Reloading Ammo

[suck my pipe]

Now that factory ammo has become all but extinct, I am thinking of reloading. I would probably mold my own lead bullets and I am mostly interested in reloading .40 S&W and .380 Auto. The Lee press's and die's seem to be a good starting point. I basically am looking for a complete shopping list of everything that i would need from brass prep to finished ammo, on a beginners budget. So if any one is experienced point me in the right direction.

[wckedclownz69]

my uncle and them do that... expensive in the beginning but deff pays off in the end... sooner or later people reloading will be making a ton of money... good luck

[Guy400]

It's getting much harder to find reloading stuff as well...

[Pappy]

The countless hours at my bench, even more scouring the trash bins at the range.....and to think people called me crazy for saying one day this stuff would be too expensive or not availble.

SMP....get a Hornady reloading book and read up on how its done. Then you can decide what kit you want to buy. The 380 is a bit hard to reload and casting lead bullet for them might cause some issues.

[usp4u]

if you are going to swage your own lead bullets, be sure the guns you are going to fire the out of dont have polygonal rifling. Glock, HK and a few others use this type of rifling and will experience leading of the barrel. If your guns have traditional "land & groove" rifling, you'll be fine.
This is particullary important with the .40sw. .40 is a fairly high pressure to begin with, and lead fouling of the barrel can lead to chamber pressure spikes.
It's doubley important if your .40 is a glock with their unsupported chambers. KABOOM!:scary:

[suck my pipe]

I have a S&W40GVE - Keltec P3AT I would also probably reload for the savage arms 7MM Remington Magnum. I don't plan to reload shotgun. Would I have any problems with these weapons. Buying a book or two seems to be the general starting place from what I am reading so far.

[usp4u]

yup, read ALOT. dont get sucked into the idea that you need to get a $650 Dillon or some other higher-end progressive press. spend a year or two working a small set-up from makers like LEE, Lyman or RCBS. These companies all sell "starter kits" that will get you going and teach you the fundementals of what you're doing. Most of them will come with handloading manuals as well. Remeber to be patient and go slow, when loading hangun ammo it is possible to double charge a round so consentrate.

You metioned loading for 7mmRemMag. That is a belted magnum, so start reading up on them. They require different procedures. Learn and understand terms like:headspace, OAL, oglive, neck sizing, neck peeling, and how to spot pressure signs.
Have fun!