Call me a ?(p)re-loader!? I have purchased all of the essential equipment and components, and will produce my first reloads in the next couple of weeks. I have lurked on this forum for months ? I read through all of the stickies multiple times, along with all 130+ pages of threads in this forum (twice). I have read ?ABCs of reloading?, Lyman?s #49 manual, and watched countless hours of you-tube videos.
Background: I have a 9 mm SP01 Shadow Custom with Kadet Kit. My shooting centers on weekly range practice and monthly IDPA and bowling pin matches. I currently shoot 400 ? 500 rounds 9mm/month, along with 500-600 rounds of .22 (I hit the range three times a month on average, and typically shoot 100-150 9mm and 100-150 .22 on each trip). I work full-time, have two small, very active children, and a wife who is active in volunteer work with girl scouts, PTA, etc. so my free time is at a premium! I don?t consider myself especially mechanically adept, but I do assemble my own PCs, so I am capable of researching components, following complex directions, and trouble-shooting issues. In the computer area, I am a ?bang for the buck? kind of guy who likes to find the sweet spot in equipment that delivers 80% of the performance of the latest-and-greatest gear at 50% of the cost. When it comes to vehicles, I prefer boring reliability and utility over tinkering and style ? I drive a 10 year-old Chevy Equinox.
Intent: My primary interest in reloading is: 1.a) reducing cost (yes, I know that reloaders don?t save money, they ?just shoot more for the same amount? but to me that equates to the same thing); and 1.b) assuring a steady supply of ammo at a reasonable cost during cycles of gun control panic. The only firearms I own are the SP01 Shadow, and a Browning 12 gauge semi-auto that I use for occasional skeet shooting. Since I am not worried about 12 gauge ammo drying up in a gun control panic (and I have a friend that reloads shotgun ammo if it were to happen) I am only interested in reloading 9 mm for the foreseeable future. A secondary interest would be as an extension of the shooting hobby to tweak/experiment with new loads, but that is not the primary driver for me at this time.
I am currently shooting 124 gr RN Blazer Brass for $.22/round, and based on the numbers I have seen here and run myself, I would able to shoot reloads for < 2/3 of that cost, and it would be much easier and more economical to stockpile a sufficient amount (say, a year?s supply) of powders/primers/bullets to see me through the next panic than stockpiling factory ammo. I am not a ?hoarder,? and I hate to give in to panic buying, but there?s also no point in taking up reloading if I am going to be unable to buy components (or if cost of components escalates drastically) over the next year.
Equipment
Having read hundreds of threads on this and other forums, I initially decided that the Lee Classic Turret Press would be the best place to start, since it seemed like good compromise between the simplicity of a single-stage press, and the volume of a progressive. However, after reflecting on it over the last three months, I decided to go with a Dillon Square Deal B, and got a lightly-used SDB on Ebay that was set up for .38 super (only requires two additional dies to convert to 9 mm).
I understand the merits of starting with a single-stage press to keep things as simple as possible, but couldn?t justify spending the money on a single-stage press and set of dies just to practice with it for a few months, then have to go out and purchase another turret or progressive press a few months later.
My plan is to work up a suitable load in small numbers, one round at a time, using the Square Deal as a turret press. After a suitable load has been tested and proven safe in my pistol, I will continue to load the first few hundred rounds thereafter one at a time in turret-style operation, and only then, after I am comfortable, crank up the production with progressive operations and build a ready stockpile of reloaded ammo. I have read and seen videos that the Square Deal can produce up to 200 rounds/hour moving at a methodical, careful pace. I know that initially I will be much slower than that, since I?ll be doubtlessly triple-and quadruple-checking everything, but even if I?m only operating at ~100 rounds/hour, then a single one hour reloading session a week would meet my current shooting needs.
Here is the complete run-down on my current equipment and components:
- Nice big, sturdy work-bench in my basement. I already have a section set up for gun cleaning/maintenance, with one end of the bench cleared off to make room for the press and associated supplies. I also have a wall cabinet I am using to store primers, powders, bullets, and cleaning supplies (I added a latch and padlock to keep the HAZMAT out of the reach of the kids and out of sight of any contractors or visitors that come through the basement).
- Books/manuals ? I have ABCs of reloading and Lyman #49 (planning on picking up Lee?s ?Modern Reloading? when I can find a good deal on a used copy). I have also printed off load data from Hodgdon and Winchester websites.
- Containers ? I have been saving plastic bins from Cascade dish-washer pellets. Already using these to sort and store my dirty brass, and they work well.
- Accessories for press ? I?m initially going to try to Velcro tape a small flashlight or LED light, or see how my old adjustable desk lamp works, before buying a special light for the press. I?m going to wait on a powder measure knob and strong mount until I have tried out the press a few times.
- Notebooks/journal/spreadsheet ? have plenty on-hand.
- Tumbler - I just got the rebadged Berry?s Model 400 vibratory tumbler on sale from Cabella?s. Came with walnut-corn media and brass polish. I also have a bottle of NuFinish auto wax from Walmart.
- Other equipment. I have an RCBS primer flip tray, Franklin Arsenal bullet puller, RCBS 5-0-5 balance scale ($50) and a cheap set of checkweights ($5). UPDATE: forgot to mention I also have a pair of digital calipers!
- Brass ? I have been saving my brass for several months, and still have ~1000 rounds of unfired Blazer Brass that I will shoot over the next couple of months, so by the time I am ready to actually start reloading, I will have about 2000 9 mm Blazer Brass cartridges, plus another ~1500 in brass I collected at IDPA matches (mostly Winchester and Federal). I have been saving my empty ammo boxes and trays, so I will have somewhere to put reloaded rounds, as well.
? Primers and powder - I?ve been buying a pound of powder and 1,000 primers at a time locally for the last several months, as I am convinced we will have another major run on ammo and reloading components around November. Given the luxury of time I would rather have bought in smaller quantities to begin with, but there?s also no point in taking up reloading in the next few months if I am going to be unable to buy components (or if cost of components escalates drastically) over the next year. Based on content in this forum, I understand that Federal SPP and Win 231/HP-38 (meters well and stays consistent with most powder measures) are good choices for beginners, and should work well in my Shadow Custom. Therefore, I have stockpiled 2K Federal SPP, 4K Win SPP, 1K CCI SPP, along with 4 lbs Win 231 and 4 lbs HP-38, so I figure I already have at least a year?s supply of primers and powder in my possession. I?ve been looking for WSF, since it is highly recommended by Wobbly as ?the poor man?s VV N320,? but have not seen any for sale locally.
? Bullets - I?ve bought sample packs of Rocky Mountain Reloading 124 gr FMJ RN (250 bullets), Blue Bullets 125 gr LRN (250), and Extreme Bullets 124 gr plated RN (500). Will test these out for a few weeks and see which ones I prefer I for ease of reloading and function in my gun, before investing in a bulk buy.
