banacek

Two questions...

How many times can you reload brass? I've seen several mentions of "once fired" brass, but surely you reloaders must reuse your brass much more than that.

Also, really, what is the cost savings of reloading? Or stated another way, how much does it cost to reload... say 380ACP, 9mm, 40s&w, and 45ACP? Can you state it in per round costs? For example, my latest cost for a thousand round case of 9mm was 18 cents per round. How does reloading compare?

Clovishound

I'm new to it, but I do know that savings depend on caliber.

I can reload 9mm for the following prices per 1000.

Cast your own bullets with scrounged lead:
Primers $35 LGS
Powder $10 LGS
Bullets $00
Total $45

Purchased bullets
Primers $35
Powder $10
Bullets $67 Hard cast with lube including shipping
Total $112

Jacketed/plated bullets will run more.

Mr Sasquatch

I have heard about ~7 times, depending on your loads (hot loads will shorten the number of cycles).

I cannot verify this number, though, since, after 2 years, I'm only on my 2nd or 3rd cycle. So, I'll report in 4-5 years.

fungun

Thanks for the info!

FlyerTom

In my case, I use a Lee Turret Press with the die-mounted powder measure. At the time of the squib load, I was using the Lee disks. Since what I REALLY wanted for a powder charge was 3.6 grains, I had to settle for the closest disk hole. I've since switched to the Adjustable Powder Measure slide, and couldn't be happier. I still won't use Unique in loads of less than 4.5 grains.

tgwillard

Had the same issue with my S&W revolver and some reloads. Now I also load 50 cases with powder and double check before seating bullets.

Sal1950

I've seen squibs happen with both factory and reloads.
As a reloader constant attention to the process is absolutely necessary. Also I run a RCBS Lock Out Die on all my long magnum cases, if the case is capable of holding a double charge without powder running over the top of the case I feel the Lock-Out die is a necessary.

The other #1 thing you should have learned from that squib is to NEVER EVER pull the trigger a second time on a squib without visually checking that the barrel is CLEAR and determining why the round didn't fire. KA BOOMS are no fun and even without injury they're expensive.
Sal

MidLife

This is dependant on the brass quality and the extent to which you rework it in your loading procedure.
Taper crimp is more forgiving and a heavy roll crimp is least forgiving. Also, the extent to which you expand the mouth of the case and then rework it lessens case life. The less you re-work the brass, the longer it will last. Indeed, a properly sized chamber can also extend brass life. The more you crimp/bell/flare, etc the brass, the shorter the life.
I have heard rule of thumb for mdeium loads to be around 10 reloads.

Clovishound

What scared me was that I never realized it was a squib when it happened. I thought I had a primer that didn't light. We had some problems with a box of primers, recently, and had a bunch that wouldn't light the first time. I never heard the primer go off when I pulled the trigger on this one.

That is why I plan on any non fires getting the magazine dumped. Before, when a primer didn't go off, I would eject the round and put it aside to deal with later. In this case the next round never made it fully into the chamber. That caught my attention before I had a chance to investigate the ejected round, which would have been an empty case. I did field strip it to check the barrel. No looking down the barrel at the range, until the barrel is removed from the weapon. We recently had a fatality in another local range when the shooter attempted to clear a jam, pointing the muzzle at himself in the process.

Nick0410

Progessives are awesome when it comes to powdering. If you do one job on downstroke, you do everyjob that happens on the downstroke. Only way you don't powder is if there is none in the funnel. If had 1 squib out of 4300 reloads and I'm 90% percent sure it was from my tumbling media. I has having a crazy amount of dust, literally coating the brass inside and out, really caking sometimes. It was some 20 year old stuff. Besides that, never had an issue with my dillon 550

JDL

use a short piece of dowl rod. clear action and stick dowl down barrel into view in action. will show barrel is clear

Dawgface

I agree, I can not see how you can over or under the amount of power using a progressive press, unless you don't keep powder in it and the amount of powder in the tube is right there in front of you. I will never use a single stage press.

dickttx

I have been working up loads for 38 Super. Started with 100 new Starline cases. Sometimes I would only load 10 or 25, but most times all 100. Checked the other day and some could have been loaded 25 times. The only obvious results are the the headstamps are pretty faded. Other than a couple of ten round tests at about .1gn less than recommended max the loads were mid to low range.

Jack D

Went shooting with my son a couple of months ago. He fired his LCR .38 spl. and had a squib with factory loads. It popped and fizzelled, showering sparks and smoke from the cylinder/forcing cone gap. The bullet was lodged flush with the forcing cone and the cylinder rotated freely. I shudder to think what could have happened if he had been doing double-taps.

opos

When I'm weighing and charging cases (yes, I'm one of the old and slow reloaders that weighs every charge)...I charge the case and place the projectile in the mouth of the case ready for seating....no one...and I mean no one gets into my "lair" when I'm charging cases and seating bullets..No tv, no web, no radio and the phone handset is off.....I'm easily distracted so I eliminate whatever distractions I can. One time...years ago when I did use a powder measure...I went to bed and began to "think" about the evening's reloading session....didn't recall "looking into each case" before setting the bullets.....next morning pulled 100 bullets and checked the cases....all had powder and I still have all my fingers....it's explosives guys....load safe!