Reloading can be tedious. - Page 1

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Reloading can be tedious.

Posted: 5/15/2018 12:54:18 AM EDT

I am working on a 7k batch of 9mm. Im almost at 5k. Getting really old. Cleaning and inspecting the brass is the worst step IMHO.

I didnt reload for over 2 years due to relocating, renting, buying a new place. Essentially in a 2 year period I moved 3 times. Not fun but i ended up much better off with land and my own range etc.

I barely shot during that period. My ammo has dwindled though. I have been just about obsessed with gathering more components and loading as much as I can. It's to damn hot to shoot now so i might as load everything i can until i run out of a component for each caliber.

Posted: 5/15/2018 1:05:29 AM EDT

[#1]

Dang, that's a lot of ammo to shoot though! Just think of all the $$ you are saving :)

Posted: 5/15/2018 1:07:52 AM EDT

[#2]

Yes it can get tedious. I fucked up my right arm royally. Loaded several hundred rounds of .223/556. Fucked up the shoulder and sure as hell felt it the next day. Yet thought about it and it was a good work out for the arm even after. Got a lot of the range back into it. I also have a Lee Hand Press that I will use for smaller load like 50 or so yet it is also a good work out for loading all of them. Would love a multi stage press although think it would make my lazier than I am. Reloading is relaxing to me and something to do while watching movies.

Posted: 5/15/2018 1:16:10 AM EDT

[#3]

A couple years ago I went through about 25,000 rounds of 9mm over the spring and summer for USPSA and GSSF. Kinda burnt me out on it, and I got sick of reloading.

I won some cool stuff though

Posted: 5/15/2018 2:10:34 AM EDT

[#4]

Most of a morning with a 1050 with auto drive, including checking the case for splits to start with for a 7K run. The 1050 will swage primer pockets so not something that you have to check for when you checking for spit case mouths isntead.

As for on a hand crank machine without bullet feeder, would break it up to a 7 day thing, with only about 2 hrs on the machine cranking away for about 1k of rounds per session isntead. Hence after a few hours, you can start to get sloppy on your checks and focus, and not good to have problem child rounds in the ammo can's that your not going to find such until its shot instead.

Posted: 5/15/2018 6:46:50 AM EDT

[#5]

I used to feel that way when i would do big runs at one time.

I learned to keep my stocks up and just do smaller runs.

Now that my brother reloads with me it's a non issue. Even rifle brass prep isn't a big deal.

Posted: 5/15/2018 10:11:54 AM EDT

[#6]

This batch will last me a couple years or more. I just like to not worry about shortages after panics etc.

Posted: 5/15/2018 12:02:20 PM EDT

[#7]

I tend to break up large batches into short sessions lasting no more that about a half hour, and then do something else for awhile.

Posted: 5/15/2018 1:09:40 PM EDT

[#8]

I think the most I ever did in a day was 2k .45 acp.

Repetitive motions are bad beyond a certain point.

500 is a good number to do and get away from the bench.

Posted: 5/15/2018 1:24:36 PM EDT

[#9]

Last 9mm I reloaded I bought primed aluminum cases for $.01/round more than purchasing primers. Well worth the extra cent to not have to prep brass.

Posted: 5/15/2018 1:32:15 PM EDT

[#10]

That is what winter in MN is for brass prep and reloading!

Handgun
My biggest weekend ammo run was 6K of 45 ACP. That was done over two evenings.

Now, I limit runs of a 1K at a time about 90 minutes of set up, machine prep, loading and QC checks. And, try to stay up on supplies!
I have pails full of tumbled and clean 9 and 45. And, 38/357 in separate pails.

Rifle is usually done in smaller lots.

As always if you do not have have time or inclination do not reload.

Reloading is relaxing to me. Turn on a ball game and go to town!

Posted: 5/15/2018 2:53:17 PM EDT

[#11]

I don't do it all in one day. I have worked on this batch here and there as I have had time. Still gets tedious. The most I usually do at a time is 1k. Sometimes more occasionally but often only 500rds at a time.

Posted: 5/15/2018 3:04:39 PM EDT

[#12]

7,000 of anything would be tedious, oppressive and no fun at all. If it were a regular thing, you might want to invest in a 650 or 1050.

If 7,000 cartridges last you a year or more, then a 550 will get the job done with ease.

