New to reloading and wonder if its something you should try? Check out this video on questions you should answer before you dive in. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Fkf3Dc7QOfQ.html
New to reloading and can’t seem to find and answer on if it matters what case brand you use for loads. Meaning if the data for the round you are reloading calls for hornady brass and you have federal does it matter ? Can you use a different brand than what the load data calls for. Thanks any info would be greatly appreciated
@@chrispryor9721 No difference If you have the right caliber case, you're good to go. Resize then check your trim length if it's bottleneck. If pistol, resize and load. There will always be variance in thickness and weight but not enough to make any difference unless you're trying to put two bullets in one hole.
C M thank you very much. One more question if you don’t mind. If I have a speer .30 caliber 125 grain bullet and have load data for a hornady .30 caliber 125 grain bullet can I load using that data with the speer bullet instead of the hornady bullet ? Thanks
My very 1st reloaded round - Squibbed but it did come out of my barrel, fell at my feet. 2nd one, got about 10 feet from the gun, 3rd one bounced off the paper target. I didn't follow the Bolded Highlighted instructions to CLEAN the Powder measure. Mistake #1... 3000 mistakes and 10's of thousands of rounds later (and about 30 years) I Still have all my fingers, eyes and have YET to blow up any of my guns - So I likely managed to do most of it correctly!
@@brandonfeenstra2035 Personally, I recommend that you disassemble those rounds, clean the powder measure and try again. If you DO attempt to shoot them, be sure to confirm that you do NOT leave a bullet in your barrel. Be aware of sound, flash, and impact on target. Simply put - You just can't be TOO careful! Remember, you are talking about life and body parts!
I got a a Lee Progressive and watched all the videos. I bought jacketed .357 bullets and had very few problems. I load 5 and test.They shoot just fine. Don`t make 200 rds. and find out they are no good. Very good video!
Guys, I've been reloading for over 30 yrs and the one thing strongly suggest is to follow the handbook recipes!!! Take a look at "Kentucky Ballistics", a 50 bmg had catastrophic failure resulting in server body injury (could have been death) by someone else's reloaded ammunition (look at the difference in muzzle flash by all of the rounds shot-including the barrel failure). Please have faith in these types of reloading manuals, these guys been there and done that. The simplest thing like using the wrong primer can increase the barrel pressure over 300 psi and put the shooter in harms way. THINK SAFETY, SAFETY, SAFETY!!!
Grest info! Having a crono is a good investment. I picked up a new lee 50th anniversary kit for $120.00. A 6" caliper $35. Hammer bullet puller $20. $175 total. Powder, primers and projectiles (had brass),$195.00. $370 total. All works great, cost me $35 more than buying factory, and now I have all the gear. Much fun.....
Excellent, direct and to the point. I couldn’t agree more to everything you said. When I first started down the metallic reloading, 6 years ago, I was privileged to hook up with a guy who has been reloading for 40 years. I’ve been reloading shotgun shells for 18 years but I still consider myself new to metallic reloading, yes even after 6 years under my belt. I just started reloading 30-06 Springfield for my M1 Garand and we talked back and forth for almost a week before I came up with a load to start with. Wow so thankful to have this knowledge available to me. FIND A MENTOR.
The older guys at the range, and some of the younger ones, are a motherlode of experience and advice. Learn from their experience as well as your own. This is usually easy, as most of them like to talk as much as they like to load and shoot.
I bought my first reloader after being a Marine Capt in LA during rodney king riots,,,,, I NOW save money,,, I purchased several estates with reloading equipment, that the people really thought was just a bunch of junk. I gave them what they asked,, never argued, since their father/grandfather etc had died. I did very well,, and NO you cannot do that anymore,,, all good deals are gone. After many many years of reloading, I have found hitting the target, grouping, etc,, all amateur considerations. I believe,,, that the BEST RELOADER can find all his brass,, after shooting a magazine,,, within a 3ft circle,,, THAT is the best reloader on the line.
Couple cheap but effective tips. Case prep. Throw some cases (30 or so full size) in a screw top milk jug, add some "Dip It" coffee pot cleaner then chuck it in the washing machine with a load of clothes. Works decently. Lee case trimmer with the die works well, saves a lot of time and isn't a ton of scratch especially if you only load for 2 or 3 calibers. I'm a big fan of Lee dies, their .223 is IMHO the best out there. I load 6.5 Swede for accuracy and it makes no diff in results whether I use Lee or RCBS. Lee is way less expensive.
