Reloading advice

[drewbogdanovic]

I'm just getting started, with a hand-me-down set up from an amazing old timer. He's given me plenty of advice on use, but now where to purchase things. Where do you guys buy your supplies? I'm no competition shooter, but I enjoy plinking a lot and hunting. Any insight is greatly appreciated. God bless, happy New Years.

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[Koda]

For hunting shootersproshop.com is the outlet store for Nosler. You also might enjoy trying out some Hammerbullets.com which they always seem to have in stock.

 

[drewbogdanovic]

For hunting shootersproshop.com is the outlet store for Nosler. You also might enjoy trying out some Hammerbullets.com which they always seem to have in stock.

Thank you, I'll check them out

 

[40Garand]

Sages Reloading Supply https://sagesreloadingsupply.com/

 

[oremike]

For general shopping and price checking I like Midway USA.

 

[drewbogdanovic]

Belated responses as I shop the referrals. I truly appreciate it guys

 

[rabidmullet]

Shop Shooting, Hunting, & Outdoor Products | MidwayUSA

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Reloading and Shooting Supplies | Midsouth Shooters Supply

Midsouth Shooters offers an extensive selection of reloading and shooting supplies, tools, and equipment. Find products with excellent quality and value here.

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The Reloading Authority - Graf & Sons

Graf & Sons, the reloading authority, has a wide selection of reloading supplies, shooting supplies, ammo and more.

www.grafs.com

Powder Valley, your reloading superstore and so much more.

Shop at Powder Valley for all of your reloading supplies. Reloading Presses Ship Free.

www.powdervalleyinc.com

RMR In-House | RMR Bullets

Shop our selection of in-house bullets for reloading at Rocky Mountain Reloading

www.rmrbullets.com

In the last couple years I've been mostly buying from Midway and Midsouth Shooters Supply. Things are getting better but primers and powers can still be difficult to find. You will probably have to sign up for email notifications and be quick to purchase things as they become available. If I had to pick a favorite I'd say it would have to be Midway. Prices are usually pretty good and shipping is on par with Amazon. Not sure if you plan to reload for pistol but RMR's 9mm FMJ's are excellent and cheaper than most plated plated bullets on the market.

 

[Local Loader]

These are some of the ones I've used that others didn't list already.

Hodgdon - Hodgdon Powder Co.

shop.hodgdon.com

Natchez

www.natchezss.com

Premier Supplier of Firearms, Reloading Supplies, Gunsmithing Tools, Gun Parts and Accessories | Brownells

Brownells is a leading supplier of firearms, reloading & gunsmithing products, gun parts, and ammunition. Since 1939, Brownells has been committed to gunsmiths, shooters, police, and hunters.

www.brownells.com

Shop Rifle & Shotgun Reloading Supplies | Dies | Bullets | Hulls | Wads | Powder - Precision Reloading

Shop online for shotshell and metallic reloading supplies, shooting supplies, metallic presses, rifle reloading components, shotshell reloading components, shooting accessories, rifle reloading brass and Bullets.

www.precisionreloading.com

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www.opticsplanet.com

You can also try local shops and retailers like Bi-mart, coastal farm & ranch, fishermans marine & outdoor, sportsmans or cabelas.

 

[SHPD_Retired]

Don't know what type of bullets you are going to use. tbbullets.com has some great prices and products

 

[arakboss]

American Reloading has some fantastic deals on bullets.

 

[bbbass]

I buy my hunting rifle bullets at the local gun store, because it's small quantities not worth paying shipping.

My pistol plinking bullets I buy from https://www.xtremebullets.com/ but some folks like Berry's bullets etc.

Powder I buy at LGS also.

Primers are almost impossible to score... I gave up looking locally, the last bunch I bought from a forum member at a very reasonable price.

A lot of price gouging going on... Caveat Emptor.

.22LR I buy at BiMart. But it costs twice what it did two years ago.

 

[drewbogdanovic]

I buy my hunting rifle bullets at the local gun store, because it's small quantities not worth paying shipping.

My pistol plinking bullets I buy from https://www.xtremebullets.com/ but some folks like Berry's bullets etc.

Powder I buy at LGS also.

Primers are almost impossible to score... I gave up looking locally, the last bunch I bought from a forum member at a very reasonable price.

A lot of price gouging going on... Caveat Emptor.

.22LR I buy at BiMart. But it costs twice what it did two years ago.

I was hoping to cast my own bullets, I have the stuff to do it I guess. We'll see how it goes.
Powder I've been struggling to find anywhere. Probably going to have to pay gouging price for it.
I just ordered 1000 cci small pistol primers off gunbroker for $145. Not sure if that's a good deal or not, but cheapest I could find. With shipping on that stuff I'll definitely be keeping an eye out locally going forward, but wanted enough to get me going. Hoping I can stumble upon powder soon. Any brands of that you'd recommend? I'm mainly aiming for handgun loads to start.

 

[GWS]

I'll add that you should look at Dillon Precision's website as well
Dillon

I just got a good deal on 500 Hornady 9mm hollow points from them and they have other good deals from time to time.
And my piece of reloading advice is "When in doubt, pull them out."

Meaning once in a while you will have that moment when you will ask yourself "Did it put a double charge in that cartridge?"

When that happens pull the bullet and dump the powder. Then reload it again. Your gun, hand and eyesight are far too valuable to risk on a dubious round. 99 times out of a hundred the cartridge will be loaded properly and you didn't need to pull it, but that last one where you find that you did over or under charge the powder, makes all the others not matter. NEVER fire a reload you aren't 100% sure of.

