When did reloading become such a work out?

G

Geezerbiker

New member
Years ago I could have an ammo reloading session that lasted all day and I was fine. Since I still don't have my Dillon press set up, I used a single stage press to size up a little over 6 1/2 pounds on 9mm brass that I had squirreled away all cleaned and shiny.

By the time I got done my biceps were sore and I was thinking I'm going to hurt tomorrow. Well today my biceps are fine but my shoulder is killing me. Well at least I can still load ammo. I'm going to prime and load some of those later this week when the pain subsides...

I have about this much more that could use a trip through the tumbler before loading. I'll probably save that for the Dillon, it has much better leverage...

Tony
 
I have a 12 year old daughter that loves to come down and pull the handle to resize, throw powder, and seat bullets. I have a photo of her dropping a tray of hot PC bullets into a bucket. I don't keep her around long though because Mom would complain. She just turned 12 and for her birthday she wants to go to the range saying, "I remember you leaving me in the car.. since I'm old enough I want to shoot".
 
Why not just setup the Dillon? It'll basically take the same amount to size the all the cases as it would to complete all the loaded rounds.
 
My one thought, and Archimedes would probably agree, get a longer lever. Not sure about your press, but my Lee I bet I could make a handle as long as I wanted in about 5 minutes

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I have a couple reasons for not getting my Dillon RL550 set up. They may not be good reasons but they're all I got. ;) Since I'm planning to remodel that part of my house, I didn't want to build any permanent reloading benches so I put a new and thicker top on my reloading stand.

My reloading stand was an old kitchen table that the top mounted on a center square post. I tossed the table top and put on an 18" square top. I've had it for a long time and it served me well though my years living in an apartment. It now has a 3" thick 24" square top but I haven't gotten around to varnishing it yet so I can mount a press on it. I have a couple old RCBS JR presses and one of them is on a riser. I like the idea of having 2 presses side by side and I just might buy another riser...

I have an old steel sewing machine table that came with my house. I didn't toss it because it looked sturdy. However the top was thin and flimsy looking so I mounted an 18x32" and 3" thick laminated top on it but it's too short and I need to lengthen the legs. The plan is to get a riser for the Dillon and mount it on one end and my MEC shotgun loader on the ether end. I really need to wrap up these 2 projects...

So at this very moment all I have to work with is an old Lee hand press. I figured these are little 9mm cases and I have carbide RCBS dies, so how hard could it be? The first couple hundred weren't too bad. The last couple hundred hurt.

Anyway right now I only have one box of 9mm bullets and I haven't yet bought more tool heads for the Dillon. I'll work up a load for these 90g Hornady hollow points I have and if I can ever get more, I'll hopefully be able to load them with the Dillon press.

Tony
 
Good grief...I'd have that Dillon up and running this evening if it were I. I loaded 3k 9mm last year in just under 3 hrs on my 650...that single stage stuff is for people that don't shoot a lot.
 
I've got over 2K of 223/556 brass to process over the winter, all with a single stage LEE press. Gives me something to do on those cold & gray winter days when a trip to the range is not on the schedule.

Gotta be tuff to be a "senior citizen", no whining allowed. Ouches,damn that hurts are if said with authority. ;/
 
that single stage stuff is for people that don't shoot a lot.
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Actually we shoot to hit something downrange, ... not burn through ammo like I see with most of the semi-auto crowd :D . A session at the range may go 200 rounds sometimes less.

My single stage keeps up just fine.
 
I have 3 presses - one lee classic turret, one lee single stage and a walnut hill swage press for making custom projectiles. I tend to make one box of shells at a time and then take a break. Part of this is to wrap the box of shells and label it with the load and material information. I 3D print my own ammo trays and use thin cardboard to make a sleeve for them. I never reuse a sleeve. I print my own trays for .40 S&W because I want them to fit sideways in a standard ammo can for easy tight storage. I make my own packaging sleeve so that my stuff is never mistaken for factory and my load data is guaranteed right for what's in that box. Sorry - got in the tall weeds there. My point is, stopping to wrap each set of 50 gives me a natural break away from the press, thus avoiding repetitive motion injuries. Its seriously rare is I do more than 3 boxes in any one session.
 
The simple answer is work in SMALLER batches.

My brain still thinks I can do what I did at 25, my body 40 years later makes it point to tell me otherwise! :rolleyes:
 
I tend to make one box of shells at a time and then take a break.
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Good point. This morning I added the powder and the bullet to 90 rounds of rifle ammo. The cases had been deprimed and sized one evening. Cleaned, dried and primed the next day and this morning I did 50, took a break, had lunch then finished the job.

Six or seven years back during a winter cold snap for I tumbled all the dirty pistol brass I had, loaded so many I am just now starting to run low. I did several hundred rounds a day of 9mm, 38sp, 357, and 45 ACP for several days straight but that was on a Hornady turret
 
I normally load in small batches but I figured I'd size these cases while watching old reruns of the Carson Tonight Show. A couple 3 episodes later I was hurting.

Anyway I hope to have my RCBS and Dillon presses set back up soon. In the meantime I'm going to do some ladder testing with these 90g XTP bullets to see how hot I can get them with Win231. I think they would be a good bullet for my S&W Shield.

Tony
 
When I moved to the Beach in 2009 I tore my Reloading bench down and boxed everything up. Well... Second house at the Beach in 2017 and I have plenty of Room for ME. If took almost 3 years to get this house remolded inside. About 3 months ago I started cleaning the garage and set my stuff back up. I can understand the difference in pulling the "handle". I had 2 Dillons and a Lyman Spart T. Digging in all the stuff I found one of my Pals Rock Chucker I borrowed 15 years ago! (OUCH) I can tell you this, I will not be loading 6.5 pounds of 9mm with a Single Stage Press. Good Luck, get the Dillon Going!
 
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