And here I thought 38 Special would be cheap!

[MasterYong]

It seems like the shipping costs make internet ordering prohibitively expensive and negate any savings though.

Unless of course you're ordering from Cabela's when they do the free shipping deals.

I haven't found that to be accurate. Even after shipping, I typically save 15% at least.

I'm not ordering one or two boxes though- I typically order at least 200-500 rounds. A lot of places offer free shipping too on orders over a certain amount which is a great deal considering how heavy ammo is.

If you go to gun-deals.com they calculate shipping for you. Then just click on the header for the cost per round column and you can make your decision based on cost per round with shipping included. Very cool.

I usually only surf gun-deals.com though every so often. Most ammo I order from the same few places. You can actually get really good deals from cabela's too if you watch for sales.

[JayDeeSacramento]

I love reloading .38 special. It makes it really affordable and it is very easy to do.

I load up light target loads and shoot them out of my very small Colt Police Positive Special.

I shoot hotter loads out of my Dan Wesson .357.

[5hundo]

What equipment does one need to reload? I just bought my first firearm (Ruger GP100 .357) and it sounds like reloaded 38 ammo is the way to go for practice, but I am not sure how to get started.

Also, where are decent ammo deals usually found? Online? Walmart? etc. I live in the Bay Area, in case there are any local dealers with good prices.

You need a press, for starters. If .38 or .357 is all you plan on doing, this one (or one like it) will do fine. This is what I've been loading with, as I don't have a bench, or copious ammounts of garage space where I currently live:http://cgi.ebay.com/LEE-HAND-RELOADI...d=p3286.c0.m14

If you have a garage, with a bench and some more room than I have, a RCBS rock chucker is the way to go. With this press, you can load just about any normal calibler (except something like .50 BMG): http://cgi.ebay.com/RCBS-Rock-Chucke...d=p3286.c0.m14

You will also need a set of dies for .38/.357 Magnum. The good news is that they are the same dies for both calibers. I really recommend that you invest the extra few dollars and get the RCBS Carbide set. They are much better, as you do not have to lubricate the cases every time: http://cgi.ebay.com/RCBS-3-DIE-CARBI...d=p3286.c0.m14

You will need a primer tool, or a priming die for your press. The Lee hand-tool is highly recommended. I have an RCBS hand-priming tool... (get the Lee ): http://cgi.ebay.com/LEE-AUTO-PRIME-H...d=p3286.c0.m14

You will need a manual and for you, something like this is perfect: http://cgi.ebay.com/38-Special-Reloa...d=p3286.c0.m14

For a good overall reloading manual, Lyman does some good ones. The 48th edition seems to be preferred over the 49th, in my experience

You will need a box of "Small Pistol" Primers.

You will need a .38/.357 shell holder (RCBS/Hornady #6, Lyman/Lee #1, Redding #12)

You will need a powder funnel. They're very cheap but VERY necessary. Of all the items listed, this is the most forgotten and one of the most necessary. Don't overlook the funnel!!!

A reloading tray helps but you don't have to buy one, necessarily. You can easily make one out of a piece of scrap 2x6 lumber and make holes with a drill-press or a marked drill bit on a hand drill. You can also use an empty plastic tray from a .box of 45 ACP for .38 Special, if you don't want to pay Midway the $10. Lots of guys I know have wood blocks for reloading trays...

You will need projectiles and I recommend copper plated bullets from Midway. They're cheap, come in bulk and shoot well: http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct...ber=1050209027

You will need a pound of powder and a powder scale. Midway is always having specials on scales, so check their website regularly. As for powder, I suggest Winchester 231. It is commonly denoted in reloaders manuals as W231. It will be good for you because it's a very economical powder to throw. That being said, look through your manual and see what's most accurate for the bullets you intend to load. It might be worth it to use that powder instead. I reccomend W231 because charges for certain sized bullets are typically lighter when using W231, which means that a pound of powder goes a long way. As a beginner, it's perfectly acceptable to hand-measure each charge. It takes forever but it's nearly impossible to screw up that way.

Lastly (and in your case, I'll consider this "optional" but...) you should get a tumbler and some media. You can get one from Harbor Freight tools but honestly, I did that and I came out of the deal wishing that I would have just bought a Lyman Turbo or Frankford Arsenal tumbler from Midway. In your case, this isn't completely necessary because you're probably shooting these .38/.357 cartridges through a revolver. It's not as crucial to have super-clean cases in a revolver. For guys loading for an auto-loader, it's almost a necessity but for you, not so much...

It seems like a lot, but honestly, it shouldn't be more than about a $250-$350 initial investment. You'll have payed that back in no time at all, once you get going. Plus, it gives you the ability to make your ammo exactly how you like it. I've had some off the shelf ammo that I thought was pretty good but nothing like the results I get from my hand-loads. If you have any other questions, PM me and I'll be happy to help.

[Turbinator]

If you have time to watch TV, you have time to reload.

But some would caution, not at the same time

Turby

[AJD]

Fwiw, regarding the Lee Hand press, if you buy the Hand Press Kit, it comes with the ram prime unit with both small and large seaters. I think it sells for around $35 or so. Also regarding reloading for .38special/.357mag, you may need to buy some case trimming equipment to trim the cases once. In general straight wall pistol cases don't need trimming, however with .38/.357, many bullets have a cannelure for a roll crimp. To ensure the same consistent crimp on each case it is a good idea to trim. Lee sells a really cheap and simple case trimming setup for that. Lots of good adivice above on reloading for the cartridge though, but the 1st step is to get a good manual and read it over and over.

[five.five-six]

You need a press, for starters. If .38 or .357 is all you plan on doing, this one (or one like it) will do fine. ~bla bla bla all this stuff you need~~~~~exactly how you like it. I've had some off the shelf ammo that I thought was pretty good but nothing like the results I get from my hand-loads. If you have any other questions, PM me and I'll be happy to help.

you need a book first... I got all^that stuff, and now everyone says i need a book :lol:


seriously, looks like the reloading manual is the #1 tool you need

[BobMD]

If you have any other questions, PM me and I'll be happy to help.

You are incredibly helpful. Thank you.

[sigfan91]

38/357 is probably the most economical round to reload. They are easy to deal with and the savings per round is high. Put a little extra charge for 38 +P, or take a bit off and have mild loads for those little revolvers. No cycling issues if under-charged. I used to load my 38 brass to beyond +P pressure for use in my 357 (which was actually how 357 came into being).

I would use plated bullets though. I hate scrubbing lead out of a barrel.

[doc540]

Yes, inexpensive .38 range ammo exists, but I sure ain't tellin' you my source.