The joys of reloading

[Wally]

Many, if not most, reload to stretch their shooting budget to get more bang for the buck....I sure do. However there is another side to reloading that I really enjoy. I will buy a new bullet mold, typically a Lee and experiment with it to see what develops. I find this to me most enjoyable and interesting.

Last year I tried a new Lee .44 Cal 214 SWC bullet in my .44 Spl/Magnums using 8.0 grains or Red Dot for a sub-sonic plinking load. I sized to .431" and darn if it wasn't accurate and enjoyable to shoot! I had been using the typical 250 Kieths and the Lyman 429215/429244....but I soon found that the Lee 214 SWC was both accurate and comfortable to shoot. It also shot well in my finicky USRA 94AE. Also I challenged myself to try (again) the infamous Lyman 429360. As in the past, I treid a few loads and I failed to find an accurate, consistent load using it. However I did enjoy trying.

Also, I aquired two used Lee molds in the 7mm and .30 Calibers to be used with a 7mm Rem Mag and a .30-06. I had never before tried a Lee mold in a CF rifle caliber(s) before...I was so surprised that with little load development, I found a good load for each caliber. Heck, I didn't even weigh/sort 'em, I just gave a quick visual inspection ..... rejecting very few!

I could go on & on with others that I've tried... maybe others would like to share their experiences?

[youngda9]

I too enjoy it a lot. I'm on my second 44 magnum mold now. Really enjoy playing with different powder, size, and boolit combinations in my 44 rifles and 44 handguns. Working up a hunting load for my 44 rifles currently. Searching for the best compromise for accuracy and velocity in both rifles. I've already settled on a standard load for my handguns that I'm happy with.

Everytime I get a new mold it re-energizes my passion in the development process.

[Texantothecore]

One of the joys of shooting is that there is literally something for everyone. I have a friend who has a passion for buying stuff and having his new tschotckes installed. I have very little in common with him in terms of interest (I am a development kind of guy. There are few thrills like a new mold that needs to be worked up to a good load) but he is very happy with his approach.

So, yes, something for everyone.

[Walter Laich]

I enjoy seeing the piles of scrap lead turn into great (OK, pretty good) looking bullets at the end.

Plus there is the $$ savings, too.

[newton]

I thought about this last night. I realized that you would have to do this for more years than most men can live to ever get bored with it. There are so many different molds, so many different loads, and so many different guns/calibers that you would have to be fed up with shooting altogether in order to be bored casting.

Much different than just reloading, casting up's the anti 1000 fold.

[glowe]

I liking the hunt for WW.
Found a big tire shop yesterday down a little road by my work.
Started talking with the owner a bit about an army pic on the wall. His bothers in the army.
Asked about some used wheel weights and he sent me to his storage yard. He had 7-8 x 5 gal bails full of WW. I almost **** my pants. I only grabbed one and asked how much. He said just take them. This morning I drop off a good bottle of wine and a cigar.
He was so thankful, I now have as much has I want.

[plainsman456]

So many molds-so little time.

I find it helps take out the stress found in ones day.
Of course the shooting is therapy as well.

[375RUGER]

I thought this was going to be a book review for a new one. Joy of Homebrewing, Joy of Cooking, Joy of Winemaking, Joy of Reloading.

[**oneshot**]

I have always enjoyed making a rifle or revolver shoot awesome groups. The hardware stuff like smoothing a trigger, free floating a barrel, etc has some enjoyment, but devoloping loads for said firearm and watching little changes make groups shrink is where my real "Tinkering" never ends.

A few years ago I added casting to my reloading and opened up a whole new can of worms. Not only can I play with powder, seating depth, bullet weight, I now can change my alloy and try to make a better boolit.

[Aunegl]

Or designing better boolits and having custom molds made for them. It's an insidious hobby.

