It gets away from you...

I have not started reloading yet because I still need to build a bench for my reloader, but I already have dies in 9mm, .380acp, .223, .243, .270, and 7.62X54R. I would have built the bench but I have had health problems and have not been able to shoot.
 
Just the other day I almost bought a 243 because I had a set of dies and some cases that a friend had given me. There's just something wrong with that logic, or is there?
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The only thing I see wrong with your logic is that you didn't go ahead and buy the 243. I have one and will be glad to take those dies and cases off your hands...so far I've only loaded for pistol, but 243 is where I plan to start for rifle.
 
30 different calibers, wow, hard to imagine the amount of space that the components must take up. I'm happy at six, all handgun calibers. That takes up enough of my time and space.
 
I started reloading a few years ago when i noticed 7mm RM was going for over $1.50 per shot. Since then, i've added .45 acp and i am thinking about picking up 30-30, .357 Mag and 9mm. Once you have the basic setup paid for, minor things like a die set are really easy to justify.
 
.22 Hornet
.221 Fireball
.222 Rem
.223 Rem (5.56mm)
.22-250 Rem
.243 Win
6mm Rem
.25-06
6.5x55mm Swede
7mm Rem Mag
.30-30
.30-40 Krag
.300 Savage
.308 Win
.30-06
.300 Win Mag
7.62x54R
7.7mm Arisaka
.303 British
7.92x57mm (8mm Mauser)
.350 Rem Mag
.375 H&H Mag
.45-70
.458 Win Mag

.32 ACP (7,65mm Browning)
9mm Luger (9x19mm)
.38 Special
.357 Magnum
.357 AMP
.44 Special
.44 Magnum
.44 AMP
.45 ACP
.45 Colt
.45 Win Mag

I make that 35, but please double check, I get lost counting that high! ;)

I started in the early 70s, when premium rifle bullets were close to $.06 each, primers were less than $1 per hundred, and powder was, IIRC around $8 lb. Sounds cheap, but a new station wagon was $2700, gas was $0.39 gal, and you were making a living wage if you made $300 a month, and a lot of folks got by on much less.
 
I started in 1988 and I don't know how much powder & primers and such were priced everywhere, but I do know what I paid for them at my local gun store:

CCI-500 small pistol, $9/1,000
Hercules Bullseye or Green Dot, one pound, $12-something

IIRC, I paid $6 or $7 per hundred for Speer 158gr swaged lead SWC slugs that I loaded for .38 Special. They came in the yellow flip top plastic boxes with the black labeling.

And I bought rimfire when it was on sale for $9.99/brick of 500 (10 boxes of 50)
This was typically Federal Lightning (dark blue box w/lightning bolt) or Winchester Wildcat.

I -THINK- (and I may be mistaken?) but I think I was paying around $9 or $10 for a 25-lb bag of #9 shot for skeet loads.

I only dabble in rifle, but I run very w-i-d-e range of handgun chamberings.
.30 Carbine (I only have a B'Hawk, so this is handgun to me)
.327 Federal
9mm
.380
.38 Super
.38 Special
.357 Mag
.40 S&W
10mm Auto
.41 Mag
.45 Auto
.45 Colt
.460 Rowland
.460 S&W Mag
.500 S&W Mag

That's 15, all from handguns. I could attempt to shoehorn .223 in here, since I load it for a Contender, but I also have a bolt gun, so that's "cheating" :p:D

In rifle, I have successfully made ammo in .223, .22-250, .243, .25-06, 7mm Rem Mag, .308 Win, .30-06 Sprg, .300 Win Mag and 8x57. I may be rolling a few .308 Norma Mag here soon, but these are not things I do with much regularity.
 
