Reloading?

[gpark09]

Just shop for cheaper ammo. I always buy from LAX ammo for 45 Long Colt. Their web price is about $99 for can of 250 rounds. I'm pretty sure their store ammo is pretty much close to it. Their ammo is pretty good. I have not seen any guys, just like you, who shoots 45 Long Colt more than 100 at a time.

[sigstroker]

Then a hand press will be fine for you. My first reloading gear was the basic Lee Loader, which you hammer the cases and bullets in with a hammer. I loaded .44 Magnum with that for awhile, but the hand press didn't exist back then. The hammering is too noisy. I would have certainly bought the hand press if I could have.

A progressive is the last thing you need. You're not loading 500 rounds at a time. All you need is the hand press, a set of dies, an inexpensive electronic scale (but not TOO inexpensive), a powder funnel, maybe a powder trickler (although you could use a spoon instead), and some sort of priming tool. Lee makes a couple different options.

You don't need a caliper or trimmer, because revolver cases don't stretch. You don't have to measure cartridge length because revolver bullets crimp in a crimping groove. Use carbide dies so you don't have to lube cases. Revolver cases don't get super dirty so you can clean them with 409 and a paper towel. I did that for years before getting a tumbler.

If you only ever load revolver ammo, you don't need anything else. If you expand into autoloader auto you might want to get more equipment because you'll tend to shoot more rounds per session, and the ammo has to be loaded to stricter requirements.

I can tell you one thing for sure - you will love your .44 magnum a lot more when you can regularly feed it 240 gr lead bullets that go 900 fps. It's a load that doesn't bruise your hand, but still lets you know you're shooting a .44, and is cheap to load on top of it.

[TheJacko]

Go straight to a Dillon 550 or Redding t7. I have 2 single stage presses doing nothing but depriming and collecting dust. I reload 45 acp , 45 colt , 357 , 223 , 45 - 70. It's nice not depending on someone else for ammo !

[tanks]

You will spend just as much money if not more by reloading. You'll just shoot much more.

Reloading is another hobby. If you don't want more hobbies, reloading may not be for you. I love to reload and enjoy the time I spend in the garage.
...

Depending on the amount you shoot you will save money.

I look at reloading as a necessary evil, both to save money and also to make rounds as factory rounds will not feed my competition guns.

I actually do not enjoy the time I spend in my garage reloading. Hence, why I went full automation. Least amount of time I spend reloading, better it is for me.

Currently I dry fire for 5 minutes while the machine is making rounds (200 rounds in that time), stop, re-verify powder charge, OAL, drop another 200 primers in the collator, and start the machine again for another 200 rounds. Every thousand rounds I also refill case collator and the bullet feeder. I case gauge every round later on while watching Netflix.

[SamsDX]

THIS LAST STATEMENT ALONE SUGGESTS IT IS NOT FOR YOU. RELOADING IS SOMETHING A BEGINNER SHOULD BE WILLING TO INVEST QUALITY, UNINTERRUPTED TIME INTO TO ENSURE QUALITY, SAFE AMMUNITION.

The mechanics of reloading aren't all that difficult. All the advice you saw above regarding watching YouTube videos, reading books, talking to those more knowledgeable, etc., is spot-on, but ultimately, you have to provide the motivation and desire to learn. It's only as hard as you want to make it. If you see it as a chore, it will certainly be a chore because of the repetitiveness of it.

No harm watching some videos, reading a few books, and seeing if it's something you want to try. Nobody's asking you to commit to becoming an expert reloader even before you click on a single YouTube video. Get into it at your own pace, and if you find yourself being overwhelmed, disinterested, or bored, the hobby will still be here when you want to come back to it.

[BigBamBoo]

If you are NOT looking for bench rest quality ammo...skip single stage and go progressive.

As many above have already said, it is pretty easy to learn how to reload. Attention to detail is the important part.

I load on my single stage for low volume, precision rifle ammo.

For blaster and pistol match ammo....my Dillon 1050.

As for not having room..l hear this often. I live in a very small, 2bdrm condo. I have my single stage mounted on one of those small stands pictured above and store it covered in the garage.

My 1050 is tucked into a corner of the spare bedroom on a small, stable, work table.

I also hear how folks like reloading....I do not. I do it because I shoot some oddball calibers and no factory ammo is available.
So the 1050 really helps keep the tome I have to spend making ammo to a minimum. I can crank out 400 rounds of .38SC in about 15 min as long as I have filled primer tubes and the bullet and case feeders loaded up.

Good luck to you. With the CA ammo laws, I would DEFINITELY get into reloading.

.

[phdo]

[tawadc95]

GPark,

I had a round that went very extra bang my first year of reloading 30 years ago...I was watching Magnum PI.

The rifle was nothing more than garbage.

I'm glad I didn't stop reloading as it is very enjoyable and haven't had an incident since.

[phdo]

GPark,



I had a round that went very extra bang my first year of reloading 30 years ago...I was watching Magnum PI.



The rifle was nothing more than garbage.



I'm glad I didn't stop reloading as it is very enjoyable and haven't had an incident since.

[DDM4556]

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