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Reloading
- Thread starter TonyD
- Start date
I'm going to pick up a competition press by Sinclair for some of my match loads.
Lugnut said:
Carl at Four Seasons has a pretty good stock of reloading supplies. He has bullets, both lead and jacketed, smokeless powder, and primers. I don't think he stocks the brass cases you'll need, but you can get these from a variety of mail order sources, E-Bay included.
Also, I'm sure other NESers will chime in with other local gunshops where you can get components.
Other than for my Glocks, I have reloaded thousands upon thousands or rounds of lead bullets. Glocks get jacketed ammo to avoid the dreaded Kaboom.
I don't often buy brass, I just make a point to save what I shoot, and, occasionally, harvest brass from that dropped by pals that don't reload.
Reloading is a great hobby all in itself.
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Savage110FP said:You guys don't know the secret internet site that still ships here? shame on you![[wink]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/002.gif "Wink [wink]")
And, if you do know the secret internet site that still ships here DON'T POST IT HERE!!!
As for lead... it just is unsafe. It's bad enough getting the airbourne lead when we shoot why add exposed lead into the mix. A jacketed bullet will emit fewer airbourne lead pieces into the air than a standard lead bullet. Plus, by handling the bare lead you will get more into your system. For me it's a safety thing. I know I'll never be free from lead when shooting but I take all the precautions to avoid it.
Plus, when reloading with lead the wax gums up all your dies and you have to clean them. This isn't the case with jacketed. Plus, it's easier to clean your gun after shooting jacketed ammo. Another alternative might be Master Blaster Bullets. They are a Polly based bullet. I haven't used them in years but when I did I never had any issues.
Pete
The fire chief in Woburn has restricted how much powder Four Seasons can put out on the floor. Ask for what you need and you'll be surprised what Carl can come up with. He has an off-site warehouse in another town where he stores supplies and I'm certain he'll order supplies for customers so it will come in with his next order (usually every few days, I would bet).
Northeast Trading Co. in No. Attleboro also has reloading supplies in abundance.
Riley's in Hookset, NH and Kittery Trading Post in Kittery, ME also should have most everything.
As for brass, pickup what you shoot and what others leave behind. Pistol cases last damn near forever unless you are doing hot loads.
Northeast Trading Co. in No. Attleboro also has reloading supplies in abundance.
Riley's in Hookset, NH and Kittery Trading Post in Kittery, ME also should have most everything.
As for brass, pickup what you shoot and what others leave behind. Pistol cases last damn near forever unless you are doing hot loads.
![[smile]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/001.gif "Smile [smile]")
Want to handle my divorce once my wife finds out I have ANOTHER hobby?? ![[laugh]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/012.gif "Laugh [laugh]")
I've been saving cases for some time, so I rarely have to buy more. I just keep reloading what I've got. My Remington 45 ACP brass is up to 10 times fired -- I may need to think about tossing it. But I've got several thousand rounds of S&B 45 ACP waiting, so no biggie.
I paid over $1000 for my setup. It paid for itself the first year.
I get powder and primers from FS. Bullets have been more of a problem lately. Personally, I prefer to use TMJ bullets in order to reduce my exposure to lead. FMJ bullets have an exposed base, which is not good -- the flames from combustion vaporize some of the exposed lead. TMJ bullets have a jacketed base, so less lead exposure.
Frangible? Never seem them available as bullets and if they were, they'd be ridiculously expensive.
I paid over $1000 for my setup. It paid for itself the first year.
I get powder and primers from FS. Bullets have been more of a problem lately. Personally, I prefer to use TMJ bullets in order to reduce my exposure to lead. FMJ bullets have an exposed base, which is not good -- the flames from combustion vaporize some of the exposed lead. TMJ bullets have a jacketed base, so less lead exposure.
Frangible? Never seem them available as bullets and if they were, they'd be ridiculously expensive.
