Reloading Addiction Group

[crs]

Thanks guys, this thread is further confirmation that I only reload for specific needs. I am primarily addicted to hunting rather than guns and reloading.
Boy, what a relief!

 

[Rob404]

These posts sound pretty normal to me

 

[Divernhunter]

I started reloading in 1962. I needed to so I could shoot(mostly ground squirrels and birds) with the little money I had.

Fast forward to now----I have a Dillon650, 2 RCBS RC,s(one is a spare), a RCBS Jr(for seating bullets and some complete loading of certain pistol rounds) and a Hornady single stage set up for 50bmg. They all are in one room(daughters old bedroom) along with other equipment and supplies. In another room is storage for ammo, more powder/primers/targets/mags/clips(yes they are different), shooting bags with stapler/tape/earmuffs and such for the range, and some equipment. It also has 3 large safes that are full of firearms. Fully 1/3 of my garage is supplies/brass/bullets/ammo/chrono/target holders/portable shooting benches. My pick-up always has bags(for resting firearms on), 5qt ice cream containers for brass I pick up, brass picker-upper, towels and a adjustable rest from Hornady.

At present I load for-204R, 223(rifle and pistol), 257R(rifle and pistol), 25-06, 257W, 308win(rifle and pistol), 30-06, 300win mag,264win mag, 7mmrem mag, 338win mag, 7-08, 6.5X55,30-40Krag, 303brit, 6.5jap, 7.7jap, 7.62X39, 7.62x54R, 8mm mauser, 50bmg, 7.5swiss, 30Carbine & 45-70. I might have missed on. For pistols only I load 38sp, 357mag,45ACP, 5.7X28(a real pain), 9mm Luger, 9mm MAK, 44mag, 454Carull, 500S&W, 7.62X25TOK and maybe an odd one I missed.

When I started loading the only way to get a Nosler Partition in your ammo was to load it yourself. There was little if any other upper grade bullets even being made. DO NOT LET ANYONE TELL YOU THAT YOU WILL SAVE MONEY RELOADING! You will not. If you add up what you spend at the end of the year you will find you spent as much or more than if you just bought ammo. The DIFFERENCE IS YOU WILL SHOOT MUCH MORE AND/OR SHOOT CARTRIDGES THAT IF YOU HAD TO BUY FACTORY AMMO YOU WOULD NOT OWN. You will also be able to tailor loads for each firearm and the purpose you are going to use it for.

I sometimes can by factory ammo cheaper than the hunting ammo I make. But I know that I carefully made my ammo for a certain rifle/pistol using a certain bullet selected for the game and where I am hunting. Just another part of the hunt for me.

Factor in it is a great hobby and most will enjoy the reloading.

 

[Spooksar]

I have 230 sets of dies load rifles from 17 Hornet to 585 Hubel, plus 19 pistol calibers. I use 4 presses RCBS Rockchucker, RCBS 50 Cal, Redding T7 and a Dillon 550

 

[Britt Beck]

That's a great habit to have.

 

[HuntingGold]

I received a Lee Hand press in the mail today so I could reload in the downtime while turkey hunting. Fairly excited to play with it along with the 6X45 dies I received a week ago... and the 6X45 I picked up from the gunsmith today!
ITs on a plastic stock for now but will have a nice piece of wood soon.

 

[tarbe]

I no longer publicly admit to how much of anything I have. It only gets me in trouble with my wife (when she finds out I could buy her a new car if I sold all my reloading components).

 

[MS Hitman]

I went to Walmart one night to buy some target loads for a pistol and was informed they did not sell ammo after a certain time. I suggested they copulate with themselves and went home and loaded what I needed.

 

[Shootist43]

Spooksar, you got me beat. I have four Dillons and two Single stage presses. But I don't load for as many calibers as you do. Smallest rifle I load for is a 30 cal. carbine, the largest is a 416 Rigby. Pistols go from .32 up to 45 Long Colt but there are a couple of rifle calibers for a Thompson Center Contender.

 

[MS Hitman]

Also, I am able to convert cases to load for cartridges for which ammunition is not available. Had to convert .303 British to .445 Supermag back in the days before it was readily available. Currently converting .223 into .351 WSL. JDJ and Herret calibers for Contenders.

