The importance of getting set up to reload your own

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Over the last 12 years now (has it been that long? whoa), I have reloaded and shot well in excess of 100,000 rounds. This is just as a hobbyist marksman/reloader, not even remotely close to those like Jerry Miculek. Of that quantity, most have been .38 Special, but there's been plenty of .357M, .44 Spl, .44M, and .45 Colt in there. Even during normal periods, we know how much that would cost to buy.

The result is that my marksmanship got good and has stayed good.

We all know how difficult it is to get factory ammunition these days. If you can get it, you're paying a rather large premium. I'm seeing a repeat of the 2013 days after the terrible Sandy Hook Elementary School incident, when ammunition prices for even .22LR went through the roof. Even the Russian Wolf/Tulammo rounds were selling at over a dollar per round.

Those days have returned, it seems, in light of the events of 2020. Good luck finding anything, at least at a reasonable price. I'm seeing 9mm Luger ball ammo go for a dollar a round! Never thought I'd see that happen....

This is why it's so important to be set up for reloading. This is, as now-President Biden would say, a "Big F***ing Deal" for those of us who want to practice and thus keep our marksmanship at a good level of proficiency.

Get your press setup and at least two reloading manuals. You don't need to spend a lot of money on a progressive press. For the vast majority of shooters, a good turret press (e. g. any of the Lee Turret Presses--I happen to like the heavy-duty Classic Turret Press) will do the job very nicely. Those reloading videos are still up on YouTube, BTW, for anyone wanting to see how this is done. The antis haven't flagged all of them for removal yet. :-)

Acquire supplies gradually. I know that primers and powder can be tough to find now. I know that. This was also true in 2009 when I got started, after President Obama took office. So, yeah, I paid a bit of a premium for some components, especially primers. Certain powders, such as Bullseye, 2400, and Varget were simply not available. So, I adapted. Instead of Bullseye, I chose Titegroup. Turns out to be another very good powder for similar applications (I now also use Bullseye). Instead of Varget, I used BL-C(2). And so on.

Primers, yeah, it cost me more than normal. But I had ammo, and I had it for a lot less than what factory ammo would cost.

Over time, I got my stocks of brass, primers, powder, and bullets up so that I could "survive" another drought like the current one. Therefore, I always--ALWAYS--have ammo. If I need some range practice ammo, I just go pull the handle and make some.

Even if it cost me the same per round as buying factory ammo, I'd still be set up to reload. It's as much about ammo availability as it is anything else. As Ted Kennedy said in the 1970's, "no ammo, no guns."

And that is why it's so important to reload.
"SF Liberal With A Gun + Free Software Advocate"
http://www.sanfranciscoliberalwithagun.com/
http://www.liberalsguncorner.com/
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Re: The importance of getting set up to reload your own

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K9s wrote: Mon Feb 01, 2021 12:07 am When powder and primers come back to Earth, what are good options and good things to avoid when I start reloading? Can I use a 357 Lee Loader for 38 spl? Any good books online? What YouTubers are good sources of information?
Lee lists different kits for .38 Spl and .357 Mag, so I'd be inclined to think "not really" - although in a pinch I might try .357 using the .38 kit. Trying .38 with the .357 kit may not sufficiently size the case due to the difference in length. In either case, you may also run into issues with seating the bullet, depending on the seating stem length & threading. (FWIW, this is mostly conjecture, as it's been years since I used a Lee Loader set.)

For online load data, the main thing is to use established, credible sources - powder & bullet manufacturers, for example. The primary source I use is LoadData.com - a subscription site, but I find it well worth while. It's run by the publishers of Rifle and Handloader magazines; their load database is an aggregate from published articles as well as information from load manuals and powder & bullet manufacturers. One thing I really like is that they cite the sources and dates for the loads they provide, which is some very good info to have.

There's a lot here for new reloaders, so I'll not rehash what others have said; there's one thing which can't be said often enough, however -
Safety First!!!
Remember, you are dealing with a substance which is designed to easily & rapidly ignite and burn / explode (depending upon circumstances). Different powders have differing characteristics - one rule to adopt and observe without fail is to have only ONE kind of powder opened or on the bench at any one time - accidentally using Unique (for example) in place of a slower rifle powder will have catastrophic consequences.

I was working in a laboratory when I started reloading, so I incorporated lab techniques & habits to my reloading procedures; by establishing a set, safe way of doing things, you get consistent, reproducible results. Keep a notebook - it will be of great help when you try to remember just what combo worked (or didn't work) when you last tried that particular bullet last year, or what seating depth a specific rifle likes, etc.

(I can't speak to any YouTube videos, as I don't generally watch YouTube.)
"...no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States." ― Article VI, United States Constitution

Re: The importance of getting set up to reload your own

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I haven't used the Lee Loader (the "whack-a-mole" method, as some call it), but I do use the single-stage Lee Reloader Press. It cost me something like $45 about 12 years ago when I bought it as a kit with "Modern Reloading, Second Edition", Lee's reloading manual.

Twelve years later, I still have both the book and the press. That press continues to get used, mostly for cast "boolit" sizing, as I do cast my own bullets. Most of those are for .38 Special. With that said, these days I use my two progressive presses, Lee Pro 1000''s, for the vast majority of my ammo production, and the Lee Classic Turret Press for rifle rounds and my ".45 Colt Magnum" load.

One of the Pro 1000's is set up for .38 Special and .357 Magnum. The .38 Special die set will happily load .357 Magnum cases as well, so you only need to get one set. The same should go for the Lee Loader. I have loaded tens of thousands of .38 Spl and .357 Magnum, combined, probably roughly 100,000 rounds by now. That die set has never let me down. Lee dies are good stuff, to the point that some reloaders also use them on their Dillon presses. :-)

So, you should be fine with a Lee Loader in .38 Special to do both .38 and .357.

Please, whatever you do, pick up at least two reloading manuals and study them. Do this before you reload a single round. Yes, I'm serious. As another poster said, safety must come first. The information in those manuals will allow you to do it safely and thus save your life. No, I am *not* joking, nor being hyperbolic. Safety first. Seriously. Reloading is a great hobby and a perfectly safe one, as long as you follow the rules, like with many other things in life (e. g. driving).

We don't mind questions--quite the contrary. We simply want you to do your homework first and study up.
"SF Liberal With A Gun + Free Software Advocate"
http://www.sanfranciscoliberalwithagun.com/
http://www.liberalsguncorner.com/
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