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Reloading supplies...


Croc Holiday

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It looks like my adventures in reloading may begin sooner than I expected.  I’m hoping the roll your own crowd can dispense some of their fine wisdom.

 

Looking for:

 

Tips on where to go for the deals on supplies.  Sites / brands to steer clear of?

 

105, 125 or 158 gr?  I know it’s subjective but what are the benefits of one over the others of these.  

 

Coated or uncoated?

 

Any “I wish I would have known that” moments you can think of.

 

Not flying blind.  I’ve got a sitter who loads cowboy rounds and will learn me the ways.  Well, at least their ways haha.  Just need to bring my own fixin’s.

 

I tried searching the forum for this sort of topic but came up short.  If I had a bonehead moment and missed it please shoot me a link.  

 

Thanks!

 

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This topic has many facets.  It's kind of like asking what kind of car should I buy.  The answer is "it depends".  There are lots of options out there.  Let's get started by talking about your expectations on your reloading journey?

 

How many rounds per hour would you like to load?

How many times do you want to handle each individual piece of brass?

How many calibers do you want to load for?

How much time do you want to spend tinkering with the tools as opposed to actual production?

What's your budget?

 

Devlin

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Coated Badman bullets.  

 

Primers, whoever has Federal Match on sale with shipping and hazmat included.  Yeah, it happens and when it does I buy 10K.

 

Powder, mostly Sportmens Warehouse.

 

Cases, Starline.

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Brass - buy direct from Starline

 

Lead - coated, it's cleaner

 

I've been shooting 105 gr and it works well for me on all but a few knock downs.  Probably go with 125 gr after this..

 

Buy from Bullets by Scarlett, Missouri Bullet Company, Chey-Cast, and Badman Bullets.

 

Powder and primers - if you can't buy local at a decent price the pay attention to MidwayUSA and Brownell's for free shipping and/or free/.01 cent HAZMAT.

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Like McBride stated, first you need to answer those questions and match your press to your needs. I only reload 3,000 rounds a year. I use a Lee 4 hole turret press. If I reloaded that much a week or month, I'd have a progressive press.

As to bullet weight and powder charge, I'd read  

Your favorite .38 special load for CAS.

By Deuce Stevens SASS#55996, October 4, 2018 in SASS Wire

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I have had good luck with Powder Valley for powder and primer's.  It;s a good idea to get your supplies as early as you can, seem's like the closer ta spring the small p primers seem to start drying up for a while.  I alway's have used missouri bullet, good price's, product, shipping and service.  And finally brass, I really like starline ordered directly from them.  Maybe it's just me but i have alway's felt like their primer pocket tolerance's were a little better than most, and it's just great brass as you'll see a lot of it on the range.

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Outlaw Bullets by Waimea https://outlawbullets.com

 

Bullets by Scarlett https://bulletsbyscarlett.com

 

Missouri bullets for the softer .44 165gr bullets that the above two don't carry.

 

Most of my powder comes from Graf's in the form of real Black Powder; FFg.

 

Smokeless powder and primers I buy locally.

 

If you're buying loaded ammo now keep whatever you have and you'll be good for a while.

 

.38 I like Magtech(CBC) brass. Everything else is Starline.

 

 

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1 hour ago, Chief Rick said:

Brass - buy direct from Starline

 

Lead - coated, it's cleaner

 

I've been shooting 105 gr and it works well for me on all but a few knock downs.  Probably go with 125 gr after this..

 

Buy from Bullets by Scarlett, Missouri Bullet Company, Chey-Cast, and Badman Bullets.

 

Powder and primers - if you can't buy local at a decent price the pay attention to MidwayUSA and Brownell's for free shipping and/or free/.01 cent HAZMAT.

 

 

I think Chief Rick has nailed it. Only difference is I use 125 gr in .38 for everything. I'm lucky to have a full service gun shop several miles from my house that carries plenty of reloading supplies: Fed primers and lots of powder. Have a total of 6 gun shops within an 8 mile radius. Sometimes too tempting!

 

Church Key

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Hoss,

I usually stock up on reloading supplies at the larger shoots throughout the year.Some good deals and it supports the vendors that support our sport,no Hazmat , no shipping ,and usually no tax.Win-win all around.

Choctaw Jack

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54 minutes ago, Half Deaf Hoss Deveraux said:

It looks like my adventures in reloading may begin sooner than I expected.  I’m hoping the roll your own crowd can dispense some of their fine wisdom.

