Thread: Not another getting into reloading post...

I am getting through a whole lot more ammo than I used to now that I am doing pistol shooting.
Thinking it's time to get into reloading, not so much for 9mm, but I like CAS and suitable ammo is expensive. Also I like the idea of having the flexibility to make what I want should I end up shooting more obscure or expensive calibres.
I am certainly not a reloading expert but I know the bare basics and have a little bit of experience reloading 7mm-08 for my main hunting rifle with a mate's equipment.
My understanding is that on one end of the spectrum you have the Lee Classic Loader kits and on the other you have the fancy progressive reloading setups.
I imagine that what suits me is somewhere in between. Ideally I would like to be able to crank out 100+ rounds in a sitting without feeling like a child in a sweatshop.
Mostly interested in buying second hand equipment, would anyone be able to suggest names of equipment I should be looking out for and what I should expect to pay?

There is a good argument to be made for buying a kit that has all of the basics you will need in one go, that you just have to add dies for the calibers you are intending to reload for.

Lee and I think Hornady do these, probably others. They allow you to get your toe wet in the pool without diving all the way in.

Some of the slowest parts of manual reloading using a bench mounted press of some form is weighing out powder charges (you can get scoop sets but these go off volume which is a little variable compared to weight and all the manuals list powder charge by weight). Also, case prep but usually this is a one time thing that you just have to monitor as the cases get used.

100+ rounds is quite achievable once you have a system set up - I normally work from one side of the press to the other at each step or group of steps I take and once the cases are ready and primed I drop powder and seat the pill at the same step. This minimises the chances of a 'squib' load or one where you forget to chuck the powder in - bloody hazardous as the primer will shove the bullet into the bore and block the barrel.

The other thing you need is a nice clean workspace where you won;t be disturbed. Add that to your list of must buys haha.

Pretty much covered here.

https://www.nzhuntingandshooting.co....reload-114811/

Originally Posted by No.3

Some of the slowest parts of manual reloading using a bench mounted press of some form is weighing out powder charges

I've used a manual trickler with a balance scale the times I've reloaded and that took ages. Speeding up that process would be ideal, do guys commonly use auto tricklers for this?

Originally Posted by Fatberg

I've used a manual trickler with a balance scale the times I've reloaded and that took ages. Speeding up that process would be ideal, do guys commonly use auto tricklers for this?

Combine the trickler with a few scoops. Did it for years.
However a Lee perfect powder measure is much better. For large loads, say 45 gr expect about 1gr variation, for say 25gr expect 0.4gr or less variation. Depends a lot on the powder used.

Originally Posted by Oldbloke

Combine the trickler with a few scoops. Did it for years.
However a Lee perfect powder measure is much better. For large loads, say 45 gr expect about 1gr variation, for say 25gr expect 0.4gr or less variation. Depends a lot on the powder used.

Looks ideal for my purposes. I only need to throw lead 25m at targets.
For more accurate rifle loads I can always do it the slow way.

Maybe just put up a WTB for a whole kit, they come up occasionally and you can tell that the seller had more intent than time. There will be those out there that just haven't got around to listing yet.

One of the best easiest ways to streamline your setup is to have plenty of brass. If you can do each step in larger batches, there is less time spent adjusting or re organising tooling.

Originally Posted by Fatberg

Looks ideal for my purposes. I only need to throw lead 25m at targets.
For more accurate rifle loads I can always do it the slow way.

Best way to look at it. You could use a powder thrower for the pistol loads, and trickle the rifle loads.

For rifle, a lot of people wanting speed and precision set up their thrower at 4-5 grain under, throw the load into the scales, and top it up with the trickler.

Originally Posted by longshot

Best way to look at it. You could use a powder thrower for the pistol loads, and trickle the rifle loads.

For rifle, a lot of people wanting speed and precision set up their thrower at 4-5 grain under, throw the load into the scales, and top it up with the trickler.

Yes, and thrower for plinking loads too.

Originally Posted by longshot

For rifle, a lot of people wanting speed and precision set up their thrower at 4-5 grain under, throw the load into the scales, and top it up with the trickler.

That's good to know, thank you.

Yep this is good - but for most of the loading I've been doing I have just used the manual way and tip into a smaller measuring container. From there I can manually tip straight onto the scales and gently tap up to final measurement. I found it quicker than fluffing with the thrower or trickling or anything like that (although I have had the odd cockup with accidentally spilling a small amount of powder which I also discovered does not particularly like being swept up on concrete - a small escape of smoke which I have never managed to repeat again!).

Originally Posted by No.3

Yep this is good - but for most of the loading I've been doing I have just used the manual way and tip into a smaller measuring container. From there I can manually tip straight onto the scales and gently tap up to final measurement. I found it quicker than fluffing with the thrower or trickling or anything like that (although I have had the odd cockup with accidentally spilling a small amount of powder which I also discovered does not particularly like being swept up on concrete - a small escape of smoke which I have never managed to repeat again!).

Yes, throw into a small container,,e.g a 35mil film container and tip into the scale pan.

Is there a particular press you all think I should be looking out for?

Originally Posted by Fatberg

Is there a particular press you all think I should be looking out for?

A progressive one, based on your 100+ per sitting without being a chore.

You’re chasing volume not precision.

Although to be fair, a good single stage press when just starting out is easier to get things right and get the process sorted. The slowest parts of the process are case prep and cleaning, and powder charge handling.

A good worker on a single stage can get through a surprising volume if you can speed up the powder side of the operation. This is where the smaller measuring container is a help - kids medicine 'cone' measuring cup with the little flat base is what I used. Fill to the same mark and it's either right on or a little over so you can drop almost all of it into the scales and gently tap it up to the right weight with your fingertip on the cup. It's really quite quick when you get the knack of it and saves having to clean out the thrower once you've finished with that powder.