[.22-10-45]

Hello, Wally..One really can't have too many moulds! I collect/use antique Ideal/Lyman moulds & tools. Bought an old Ideal integeral handled #22636..this was a heavy 60gr. for the old .22-15-60 Stevens. Of course it was too heavy for anything I had to shoot it out of..but I cast up some bullets from it anyway out of fairly soft range lead.
Few years later, I was working with a custom Hornet single shot on an original Sharps-Borchardt panelled action, barreled with a Shillen 26" oct. 1-14" twist.
I had tried just about every commercial bullet mould out there..but couldn't find cocsistancy.
Finally, I took some of those old Ideal bullets, chucked them up in bench lathe..and faced off to 50grs. On some, I turned gas-check shank.
These prooved to be some of the most accurate bullets fired to date in that Hornet.
I sent samples off the Fred Leeth at Pioneer Products for nose-pour copies..in both plain base & gas-check.
Using these custom bullets..I was finally able to equal best match jacketed bullet accuracy at 100yds.
Oh..I use an old original Ideal 1892 lube-sizer for lubing these bullets..this old tool has perfect top-punch to die-mouth alignment..less play in guide rods..and frankly..makes the later 450 & 4500 Lyman sizers look like so much junk!
These old tools are fun!

[mdevlin53]

Most times when I cast a new boolit and load it up i set up the first twenty and look at them. I think about all that went into them. casting preping priming loading every step. then i look at them and sometimes i am amazed at how they come out. But wait this was only half the fun, Now i get to shoot them.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/thum_23743506b644a0bde6.jpg (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=6896)
459-500-3R 45-70 loaded today

[spfd1903]

When I was telling a co-worker that I had just bought a re-loading press, he informed me that he had been re-loading for twenty years, and would be glad to mentor me. I was extremely happy to have some real live experience available. In the next breath, he told me what I should start looking into for boolit casting. I said.."Hold on, I barely know a thing about loading ammo!!" He calmly told me that the two activities go together and I would thank him later. As a good student, I ordered a Lee 20 # pot, ladle, and three six cavity molds in the calibers I intended to load. He was correct. As a firearms enthusiast, reloading took me to the moon. Casting has taken me to infinity and beyond.

[Jal5]

I think it's almost as fun as shooting. Having to only concentrate on one thing at a time is relaxing compared to the rest of my day. So I take my time casting and reloading trying to make the best ammo that I can.

[Lance Boyle]

Yep, building an accurate combo of gun, cartridge, bullet, loading etc. to me is like working on a puzzle. The enjoyment is really in the hunt for the load for me.

[engineer401]

Plus there is the $$ savings, too.

I tell my wife it saves money also. I was once told by an older caster you don't save money. You just shoot more. He's right.

I do find reloading, casting and shooting to be therapeutic. I go outside to cast. I close the door to reload and I wear hearing protection to shoot. I don't hear much of the noises form the outside world at any of these times.

[pistolshooter]

I have always wondered if I cast/reload so I can shoot, or do I shoot so I can cast/reload. I used to think about women all the time, now I think about loading and shooting. Maybe I'm getting old.

[fcvan]

Start thinking about women who shoot. My wife loves to shoot. I love to reload. She keeps me busy reloading, and casting of course. I need to teach her to reload and cast so I can have more time to shoot too! Naw, she reloads lasagne pans better than I do. I'll have to learn to reload them pans too :)

[captaint]

Right or wrong, I've always felt like I can load better ammo than I can buy. It does stand to reason. Factory ammo is loaded for everybody's gun. My ammo is loaded for MY gun and fits MY gun.. Anymore, I feel the same about boolits, too. Like all you guys, I cast & size mine to fit MY stuff. I just enjoy the heck out of the whole process. Mike

[Wally]

I tell my wife it saves money also. I was once told by an older caster you don't save money. You just shoot more. He's right.

I do find reloading, casting and shooting to be therapeutic. I go outside to cast. I close the door to reload and I wear hearing protection to shoot. I don't hear much of the noises form the outside world at any of these times.

Amen--very nicely stated..I sure find that to be very true!

[HangFireW8]

Also, I aquired two used Lee molds in the 7mm and .30 Calibers to be used with a 7mm Rem Mag and a .30-06. I had never before tried a Lee mold in a CF rifle caliber(s) before...I was so surprised that with little load development, I found a good load for each caliber. Heck, I didn't even weigh/sort 'em, I just gave a quick visual inspection ..... rejecting very few!

