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Thread: Newb loading / reloading questions

  1. #11
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    I'd like to start with the .32 Magnum and .44 Russian, but checking around I can only find brass and powder. Almost no bullets or primers available. (Duh, right?)

  2. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ron3 View Post
    I'd like to start with the .32 Magnum and .44 Russian, but checking around I can only find brass and powder. Almost no bullets or primers available. (Duh, right?)
    As far as projectiles go, you could learn to cast for those two cartridges. It's not difficult or expensive to get decent loads for general shooting. While you're building up a stock bullets you could be on the lookout for primers.

    I personally don't bother sorting headstamps in most handgun rounds. I've experimented with 9mm, .38 Spl and .45 ACP and never noticed a difference. The only ones I might sort would be high-pressure revolver cartridges (e.g. .454 Casull) but I use all Starline brass so it's a moot point. I do keep track of the number of firings on these so I know when a set of cases is about to split, however.

  3. #13
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    I've been hand loading for almost 30 years and I've never trimmed any straight walled pistol or revolver case.

    The thing to watch out for is double charging a case. I would stay away from faster burning powders like Bullseye, Clays, 231. You can load perfectly good ammunition with these powders. However if you're not paying attention a double charge will kaboom your gun.

    Pick bulky powders that will overflow the case in the event of a double charge. Look at powders like Unique for your smaller calibers. Trailboss might be a good idea for the 44 Russian.

    I recently switched presses. I used an auto indexing press for many years. Just picked up a Dillon 550 this year. I love the press but it requires me to advance the shell plate by hand after each stage. My focus lately has been loading up a quantity of 9 mm. I've been using Unique powder and a few other similar ones that make a double charge very obvious. I loaded over 10,000 rounds on my previous press using 231, Bullseye for my 9 mm without any problems. Regardless of your choice of press be extra careful when you're starting out.
    Last edited by signal4l; 02-01-21 at 09:54.

  4. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by signal4l View Post
    I've been hand loading for almost 30 years and I've never trimmed any straight walled pistol or revolver case.
    Regarding the revolver cases, do you roll crimp them?

  5. #15
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    I've never roll crimped anything. The only revolver cartridges I shoot I shoot are 38 special 357 mag and 44 magnum.

    I would consider roll crimping only if I were shooting Elmer Keith level loads, or if I were loading for a 500 SW, 454 Casull, etc. None of the cartridges mentioned by the op fall into that category.

    There's more than one right way to do a lot of things. I don't think roll cripping will hurt anything but it does shorten brass life a little bit.

  6. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ron3 View Post
    I realize this isn't the best time to start and components are hard to find and expensive.

    Quote Originally Posted by Ron3 View Post
    I can only find brass and powder. Almost no bullets or primers available. (Duh, right?)

    Right... duh. Wait 6-9 months, and things will go back to normal.

    The current run on guns/ammo/components has already lasted 10 months or more, and it can't go on forever. The panics in 2008 and 2013 didn't last this long...


    Quote Originally Posted by signal4l View Post
    I've been hand loading for almost 30 years and I've never trimmed any straight walled pistol or revolver case.

    Trailboss might be a good idea for the 44 Russian.
    I never trim handgun cases, either.

    I'm a big fan of Trailboss for revolver cartridges. It makes for nice soft accurate loads, and it's utterly impossible to blow anything up.

  7. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by signal4l View Post
    I've never roll crimped anything. The only revolver cartridges I shoot I shoot are 38 special 357 mag and 44 magnum.
    Not even 1% of what I've reloaded was for revolvers. I trimmed and roll crimped them because the manuals indicated that the bullets could move forward under recoil. I'm pretty anal retentive when it comes to my reloads, so I don't mind the extra work. It's interesting to know that it probably wasn't necessary.

    Quote Originally Posted by Bimmer View Post
    I never trim handgun cases, either.
    Back when I learned to reload over 25 years ago, there were no internet forums to speak of and I didn't have any friends that reloaded. I taught myself by reading reloading manuals. They all talked about trimming and trim-to lengths. So, I trimmed all of my 40S&W cases. After I shot my reloads I went to trim them and found that they didn't need to be trimmed. Not only that, but I found that most actually got shorter. What? How can this be? None of the manuals said anything about shrinking cases. I thought that I must be doing something wrong. Of course it turns out that I wasn't doing anything wrong. The instructions in the manuals were just lacking.

  8. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bret View Post
    I trimmed and roll crimped them because the manuals indicated that the bullets could move forward under recoil.
    Switching from semi-auto to revolver cartridges was a big change for me... The guys over at CastBoolits and elsewhere are pretty clear that you only need a "heavy" crimp if you're shooting hard-kicking magnums and/or you want to squeeze more velocity out of a recipe by building pressure before the bullet leaves the case...


    Quote Originally Posted by Bret View Post
    Back when I learned to reload over 25 years ago, there were no internet forums to speak of and I didn't have any friends that reloaded... The instructions in the manuals were just lacking.
    I learned from a girlfriend's father in the mid-1990s... He had a Dillon RL550 and let me use it. We hung out in his garage for hours while I reloaded and he walked me through it and then helped me trouble-shoot when things went wrong.

    When things didn't work out with his daughter, I bought my own RL550...

    In retrospect, he had odd ways of doing things... Nevermind him smoking while reloading (!), but he tended to want to load rounds very hot, which doesn't make sense to me anymore, since 99% of my reloading is just practice rounds, and I just need them to cycle the action and poke holes in paper.

  9. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by gunnerblue View Post
    As far as projectiles go, you could learn to cast for those two cartridges. It's not difficult or expensive to get decent loads for general shooting. While you're building up a stock bullets you could be on the lookout for primers.

    I personally don't bother sorting headstamps in most handgun rounds. I've experimented with 9mm, .38 Spl and .45 ACP and never noticed a difference. The only ones I might sort would be high-pressure revolver cartridges (e.g. .454 Casull) but I use all Starline brass so it's a moot point. I do keep track of the number of firings on these so I know when a set of cases is about to split, however.
    Casting sounds dangerous. (Lead fumes)

  10. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by signal4l View Post
    I've never roll crimped anything. I don't think roll cripping will hurt anything but it does shorten brass life a little bit.
    I'm learning plenty of good tips like this, thanks!

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