Primer/Powder help + supplier recommendations?

AJCrowley

AJCrowley

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I'm expecting the arrival of my reloading press and all the other associated bits and pieces within the next week or so.

The only things left to acquire before I can start rolling my own is a healthy supply of powder, primers, brass, and bullets.

First of all, does anyone have any recommendations for places to order these supplies from?

Secondly, pretty much any site I've managed to find that sells primers and powder has a list of the different types, but doesn't go into any detail about what they're suitable for. I know different powders are used for different types of loads. I've had little luck emailing them to ask for help, and would rather avoid buying an unsuitable powder. I'm looking to reload 308win and 45ACP.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!
 
AJCrowley said:
I'm expecting the arrival of my reloading press and all the other associated bits and pieces within the next week or so. The only things left to acquire before I can start rolling my own is a healthy supply of powder, primers, brass, and bullets. First of all, does anyone have any recommendations for places to order these supplies from?
Click to expand...

Higginsons for powder and primers.
 
It depends a bit on where you live. When starting out loading a new caliber, most people buy 1lb of powder at a time to try to see what their gun likes. Once you have nailed down a load (or loads) that your gun likes, then stock up on that specific powder.

Shipping is expensive for small quantities of powder, because the dangerous goods charges are the same for a small order as for a large order. I would suggest buying 1lb quantities locally if at all possible, then talking to Higginsons or other mail order sellers for larger amounts when you know what you want.

Mark
 
You could check a few of the powder companies web sites and see what kind of powders they have listed for the cartridges of your choice. Go have a look at Hodgdons and you'll most likely see 7-10 different powders/bullet weights for either 308 or 45.:)
 
First thing you need to do, before anything else, is to read your reloading manual. If one is not coming with the rest of the stuff, go down to your local reloading emporium and buy one. All the ammo makers print them and they're all pretty good.

The second thing you need to do is to read the manual. They all have explanations of the reloading process in them and generally offer some solid hints and info. They'll explain differences in propellant and primer types, bullet design, etc.

Once you have done those two things, then start thinking about powder and primers and such.

Sadly, it's become a seller's market WRT components of late. A particular type that you want to get may not be available at any price, so be prepared to use alternate components - using manual-recommended data.

Welcome to reloading - it's a lot of fun. Just keep your thumb away from the case when the ram is going up...
 
AJ,

I don't know what suppliers you have out East but Higginsons are a great company to deal with. Higginsons will ship. You might want to display your location (with your avatar) and try and get some buddies together and buy, I believe 21 lbs for free shipping.

First thing I would do is decide which powders you want to try. Good powders for 308 from my experience are varget, H4895 and for ease of metering BLC2 (ball powder). I can't help with the 45.

Alternatively I could ship you powder in exchange for pasties. :D

EDIT: For bullets I would look at some of the dealers here. Mystic precision and reloaders.ca are good guys I have dealt with. The thing to do again is to decide what you want and look around for the best deals.
When you start out you may feel you don't want to buy too much of some thing untill you get a handle on what you and your guns like shooting. But very quickly you can end up wishing you had purchased 10 times the amount of your last order. LOL!

I'm rambling a bit.
 
I've noticed the question of location coming up quite a bit, so now it's set.

Thanks everyone for all your great advice and information.

I've got the Lee reloading manual coming with my press and equipment, and in a separate order, I've got the Lyman's manual, as I've heard that's a great one to have.

There's a store in province that I usually go to for my non mail-order business, and there's a guy there who's been providing me with reloads for my 308 so far, so probably my best bet is to call them and see if they have any supplies, and get some tips from him too, as I've been really happy with the reloads he provided me (he used to be some kind of ballistics expert I believe, so he really knows his stuff).

On the one hand, I've got all this stuff coming, and I can't wait to put it to work immediately, but on the other, patience is certainly a virtue, and it sounds like it will pay to read my manuals first. I've got enough rounds of 308 to keep me going for a while, and 45ACP is dirt cheap, so much so that from the research I've done, reloading may actually be a more expensive option.

Anyway, got lots to go on here, so thanks again for all of your help!
 
FWIW, I've used IMR 4895 in my .308, and currently use Varget. What are you reloading for- hunting, plinking, or target shooting?
 
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