reloading handgun ammo

[Mike02]

I am interested in reloading my ammo for practice rounds. I put a lot of holes in paper and its getting expensive. I have done some research online but I would like some more input from someone who is currently reloading. Currently I would be interested in reloading .357 and .40 cal. handgun rounds. I want to know what brand and type of presses you recommend and accessories that are a must have. Is it really worth the investment? Any mishaps that your willing to share for me to learn from are appreciated. Favorite books or websites with reloading info? Thanks for any and all replies.

 

[kumbaugh]

I have a Dillon press, they have a good selection of reloading equipment. Best advise take your time when reloading and do not get distracted while reloading.

 

[Bighouse Doc]

Dillon is clearly the way to go.

The 550 is the best bargain around. The warranty is for life and they really do fix it if you break it!

On a good day, I can load 2000 rounds of quality handgun ammo. ALmost as much 5.56!

-Doc

 

[araczynski]

best way to find out is to price the components together (primer, powder, lead, shell) and compare it to what you can buy the already made remanufactured ammo for online. The one time i did a rough estimate of the parts vs finished/delivered to me, I didn't see the point of wasting my time. (for .40S&W ammo) From what I recall, it starts making financial sense when you're getting into the .45 ammo for handguns, no sure about rifles.

as long as jackrossammo.com sells their .40 remanufactured for $211 shipped (1k), (once they stock them again) i'd have to be retired/bored out of my skull to bother doing it myself.

 

[Stan45]

Is it worth it? My answer is if you are not reloading you are not shooting enough.

 

[NotTwoShure]

Dillon 550. You may add “Tool-Heads” as you go for other calibers as needed. With a progressive you must not watch T.V., have multiple chat partners in the area, no smoking, no booze and no miscellaneous distractions. Dillon has a wonderful monthly magazine, pays ten dollars of anyone’s NRA membership dues and has shipped parts I broke due to my carelessness next day. The only time consuming chore is the switching of large to small prime feeds. Once you get going three hundred rounds an hour is easily reached. The only drawback and the only mistake I have made is the buying of the 5.56 set up. Rifle cases must be lubed and this is not practical in my view. I use the RCBS single stage and child labor of Grandkids for that chore. In my 35 years, I have had three malfunctions with reloads, all my fault, and all stupid all preventable.

 

[araczynski]

Is it worth it? My answer is if you are not reloading you are not shooting enough.

i just tried pricing some supplies from midwayusa (which i will admit typically sucks at prices), but its a ballpark...

Costs for .40S&W:

Brass $60/1000
Bullets $100/1000
Primers $30/1000 + $27 hazmat fee
Powder $25/8lb (not sure how many rounds this feeds) +$27 hazmat fee + seperate s/h fee

i'm not sure whether the two hazmat fees are combined if into one order, but the way i understood it, the primers/powder are shipped seperate, and are charged a seperate s/h fee.

so I was looking at:

$215 parts
+$27 hazmat fee (i'll assume once)
+$10 s/h fee for the hazmat stuff
+$X s/h fee for the other parts (didn't care at this point)

so i'm looking at $250+ in parts before even adding the s/h fee for the non hazmat parts.

granted, some of that will be reduced a bit if i stock pile large quantities, but even then, its not exactly half price.

a TYPICAL place will sell remanufactured .40s&w ammo for about $260/$270 (luckygunner) +s/h, although you can find sales for much less (jackrossammo $211 shipped)

so in the .40s&w caliber, even being bored as hell wouldn't make any sense for me to go this route. AND stockpile explosive powder, AND stockpile explosive primers, AND buy a $400+ good rig, AND give up the most precious thing of all: time. which i'd rather spend either with the family, doing house projects/chores (well, not really, but they do need to be done), or at the range.

i'm guessing in the .45+ calibers things start to make a bit of difference. and especially so in the rifle calibers.

 

[MTHugger]

I reuse my brass and usually pick up additional at the range. The cost is GREATLY reduced if you don't have to purchase brass. You don't pay the haz mat fees if you purchase locally. Time spent is like time spent on any hobby type activities.

 

[webbch]

I have a Hornady Lock N Load press (progressive). Many suggest starting with a single stage press, but I didn't have any difficulty starting with this progressive one. The initial setup takes some time, but after that, I crank out about 100 rounds/hr. To change calibers, I typically need the new dies (obviously), and frequently an additional shell plate (~$30).

I like the 5 stations on mine, as I use a powder cop die in one of the stations that stops the press in case of a powder under/over charge. I believe the Dillon 550 is a 4 station, you need to get the 650 if you want 5 stations.

You won't save money, although the cost per round goes down by about 50%. You'll just shoot more. Roughly speaking, about half the cost is the brass (which you save by reusing), and the other half is the bullet. Granted there's powder and primers to purchase, but for pistol rounds, it's a fairly small cost.

