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Reloading for Cowboy Action Shooting.


SingleSix

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As a new reloader, I am finding it impossible to find Trail Boss powder locally. What is common is Hodgdon in many different formulas. Is any one good for cowboy action shooting?

Get some Unique, and all will be good- ;):D

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Roy B-I have no issue with load'n down to 2 gn of Unique on my D/550. Been run'n a D/550 since 1987.

Yes-I do load one caliber at 2gn. :D My press is hard wire grounded to a dedicated ground rod to remove static. This leads to much greater uniformity in the PM.

Unique flows/stacks with more consistently than some of the newer 'wonder' powders that look like cheerios. ^_^

OLG

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The Lee Turret is one of the best bargain on the market to start with... and keep going.

+1 A great press to learn on. also can be bought without tons of cash, besides youll be needing that extra money for more cowboy guns.
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+1 A great press to learn on. also can be bought without tons of cash, besides youll be needing that extra money for more cowboy guns.

you got that right.... on both comments.

 

I use a Lee turret for hunting and low count long range rounds. for high count pistol calibers I use a Dillon 650.

 

I'm a pretty technically savvy guy. I like mechanics and Cad design. I've built a number of pistols from 0% and do a whole host of my own gunsmithing to great success on both cowboy guns and range guns. I'm not a licensed smith (yet - hint), but I can tell you that after 6 months of nothing but trouble from a Lee Loadmaster, I resigned myself to the fact that I could not make it run worth a crap. I was doing good to get 10-20 rounds before I started having problems. After having to stop and pack up on stage two of a match due to so many squibs (yes, it was my fault. my concentration was being spent on making the press run and not on watching my powder drop) loaded on that confounded contraption, I replaced it. That was about 15,000 rounds ago. I've had ONE squib since.

 

Some folks might be able to make 'em run and run well and thats great, but I cannot recommend that press to a new reloader. my loadmaster is now relegated to depriming before tumbling brass. thats it.

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Thanks again everyone. I've seen the RCBS Explorer Plus kit at Midwayusa on sale for a decent price (about $330.00) and a $50 mail in rebate. It seems to have a lot of items included to save the shooter money. I also was lucky to find one gun shop in Rhode Island with Trail Boss, so I bought two small bottles.

 

Do any of you guys/gals reload your own scatter gun rounds? Any preference on brand for factury shotgun shells in this game?

 

Thanks y'all.

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Thanks again everyone. I've seen the RCBS Explorer Plus kit at Midwayusa on sale for a decent price (about $330.00) and a $50 mail in rebate. It seems to have a lot of items included to save the shooter money. I also was lucky to find one gun shop in Rhode Island with Trail Boss, so I bought two small bottles.

 

Do any of you guys/gals reload your own scatter gun rounds? Any preference on brand for factury shotgun shells in this game?

 

Thanks y'all.

 

For smokeless, many just buy factory loads. The cost of loading vs buying is not great. Everyone has a preference brand and load. We like the under $60/case brand. Mary shoots the Fiocchi "trainer" brand. They are 7/8 oz at 1200 fps. I tend to get Remington Gun Club 1 oz when they are on sale. We've used Federal Top Gun 7/8 oz.

 

Black powder guys almost always load their own and each one has his own methods, selection of components and recipes.

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Thanks again everyone. I've seen the RCBS Explorer Plus kit at Midwayusa on sale for a decent price (about $330.00) and a $50 mail in rebate. It seems to have a lot of items included to save the shooter money. I also was lucky to find one gun shop in Rhode Island with Trail Boss, so I bought two small bottles.

Do any of you guys/gals reload your own scatter gun rounds? Any preference on brand for factury shotgun shells in this game?

Thanks y'all.

Here's a link to a store that's closing out their RCBS inventory. That explorer kit is $210. They have some other stuff you're going to need.

 

http://www.bullets.com/search?s=brand:RCBS&s=category:Presses

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I've shot 45Colt in this game since 1985, and reloading is the only cost effective way of doing so. I reloaded on a single stage when it was just me shooting two stages a month. As my wife and son became interested (mainly cause I was gone two weekends a month...), I got them .38 guns... and myself a Dillon 550 so I could keep up with demand... that became even more important as we began shooting 4 times a month...

 

That Dillon is now 29 years old, and still going strong. It's received a few upgrades, and still loads good ammo, even if less of it now that wife and son don't shoot with me. In fact, a second Dillon joined it as my son shoots a .40S&W in 3-gun and loads a heck of a lot more ammo than I do.

The 550, being "Semi-Progressive" scares me when loading pistols with low density powders. It is quite easy to double charge a case as you need to move the case manually to the next station. I only use my 550 to load 223 rifle cartridges as it is impossible to double charge them. It might be fine with Trail Boss as that powder is such high density that you might not be able to double charge most pistol calibers.

Double charging a case is just as dangerous and possible with any equipment. It takes the same visual inspection to ensure there's a charge there, and it's at the right height.

