Thinking of Home loading

[Martiniblack577]

You shouldn't call Bullets 'Bullet Heads' it's an uneducated response.
Some retailters (in the UK) call them that as they are dealing with dumb people who don't know any better or are too ignorant to learn the correct terminiology.
Reloading is a precise and complex activity that needs care and attention.

Bullets, you can buy thousands of them if you want to.
Brass cases. you can buy thousands of those too.

Primers and powder fall into a 15kg Net Explosive Quantity (NEQ) limit, above which you need a special licence.
5,750 primers = 300g of explosives.
Most RFD's will sell you 1000 if you have a need and are 'known' you may be able to buy more.
Powder has a similar limit. an RFD will likely sell you a few KG's to start with.

When you combine all these componets into a 'round of ammunition' then this is subject to your FAC limits.
If your FAC says you can have 80 rounds of .243, then you can only have 80 rounds of .243 ammunition in your possession.

It is quite an expensive hobby, very satisfying, quite difficult to get it right and be consistent ..
Don't call Bullets 'Heads' or 'Bullet Heads'.
The 'head' contains the primer which sits in the primer pocket.

View attachment 456629

‘Uneducated response’. Harsh comment given he’s asked for support to educate himself from everyone here.

 

[shakey jake]

‘Uneducated response’. Harsh comment given he’s asked for support to educate himself from everyone here.

I Read it as supportive, who ever taught him initailly or who he read from online gave him bad info, he is just starting out so may aswell learn correctly from the start

 

[Miki]

‘Uneducated response’. Harsh comment given he’s asked for support to educate himself from everyone here.

Uneducated as in, 'no one has educated him yet', he/she doesn't know or is someone with little or no formal schooling or knowledge (ie a beginner) in the art of reloading.
I didn't mean he was ignorant, unintelligent, unsophisticated or showing backwardness.
We were all uneducated at one time and every day is a school day in my life.

 

[cjm1066]

Reloading can be fascinating as a hobby, if you have the time.

You might get ammunition that performs better than factory ammo, or can use components not available in factory ammunition, the virtus and barnes bullets I use are easily posted, trying to find cartridges with these bullets will be challenging.

Continuity, I can keep lots of components in stock, I usually have at least 200 of each in stock and load as required.

Will you save money, it depends if you include you time and also the amount of ammunition you use, when I started with pistol I could easily use 50-100 in one go, as you can with some target shooting disciplines. If you shoot 100 deer a year and save 50p a deer its unlikely to be financially rewarding.

 

[Mike1979]

Uneducated as in, 'no one has educated him yet', he/she doesn't know or is someone with little or no formal schooling or knowledge (ie a beginner) in the art of reloading.
I didn't mean he was ignorant, unintelligent, unsophisticated or showing backwardness.
We were all uneducated at one time and every day is a school day in my life.

I used the term "bullet head" as well.... and I will point out I am very well educated ....but admit to being stupid in many ways

There are loads of other comments on here saying they shouldnt be called a bullet and should be called a head...

I know what I meant so dont really care

When my mate talks about shooting Hinds I dont say "ooh you mean does as they are fallow" ... I know what he means and frankly I would expect a slap if I corrected him

 

[Miki]

I used the term "bullet head" as well.... and I will point out I am very well educated ....but admit to being stupid in many ways

Me too ..

There are loads of other comments on here saying they shouldnt be called a bullet and should be called a head...
<snip>

I really, really hope you have misread those comments and in fact they are the other way round.
Most on here try to help people rather than fill their heads with complete shite.

 

[jonylandrover]

for a time I used to shoot so I could get rid of the products made by my reloading hobby.

reloading to me is a hobby, i love it! making the thing that goes bang in the gun you love to use is very satisfying. and taking that 1st animal with load you have spent maybe days and hours fine tuning to produce the best thing it can be in your gun is a moment you wont forget!

is it cheaper than buying factory, yes and no. if you have access to a range and like paper punching like I do then no it will cost you way more as you will just shoot more rounds in a day.

for me if you try reloading and like it, the whole process of development etc then that's the reason to hand load. if you are doing it to save money and don't shoot many rounds a year then don't bother.

 

[Bowland blades]

Now there are a few things to think about
Home loading normally goes hand in hand with shooting more , that's good ! However it also means you shoot more , that's good but bad fiscally
When you get good with loading your own , your ammo quality is way better than std factory .

 

[Fosbery Holster]

Now soapy, when l first started reloading (good god was it that long ago) the pistols and rifles l owned commercial/factory ammunition wasn’t available so either l reloaded or didn’t shoot, as you can guess l started reloading.

The learning curve along with the help of others took me into another dimension of shooting sports and I’ve never looked back, reloading can be as interesting as the actual experience of shooting.

I remember the first full bore rifle cartridge I put together and thought……that’s too beautiful a cartridge to shoot……l shot it anyway, but the sense of achievement was palpable.

If you want to start reloading go ahead and do it, if you can find someone close to show you the ropes don’t be afraid to ask, that’s just the way l started with the help of a friend.

Get started with your choice of kit and enjoy the journey.

