15 minutes of reloading

[SecondsCount]

I've had a bit of a busy schedule lately and haven't been able to get much reloading done, so I am going to try something to get me motivated- 15 minutes of reloading per day.

Today I started on a batch of 40 223 PMC cases that are going to be loaded with 62 grain Hornady BTHP bullets.

Since these have been fired at least twice, I started off with annealing-

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Next up was an hour of tumbling, a couple shots of my homemade spray lube, and then sized them all.

Next up is primer and powder.

[SecondsCount]

A week has passed and although I missed a couple days, I did finish the 40 rounds and took them to the range.

Today I scrounged together another 10 pieces of PMC brass, annealed it, then sized and trimmed. This took me about 30 minutes this evening.

[Hambo]

Your plan is a good one. I've only got about 30 minutes of patience for reloading, maybe less for case trimming, etc. So rather than slog along trimming, deburring, priming, etc in one evening, I do it in stages.

[CCT125US]

A week has passed and although I missed a couple days, I did finish the 40 rounds and took them to the range.

Today I scrounged together another 10 pieces of PMC brass, annealed it, then sized and trimmed. This took me about 30 minutes this evening.

Please define scrounge.

[SecondsCount]

Please define scrounge.

It means I dug through a big bucket of brass to find enough to make a batch of 50 :cool:

[CCT125US]

It means I dug through a big bucket of brass to find enough to make a batch of 50 :cool:

If you're having a hard time finding brass, I was considering putting some out in the Karma section.

It would be mix of head stamps 223/5.56 with crimped pockets.

Let me know via PM

[SecondsCount]

If you're having a hard time finding brass, I was considering putting some out in the Karma section.

It would be mix of head stamps 223/5.56 with crimped pockets.

Let me know via PM

That is a great offer but I have no issues with finding brass. I'm just sorting through a bunch and starting to sort by headstamp.

[SecondsCount]

I had to travel for a few days so tonight I made up for it. Spent an hour doing some load bench organization, tuned up the new Timney Calvin Elite, and started putting powder in the cases.

[AzShooter]

What kind of press are you using? I'd go crazy if it took me that long to load 50 rounds although that's what I did when I first started reloading. I'd at least invest in a turret press.

Over the years I've gone up to Dillon presses and now load on a 650 with case and bullet feeder. I load 800 rounds an hour. I'm a competitive shooting and require that kind of speed.

[SecondsCount]

What kind of press are you using? I'd go crazy if it took me that long to load 50 rounds although that's what I did when I first started reloading. I'd at least invest in a turret press.

Over the years I've gone up to Dillon presses and now load on a 650 with case and bullet feeder. I load 800 rounds an hour. I'm a competitive shooting and require that kind of speed.

I've got the 650, and can load buckets of ammo on it, but this was match grade rifle ammo.

This batch I sized on my Co-Ax and primed, powder, and seated on my 550. Every powder charge was weighed.

Wind wasn't totally cooperating but I got some good 5-shot groups in
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[SecondsCount]

I've been away from my journal for a bit due to some home remodeling but for the last couple weeks I have been getting in 15-30 mins a day.

In the last week I have been experimenting with a system that is giving me really good results.

1- Size, deprime, and swage on the Dillon 1050.

2- Check OAL and if necessary, trim on a Possum Hollow trimmer, then debur. My friend just purchased Giraud Tri-Way and I think that will be my next purchase. It will do both at once.

3- Last year I purchased a Mighty Armory sizing die. Besides being a really well made die, it has a built in mandrel to make neck tension very consistent. With that installed in station 1 on the Dillon 550, I resize, prime, charge, seat, and put a very slight crimp on the finished round.

Results in the bolt gun have been sub MOA with 69 and 77 grain match bullets. Next up is some shooting with the AR to see how well this process performs.

[SecondsCount]

It's been over a year since I updated this thread. Since starting that time, I have been keeping up with the pace of 15 minutes per day fairly well. Business and personal travel, as well as long days at the office sometimes get in the way. Loading on the progressive press, I can get 100 rounds loaded in 15 minutes, and it takes 3 to 4 sessions to make 50 rounds on the single stage.

I've been loading quite a bit of 223 using the method mentioned in the previous post, and it is working out well. I let a friend shoot some of my loads and he was so impressed that he is going to start using my method.

