How do you count?

[dk17hmr]

I was sitting at the reloading bench today making some 45LC and wonder how do ya'll do it.

Do you count primers when you are priming?
Or count bullets?
Or other

When we are gearin up for a p-dog shoot we count trays of 223's, 80 per, or any bulk ammo we make 45's, 9mm, 38s seem to be all by the tray count. Generally we primer a bunch and throw them in a bucket and go from there.

Hunting/match ammo seems to be by the case/primer. If all the cases are in a bucket to start with its by the primer count. If I just trimmed enough to make 2 boxes of match ammo it is by the case. Understand what I am talking about?

How does everyone else do it?

[ktw]

All my loaded ammo is boxed (50 or 100 per). I count boxes.

-ktw

[corvette8n]

I prepare all my cases first, then I set the case mouth down in wooden loading blocks, I fill my primer flipper tay and start priming turning the cases base down. Then I know all the brass is primed and ready for the next step. BTW I only have a single stage press. Not sure if that answers your question.

[monadnock#5]

I don't reload on an industrial scale, so it's easy to keep track. It sounds to me like you need a good scale. Then you need to come up standards. One lbs of .223 brass equals x number of cases, so 4 lbs equals 4X. Same with your boolits. Primers are easy since regardless of the number in stock, they're packed per 100. We use digital scales at work, but none that we use could handle the weight of a bucket of brass without crashing and burning.

[Tom Herman]

Hi Doug!

The driving force around here is how many cases I have to reload. Since I have a Dillon RL-550, I reload on a large scale.
I ballpark how many cases I need to reload, and either cast bullets or pull them out of storage and size/lube.
Then I set up the 550 for that caliber, and go at it. The finished rounds either go in boxes of 50, bags of 100 (the bags the Remington brass comes in), or Dole fruit plastic bottles of 75-100 depending on caliber.
I prefer the Dillion plastic boxes, but they cost money. The fruit bottles are essentially free, and they stack up around here pretty quick.
Most of the boxes, bags, and bottles then go into ammo cans.
I like to load until all the brass is stuffed. Then I move onto the next caliber and repeat the process.



Happy Shootin'! -Tom

[missionary5155]

I would agree with Tom Herman.
I also have a Dillion and generally a good amount of brass per caliber. When one caliber is low I get set up on the Dillon.. load up all the primer tubes I have or need and load the whole batch. I generally have set loads I use in that caliber as they already are proven . When all brass if loaded I do the next.. generally staying in that primer size ( large or small). Another day I switch out the primer unit and load the other primer size calibers as needed.
For a short run of a specific load (match or hunting) I load how many I need + a few extras.
These all get storeed in plastic lid containers marked with masking tape with load info. No real # counts involved.

[dwtim]

By tray when loading, by packaging when boxing them up. I also keep track of production in my loading log.

[Jim]

I don't count. I load 'till I get tired or done, whichever comes first.

[Ricochet]

When I'm casting up boolits, I always make some extra, because I always find a boolit or a few to put aside when I'm sizing and checking, occasionally even later.

[Morgan Astorbilt]

I've been using odometer-style counters with the small arm and spring, on all my progressive presses, both Dillon and Hornady. I mount them behind the press, and link them to the powder measure with a piece of wire. This way, they count powder charges dumped. I mentioned this to a Dillon tech, several years ago, and sometime later, Dillon started selling counters. Don't know where Dillon mounts them, but I know they cost a lot more than the ones I get from MSC, about five bucks each.
Morgan

[Johnch]

Err plinking ammo in 9mm , 38 , 357 , 40 , 45 , 223 ect
I load on the 550
I run a piece of down spout to a 5 gallon bucket

SO I measure my load count in 1/4 , 1/3 , 1/2 or full 5 gallon bucket

I cast and size up a BUNCH of bullets and load for a evening or 2

I then have ammo for a while

Most of a 5 gallon bucket of 9 , 38 and 40 on hand
Down to 2" of 45 so I started casting this afternoon
Size them and load later in the week

John

[runfiverun]

dillon mounts theirs on the front of the machine by the primer tube.
when doing pistol rounds i usually count primers i have an automatic primer tube filler and i put in the standard 100, but the loaded stuff either goes into plastic trays of 50 or 100.
the plinker 38's and 9mm's go into 5 qt ice cream buckets.
when doing rifle stuff i usually load the empty 50 count containers.
they come out get loaded and put back in the same case. so they are always loaded in multiples of 50.
test rounds go into plastic cups with lids and load slip inserted.
and caliber written on top with grease crayon.
all loaded rounds are stored on a metal shelf so at a glance i can see how many rounds are there in their boxes, and the empties are stored on the other identical shelf in the same spot on the shelves.

[happy7]

Morgan, do you have a link for those counters?

[Swamprat1052]

I generally count up to 10 on my fingers, then if I need to go higher I take my shoes off. lol.

It depends on what I am loading, just plinking ammo I just load what brass I have and dump it all into a 50 caliber ammo can. When it starts getting low I dump it and do it over and put the older stuff back on top. I load all that on my old Loadmaster.

The hunting and defense ammo I keep in 50 count boxes and am a little more particular about.

