Reloading is becoming more popular?

[Deleted]

Not sure about this but it must be because of the huge number of components that are in short supply. Some are not even available for backorder. I stopped in at Keystone Country store in Fort Loudon yesterday. I managed to pick up a box of Hornady Interbond 130 grain .277 bullets. It was the last of that type they had and their stock is really down. They do have a decent supply of most gunpowder (no IMR 4350 though) and a whole lot of primers, all types. One of the guys told me they don't know when some of the stuff will be coming in. Their stock of rifles is also down a bit below normal.

[Muab Dib]

Called Keystone the other day Muttley and was very disappointed in what I was told. Yep, they have primers but one of the reasons they have them is because they're price gouging. I called them up the other day and sure enough they had Remington 7 1/2 primers....at $7.00 per hundred and $70.00 per brick. I don't mind them jacking the price up a bit in these times, nor do I not understand that folks will pay more and are willing to do so, but those are auction prices in the midst of a panic and they 're doing themselves a disservice in my eyes.

Muab

[Deleted]

I didn't price them, Muab. I just saw a lot of bricks of them on the shelves. I guess that is how one deals with shortages? Price them out of the range of most folks so the shortage disappears?

[Deleted]

I do have an adequate supply of Rifle primers for now; plenty of Remington 9 1/2 M (magnum) and only a few hundred of the CCI 200 standard large rifle primers.. What I have in surplus amounts that I will probably not need for a long time is Pistol primers; both magnum and standard. If you need a few hundred of these or even a full brick of Large pistol primers I can help. Drop me a pm and I will give you a phone number. We can talk. Price would be a good bit less than $7.00 per hundred. ;D

[Muab Dib]

Thanks for the kind offer Muttley but I'm well stocked on everything except my R-P 7 1/2 small rifle primers. I have enough to hold me over until the panic buying fades away and prices come back to reality. I guess I'll just be patient. Thanks again.

Oh, and if anyone needs some CCI Large Rifle Magnum Primers I saw two bricks at the Chambersburg Walmart a week ago; price at the time was $35.00 per brick if I remember right. They were in the glass cabinet above the rifles.

Muab

[Deleted]

It soon doesn't pay me to reload .270 and .30-06. The only reason I still am is because I haven't had to buy brass yet.

[bghunter]

I bought .270's =130 and 150 core-lokt so cheap I did stop loading them. Since I use them for huntin only they have lasted some time. I do load for fun .277 bullets in my .270 110gr.HP and have some 150gr. RN Hornady, try to find them??? Since my .270 is strickly a huntin rifle bullets last some time. Most of my loadin is of the .224 and .264 dia. bullets. I enjoy reloadin to much and try not to think about the money part LOL....later

[davetm]

Reloading doesn't save me money.....it just let's me shoot a whole bunch more with the same dollars I'd spend buying factory!!!

[bushmaster]

I'm just getting into reloading. I bought a Circuit Judge this year that shoots 45 long colts very accurately at 100 yards. I'm trying to work up a hunting load for next season (100 yards and in on the shots by the way)

I purchased some 240 grain JHP bullets and a lb. of w231 powder.

The charts say I'll be around 800 fps and limit my pressures to under 10,000psi.

Do any of you have any experience loading 45 long colt and if so , would you have any advice to offer me on the subject.

Thanks

[dougell]

Depending on the caliber,it definately pays to reload.I haven't bought a box of factory loads in about 20 years.Last summer I bought my kid a .243 and picked up a cheap box of federals for $24.I couldn't believe it.Other than brass and bullets,I had everything else I needed and loaded him a few hundred rounds rounds for a lot less than the $360 that many rounds of factory ammo would have cost me.

I used to shoot mostly browning a-bolts so I bought one in .223 just to use mainly for practice.Every winter I reload about 1000 .223 rounds and spend the warmer months just plinking with it offhand.You used to be able to buy .223 rounds fairly cheap but you can still reload them much cheaper.Reloading is just part of my ritual that gives me one more element of control.

[dougell]

Jan 28, 2013 16:27:35 GMT -5 bushmaster said:

I'm just getting into reloading. I bought a Circuit Judge this year that shoots 45 long colts very accurately at 100 yards. I'm trying to work up a hunting load for next season (100 yards and in on the shots by the way)

I purchased some 240 grain JHP bullets and a lb. of w231 powder.

The charts say I'll be around 800 fps and limit my pressures to under 10,000psi.

Do any of you have any experience loading 45 long colt and if so , would you have any advice to offer me on the subject.

Thanks

Double check that box of bullets..I believe 45 cal should be 250gr and the .44 cal are 240gr.I could be wrong however.

In any event,a good stiff load of H110 with a .250gr xtp should be deadly on whitetails.I've killed a dew deer with both the .250 gr .45 and .240gr .44 cal out of muzzleloaders and they were very effective.If you're going after anything bigger,a good hard cast is the way to go.H110 is an excellent powder for anything in the .41mag to .45 long colt.Personally that's what I would have started with but w231 will work.

[bushmaster]

It's a 45 for sure. They make them from130 grain up to over 300 grain. I'm going to stay away from the stiff loads, the rifle I have can't handle them. Plus I'm a rookie at this stuff.
Thanks for your input.

