How hard is it to reload the Cowboy rounds?: 32/20, 38/40, 38/55?

[mannyrock]

Dear Guys,
 
   My brother has a few cowboy rifles in these calibers and is paying a fortune for factory ammo.  He has never reloaded, and has asked me how much time and trouble it would be to get into reloading these rounds (low pressure).  He just shoots paper targets, not cowboy matches.  He has no interest in cast bullets etc.
 
   My only experience with reloading was 30 years ago, and it was terrible (reloading the 7mm Mag).   Trimming every case, lubing-up every case, full length resizing of every case,  trickling powder onto a scale, and on and on.  It took me about an hour to reload just 20 rounds, and I always had a migraine headache when I was done.
 
   My impression is that reloading these types of cowboy rounds might be much easier.  Is it?  How many rounds could someone reasonably load in an hour?
 
Thanks for all info.
 
Mannyrock

[LONGTOM]

You are right.
If you didn't like it then, you will not like it now because you must do about the exact same things to these rounds as you have to do to any others.
That being said, it really isn't hard to reload any cartridge, just takes a bit of time and all of your concentration to do it right.
Yes he can save a bunch of money after he buys the necessary equipment but there is that first cost to consider.
I have been loading ammo for over 40 years and got most of my stuff back when it was much cheaper.
Over time I have upgraded a bit to a few of the luxury items such as an electric trimmer, electric digital scales and powder dispenser but still have a lot of my old items also.
None of the manual tasks has changed over the years since you did it.
I enjoy it and that in it's self is enough reason for me.
 
 
LONGTOM

[zero]

7 mags are fickle in my experience, so I understand what you mean there. However to me, reloading, once you get into it is every bit as fun as shooting, but it's not everyone's cup of tea. Depending on the age and condition of the rifles you load for it can be easy or very frustrating. I don't have any experience with the 38-55, i've always wanted one, but i have spent a couple years fighting with a 32-20 revolver. You don't really have to trim cases until they just get way off, and especially light plinking loads for those calibers, are easier. You can get a powder thrower that you can set to throw a charge of about the right volume every time, or just get a set of powder dippers, find out which one holds the right amount for your load and use that to dip it out. There's really no way to get around lubing and sizing cases but you can out ways to do it quicker as you go along. And with those mostly straight walled cases you'll have to bell the mouths for the bullets to fit. 30 or 40 rounds in an hour is around what i get, faster with a progressive press but they're more expensive. It's a good size initial investment, but with those calibers especially it'll pay for itself. If you always got a migraine though, it may be that the smell of nitrocellulose is a trigger for that. But i find it all enjoyable.

Best of luck

[Spanky]

Don't know about either of the 38's but I do reload for my 32-20. You've gotta be real gentle with them when applying a crimp... the necks crush easily. I learned that the hard way.
 
 
 
Spanky

[Blackhawker]

Try one and see what you think.  The 38-55 is straight walled and no different than loading a 45-70 or 45 Colt for that matter.  It might be your first choice to try as it has no necking.  The issue that comes in to play with the 55 is variances with bore and chamber diameters.  There is much variance between manufactures and the time frame of when each individual rifle was manufactured. 

The 38-40 is an awesome round to load and shoot and I wouldn't trade it for nearly anything, if you're looking for a target shooter and not a magnum type round.  However, if you find a strong revolver like a Ruger Blackhawk in this chambering, it can easily compete with the magnums.  Yes, the brass might be a bit on the thin side but I've yet to crush a case or neck or split a case with heavy loads either, for that matter. 

All you have to do is take your time and think about what you're doing when you're loading....which is what you should do anyway when you load.
Common sense!

[hillbill]

Dear Guys,
 
   My brother has a few cowboy rifles in these calibers and is paying a fortune for factory ammo.  He has never reloaded, and has asked me how much time and trouble it would be to get into reloading these rounds (low pressure).  He just shoots paper targets, not cowboy matches.  He has no interest in cast bullets etc.
 
   My only experience with reloading was 30 years ago, and it was terrible (reloading the 7mm Mag).   Trimming every case, lubing-up every case, full length resizing of every case,  trickling powder onto a scale, and on and on.  It took me about an hour to reload just 20 rounds, and I always had a migraine headache when I was done.
 
   My impression is that reloading these types of cowboy rounds might be much easier.  Is it?  How many rounds could someone reasonably load in an hour?
 
Thanks for all info.
 
Mannyrock

one thing i do to make it go much faster is, i use a large set of lee powder dippers.i find the one closest but just under the charge i want and use it to add the powder to the scale, then just a couple twists of the trikler will get it where yu want.
 
or you can use just the dippers themselves. once you learn how to use them you can make your charges very accurate and repeatable.very handy in less than max pistol loads.
 
another thing i did back in the day with pistol or straightwall shells was to weigh a charge and dump it in the shell. mark the shell and cut it off rite at the top of the powder. then i would solder or jb weld a 16 penny nail to that shell for a handle and use it as my dipper.i dont do max loads this way at all. but plinkers and cowboy rounds it would prob work just fine for.

[hillbill]

one thing you could do also is look for carbide dies. i think they only make them for straightwall pistol rounds but it eliminates the lubeing process.and the washing off of the lube afterwards.ive never used them but this is what i hear. also a good priming tool makes it go much faster.i lke the rcbs bench mounted tool with the tubes you load the primers in.im a clumsy oaf and broke my lee and rcbs hand held tools priming military cases.the hand primeing tools are very fast for pistol tho.
 
i can load a 20 round box of bottle neck rifle carts in just a few min if i have the sized washed brass in front of me. pistol takes a lil longer as you have the extra step of belling the case mouth.
 
even mag rifle carts dont have to be trimmed much untill they wont chamber in your rifle.i dont shoot the mag carts and dont shoot real hot loads so i cant remember the last time i trimmed anything.

[iiranger]

What you will find is that it is a bunch easier but there are differences to be "reckon'd with."

The old brass was designed for black powder and black powder pressures. It is not nearly as "sturdy" as 7mm Rem Mag brass. Once you adapt to "handle with care" loading technique, fun? Cases will last a lot longer because you will be loading to these mild pressures. The taper on these rounds like .38/40 makes it awful easy to crush a shoulder. Develop the "touch" and that will not happen often. Not sure if carbide dies are available for rounds this tapered... If you can find them, good. If not, well lube is a fact of life. As with any repetitive activity, well, you like it or not.  Luck. Happy trails.

[Lloyd Smale]

I guess if you looked at the cost of factory ammo in those calibers an hour to load a box wouldnt look so bad. If i cast my own bullets it doesnt cost much more to load 50 3220s then it does to buy a box of 22lr.

[petemi]

I've only been reloading for three years.  I had rifles in .38-55 and .32-20 when I started and since then I've loaded hundreds of each.  Personally, I have never encountered any fragile neck problems with the .32-20 and haven't ruined any brass with them or the .38-55.  I agree with Lloyd, the .32-20 can be reloaded for about the cost of rimfire ammo.  I couldn't afford to shoot any volume of factory ammo these days.  Stuff like .356 and .358 Winchester is three bucks a shot locally. ($55 per 20 plus tax).  .38-55 runs 35 to 45 a box of 20.

Pete