To reload or not to reload

Semi automatic and single shot handguns, revolvers and other pistols

To reload or not to reload

Post by Tubs » 25 Apr 2019, 11:00 pm

Hey All,

First post:) I come off my PPL in the coming month or two. Have been plinking away with a Ruger MK3 Hunter and a Walther PPQ M2 22.

Interested in getting into centrefire (9mm) and have put a deposit down on a Grand power X Calibur.

The cost of 9mm Luger (lead nose) seems to be in the range of 50-60c per shot. Have been tossing up whether to get into reloading but it makes sense if I am make ammo at half the price.

Have seen the Lee Progressive pretty cheap, either that or the Lee Turret.

Any suggestions for a centre fire newbie? lll be doing mainly service pistol matches.

Cheers
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Re: To reload or not to reload

Post by Gun nut. » 27 Apr 2019, 5:45 pm

Hi, reloading and how much you want to spend on a press and all the other reloading gear really depends on how much you shoot.
I reload .357 mag for my revolvers and .223, .308 for my rifles. i have not got a 9mm at the moment but if I did I probably wouldn't bother reloading for that too. I would buy quality 9mm ammo in bulk when it's on special at leading gun shops. But I know plenty of pistol shooters that do reload 9mm. I started off just reloading on a Lee single stage press which was ok but slow. I now have a Dillon 550B and a Lee turret. The Dillon is my favourite of the two but the Lee turret is no slouch either. You just have to take into consideration the up front costs of the reloading equipment ,how much spare time you have and how much you shoot. Hope this helps, cheers.
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Re: To reload or not to reload

Post by AZZA'S HJ47 » 27 Apr 2019, 8:42 pm

X2 probably wouldn't bother with 9mm i reload for rifle calibres 222 223 243 303 308 7.62 x 54r and 45-70 large savings to be had there. Pistols in particular ammo is so cheap i havents seen much point in reloading it time vs cost little gain to be had.
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Re: To reload or not to reload

Post by Stix » 27 Apr 2019, 9:18 pm

Dont do it...& get off this site quick smart...too many bad influences here...all devils in disguise...the lot of em...dont do it...save yourself...DONT EVER RELOAD...!!!!!
The man who knows everything, doesnt really know everything...he's just stopped learning...
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Re: To reload or not to reload

Post by Stix » 27 Apr 2019, 9:23 pm

The bible man...even the bible tells it...!!

All that ayolah about the apple, snake & stuff--thats not about dirty sheila's & porn...its about reloading man...!!

Read the signs...!!

(Go...get out now)
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Re: To reload or not to reload

Post by mickb » 27 Apr 2019, 10:10 pm

I reload using the lee hand press, slow and takes a little muscle(you squeeze the handles together to move the ram). But it weighs less than 1kg and enables me to do load development at the bench.
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Re: To reload or not to reload

Post by cracker » 27 Apr 2019, 10:48 pm

depends how much shooting your going to do.
ppu stuff is cheap and dirty... and okay from what i gather
100% you could load stuff better yourself
it really comes down to cost imo.

for me 9mm no i just use factory, 45acp my mate loads for me
32acp a mate loads for me aswell because its expensive as
7.62x54r i load for a mate, 30-30 i load because i enjoy it.. not really cheaper, same as .303.
44-40 i load way cheaper, 375holland and holland i love and shoot alot of.. so good saving.
458 lott very expensive nearly $300 for 20 shots, i load everything.

shotgun i use factory because im lazy and it cost me a fortune shooting 00 buck slugs and 3" magnums

i use a single stage lee press.
its basic
its slow
it works because i look see and handle everything 4-5 times.
is it useful for high volume pistol shooting - no
would i use a progress dillon press... hmm not seen how they run and the time effort and money involved... prob not
just buy the ammo.
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Re: To reload or not to reload

Post by axio » 27 Apr 2019, 10:57 pm

Get a Dillon XL650 progressive press or bulk buy 9mm (most major shops will have some deal if you ask them)

The Dillon is money well spent but if on a budget you can bulk buy in the meantime and save up the brass.
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Re: To reload or not to reload

Post by junjun » 28 Apr 2019, 12:23 am

I shoot IPSC. I can easily shoot 1000 a month. Thinking to join another club allows me 247 access and shoot on my own. When that happens I will be shooting up to 1000 a week. It costs me about 20 cents reload. Compare to 50 cents factory. Reload is $200 weekly, factory is $500 weekly. The saving is there. Another factor to consider is more IPSC shooter reload because we can have less power factor compare to factory, means less recoil, more control.
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Re: To reload or not to reload

Post by wanneroo » 28 Apr 2019, 12:59 am

Nice thing about reloading is that you can get started cheap with a simple press and a few tools. I think regardless of the cost savings or not, it's a good idea to become somewhat self sufficient and be able to make your own ammunition. Even with 9mm, I have a closed bolt blowback semi auto Suomi and Uzi which require some oomph to cycle the action reliably. A lot of store bought ammo is a little weak so I make my own with 124g Speer bullets and Power Pistol powder. Those guns run reliably now with no hitches thanks to using my own ammo.

