Whilst I have been shooting for some 40 years, mainly in the military, it was only when I took up competitive pistol shooting in civilian life that the reality of paying for ammunition became apparent. So, financial reality dictated that reloading would become part of my shooting pastime. The recent shortage of ammunition has brought the necessity of reloading to many shooters who in the past considered it a chore, and not worthy of the expense or the time required.
Having enjoyed many TAG articles, finding a topic which I could embrace and write about, which could put something back into our little community, was somewhat of a challenge. No one seemed to be addressing reloading, so here we are. My ulterior motive is to plant subliminal messages every couple of weeks into the brain of a certain lady firearms journo, which might get her started into reloading. Well, it’s worth a try.
What I DON’T plan to do is reproduce the myriad of information which is available in the many excellent publications on reloading, but rather to present a series of articles which deal with reloading issues which are either not addressed in the manuals, or which seem to have scant coverage. Largely this will be based on the mistakes I have made along the way, and the lessons I have learnt from them.
I am hopeful that this will stimulate discussion on reloading within the TAG community. I am by no means an expert, and fully expect to learn something along the way as well.
Whilst my focus will be on large volume ammunition production for hand guns, a lot of the discussion will be relevant to loading ammunition for rifles as well. For those of you with experience in reloading for rifles, please jump in if I say something that you disagree with, as this should be a learning experience for us all.
In my next article I will discuss the basics of reloading, what is involved and what the final product should look like. I hope you enjoy the articles. I look forward to your feedback.
Featured image of the Hornady Lock N Load Auto-Progressive Reloading Press courtesy of Hornady, via amazon.com.
protias I hope my thoughts get you going. One of my early articles will address the costs of reloading. You may be surprised at how the economics work, and how much you can save. In the meantime, keep collecting that brass.
protias I hope my thoughts get you going. One of my early articles will address the costs of reloading. You may be surprised at how the economics work, and how much you can save. In the meantime, keep collecting that brass.
EricKmiecik Thanks Eric. I’m looking forward to sharing my experiences with the TAG community.
Muskrat Me too!!
Don1974 Great Don. I’d hate to be writing and not having an audience. When you eventually take the plunge, keep track of any experiences that you have, good and bad, and please share them with us as well.
hartcreek Hi hartcreek. I’m pleased we have some other reloading enthusiasts out there already. If you have anything to add as I go, please jump right in.
Brass here in Australia is a real problem, especially the lesser used calibers. I’ve been chasing .45 ACP “once-fired” for months. Eventually I’ve given up and have managed to get the last 500 new cases from an interstate supplier.
I’ve been looking at doing this a long time and while I know I don’t need a progressive press (read, Dillion 1050), I know I can use a Rock Chucker and get the same effect and cheaper, but that doesn’t stop me from wanting a progressive press! 😉 I won’t get into my finances (especially in a public area), but I just can’t afford it. Rest assured, I will be reading! 🙂
AussieWombat1 hartcreek See…… you should have started this reloading series along time ago. I keep a small private range and pick up brass….I have sold more .45ACP then that in the last three months and shipping to down under would have been no problem as I have to order parts for my 67 Truimph Daytona from all over.
Artillery Go Boom hartcreek I have a 1950s Remington 721 in 30-06 with a repop Leatherwood scopemount with a cheeep for me 40 power varmit scope. My local range is only good for 200 yards so I shoot on Forest Service land. I have three places where I can set up for 2000 yards but I am to recoil sensitive and broke to move up to .50 cal.
protias I see sales on reloading equipment all the time…..if you can get components and see a sale sometimes you just have to make the jump. It can be the difference between being able to shoot because you have ammo or just throwing a rock.