 

[araczynski]

I reuse my brass and usually pick up additional at the range. The cost is GREATLY reduced if you don't have to purchase brass. You don't pay the haz mat fees if you purchase locally. Time spent is like time spent on any hobby type activities.

you may not pay haz mat fees, but still have to pay higher prices, and taxes. seems the lead i picked (i thought i sorted by cheapest) was the most expensive part. maybe i should look for a china supplier, i think they should be experts in lead anything

always been curious about brass at the range, i've only used indoor ranges, which is always littered with spent shells from all calibers it seems, wonder if i'm allowed to pick up whatever i feel like? i always figure they sweep the stuff up and sell it in bulk to remanufacturers so wouldn't take too kindly to me sifting through their extra profits.

 

[MTHugger]

I by primers, powder and some of my bullets at the local gun shop, he is pretty competitively priced when compared with MidwayUSA. I recently purchased (on-line) 100 - Hornady 45 cal, 230 grain JHP bullets and 100 - 45 cal Starline brass. The bullets and brass cost was within a couple of bucks of each other, but I tend to mention saving the cost of the brass because it is the only reusable part of the reloading components.

The indoor range where I shoot doesn't seem to mind if I pick up brass. I always sweep up the brass in the area where I am shooting then sort and clean it at home. Some guys reload and pick up their brass, others just leave it lay. I usually pick up enough extra brass to cover my range fees.

I have also purchased a lot of Winchester 100 round boxes of 9mm, .40 and .45 ammo. It is a relatively inexpensive and the brass is fine for reloading.

 

[rogn]

Dillon is certainly the premier set up, and the most expensive. Equipt can be found used and single stage loading is an option. Other sources of components such as Grafs, Midsouth Shooters Supply, Powder Valley all offer different prices on equipt and components. Time not withstanding you can produce economical ammo, and if any premium stuff need, the cost is much less.

 

[Etkini]

I started with a single-stage Lee press, the Anniversary edition that came with a press, scale, powder drop and a couple other case prep things. It cost me about $100 for the press, a set of Lee dies was $30, the case length gauge was about $6, and calipers were $10-15. A tumbler is not needed off the bat unless you want pretty ammo, but later on it will help speed things up; I started out washing the cases with water and Dawn dish soap and baking them at 250°F for 20 minutes to dry. I don't necessarily recommend starting on a progressive press unless you have a strong eye for detail as there is a lot going on at once, and again we're talking about explosives here.

I reload because to me, it's just another hobby and I find it fun and relaxing. It's also a self-satisfaction thing, knowing that the rounds you're firing you made. You also save money per round, but I shoot a lot more so it kind of negates it.

For a break down of my costs:
X-Treme 165GR RNFB plated bullet - $100/1000 - $.10/ea
Federal 100 Primers - $35/1000 - $.035/ea
Hodgdon Titegroup - $20/lb (7000 grains of power per pound = 1,500 rounds per pound) - $.013/ea

Lead bullets are going to be the cheapest, followed by plated (my favorite for handguns). You can also go a step farther and cast your own bullets to save money, but again it depends on how much you value your time vs how much you want to spend in your hobbies. Since I reuse brass, I can make .40S&W for about $.14/ea, much cheaper than the $.30+ you'll find buying it from a store. When I need more brass, I'll buy a box of Remington UMC (250ct) for about $70 or buy Grade 2 brass from MidWay USA for $30/500. To recoup my initial investment of $150, I needed to make 1,000rds before I was saving money, but like any hobby you'll find you need more things as you go so the cost goes up a little, but not much. Since I also reload .308 ($1/ea for the FMMG 168grs I shoot, I make them for $.33/ea) and .223 ($.30+/ea vs $.15/ea) I recouped my investment in the first month.

I had a Hornady L-n-L AP press, but sold it due to needing funds, however I will be purchasing another very soon as I miss being able to pump out 300-500 rounds an hour. I felt it was the best press for the money ($380), and the best for my needs. You could also get a turret press, which operates single stage or semi-progressively.

As for the brand, it's another 9mm vs 40S&W vs 45ACP debate. Some back Dillon, some back Hornady, some back RCBS, some back Lyman.. I wouldn't try the Lee Progressive ($150) but a few people have had good luck with them. They all have really great customer service though, I've had good dealings with RCBS on their .308 dies (sent me four packages of decapper pins for free because I broke one) and Hornady (sent me some spare bushings and a shell holder for free.. just because).

With that said, I buy my bullets through Freedom Munitions (free shipping), and if I buy small batches of powder\primers or bullets I buy them locally even though they're a little more expensive. I have bought some large batches of bullets, primers and powders through Powder Valley Inc (MidWay USA's supplier) and they've been great; really great prices to boot, but not worth it unless you're ordering 20lbs of powder and 10k primers due to the $25 hazardous shipping charges.

 

[Brian Kahn]

the dillion 550 is very reliable .... have been using for over 10 years a phone call had my replacment part to me in than 5 days less at no charge