How long to make 50 rounds?
- Thread starter Prof Young
- Start date
Taking out the time to clean the brass, or starting with new brass...
9mm on the 650XL takes 4 minutes to load 50 rounds. About the same for other straight wall pistol cases.
.223/6.5CM/308 on the 650XL takes 6 minutes to load 50 rounds.
Hunting rifle calibers, Precision Match loads takes 12 minutes to load 50 rounds on the Redding T7.
9mm on the 650XL takes 4 minutes to load 50 rounds. About the same for other straight wall pistol cases.
.223/6.5CM/308 on the 650XL takes 6 minutes to load 50 rounds.
Hunting rifle calibers, Precision Match loads takes 12 minutes to load 50 rounds on the Redding T7.
Speed is not the best metric. Safe and accurate is, however one gets there. I've loaded 1.1M rounds to date, all of it safe and accurate. On average, I need to load 100 rounds a day to keep up. I loaded 15K in December to refill my common load bins.
I agree with others about safety/accuracy trumping speed. With that being said, if it took me 2 minutes a round to load 9mm it wouldn't be worth my time. Time does count for something.
For pistol my case prep is throwing them in the tumbler to clean, then taking them out and shaking all media out. I then load In a Lee Classic Turret. I do ALWAYS check powder in the case before seating a bullet (learned my lesson there many years ago), and i'm usually not in the mood to maintain a factory production pace. Even then, about 130-150 rounds an hour or so is achievable without trying to "go fast."
I also cast and powder coat, so technically I should count that time as well. For casting I'll set aside a couple of days in mid winter (right about now actually) and cast everything I think I'll need for the next year. Usually a couple thousand of 9mm, 1k or so of .45, about 500 of .38/.357 (these days I need to up that I shoot much more and had to recast a couple of times last year), and a few hundred each .44 and .36 lead balls for black powder. I don't cast rifle bullets (boollits) but I want to start for .303 brit and some .309 projectiles thrown in.
For .223 I have loose tolerance. A lot of my .223 shooting is gunfighter training (I'm a cop and LE firearms instructor) at 50 in. No crazy 1/3rd moa accuracy needed. I do want my ammo to be capable of 1" groups at 100 though, so I do spend enough time to easily be more accurate than the overwhelming vast majority of factory ammo. I don't always trim, though I do always confirm that the case is under SAAMI max length.
For any bolt rifle, even my WW2 milsurp collection with original iron sights, i go whole hog. Cases are weighed and sorted, trimmed to the same length, I check for runout, measure powder +/- .1 grain, everything. Ironically, the chambers and throats are so generous in the vast majority of my bolt rifles that it is quite likely my excess care in reloading is time wasted. But it makes me feel good... and part of that time is to size the case to the particular rifle chamber (at least length wise).
For pistol my case prep is throwing them in the tumbler to clean, then taking them out and shaking all media out. I then load In a Lee Classic Turret. I do ALWAYS check powder in the case before seating a bullet (learned my lesson there many years ago), and i'm usually not in the mood to maintain a factory production pace. Even then, about 130-150 rounds an hour or so is achievable without trying to "go fast."
I also cast and powder coat, so technically I should count that time as well. For casting I'll set aside a couple of days in mid winter (right about now actually) and cast everything I think I'll need for the next year. Usually a couple thousand of 9mm, 1k or so of .45, about 500 of .38/.357 (these days I need to up that I shoot much more and had to recast a couple of times last year), and a few hundred each .44 and .36 lead balls for black powder. I don't cast rifle bullets (boollits) but I want to start for .303 brit and some .309 projectiles thrown in.
For .223 I have loose tolerance. A lot of my .223 shooting is gunfighter training (I'm a cop and LE firearms instructor) at 50 in. No crazy 1/3rd moa accuracy needed. I do want my ammo to be capable of 1" groups at 100 though, so I do spend enough time to easily be more accurate than the overwhelming vast majority of factory ammo. I don't always trim, though I do always confirm that the case is under SAAMI max length.
For any bolt rifle, even my WW2 milsurp collection with original iron sights, i go whole hog. Cases are weighed and sorted, trimmed to the same length, I check for runout, measure powder +/- .1 grain, everything. Ironically, the chambers and throats are so generous in the vast majority of my bolt rifles that it is quite likely my excess care in reloading is time wasted. But it makes me feel good... and part of that time is to size the case to the particular rifle chamber (at least length wise).
Depends on the caliber and on whether or not I have a helper. Per 44 AMP's point, for a gun I have few cases for, I might have to start counting when I am at the range because I have to shoot to get some brass to reload. Sounds ridiculous until you consider getting excited to try a new bullet mold and having none of the obscure brass in a new or fired state needed to make the test.
On the other hand, for 45 Auto, for which I have several thousand new cases and a caliber-dedicated Dillon Square Deal on the bench with primers and powder and bullets often already in place from the day before, and with a bullet placing and powder checking assistant borrowed from another part of the household, the first fifty might come down the chute in under four minutes. But if you are a forensic reloading accountant and want to count opening boxes of primers and getting primer tubes filled, count my time and the helper's time additively when I have one, the time spent refilling the powder hopper, periodic machine cleaning, time to perform load change setup, time spent case cleaning when I don't use new brass, time spent ordering components, or worse, taking the time to cast my own bullets, and the time spent researching and working up a load before I can load it, well then you are into a lot more total time invested.