Due to the success that I am having, I am seriously considering loading 6BR on the Dillon 550, and hand throwing the powder charge. There are others on the interwebs that are doing this with succes and if I could load 50 rounds in 15 minutes this way, it would save a lot of time. This week I am making 50 on the single stage and then 50 on the progressive as a test.

[Jim Watson]

Seems effective.
I read of people de-progressing bulk blasting ammo, which seems inefficient, but you are getting quality stuff.

[Borderland]

That's how I reload. I have a single stage press and only load for an hour at a time. I process the brass in one step, prime it in another step, then charge and seat in the last step. Takes awhile to get 100 rds loaded but I almost have to do it that way without a progressive press. I usually keep a few hundred rds loaded for everything I shoot. I don't mind doing it that way. Keeps me out of the bars and off the street. ;)

[SecondsCount]

Time to clean the spent primer catch cup.

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For fun, I weighed the primers and estimate there were 723 primers in the cup. Going deeper, I divided 723 by 50 rounds per hour and came up with 14.5 hours, or 58 fifteen minute sessions to fill that cup.

[willie]

Time to clean the spent primer catch cup.

106209

For fun, I weighed the primers and estimate there were 723 primers in the cup. Going deeper, I divided 723 by 50 rounds per hour and came up with 14.5 hours, or 58 fifteen minute sessions to fill that cup.

Some guys actually reload primer cups with a substance they mix themselves.

[Jim Watson]

I only load bulk pistol ammo on Dillons, full progressive.
But a hundred or two at a time. Then I do something else, gauge ammo, clean a gun, eat lunch, etc.
Come back later or the next day.

[Borderland]

Time to clean the spent primer catch cup.

106209

For fun, I weighed the primers and estimate there were 723 primers in the cup. Going deeper, I divided 723 by 50 rounds per hour and came up with 14.5 hours, or 58 fifteen minute sessions to fill that cup.

I've never attempted to measure the time it takes me to load a pistol round. I suppose I could but I would have to do it for each step. Popping spent primers is fast and easy. Cleaning brass is easy, but not fast. Resizing brass is fast and easy. Priming brass is neither fast or easy. Charging brass is fast and easy. Bullet seating is fast and easy.

I would guess about a minute for every finished pistol cartridge. Rifle cartridges take a little longer.

Being able to produce ammo at half the cost of purchased ammo is a significant benefit if you have the time to do it and don't mind doing something most people would consider about as interesting as watching grass grow.

[SecondsCount]

I've never attempted to measure the time it takes me to load a pistol round. I suppose I could but I would have to do it for each step. Popping spent primers is fast and easy. Cleaning brass is easy, but not fast. Resizing brass is fast and easy. Priming brass is neither fast or easy. Charging brass is fast and easy. Bullet seating is fast and easy.

I would guess about a minute for every finished pistol cartridge. Rifle cartridges take a little longer.

Being able to produce ammo at half the cost of purchased ammo is a significant benefit if you have the time to do it and don't mind doing something most people would consider about as interesting as watching grass grow.

I started reloading to save money but I ended up shooting 2-3x more :)

My guesstimate for loading 50 rounds in 60 minutes is based on timing myself years ago when I first started loading pistol ammo on a single stage. Today, 90% of my 223 loads and all of my pistol loads are made on a progressive. All those primers in my above post were from rifle rounds loaded on the single stage press...

30-30 for the levergun
30-06 and 308 for the milsurps and my Tikka Sporter.
243 for varmint and some target work
6BR and 6x47L for target and long range

[Borderland]

I started reloading to save money but I ended up shooting 2-3x more :)

My guesstimate for loading 50 rounds in 60 minutes is based on timing myself years ago when I first started loading pistol ammo on a single stage. Today, 90% of my 223 loads and all of my pistol loads are made on a progressive. All those primers in my above post were from rifle rounds loaded on the single stage press...

30-30 for the levergun
30-06 and 308 for the milsurps and my Tikka Sporter.
243 for varmint and some target work
6BR and 6x47L for target and long range

Yep, I think many shooters don't shoot as much as they really want to because of ammo costs.

I had a hard time believing how inflated those costs became during the pandemic. They seem to be coming back down a bit but still relatively high compared to a few years ago.

It's the same for just about everything now.