 

Thanks again everyone. I've seen the RCBS Explorer Plus kit at Midwayusa on sale for a decent price (about $330.00) and a $50 mail in rebate. It seems to have a lot of items included to save the shooter money. I also was lucky to find one gun shop in Rhode Island with Trail Boss, so I bought two small bottles.

Do any of you guys/gals reload your own scatter gun rounds? Any preference on brand for factury shotgun shells in this game?

Thanks y'all.

I generally buy my smokeless shotshell loads... but do reload some. Wal-Mart & Winchester Low Noise/Low Recoil rounds are pretty cost effective, and easy on the shoulder. I've never had an issue of them not putting down targets, when I do my part... Save your cases... some BP shooter will be appreciative if you never get around to reloading them! I always handload my black powder shotshells. Cost is the reason for both. Shot has gotten almost ridiculously expensive over the past few years, making reloading it a draw. However, for BP, the cost of buying it is ridiculous...

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I had a Lee 3-hole Turret Press that lasted about 28 years. But now that I'm shooting a LOT more, I got rid of it last year and upgraded to a Hornady Lock-N-Load AP. Thinking about getting a Dillon Square Deal B just for .45 Colt and use the Hornady for all the other calibers.

 

Lee Turret Press is a very good, inexpensive press to get started with and lasts years.

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I won't want a single stage press, but it's your decision. You can get a Lee 4 hole turret press for the same money.

 

Yes, I reload shot shells, too. Which shotgun do you plan on using?

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Savings is not nearly as much loading your shotgun shells as opposed to reloading your pistol/rifle ammo. Plus for cowboy action you may use one box of shotgun shells a match where you'll be using 120 pistol/rifle rounds.

 

Just something to keep in mind if money is tight.

 

I didn't start reloading shotgun shells until I started having trouble finding Win AA Featherlites.

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Savings is not nearly as much loading your shotgun shells as opposed to reloading your pistol/rifle ammo. Plus for cowboy action you may use one box of shotgun shells a match where you'll be using 120 pistol/rifle rounds.

 

Just something to keep in mind if money is tight.

 

I didn't start reloading shotgun shells until I started having trouble finding Win AA Featherlites.

 

I see. If anything, I would do it for consistency and more involvement in the overall process. The little savings may also be nice, buy I'm sure it's no where close to the savings I will have reloading the .45 Colt rounds.

 

I am glad to get everyone's opinions on the topic since I am new. The reloading acquisition of supplies and point where I begin to use them will likely take place over the winter when its cold and there is a lot of snow. It will give me something to do indoors.

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... what do y'all recommend for reloading .45 Colt as far as components, recipes, etc? What has worked for the experienced Cowboys/gals out there?

First. Welcome!

 

Second. 15 years ago I was in the same position you are. Read a lot and asked opinions. Since I would be loading pistol calibers only I decided on a Dillon Square Deal. Ran it as a single stage until I felt comfortable with the process. I used 250 grain bullets for my 45 Colt reloads and Titegroup powder.

 

Two years ago I started to reload for political incorrect rifles, I bought a Dillion 650. Because of Dillon's lifetime, no questions answer warranty, the resell price on the DSD was very good.

 

Is Dillon the best? I don't know, but it worked very well for me.

 

Third. Welcome!

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you have gotten a lot of good info to sort thru here , i use an old lyman single stage turret for both my rifle and revolver 45colts , and an older hornaday for my 3/4oz shotshells , you dont need to go fancy till you have cash to throw at it , which leads me to the fact that you wont necessarily save $ by reloading these days , you can buy it at about the same 'real' cost , what you will get is your own custom tailored loads that you invested your time in and hopefully can depend on , there is a great amount of satisfaction to be had ,

 

you find re-employment soon so you can relax and enjoy the happy trail of reloading for this game

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  • 2 weeks later...

I was like you(wanted to reload but must do it as fiscally as possible)....this would mean no expensive progressive style reloading presses(they are more difficult for the novice to learn on anyway) I recommend a single stage RCBS brand set up(they come in full set ups at cabellas outdoor stores) press,powder charge hopper,beam scale, all you must do is buy the die sets for the calibers you wish to reload, dont forget the shell holders!..... I went this way and its considerably cheaper(in all about $350.00 and I was loading 45LC w/ a smile :D

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I would start out on a single stage style reloading press till you have mastered the art of reloading. Once you have a good deal of confidence, I would get a Dillon progressive style press.......Best if you crawl before you walk/run

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I'm using a side-by-side coach-gun. It's just an entry level .12 gauge. I was considering buying a MEC and reloading for that too over the winter.