I wasn't sure at first if I would like reloading or not so I started with a $30 Lee Hand Press and a set of Lee 9mm dies. Also bought Lee's cheap $20 powder measure, a $20 Hornady scale, some calipers and a few other things. Once I learned what I was doing I upgraded to a RCBS bench mounted single stage and once I really knew what I was doing now added a Hornady progressive, which I just got going the other day once I worked out the kinks. So as you go through time and especially if you are loading to volume like I do, you can gradually upgrade to more expensive, more automated gear.

9mm is dirt cheap these days, adjusted for inflation it's probably never been cheaper. Here in the USA, steel cased is as low as $6.50 a box and $8.00 a box for brass. So not much to be gained on savings for me. But where you will really save is some other calibers like 357 Magnum or rifle cartridges like 300 Blackout.

I know some might have a different opinion on this, but I tend to steer newbie reloaders away from progressive presses. You really need to learn reloading one step at a time. Every progressive press regardless of brand has it's foibles(look up troubleshooting videos on Youtube as an example and the many hacks people figure out to get them to run right) and for a newbie rookie there is too much going on and too much to get dialed in right without any experience. Even a turret press for a newbie is a waste of time. Focus on one stage at a time. Say if you have 100 9mm cases, get your resizing die set up and then bang, bang, bang, resize one case after another. Then set up the expanding die. Then prime cases. Then drop powder and seat the bullet. Then crimp. Then check in a case gauge for quality control. It allows your brain to focus on one thing at a time.
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Re: To reload or not to reload

Post by wanneroo » 28 Apr 2019, 1:10 am

cracker wrote:i use a single stage lee press.
its basic
its slow
it works because i look see and handle everything 4-5 times.
is it useful for high volume pistol shooting - no
would i use a progress dillon press... hmm not seen how they run and the time effort and money involved... prob not
just buy the ammo.


I found using a single stage I could resize or expand or crimp about 600 pistol cases an hour. Dropping powder and seating a bullet is a little more time intensive. I also hand prime.

I reuse clear plastic containers that snacks come in for holding brass in various stages of production. Back in 2017 I did a lot of about 4000 9mm on a single stage over two months. For instance I'd set up the resizing die and when I had time would spend an hour knocking out about 600 cases or so and then dump them in one of those plastic containers and mark it with a sticker "9mm resized, ready for expanding". Once all 4000 cases got resized over a week or two, then I set up the expanding die and repeated the process. Did the same thing down the line until all ammo was complete. It can be done.
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Re: To reload or not to reload

Post by bullzeye » 28 Apr 2019, 8:06 am

It depends how much you shoot.

I usually do 1 competition shoot per month. Maybe a random non-comp shoot here and there.

For me, I prefer just to buy factory ammo. You can get a good deal on 9mm if you look around (close to 40c a round or better)

I don’t want to mess around with making ammo at home.

If you are shooting every week, and shooting a lot then I imagine it becomes more economical.

It also seems like a time consuming process and not something I’d want to spend my spare time on.
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Re: To reload or not to reload

Post by Blr243 » 28 Apr 2019, 12:45 pm

Other than the usual reasons to reload , When u don’t reload you are discarding a valuable resource ( brass)
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Re: To reload or not to reload

Post by goat » 02 May 2019, 7:59 pm

I reload 9mm using a Dillon 650. Ends up costing me about 20 cents a round and i like that i can customize the round to my requirements. The Dillon is a freaking awesomely engineered bit of gear and i enjoy the process.

I had never reloaded before and had no problem going straight to a progressive press. I'm in no rush though and check every round for powder and inspect every case before i load it. Ive seen videos of guys cranking out 7-800 rounds an hour , I'm nowhere near that probably more like 200 an hour which is fine for me.

Cost me about 1100 with dies so the payback period is about 3500 rounds. Buy once cry once i reackon.
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Re: To reload or not to reload

Post by gunnnie » 04 May 2019, 1:04 pm

As a few have already said, if reloading to save money, you won't for the more common cartridges - 223, 308 9mm etc. The saving comes in for the more unusual cartridges.
Reloading , to my way of thinking, is more about tailoring rounds to suit the peculiarities of my rifles & what I'm using them for.

