jkh@ucbjade.BERKELEY.EDU (Jordan K. Hubbard) (10/24/85)
RCBS rots. Use Pacific TUNGSTEN-CARBIDE dies. You'll get tired of lubing shells real quick, so T-C is the only way to go. It also keeps that cruft (lube) out of your chamber. DL Darrell Long Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science University of California, San Diego UUCP: sdcsvax!darrell ARPA: darrell@sdcsvax
jkh@jade.BERKELEY.EDU (Jordan K. Hubbard) (09/04/86)
Article: 9:21 I want to start reloading .38 and .357 mag shells and was wondering if anyone could recommend what I should get as far as equipment and supplies. Could you also include expected costs. Thanks. Brad ucbvax!sdcsvax!sdcc6!ix459
jkh@jade.BERKELEY.EDU (Jordan K. Hubbard) (09/10/86)
In-Reply-To: <1221@jade.BERKELEY.EDU> Article: 9:12 In article <1221@jade.BERKELEY.EDU> you write: >Article: 9:21 > >I want to start reloading .38 and .357 mag shells and was wondering if >anyone could recommend what I should get as far as equipment and supplies. >Could you also include expected costs. Thanks. > > Brad > ucbvax!sdcsvax!sdcc6!ix459 I'm more or less new to the net and not sure about how to respond to a moderated newsgroup, so I'll do it through mail instead. I've been loading .38, .357, .44, & various others for several years now. The one thing I would recommend over all else is to buy one of the (now many) progressive loading presses. I used a single-stage RCBS press for about two years, and found that eventually I had to *force* myself to sit down and load. It became a chore rather than fun. Finally, I went out and bought a Dillon RL450B for $200. That was the BEST spent two hundred dollars in my life. I've been competing in IPSC for about two years now, and between pracrice and matches, I go through a lot of .45ACP ammunition (maybe 3 or 4 thousand rounds a year). With my old single stage press, it would take 2 or 2 1/2 hours to load enough rounds for a match. With the Dillon, I can do it in about 45 minutes. This is not an advertisement for Dillon; there are other equally good presses around. It's just that the Dillon is the only progressive loading machine I have used. It is also about the least expensive of them. The RL450 is not available any more; it has been replaced by the 550, which sells for $255. The 550 is an improved version of the 450: in includes an automatic primer feed and powder measure, plus interchangable die heads. The decision about what press to buy is the most important one (I think). Prices for dies, primers, brass, etc., tend to average out pretty closely over time. I would recommend however, that you buy tungsten-carbide or titanium-carbide sizing dies for straight-walled cartridges (including .38 Spl and .357 Mag). They *are* more expensive (about twice), but they make resizing your brass SO much easier. (Regular carbon steel sizing dies require that the cases be lubricated before sizing, or they will stick in the die. The lubrication then has to be removed somehow before firing.) As to prices, again, the press is going to be the single most expensive part of your setup, with maybe one exception - the bench to mount it on. A .38/.357 die set will cost about $25 with a regular sizing die, or about $50 or $55 with a carbide sizing die. These are all one-time purchases. Primers run around $12/1000, powder (for .38/.357) about $12 - $13 per one-pound can. A pound of powder will be good for 700 or 800 to around 1500 rounds, depending on your ratio of Special to Magnum loads and the type of powder you use. For .38 Spl or .357 Magnum, you can't go wrong if you use Hercules Unique, or Winchester 231 or (probably) 452AA. 452AA is labeled as being a shotgun powder, but it works great in my .45 automatic. I haven't tried it in .38 or .357 loads. Primers tend to vary quite a bit from one manufacturer to another. I have had pretty good results using Federal primers (in fact I them Federal in all my pistol, revolver, and rifle loads). CCI primers tend to be the least expensive, and they're fine for practice or plinking loads. However, I've had enough misfires and inconsistency with them that I won't use them in match or hunting loads, where you want to KNOW that every round will work. Winchester primers are generally as good as Federal, although I did see one misfire in a match last spring. Nasty. Of course, the bullet is what does the work, and everybody has their own favorites in this area. Especially for .38/.357, there are literally hundreds of different bullets available. I can only tell you what I like: for plinking or practice or just having fun, you can't go wrong with a (hard) cast lead bullet, generally in 158 grain weight. For hunting (mostly small game and varmints), I use either a Speer 140gr JHP or a Sierra 125 or 150gr JHC. I don't like to discuss powder charges, outside of the people I know and trust, because of the over-abundance of liabilty suit-happy people and lawyers who push such things. For that data, go to any of the loading manuals available from bullet and powder manufacturers. Good luck; I'm sure you'll get a lot more enjoyment out of your shooting when you load your own. I know I do. Jeff
jkh@jade.BERKELEY.EDU (Jordan K. Hubbard) (09/17/86)
In-Reply-To: your article <1221@jade.BERKELEY.EDU> Article: 9:17 RE: Reloading .357 The equipment that you will need depends upon how much reloading you expect to do and the amount of time and money which you have to spend. If you expect to shoot 50 rounds a week, a Lee Loader would be adequate. I used one extesively for many years. I still have it and it still works. It's very inexpensive. If you expect to reload for several calibers, a press and dies arrangement would be better. I recommend the Lyman or Pacific tungsten carbide .357 dies. I DO NOT recommend Bonanza dies. The most versatile powder is Hercules Unique. If you don't have enough money for a powder scale or measure, you can use the Lee dippers. 4.5 to 6.0 grains of Unique and a 158 grain lead or jacketed bullet with a Winchester small regular pistol primer gives very nice results in a 4 inch bbl. Smith and Wesson or Ruger. See the Lyman Reloading manual for more loads. What's interesting about 4.5 grains of Unique is that the same charge is great for 9mm Pb with a 125 grain lead bullet and for the .45 ACP with a 200 grain lead bullet. Never reload maximum loads. Jon Kaplowitz cbosgd!erc3ba!jfka