Great advice. Just picked up a wet tumbler last month after 15 years of dry. World of difference great results without the pins. To me they are more hassle than they are worth.
I bought a Lee Classic Loader for 45 Colt, rubber/plastic mallet, powder trickler, digital scale, chronograph, Lee powder dippers, digital mic, case lube, hand tools to prepare cases, and a kinetic bullet puller (incase I accidentally seat the bullet too far). I still want to get a funnel, and a hand primer tool. I have bought a 2nd edition Richard Lee reloading manual, and have down-loaded many reloading pdfs from the internet, but none have data on the Lehigh 220 grain Xtreme Defender solid copper bullet I wish to load. Even Lehigh Defense does not have load data on this round for 45 Colt. I already bought the bullets, yet still need to get the primers and powder. I figure I will start with Lehigh's 45 Colt load data on their 250 grain Xtreme Penetrator solid copper bullets, and blindly go from there. I will try and find a powder that will have a load density of 80 to 90% too. I will try and match the velocity of Underwood Ammo's 45 Colt 220 grain Lehigh Maximum Expansion solid copper round, and hope/pray that it keeps me within the 14000 pressure range. All-in-all, for this being my first load and no specific load data for it is a bit scary, but I am determined to do this. Yet I really really wish I had a way to determine pressures though.
I started reloading in '84, when I bought a .44mag Ruger. My entire reloading kit, fit in a shoebox, that I would take to work, and reload in my down time, as a firefighter. I've picked up quite a bit of equipment, over the years. I always espoused the idea that the government can't take your guns, due to the 2nd Amendment, but they can starve you for ammo. And you know what a rifle is called, with no ammo? An expensive club. 😄
Al Henning you are Spot On! I've been saying this for years! The 2nd amendment doesn't say anything about ammo. Comedian Chris Rock even had a routine about it years ago. He said, give 'em all the guns they want...just don't give 'em any bullets. Or make the bullets really expensive so if someone kills you it'll be like dang they must have really wanted you dead!
Then again, you'd be surprised to find that in many wars, battles and military actions, the side that lost a shooting engagement only did so because they ran out of bullets before the enemy ran out of bodies. Ironic that it was my old political science teacher who pointed that out.
I’m getting into reloading now. I have several friends that are starters and veterans who all say the same, it’s for learning more about shooting, improving accuracy and having fun. If one saves money, cool, but I certainly haven’t been looking to save Money 😂
This is a good video. It might be a little advanced for someone just beginning because it may be more technical than they need. I certainly agree brass preparation is important and I like to buy some factory ammo whenever I get the chance to add to the brass supply. Labeling and records are important.
I have reloaded for a long time, always saved money and more to shoot. I make my loads to what I want. It's 100 percent savings and trust worthy of ammo. I actually make my own equipment and tools that I need.
I totally agree on all of these topics... one addition.. when wet tumbling.. there is the additional step of case drying.. I personally use a meat dehydrator that can be purchased really cheaply and does a great job even for large batches.
@@jetskiwillywilly7970 I would think drying in the sun would be fine.. the risk I would worry about is the potential of reloading not completely dried cases. You might get spots, but residual moisture in the case could kill primers and powder loads.
My wet tumbler is a lifesaver. Instead of 8 hours in a dry tumbler as opposed to exactly 2 hours in the wet tumbler. Decap first and it cleans the flash hole and primer pocket. My 2 least fave chores. Also it cleans the inside of the case to new. I do the recycling for a large club and can take the absolute dirtiest stained brass and bring it back to new. My Browning xbolt 308 has never had factory ammo thru it.
#8 TRUTH!!! My non reloading friends never understand why I laugh and scoff at all of the progressive reloading videos. Just get a progressive they say. "If I were to reload, I wouldn't waste my time with a single stage!" Great video man.
I agree with most things on this list but it is definitely orientated towards the precision shooter. I guess the things I will add are 1. it will cause you to buy guns you liked but never got because ammo was expensive or unattainable. 2. if you don't find joy in working with your hands it will become a chore. 3. getting a bench set up at the right height for you whether sitting or standing makes a great deal of difference in how enjoyable the process is. 4. have way more brass storage than you think you need. you will want to have different loads in the same caliber. some for Training, competition or hunting, cheap plinking, and sometimes weird or fun, like bunny fart, black powder, bear load, or wax bullets for shooting in doors.