On top if that is the need to reload for certain cartridges that ammo is either not commercially available for or too damn expensive - 25-20 for example at $176/50!!!!

Plus, I really enjoy reloading. I find it relaxing and it allows me to enjoy even more aspects of my leisure interest.
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Re: To reload or not to reload

Post by Florey55 » 16 Jun 2019, 9:34 am

You must reload - I currently reload 16 for different calibres - most of them pistol.

I have worked out that I can reload any pistol calibre for about $6 for 50 rounds.

I have 4 presses - 2 x Hornady LNL progressives, Lee Loadmaster ( fastest press on the block ) and a Lee Classic Cast turret press.

The one that I use the most is the Lee Classic Cast press with Lee Auto-Disk powder measure.
With this set-up, you can change calibres in 10 seconds, including new powder measure setting and primer size.

Get this as s starter.
Later on, get a progressive, but you will always have a use for the Lee Classic Cast - you can do about 100- 150 rounds an hour easily
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Re: To reload or not to reload

Post by FNQ » 18 Jun 2019, 9:03 pm

I have toyed with the idea of reloading but for me it’s the time.

My hourly rate doesn’t justify reloading.

People will tell you reloads are more accurate... really? 9mm isn’t a surgeons knife!

Others will say reloads are better then factory reliability... how many reloaders have you seen have hung firers due primers or some other reason it didn’t go bang. Been years since I’ve had a factory round not go BANG.

How many rounds do reloaders burn / waste “working up a load?”

Buy bulk and spend your time shooting not reloading is my personal opinion.
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Re: To reload or not to reload

Post by wanneroo » 19 Jun 2019, 12:39 am

FNQ wrote:I have toyed with the idea of reloading but for me it’s the time.

My hourly rate doesn’t justify reloading.

People will tell you reloads are more accurate... really? 9mm isn’t a surgeons knife!

Others will say reloads are better then factory reliability... how many reloaders have you seen have hung firers due primers or some other reason it didn’t go bang. Been years since I’ve had a factory round not go BANG.

How many rounds do reloaders burn / waste “working up a load?”

Buy bulk and spend your time shooting not reloading is my personal opinion.


I like my 9mm reloads better than most factory ammo. I can use the powder, primer and bullets I want to get what I want out of it. I have various 9mm loads I use and right now I'm in the middle of a production run of 124g 9mm.

My reloads have proven more reliable than factory ammo. I've had a few squibs and plenty of malfunctions with a variety of factory 9mm.

I don't find "working up a load" to be an onerous task, however I do have the advantage of having my own range so I load up a few, drive up the mountain in the RTV, shoot them and adjust the load if I need to. For most common calibers out there like 308 and 9mm, there is tons of previous load development done so it's really not all that hard to dial a load in. Every major bullet manufacturer has load data for that particular bullet so that can be used as a starting point and if you want to delve deeper there is always the internet.

I shoot plenty of factory ammo as well to keep the brass supply up as brass gets lost in the grass or dirt or wears out. I can appreciate if people just want to buy in bulk but I like to be self sufficient and be able to make my own stuff.
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Re: To reload or not to reload

Post by TassieTiger » 19 Jun 2019, 3:03 am

Not many ppl have access to their own range within minutes.

So therefore - reloading is probably not impeding on any real shooting time. It’s done when it can be done or when the need for some cathartic time alone in the shed.

Working up a load to work in a particular firearm, is a personal excuse to do more shooting and you know - that once you have that load developed - your worst reload will be better (more consistent) than the best factory ammo.


And tbh I enjoy having the control of the process - if I shoot an animal, it is definitely more personal if you utilise a “roll your own”. I’m very glad I started reloading - it can get a bit deep, but it doesn’t have too...that’s a choice as well.
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Re: To reload or not to reload

Post by mickb » 19 Jun 2019, 10:31 am

I need to reload to get the options I want. Loaded ammo choice sucks compared to the US, as does costs of every everything in backwards-ripoffville, I mean North QLD :D
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Re: To reload or not to reload

Post by wanneroo » 19 Jun 2019, 2:48 pm

TassieTiger wrote:Not many ppl have access to their own range within minutes.

So therefore - reloading is probably not impeding on any real shooting time. It’s done when it can be done or when the need for some cathartic time alone in the shed.

Working up a load to work in a particular firearm, is a personal excuse to do more shooting and you know - that once you have that load developed - your worst reload will be better (more consistent) than the best factory ammo.


And tbh I enjoy having the control of the process - if I shoot an animal, it is definitely more personal if you utilise a “roll your own”. I’m very glad I started reloading - it can get a bit deep, but it doesn’t have too...that’s a choice as well.


