Originally posted by: FlashG
Originally posted by: JJ650
A lot of ammo is becoming harder to get or just plain expensive.
I am having a heck of a time finding 7.62x51 for the M1A1 and Model Mohawk 600. It's getting close to $2/cartridge and the bulk boxes are getting pretty weak in reliability terms.
A lot of the USGI is drying up quickly.
Bulk .45 ACP is getting up there too.
8mm Mauser (NOT the corrosive Yugo military stuff) is getting thinned out as well.
7.62x25 is still available in large doses (corrosive/berdan primed & Non-corrosive/boxer primed).
Reloading FTW!!
I have reloaded about 300 rnds 8mm mauser for a fraction of the cost to buy an equivalent number. It can get a little tedious, especially when cleaning/trimming the cases.
Only have done about 100 .308 with another 400 cases and bullets.
.45 ACP will be next on the list as well as the 7.62x25 TOK for the CZ-52
Any recommendations on getting started in reloading?
Reloading actually isn't that hard. At first, it's a headache, especially if the shells you have on hand have been fired.
They'll need to be de-primed, cleaned, trimmed, lubed, resized and then de-burred.
I find the case lubing portion to be quite boring. You have to lube the outside and inside, otherwise you run the risk of tearing the brass or pulling the case off of the rim when you resize the bullet (which will always need to be done).
After that, the primers are added. That's pretty easy and you can prime several per hour and easily knock out a few hundred quickly.
Next is powder measurement. I HATE this part. Most kits come with a scale that you can measure powder. They are very precise. At first, you'll get aggravated because you can easily mess up your weights with just ONE grain of propellant and it's real easy to dump more than you need.
There are specific recipes for each bullet. A 150 grain .308 bullet WILL NOT have the same recipe (powder load) as a 155 grain .308 bullet.
If you are reusing military brass, then the recipes deviate even further (mil spec brass is thicker, thus needing less propellant).
Also, each propellant manufacturer has a different recipe that is based on THEIR propellant and what ever weight bullet has been tested.
Hornady will have a different recipe from Speer for example. One may tell you to use IMR3031 powder while the other may tell you to use something completely different.
My suggestion would be to go EXACTLY by the book for whatever ammunition you want to reload.
If it says to use "x" powder with "y" bullet, then I would use exactly that. If it says max case lengths are to be "xx.xx" inches long and not under that....DO exactly that. If it's under the max length, throw it away. Buy calipers for measuring. You'll need one.
Measure everything!! Make sure you are consistent with you seating depths, powder weights, crimp height...etc. The smallest deviation can make a huge difference.
Once you start learning and getting the hang of it it's not too bad. It's not hard and with experience you will find propellant weight equvialents from one to the other. You'll figure out that seating the bullet differently has an effect on how the bullet fires as far as accuracy is concerned.
I use a RCBS rock crusher die press. Hornady makes presses as well as Lee. There are turrent presses or single die presses out there. That's just a couple.