Yes I was just fooling around. I have all the equipment I need. My shotgun MEC's are progressive, but my rifle press is single stage. I reload 300 WSM, 3006, 308, 5.56, 22 Hornet, 357 mag and 45ACP. I have components I have not used in years. Thanks Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I reload my own 12g cartridges. It is IMPOSSIBLE to make a saving on your plain old clay busting #7.5 28g loads. But any deviation from that to buck (very hard to get this side of the pond) or slug (ridiculously hard to acquire) you will save up to 80%! I use a simple Lee Loadall II to reload.
I started loading my own ammo about 5 years ago. Pistols I load: 38/357mag, 9mm, .380, 45acp Rifles I load: .223 (bolt guns), .22-250, .243, .25-06, .308, and .30-06
Leland, I bet five years ago you were pretty pissed off that there was almost NO pistol powder available on store shelves and internet sales were on a terminal death waiting list.
Thanks. Ha Ha. I inherited most of my long guns from my dad and father in law. I inherited dads reloading equipment too. Dad loved prairie dog shooting, so he reloaded for his prairie dog trips. So when I started prairie dog shooting, I started reloading for those trips as well. When loading 600 rifle rounds for two calibers, you do save money in that you can build the equivalent of a premium bullet for about half the cost. If you figure in your personal time, no there is no money saved. I load most of my pistol rounds in the winter as a way of staying busy during cold rainy days. And yes, during the "shortage" you had to buy what you could find and make do with that. Thats how I stumbled upon Winchester Autocomp for pistols. my favorite pistol powder now.
You are so ahead of the curve it is a proud moment for you. People who are behind that curve are one day going to experience the suck, which won't be you.
I waited over SIX years to find Bullseye and 2400 and Unique on store shelves. SIX YEARS. The first pistol powder I could buy several years ago (2014???) was IMR-700X. It worked out well for me but still....
[QUOTE="nitesite, post: 24805, ........ find Bullseye and 2400 and Unique on store shelves. ....[/QUOTE] The only time I see these powders are at gun shows. Don't need any pistol powder at the moment. Between my supplies of Autocomp, Red Dot, and Blue Dot I am good to go.
I was lucky that ten years ago I bought a 1-lb bottle of rifle or pistol powder each payday or so. Primers too. Before I knew it I had something like 30-pounds of every rifle and pistol powder I wanted to have on hand. So when the sudden and complete powder and primer drought hit us, I was not without what I thought was more than adequate stock. I DID really shoot and reload less during the next eight or so years until I saw plenty coming back. Primers came first but it took until around 2015 to see plenty of pistol/shotgun powder on shelves.
I started loading for 12 gage in the early 80's and began loading for rifle shortly thereafter. I still load for shotgun even though its no longer a savings and also for .243, 30-06 45-70 and 35 Rem.
I pretty much load 12g and 20g shotgun shells only. Nothing in a rifle or pistol round. But in the winter, I do find pleasure in loading. I love to sit and watch it snow, while loading my AA and STS shells. I currently have about 7,000 empty hulls to load... more hulls than I have shot/wad/powder/primers.
Necro post here, but I am new so it's relevant to the OP... Started reloading 444Marlin because I felt accuracy with factory rounds could be improved, and it obviously spread to include everything I own and shoot. Loading equipment ranges from Lee Classic "Rock and Stick" loaders for any/all calibers to Lyman single stage press for all. Pistol: 38/357 Mag 9mm 40 S&W 45 ACP Rifle: 223 Rem 30/30 Win 32 WinSpcl 35 Rem 307 Win 308 Win 444 Marlin
Roan444, That is a very impressive list of cartridges! Isn't factory .444 Marlin almost $2.50~$3.00 per round now?
nitesite, indeed it runs $2.00 to $2.50 for sure, and I couldn't get under moa... Until I started handloading
Dallas, I certainly do! Load development is always fun! It's actually a little sad when you reach the end of testing, which is maybe why I continue to add rifles and calibers so I can keep "cooking" I have found some great loads, but settled on most any 200g bullet with 37.5 (Max) of IMR 3031. My favorite is Hornady 200g RN, but the Hornady FTX and Sierra 200g are also quite accurate. The Hornady RN is a very tough constructed bullet, with the jacket slightly wrapping the nose. Very good on Hogs, but zips through whitetail if you take the traditional "meat saver" shot...You actually want to hit bone in deer with this bullet. The Hornady FTX is dramatic in it's mechanical operation, (in all calibers) sometimes resulting in blow back and jacket separation on tough game, not ideal, but still hasn't let me down on recovering game. This is where the meat saver shot is very necessary and effective. Being a Hornady fan myself, I have only tested the Sierra for accuracy so I can't speak to game performance. Is the .35 one you handload?