Have been bitten

swrmacmullin

swrmacmullin

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Well, i have officially been bitten by the reloading bug. I picked up my reloading gear yesterday and finally got a few hours today to set it all up and figure it out... All i can say is that after reloading the 50 brass i had, i was itching to load some more!! I had no problems at all (bought a LEE 50th anniversary kit) with the loading, and i will probably be going out tommorrow to test the rounds i made! I can now say i understand why all you guys load, it is as much a hobby as it is an economical thing to do!
 
Most guys say you'll shoot more, but I find that I don't. I just shoot same/better quality ammo for much cheaper. It's a fun hobby, but it can run you broke.

Definitely get some more brass! I find it not worth my time to screw in the sizing die if I have less than 200 clean brass :)
 
We all load because we love reloading! it is more about the hobby than anything, we all have our reasons for reloading such as, cheaper cost of ammo to shoot more, more accurate ammo, hard to find ammo, wildcat cartridges, whatever, but in the end, it's because we love what we do.

Welcome to the world of reloading where too much gear, too much brass, too many books, too many hours spent at the bench, too much trigger time, do NOT exist!

This is a very addicting hobby, pull up a chair, tell us your name, and admit right now you have a problem, haha.

Hello, my name is Bill and I have a reloading addiction....
 
My name is Sam, and i too am in the process of becoming addicted to reloading ;) aha, right now im mainly loading for 303, but am going to eventually load for my .308 as well, any any other guns i happen to get lol.

And yea i get what you mean! the only part that i did not enjoy all that much was the primer pocket cleaning, but honestly, if that is the worst of part of reloading, im sure i'll live.

Lol and while im at it, how do you guys lube your cases for resizing? I found that rubbing each one down, and then using a cotton swab for the inside was a little painful... Just wondering what you guys do.

Definitely going to be looking on here for some more .303 brass, and im going to have to get alot more bullets :D
 
I have read where some reloaders hate reloading, so I assume they reload strictly for saving money, not sure. I absolutly love to reload. I collect milsurps and load for all of them. I have a great time HUNTING for all the componants that I need, looking for the best deals to keep my costs down. I guess I do shoot more because of the cost savings, which is another bonus. Congrats on joining the reloading club ! Now, time to go back to the range !
 
swrmacmullin said:
My name is Sam, and i too am in the process of becoming addicted to reloading ;) aha, right now im mainly loading for 303, but am going to eventually load for my .308 as well, any any other guns i happen to get lol.

And yea i get what you mean! the only part that i did not enjoy all that much was the primer pocket cleaning, but honestly, if that is the worst of part of reloading, im sure i'll live.

Lol and while im at it, how do you guys lube your cases for resizing? I found that rubbing each one down, and then using a cotton swab for the inside was a little painful... Just wondering what you guys do.

Definitely going to be looking on here for some more .303 brass, and im going to have to get alot more bullets :D
Click to expand...

i only do pistol cals, but this looks interesting, http://www.lymanproducts.com/lyman/case-prep/case-neck-dipper.php. just put the case over the brush and take it off.
 
That's how I do it...

swrmacmullin said:
My name is Sam, and i too am in the process of becoming addicted to reloading ;) aha, right now im mainly loading for 303, but am going to eventually load for my .308 as well, any any other guns i happen to get lol.

And yea i get what you mean! the only part that i did not enjoy all that much was the primer pocket cleaning, but honestly, if that is the worst of part of reloading, im sure i'll live.

Lol and while im at it, how do you guys lube your cases for resizing? I found that rubbing each one down, and then using a cotton swab for the inside was a little painful... Just wondering what you guys do.

Definitely going to be looking on here for some more .303 brass, and im going to have to get alot more bullets :D
Click to expand...
 
I too am a reloading addict.
it can't be helped I fear, but I found aspects of reloading caused me to dislike it.
they were: dispensing powder, case prep.
so, I purchased a:
hornady LnL auto powder dispenser
rcbs trim mate - chamfers inside and out, cleans primer pockets. Just need a primer crimp remover and uniformer and I will be laughing!
lyman case trimmer

Now I have to shoot a LOT more to save the money to pay for these three items.
But, I figure my time is worth roughly $20/hour. these can save you time in case prep...
 