 

Looking for:

 

Tips on where to go for the deals on supplies.  Sites / brands to steer clear of? If your firearms are not yet modified for fast shooting any small pistol primer will do.  Once tuned, Federal small pistol primers are preferred.  They are presently available from Grafs.  Sportsmans Warehouse occasionally has them but they sell out quickly.  Bullets are available from many reputable casters - some are CAS shooters or supporters of the sport.  In your region Badman Bullets is in Lebanon, Oregon and Desperado Bullets is in Dayton, Washington.  Sometimes local casters deliver to local matches saving the purchaser the steep cost of shipping lead.  I recommend you start with your regional casters.  They support the matches you will attend.

 

105, 125 or 158 gr?  I know it’s subjective but what are the benefits of one over the others of these.  Buy small packs of these and test them yourself.  The 125 grain weight is very popular.  Also I recommend softer bullets (Brinnel hardness 12).  Regarding powder, lots of pistol and shotgun powders work for CAS.  Many have favorites but propelling a cast lead bullet to SASS-legal velocities is a pretty easy task. 

 

Coated or uncoated?  Coated - keeps lead shavings and lube out of your dies.  You also don't handle bare, metallic lead.

 

Any “I wish I would have known that” moments you can think of.  Be concerned about dimensional quality of your loaded ammo.  Monitor the OAL,  gauge your ammo and check for high primers.  When the timer goes off is not the time to learn you loaded some bad ammo.  Don't be concerned about meeting the published production rate for a progressive press.  Your goal should be making safe, reliable ammo.  Get a reloading manual and read the precautions.

 

Not flying blind.  I’ve got a sitter who loads cowboy rounds and will learn me the ways.  Well, at least their ways haha.  Just need to bring my own fixin’s.

 

I tried searching the forum for this sort of topic but came up short.  If I had a bonehead moment and missed it please shoot me a link.  

 

Thanks!

 

 

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You're in Oregon.  Badman Bullets.  Good selection and service.  Support those that support your shoots.

 

Starline brass...  but, since I don't have a single Starline piece in .38Spl. I can't really attest to their service... but for my 45 Colt, 45ACP, .30-30 and several other cartridges, I find them excellent.  Most of my .38Spl brass is range brass... and donations to my wife's progress as a cowboy shooter.

 

Graf & Sons, Midsouth, Powder Inc., along with Brownell's and Midway often run sales on both powder & primers...  stock up when you can!  However, be aware of any local laws regarding quantity limits and storage condition requirements.

 

Myself, I am blissfully unaware of such in my neck of the woods... (and please don't enlighten me)!

DSCN0411_zps5aa24dff.jpg

(at a low ebb in supplies).;)

 

What E.R.S. Canby said about maintaining "dimensional awareness".

 

Enjoy your new-found hobby!

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Based on the clubs you listed in your profile, you’re in central Oregon. Sportsman’s Warehouse in Bend is as good a place as any to shop for powder and primers. Plus you can order online and pick stuff up at the store.

 

I shoot a lot of Badman bullets. They offer free shipping on orders of 1000 or more bullets.

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Thanks for the responses so far.  I forgot to mention caliber.  .38 for rifle and pistol.  Happy to support the local shops.  Badman is really reasonable anyway.  

 

I did find my way to the favorite loads post.  Lots of good info there too.

 

The loader I’ll use is currently set for cowboy rounds.  I could caliper check vs. the store bought rounds that work well for me to make sure OAL is the same.

 

Is there a good online source for once fired brass?  Or is brand spankin new brass the way to go?

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endless supply of brass in all flavors for sale on www.calguns.net    If you're retired and need something to occupy  your time then a single stage is ok.   Me, I like to go out and knock out 500-1000 rounds in two hours and be done for a while.   That and I want to reduce the number of times I handle each round.  Handling the same piece 5-6 times for me is a form of purgatory.   Go blue (650)----you won't regret it. Buy it once, buy it for life and you can expand for all your needs down the road.   As far as recipes---  I'm new to SASS and came here for ideas for cowboy loads and got great advice.   Cheers and good luck

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44 minutes ago, Half Deaf Hoss Deveraux said:

Is there a good online source for once fired brass?  Or is brand spankin new brass the way to go?

I am not a top shooter, but I've NEVER (let's knock on wood now) had a problem with brass while shooting.

 

I reload in bunches of 100, usually no more than 200 at a time but I have reloaded as much as 500 in a day.  I don't get in a hurry.

 

After tumbling I load up four 50-round loading trays (all I've got) with the clean brass and inspect every piece of brass under a desk lamp for cracked necks.  If it even looks like it might be starting to crack it goes into the recycle bin.  I then spray them with a quick coat of Hornady One Shot Case Lube, let them sit for a few minutes and then start loading on a Dillon 550.

 

I know some who tumble the brass then dump them in the hopper of the 650 and start loading, inspecting after loading.  Works for them.

