Thinking of reloading...243 questions

ARQueen,
As long as you keep your loads at reasonable levels you should be able to get more than 20 loads from each piece of brass - barring weapon problems. The count might be less with an auto-loader because the brass is worked more. Pick up a couple hundred primers for each pistol and rifle you will reload for and half as many magnum primers for the rifles and any magnum cartridges. If you buy minimums then plan on going to get more each time you are going to reload a batch.
I buy primers when the price is good - I buy Winchester and CCI because they have always provided good ignition and aided in good groups. What works on your gun may be different but once you find out then buy them like you might not be able to the next time. Every time they go on sale get another 1000 (one brick) of whatever you have the least of. Once you find which powders work for you buy eight pound kegs. If you order three or up to six kegs you only pay one hazmat fee. When you buy locally the fee is stll charged but it is spread over the entire box of powders so you only pay a portion of it.
 
Reloading is not about saving money.
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Maybe for you. If I had paid factory ammo price for all the reloads I've put through my guns..... I'd have no money for more guns, at the very least.

I get that you can make better ammo for a particular gun than the factory can possible make - they have to make ammo that works in any gun for that cartridge. But that doesn't mean that you can't make great ammo at a significant savings..... AND you can make ammo that is not available on store shelves: Ever seen 90gr HP 270WIN ammo on a store shelf? Unlikely. How about 90gr HP 270WIN reduced recoil? That's a tiny niche that no ammo company would ever bother tooling up for, but if one wanted to shoot 300 rounds of .270WIN at prairie dogs in a day, that's what I'd do it with.... and I can.

I appreciate the suggestion on the reloading set and note it isn't a Budget Lee rig.
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I started with a Lee kit .....still use much of it.
 
Reloading does get you significant savings, and that fact does allow you to shoot more. My Rem 700 in .223 likes Hornady 75 gr. BTHP Match ammo. I can buy it at Cabela's locally at $19/box for 20 rounds.

My pet load I've developed for that rifle (using OCW testing) that shoots even better than the factory Hornady load costs me ~ $16 per 50 rounds, vs. $50 for 50 rounds of the factory Hornady. A substantial savings! And I have a pet round that shoots really well from that particular rifle.

As an aside, although I reload my handgun ammo on a progressive press, I reload my rifle ammo (.223 and 45-70) on a Lee Classic Cast and am perfectly happy with it. I do buy my AR and AK blasting ammo by the case and wouldn't spend the time to reload those. Good luck!
 
Rather than create a new thread, I thought I would bump this one given some new information.

My AR purchase has been a dud and it is currently sitting somewhere on the desk of Savage Arms Gunsmiths thanks to spraying a pattern that best resembles my 12-gauge with buckshot at 25 years. No amount of tweaking (55gr, 62gr FMJ, scope, irons, bench rest, other shooters, cleaning bore, scope mount check, etc) would make it even remotely respectable and by respectable i'm not talking sub-MOA, no, this thing was blasting away at closer to 10 MOA. It was absurd.

So the temptation of those T/C Compass rifles selling for well under $300 (with the rebate) is tugging at my heartstrings again. There are some nice packages of the remington 783 and the mossberg patriot that are also appealing if more expensive.

True, the AR might come back and perform like it should and be a 1 to 2 MOA gun with good ammo off the bench, but I am skeptical about Savage for some reason given the same gun also had the hammer spring installed backwards. I half expect them to say well, see, with 75 grain match ammo it shoots 2 MOA so you're good to go!

Anyway, the pull of an accurate but affordable bolt action gun is stronger now. They sell that Compass rifle in 6.5 Creed, .243, .270., .223, and a few 30 caliber varieties. My only consideration would be the .223, .243, ,and the 6.5.

One thing is I live in a small space/apartment and it is temporary given the nature of my work which involves moving around. Oftentimes I see hand loaders, whether it is a single stage, progressive, or other press, mounted on a real bench or work table.

Is there any setup that would allow me to avoid that? Or am I in a situation where I'd have to more or less mimic a bench or jury rig something? I can't really fathom having a true work bench (nice as they are) in my situation which might mean foregoing this.
 
There are true hand tools that are a hand press.

I have never used one so I can't say how good they work, but its a possibility.

You still need table room. Might be ok as a fill in. Load up in advance and you can avoid that?


ARQueen,
As long as you keep your loads at reasonable levels you should be able to get more than 20 loads from each piece of brass
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The way to avoid brass going South gets into semi advanced.

Minimum shoulder bump back stops the break at the base. FC will break at 8 or 10 (and sometimes even with minimum )

Neck splits will occur out there someplace, brass is gone or you need to anneal and that is advanced (doing it right and the quality control, torching a case and calling it annealing anyone can do.
 
ARQueen,
I have plans for an easy to build reloading station that can move with you like any other piece of furniture. I cam up with the plans after having to leave two very well built (built-in) reloading benches when moving to new homes. These have been built and tested by folks that live in apartments and very small homes. My brother has one set up in the 12 x 20 A-frame we built in the mountains in North eastern Washington.
 

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Here is the Bill of Materials for the bench:

You are free to use and let other folks use the plans as long as you don't charge for them.
I still use two of these in my current home as they are just right for loading batches up to 300 at a time.The picture was sent to me by someone who built one for his apartment. He set it up in his bedroom which was the only private spot he had.
 

