Ready for hunting season

[Empty Quiver]

I just spent a long time in the basement. Pretty much resupplied all the hunting arms. Three calibres, 275 rounds. My arm hasn't felt like this since I discovered puberty.     Cripes my left hand kept getting numb from handling cases and bullets over and over. My brain hurts from all the cipherin' and adjusting, my ears are ringing from the tumbler running since last afternoon. Now I understand all you brass hoarders, pretty simple once it gets set up, just keep rolling them.
 
I've not gotten myself into this place before. I always reload as soon as I get a batch behind. I thought it would make sense to wait till I had a bunch to do. I feel pretty good knowing I'm all but caught up. What is laying around is now cleaned and prepped too.
 
So do you folks wait till the pile grows, or do a bit at a time continuesly?
 

[Savage]

 I never get caught up.
Savage

[Modoc]

About the same as Savage, except that with shooting several sports along with the various types of hunting I am NEVER caught up.  The sacrifices that we go through for our "relaxation".   

[1sourdough]

 I've got a lot of ammo around & usually hunt with somewhat older stuff. I've also been using the muzzle-loader more in IL, so my centerfire hunting has been limited. I bought a 284 win a few years ago & I got 80+ rounds of factory ammo with it. I also bought a Sako 243 & the guy had boxes of ammo to go with it. With all this going on I usually just load handgun ammo.

[cwlongshot]

LOL...

I never run that blasted noise maker when I am in the room!!!  My tinittus is bad enough, any noise like that is a migraine for sure!!!

I usually run it while I'm away, while at work or overnight...

Also once I get a loading for a perticular rifle, I load a bunch for it and stock it in ammo cans in a rack in the gun room. I work at them little at a time, one day prep 100 cases, then prime and back on shelf. Then once I get the time I finish loading them and put in the ammo cans. Either 30 or 50 cal depending on how many I'm gonna need/want to have on hand. Usually in plastic 20 rnd boxes.
My hand gun bulk loadings go loose into the same sized cans. Air tight and good for long trem in needed. Yet still ready to grab and go if needed.

MOST loaded single stage, hand gun calibers I like to keep lots more so those are loaded on the Dillion.

CW

[Dave in WV]

I've got my tumbler in the garage. I barely hear it in the house. I've got to load 20 rounds of 7mm-08 but I have 19 rounds ready to go. For my rifles I like to keep two boxes or so of ammo ready when the season starts.

[Empty Quiver]

I've got my tumbler in the garage. I barely hear it in the house. I've got to load 20 rounds of 7mm-08 but I have 19 rounds ready to go. For my rifles I like to keep two boxes or so of ammo ready when the season starts.

I have roughly one bag of brass for the five rounds I reload, 5.56 is up to about 400 I suppose. A fifty round dose ain't bad, a box of bullets and clean up.
 
Doing several at a sitting though... I fully understand the brass hoarders out there now. All of the adjusting measureing and then redoing it because I don't trust myself. got old yesterday.
 
Another thing. I can remember one season that I needed over 4 centrefire rifle rounds. How do I go through hundreds each year? This reloading does not save money does it?

[cwlongshot]

LOL...

I get a chuckle every time I hear someone say it's to save $$... It CAN work that way mind you, but for 99% of us it doesn't.

If you where given all the equipment and made your own lead bullets from free lead and you only bought powder and primers and where satisfied with lo to med vel loadings maybe it would be cheaper shooting...

CW

[Land_Owner]

Reloading to save money - yes!  Yes it does.  You shoot more and therein lies the savings.

I have posted and proved on several GBO threads that my handgun reloads from reused components cost pennies ($0.04 to $0.05 each) compared to the CHEAPEST factory rounds ($0.26 to $0.35 each).

In my rifles, my reloads outperform all Factory rounds.  Reuse of cases drives my actual cost to 50% of/or less than Factory rounds, which Factory rounds are not made from the pelthora of premium components (meaning bullets) that I prefer to use.

