Reloading advise - newbie

tlsdad

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HI Guys:

While Ive been around guns and shooting my entire life, I am relatively new to this forum and entirely new to the prospect of reloading. However, being 'of a certain age' and now having more time on my hands, reloading sounds like it might be fun while providing other benefits to an avid shooter. HOWEVER, while browsing this forum...i get the sense that component supply can be a real problem?? Im wondering if Im mis-reading the current situation because Im new and unfamiliar or...if it may not make sense any longer to spend the start-up cost ...only to find it difficult to find required supplies?? All opinions are more informed than mine...and welcome. Thanks.
 
It really isnt an issue unless you buy one box at a time.

During the titegroup shortage of 2014 i had 4lbs. Each bottle loaded 2300 rounds. Just finished my last bottle around new years.
Bullets come and go, when they are around i buy two boxes if i need them instead of one.

Everything comes and goes and stock is usually out of stock in atleast one store. But there are always other stores to buy from.

I load for 9mm/223/8mm and the only complaint for components i have is 8mm bullet supply. Albeit the Allies won WW2 and thus the 3006 became king of the time, so locating bullet supply for an endangered german cartridge is common.
 
Depending what you plan on reloading.

projectiles, primers, and brass are readily fouund. Powder is a bit more difficult, but not enough to stop you
 
Appreciate the help Sirs. So....Im thinking THE BEST way to start is with a manual?? If so, is there ONE which all agree the the 'GO TO' for beginners??
 
I'd recommend the Hornady 9th Edition Handbook of Cartridge Reloading book. I also use the Hodgdon online reloading site and print out all the info on the calibers I shoot and store them in a binder.
 
A manual is a Must any name brand manual will do.

Just remember, dont trust everything on the internet(especially load data)
Ask questions before you blow up your gun (lol)
Double check every measurement and double check the double check.

My first large mistake was loading 500rounds of 9mm to 4.9gr titegroup I caught this before use thankfully.
Instead if pulling each bullet i did a proper workup while checking for signs of pressure and turned out to shoot all 500 safely with no dangerous signs.

You'll never stop learning about this side of the hobby.
 
The first question that I would ask you is what are you planning on reloading for? Handguns tend to use more ammunition than rifles, and reloading several hundred 9mm on a single stage press can get boring in a hurry. On the other hand, if you are primarily reloading rifle ammunition, then a good quality single stage press is ideal.

Having said that, if you are even considering getting into reloading, the best advice I could offer would be to buy a reloading manual (or two) and to read them. Do not just read the "Load Data", but read the whole book including the really dry parts on safety and proper techniques. I would recommend Lyman's 49th ed and/or the current edition of the Hornady manual. There is no reason to buy anything else until you have done this.

Availability of materials can, at times, be somewhat problematic. This applies to the equipment which you will need, but to a greater extent to the "consumables" with powder often being particularly difficult if you are looking for something specific. The availability of powder is getting better, but if you need some "right now", then it never hurts to have a Plan B in mind. Like the song says, "You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you'll get what you need."

Start-up costs are fairly significant and there are a few trains of thought. Some will say get something cheap just to get reloading and to mitigate the cost by the savings you will get in the lower cost of reloading your own ammo. Others will say "Buy once. Cry once." and recommend getting great equipment to start with. I would tend to say the truth is likely somewhere in the middle. There are several kits out there that will offer a new reloader the 80% solution. They offer reasonably good components at a reasonably affordable cost. Keep in mind, though that if you go this route, as your skills improve, and needs become more clearly defined, the components included with your kit will likely be outgrown and you will want to upgrade. Only you will know when (or if) you reach that threshold.

If you plan on reloading only rifle ammunition, I would look at a single stage press such as an RCBS Rockchucker or comparable press (kit). This will give you the lowest cost option and the potential for the most accurate ammo.

If you plan on reloading pistol ammunition, I would seriously consider a turret press (kit) such as the Redding T7 or the Lyman T-Mag. This will give you the ability to use it as a single stage press if you do reload rifle ammunition, but will also allow you to reload higher volumes of handgun ammo in a reasonable amount of time.

No matter what you eventually get, know that no kit is complete it is just a really good starting point. You will almost certainly need to pick up odds and ends that didn't come with it.

Read everything I wrote with a grain of salt. It is nothing more than an opinion. Hopefully it is an informed opinion, but other people will have other opinions. Weigh all of the advice, and do what is right for you.
 