By 'caliber'....
.22
.24
.27
.30
.32
.35
.44

The list is short, but some calibers have as many as 7 cartridges within that category.
And... some cartridges have quite a few dies on my shelves.
A couple examples:
.327 Federal (and compatible lesser cartridges) - at least 9 dies
.223 Rem/5.56x45mm - 8 dies (but several are extras that need to be sold)
.243 Win / 6mm wildcat - 6 dies

And that's before you even get to the bullet casting and sizing equipment. For .30/.32 caliber bullets, alone, I have 7 sizing dies - from .308" to .316" (make it, if the .311" ever shows back up).
In .44 caliber, I only have two firearms. Yet, I have 6 bullet sizing dies for the caliber - from .427" to .433".

I'm the one that bought all of the stuff, but, some days, if I sit back and look at all of the different options and combinations I can put together for a single cartridge, it can be a little intimidating. :rolleyes:
 
Aren't you the nutbar who was handloading .22 WMR?!
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The late Gale McMillan related once on the old usenet newsgroup rec.guns how he experimented reloading the .22 rimfire.

IIRC, Google has all of usenet archived online.
I tried searching the archives once for something, but, it's so massive it's nearly impossible.
 
I reload everything I have (well everything but rim fire, never thought I'd have to clarify that) only about 10 different calibers pretty evenly split between rifle and handgun. It's easily as enjoyable as shooting.
 
OK, I have to ask...

How in the heck did you reload rimfire rounds???? I am not a science guy, so the compound mixture alone is a mystery to me, but I have also never seen (for what I thought were obvious reasons) dies for rimfire calibers. And I assume you casted your own bullets? My mind is spinning...
 
Believe it or not - this isn't the first time it's come up about reloading .22 rimfire.

As I mentioned above, Gale McMillan wrote about it on rec.guns years and years ago.

Google has an archive of the rec.guns usenet newsgroup under the Google groups that supposedly goes back to the beginning of that newsgroup.

I tried to filter a search - but - the sheer size of the thing makes that next to impossible.
Gale was also a very active and very prolific poster to that group for years - which makes it that much harder to sort through things.

Sadly, Gale passed away, what, a dozen years ago? & isn't around anymore to answer what he did.
He was a member here for a short time prior to his passing - but - as good as his posts here are, I don't recall anything about his experiments with the rimfire.

Feel free to search the rec.guns archives if you want more info.
Even if you don't find it - just reading Gale's posts is extremely worthwhile.

Gale was - IMHO - one of the last of the "hell, I've been there!: crowd.
 
How in the heck did you reload rimfire rounds????
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I wasn't reloading fired hulls. I was simply pulling down factory loads, adjusting (or replacing) the powder charge, and seating my bullet of choice on top of the new powder charge.
That's why Sevens and I refer to it as "hand loading" rather than "reloading".

There were some interesting experiments. To this day, I believe I may be the only person that has fired 53 gr Barnes TSX FBs out of a .22 WMR; and one of only a handful of people to fire 55 gr FMJs at over 1,500 fps in .22 WMR. (Doesn't sound like much, but it's a hot load for the cartridge.)
 
There were some interesting experiments. To this day, I believe I may be the only person that has fired 53 gr Barnes TSX FBs out of a .22 WMR; and one of only a handful of people to fire 55 gr FMJs at over 1,500 fps in .22 WMR. (Doesn't sound like much, but it's a hot load for the cartridge.)
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The test firing was..............interesting.

Load up ammo and guns, drive to middle of desert.
Find nice Juniper with hillside behind it.
Tie rifle to tree.
Tie 550 cord to trigger, roll out 50' or so.
Load rifle with single round.
Hide behind trees, rocks, berms etcetera.
Pull on 550 cord until rifle fires.
Inspect rife and brass.
Repeat as needed.
 
How in the heck did you reload rimfire rounds???? I am not a science guy, so the compound mixture alone is a mystery to me, but I have also never seen (for what I thought were obvious reasons) dies for rimfire calibers. And I assume you casted your own bullets? My mind is spinning...
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Check out this thread:

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?185091-Reloading-rimfire-cartridges

I was looking for something else and stumbled on the above discussion.
Cool stuff!

I'd never try it myself though.
 
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