I nave to disagree with pistolpete I've been shooting lead bullets for many a year and as of now no health problems
my range allows lead bullets indoors but the vent system works quite well you can see the smoke etc being suck thru the air and into the filter system
as far as loading lead bullets when you are done loading WASH YOUR HANDS I use a hand clener by Zef has pumice or some type of abrasive to clean of the worst dirt ( No I don't work for them or own stock in the company)
my range allows lead bullets indoors but the vent system works quite well you can see the smoke etc being suck thru the air and into the filter system
as far as loading lead bullets when you are done loading WASH YOUR HANDS I use a hand clener by Zef has pumice or some type of abrasive to clean of the worst dirt ( No I don't work for them or own stock in the company)
PistolPete said:
I concur on buying quality, but I disagree about using a single stage press. A progressive does speed up loading PISTOL ammo, but not rifle ammo (if you want quality ammo).
Remember, I've done this on the professional end, and I still use a single stage press for rifle ammo.
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highlander said:
Have you had your blood lead levels checked??? I hope that you are healthy. I feel nervous for you esp. if you are shooting indoors. A good ventilation system helps but you're still going to be breathing in a LOT of lead particles. To each his own but I personally won't shoot lead. I would rather be safe than sorry.
last blood test I had no problems Don't shoot that much indoors of large bore
anyways.can't shoot pistols have carpal tunnel and am waiting for surgery to correct caused by job company is running me thru hoops to correct
oh blood test 1 maybe 2 years ago am cautious because I do cast for all my pistols and rifle except for .223
anyways.can't shoot pistols have carpal tunnel and am waiting for surgery to correct caused by job company is running me thru hoops to correct
oh blood test 1 maybe 2 years ago am cautious because I do cast for all my pistols and rifle except for .223
My experiences with lead have been good - so far! I've been casting/reloading with lead since the mid-1970's. At the time I started shooting with my Dad money was tight. We had access to literally hundreds of pounds of spent bullets (a friendly range officer!) and an equivalent amount of wheel weights. Once we had purchased the necessary equipment we could produce fully loaded ammo for a fraction of the cost of factory ammo and "professional" reloads. Like most reloaders, we probably spent as much money as if we had been buying factory ammo but we got to do a heck of a lot more shooting! ![[grin]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/041.gif "Grin [grin]")
I still have those mold blocks and they still get used. Over the years I've had my blood checked for lead levels several times - it has never been elevated. The last check was a little over two years ago and everything was normal.
When melting scrap lead I would set the furnace up outdoors so there was plenty of fresh air. Since some of the lead "scrap" smelled quite "gamey" it also kept the family from complaining about any foul odors.
When actually casting bullets (a good activity on cold winter days) I wore leather gloves, mostly to protect from burns, not contact with lead. I also rigged a cheap range exhaust hood over the pot. The hood was exhausted outside using a piece of flexible tubing. I fluxed with beeswax at first, later with Marvelux.
I handled a LOT of lead over the years. The bullets were sorted, lubed, sized, stacked in containers, removed from containers, seated in charged cases, etc. I did wash my hands and arms pretty faithfully after casting. Yikes, I even smoked cigarettes for years while casting! Stupid, I know.
I mention all this only to see if there was anything I was doing that "protected" me from lead poisoning, or was I just lucky?![[hmmm]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/009.gif "Hmm [hmmm]")
I still have a fondness for good cast bullets. Some of the tightest groups I've ever fired in my life were with cast bullets. I can still recall the times I knocked down steel rams at 220 yards using Lyman bullet #429215, a gas-checked, SWC design, in .44mag. Any former metallic silhouette shooters out there?
My best wishes to anyone that's suffering from lead poisoning. I'd really like to know why some people get affected by it while others are untouched.
Mike
I still have those mold blocks and they still get used. Over the years I've had my blood checked for lead levels several times - it has never been elevated. The last check was a little over two years ago and everything was normal.
When melting scrap lead I would set the furnace up outdoors so there was plenty of fresh air. Since some of the lead "scrap" smelled quite "gamey" it also kept the family from complaining about any foul odors.
When actually casting bullets (a good activity on cold winter days) I wore leather gloves, mostly to protect from burns, not contact with lead. I also rigged a cheap range exhaust hood over the pot. The hood was exhausted outside using a piece of flexible tubing. I fluxed with beeswax at first, later with Marvelux.
I handled a LOT of lead over the years. The bullets were sorted, lubed, sized, stacked in containers, removed from containers, seated in charged cases, etc. I did wash my hands and arms pretty faithfully after casting. Yikes, I even smoked cigarettes for years while casting! Stupid, I know.
