What is your favorite caliber to load and why?

Armory » Reloading

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - What is your favorite caliber to load and why?

Posted: 1/15/2015 10:40:17 AM EDT

I load for a lot of different calibers in both pistol and rifle. If I had to choose one single favorite round to load it would be the .45 acp.

Short fat cases are easy to pick up, I dont to seem as drop as many even after sprayed with One Shot. The light on the top of the Dillon allows you easily see the powder inside the case without using a mirror. I dont seem to ever break a decapping pin when loading .45 because of some berdan brass that got mixed in. Load development is simple and easy with the .45. It seems easier to put together very accurate loads with any number of powders. In conclusion I like the slow push of the recoil of the .45 vs the fast snap of other calibers. Double bonus with the advent of small primer .45 brass you have even greater component flexibility when the supply chain gets backed up.

Posted: 1/15/2015 10:46:57 AM EDT

[#1]

I like 45auto, too.

But I find myself giggling when I'm loading some 10mm.

Posted: 1/15/2015 11:36:03 AM EDT

[#2]

6.8 SPC, it just feels clean and new. idk how to describe it.

Posted: 1/15/2015 12:33:24 PM EDT

[#3]

40 and 45 acp are very easy......

Posted: 1/15/2015 12:35:54 PM EDT

[#4]

10mm.

It encouraged me to sail off the edge of published loads into savage lands where there be dragons.

MORE VELOCITY.

Posted: 1/15/2015 12:47:29 PM EDT

[#5]

I load 223, 45 and 9. I to find the 45 the easiest to load from start to finish so 45 for me. 223 would be last due to trim/debur and hand measuring powder.

Posted: 1/15/2015 3:16:04 PM EDT

[#6]

I don't have one favorite, it's more of a mood or what project I'm working on.

But if forced to pick one it would be loading steel cased Berdan primed 7.62x39 with my home cast bullets.

Why, because I can, it's very cheap to load and I know not many do so. So I enjoy it.

Posted: 1/15/2015 3:36:21 PM EDT

[#7]

I like loading .357 Mag and .38 Spc.

Hot .357 mag for hunting and nice quiet subsonic .38's for plinking.

Posted: 1/15/2015 4:09:17 PM EDT

[#8]

.45acp for the same reasons you gave.

Posted: 1/15/2015 5:26:48 PM EDT

[#9]

Cranking out 9mm, 40 s&w, and 45acp on my progressive press is very fulfilling. As others have said 45acp is probably the least temperamental to run large qty's out.

Posted: 1/15/2015 5:36:12 PM EDT

[#10]

the easiest is38 special. Especially when you're loading with trail boss. I reload 380 and my big fingers make it hard to handle

Posted: 1/15/2015 5:46:57 PM EDT

[#11]

Quote History

Quoted:

10mm.

It encouraged me to sail off the edge of published loads into savage lands where there be dragons.

MORE VELOCITY.

View Quote

This guy, he gets it. 10mm is my favorite handgun round to reload.

My all time favorite is the .222 rem. It is an accurate round and I like seeing just how accurate I can get with it.

Posted: 1/15/2015 5:50:46 PM EDT

[#12]

Quoted:
I load for a lot of different calibers in both pistol and rifle. If I had to choose one single favorite round to load it would be the .45 acp.

Short fat cases are easy to pick up, I dont to seem as drop as many even after sprayed with One Shot. The light on the top of the Dillon allows you easily see the powder inside the case without using a mirror. I dont seem to ever break a decapping pin when loading .45 because of some berdan brass that got mixed in. Load development is simple and easy with the .45. It seems easier to put together very accurate loads with any number of powders. In conclusion I like the slow push of the recoil of the .45 vs the fast snap of other calibers. Double bonus with the advent of small primer .45 brass you have even greater component flexibility when the supply chain gets backed up.

View Quote

I am not a fan of small primer .45 Auto brass! It creates a very sick feeling in my stomach to pull the handle on a progressive loader and have it slam to a halt. When upon inspection you discover a "large" box of primary explosive was just jammed into a "small" hole. I look for them but sometimes they get through (Federal, Blazer, Speer...).

Posted: 1/15/2015 6:39:14 PM EDT

[#13]

300 AAC Blackout, converted from .223/5.56 brass. Keeps me busy during the winter.

Posted: 1/15/2015 8:06:55 PM EDT

[#14]

.45-70 feels good and when one falls off the press you just know you loaded an artillery shell.

