I’m not a reloader and my overall knowledge of reloading is extremely basic. I have a buddy that will be taking me through the basics soon and in the Fall I will starting getting equipment.
With California’s recent gun control measures which include ammunition restrictions as part of their measures reloading is beginning to look even more attractive than normal. Reloading may be a way to circumvent gun control measures involving ammunition restrictions.
The following video provides a basic explanation of equipment involved for reloading. Any readers wishing to share their experience please do.
Rourke
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San Andreas – Action packed!!!
MAX – dog lover? Must see.
Tomorrow When the War Began – a bit cheesy but worth it.
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I reloaded mostly pistol ammo for years while competing in USPSA style matches. There’s a lot involved to safely reload, so anyone should be careful to understand the issues when dealing with powder and primers. I use mostly all Dillon equipment and have been happy with the presses (RL-550Bs) since the early 1990s. When scares come up, I look at getting #1 primers, #2 powder, #3 bullets, #4 brass. My experience is that this is the order that things fly off the shelves. You must have a good Reloading book (or several!!!!) with the tested combinations of powder & bullet weight for each caliber you want to reload. Many times this is asking others what works well, but verifying for yourself and SAFELY moving from lower amount of powder to desired amount. This is explained a number of places and should be a key part of “working up a load” SAFELY. You dont want to be the guy who blows up the gun with an excess powder charge, or the DREADED DOUBLE CHARGE. When you have a recipe, put away some extra powder. There are several powders that have a wide ranging use, so you can reload several calibers from one powder. Reading up on powders can help find just the right ones for your rifle caliber. Rifle reloading is more tricky to reload, while shotgun is pretty easy. Store your primers and powder under the right temperature and humidity conditions and above all be safe and ask questions.
Used brass is readily available most of the time. Use a stainless steel pin tumbler for BEST results, or a corncob/walnut media for good results. Look at other issues like cleaning firing pin pocket/holes especially with rifle. Beware the issues of crimped in primers on military brass. Dillon has a primer crimp remover as do others.
Jonathan
I would love to have one of these. It would be great to re-load and I believe save money overall? As far as off-the grid preparation. We are leaning low tech, because the re-supply is infinite and advance replacement parts are cheap 😉
For example: Silent and effective. This has demonstrated up to 100 yards with a .22 scope
http://www.budk.com/Crossbow-150lbs-Compound-Black-20445
FBI Dir Comey has been answering questions all am on tv Fox station. What I cannot understand is why no one has said the destruction of 30,000 e mails is an OBSTRUCTION ‘of Justice. Arlene
Arlene, think not the fix was in when the hubby accidentally met the AG?
PR
With some brass cased .223 55 gr. FMJ ammo in the $6.00 per 20 round box range you’re not going to save much if anything by reloading. But… as long as you can keep a good supply of primers, powder and bullets you can almost always come up with used brass. Therefore the gubment won’t know how much ammo you’re “hoarding”. That’s why I reload, plus I can use whatever bullets I want and still stay in the $6.00 range.
I’ve been reloading pistol, rifle and shotgun rounds for several years – it is a great skill to learn. Reloading is relatively easy to do, just make sure you have good recipes, pay close attention to what you’re doing and don’t rush things – mistakes can be fatal. I agree with Zenblaster, get several reputable reloading books (such as the Hornady, Lyman, Sierra manuals – most bullet and powder manufactures make decent books). You’ll want to stock up on primers and powders (especially if anti-gun Hillary gets elected), as they are the first to fly off the shelves (as well as reloading dies), as Zenblaster mentioned. It’s best to purchase them locally, otherwise you’ll have to pay for hazmat shipping. There are also many online resources for reloading recipes, just make sure they are reputable. I purchased a cheap Lee single stage handgun/rifle and 12/20 gauge shotgun press setups many years ago and they are still working good. I did invest in a digital scale, digital caliper and sonicator (for used brass), but you don’t need to spend a lot of money to get started. You’ll also need to buy separate die sets to match your firearm calibers (though some dies can be used for more than one caliber, ie. . 38/.357) – I usually go for the 3-die sets, which typically include a sizing with decapper die, bullet seating and either an expanding or crimping dies (as well as a shell holder and dipper). Most expanding dies are hollow and allow you to load powders through them, if you have the necessary equipment. I try to buy carbide dies, as they are sturdier and you don’t have to lube the cases when using them – though I’ve never had any dies break. If you are planning to make a crap-ton of rounds, I would recommend a multistage RCBS setup. I would also get a case sizer for all your calibers (or a multicaliber sizing tool). Be sure to carefully inspect (look for dents, deformations, cracks, thinning walls…) all used brass before reloading them – you should be able to safely reloasd brass and nickel cases ~3 times. A good source for used brass is outdoor shooting ranges, as most people don’t pick up after themselves. Most indoor ranges sell the spent brass, though you can pick up your own – I always save my cases (except steel – which are not reloadable). You can definitely save money by reloading (though some cheap ammo costs less overall), especially with hollow point/specialty ammo, and you can create custom rounds (doing so with the shotgun shell loader is a lot of fun). Reloading also helps you more easily determine which powder/bullet round works best in each of your guns. Besides all that, YOU get to take credit for making your own ammo – there’s nothing like building your own gun and feeding it with your own ammo 🙂