Reloading is great for days when the weather is crap. I'm usually not reloading when the weather is good.
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Re: To reload or not to reload

Post by TassieTiger » 19 Jun 2019, 3:40 pm

Correct - no one would say for sure but you build up some stock...for rainy days lol
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Re: To reload or not to reload

Post by FNQ » 19 Jun 2019, 6:38 pm

Now that’s interesting..

I was part of a discussion at the rifle club last week & it was about reloading when it’s raining (wet season) the general agreement was don’t due to humidity in FNQ and could upset the powder.
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Re: To reload or not to reload

Post by Kelsey Cooter » 20 Jun 2019, 6:59 am

FNQ wrote:Now that’s interesting..

I was part of a discussion at the rifle club last week & it was about reloading when it’s raining (wet season) the general agreement was don’t due to humidity in FNQ and could upset the powder.


It makes sense to me that the humidity could make a difference, so I just load pistol cartridges when the weather is bad
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Re: To reload or not to reload

Post by Kelsey Cooter » 20 Jun 2019, 7:08 am

I think the main reason to get into reloading is if your a hands on, do it yourself sort of person. I've only gotten into it in the last 3 years but in that 3 years I've pretty much become obsessed with it. I started so I could load 80gr projectiles for my wifes ruger precision 223. Now I'm loading 3 rifle calibers and 6 pistol calibers all on my single stage press
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Re: To reload or not to reload

Post by Sergeant Hartman » 20 Jun 2019, 8:27 am

Are the muscles on one of your arm slightly more developed than the other?

I am right handed and usually use my left hand... cuz of that reason
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Re: To reload or not to reload

Post by wanneroo » 20 Jun 2019, 9:39 am

FNQ wrote:Now that’s interesting..

I was part of a discussion at the rifle club last week & it was about reloading when it’s raining (wet season) the general agreement was don’t due to humidity in FNQ and could upset the powder.


My powder goes from sealed container to sealed hopper then gets dropped one at a time, bullet is immediately seated. Never had an issue living in a humid environment. I load in a non climate controlled "barn" that does have insulation now, heat I can turn on in the winter to raise the indoor temp above freezing and now has a dehumidfier I installed to keep humidity down when I am not there(water runs out via a tube to the outside), temperatures can range from -35C to 40C outside. But yes a lot of time I am loading with the barn door open, rain outside or humidity is high.

I think yes if you let powder sit around in the elements it's probably not good which is why I do not and would not humid or not humid.
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Re: To reload or not to reload

Post by mickb » 20 Jun 2019, 7:19 pm

wanneroo wrote:
FNQ wrote:Now that’s interesting..

I was part of a discussion at the rifle club last week & it was about reloading when it’s raining (wet season) the general agreement was don’t due to humidity in FNQ and could upset the powder.


My powder goes from sealed container to sealed hopper then gets dropped one at a time, bullet is immediately seated. Never had an issue living in a humid environment. I load in a non climate controlled "barn" that does have insulation now, heat I can turn on in the winter to raise the indoor temp above freezing and now has a dehumidfier I installed to keep humidity down when I am not there(water runs out via a tube to the outside), temperatures can range from -35C to 40C outside. But yes a lot of time I am loading with the barn door open, rain outside or humidity is high.

I think yes if you let powder sit around in the elements it's probably not good which is why I do not and would not humid or not humid.


If FNQ is in the same region of FNQ as me, you probably don't have the same humidity we do. :D
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Re: To reload or not to reload

Post by vmaxaust » 22 Jun 2019, 8:25 pm

Buy bulk and spend your time shooting not reloading is my personal opinion.[/quote]


This is good advice for the very casual shooter. If you shoot lots or intend to, you may decide to rethink your decision. I use at least 200-300 9mm rounds a week.

I have one Hornady progressive press set up for 9mm with case feeder and bullet feeder. Even taking my time I load at least 500 rounds an hour including loading powder drop and setting drop weight, although I deprime on a custom machine set up to deprime cases. I then clean cases and size them in readiness for loading. So basically my 9mm press fits primer, flares case, drops powder, drops bullet, seats bullet, taper crimps. Each step on a separate station and the process is very, very fast and precise.

The real advantage is doing different loads for different guns, for different applications and even for individual shooters. Basically you can zero in on what works best for you, your gun and the different types of competitions you may do.

But as he said, if all you want to do is shoot and not all that often, just buy the factory ammo and send me your empty cases.

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Re: To reload or not to reload

Post by Sergeant Hartman » 22 Jun 2019, 10:55 pm

What's a good powder thrower that ppl recommend. My Lee it's generally plus minus 0.2gr...my OCD doesn't like that and I wanna look at options
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