I would have said .45 ACP but all the SP brass sneaking in really makes it a pain!

Posted: 1/15/2015 8:07:30 PM EDT

[#15]

Neck sizing FNB-81 .303 British (Berdan), a powder I have never used before, and a .312/174gr bullet. I can take a pocket full of those, three or four No4 Enfields, and have an external ballistic orgasm.

Posted: 1/15/2015 8:13:03 PM EDT

[#16]

45 Colt. Doesn't get any easier and a lot of fun too shoot.

Posted: 1/15/2015 9:47:55 PM EDT

[#17]

357/38 and 45 because that's where I started but 45/70 has the big time impact just from the size of the whole thing

Posted: 1/15/2015 9:53:28 PM EDT

[#18]

I reload or have reloaded everything from .25 ACP to ..50 BMG and I have to say, I don't have a particular favorite.

The .25's and .32's are fun for the same reason as the .50 BMG- their sizes; the rest all have their unique peculiarities that make loading them fun.

Posted: 1/15/2015 10:20:10 PM EDT

[#19]

38 special 148 gr. HBWC ammo, because it is so accurate and loads easy. It also runs well through my Hornaday ProJector.

9mm since I am set up to load large quantities of it, fairly trouble free and it is cheap. Cant' wait to deplete my loaded ammo inventory to load up another huge batch.

3006, because it is a serious cartridge that shoots well in several prized rifles, and stacks up well on the Phallic Cartridge Comparison Scale.

I don't hotrod anything but 7mm R Mag. Shooting excess quantities of hot 458 Win and 454 Casull cured me of magnumitus.

Posted: 1/15/2015 11:48:45 PM EDT

[#20]

'06.

Even the little bullets are easy to pick up if I drop one in the loading block. I suppose because of the shallow shoulder angle and body taper, it glides through the dies. I also feel like I'm paying homage to riflemen of the past.

Posted: 1/16/2015 12:11:22 AM EDT

[#21]

45 ACP for size, no need to trim and cleaning cases is optional.

Posted: 1/16/2015 1:01:21 AM EDT

[#22]

For ease it's 45acp, easy to load and brass lasts forever.

Most rewarding is 260rem, I ask a lot from it and have had to put in some work but it does fabulous things if I do my part.

Posted: 1/16/2015 4:46:53 AM EDT

[#23]

I've loaded 380, 9mm, 45, 223, 308, and 30-06 on single stage, turret, and progressive presses

Favorites are 45 on progressive, and 308 anywhere. Both are substantial, easy to handle, and fun to shoot.

Posted: 1/16/2015 6:27:24 AM EDT

[#24]

308 win.

It's amazing when you get them to sing.

Txl

Posted: 1/16/2015 7:59:14 AM EDT

[#25]

I'm going to go with 38-55.

Nice big cases, no trimming, no chance of jamming a primer into a crimped cup, generous charges that are tough to f* up, and a loud and gratifying *clunk* when they land in the bin. Plus I never do so many at one time that it gets tedious, and they're something I flat out can't buy anywhere.

Posted: 1/16/2015 8:50:05 AM EDT

[#26]

.45 ACP.

Brass is easy to pick up and hold as are the bullets.

Posted: 1/16/2015 9:38:18 AM EDT

[#27]

I don't have a favorite cartridge. I like it all.

Posted: 1/16/2015 10:34:57 AM EDT

[#28]

Quote History

Quoted:

10mm.

It encouraged me to sail off the edge of published loads into savage lands where there be dragons.

MORE VELOCITY.

View Quote

Couldn't have said it better.

However, I am also having fun loading my newest caliber, 45 Super too. All the advantages the OP mentioned and all the fun Cheesebeast stated above.

Posted: 1/16/2015 1:01:29 PM EDT

[#29]

I agree, 45 ACP is the easiest but it's not my favorite.

I love loading 30-06. I wet tumble so the loaded rounds come out looking so clean, shiney and BIG !
I load 'em light so my 03-A3 doesn't beat the hell out of me.

Posted: 1/16/2015 1:58:29 PM EDT

[#30]

.308 and .300. The cost savings gives me a woody.

Posted: 1/16/2015 2:12:31 PM EDT

[#31]

Quote History

Quoted:

.308 and .300. The cost savings gives me a woody.