I dont reload but can see the strong benefit in some situations. Reloaders around me say that if you reload, dont stop; if you dont reload, dont start.
Thanks for the comment. I just hope that people can understand that not everything is for everyone. There are positives and negatives for everyone. I really like it but I am not so silly as to think everyone has to like the same things I do.
@@BoltActionReloading I agree and understand, and didnt mean anything negative or against you in my comment. If I could wave a magic wand, every gun owner would have reloading knowledge and ability, especially right now when there is not only shortage but laws that restrict ammo such as in CA. There are non-economic reasons to reload, such as reloaders not needing background checks with every purchase. I have been trying to figure out a way here, such as a few people sharing a system to reduce costs and possibly sharing the tasks too. Another non-economic reason to reload is to control the process to ensure uniformity, consistency and customization. You have a great message in the video and while it may seem reloading isnt for everyone, you know what, maybe it is, and you are a good person to learn from about how to start in something that ought to be fundamental to every owner.
I always thought the point of reloading is that I can shoot guns that I'd never ever find factory loads anywhere convenient or off the shelf anywhere. I've never failed to find a set of dies that I wanted to find.
That's good for highest velocity, but might not be cheapest. Cheapest,is lowest weight per round. but for precision, the more powder per round means that the inaccuracies will be less by percentage.
The biggest thing I had issues with was COAL and CBTO and that every different bullet has a different COAL if you use CBTO. If you just go with COAL and make ammo to fit the length of your mag as some suggest, some bullets will still be either way off the lands or you'll stuff the bullet into the barrel and run into HUGE pressure issues!!! Not fun finding out the hard way. Learn how to find the CBTO and understand that one bullet with a COAL of 2.95" might be .040 off the lands where another bullet with a COAL of say 2.72" could be the excact same CBTO as the 2.95" one. Just different bullets with either a forward or more rearward ogive.
You will actually save money if you shoot lots of pistol ammo. But you'll need to get into the 15K+ round count to break even. If you're a competitive pistol shooter you'll get there in a couple years.
You can save money by reloading if you buy in bulk and military surplus and pull down components. You just have to look around such places like firearms news and on the internet. Also seconds and blemishes. There are good deals out there if you do a little research.
1, it can be cheaper per round, but only if you dont count your owb time as labor. 2 on a single stage, with already tumbled brass, 9mm, took me about 20min to do a box of 50, so about 150 per hour. But that's using a powder thrower, not measuring each charge. That is about 100rnds per hour. 3 there are lots of ways to do things, and lots of optional steps depending on your goals and levels ocd. Follow the instructions in your manual, learn the processes, then learn to optimize for your needs 5. Personally i feel distance to the lands is is completely irrelevant, but i am going to stay off that rabbit trail today l. 6 chronographs are not required, but can be very helpful. 7 is on point. Test your load, dial it in, once your happy with it, then buy extra. 8, brass prep is a pain, especially with rifle cartridges. 9, wet tumblers are not for everyone or every use. They are tailored towards large volumes and yoi have to dry your brass. I have dry and wet. Dry is for small batches and removing case lube. Wet if for large batches that i need squeaky clean. 10, buying good brass is much more important when dealing with rifles and becomes even more important the more accuracy you want. With that said, starting out with rifles, just make sure they are all the same headstamp/brand and you will be ok. With pistol ammo i have found mixed headstamps to make almost no difference.
Yeah.. It took me years to finaly get a wet tumbler... I used a vibratory tumbler with all kinds of media.. Then I went with an ultra sonic cleaner... Yeah... Wet tumbler is the way to go... Tip: I wet tumble.. Rinse them really well. Then use a media separator to get out most of the pins. Put them in a brass dryer. Then the media separator again to get the rest of the pins out. That works for me.
Thanks for the comment John. I have had the best luck as long as the separator dips the cases in the watter as it spins its gets them all first try. I rarely get a pin through and I don't spin then for 30 seconds.
True that, you won’t save money by reloading, you will get to shoot more. The caveat to me is you won’t save money unless it’s a niche or expensive caliber. Even before the shortages 44 mag was 1$ a round on the best of days and a buck fifty in a brick and mortar store. My 45-70 was 1.30$ online and like 2-2.50$ in a store (if they even had it). If I can get primers for retail I can do a decent 44 mag with cast for like 35-40¢ and a 45-70 cast for something near 60¢. Sure I’m gonna shoot my savings away by shooting double the ammo each trip 🤣. But its still money saved in the long run.
