fisherguy Posted April 9, 2007 Report Share Posted April 9, 2007 I am looking to start reloading .40 cal smith and wesson ammo. Basically for my target needs i need a lot of rounds, but most of what i shoot will be under 30 yards, and point and shoot type stuff. So i don't need to reload them to identical specs, and they don't have to be tack drivers. What is the best equipment to get to reload a lot of rounds relatively quickly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarvDog Posted April 9, 2007 Report Share Posted April 9, 2007 Re: reloading I'm interested in this as well. And not to hijack, but I'm curious is the cost of reloading is really that much better than something like buying WWB from Wally World. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZooBear Posted April 9, 2007 Report Share Posted April 9, 2007 Re: reloading I like the Dillion reloaders. The Square Deal will work for you if you just want to reload handgun rounds. HarvDog I buy in bulk so my 357 125 hps cost about 9 cents a round. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fisherguy Posted April 9, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2007 Re: reloading Good point on cost HarvDog. I am pretty sure it will save me since the cheapest I can find rounds in canada is $14 for a box of 50 target rounds. And the type of practive i do that lasts about 3 minutes lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LifeNRA Posted April 9, 2007 Report Share Posted April 9, 2007 Re: reloading [ QUOTE ] I like the Dillion reloaders. The Square Deal will work for you if you just want to reload handgun rounds. [/ QUOTE ] I own a Square Deal B. I can pump out about 500-600 rounds per hour once the get the rythum started. Also, it loads the powder so accurate! But again this is for only handguns. Go here, http://dillonprecision.com/default.cfm? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VTbowman Posted April 10, 2007 Report Share Posted April 10, 2007 Re: reloading I am currently trying to get into it too. 1st bit of advice would be loose the trying to go cheap thought. LOL It aint cheap but it does not have to be very expensive either. 2nd is get your hands on a used or new reloading manual and read it. Youll quickly see there is no thing as reloading "to just get it close". Every load should be exact. Its a dangerous hobbie if your not in the right mind set to do things to the letter, dot every I, and cross every T. As for a kit I have seen several on Cabelas and Bass Pro that can get ya started. They are from inexpensive to mega costly depending on how deep you wanna dive. I am buying my stuff used and a piece at a time so I can get the higher dollar equipment without up front new prices. Just gotta shop around and definately hit up your forum members 1st. LOL Once your set up a load should be pennies on the dollar. The manual says you should be saving upward to around 40% to 80% on reloading from new factory cost, but thats after your equipment has paid for itself which could take a year or 2 deoending on how much your set up cost was. Have fun and be safe. It can be done at a decent cost but it will cost up front. If your planning on loading for expensive rounds like those large caliber mags at $45 to $50 per box then youll be saving money in no time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LifeNRA Posted April 10, 2007 Report Share Posted April 10, 2007 Re: reloading When I was re-loading 9mm and .38's It was costing me around $1.50 to $2.50 per box to produce. Like VT said, you MUST keep your head into what your doing at all times. No short cuts!!! The pistol club I belong too, if you asked 50 of the members there about what they use, 49 would say Dillon! There are other cheaper presses out there. I am currently not reloading at this time, but I hope to start again soon with some new .40 S&W dies! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bowana Posted April 10, 2007 Report Share Posted April 10, 2007 Re: reloading I own a Dillion Square Deal B a commerical 1050 Press. The square deal would be fine for what you are doing. Dillion Presses are some of the smoothest progressive presses on the market. Save yourself some money and buy cast lead bullets as well. Loading straight walled case pistol cartridges is a simple process....but everyone is right. Read up on the process and find a buddy who knows how. With a few simple pointers you will be cranking out loaded rounds in no time. http://dillonprecision.com/default.cfm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RangerClay Posted April 12, 2007 Report Share Posted April 12, 2007 Re: reloading Dillion is great plus you get their catalogs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toddyboman Posted April 12, 2007 Report Share Posted April 12, 2007 Re: reloading [ QUOTE ] is get your hands on a used or new reloading manual and read it. Youll quickly see there is no thing as reloading "to just get it close". Every load should be exact. Its a dangerous hobbie if your not in the right mind set to do things to the letter, dot every I, and cross every T. [/ QUOTE ] That is very very true. Read a manual and DO NOT try and take short cuts! This can be a very dangerous hobby. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LifeNRA Posted April 12, 2007 Report Share Posted April 12, 2007 Re: reloading [ QUOTE ] Dillion is great plus you get their catalogs [/ QUOTE ] Ohhhhhhhhh! Its a catalog! I thought it was just pretty girls that carry guns!!! Doh!!!! LMBO!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fisherguy Posted April 15, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 15, 2007 Here's a question. Reloading .40 cal. rounds to standarc powder charges and bullet weights, how many times can you reload the same casing before it should be retired? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VTbowman Posted April 16, 2007 Report Share Posted April 16, 2007 Unfortunatley its one of those "it depends" type questions. The thing is that depending on what caliber (mag or regular), case shape (bottle neck or straight), how hot or mild you powder load, what grain bullet you use, and how the fit is in the chamber can be (tight or loose) these can all stretch the brass being used. Case length must be checked everytime you reload it and trimmed back if needed. This obviously means that since its stretching and being trimmed it must be get thinnner somewhere else. This can only lead to spits and failure of the case eventually. I have asked this a few weeks ago BTW. LOL So for say a 223 you may get 5 to 10 reloads out of one case and a 7mm Rem mag you may get only 3 reloads. Straight cased rounds like most pistols may get up to 15 or as low as 4 depending on what and how you reload them. This is only one reason why I posted as I did earlier. There is a lot more to reloading then meets the ey up front. The dang manual almost scares you out of reloading when you read it. LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VTbowman Posted April 16, 2007 Report Share Posted April 16, 2007 Best thing to do concerning the 40 cal is to ask others for specific load data on the rounds and caliber you plan to reload. Always someone else has been there and done that and every reloader I know of keeps very detailed log books on how they load, what, and what its preformance was. Some will be able to tell you how many loads they got out of a case and what they used. Good Luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LifeNRA Posted April 17, 2007 Report Share Posted April 17, 2007 I have nickle-plated brass and regular brass. I have found that nickle-plated brass does not last as well as regular brass! As far as a straight wall case. I was never too concerned over length. Shooting a .38 or .357, the case will split before it ever gets too long to the point where it will not chamber. I feel you need to be more concerned with a round that gets necked down to fit the bullet. Thats where things get tricky as far as getting rounds to cycle and chamber. On my .38 loads, I could get 10-20 loads apiece. The number of loads from a case also depends how hot you load it! Once I got the over-all length of the load I wanted, 9mm, .380, .38, and the .357. I never measured after that. But again, that was only on straight walled casings. You cant do this on rounds that get necked down! This is where an outside caliper comes in handy! I know that a case lengthens with each shot. But re-loading for an auto-loader you also need to be concerned about over-all length. If too short or too long you will have problems cycling or chambering. But as cases lengthen is where you need to be worried about case pressures building from the bullet being seated deeper! But I never seen a 9mm or .380 case do this. I do not have any expirence with the .40 cal. But I can say from the 10,000+ rounds of the four loads I do. Most pistol cases will split before they get too long. Most people that shoot for extreme accuracy go through them operations to maximize every shot. I was not one of them, but was still able to obtain master in my class! LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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