[dougell]

Gotcha.I didn't read that it was a circuit judge the first time.Some mild plinking loads would be a good and fun way to get some experience.I thought you were talking about Hornady XTP's and then went back and read JHP.My bad.

[bushmaster]

I am talkiing about Hornaday Jacketed Hollow Points, and It won't be mild plunking. LOL

Thanks

[bghunter]

Maybe I mislead alittle. When I bought my .270's they were $10.99 a box. I shoot a couple around Oct. and the rest have went on game. I've got a part of 130gr. and 1 box of 150gr. left. At todays prices I got a good deal. I have the brass still so take that price out of the equation. Todays prices for componentsis are a bit crazy and feel bad for those just startin out. Here's my thing I take my time loadin cause I try hard for load avarage speeds. I'll listen to a talk radio station, and do my thing. Sometimes my wife yells to me Who you talkin to for I 'll talk to the radio a bit. When I see the price of powder, primers, I have a hard time, for I bought primers for .99 cents a box, and powder $399.00 for H4831. bushmaster we were all rookies at one time, and just a little common sense you will enjoy reloadin for many years.....later

[Deleted]

I don't know if I'm loony or what but a quick inventory shows I have 100 rounds of .270 and around 200 rounds of .30-06 on hand and I still feel like I need to get some bullets and powder and start loading.

[bushmaster]

I can't wait to get started re-loading. I ordered a RCBS Rock Chucker re-loading kit that's going to be delivered on the 30th. I'm exciited to say the least.

I'll start constructing my re-loading bench this weekend. I'll post a few pics when I'm up and running.

[dougell]

Be careful.The Obama administration is gonna have you under watch because now your on the lunatic fringe,manufacturing your own ammunition.

[dennyf]

Been reloading since the late 70s, although I started on a buddy's outfit and finally got my own RCBS around 1981 or 82.

Since we did lots of woodchuck hunting in the 70s, 80s and 90s, I burned up lots of ammo. Mostly 22-250 and a bit less 25-06, which I also used for deer hunting.

I've tapered off quite a bit since my bud died in 2001 and don't load near the quantity of ammo these days. On the other hand, I ain't gonna run out, either?

[bushmaster]

Well I reloaded about 30 rounds of 45 Long Colt today. I took them to my club to shoot this afternoon and my buddy Otis inspected them for me. I made a few rookie mistakes. I didn't size the entire case and my crimping was questionable. The rounds where safe to shoot but they where all over the place. The one thing I did do right for sure was charge the cases. I'll be able to correct both of these issues though and it should improve my acurracey. I really enjoyed doing it and can't wait to get back to the bench.

[dennyf]

Another thing that's fairly critical for pistol cartridges and even rifle cartridges that are crimped, is to trim the case lengths uniformly.

That way once the crimping die is set properly, all the cases will crimp uniformly. Especially ilmportant for bullets with a cannelure "groove" to accept the crimped case mouth.

Loading is fun. Kind of.

[Dutch]

Man, I used to trim my .220 Arrow brass a lot. Once I rechambered it for 220 Swift, and decided I didn't need to have max loads to be the "big man on campus", I had less trimming to do.

[dennyf]

Got over that "Hottest/Fastest" thing fairly early in the game, with the 22-250. Started off with 50gr Hornadys and 53gr Sierra match bullets and a hot load of IMR 3031.

Eventually went to IMR 4064, 55gr Btips and a milder load. No loss in accuracy, brass life was very good.

For example, the same batch of Federal brass I started with (bought 5 boxes of factory loads along with the rifle), lasted through quite a few loading cycles. Somewhere in the teens, IIRC?

One of the guys I often hunted woodchucks with, shot the hottest loads he could make, in his 220 Swifts and used to bang on me about shooting "wuss" loads in my 22-250. He'd get about three or four reloads and start having brass problems.

Used to tell him after I'd thumped a piggy, that it apparently hadn't noticed if my bullet was going a mere 3700 FPS, rather than the 3900 FPS his were going.

Got in the habit of neck sizing (half way) most of my loads for the 22-250 and 25-06 years ago. Less working of the brass, than FL resizing every loading cycle. As a rule with those two cartridges, would bump the shoulder back a whisker (FL resize) about every fifth cycle and trim the cases on the same schedule.

Never saw much point in using up brass about every half dozen times a case was reloaded, by loading them to their hottest potential. Also saves a bit of throat erosion in the barrel, I would expect?

Unlike my bud who loaded his Swifts to the max years ago and later went on to build dozens of heavy varminters in assorted wildcat chamberings, some of which were barrel-burners of the first order.

He used to say "They're making barrels every day at Lilja, Douglass and Hart".

[bushmaster]

I just finished a batch of 45 colts, 6.9 grains of W231, behind a 240 grain JHP. I corrected my sizing and crimping problems on these ones they look alot nicer and chamber much better. Hopefully they will fly better than my first attempt.

I'm going to load some 255 grain lead next, as the bullets are much cheaper. I figure in about 10 years I'll have this reloading thing just about mastered.

[bushmaster]

Here's a pic of my new set up!