Break it up into smaller batches of about 1,000. Production lots of that size are perfect for a 550. That's what I do.

Actually, unless you are doing bulk storage (loose in a container), you will need a huge number of MTM storage boxes.

All those things push me in the direction of doing about 500 to 1,000 at a time, store in good boxes, and repeat as needed to feed the shooting habit.

I cannot imagine myself doing 7,000 reloads on a single stage press, no matter the lot size.

What type of press are you using?

Posted: 5/15/2018 3:35:12 PM EDT

[#13]

Quote History

Quoted:
7,000 of anything would be tedious, oppressive and no fun at all. If it were a regular thing, you might want to invest in a 650 or 1050.

If 7,000 cartridges last you a year or more, then a 550 will get the job done with ease.

Break it up into smaller batches of about 1,000. Production lots of that size are perfect for a 550. That's what I do.

Actually, unless you are doing bulk storage (loose in a container), you will need a huge number of MTM storage boxes.

All those things push me in the direction of doing about 500 to 1,000 at a time, store in good boxes, and repeat as needed to feed the shooting habit.

I cannot imagine myself doing 7,000 reloads on a single stage press, no matter the lot size.

What type of press are you using?

View Quote

A 650 with casefeeder. It's really not hard but I chip away at it every time I get free time. When I am done I wont reload for a few weeks. I also have 3 young kids and land to deal with.

Posted: 5/15/2018 4:52:25 PM EDT

[#14]

7,000 rounds get used up in a few weeks? I must misunderstand you.

Posted: 5/15/2018 5:32:18 PM EDT

[#15]

3 young kids is tedious

I try to do a lot of bulk loading in the winter

Posted: 5/15/2018 5:45:28 PM EDT

[#16]

Quote History

Quoted:
7,000 rounds get used up in a few weeks? I must misunderstand you.

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No this will last me 2 years or more.

I shoot and load more .45 than I do 9mm. I only had about 1500-2k pieces of 9mm brass. I got sick of needing to load it more than once a year. I recently bought a full large flat priority mail box of fired 9mm brass for $125. I think I have enough to load 7k. I have loaded close to 5k now. I am not sure if I will get to load any more until the weekend.

I have probably 4k .45 brass with about 3k of it loaded. It may get jealous and I'll have to buy more .45 brass to even it out.

Posted: 5/15/2018 10:42:19 PM EDT

[#17]

Quoted:
I am working on a 7k batch of 9mm. Im almost at 5k. Getting really old.

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Congratulations on the new place and range.

Sorry to hear that what should be a fun and relaxing hobby has turned into a chore.

I don't ever reload more than 200 cartridges at a time so it's always fresh for me.

But, if you are getting burned out, please consider taking a break. When things get tedious that's when accidents or omissions are more likely and you was to make the best, safest ammunition you can.

Posted: 5/15/2018 11:01:37 PM EDT

[#18]

I've always enjoyed reloading. I think a big part of that is that I always break it up into batches that are manageable. When I HAVE to load a lot, for like a big match or a training class, and there I am a couple days before trying to crank out a couple thousand rounds, yeah. It turns into a chore (and odds of mistakes greatly increase!) and that affects my enjoyment considerably.

I wish I had more time now to spend at the bench. I've moved several times over the past couple years, and now, finally, have my Dillon all cleaned, lubed, setup and ready to to start making some ammo! Now...if I can just get the hour I need to do some reloading....

I guess I am fortunate that currently, I can afford to buy ammo if I need it Right Now. But, like others I do like to have a stock pile built up. Which, after all the moving, that pile has greatly diminished.

But mostly, I just miss the destressing nature of sitting at the bench doing whatever process I am doing. Very relaxing for me. I need to make the time for it.

Posted: 5/16/2018 8:18:39 AM EDT

[#19]

I do batches of 100 then walk away for awhile. I think the most I've ever loaded in a week is 500 rounds of 45 acp.

Of course, this is all on a single-stage press. If I were competing, or just shooting more, I would definitely step up to a progressive machine.

Posted: 5/16/2018 11:49:41 AM EDT

[#20]

For me, the size of a batch is first determined by the number of cases I can fit in my tumbler. That restricts me to about 200 cases of 223Rem or perhaps 400 cases of 45ACP. I don't count the cases but you get the idea - the tumbler is the first limitation on batch size.