Just wait until you try bullet casting. You think reloading is addictive, baby you haven't seen nothing yet. lol

I starting reloading in 1974 when I was in jr. High and started casting in about grade 10 and have never looked back. It is bad when you have to have an excel spreadsheet to tell you if you already have a specific mold. Last count was 130 molds and counting, and that doesn't include the sizer dies and accessories that go with it.

Man I need help. :)
 
I was looking into bullet casting myself, but i kind of got intimidated by people talking about lead mixes etc for good bullets, having too soft of bullets etc.. and the fact that i just dropped a few hundred into loading LOL! I think my next list will have a case tumbler, something to make prep time less, and then shotgun loading gear ;) aha, but from what I have seen, casting not only reduced loading costs further, but seems like a fun thing to do! haha Maybe some guy who happens to have the name Hunter64 could give a guy a few tips ;) or even better, a quick rundown ;) ha-ha.. oh oh or even better yet!! Maybe that guy has some moulds supplies that he doesnt really need, and wants to spread around the casting addiction? ;)
 
The biggest obstacle now in casting is trying to find lead. It used to be so easy to walk into a tire store and 99 times out of a 100 you walked out with buckets full of lead for free. Now that the environazi's have taken over it is extremely hard to find WW lead and when you do find someone that will sell it you will have to pay 10-20 bucks a 5 gallon pail.

Cast boolit website has all the info on how to make your own bullets, it is not that hard and for pistol bullets it is really easy. You can also read in Handloader Magazine how to do it. I picked up the complete Handloader Magazine collection on DVD, all issues and search able a huge wealth of knowledge , a little pricey at $500 bucks but to me well worth it.
 
Wow, I have about 2 tons of WW lead gathered and haven't casted a bullet yet, my brother in law makes fishing tackle, but no longer pours his own lead moulds so he gave me all of his lead he had gathered over the last 30 years.
 
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Welcome to the Dark Side.

WRT lube, I've found the best is Imperial Die Sizing Wax. A few bucks gets you a little shoe-polish tin that will last years. Lightly tap your finger on the wax and then roll the case between you fingers. Easy and quick enough (unless your are doing 500 rounds) and no need to clean afterwards. BTW, cleaning primer pockets is something the ultra-precision guys do; for the rest of us, it makes little difference.

For inside lube of case necks, I have an old 35mm film canister filled with fine lead shot. I gave it a good shot of powdered graphite and shook it. I push the case neck-first into the shot to the shoulder and that's all it takes. Shake it once in a while to get the graphite distributed and God To Go. Simple - wish I'd been the one to think of it.
 
I'm really interested in reloading, but is it worth it for me?

I may get to the range 6-8 times a year.

I shoot a .22 and 9mm. I have watched so many videos of reloading and think the whole process is really interesting and would be a fun way to be involved with shooting, without shooting.

With the amount of rounds i would fire in a year the difference in cost likely isnt worth it, especiLly given start up cost...most likely just do it for the hobby
 
primer pocket cleaning with the little lee cleaner suck... i use a small brass brush on my dremmel, its alot quicker,and does a much better job...

swrmacmullin said:
My name is Sam, and i too am in the process of becoming addicted to reloading ;) aha, right now im mainly loading for 303, but am going to eventually load for my .308 as well, any any other guns i happen to get lol.

And yea i get what you mean! the only part that i did not enjoy all that much was the primer pocket cleaning, but honestly, if that is the worst of part of reloading, im sure i'll live.

Lol and while im at it, how do you guys lube your cases for resizing? I found that rubbing each one down, and then using a cotton swab for the inside was a little painful... Just wondering what you guys do.

Definitely going to be looking on here for some more .303 brass, and im going to have to get alot more bullets :D
Click to expand...
 
IrishRangeRover said:
I'm really interested in reloading, but is it worth it for me?

I may get to the range 6-8 times a year.

I shoot a .22 and 9mm. I have watched so many videos of reloading and think the whole process is really interesting and would be a fun way to be involved with shooting, without shooting.

With the amount of rounds i would fire in a year the difference in cost likely isnt worth it, especiLly given start up cost...most likely just do it for the hobby
Click to expand...

.22 rimfire is not reloadable in any practical sense and 9mm is cheap enough that your savings would be minimal. You can tailor loads to your own firearm, but for a 9mm handgun, that's of small import.

Probably a sport to watch from the sidelines in your case unless you just enjoy the process for its own sake.
 
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