 

[tarbe]

I think pretty much everyone on here who has been loading any length of time probably has some bragging right, or another.

I bet I am the only one here who shot his 7MM Rem Mag in the basement (routinely) when he was 16 years old!

2gr of Bullseye and a Lee 130gr cast bullet. And my dad never owned a firearm...had to learn everything on my own without a mentor or the internet!! That's probably how I got away with shooting in the basement!

Never did have a mishap. Bullets always hit the steel plate and went into my mom's wash-tub filled with water. Lead was easy to recover and re-use.

Would I let my son do that? NO WAY!

 

[ChrisG]

I think pretty much everyone on here who has been loading any length of time probably has some bragging right, or another.

I bet I am the only one here who shot his 7MM Rem Mag in the basement (routinely) when he was 16 years old!

2gr of Bullseye and a Lee 130gr cast bullet. And my dad never owned a firearm...had to learn everything on my own without a mentor or the internet!! That's probably how I got away with shooting in the basement!

Never did have a mishap. Bullets always hit the steel plate and went into my mom's wash-tub filled with water. Lead was easy to recover and re-use.

Would I let my son do that? NO WAY!

When trying to capture cast lead bullets from a .44 Mag so I could measure them to determine if I had a constriction in the barrel, I loaded a couple with like 2 grains of unique. I put a bullet into the case upside down and rammed it all the way into the case, then shot them in my apartment into a 5 gallon bucket full of rags to try to catch them undamaged... needless to say, they were quite loud but I managed to catch them without punching holes in the wall. Some of us just have to pee on the electric fence to see if it's on.

 

[tarbe]

Ok Chris, I gotta say...that sounds even less bright than my little trick!

Unless you say you were 12 when you did this. In that case...

 

[ChrisG]

Ok Chris, I gotta say...that sounds even less bright than my little trick!

Unless you say you were 12 when you did this. In that case...

Yeah... I was 22. I don't think they wouldn't penetrated TOO many walls... live and learn... and yes the barrel did have a constriction! So mission accomplished!

 

[MS Hitman]

1.3 of Unique will not get a 160 grain cast bullet out the end of a barrel of a Marlin 30-30.

 

[ChrisG]

1.3 of Unique will not get a 160 grain cast bullet out the end of a barrel of a Marlin 30-30.

It will push a 240 grain bullet out of a 4" redhawk though... and with some oomph. Especially if you use fired casings, don't resize the brass, just pop the primer out, reprime, then put the bullet in upside down and push it all the way down on top of the powder. I don't remember where I found this technique but it didn't say anything about it being loud and I didn't think that far ahead as a stupid 22 year old

 

[gizmo]

I absolutely looooove to reload but hardly ever have time to do it anymore.
Pistol:
9mm
40 S&W
380 ACP
45 ACP
45 Colt

Rifle:
556
22-250
243
270
308
30-06
300 win mag
7.62 Russian
8mm Mauser
375 H&H
416 Ruger
45/70 Gov’t

Shotgun:
12 ga
20 ga

I really wish I had more time to load. I’m only able to do so occasionally anymore.

 

[tarbe]

Eric - I had spells (especially when the kids were young) when I got maybe 10 days in the loading zone in a year.

I just got home tonight from 5 days of traveling (flew out on Sunday)...and yet, I have spent some time in the loading zone! Empty nests aren't so bad!!

 

[gizmo]

Eric - I had spells (especially when the kids were young) when I got maybe 10 days in the loading zone in a year.

I just got home tonight from 5 days of traveling (flew out on Sunday)...and yet, I have spent some time in the loading zone! Empty nests aren't so bad!!

Getting close to the empty nest thing. My problem is working 7 days a week and about 110 hours/week spread out between 2 places 90 miles apart.

 

[gizmo]

Reloading is honest to god therapy tho. I load everything on a single stage press one round at a time. I weigh brass, bullets, and powder by hand so everything in a given batch is absolutely identical. Everything is done by hand but that’s the way I like to do it. Slow and meticulous, great therapy.