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A reloading milestone....5000 rounds


Hoss

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Started reloading in December of 13. By a rough count, not including shotgun, 45-70 or my pocket pistols, I've loaded some 5000 rounds of 38sp in just under a year. I'm almost to the point that I feel pretty confident in my reloads. I had a couple of squibs in my first batch, used in practice, and 1 double charge (luckily in my Ruger Vaquero) while in a match. Since then everything has gone bang just like it is supposed to. I have been pleasanlty surprised to find out I enjoy reloading, and I really enjoy the money I save. I'm thinking I've saved about $2000 in ammo costs in the last year. My reloading setup cost me about $600, so I'm way ahead, and gaining ground!

 

When I started shooting in July of 12 I was sure I would never want to reload. Found out that ammo is expensive, especially if shootng 2-3 matches a month, or shooting 45-70. Plus, I can shoot what really works for me.

 

If you are not reloading, give it a try. Its not that hard, and its very satisfying. I use a Lee Loadmaster for the majority of my loading, it works very well for me. I truly think your reloading routine is more important than what brand of press you use. If you establish a good routine, you will load quality ammo. If you are sloppy, watch TV, drink alcohol, talk on the phone, etc while loading, you will most likley have problem ammo.

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I'm using a loadmaster as well. passed 10,000 38sp rounds on it last month. Passed 5,000 5.56 rounds on it this month.

 

I use a Lee turret for larger rounds. Lost count went I passed 5,000 on it.

 

Like you said, it's technique over press., but I expect the Dillon worshiping crowd and Lee hating crowd should be along any moment to set us straight. I was shocked when I asked for opinions on reloading gear when I got into it. So much passion over a mechanical device.

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I loaded for several years on a rock chucker. Not a problem, just slow, but allows you to really learn well. Now I use a Dillon 650 and loading takes far less time. When I started I kept track of how many rounds I have loaded, and how many times my brass had been loaded. I've added a bunch of brass since then and really have no clue about either any more. But just estimating by rough number of matches per year I'd imagine I'm over 10k now.

 

Edit as to one brand or press over another, all depends on how much you load and your preferences. Sometimes just the fact that yer pard nearby has whatever press and can help you set yours up is enough reason to buy one over another.

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in addition to the Loadmaster, I have a RCBS Rockchucker, and I recently got a Lee turrent press for loading my pocket pistol rounds with as the cases were too small to feed thru the Loadmaster casefeeder. Plus I wanted a turrent for when I start loading 44-40, as those are reportedly a little more finicky. Plus....I just wanted one!

 

I keep track of loads by making a hash mark on my bench for every carton of primers I open.

 

I started reloading shotgun with a Lee Load-all that Pit Bull Tex gave me. It works fine, but I sometimes had trouble wth the crimp. I recently boaght a used MEC Sizemaster, it works really well.

 

3 months ago I was fighting my Loadmaster for every round. I finnally just pulled it completly apart, gave it a good cleaning, set iot all back up, including re-setting the dies. worked fine again. The primer system is a little quirky, but once you get it figured out iits fine.

 

And Dave, you are correct, if you have a pard who can get you started, probably whatever press he uses is what you will wat to get. Dillon no doubt makes a fine machine, but it does cost nearly 2X as a Loadmaster.

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Hoss, I'm doing the same with shotgun shells. I've been using a load-all for so long, I forget how much of a PITA the crimper was a first. It's also a fiddly type machine. I guess I need to go find me a used MEC like you did.

 

My solution for the crimp has been to use an overshot card. Seems to fix the crimping issues.

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Hoss, I'm doing the same with shotgun shells. I've been using a load-all for so long, I forget how much of a PITA the crimper was a first. It's also a fiddly type machine. I guess I need to go find me a used MEC like you did.

 

My solution for the crimp has been to use an overshot card. Seems to fix the crimping issues.

 

HD,

 

I kept a bottle of elmers glue by the press. any rounds that had a crimp that did not look tight I squirted a litle glue on.

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Getting pretty close to 50,000 rounds on my 550. Ain't saved a dime. I just shoot a heck of a lot more!

my problem is I would have shot the 5000 rounds, just spent more money to do it!

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I too got into reloading as a cost saving measure first, custom rounds second and didn't think I'd like it...but I do enjoy it.
Now if only I can find a way to enjoy gun cleaning...

 

As for dillon vs lee...had a loadmaster and now have a 650. Neither is perfect and the dilllon cost me 3X as much BUT it's a LOT less frustrating to use and does run 50-100% faster in RPH.