Reloading saved me alot of cash because I loaded for shooting and teaching my family to shoot. Loading is slow if you want it right and safe. Read the book and Enjoy.
I wish I had known before I wasted over $100 on Hodgdon powder that they make some crappy powders and provide crappy support. Factory sealed new containers of Hodgdon powder went bad, outgassed, corroded and ate through the metal caps of their plastic canisters and even damaged reloading tools in my reloading bench drawers due to the corrosive vapors released. Meanwhile older, previously opened and partially used containers of competing manufacturers' powders were still just fine. I emailed Hodgdon about their defective and dangerous product and I was ignored.
If you start at max mag length you will probably be much more than 2 thousandths off the lands. I think thats good to know so people dont load a bunch of rounds thag can only be hand fed lol
Excellent video. I’ve been reloading for 4 months and learned all these things. The only exception is that I went from a vibrating tumbler to ultrasonic - convenient for small quantities (sorts by weight and times fired) that I need to keep separate.
My Hornady sonic cleaner sucks too much zinc or tin out of my brass! Shiny silver sludge! It takes waaaay too long to get the brass clean too. I have a Lyman Turbo 1200 and a Thumbler's rock tumbler and stainless media and use both a lot with much better and faster results.
How would you rate the accuracy of the Magnetospeed chronographs? Advertised accuracy is 99.9%. I shot 8 rounds (4 rds each out of two boxes) of Hornady 6.5PRC 143 ELDX and got a range of 2936 to 3021.
Thank you for the link I will check it out for sure. If somehow I gave you the impression that you should only be .020 off the lands. I thought I said it was a starting place. (It can end up the best) VLDs are very frequently an exception as they seem to either want to be into the lands or jumping a long way. This is mostly for guys that are new and are looking at the numbers listed in the book and loading to those dimensions.
@@BoltActionReloading oh no, you did not give me the impression that .20 off the lands, but you did say something to the effect that the closer to the lands, the more accurate.
@@p1choco If this link is to the Precision Rifle Blog - note that the tests did not indicate the single most consistent bullet jump but was in search of the bullet jump 'window' (range of bullet jump distances) that provided the most consistent results over time due to wear of the throat. It is an excellent article (as is typical of Cal's work) and includes research from several other shooters & researchers.
I've always said "it's normal to ask 10 people the same question and get 10 different answers, but only in telcom can you ask the same person the same question 10 different times and get 10 different answers!!!" 🤣
I also have to agree that case prep is the worst part, especially trimming. I can't go for high end trimmer. I don't get to shoot enough to cost justify it. I just bought a FA case trim and prep center. Hopefully it's more consistent than my other methods.
No joke Big Al, That was my selling point to my wife that I was going to save money, several thousands of dollars later and an entire section of the house dedicated to this hobby and i think shes on to me now, bless her heart.....load and shoot safe!
Well, good video, with that said, I have been reloading sence age 13, I cast bullets, different types, use both single and progressive presses, in addition to shotgun shells both smokeless and black powder, and love everything about reloading, I haven't bought factory shells for years, I bought one box of 45 long colt in cabelas in Anchorage for bear and it had 335 grain flatnose bullets, where the largest Lyman mold they make is 250 grain, that was 4 years ago, now when you say can't load them cheaper than you can buy them, I call out total bullshit, sure you can buy 9mm or 5.56, or 7.62 in steel case cheaper, but and I mean BUT try buying a box of 45/70, or 35 wheeling, 30 win mag I could go on and on $60.00 a box of 20, you are misleading people with that statement, also I have shells that are better than, shoot more accurate than, and are far more superior than factory loads, anyway as with all talk around the bench you make good points but I would give you a 80% have a nice day.
Look up Lee loader tabletop reloading system. Its 30.00 dollars and the ammo shoot just as well as a bench press and dies. 50 bucks will top off the tools you will need. FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS CAREFULY. When in doubt ask Midway USA for help.
Good video with the cost of defense ammo my goal is to match bullet weight and velocity so I can shoot /train with my handguns and get the same feel from the gun . Does this make sense?
