak...pretty soon you have a few thousand worth of stuff taking up at least one room of your home or one side of your garage (or in my case, the addition to the garage to accomodate my tinkering.) jump in...you will love every minute the infection is similiar in scope and effect to knife addiction syndrome which has infected nearly everyone on this forum to some extent.
 
+1 on the Lyman manual. I use it and it's got all the info I need. Just make sure you take a moment and read all the important stuff listed (the do's and dont's, what to have, ect listed at the beginning of the manual). I recommend a single stage for beginners, it's not super fast, but it's ecconomic. That way, if you find out you don't like reloading you're only out a couple of bucks. Everything you need (except power, bullets, primers, and book) you can get here: http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=149097

After several months and you are feeling up to it, you may opt for a progressive press. For that I CANNOT RECOMMEND ENOUGH you go for Dillon. http://dillonprecision.com/default.cfm? They have really awsome customer service and a "no BS" guarentee if that ANYTHING happens to your press, call Dillon up and they will send you the replacement free. An example was a friend of mine lost his low powder sensor (reg. 39.95) during a his move. He called Dillon up to order another one, but instead the company sent him one for free. If your press becomes "worn out", you can also send the press back to the manufacturer and they will refurbish it and send it back to you for free also. A great company.

And I also agree, you don't save money reloading, you just shoot a whole lot more. I put about 300 rounds down range every friday and don't think nuthin of it.
 
zpaulg said:
If you use different powders don't fall into the trap of basing your loads on relative burning rates


Yeah a good example of that would be Bullseye and Clays. I make average 735 fps using 4.6 gr of Bullseye and about 770 fps using 4.2 gr of Clays, and bullseye is a FASTER burning powder than clays. go figure
 
Midget said:
hey, i have an itching to start reloading my .45acp shells. where do i start?

Start with a manual, reloading friend, and/or reloading video. Books are just a lot of words to me sometimes and having a demo or video is a huge help.

i'd like to know what i'm getting into before throwing down the funds for all the equipment.

how much, total, does all the initial reloading equipment generally cost?

You can have a decent single stage kit for about 100 bucks if you buy lee stuff. A comprehensive lyman or rcbs kit is about twice that and what you will buy eventually. Once you are totally hooked price a dillon progressive.

will it be safe to run this operation out of my one-bedroom apartment?

you bet. I saw a picture of a set up one guy made that fit in his closet. If you are handy you can have a simple kit that will all fit in a box when you aren't using it.

Its a great hobby for me. I have said many times, in retrospect, I would have purchased a sinlge stage set up with my first centerfire gun. I shot factory ammo for years till the light came on.
 
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