Tag: reloading

…I’ve got 1,000 .223 cases and 1,200 Hornady 75 grain HPBT Match bullets on the way.  I’ve got 500 cases prepped and ready to go, and 250 projectiles already.  Primers and powder are on hand.

I’ve got a busy few weekends ahead.

So at lunch today I ran by my favorite Merchant O’Death’s place of work and picked up some powder. They’d just gotten in a shipment of about a hundred pounds of various types (still no Unique – which at this point should just be renamed “Unavailable”), and I’d had him set me aside a bit: three pounds of H110 and one of Accurate 4064.

Remember when powder was around $20 a pound? Yeah, so do I. Four pounds of powder set me back a little over $116 including tax.

Ouch.

A few years ago, I did a post on the basics of reloading with a list of recommended materials.  I thought this would be a good time to review that and see just how much things have changed.  

Originally I recommended the Lee Anniversary Kit, which consisted of their Challenger “O”-press, powder measure, powder scale, reloading manual, priming tool and (most) shell holders.  It was $89.99.  That particular kit is no longer available, but the current one is the Challenger Breech Lock Anniversary Kit, which at $126.99 contains:

• Lee Breech Lock Challenger Single Stage Press
• 1-Breech Lock Die Bushing
• Lee Large and Small Safety Prime
• Lee Cutter and Lock Stud
• Lee Perfect Powder Measure
• Lee Chamfer Tool
• Lee Primer Pocket Cleaner
• Lee Safety Powder Scale
• Lee Powder funnel
• 2 oz Tube Lee Resizing Case Lube

Next up came dies, and I again recommended an all-Lee lineup:

Carbide .38/357 4-die set: $30.99 $41.99
Carbide .45ACP 4-die set: $21.99 $41.99
Steel .30 Luger 3-die set: $20.99 $30.49
.22-250 3-die set: $24.99 $30.99
.243 Winchester 3-die set: $24.99 $30.99
.308 Winchester 3-die set: $24.99 $30.99
.30-06 3-die set: $24.99 $30.99
.30 Carbine carbide 3-die set: $30.79 $38.49

Next up was lube. The Lee kit above has their lube, but I recommended a can of Hornady’s One Shot spray lube. For the sake of economy, I’ll leave it off this list.

I recommended a steel dial caliper micrometer: Still $25.99

I recommended a Hornady universal reloading tray: $4.79 $8.99

In the article I stated that a minimum of TWO reloading manuals should be on hand. The Lee Anniversary kit had one in it originally, but not now. The Speer manual at that time cost $26.99. Now it’s $29.99, and the Lee manual is another $21.99

Then there was powder and primers for all the calibers we were buying dies for. Powder is per pound, primer pricing is per thousand.

IMR 4064: $18.99 $25.87 (out of stock)
Winchester 296: $17.99 $21.60 (out of stock)
Winchester 231: $17.49 $21.04 (and also out of stock)

CCI Small Pistol: $21.99 $26.99
CCI Large Pistol: $21.49 $31.49
CCI Small Rifle: $22.49 $31.49
CCI Large Rifle: $22.99 $31.49

And then there was case prep, cleaning & miscellaneous:

Iosso Case Cleaning Kit: $14.99 $16.79
I suggested a primer pocket cleaner and chamfer and deburring tool, but those are now included in the Lee Anniversary kit.
Safety Glasses: $8.99 $4.49 – that’s the only item to reduce in price.

So in 2007 all the materials you’d need to start reloading for eight different calibers, with the exception of projectiles, was $542.76.  Today it would be $702.12, an increase of 29.4%.  Powder has gone up almost a third on average, if you can find it.  Primers have gone up almost 50%.

I’m glad I didn’t record bullet pricing back then.  I don’t think I want to know how much THAT’S gone up.

I sat down this afternoon, put the latest issue of Vicious Circle on WinAmp, and plowed through the last of my .30 Carbine components. I ran out powder with 50 cases left to load. So now I’ve got the better part of 920 rounds of 110 grain .30 Carbine softpoints (950 total minus the thirty or so test rounds I fired) either loaded in magazines, or loose in a cardboard-lined .30 caliber ammo can.

A heavy .30 caliber ammo can.

I’ve got 1,000 155 grain Lapua Scenar .30 caliber bullets coming from Graf & Sons, and 500 M118 LR 7.62 cases waiting for half of ’em. I may be picking up another 500 cases from GI Brass if he still has those in stock next month. These go along with the 300 155 Scenar bullets and 300 Lapua .308 cases I already have, plus I’ve got a couple hundred 175 SMK’s. I managed to score about 10 lbs. of Reloder 15 a while back, and I’ve got a couple thousand CCI Large Rifle Benchrest primers, so I’m set there.

I’ve got 1250 .45ACP cases, and I’m planning on ordering a couple thousand Ranier Ballistic 200 grain .45 caliber hollowpoints from Midway next month, too. Primers I’ve got, but now I need to find an 8lb. jug of Unique. I’ve got maybe a pound left, which is about enough for 1,000 rounds, but then I’m out.

I’m short of .223 brass, but I’ve got 1,200 75 grain Hornady HPBT Match bullets, plenty of Varget, and a couple thousand CCI #41 military small rifle primers. I’ve got about 600 loaded rounds, so fresh brass can wait until April, I think. Scharch is carrying Lake City, new unprimed and uncrimped brass for $200/1000 which is a helluva deal. I may not be able to wait.

I haven’t played with my .38 Super much since I got it, but I have 200 147 grain Gold Dots, and I think I may pick up 500 Ranier Ballistics 147 grainers when they become available. Brass is available locally, and I’ve got a couple hundred already. Don’t know about powder for this one yet, and from what I’ve read, small rifle primers are advised.

In short, I have a LOT of reloading to do, and then I need to take some trips to the range. I think I’m almost set for the rest of the year, anyway.

Damn it’s nice to be working again.