Hi Allan. If its your reason its fine enough. I just hear to many people get hinged on that its all about cost. If your willing to put in the effort, its a great hobby. I just want people to understand that its not for everyone and that is OK. BAR
Bolt Action Reloading good advice for sure. I’ve been reloading for43 years so there were times that for quality bullets for Hunting . reloading was the way
I think your phrase "it's cheaper to buy" no longer applies with the scarcity of ammo now. I have been looking around for 9mm and 45 ACP and it's either $1.00 the round or nothing. Even gun shows seeing record attendance for people buying whatever they can find.
I happened to find 1K of brass 45ACP a couple weeks ago at brownells...then a nice fedex employee stole it...so even if you do find and pay for some pistol ammo, you might not get it.
I’ve been reloading for 10 years now and I know I spent a lot of extra money on buying neck sizing dies , when after learning how to set up your FL dies to your chamber to size correctly . I have found that even the loading manuals and the reloading kits you buy will miss inform you how to set up a sizing die . Advice listen to a mentor or someone who has done it . When you commit to this you will learn a lot as you go !
If my wife only knew how much money I'm not saving. Edit: 9 months later and ammo prices are through the roof or not even available. I retract my previous statement. 🙂
@@rebeccaswindall6657 Awww let em have his fun! Besides done right you most certainly can save money. Lots of money if he shoots a lot. It’s an investment to get started but if he shoots a lot and is wise with spending it will be worth it.
@@ThatPNWGuy2024 I don't think you're required to be licensed to sell reloads, I've seen them at a gun show. Just average joe selling a little below retail and giving another option for both common and hard to get calibers. There's also no insurance as far as I'm aware. Also note factory ammo isn't 100% safe either, one of my relatives bought an insanely expensive .22 and it was less than a year old and parts of it blew out the side after very little use, and it was about 8x more expensive than my .22 semi-auto which had about 30,000 rounds on it at the time and functioned flawless. and that's a .22 LR. I don't even know how you can blow one up, its a child's caliber great for teaching little kids safely without the recoil. He only used recommended ammo from the manufacturer and dare I say the only adult man I know that actually read and follows directions to the letter instead of tossing them into the trash, so I know he did everything by the book. Probably don't use reloads from random Joe's in your self defense guns but you can certainly practice with it.
I've been reloading for 25 years and never saved a dime. It's cost me thousands of dollars along with the new guns I've bought. But, I wouldn't trade the experience for anything. It's been fun, sometimes frustrating, and always educational. Reloading is a perfect hobby for guys who like to tinker.
@@twintwo1429 You are the exception to the rule. I agree if you shoot a ton it can save. I just do it for hobby I don't shoot enough to pay for it but I don't care either. I've never messed up 200 rounds though. Once you set it on a Dillon XL650 pretty hard to mess up 9mm. Right now I can make ammo that I cant find like 45 colt and some others that are sold out all the time.
I noticed that one of the side effects of being a reloader is that when you come across an old caliber classic rifle it becomes the most exciting thing until you achieve those nice grouping at the range but then with out any warning another weird caliber appears in the horizon and the saga kicks in once again.
@@philipm3173 it sits very nicely between a 22 rim fire magnum and a 223. It makes a nice little bark instead of a 223 crack. 9.6 gr of 2400, 45 gr bullet, 2600 fps. 670 ft lbs. Effective out to 250 yards or so for varmints. Not legal for deer in my state. It also works well with 55 gr cast bullets at 2000 fps. Casting such little bullets consistently has been an issue though😉
Especially if you learn to cast your own bullets. The .30-30 is very cast bullet friendly. A 190 grain gas checked bullet at 2000 fps or so, is good medicine for anything on the North American continent inside 150 yards and can be done for 30 cents a round even with today's prices. Powder, primers and gas checks are hard to find now, but they're around, it just takes patience and more money than it used to.
When reloaders say you aren't saving money they mean how much money is leaving your bank account...on a per round basis, yes, you save money...even on 9mm...but overall, what you are spending is more, because you end up shooting more as well. I've spent way more money overall since i started reloading than I did before...but i also shoot a lot more now...but yes, on a per cartridge basis it's cheaper...but that doesn't mean anything to the wife. ; )
After a while you just reload for reloading’s sake, lol. Been reloading since the late 70s been through the heartaches, mental breakdowns it invokes and darn near divorced a couple of times. Nowadays it is all for enjoyment, experimentation and proving others wrong. Generally now I use either used brass from factory loads or the worst brass I can find. Papuan brass especially, but high end brass is way too expensive for me to purchase so I use what I can get at the best cost. Getting too old & sore to chasing things through the bush so I now shoot for fun and educational purposes and cost wise, over the years, including all my addons, I think my pocket is better off. Had I sourced topend brass, I wouldn’t have saved anything. Thanks for the vid, enjoy watching them. Cheers from down under. 🇦🇺 👋👋👋
I'd refer you to his first statement. Everyone thinks they'll save money, but they hardly ever do, unless its to reload some really rare cartridge. if you can get the ammo for less than a buck a round for rifle cartridges, you probably wont save money.