Best of luck to you in your new hobby!

ps If you don't already have it, get the Lyman Reloading Manual. It has tons of useful information and, since Lyman doesn't sell bullets or powders, they aren't tied to one brand with their recipes PLUS the Lyman book has tons of reload data for lead bullets as well.

 

[Catfishmoon]

Until a few years ago, you could buy a 1000 primers at $25-35 from most retailers (both local and online), on rare occasions you may still find some. Now, they usually have none in stock and if you are able to find primers they are a lot more expensive. Primers are the hardest component to find at close to traditional prices...
Powder is the next hardest to locate, but there are many options and the price increase is not as bad as for primers. The classifieds on this website has powder at reasonable prices in Olympia (near you) Sages Reloading is also near you. I have found powder at Sportco in Fife and Pinto's Gun Store in Renton...
Lots of options online for bullets, I use Bass Pro mainly because of free shipping on orders of $50. I use Xtreme Bullets for 9mm and .45 acp range shooting rounds. You can buy bullets both cheaper or more expensive from other locations...
Brass is also available (new or used) look at the classifieds on this website, Gunbroker, Sages Reloading, Starline Brass, etc...

There are benefits to reloading beyond a lower price per round...
Hope you enjoy your new activity.

 

[bbbass]

Any brands of that you'd recommend? I'm mainly aiming for handgun loads to start.

Hmmmm, I tend to use shotgun powders vs the traditional Unique and Bullseye powders.

I use Titegroup the most because the fine powder meters so well. Next is Red Dot, a very versatile shotgun flake powder. And I've used a lot of 700x but it is a cylindrical powder that doesn't meter so well if you are shooting for accuracy, but does ok for plinking.

And a lot of guys love Trail Boss, and Power Pistol, but I have no experience with those.

Do you have current reloading manuals? I ask because the powders are a bit diff now than some time ago, and if you buy new powder, you should use current load tables.

Otherwise, it depends on what pistol cartridge you are shooting. I shoot a lot of 9mm today, but I used to shoot .45acp and I used diff powder for that. But .38spec can use pretty much the same as 9mm, except you will find that Bullseye and Unique work very well for those old cartridges that were designed for black powder originally. Primarily I use Red Dot for .38spec.

I used Titewad to create powder puff loads for 230gr .45acp, but I had to change out the recoil spring as it would not cycle. Titewad is risky, I wouldn't use it for anything else.

If going to use cast bullets, you might want to see what the Cowboy Action people recommend.

 

[HighlandLofts]

I just bought some stuff over in Olympia yesterday. He had a good supply of powder. PM me and I will give you his phone number. Buys and sells reloading supplies. Just picked up an estate. I bought a press and powder dispenser.

 

[ma96782]

Assuming you knew the process and had a reloading manual with reloading data for the selected cartridge.

If I were looking to start.....

I'd start by making a small lot of "test" reloads. So then....buy components locally. Sportsman, Bi-Mart, some Wally Worlds, the local gun shop, etc..... Supplies are in short supply right now. But components are available at the "right price". So.....find what you need (say 100 bullets, primers, and a pound of powder). Rrrrright.....start with a small quantity and get to it

After you're done reloading your small "test" sample/amount.

Take the "test" reloads out for a range session. You might just decide that it's not for you.

See....
I just saved you some time and money.

If it is for you and you'd like to continue with the hobby. THEN, start looking for larger amounts of components. Duh.

Aloha, Mark

 

[bbbass]

OP,

I forgot, I used Clays powder also. It is another versatile powder.

Best bet is to look at a reloading manual for the cartridge you use, write down what powders can be used for the grain and type of bullet, then go looking at local stores for the availability of the powder you wrote down.

As mentioned above, you don't need more than a 1lb can to start.

 

[drewbogdanovic]

OP,

I forgot, I used Clays powder also. It is another versatile powder.

Best bet is to look at a reloading manual for the cartridge you use, write down what powders can be used for the grain and type of bullet, then go looking at local stores for the availability of the powder you wrote down.

As mentioned above, you don't need more than a 1lb can to start.

So I dug through the stuff old boy Gave me some more and found everything I'll need for the first few hundred at least. Found a few lbs of powder too, that doesn't smell or taste too bad.
It looks like my newest book is from maybe the 80's. Which suits my current materials fine. Going forward I'll definitely need new literature to match new products though.

 

[drewbogdanovic]

Assuming you knew the process and had a reloading manual with reloading data for the selected cartridge.

If I were looking to start.....

I'd start buy making a small lot of "test" reloads. So then....buy components locally. Sportsman, Bi-Mart, some Wally Worlds, the local gun shop, etc..... Supplies are in short supply right now. But components are available at the "right price". So.....find what you need (say 100 bullets, primers, and a pound of powder). Rrrrright.....start with a small quantity and get to it

After you're done reloading your small "test" sample/amount.

Take the "test" reloads out for a range session. You might just decide that it's not for you.

See....
I just saved you some time and money.

If it is for you and you'd like to continue with the hobby. THEN, start looking for larger amounts of components. Duh.

Aloha, Mark

I'm pretty stubborn, and pretty handy. I've converted half the wife's very large laundry room into a reloading station. At this point I will reload, no ifs ands or buts. I'm a man of principle lol. Just looking for advice on where to buy stuff more than anything. Thanks