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I save a little bit of money reloading, but after 40 years, it has become a matter of pride to make everything I shoot.

Also, you can get creative about where you get your brass (range pickup, trading, etc) and as the panic buying is easing more stores are stocking powder so you escape the shipping and hazmat fees.

And there is also the benefit of being able to craft a load that doesn't exist in the commercial marketplace but is perfect for your needs.
 
Never could ship to AK. We suffered severely.

Now I keep enough powder on hand to last 3 years.

I buy in 5 and 8 lb jugs.
 
ShootistPRS said:
Here is the Bill of Materials for the bench:

You are free to use and let other folks use the plans as long as you don't charge for them.
I still use two of these in my current home as they are just right for loading batches up to 300 at a time.The picture was sent to me by someone who built one for his apartment. He set it up in his bedroom which was the only private spot he had.
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That is a nice looking small table. I would question how sturdy it is though. Does the table move around when your resizing? I have a home made table and it wasn't sturdy enough to suit me so I got l metal and bolted the front legs to the floor in the back I screwed the top to studs in the wall. But I do have to much stuff. One of these days I'm gonna get the hole in the floor in the back bedroom fixed, throw out the carpet and make it my reloading room. Enough room in there.
 
Wanted to bump this thread rather than start a new one with a few things that came to mind.

I'm close to pulling the trigger, so to speak, on the rifle. I haven't yet because I'm displaced due to the hurricane.

I've decided to dumb this all the way down and keep my costs and commitment low. So a lee classic loader is what I'll opt for along with a deburring/chamfering tool, calipers, and a scale. I'll solely be reloading for whatever prospective bolt gun I get (no reloading for the AR for now). If I like reloading then I can invest in a hand or even single stage press (thank a for the table plans).

It struck me that rather than buying brand new brass I could simply buy some decent factory ammo, keep a few rounds as a model for length, and then shoot the rest, and use the now once-shot brass as my initial reloading stock. Is this a good idea? It's certainly cheaper than buying fresh brass from what I can tell.

I also noted that some have commented on successfully used a lee classic loader for 7 mm while others said 243 would be a poor choice for neck sizing. Is there a consensus? I really want to minimize my start up costs for reloading. Also while i like the ballistics and recoil of the round I'm not married to the 243 (shorter barrel life, more expensive factory ammo) so I'd be open to others like the 204, 6.5 creed....I'd consider others like the 308 and 30-06 but I suspect I'd find them to hard on my shoulder even with a muzzle brake.
 
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There are places that offer once fire brass, usually cleaned up, not de-primed.

I know others will disagree but I have reloaded a whole lot of RP and it does well. Its not Lapua but good solid stuff. If I get a good load with RP, Lapua will shoot it a tad better.

Range brass if fine as well. Check the primers, you can tell if its factory or reload.

Seldom will a freeloader let his brass go, he will dump it in a bucket if it snot good.

FC is the worst for longevity but you can reload it 8 times and pitch it too. Fine for practice.

PPU is very good brass. My co favorite with RP and a lot less.

I prefer Lapua but its expensive so I use it when I have a known good load and want to get the very best out of it .

243 will eat up a barrel, how long it lasts dependent on how much you shoot.

Shoot it hard at max and under 1000 rounds. Take it easy and you can get upwards of 2500 to 4k.

6.5 Creed a lot better. 308 you can get 8000 rounds out of.

Advantage of a Savage is that when the barrel is gone, there are huge number of pre fits by all sort of makers in any profile you want.

You can change yourself with $150 on tools or you can have a gun smith do it, charge will be far less than any other barrel on any other gun.
 
As for the approach its a good way to go.

I started with a single state press (we don't talk abut the Lee beat your shells into shape thing) . I still use the single stage press for bullet adjustment at the range.

If you have room you can set up severl presses and each does a different job.

If I can figure it out I will set up one just for the Lyman type M die for the neck expander

I would go with an electronic scale. They are accurate and have some benefits.

Their biggest issue is they drift. But if you watch the scale when the pan is off, it should show a negative pan weight. Once you know the pan weight (measure positive). then you just re-zero it.

I have 4 now, one I carry to the range to help fort out bullets if I have a question. Is it a 175 Sierra or a 185 Jug?

Lyman makes a pretty nice one tht has a built on powder truckler.

Hand deburr works fine, it will be a bit before your cases grow to need trimming (see Gerard Tri Timmer when the time comes).

A decent on plastic micrometer is huge help. Fowler used to be a good low cost one.
 
First off ... welcome ro the world of reloading your own ammo.
There is a wealth of good information here.
Second... read everything you can before you dive in. Knowladge is key in reloading.

Also save your money and buy good equipment even if it means you have to buy a little at a time. Believe me you will be much happier in the long run.

Get good reloading manuals. Email powder manufactors they will send you up to date reloading info for free.

There is no substitute for safe reloading. Work up your loads slowly. Find the right powder and load for your gun of choice. It will pay dividens in the long run

Enjoy... you are going to love it
 
The only way that you can produce handloaded for a common round at a significant savings, savings that would matter for only a few hundred rounds a year is to steal the components. Buying powder online with a $25 hazmat fee blows any savings right up front.

Loading 7mm weatherby? That might be worth it.

Handload anyway.
 
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