I reload 38spl 125gr tc/fp hardcast cost me $5.50 a box versus $16.20 a factory box. 357 mag 125gr xtp hunting & self defense loads 50 rounds cost me $13.70, versus American gunner 20 rounds at $22.89. Also, 45colt 200gr hardcast rnfp cost me $6.90 versus on line best sale price purchase of $24.50. Simple math tells me in the last few years, and the years to come, I will save hundreds and more hundreds of dollars because I reload. Oh, and because my shell casings never fall to the ground, I have never cleaned my brass and never will clean my brass. In a carbide die the tarnish acts as a natural case lube= easy and smooth reloading.
@@ironbunny4121 "...if you can get the ammo for less than a buck a round for rifle cartridges, you probably won't save money." 2020: *Am I a joke to you?*
I reload so I can have ammo to shoot regardless of the supply situation at the time. This requires stocking up when things are plentiful. I'm in no danger of running out ammo for the 10 different calibers I shoot right now. Almost none of this is available at the sporting goods stores currently.
What a fantastic video! Clearly destined to high end precision reloaders, but the concepts are universal. Besides, everyone starts reloading .38 Spl and ends up in 6.5x47 🤣
In my experience reloading a lot of pistol and rifle ammo over a few years now, your advice is spot on. Most of what you covered here is the same advice I gave to a friend who's getting into reloading. Well done.
I just reload for plinking 9mm and .45ACP I find I do shoot way more often when I'm reloading a lot. I also like the fact that when I'm diligent with maintaining my on hand components that I will always have ammunition on hand in times like this crappy Covid 19 induced ammo shortage. Plus the time I spend reloading is just time I would be binge watching something stupid on TV anyway.
I have been loading for 40 years and the ten points presented hear are right on. Reloading is a great hobby but it’s not for everyone. You just have to like to work work with your hands and solving and executing tedious tasks. It sounds boring but it can be exciting. Have fun and be safe.
There are 2 steps I would tell a new reloader. 1) Get a book that describes the WHOLE process. Read it TWICE. 2) Find someone that already reloads to help you get started. Everything after that will be learning on your own or upgrading. My opinion.
Modern Reloading by Tichard Lee. Onlyproblem with that book is him pating himself on the back. Once you get past that it has some good information. A Facebook reloading group is not a bad idea either.Tons of reloading iformtion on the omputer as well.
I think you should remove rule number 1 because this is the excuse i use to my wife so i can buy all my gear and spend time in the shed drinking beer making bullets they find this out heaps of men will be in the shit other than that all good 👍
I consider myself fortunate. I learned back in the 1980s from my father in law who had been reloading from the 1959s. Also my shooting buddy who had 15 years reloading so I knew what I was getting into. I carried it beyond their teachings working for the most accurate ammo I can make. Primer hole uniformer, neck turner, gauge got measuring from shell to the distance the bullet sits to touch the lands. The most important thing I have learned is take your time. Don’t rush any step during the reloading process.
I would add 1) take notes consistently and organize them in such a way that you will be able to find what you did in the past. 2) never let anybody including yourself talk yourself into doing an extra step that does not give a measurable benefit for you. If your process gets cumbersome you will find excuses just not to do it.
new reloaders beware: some of the opinions in this (otherwise great) video apply ONLY for long range precision shooting. Do you need high quality brass for dynamic pistol or rifle shooting? No, absolutely not. Take whatever you'll find on the ground. Do you need to trim your brass for pistol? No, not at all. Do you need to trim for rifle, especially for plinking/training ammo for semi auto, like AR-15? Very rarely if ever. Can you save a lot of time and hassle on progressive? Yes, absolutely! Is there a way to process your brass, including trimming and swaging directly on press, on progressive, doing like 2000 cases per hour? Yes! But if you are really, really going for absolute total precision for bolt action, yes, it's time consuming, long and tedious process. So as is told in video - there are multiple ways to achieve results that will be great for you, there are ways how to save a lot of time and yet still get much lower price per round and do it quickly and efficiently. But there is one truth that applies regardless of reloading for precision or amount - you will ultimately not save money, but shoot more. Or shoot same but of much higher quality. Only case where you can save a LOT of money is really reloading for obsolete, no longer made calibers for historic rifles. Yep, there are companies making rounds for these rifles but those usually cost a TON of money. But this, 3rd reason for reloading is another matter that is art by itself.