 

[hammo]

I find it really relaxing to carefully load 50 or 100 rounds, with no distractions. Very satisfying to tune up a load for the velocity and accuracy you want too. Once I'm happy I stick with that recipe, just the odd group check on paper to confirm but no need to repeat that often. If you are thorough and consistent, your results will not change.

 

[Miki]

<snip>
When my mate talks about shooting Hinds I dont say "ooh you mean does as they are fallow" ... I know what he means and frankly I would expect a slap if I corrected him

Then your 'mate' wouldn't pass a DSC1 .. or likely progress any further
I had to retake my exam/certificate for that very reason (mixing up hinds and does) as well not recognising diffent species ....

It took me a while to correctly identify an unhealthy retropharyngeal lymph node too although I got the mediastinal a lot quicker as they are similar to a humans.

 

[takbok]

Hello all,


I had a free hour or so at work and started doing some “fag-packet maths” around reloading my .243. I’ve worked the cost per reload out at approximately £1.30 per round (excluding the cost of tooling and my time), which is just under half of what I currently pay per shot when buying from an RFD. With the likelihood of lead-free becoming the norm going forward, I think the cost saving could be even greater when using lead-free ammo.


So my question is: is it worth home-loading? If so, what tools are essential, which aren’t worth the hassle, and what tools would you recommend?


I’m currently looking at a kit from Lee Precision, which appears to include everything required:
LEE BREECH LOCK CHALLENGER KIT


With my understanding of the FAC, and my ticket stating I can hold 80 rounds of .243, would I need to apply for a variation to hold, say, 100 rounds if I’m home-loading? Most bullets seem to come in boxes of 50 or 100. Would I be able to buy a box of 100 bullets but only be allowed to load and hold 80 rounds at any one time?


Thanks in advance.

Lee kit is generally good. I'm local and can show you the ropes with starting reloading if required.

This is a good guide:

https://hodgdonpowderco.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/WesternPowdersHandloadingGuide8.0_WEB-1.pdf

 

[soapywatson]

Lee kit is generally good. I'm local and can show you the ropes with starting reloading if required.

This is a good guide:

https://hodgdonpowderco.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/WesternPowdersHandloadingGuide8.0_WEB-1.pdf

Thanks for the offer, I might have to take you up on that offer

 

[Klenchblaize]

On a serious point, if you have the time consider phasing the process over a few weeks so you never feel rushed to complete a batch of ammo. Obviously I'm not suggesting interrupting your flow (see what I did there!) once you've started powder charging and head bullet seating but all other stages can be done at the pace of your choosing.

K

 

[Ouhout]

@soapywatson I'm in the same boat as you.
I'm currently building up what I need & I've been given excellent advice so far on SD & I also have guidance from friends who reload very well.
I'm not doing this as a cost saving exercise, I'm doing it so I can have enough supplies to have a consistent accurate load & also because I'm on an island and getting factory ammo isn't easy. I'm also doing it because I enjoy it & I did load a bit back when I lived in South Africa many moons ago. There is also an independence element to it as mentioned above.

So far I've gone with the below:

Used RCBS - Rock Chucker Press (RC version from 1980) - built like a tank
Used RCBS dies for .243 win & .270 win
Once fired Norma brass for .243
Once fired Sako brass for .270

I'm on the lookout for a beam scale (shortlist is Ohaus made 10-10, Lyman M5, the RCBS 5-0-5 also gets great feedback) - I wanted a digital scale but after loads of research and the help of SD community I'm going beam scale - excellent value for accuracy.

Still quite a bit to collect, but feel free to PM me any questions & I'm happy to help. If there is a fellow SD member willing to show you the ropes then take them up on the offer & remember there are no silly questions in the game of reloading...

 

[Mike1979]

Then your 'mate' wouldn't pass a DSC1 .. or likely progress any further
I had to retake my exam/certificate for that very reason (mixing up hinds and does) as well not recognising diffent species ....

It took me a while to correctly identify an unhealthy retropharyngeal lymph node too although I got the mediastinal a lot quicker as they are similar to a humans.

Lol. My mate is 70, has been shooting deer for 50+ years and can shoot 1" groups at 300 yards so dont think he gives a hoot about a piece of paper...proving the worth of such things in many ways...experience vs assumed competence.

 

[Bavarianbrit]

Another point in reloading is making up rounds that no longer are available as factory ammunition or very hard to find.
Another is modifying a case into the form of a different calibre.
The third point and you will not be doing that very soon is wildcatting a case to create your own idea of a cartridge.

BTW
Does anyone know the name given to the top of the neck? Shown as ????????

 

[Demetrius]

Go for it.....should save you some wedge in the long run, and is a relaxing, contemplative pastime.
Not only that, you will get a "hands on" understanding of ballistics, more consistent ammo than factory stuff, and as long as you don't blow your head off, a lot of satisfaction and fun.....
BUT, do budget for a chronometer. No reloader should be without one.......

D.

 

[Miki]

BTW
Does anyone know the name given to the top of the neck? Shown as ????????
View attachment 456687

case mouth

 

[Bavarianbrit]

case mouth

Agh thanks.