post some pics of your reloading benches and what calibers/equipment you use. I'm new to reloading the last 3 years, but now load 25acp, 380acp, 9mm MAK, 9mm, 40S&W, .45acp, 38sp & .357mag in pistols. In rifle, 223, 300AAC, 30-30, 7.62x39, 7.62x54R and 12ga slugs and buckshot. I haven't tried any shot loads yet. I will probably add 308 to the list here soon. My uncle died and the family told me to get all his stuff out, they thought gun powder was explosive and wanted it gone.. I got a couple OLD cardboard cans of bullseye (hercules made, not alliant) Blue dot and red dot along with a lee 12ga shotgun press. No regular press, no dies, no scales, no nothing but a 357 hand primer. not sure how he reloaded as I never knew he did. I'm guessing his buddies did and he learned. I sorta went OCD and bought up some books and traded for a press and some gear. I use a lee turret. I run it in auto advance for pistol rounds and run it in manual mode for rifle rounds. I use the lee pro powder dispenser for pistol rounds and a hornady powder dispenser for the rifle rounds. all my brass prep is done in the garage, then moved to storage bins and marked at various stages, primed, resized, etc. how about a repurposed cutting board for a 25acp shell holder? Since no one makes a 25acp shell holder... lol how about a turret holder made from a recipe box? my bullet and shell storage is an old safe from the 1900-1910's.. I don't have a chronograph yet, but I test all my loads before making a bunch...
Mine always is, it gets overflow from other parts of the shop. I have been reloading 20+ years. I reload 12 and 20, 38, 9mm, 40s&w, 45acp, 44mag, 223, 25 06 and 308. Components used to be so easy and cheap. Now when I see a bottle of Varget in a photo I start to salivate since I use it for both 223 and 308.
That was cool, everything in pics that was posted. I am in the very early stages of reloading. Right now it's a matter of collecting the pieces of the puzzle before I build a bench and a place to keep all this stuff. I go to the local gun shows and poke around with some of the used equipment and see some reloading supplies but I'm so green that I don't have one load under my belt yet. Since money is tight (at least through xmas) I won't be doing any of this until I get into January. Tips and advice would be welcome
I'm not really a fan of varget for 223. I bought up a ton of powders for different loads, and mainly because that's what I could find. I really like imr4895 for 223 in 55gr loads, just a pain to measure accurately. Cfe223 is a really good powder as well, and my new favorite as it meters so well. Only seen one pound of it in the last few years. I bought some bCl-2 but haven't developed any loads for it yet. I use, or should I say like to use W231 for 9mm/380 and bullseye for 45acp and 38's. I picked of some CFEpistol and tried it out in some 9mm plinking loads, it measures extremely well and has been much easier to find than 231 or H-38. For heavy hitting 357 loads I like H110 (or win 296). That's also a powder for 300AAC blackout. 300blk is a unique caliber to load for as it is a cut down 223 case with a 308 projectile. powders and load data are slim and none. I was just getting into the 300blk/357 stage when the panic hit, and I literally spent every day after work hitting up stores to find components. i'd buy a can here and there and haven't stepped foot into a fun shop in quite a while. Was loading up some plinking 223 rounds the other day with CFE223 and thought, why not make a thread. I'm sure there are others that do the same. Some are private about it and that is cool, but being that I learned 100% on my own with no teaching or mentor, I'd gladly give advice along the way to people new to the hobby. That's a whole 'nother thread.. My first powdwr was imr4895 in an old metal rectangle can from my uncle. Had a price tag of 10.99 from 1986.. It all shot just fine. I'll post a pic of the old cans later. farmer, if you'd pay the haz mat fee, I'd send the target down to ya, but it doesn't make it cost effective at all. I have a lot of powders I tried for a few loads and didn't really care for the results, but Varget is a decent powder in some other calibers, like 25-06, 22-250, other super velocity rounds. 223 is middle of the road and doesn't need a super hot powder to work well.
I haven't loaded but a handful of light weight bullets. I have some 52 grain Berger sitting there that need to be tested when I get time.
I use a lot of lightweight stuff for varmints around here. Where I"m at, I don't have access to safely shoot long yardage shots until I build a range on my neighbors 50+ acres. I want to get into some 4-600 yard stuff. I also don't have any bolt guns that aren't a mosin or .17hmr...lol
The load I was talking about for my bolt gun is a for a 55 grain Nosler ballistic tip out of a 1 in 12 twist barrel.
Try that load in a semi auto, 1/9, 1/8, or 1/7 loose 5.56 chamber or 223 wylde... it doesn't work so well... that's the beauty of loading your own. you can taylor rounds to your specific barrel/chamber to get the best results. I get .5" five shot groups out of my 24" 1/8 223 wylde chambered AR with 55grain Vmax and imr4895, using same components, same seating depth. same OAL with varget, its .9-1.2" five shot groups. with that barrel, factory loaded ammo produces 1.2-1.4" groups. cfe223 gets about .6-.7 groups. I have not tried H335 or BCL-2 yet. now in my other guns, 1/7 and 1/8, 65, 68 and 69gr loads like Varget. going up to 77grain, Varget isn't accurate for me. Different powders, for different loads.
Pleasant surprise, my gunsmith stopped in and sold me 160 rounds of PPU .308 145 gr. FMJ he got as part of a gun deal for $50.
WOW.. nice deal...I haven;t got into 308 yet, but I've been pricing ammo and components...PPU makes good brass, (so far in 5.56, 7.62x39, 7.62x54)
Actually the same load shoots about 1 MOA in my home built PSA lower PTAC upper 1 in 7 twist 16" barrel. Honestly though I was extremely surprised. And it didn't shoot that well till my gunsmith got a hold of the gun and stoned the trigger and dropped a spring kit in it. I find that more than acceptable from a $560 AR.
Much better looking than Lake City brass. Hardly any scratches or any dings that I see and much cleaner.
My best trigger is a jewel adjustable. first stage is set at 1.5lbs, 2nd at 2.5, any lighter and its too light. I've used some stoning and springs on other AR's, and have a Geisselle in my other. I got the jewel used for 75bucks at a gun show and it is hands down my favorite.
yes, and it will be much cleaner after you shoot it too (at least in 5.56, 7.62x39 and 54) for factory ammo. Its good stuff. the brass is high quality.