I mention all this only to see if there was anything I was doing that "protected" me from lead poisoning, or was I just lucky?
I still have a fondness for good cast bullets. Some of the tightest groups I've ever fired in my life were with cast bullets. I can still recall the times I knocked down steel rams at 220 yards using Lyman bullet #429215, a gas-checked, SWC design, in .44mag. Any former metallic silhouette shooters out there?
My best wishes to anyone that's suffering from lead poisoning. I'd really like to know why some people get affected by it while others are untouched.
Mike
I know of two shooters that had to take time off from lead poisioning. I think it is more where you shoot it and how much you are exposed to the shooting by product rather than reloading it. Both cases I know were shooting a lot indoors with questionable ventilation (one may have been on a #2 Ticonderoga diet as a child too).
I like lead for .45 in my 1911 because it is cheap, I don't have to order it, and SWCs punch nice clean holes. I rather use the money saved on the JHP 9mm I shoot so much more of. I don't mind ordering the smaller bullets since the shipping is less of a factor.
Wash your hands!
I like lead for .45 in my 1911 because it is cheap, I don't have to order it, and SWCs punch nice clean holes. I rather use the money saved on the JHP 9mm I shoot so much more of. I don't mind ordering the smaller bullets since the shipping is less of a factor.
Wash your hands!
A certain club I belonged to for 24 years had a relatively non-existent ventilation system on their indoor range. When I was the only one in there (could only shoot lead), this 16 position x 50'/25yd range would choke you with a cloud of acrid smoke after merely 50 rds of CF ammo!
I stopped the indoor shooting and bitched mightily for years until I finally quit in 2000.
Clubs like Braintree R&P on the other hand, have a HEPA negative-pressure air system on one of their indoor ranges. Even black powder goes down/up and out and you have minimal exposure to all those bad elements in the air. I love the place!
All factors: handling bullets, casting, loading and shooting add to the problem and you should take precautions wherever you can to protect your health.
I stopped the indoor shooting and bitched mightily for years until I finally quit in 2000.
Clubs like Braintree R&P on the other hand, have a HEPA negative-pressure air system on one of their indoor ranges. Even black powder goes down/up and out and you have minimal exposure to all those bad elements in the air. I love the place!
All factors: handling bullets, casting, loading and shooting add to the problem and you should take precautions wherever you can to protect your health.
I do my casting in my cellar during the winter house is 160yrs old field stone foundation cold and drafty.I found a very nice camp stove that uses a 20lb propane tank and melt my bulk lead outside.someone in work gave me 200 to300lbs of ww free use a cast iron pot to melt and a cast iron fy pan8 segments to make ingots BTW the stove can be bought at Dick's for $100 two burner 30,000 btu per
How many rounds of 9mm or .40 (assume std loads) would a lb of powder be good for? This could be a funa activity in the fall... just got to make some room in my garage... which is no small task!
I was at KTP this weekend... they have lots of reloading equipment- Dillons, Lee, etc.
I was at KTP this weekend... they have lots of reloading equipment- Dillons, Lee, etc.
Depending on which powder you use 1000 to 1400 bullets per pound.
ther are 7000 grains in a pound devde by powder charge and Viola
If you buy any equipment buy Dillon their equipment is pricey but worth the money and their no bs warranty is superb
I had a problem with my 550 and triedpress apart and damaged it called Dillon toll free told them I screwed up the press and would pay tohave it fixed
Told me to send it back and it will be repaired free
I did and they did can't argue with service like that
ther are 7000 grains in a pound devde by powder charge and Viola
If you buy any equipment buy Dillon their equipment is pricey but worth the money and their no bs warranty is superb
I had a problem with my 550 and triedpress apart and damaged it called Dillon toll free told them I screwed up the press and would pay tohave it fixed
Told me to send it back and it will be repaired free
I did and they did can't argue with service like that
highlander said:
Ha, I knew someone would pick up on that. Blame 38SuperMatt for saying our buddy ate pencils. People still call it pencil lead I guess enough though it is graphite. Just put lead paint in there instead. Either way, the guy with lead poisioning had to stay behind the glass at the range since he was sick at the time we were taking a safety class. We called him the ballistic bubble boy.