Sometimes, when I get a huge load of brass (thousands), I clean batch after batch of brass and keep the clean brass in a container.

This puts me in a situation like the OP, too much brass. <-- Is that even possible?

At that point, I load what I need. Everything else waits until I have the right "mind set" (maybe bored and need something to do).

With the proper mind set, careful set up, weighing and checking quality, etc, is fun to do. I am safe and not distracted.

I can easily load 300 rounds of rifle in an hour or about 450 rounds of pistol ammo in that same hour. That's a lot but does not make a dent in a deep bucket of brass. I can load more or walk away leaving it all set up knowing it is waiting when I am once again ready.

Posted: 5/16/2018 2:21:27 PM EDT

[#21]

Quote History

Quoted:
I think the most I ever did in a day was 2k .45 acp.

Repetitive motions are bad beyond a certain point.

500 is a good number to do and get away from the bench.

View Quote

This is my opinion after messing up my shoulder doing 9mm WITHOUT a case feeder. Reaching above my shoulders every 22 cases on the 650 messed with me. Bought a case feeder and I'm good to go 500 at a time. I actually take a little break and surf the internet for a little while between each 100 so it doesn't get tedious.

Posted: 5/16/2018 4:28:58 PM EDT

[#22]

I generally hold it to about 500 for pistol rounds.

No point in getting tired or distracted and screwing up a gun.

Let alone body parts in proximity.

Posted: 5/16/2018 4:40:31 PM EDT

[#23]

Quote History

Quoted:

This is my opinion after messing up my shoulder doing 9mm WITHOUT a case feeder. Reaching above my shoulders every 22 cases on the 650 messed with me. Bought a case feeder and I'm good to go 500 at a time. I actually take a little break and surf the internet for a little while between each 100 so it doesn't get tedious.

View Quote

Yeah...I take a break after every 100 rounds too...gotta refill the primer "magazine" anyway.

I'll take the loaded round bin off my 650 and sit on the sofa with the TV on and place the loose rounds into those MTM or Berry's plastic ammo boxes. I stick them bulet nose down. Then run my finger over the headstamps to check for high primers.

Then I stripe them with a sharpie.

All that loosens up my neck and shoulder muscles too..
makes it less tedious.

EDIT: I reckon you can't QC/QA your reloads too much.

Posted: 5/16/2018 8:44:19 PM EDT

[#24]

I don't have any fancy machines, so I have a system instead. My system is to work at a particular caliber for an hour or two at a time. Since I have an entire room to use, I work in stages. I might deprime/tumble a few hundred cases or prime a few hundred. Other times I will complete the primed cases. Once I get 500 or however many I plan to load, I'll clean up the press and then set it up for another caliber. With 3 presses, I always have 2 or 3 calibers in the system.

When I started reloading, I would sit for hours at a time trying to work with fired brass - all the way to loaded rounds. This wore me out big time. Now I have plastic bins of several hundred to several thousand cases in various stages of 'completion'.

Posted: 5/17/2018 7:41:59 PM EDT

[#25]

My 650 stays primed all the time so I pump out 100-200 rounds a few nights a week. This keeps me in ammo for weekend matches and practice.

I can't handle the marathon sessions.

ETA: I'm too lazy to inspect brass.

Posted: 5/17/2018 9:51:51 PM EDT

[#26]

Quote History

Quoted:
My 650 stays primed all the time so I pump out 100-200 rounds a few nights a week. This keeps me in ammo for weekend matches and practice.

I can't handle the marathon sessions.

ETA: I'm too lazy to inspect brass.

View Quote

I usually just make the ammo I am going to shoot that day or week.

Posted: 5/20/2018 6:13:21 PM EDT

[#27]

Break it all up.

I tumble cases after getting them sorted by caliber. Dirty brass goes into a small cardboard box that allows the rest of the dirt to settle to the bottom. I usually have no more than 2-300 dirty cases before cleaning.

Clean brass goes in a bucket. Dry tumble with a capful of Nu Finish and corn cob. 1 gal, 2.5 and 5 gal pails are available at Home Depot or lowes.