[Empty Quiver]

Reloading to save money - yes!  Yes it does.  You shoot more and therein lies the savings.

I have posted and proved on several GBO threads that my handgun reloads from reused components cost pennies ($0.04 to $0.05 each) compared to the CHEAPEST factory rounds ($0.26 to $0.35 each).

In my rifles, my reloads outperform all Factory rounds.  Reuse of cases drives my actual cost to 50% of/or less than Factory rounds, which Factory rounds are not made from the pelthora of premium components (meaning bullets) that I prefer to use.

But without all the range time developing loads etc., etc., I would buy a box of 20 sight the rifle and a second box would easily last 5 years. I'm too tight to pay $48 - $68 for twenty rounds to confirm the scope still is perfect.
 
Granted I like to shoot and the only way I can afford to stoke these rifles is to reload. I went through a three year period where I did VERY little shooting. I bit the bullet and got into the reloaing. I like the idea of shooting just about any gun I want for the same cost. Nothing costs even a buck a pop anymore. Why not take the 300mag it's as cheap as a .308win now that I can reload.
 
But trust me when I say I spend more money on shooting now that I reload. 

[YRUpunting?]

I started reloading back in Jan.  On a per round basis reloading is about half of factory ammo or less, but I am shooting more so probably a wash in total dollars spent. 

As for the reloading process, I never start with brass out the tumbler (it's in the garage so I can't hear it) with the intent of having a finished round.  I have everything in stages with most of the cases primed and ready for powder.  I rarely spend more than 2 hours at the bench.  Reloading for me is kind of a hobby in itself, I find I don't enjoy it when my hands and arms ache after a long session.  I also find I reach a point where the repetitiveness becomes mundane and I start to make mistakes.  Ever run a 357 Mag case through a die set up to expand a 38 special?    That's how I learned long sessions aren't for me.  Luckily I only did about a dozen this way.    After a little trimming I now have a dozen 357 Magnum Shorts.

[Reloader]

I normally don't load more than 25 at a time. I just got over a battle with cancer so I didn't reload for a couple of years. I got back into it this week loading some deer rounds for the 30:06 and 6.5X55. I forgot how much I really enjoyed it.


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[twoshooter]

I am very sporadic, I have trouble getting motivated. I have single stage presses only so it is not a fast process. Sometimes I will just have the urge and get into it and load like crazy for 2-3 weeks, then maybe 6-8 months before I touch it again. I also do it in stages, the things I can do without thought- resizing- once I get the die set right I watch TV and just run them through, do a couple of hundred rounds a night, then I trim, then deburr & chamfer , then prime. By the time I get to that point I have several coffee cans of primed brass setting around. I may seal them up for 6 months and then suddenly a change in the weather, a show on TV, something sets me off again, and I will come in after work and load 100 rounds every night for a week or so, then ...... nada. I am trying to find the motivation now but it just is not clicking. Maybe the first flight of geese going over........

[tony212]

Reloading? To save money? To get better quality?  I don't really think you can save money because you tend to shootmore. As for better quality, factory ammo as come a long way and there are tons of premium ammo available.  How about I reload because there is great satisfaction coming from using ammunition I made myself to take game.  I think that satisfaction is the main reaon I reload.
Tony212

[cwlongshot]

Agreed Tony!!! 

My loads are head and shoulders above any factory offering I have ever seen. I know for a fact they are far more precicely made.

Enjoyment is the best reason!

CW

[twoshooter]

I also like the fact that you don't have to have the same thing as everybody else. If you want the big 5- 30/30, 308,30/06, 243 & 270, they are available in every gas station and convenience store. If you have a 250 Savage, 7/57 Mauser, 338 Federal, or 444, you may be looking for awhile, like for 28ga and 16 ga shotgun shells. And I use 125 gr 30/30 loads, you won't find them on the shelf. 

[max1138]

havent touched my gear since march, too blasted hot to go out and test. now that its cooling off theres an #8 of varget to play with and see what I can make happen.