How many do you load?

[longwinters]

When you find a load, for a particular gun, that is a good shooter for you; how many cartridges do you load up ahead?  A box, 5 boxes etc...?

long

[Ross]

When I load a batch for my Snider, I load all that I have and take both of them to the range and reload them again and again there.
Cheers from Darkest California,
Ross

[Thomas Krupinski]

As many as you want or have the time and materials to do.

[Snowshoe]

I have the plastic box that holds 50, so that is what I load.

[RaySendero]

longwinters,

Here's how I do it:

1) Work up centerfire rifle loads on 2 sometimes 3 shot groups at 100yards with 5 to 6 different powder weights.  Check carefully for signs of high pressure.  Goal here is to establish max load for your gun - May require repeating a second time to be sure.

2) Load  another 30 - 15 each at two different powder weight charges.  Here, put five shot groups on targets at 100, 200, and 300 yards with the two powder weights to check for accuracy and stability.  

3) Pick one from 2) and load 40 more.  Zero at 100 to 250 yards depending on caliber.  Put 5 shot groups on targets at 1 distance closer and two distances farther than zero.  Record group centers plus or minus from POA.  Then re-zero scope to two farther distances and maybe? the close range too.  This time recording the change in scope setting.  When finished re-zero to hunting zero distance.  Keep a small note book of these bullet drops and scope setting with the rifle.

4) So far you can see that I've reloaded and shot 90 to 100 rounds.  Probably more than you have to but you sure do learn more about the rifle and scope capability in the process!  From here I'll load 50 to 100 more for season.

[223Shooter]

I do as "snowshoe" does.....load up a plastic box full...50 rounds. Then, about once a week or so, I shoot 3-5 rounds in my backyard range of 60yds just to shoot some and to verify accuracy of these (or any) load.
I shoot a NEF Handi Rifle in .223.  GREAT little shooter.....

[Lloyd Smale]

most guns i dont just use one load in but the .38 i do and i usually have a few thousand i try to keep loaded

[longwinters]

I generally load about 20 , but talked to a guy recently that loads hundreds of his favorite rounds.  So I was just curious what the common practice is. . .  just enough to shoot at one time or stockpile.

long

[fast*eddie]

I only load for two calibers. I shoot the 223 most of the summer. I will have at least 200 rounds ready before the woodchucks come out. Bought a used Lyman Turret Press and I leave the 223 Lee deluxe rifle dies in all the time. I prime 100 rounds at one sitting but put powder and bullets in 50 rounds at one sitting. I bought a single Lee Press for the 7-30 waters reloading.  

[Jerry Lester]

I'll usually try to keep at least 500 rounds or so of my favorite load ready for action when I need it.

I load more 357s than anything else, and will generally load up 500 rounds per session. Sometimes, when I'm not quite up to the task, I'll get 500 cases ready to load, then charge, seat bullets, and crimp the next day.

This is all on a Rockchucker, so it gets right tiresome at times. I desperately need to move up to a good Dillon, but I'm just worried about how consistant my loads will be if I roll out ammo at such a blistering pace. I shoot a lot at longer ranges(200 yards or more) with my Marlin 1894C 357 magnum, so consistant loads are a must. Just a little difference in a crimp, or powder charge will definately cause a miss high or low at those ranges.

It's not uncommon for me to go through 500-1000 rounds of 357s in a week with my Marlin, and my Blackhawk combined, so I definately spend a lot more time loading than I do shooting.

[Badnews Bob]

I've got close to a thousand .357s loaded and 3 to 500 .38s everything else maybe 50 to a hundred. Like Mr Lester I like to shoot .357s.

[HappyHunter]

For hunting rifle typically 20-40 per caliber/rifle.

For handgun hunfting, typically 50.

For target shooting/handgun, ie 38 special and 45 acp 500-1000.

Each load is developed for each gun.

Fred

[ButlerFord45]

Jerry Lester

I can only attest to the SDB, but the charges and crimps can't be beaten.  Dillon says accurate to .1 grain, my experience is that you'd have to add another decimal place.  I've only been using it for just over an month, but I'm just finishing 2000 rounds and they are FAR more consistant shooters than what I've been able to buy.

[Jerry Lester]

Jerry Lester

I can only attest to the SDB, but the charges and crimps can't be beaten.  Dillon says accurate to .1 grain, my experience is that you'd have to add another decimal place.  I've only been using it for just over an month, but I'm just finishing 2000 rounds and they are FAR more consistant shooters than what I've been able to buy.

That's encouraging to hear.

My biggest concern is how to get a consistant crimp. I trim my cases every time I load, and this is after I size them. It's the only way to get a truely consistant crimp. I've tried trimming before I size(I'm figuring this is the only way I could do it with a progressive), but my lengths after sizing will vary some. I've found that when the range passes about 150 yards with my 1894C, even just a little difference in crimp tension starts stringing my shots high or low.

If you're trying to hit baseball sized targets at those ranges(especially 200 yards or more), it's impossible if the velocity varies more than just 15-20 fps between shots.

I've experimented a lot with this, and found that .002" more or less in case length makes more difference than + or - 2/10ths of a grain in charge weight when using Unique, and 125g SPs.

If I can ever figure out how(with any speed) to solve this problem, I'll be in a Dillon fast enough to make your head spin! LOL!

I may just have to get the Dillon for my Blackhawk, and continue to load my 1894C ammo on the Rockchucker. No better than I can shoot a revolver, I'm sure the Dillon will out perform my shooting with ease.

[Danny Boy]

I have found some loads that my rifles like better than others. They are recorded in my reloading notes with details that I can reproduce them on demand.  I don't stock up on a given load largely because I am always working on the next load – it is a never-ending job with continuous improvement.

For each week, I take 3 different loads each with six shots to the range. I may bring two rifles with different calibers and that is around 36 shots. If I am at the end stage of load development, the powder charge may vary .1 gr and when I find the correct powder charge I will play with the sitting depth of the bullet.

Danny Boy

[HappyHunter]

You can trim and full length size in one step with the Dillon Power trimmer.  It requires the use a  single stage press (your rockchucker).  The power trimmer does not expel spent primer or expand case mouth so you will need to start at first stage of progressive press, only have the FL sizer die "up" so that only the primer is removed and case is not sized, this will also expand the case mouth properly.  (sorry for the run on sentence).
 
This is how I do my 223 Rem loads on my Dillon 550.  
 
Good luck,
 
Fred

[Jerry Lester]

Thanks fred!

I'll definately be checking into that!