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I don't know what the right answer for you is, but I'll tell you what I do.  I always buy once fired.  Fireball listed a site that sells 3,000 rounds of once fired .38 special for $105 which is a steal.  I've shot somewhere around 400+ matches with a total of one ammo issue related to a split case.  I started reloading with a Dillon Square Deal B that I bought used and after several years upgraded to a Dillon 650 to make it easier to change back and forth between calibers once my wife started shooing .32 H&R.  Since .32 brass is harder to come by I bought 3,000 pieces of if from Starline.


If you're interested in loads or components sources PM me and I'll be happy to supply that.

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I like the coated  Bullets Except  that the smaller calibers like 38 are hard for me to grab and manipulate. Slippery little buggers. I use plan ole cast for 38sp, but have gone to Bear Creek Coated Bullets for my 38-55 & 45-60 

 

i use 105 grn for pistols, 130 for rifle. 

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Depending on how many matches per month you can attend will determine how much ammo you need on hand. I have five ranges available to me and four of them are staggered so they will not conflict with each others times and big matches.

 

I have used single stage and progressive presses for many years and I opt for single stage over progressive.

1. You can 'feel' what is going on with each cartridge, not several things going on at one time. Yes, you have to handle each one several times, but this saves time inspecting after you chuck out 1,000 at a time...

2. One issue many have is cleaning the lube off finished cartridges at the end. With single stage you clean up after resizing (before you load the case). This keeps the substances you use to clean the lube from potentially affecting the primers.  The most problems I have encountered with reloads was not getting the lube off and gumming up the guns works. More cleaning required.

3. Most damage to guns is a double charge or squib from a light/no charge. When you do one thing at a time, the chance for this is reduced so long as you pay attention.

4. High primers lock up your pistols and may cause an out of battery in your rifle (or just force you to eject a live round which requires a <5 second reload) to recover. Yes you can inspect each one after progressive loading, but that negates the speed of a progressive press. After I load a round, I put it in a 50 count loading block and can quickly see a bad primer seat.

 

These are just considerations to think about. Everyone has their way of doing things. I am new to SASS, but in the past year I have paid attention to why a shooter has to call out a "Bad Gun" on the line. Generally it is from that cartridge that got by inspection. As with everything in this sport, the more things you can double task at the same time, the faster the outcome. Kicking out cartridges fast often destroys your shooting times at the range.  So if you have the time to reload, I'd spend it in the shop rather than accumulating it on the range.

 

I still use a progressive shotgun press and all of my bad ammo problems are shot shells. There are too many things you have to take for granted with progressive loading. I'm not saying they are not good presses. It's more about how good you are at reloading. If your reloading time is limited, that may be the way you need to go...

 

As for bullet weight: In this sport, I have not found any significant adverse effects from one type/weight to another. I do consider a 125gr to have better bearing surface in the forcing cone and bbl. The bullet is much longer at this contact point than it's diameter. And it fills more of the cartridge case. With light loads, the less air in there the better. Consider a 158gr, all that extra bullet is inside the case. We don't need all that 38 Spl length except for our guns to operate properly. I pay the same for 125gr as 105gr so I opt for the bigger for the above reasons and for better rifle performance when longer distance targets present themselves.

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Use a carbide sizing/decaping dies with straight wall case calibers like the 38 Special.  No messy lube.  Also use a Lee factory crimp die or Redding profile die.  No matter whether you decide that a progressive press is what you need a single stage or turret press is absolutely necessary for load development & fixing mistakes.  The CASS calibers I reload are 30 Special & 45 Colt.  The 38 brass is all range or from fired factory ammo I purchased.  The 45Colt is mostly Starline mixed with fired purchased factory ammo.

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1 hour ago, J.D. Daily said:

Use a carbide sizing/decaping dies with straight wall case calibers like the 38 Special.  No messy lube.  Also use a Lee factory crimp die or Redding profile die.  No matter whether you decide that a progressive press is what you need a single stage or turret press is absolutely necessary for load development & fixing mistakes.  

This. Carbide dies are the bomb when it comes to loading pistol caliber straight walled cases. Not lubing eliminates an unnecessary step. And a Lee factory crimp die just makes sure that you have a good crimp on your rounds.

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Your guns will probably have an opinion on your reloaded ammo, so listen to what they say about accuracy, point of impact versus point of aim, amount of recoil, amount of fouling, etc.  A smart shooter tunes his ammo to make his guns 100% reliable;  you don’t want to be worrying about your cartridges just before the beep.  Realize that you will probably have to experiment with a variety of bullet weights and powders and primers to find the happy zone for you and your guns.

 

 

To that end, reload in such a way that you are absolutely sure you will not have a squib or a double powder charge.  Those procedures and practices vary from one type of press to another, but your goal is safe reliable ammo,  not rounds per hour reloaded.  If you are getting variations in how loud the “bang” is, something is wrong.

