An answer to a few of your questions, cases for pistol no more than 3 reloads, and check carefully after 2 for splits. Home made black powder will leave a great deal of residue, cut power by half and leave a great deal of smoke. If your into chemistry look up gun cotton. for a reloader look on E-bay for used ones. Good luck.

An answer to a few of your questions, cases for pistol no more than 3 reloads, and check carefully after 2 for splits. Home made black powder will leave a great deal of residue, cut power by half and leave a great deal of smoke. If your into chemistry look up gun cotton. for a reloader look on E-bay for used ones. Good luck.

Thanks for the tips Ranger /// The gun cotton looks interesting

1) How many times on average can a case be reloaded?

ive heard of casings being reloaded 10 times... but it depends on the shape. For example, a straight walled bullet casing (like a pistol round) the construction is very simple and sturdy and will reload many many times... where as a bottle necked rifle round may only last a few reloads. the main thing is to keep your quality control in check by measuring the length of your bullet casing as they will stretch over time. you can get a case trimmer to solve this problem, but eventually you will remove enough material and the casing will get too thin and start to split.

2) Are the "all in one" kits you can buy worth it, or is it better to purchase individual components?

absolutley the kits are worth it. i myself purchased a bottom of the barrel "lee 50th anniversary reloading kit" for 150 that came with everything i would need as a beginner. now I still use this kit, but it is very crude and simple, as well as time consuming to use. if I wanted to reload greater quantities I would much rather have saved up and bought a more deluxe line kit such as a turret style or progressive style reload kit.

3) Gear recommendations?

lee precision, Dillon, RCBS, and Lyman are the top makers. Lee is least expensive, but still makes good products. do some research on these companies and look for reviews on youtube. Also look on their websites for the names of some of their reloading kits, then search youtube for reviews of those kits. Watch how they function and listen to what the reviewer has to say and maybe you will find one that suits your needs.

4) I know I can cast for the .45-70 & the .357, how difficult is this?, how cost effective compared to precast bullets?

If you find a way to get cheap or free lead... its drastically cheaper. but then you have to buy the casting molds, smelter pot, etc... but if you plan on reloading alot it is definatley worth it. Also from a prepper perspective, it is an extremely valuable skill. research "bullet casting for cheap" on youtube and see where some of these guys get their lead. most of them just get free wheel weights from tire shops. Thats what I do.

5) How time consuming is it?

depends what kind of press you get. if you get one of the fancy progressive setups, you can put out over 1000 rounds in an hour. the basic single stage presses can take an efficient worker about a minute per round. But its a very enjoyable hobby i find, so I dont worry about the time it takes.

6) How much space should be dedicated to my bench?

my workspace is about 3 feet wide... but the more room the better I would imagine. I suppose it depends on how much gear and doo=dads you buy, and how many bullets you plan on making in one sitting. I have my press bolted onto a piece of ply wood, and i can attach that plywood to any table or surface i want with a couple of c-clamps.

7) Is it really worth the effort to reload .12 g? (while 00 can be pricey, it's not too bad yet in bulk & well, 7.5 is dirt cheap...)

might be worth it to buy the equipmnent to do it, and to have the supplies on hand just in case you need them. if you are comfortable buying shells at market price then at least you know you have the capability to do it for yourself if s ever htf. and if the price keeps going up, youll be ahead of the game.

8) What are the laws regarding powder & primer storage (volumes on hand, etc.)?

safe storage practice is a must. you dont want to store your primers and powder together, and you want them away from any heat source. keep your primers in the packaging they were purchased in until you plan to use them. there are warning labels and instructions on the packages. its nothing to crazy, mostley common sense

9) I know you can make you own black powder, can this be used in lieu of traditional powders?

black powder is not the same as smokeless powder. in fasct they are the exact opposite of eachother. DO NOT put black powder in a bullet or you will be severly injured when you try to shoot it! smokeless powder "burns", while black powder explodes. It might not seem like a big difference, but in regards to pressue building with in a projectile, black powder would detonate inside the casing and blow your gun apart in your hand. you can youtube this stuff as well.

10) What would the life span be on the components (press, dies, etc.)?

your great grandkids will still be using them.. any press from the vendors above will be made of cast iron or steel alloy, and are literally bullet proof. Of course you will want to maintain and care for them as you would any tool, but they are very forgiving, and will last alot longer then you will.

Hope that helps!

Hope that helps!

Indeed it has /// Thank you very much Buggie for taking the time from your day to prepare a very thought out response to all my questions /// It is greatly appreciated 😀

Humbly, 23rd

Excellent post, Buggie. Many thanks - just the advice I was looking for.

I should add that web though you can buy "complete kits", you do still need to buy a dye set for each individual size of cartridge you plan to reload. Depending on the caliber, these run about 60-70 bucks. Also I would recommend a case washer (YouTube these to see what they are) but thy are by no means necessary. There are many other little tools and add-ons that you can buy tools your work easier, but you can pick these up as you go. Things like cartridge trays and automate powder devices speed things up, but are not necessary.

The one thing that you may not have included in your all-in one kits is a reloading manual. You absolutely have to have one, preferably 2. A reloading manual is essentially a cartridge cookbook, and will tell you step by step everything you need to know about reloading, as well as the powder amounts for each brand of powder, the expected results, etc. this helps to keel you from overloading your rounds to dangerous levels. Not every brand of powder is the same, and 20 grains of one may be more powerful then 20 grains of the other, resulting in a Big Bang you did not want.

I should add that web though you can buy "complete kits", you do still need to buy a dye set for each individual size of cartridge you plan to reload. Depending on the caliber, these run about 60-70 bucks. Also I would recommend a case washer (YouTube these to see what they are) but thy are by no means necessary. There are many other little tools and add-ons that you can buy tools your work easier, but you can pick these up as you go. Things like cartridge trays and automate powder devices speed things up, but are not necessary.

The one thing that you may not have included in your all-in one kits is a reloading manual. You absolutely have to have one, preferably 2. A reloading manual is essentially a cartridge cookbook, and will tell you step by step everything you need to know about reloading, as well as the powder amounts for each brand of powder, the expected results, etc. this helps to keel you from overloading your rounds to dangerous levels. Not every brand of powder is the same, and 20 grains of one may be more powerful then 20 grains of the other, resulting in a Big Bang you did not want.

Again, thank you Buggie /// May I call on you from time to time as I get my head around this & get started should I have further questions, or are unsure of something???

Keep Safe / 23rd

Sure. Feel free to pm me anytime. I am by no means an expert, I am actually still fairly new to reloading. But I asked many of the same questions as you and I have out the time in and done the research. I will help where I can!

I have been reloading for 40+ years and am reasonabbly new to this site, I believe there's no stupid questions just stupid answers. If I can be of help

supermag