Man, you people are the best up in here. I'm so glad I found out about this site. I can learn a lot here. I've seen and heard about a lot of people reloading. I guess it would be good for me because I get tired of having to pawn out my gold crown every time I run out f 380's for my hipoint. Yo man, I could load up my own! but how do I do it anyway? What I will need? I already got some casings. They are bent up pretty bad though. Can I straighten them up by ramming a big screwdriver down in the inside and using a hammer to knock out the bent placeS? now the bullets confuse me. How do you get them to stay in the case? And that thing in the middle on the top got a punch like thing up in it. does that have anything to do with it? Hey man, what goes inside? I mean, I know powder cause when I was a kid I used to open shotgun shells up and pour the powder down in mole holes and light it up. Word.. Any help is welcum.
Since no one really answered your question, I will give it a try.
First, buy a reloading manual. Some good suggestions are Hornady, Speer, Hodgdon's. Whichever one you buy, make sure it has a good detailed section on how to reload. Most of them do, but not all of them. More importantly, make sure it is written in a manner that you find to be most informative. They pretty much all give you the same instructions and advice, but vary in how they present it.
Second, it doesn't matter which one you buy, as you will probably buy several over time. Do make sure it lists the calibers you are going to reload, however. Also note that bullet manufacturers use only their bullets in their manuals, so this is another reason to buy several.
Third, don't buy anything else until you read and understand what is in the manual and how to use the load information in the book.
When you do buy a press, stick to a single stage, such as an RCBS Rock Chucker. It will get you into less trouble than a progressive and it is the best way to start out loading. There are other brands out there, but this is what I recommend for a beginner.
When you do shoot your first loads, do a barrel / chamber inspection for your first round. Assuming the bore is clear, then do the same inspection for any round that doesn't feel and fire exactly like that first one.
Lastly, understand that reloading doesn't mean you will shoot for less, it simply means you will shoot more for the same money. Everyone seems to spend the same cash, they just shoot more since the cost per round is less. I don't know of any reloader who actually shot less and spent less.
RobertD
Posts: 269 | Location: East Bay, CA | Registered: 11 October 2003
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