Home rolled

[duke]

True, but aren't pressures different based on the individual bullet seating and TOL?

[DeeDubya]

Pressures will vary with seating depth, however with the 124gr bullets you will see that they are seated very shallow with the OAL at 1.169". The difference between the various bullet shapes affecting seating depth is minimal. Just check the manual for their recommended OAL for a specific bullet shape. Always re-check your OAL when switching bullets because the seating die rests on the bullet ogive not on the point. So a round nose may have a greater OAL than a truncated or hollow point with the die set at the same depth. Exceeding the recommended OAL might not affect pressures much but could affect feeding. Switching to a different bullet weight is to start all over. Obviously a 147gr round nose is going to be longer than a 124gr round nose. Seating a 147gr to the same OAL means that the bullet will be deeper in the case. The combination of a heavier bullet and less case capacity means higher pressures for sure. Backing off on the powder charge won't always work. You will have to check the manual for the correct charge or maybe even switch to a different powder.

Seating depth would be much more varied in a revolver load because the bullet shapes are much more varied. Like the difference between a round nose compared to a semi-wadcutter compared to a wadcutter. There the OAL for a wadcutter would be much shorter than a semi-wadcutter.
 

[duke]

Thanks.   I contacted accurate and they recommended a 1.150 OAL for the Montana Gold FMJ's, so going to try that to start.

[b5.5dan]

OK  DeeDubya,
           b5 and AVM were supposed to be the sober sided founts of wisdom?

You were on vacation too long, Boss... 
Unfortunately I don't have anything to add to this, but I'm watching it. I just use factory ammo (Usually Winchester or Remington, with Hornady Critical Defense for my EDC needs), and I always figured that whatever she would eat would be fine. Good luck on your quest, and let us know what you find out. I would like to start reloading sometime soon, because I'm not doing NEARLY enough shooting.

[DeeDubya]

Oh it's a vicious circle alright. You reload to save money. It is then easily justifiable to shoot more because you can do it so much cheaper.
 
But not only that... When you're on the line with some of the first fodder you loaded, and you know you double-triple checked all the data, but still there's room for doubt. I mean 20,000, 30,000, 40,000 PSI little bombs that you're holding in your hand. Forget the group, hell you're shaking too much, just pull the trigger. Boooom. Yes, Yes, Yes. Incredible. Before you know it, you're bustin caps like a banchee, groups are shrinking, and soon you know that you would actually trust your home rolled ammo for a defense load. A very secure feeling. 

[duke]

Reloading is more about "reloading", than it is saving money.  Yes, we convince our wives that that is the reason, but honestly we do it because we love to reload.  We love to tinker, experiment, and have fun.  Yes, being able to shoot more is a byproduct of reloading, and cash savings, well that's debatable. Just look at the pictures of reloaders "rooms" you see posted on the reloading sites!

[b5.5dan]

Yes, we convince our wives that that is the reason...

This is what it's all about for me!  There are 2 more pistols I really want, but for the most part, the thing I need is ammo. I probably spend about $100 a month on ammo; imagine what I could do with that if I were reloading! My mom's husband has all the gear, but he won't let me reload there... Strange...

[epsanto2]

Thirty years ago, I bought a single stage RCBS Rock Chucker, Lee Powder Scale, RCBS powder drop, and a RCBS trickle charger.  It's still chucking out the 30'06s, 9s, 38s, 357s, 45s, and 380s.  Over the years my sons have loaded 40s, 223s, 7mms, 7mm mags, 257s, 270s, and 300 win mags.  The Lee Powder Scale went bad years ago and I replaced it with a RCBS Electronic Powder Scale.   


I've been known to buy some factory stuff, but I prefer to reload..... a great stress reliever when I was working.  To me, reloading is half the fun and a great appetizer to the range.  And that I save a few bucks along the way is a non-negative also. 

[b5.5dan]

Man... My mom's husband (saying that makes me feel like I'm 18 years old...  ) said I can use his gear. He has a progressive rig that he says can do 100 carts/hour... Man... That would allow me to do a LOT more shooting!

I have the world's most noobish question: Why not just look at a box of factory ammo and load using those specs? For example, JHPs in .380 are 90gr as per Hornady. What do you get out of the experimentation? And please, be kind... I know nothing (obviously) about reloading. 

Also, I don't have the reloader here because my "extra" house space is, at the moment, full of small toys that make obnoxious sounds, battery-operated toys that make obnoxious sounds, and children that, you guessed it, make obnoxious sounds... 

[GhostWarrior]

          The trick there sir is not the amount of powder they use but the Brand(s) they use. They are all different and have varying ignition properties. I think they keep that info to them selves. Some folks just are not good about sharing. 

[epsanto2]

I agree with GhostWarrior, manufactures are not very forthcoming with their "mix".  Some won't even tell you what brand of primers they are using.


A hundred rounds per hour just means I would would burn through my supplies quicker... shoot more... and have to reload more often.... order more often in bigger bulk.  Not a bad thing if you can afford it and have the room.  And being the anal retentive person I am, I like to weigh each powder charge to make sure it is the same each time.  It takes longer, but hey, I'm retired so what else am I going to do on a rainy day when I have no ammo to shoot?   

[b5.5dan]

Well, what reloading would mean for me is I have roughly $100 per month to spend on ammo. That's about, well... not much. And i shoot almost all I buy so i am not able to hold on to much. Reloading would allow me to practice AND pit some away for a rainy day

[epsanto2]

In that case..... go for it!

[ZG47]

1. Lapua used to have a big poster with the ingredients for every factory load they offered. I threw it away when moving to a smaller place but wish I had kept it.
 
2. Sometimes it is not a good idea to reload to factory spec. I do not know of a single responsible handloader who has managed to replicate the .260 Rem factory loads using the fired Remington factory brass. Also, it is standard wisdom round these parts that you use Winchester 7mm-08 brass if you want to load up that cartridge. NB This is not an attack on a particular company, just a way of making a point.

[b5.5dan]

I just wouldn't know where to begin, but you have to start somewhere. And the sooner I start, the sooner I can start shooting. I've been broke for 2 months! And when I finally do get s little time at the range, I can tell that I haven't been practicing. It's pretty ugly...