I could go on & on with others that I've tried... maybe others would like to share their experiences?

I've had great luck with Lee CF rifle molds too. Even if they aren't "sexy" (hollow point, spitzer, etc.) they are all modeled on proven designs. If they fit, chances are good they'll shoot very well.

My best reloading experience story (offhand) is I used my least accurate rifle, a horrid short-barreled 30/06 FN Model 50 (mauser) to burn up some cast boolit loads that didn't work out so well in a more pricey rifle. Suddenly I found myself shooting accurate groups for the first time in this rifle! You have to understand, this is a rifle that couldn't keep j-words in the black at 50 yards (on a 100 yard target).

I started taking it to the range and even found a j-word load (again burning up old, "failed" loads) that shot very well in it. I dug deeper into the mystery and slugged the barrel, lo and behold found that it has a .3100" bore (instead of the expected .3080" bore). That made loading for it trivial, I just bought some of Lee's .311/.312" rifle molds and it liked everything.

Now it has gone from the back of the safe to a rifle I take hunting, and that's a privilege for one my rifles.

HF

[Wally]

I've had great luck with Lee CF rifle molds too. Even if they aren't "sexy" (hollow point, spitzer, etc.) they are all modeled on proven designs. If they fit, chances are good they'll shoot very well.

My best reloading experience story (offhand) is I used my least accurate rifle, a horrid short-barreled 30/06 FN Model 50 (mauser) to burn up some cast boolit loads that didn't work out so well in a more pricey rifle. Suddenly I found myself shooting accurate groups for the first time in this rifle! You have to understand, this is a rifle that couldn't keep j-words in the black at 50 yards (on a 100 yard target).

I started taking it to the range and even found a j-word load (again burning up old, "failed" loads) that shot very well in it. I dug deeper into the mystery and slugged the barrel, lo and behold found that it has a .3100" bore (instead of the expected .3080" bore). That made loading for it trivial, I just bought some of Lee's .311/.312" rifle molds and it liked everything.

Now it has gone from the back of the safe to a rifle I take hunting, and that's a privilege for one my rifles.

HF

Kind of amazing how enjoyable it is to shoot a '06 with cast bullets. Using the Lee 150 RF-GC and 15.0 grains of Unique, if I do my job I can consistently hit a business card sized target at 150 yards and an index card at 250~300.... Not expensive to shoot and IMHO most enjoyable. It made me get into using home made GC's...

[HangFireW8]

Kind of amazing how enjoyable it is to shoot a '06 with cast bullets. Using the Lee 150 RF-GC and 15.0 grains of Unique, if I do my job I can consistently hit a business card sized target at 150 yards and an index card at 250~300.... Not expensive to shoot and IMHO most enjoyable. It made me get into using home made GC's...

Yup! It sure takes the pain away, especially when shooting a steel buttplate, 7 pound Mauser!

HF

[Wally]

In the early 80's I convinced myself to purchase the new "HOT" Rem 700 8mm Rem Magnum rifle. I had a .243, .30-06, & a 7mm Rem Magnum--I simply had to have a more powerful caliber (WHY?) and I am not a hunter... Looking back I can only laugh at myself. I shot the 8mm fairly often using factory bullets with "hot" loads. However as I got older I found that I didn't use it all that often anymore. In the 90's I had a renaissance of sorts: to load the CF rifles w/ cast bullets! So I bought me a Saeco 081 180 RN-GC bullet mold and got a Lyman 8mm "M" die ...came up with a load using 19.0 grains of Unique....accurate and enjoyable to shoot. As 8mm Rem Mag brass was never all that easy to find, I figured out that I could use .375 H & H and .300 Weatherby Mag brass, that I often got cheaply from an area outdoor range..seems few wanted such exotic cases. Both work just fine for me with a little tweaking. I now shoot this caliber often and enjoy doing so...the load is both accurate and economical....again reloading saved teh day for me.....where else would one get such a load for a near extinct caliber?

BTW---the .300 Weatherby brand cases have much more case life than the Remington 8mm Rem Magnum cases do...not sure why that is....