Swamprat

[bruce drake]

1....2....3....4....5....6....7....8....9...10.... .............(have to take my shoes off for the rest)..11..12..13..14..15..16...17...19....20

After I hit twenty I know I've hit the max for my AR's 20-round mags.

Come on guys, that was an easy question. We've been counting like this since the Sumerians first built a mud hut village here in Iraq.

Dang it Swamp Rat, you were typing at the same time as me. I was delayed because I had to untie my boot to get the rest of the numbers!

[Blammer]

boxes, it's all in boxes

[mike in co]

i prime by hand..99% of the time. when i have done one full sleeve, it is time to start loading them. load till they are all done. store in mags, strippers, belts ammo cans.
the last time i did 40 s&w is was about 8000 rounds of 165's
next up is 223 again.......5k primers/5k once fired brass/ 5k 55's....one sore arm....dillon 550b...i actually have 22 lbs of powder for this lot so may bump it up to 6k plus a hundred or so for load development. bullets by the case or two...not to concerned about at accurate count at this size lot.

mike in co

[C1PNR]

I box my brass when it's ready for loading, so I do my loading in batches based on number of cases.

Typically it's 100 for the first batch on the Dillon (usually pistol caliber), and 50 in each batch after the first. This gives me a break at defined intervals, important to us "old farts."[smilie=1:

Rifle is normally done on the Rock Chucker and in batches of 20 or 50, again from boxed brass.

I just can't seem to get into a "mass production" mode with rifle and normally weigh and trickle each load, which does reduce the number loaded at any one sitting. But, since I'm not feeding any full automatics, it works just fine for me.:coffee:

[trickyasafox]

till I'm bored or tired, and stuff em in whatever container I have- some times 50 round boxes, sometimes 100 round, sometimes empty coffee cans, baggies, small boxes.

I'm not picky.

[AzShooter]

I load on a Dillon 650 and just keep loading until I'm tired. I let the loaded rounds sit in the load bin until I need them and then I fill up the moon clips for my 627. When I have 50 moons loaded I'm ready to head to the range with 400 rounds. That's good for a decent day's practice.

Occationally I'll load up a few thousand so I'm ahead of myself but I normally only load what I need for the week.

[Morgan Astorbilt]

Morgan, do you have a link for those counters?

Happy, Just went on line, and the MSC(Manhatten Supply Co.) site: mscdirect.com/ is down. So is the ENCO site: use-enco.com/ They're both owned by MSC, and I got the same message, to try again later. They may be updating their on-line catalogs.

I'll go down to the shop and get part and phone No's .
Morgan

[Morgan Astorbilt]

Here it is:

MSC Industrial Supply Inc.
1-800-645-7270

Five Digit Ratchet Counter-Rotary Knob

Cat# 00208017.....$5.27

Morgan

[happy7]

Great! Thanks Morgan. I think I will get some and make up some mounts for them for my presses. Better than paying what the dillons go for on ebay.

[DLCTEX]

45 ACP is loaded on Lee Loadmaster and drop into a bin, then dropped into a plastic zip lock freezer bag, or can, or box without worry about count. 38 Special is loaded on Lee Classic Cast Turret and is dropped into a bin to the left. No worry about count. Rifle rounds may be in blocks where they are easily counted, or boxed after loading, again easily counted. Shotgun ammo is boxed. DALE

[fishhawk]

lets see.... one ammo can, 2 ammo cans, 3 ammo cans, get the drift? :)

[Morgan Astorbilt]

Great! Thanks Morgan. I think I will get some and make up some mounts for them for my presses. Better than paying what the dillons go for on ebay.

This is how I mount them on my Dillons. I thread the end of the fail safe rod for an acorn nut to hold the looped soft steel wire. After fastening the wire to the spring on the counter arm, it can be fine tuned by crimping between the fingers. It doesn't take much force to operate the counters. On drum-type measures, I make an extended lever, toward the rear of the measure, drilled for the wire, so it's pulled as it raises.
Morgan
http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa159/pgfaini/counter.jpg

[FN in MT]

My CF hunting loads are by the box, generally no more than 2-3 twenty rd boxes at a time. Don't hunt big game that much anymore.

9mm, .38 Spcl, .45 acp, .45 Colt and .44 Spcl/ mag rds and .223 for the AR/556 are by the .50 ammo can full.

.220 Swift, .222 Rem, .204 ruger for the Varmint guns.......... by the 100 or a pair of 50 rd MTM boxes.

Some of my seldom fired pistols; .454 Cassull, .41 mag, .357 mag I load as my supply gets LOW, then load all the empty brass on hand.

Trap/Skeet shells.... 1K or at a time. THAT endeavor seems to be an ongoing job. I shoot far too much shotgun!! Load by the bags of shot or boxes of available primers.

FN in MT

[Randall]

I count ammo by the plastic butter bowl, large coffee can and .50 cal ammo can.

[Heavy lead]

100 or 50 round plastic cartridge cases, depending on use. Heavy pistol and cf rifle go in 50 rounds, target pistol and 223, 222, 22-250 go into 100 rounds color coded for different rifles, all neck sized so I don't mix loads.