On the other hand, for 45 Auto, for which I have several thousand new cases and a caliber-dedicated Dillon Square Deal on the bench with primers and powder and bullets often already in place from the day before, and with a bullet placing and powder checking assistant borrowed from another part of the household, the first fifty might come down the chute in under four minutes. But if you are a forensic reloading accountant and want to count opening boxes of primers and getting primer tubes filled, count my time and the helper's time additively when I have one, the time spent refilling the powder hopper, periodic machine cleaning, time to perform load change setup, time spent case cleaning when I don't use new brass, time spent ordering components, or worse, taking the time to cast my own bullets, and the time spent researching and working up a load before I can load it, well then you are into a lot more total time invested.
Amen!
About 15 minutes if the Dillon 550B is set up for the caliber & primer size. 99% of the time, I don't use the full 4-station capability of the press. Instead, I size & deprime then index the case to the powder drop die, then index that same case to the seating die while sizing and decapping/repriming another case. The re-index to the crimping die, while dropping the powder charge in the next case.
This allows me to keep a close eye on the powder drop and priming stages. I effect, I'm using every other station, and getting ~50 rounds loaded in 15 minutes.
Best regards, Rod
This allows me to keep a close eye on the powder drop and priming stages. I effect, I'm using every other station, and getting ~50 rounds loaded in 15 minutes.
Best regards, Rod
Before I retired, I did everything I had to do in the 182 hours a week that I needed in the 168 that I had. But God made retirement for a reason. Now I have 168 hours to do whatever I want, and I sit and wonder how I previously did it. So I load 50 rounds and I quit at 3PM and have a Scotch, and I now always put off today what I can do tomorrow.
wachtelhund1
New member
I do my case prep separate and start loading with primed cases. When I load rifle rounds, I weigh each charge, first dropped from Lyman 55 powder measure and then weighed with a Sagortiours jewlers scale. Then fill cases and seat bullet. I take my time.
Pistol is another subject. I use an old Ponsness Warren P-200 press with Lee Auto-disk measure. With this 9mm, 380, 38s, .25-20 and 45 colt takes about 25 - 30 minutes for 50 rounds. Again, I'm taking my time checking each case before seating the bullets.
Pistol is another subject. I use an old Ponsness Warren P-200 press with Lee Auto-disk measure. With this 9mm, 380, 38s, .25-20 and 45 colt takes about 25 - 30 minutes for 50 rounds. Again, I'm taking my time checking each case before seating the bullets.
Great question but you need to specify if its rifle or pistol. You need to specify if it's for match grade reloading or target or hunting purposes! The time will vary greatly if you are using a single station press or a progressive press and even if you are loading with new or used brass!
I ave no idea just how long it takes me to load a batch of bullets. 
Frankly, I really don't care. Handgun ammo is usually done in fairly large batches while rifle not so much. Rifle might be 100 rounds to sometimes 500 or more. Handgun ammo is usually in batches of 1,000 or more. Last run of .38 Spl. wadcutters was 1,800 rounds IIRC, it took a bit over a week from start to finish with me more or less taking my time.
To be honest, it takes a lot more time casting, lubing and sizing the bullets to load than anything else and for the wadcutters I use two four cavity molds.
I handload strictly for my own pure pleasure.
Paul B.
Frankly, I really don't care. Handgun ammo is usually done in fairly large batches while rifle not so much. Rifle might be 100 rounds to sometimes 500 or more. Handgun ammo is usually in batches of 1,000 or more. Last run of .38 Spl. wadcutters was 1,800 rounds IIRC, it took a bit over a week from start to finish with me more or less taking my time.To be honest, it takes a lot more time casting, lubing and sizing the bullets to load than anything else and for the wadcutters I use two four cavity molds.
I handload strictly for my own pure pleasure.
Paul B.
Crankylove
New member
I do case prep separate.
Once back from shooting. Everything gets tumbled, then separated by caliber. Then decapped/sized, trimmed, and expanded if necessary. Then it’s put on the shelf.
When I’m ready to actually load, I grab my already prepped brass and go to town on the single stage.
Usually do 50 pistol (.22 Hornet and .223 also fall into this group) rounds, or 20 high powered rifle per batch. Haven’t timed it, am in no rush to get it done, would guess loading a batch is probably 45-60 minutes.
Once back from shooting. Everything gets tumbled, then separated by caliber. Then decapped/sized, trimmed, and expanded if necessary. Then it’s put on the shelf.
When I’m ready to actually load, I grab my already prepped brass and go to town on the single stage.
Usually do 50 pistol (.22 Hornet and .223 also fall into this group) rounds, or 20 high powered rifle per batch. Haven’t timed it, am in no rush to get it done, would guess loading a batch is probably 45-60 minutes.
Aguila Blanca
Staff
Your idea of "non-rushed" is significantly different from mine.Prof Young said:
Although I own two progressive presses, I still do most of my reloading on a Lee Turret Press, with auto-indexing enabled. This means once a round is started, it advances automatically to the next position. I also start with pre-primed (off press) cases, and I have a Lee AutoDisk powder measure on the press. Other than pulling the handle four times, the only manual intervention is putting the bullet in position before the seating operation, after resizing and charging.
The press is a 4-station operation, so one round requires four pulls on the handle. 50 rounds in 18 minutes works out 2.78 round per minute, or one round in 21.6 seconds. That's one pull of the handle every 5.4 seconds, for an hour straight -- and within that you have to place each new case into the press and then place each bullet for the seating step.
I can't work that fast, and certainly not safely.