With my loadmaster i'd have about 10% of rounds wiht bad primers (cocked, backwards, not there at all) and I'd have to dissasemble them to recover the components. And I'd have to inspect each and every round as 10% failure rate is unacceptable.

On the dillon I no longer inspect rounds..they all just work. 99.9%. Had one high primer out of the last 2500 rounds.
Other than the primer issue the loadmaster worked fine for me. And 1/3 of the dillon upgrade cost is the powered case feeder so that's not really fair comparison, cost wise.

 

Will start to load shotgun over the winter with a MEC600. I learned..ask around and go with good (better? most popular?) gear and don't look back.

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Howdy,

A fella Ive run across several times once invited me to see his loading setup.

He even had gear to make bullets. Not just lead bullets, jacketed ones.....

His loading bench was clean as a whistle. Not one thing setting out.

Over the bench was a piece of paper and a six digit number in pencil.

I asked and he said that was the number of rounds loaded on that bench.

All of his powder containers were 8 pound.

So you have a good start....

Best

CR

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Hoss ...just now hit 2,000 .....Starting to get comfortable with reloading...can't believe I can do it and now really enjoying it...relaxing I think...Jim

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I started reloading in 1986 with a Lee handpress. I owned an 1896 Krag that I wanted to download and a Ruger .32 Mag that I wanted to upload. I used that hand press to load about 300 rounds per month for over years of IPSC and DCM matches.

I still use a couple of single-stage presses and enjoy loading 'old' cartridges like .32-20 and .38-40 as much as I enjoy 'unloading' them.

I now collect 19-th century reloading tools and have led a couple of intro clinics to reloading.

This is a great part of shooting. They say that being green includes the 3 Rs: reduce, recycle and reuse. I would add reload to that list.

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I've lost count but over the last couple of years I've been dumping the spent primers in empty Tequila bottles. Got six of them up on the shelf in the shed makes a great decoration

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You count them???

 

I just shoot'em :D :D :D

+1

 

Been loading since the 60s. I have no idea how many rounds I have loaded. More than a few hundred I would guess.

 

In fairness, I do know folks who count every round fired out of every firearm that they own.

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Reloading is a great hobby Hoss, I like what you say about establishing a routine. I started on a rockchucker as well, we had it laying around for loading rifle rounds, I started loading for pistol. I gotta say, in the beginning it was a disaster. I hooked it to my bench, couldn't find the primer tube for a bit so I was placing one primer at a time, at that point, I was also loading every charge on a scale. I wasn't shooting a whole lot at the time because most of my time was spent at the bench. Upgraded to the dillon 550 and WOW, what used to take me an hour and a half now takes me 10 minutes. I certainly shoot a lot more. I MAY head to a match this weekend, I will probably load the rounds for it Saturday afternoon after the future Mrs. and I get back from house hunting. If I was still loading the old way, gotta say, I wouldn't be writing this post right now. 5,000 rounds is a big milestone, wish I could tell ya how many I've loaded from the beginning about 2 years ago, but I can't, all I know is I say "holy s*#@" when I have to order another 2 or 3,000 bullets in a very short time haha, then again, I load for my brother and I. He also does some loading too after I get the machine calibrated, one night in about 2 1/2 hours he banged out about 800 rounds, I was proud haha.

 

Keep it up, and keep the distractions low my friend. When I load, and this is just me, the music is on a lower volume at the other end of the bench, you walk into my garage where I load, you'll hear music on low and the machine moving. Phone is down by the radio too.

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I haven't hit 2000 yet this year, but that's partly because I loaded ~11,000 last year. :)

 

I still use a Load All for shotshells, but instead of an overshot card, I use a piece of a plastic packing peanut on top.

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Not a clue as to how many I've loaded since 1972, with those first .30-30 & .44Mag rounds... loaded for 14 years on a single stage... good thing the department supplied me with most of my shooting needs!

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Wee doggies! That takes me back to when my Dad and I reloaded and made bullets, in the garage during the winter months up in Oklahoma. That was back in the 60's......Hmmmmm late 1960's and through the 80's.

I remember we never cleaned brass. Just shot it, picked it up off the ground and put it in a cigar box. Reloaded it as it was. 45acp, 9mm, 30 carbine, mostly.....with some other strange military and obscure calibers.

 

Fond memories of my Dad and me.

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Been Re-Loading on my own since 62 before that I loaded under my Dad's supervision .

And have set a passel of 100,000 mile-stones for rounds loaded .

Cast and loaded 2,500 bullets in 3 calibers .38,.44 and .45 for use in shooting Frontier Cartridge Duelist this Year.

 

 

Jabez Cowboy

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