Buy a copy of the ABC's of Reloading. The step by step pictures make everything easier to understand. There's no data in it, but step by step pictures make a difference.
Clint
 
Like a room full of addicts, reloaders love to have another reloading junkie around.

Components are available, and some are more affordable than others. Because the price doesn't seem to go down the common recommendation is to buy in bulk twice as much as you think you'll need whenever you find it.
 
It is fun to reload but it could be like a rabbit hole once you start it never seems to end with the next gadget, resist as much as you can and check around for a consensus before buying the extras and improvements but it can turn into a compulsion just like having to have that next gun enjoy :)
 
Buy a copy of the ABC's of Reloading. The step by step pictures make everything easier to understand. There's no data in it, but step by step pictures make a difference.
Clint

2nd this. Also the first 75? pages of the Lee data manual are all about reloading procedures. All of the powder manufacturers put their data online, the bullet manufacturers don't and want money for it.
And yeah, start low and slow to gain confidence before getting all gung ho. Makes going off the deep a lot less scary. :runaway:
 
2nd this. Also the first 75? pages of the Lee data manual are all about reloading procedures. All of the powder manufacturers put their data online, the bullet manufacturers don't and want money for it.
And yeah, start low and slow to gain confidence before getting all gung ho. Makes going off the deep a lot less scary. :runaway:

3rd this.

It's a foundation stone document and answers all of the main questions when you are starting out. I still refer back to this 8 years on, to double check I have it right.

Candocad.
 
I'd recommend the Hornady 9th Edition Handbook of Cartridge Reloading book. I also use the Hodgdon online reloading site and print out all the info on the calibers I shoot and store them in a binder.

Hodgdon also has an extensive online database on the actual process of reloading, as well as how to look for the dangers of too high pressure... Modern Reloading is a very good book as well....
 
With respect to components always buy in bulk, as the price will always go up (inflation) and pending when you buy the US dollar conversion can be a problem along with US supply. With players like Canadian tire starting to stock powders, we may see some price competition and decent supply. Even with the exchange rate where it is I would still stock up as supply is still a problem.

Also you might want to standardize a powder across calibers. For example, I can use 700-x to load shotgun, my 45 acp, and cast bullet plinker loads for rifle. I intend to use the 700 for my 9mm as well. I also selected this powder because i could use fewer grains per round when compared to other powders to achieve the same velocities. This way, I stretch out the number of rounds per pound
 
It really isnt an issue unless you buy one box at a time.

During the titegroup shortage of 2014 i had 4lbs. Each bottle loaded 2300 rounds. Just finished my last bottle around new years.
Bullets come and go, when they are around i buy two boxes if i need them instead of one.

Everything comes and goes and stock is usually out of stock in atleast one store. But there are always other stores to buy from.

I load for 9mm/223/8mm and the only complaint for components i have is 8mm bullet supply. Albeit the Allies won WW2 and thus the 3006 became king of the time, so locating bullet supply for an endangered german cartridge is common.

Try Matrix Ballistics for the 8mm supply....
 
With respect to components always buy in bulk, as the price will always go up (inflation) and pending when you buy the US dollar conversion can be a problem along with US supply. With players like Canadian tire starting to stock powders, we may see some price competition and decent supply. Even with the exchange rate where it is I would still stock up as supply is still a problem.

Also you might want to standardize a powder across calibers. For example, I can use 700-x to load shotgun, my 45 acp, and cast bullet plinker loads for rifle. I intend to use the 700 for my 9mm as well. I also selected this powder because i could use fewer grains per round when compared to other powders to achieve the same velocities. This way, I stretch out the number of rounds per pound

I'm not a fan of that as I have found that accuracy suffers... I tend to go with the slowest powder that produces the fastest velocity in that cartridge. I want that case as full as I can get it. I like compressed loads, truth be told...

With only partial case loads, powder moves around in the case. I have shown people that this affects the point of impact... Try this out, do a half full cartridge load. Fire 3 shaking the gun barrel in the air before each shot... Then fire 3 shaking the gun with the barrel straight down before firing. You will develop 2 separate groups... An almost full case load will almost eliminate that problem, and a compressed load completely eliminates the problem...

This has to do with the amount of powder and the speed the powder is lit by the primer being struck...
 
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