Yes you DO need to trim pistol brass. 9mm, 45ACP, etc headspace on the case mouth. .38, .357, 45LC, etc crimp the case mouth. In both situations consistent case length is critical to accuracy and reliability.
@@36736fps nonsense. never did so on 9 mm and 45 ACP. I shoot competition and I know nobody trims pistol cases too. Simply wet tumble cases, throw them to casefeeder and reload 1200 per hour. Done. I also rarely trim .223 for training and plinking. Not needed. Both my chambers are 1.850" long (measured by sinclairs tool) so much longer than SAAMI 1.760" spec. It's simply loss of time, at least for pistol.
Jozo99 thank goodness you said it. I couldn’t begin to tabulate how much money I have saved. I load all my own pistol (no trimming) and 223 which saves me a LOT of money. I paid for the machine/accessories in the first year and been buying more guns with the savings ever since. This is no different than-look at my car, house, gun, workshop etc. you can spend a fortune buying top level brass, powder, primers & projectiles. But I choose to buy all those items cheap and get 95% of my brass of the ground. I clicked the video just to see what it was about and after a few minutes realized it’s just another hit counter.
@@nativeokieproud3630 Saved money? not yet. Only been reloading for a couple years (pistol). Ammo shortage? No problem here. But I want to get into reloading for rifle AND am having a problem finding powder locally.
It's not a totality. Pistol cases DO lengthen if you reload them numerous times. I have reloaded the same case 10-15 times before losing it at the range because I use a difficult to find round (even pre- covid). After about 8 reloads the casings can start to bind the mechanism and cause malfunctions in cycling rounds. A quick trim fixes this. I just have a "roll though" gauge made of scrap wood. If they don't roll through I trim. Anyhow, they do stretch and it will cause havoc on reliability if you don't watch that neck length. Atleast in my guns. 😉
Primers are even harder to find, loads of bullet designs are discontinued or pricier now. Finding ammo is a pain, but I worry that the costs saved by reloading at this point in time will get worse fast if primers don't become available any time soon.
@@dinstaar I just bought some small rifle primers today at Brownells. Not exactly the price I wanted to spend and the hazmat fee sucks...but you do what you gotta do.
@@dinstaar I thought about waiting as well, but as this craziness has gone on, i'm becoming more unsure of how long that wait will be. I don't recommend stockpiling at these prices but if you need some stuff, you gotta get it when you can....and I'm not even convinced when this stuff does come back that we'll ever see the $40 per 1000 for primers we saw before...as much as I hate the term...what is going to be the "new normal" price and even when is that going to be? I have no idea....
only reason i started reloading is because i can save money. Im making 9mm right now on a Lee loadmaster progressive press for $0.15/rnd. I buy the powder, primers, and bullets.
I was lucky & started reloading with my dad as a kid back in the 70's & 80's so knew about reloading when I started on my own after I got out of the army. I agree with pretty much everything he said. I would say you can get by fine without a wet tumbler, I've never used one, neither did my dad. Not that I am against wet tumbling, it's just not a MUST do it that way method of cleaning brass.
11C1P - I agree with you! Hav e been loading rifle and handgun loads for 20 years and have NEVER heard or read anything about the dust or use of water to clean shells. I use a shaker from Hornady and they get very clean with no dust when I empty it to separate the shells from the crushed nut shells into greeted spinner. Besides the over $400.00 for my progressive unit you have to buy individual shell plates for each caliber group. Then all the other parts to make everything work together. It does run into quite a bit of money. My big complaint is that periodically they come up with “improvements” that the engineers could have easily made the parts the “new” way from the beginning because it was an obvious fix. I have been saying for a long time it’s like planned obsolescence. And to buy the better replacements are not inexpensive. All of this is my own biased opinion on how it appears to me.
I've been reloading for 55 years. I'm even an NRA certified instructor for reloading both metallic cartridges and shotshells. You hit the nail right on the head for the ten things someone should know before they start reloading! Good job!