These are good choices. You don't shoot a whole lot of shotgun rounds in SASS, so your savings is minimal. What you get by reloading scattergun rounds is the ability to make easy, light loads that don't bounce back and hit your spotters in the face and wear you out during a day of shooting. MEC makes a quality loader. I have two, one 12 gauge and one 20 gauge, that are the "600 Junior" model. This is considered a single stage press. If I was a serious trap, skeet, or sporting clays shooter, I would get a progressive press, but I'm not. The single stage works fine.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Start out with a single stage RCBS press, Cabellas sells them in kits that include almost all you need to get started. They are economical and great to learn on, once you have mastered the art of reloading and have plenty of confidence you should get a progressive style press from Dillon. This is what I did and I learned fast and had few if any problems, best of luck and enjoy your new hobby pardner!

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If you're the truly competitive type and winning over all categories is what matters most to you, then you should follow all of the advice about switching to .38 before you have too much money tied up in .45 Colt. :o

 

On the other hand, if lots of flame and a loud bang when you pull the trigger is your idea of fun, then Frontier Cartridge is the way to go. ;) If you REALLY like a fun challenge, then Frontier Cartridge Gunfighter (FCGF) is the way to go. Heck, I've only won my category once at a monthly match and never at the State Black Powder Shootout, but no matter how good or bad I might do, I ALWAYS walk away with a smile on my face because it's just so darn much fun! :D

 

Lead Ringer's bullets are lubed so they work well with smokeless as well as real gunpowder. I've never seen better rpices and his bullets have never let me down in Cowboy Action or in Steel Challenge. Track of the Wolf sells over-powder hard cards and there's a multitude of places to get 2Fg black powder (a.k.a, Holy Black) should you decide to come over to the Dark Side.

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  • 10 months later...

I started reloading about 20 years ago. I had a Lee Load Master which I used for about 3 or 4 years. Never had any trouble with it. However, when my cataracts got so bad that I couldn't acquire a target with any speed at all, I decided to hang up my CAS material. Sold my guns to friends who were SASS members.

 

I gave my Load Master to a friend, who is still using it.

 

Sure, there are better presses on the market for a lot more money, if you want to chuck them out fast, but if you take your time with a Load-Master, and do routine maintenance on it, it will work fine for you for a long time.

 

I just got back into SASS about a month ago. Bought my reloading press last week. It's a Load-Master. Good value for the money.

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Good Lord, don't buy that Lee Loader, the one where you are hammering everything together. I had one of those when I was a kid for 30-30. Did you see how long it took that guy to make one round? We shoot a lot of ammo in CAS, you will be up for hours just trying to make enough ammo for one match.

 

Go to a big gunshow and look for the white elephant table. There are usually lots of used single stage presses available for just a few bucks. I started a bazillion years ago with a used Lyman Spartan press. It served me fine until I upgraded to a Hornady Lock & Load AP.

 

Don't scrimp on dies, be sure to spend the extra money for carbide dies for 45 Colt.

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I had a Lee 3-hole Turret Press that I used for about 28 years loading all my handguns and short rifle. It worked well once adjusted and the only part I recall replacing was the nylon indexing gear. Cheap and easy to replace about every 7,500 rounds.

 

Due to increase in shooting, I replaced it with a Hornady Lock-N-Load AP. Will most likely add a Dillon 550 before long.

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Still lovin' my Dillon SDB after many years and many thousands of rounds. Got it used for a hundred bucks & who knows how many rounds were loaded by the Bullseye shooter I got it from. Dillon will always be there for you. It's hard to pay them for parts, they are usually covered by their "NO BS" warranty. Have only needed replacement primer tips for the primer feeder & rebuilt it myself last year just 'cus.

 

Welcome to the game,

EH

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IMHO - it all comes down to what YOU want, fans of all the various single or multis will sing their praises and just continue to confuse you. Watch them all in action on YouTube and decide what you want and go for it.

I was like you and changed my mind at least four times! Totally confused, I went and tried a couple set up in stores.

Ended up with a Dillon 550b, started slow (almost single staged it), got comfortable and now as happy as can be loading 9mm, .38/.357 and .45 LC

Save no money but shoot quite a bit more!

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I generally buy my smokeless shotshell loads... but do reload some. Wal-Mart & Winchester Low Noise/Low Recoil rounds are pretty cost effective, and easy on the shoulder. I've never had an issue of them not putting down targets, when I do my part... Save your cases... some BP shooter will be appreciative if you never get around to reloading them! I always handload my black powder shotshells. Cost is the reason for both. Shot has gotten almost ridiculously expensive over the past few years, making reloading it a draw. However, for BP, the cost of buying it is ridiculous...

+1 and buy low noise/low recoil SG shells during the $2/box summer rebate. Some CAS shooters use Remington Gun club shells though they have more recoil. If you decide to reload check local clays ranges for reclaimed shot. Without lower cost shot your reloads will not save you much. Like Griff I reload my BP shogun shells.

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I have been loading with Lee for 20+ years .

I have A Turret press and three single stage presses .

No not one Issue with Lee in all the years loading .

Im not concerned about speed I load all winter long enough ammo to shoot all summer long :-)

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