Once clean I drop a bunch in a smaller rectangular piece of Tupperware. If you shake them most will flip headstamp down. Try and get one layer or close to it in the bottom. I then grab a small group of 5 to 10 in a hand and look at the headstamps, culling military crimped brass and a couple headstamps that are oddball junk brass. This sorted brass then goes in another bucket waiting on reloading.

Posted: 5/21/2018 7:41:52 AM EDT

[#28]

And for the love of John Moses Browning, if you stop for the day scribble yourself a note to toss in each container as to where the contents are in the process and if rifle which lot batch of brass it is. Nothing worse to think you will be back at it tomorrow or the day after and find life happening and you come back weeks later and you forget, is this the brass that had 2 loads of 12 loads that you will use as drops, is this the coffee can of finished rounds 3 grains of bullseye for the j frame or something else much hotter.

I say this from mistakes on my own bench. I can be consistently inconsistent. It is nice to find a can of 7.62x51 to see a dated note that says once fired, sized to 1.62” headspace, tumbled clean, ready to load. This is in a 12 year old can that I didn’t even remember having.

I also keep a couple log books and have referred back to them because I didn’t write a label or it’s missing.

Also if you’re doing big batches I consider moving from MTM boxes to Usgi cans or bags like the Dillon border shift canvas bags. They work well for batches. I have a both.

Posted: 5/21/2018 11:42:47 PM EDT

[#29]

Another member of the 500 rounds/session club. On my 650 that's around an hour, including setup, QC and clean-up.

If I need more for a major match, I plan for an additional day or two (hour or two) of reloading. All in All, not too bad considering i'm creating custom loaded ammo, specific to my gun.

Posted: 5/22/2018 10:12:05 AM EDT

[#30]

9mm sucks to reload

Posted: 5/22/2018 10:14:16 AM EDT

[#31]

Quote History

Quoted:
9mm sucks to reload

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I find it quite pleasant on my SDB, but I like to reload.

It's one of my hobbies and I do it for fun.

Posted: 5/22/2018 11:43:01 AM EDT

[#32]

Reloading is relaxing and therapeutic to me. It takes my mind off of all the other BS going on in my life. I try to buy and load in bulk 1k rounds at a time. That’s about as much as my retirement check allows.

I can usually load a few hundred rounds at one sitting till my little lap dog starts pawing at my leg and crying and I have to go back to the recliner. She lets me know when it’s time to take a break.

Posted: 5/22/2018 4:03:32 PM EDT

[#33]

I deprime my cases when I get home. One other shooter and I take turns sorting cases. We shoot on a restricted range so we only have to sort the cases from our group (everyone is supposed to police

their brass after a session). Each shooter has a unique mark on the case bottom. I deprime my cases when I get home. The dirty deprimed cases go into a Costco candy jug. The cases get wet

tumbled when I feel like it.

I uncover the 650 for batches of 500. I load up one primer sleeve (100) and load those. When done I take the full output box, case gauge, MTM box and a sharpie to a nice cool place. Each round is

gauged and put into the MTM box and marked. Any round needing rework is taken care of immediately. If I feel like it I will load another 100 and go through the same process. It usually takes me a

ffew days to load 500 rounds. Occasionally I feel like loading more. I am relaxed throughout the process.

Posted: 5/27/2018 8:35:07 AM EDT

[#34]

Don't let the numbers overwhelm you. Concentrate on the process and you'll make your way through that pile of brass.

Posted: 5/27/2018 10:50:12 AM EDT

[#35]

LOL

Attached File

Posted: 5/27/2018 11:45:13 AM EDT

[#36]

Quote History

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LOL

https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/241349/IMG_1964-556679.JPG

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That was a little mean. Not to say that I don't like it a lot.

OP, the thing that seems to be your biggest problem is that you're spending so much time looking at the "big picture" you can't relax and enjoy what you're doing. You've said you're doing something I'd suggest - working at it a bit at a time. Just don't let the final count feel like a weight on your shoulders.

You're at 5k or so? Nothing says you can't sit back and tell yourself "wow, that was a lot of loading!" and not crank on your press for a few days. Or just do a little. Or just set up for later, like loading primer tubes, cleaning up the bench, etc. Taking a break isn't quitting, and maybe a couple of days playing with the kids and enjoying having enough land to have a private range is what you need to get out of the feeling that you're chipping away at an infinite task.