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1 hour ago, Charlie MacNeil, SASS #48580 said:

This. Carbide dies are the bomb when it comes to loading pistol caliber straight walled cases. Not lubing eliminates an unnecessary step. And a Lee factory crimp die just makes sure that you have a good crimp on your rounds.

And no bulges except for those near the base like some 40S&W & 9mm fired brass.

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I buy my primers and powder at Bi Mart. You should have one near you since they have stores in just about every little burg in Oregon. When they run one of their $2 off on reloading supplies I stock up on powder, although I haven’t seen anyone beat their regular prices - $15/bottle for Trail Boss.

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Sorry in advance @Michigan Slim B)

Get yer brass here: https://www.nereloading.com/

Bullets here: https://outlawbullets.com/shop/ 

Primer and powder: wherever and whenever you can find your brand.

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12 hours ago, Fireball #7709 Life said:

Sorry in advance @Michigan Slim B)

Get yer brass here: https://www.nereloading.com/

Bullets here: https://outlawbullets.com/shop/ 

Primer and powder: wherever and whenever you can find your brand.

Kaya bought two 5 gallon buckets worth. All good for a few years.

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So was pondering brass.  I can get it a few ways...

New Starline -$186 per 1000 $.19 ea

Once fired range brass $46 $.05 ea

or...

Buy GA loaded ammo and reuse brass $.26 ea.

 

buying new brass makes rounds a little more than GA.

Is used range brass decent or junk?

I thought I read that GA uses Starline.

 

thoughts?

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2 minutes ago, Half Deaf Hoss Deveraux said:

So was pondering brass.  I can get it a few ways...

New Starline -$186 per 1000 $.19 ea

Once fired range brass $46 $.05 ea

or...

Buy GA loaded ammo and reuse brass $.26 ea.

 

buying new brass makes rounds a little more than GA.

Is used range brass decent or junk?

I thought I read that GA uses Starline.

 

thoughts?

Can be either decent or junk.  There are many sellers whose brass is reliably once-fired.  Some range brass is mostly once-fired with some reloaded cases mixed in.  I once bought a batch of .357 mag brass that was clearly not once-fired but advertised as such.  Buying cheap range brass is an inexpensive way to get started.  If it splits during practice or at a local match -  no big deal.  However, you can buy small lots of new brass for major matches to be sure your ammo won't split in your rifle, locking it up.  (My wife gets new brass for her rifle at all major matches.)  I don't care what I shoot in my revolvers at any match.  If it splits I just extract it at the reloading table and discard it.

 

My advice: read the sellers feedback on auction sites and don't buy brass from anyone with mediocre feedback.  Buying from a commercial firm with a good reputation is even better.  For your state match, regional match, Winter Range and EOT only use high quality brass in your rifle.  Further, loading brass from a single source (i.e., Starline) makes setting up your dies easier.

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2 hours ago, Half Deaf Hoss Deveraux said:

So was pondering brass.  I can get it a few ways...

New Starline -$186 per 1000 $.19 ea

Once fired range brass $46 $.05 ea

or...

Buy GA loaded ammo and reuse brass $.26 ea.

 

buying new brass makes rounds a little more than GA.

Is used range brass decent or junk?

I thought I read that GA uses Starline.

 

thoughts?

 

GA uses both Starline and once-fired brass.  They use Starline when they cannot get once-fired brass.  The ammo loaded with Starline brass will have "New" in the description.

 

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I could be wrong, but it sounds like you have some concerns about used brass. I've never had a problem with used brass. I've never had new brass. Remember this, once you shoot new brass, it becomes used brass.

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Here's a "wish I had known" tip.

 

Don't buy any nickle plated brass.  They split easier.  A split case in your rifle could jam you up good. 

 

I've a bunch of nickle plated mixed in.  I'll only put 'em in my pistols.  Easy to clear from there when they split.  Save 'em up and take them to the recycler for a little extra $.

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14 hours ago, Half Deaf Hoss Deveraux said:

So was pondering brass.  I can get it a few ways...

New Starline -$186 per 1000 $.19 ea

Once fired range brass $46 $.05 ea

or...

Buy GA loaded ammo and reuse brass $.26 ea.

 

buying new brass makes rounds a little more than GA.

Is used range brass decent or junk?

I thought I read that GA uses Starline.

 

thoughts?

 

Here are my thoughts. Buy Starline new  when you start to eliminate the variable of mixed headstsmps. Buy factory reloads with mixed headstamps when you need them to augment your own. Stay away from mixed used range brass that way you’ll never have to wonder about what you’re getting. Sooner or later your brass will fail. That process will take longer if you start with new Starline. Ditto on nickel.

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