View Quote

I've still got right at 9K worth of 55grn 5.56 components left at the wildly expensive price of 8.1¢ per round (that's right, $81/K) for my AR middy general shooting ammo. Now if that don't get you hard, nothing will!!

Posted: 1/16/2015 10:08:49 PM EDT

[#32]

The zen of shooting and reloading .38 Special with LSWCs is unmatched.

Posted: 1/16/2015 10:15:20 PM EDT

[#33]

10mm hands down. Easily and economically reloading high performance rounds people pay out the ass for brings a smile onto my face every time one drops in the bin.

I look at factory ammo any more and think "Why on God's green earth pay so much damn money for mediocre ammo!?"

Posted: 1/16/2015 10:40:30 PM EDT

[#34]

.223. Its what I shoot the most of anyway.

Posted: 1/16/2015 11:33:52 PM EDT

[#35]

450 Marlin or 10mm.

Reason: Save oodles and oodles of cash per round made.

Posted: 1/17/2015 4:59:10 AM EDT

[#36]

I like reloading all calibers, but I've loaded more 9mm than any other so I'm real familiar with it. I always get 380 and 9mm mixed together and it keeps you on your toes separating them when sizing/decapping. My favorite is a 147gr coated bullet sitting on top of some AA#7 for the CZ75. I have a bunch of 9mm components too, but never enough it seems

The 45 for the ease of identifying and handling the case and bullets. I use a rock chucker so a lot of handling goes on.

Posted: 1/17/2015 6:12:10 AM EDT

[#37]

Quote History

Quoted:
40 and 45 acp are very easy......

View Quote

Nothing I reload (not .223, .308 or 30.06) is as hard to resize as 9MM brass. The .45 acp and .40 S&W are a breeze. I seem to have gotten lucky and found very accurate loads very quickly in the .40 S&W (CZ P07) when I started reloading for it last year.

Posted: 1/17/2015 7:27:54 AM EDT

[#38]

Quote History

Quoted:
I don't have a favorite cartridge. I like it all.

View Quote

Generally, this is how I feel. Variety is the slice of life and I like to reload a lot of different calibers. I do have one caliber that I never could warm up to, FN 5.7x28. Everything is just so small that it doesn't take long for me to get my fill of that.

Posted: 1/17/2015 7:39:30 AM EDT

[#39]

I enjoy reloading everything I'm set up for. Yes, I also enjoy rifle case prep work. But my most enjoyable would be 40S&W and 45 ACP. Mainly for the same reasons others have mentioned here. But also for the fact that I cast all the bullets I shoot and get my lead for free. I like to watch the very cheap bullets fill up the bin as I crank the handle on the progressive.

Posted: 1/17/2015 2:19:45 PM EDT

[#40]

.30-30 to me is fun. I don't need a bunch, its easy to load, and it is not hard to get a reasonably accurate load with just about any combination.

Posted: 1/17/2015 2:56:48 PM EDT

[#41]

.45 ACP all day long and twice on Sunday afternoons

Posted: 1/17/2015 9:09:41 PM EDT

[#42]

45 as well for all the reasons mentioned.

Posted: 1/17/2015 10:27:30 PM EDT

[#43]

I load a lot of calibers including:

.22 Hornet
.223 Rem
.243 WIn
.25-06 Rem
7mm TCU
7mm Rem Mag
.30 M1 Carbine
.30-30 Win
.308 Win
.30-06
.32 ACP
7.62 Nagant
7.62x39
7.62x54R
.380 ACP
9mm Para
.38 Special
.357 Magnum
.38-55
.375 Win
.400 Cor Bon
.45 ACP
.45 Colt
.45 Win Mag
.45-70 Govt
.54 cal. Sharps (a nitrated paper cartridge)

Of those the .38 Special is probably my favorite, with the .45 Colt coming in a close second and .38-55 a close third.

I like it because:

1. As a rimmed revolver cartridge, you don't have to worry about feeding or cycling the action as you do with a round for a semi-auto,
2. there's no need to sort brass,
3. it is a straight wall case with zero taper so it will wear out before you have to trim it,
4. it's a nice size to handle and it's a very easy cartridge to load with no particular quirks and no special effort or tricks required,
5, it shoots bullets large enough to be fun, but still light enough to sell for around $50 per $500,
6. at current cast bullet, powder and primer prices I can load it for less than I can buy decent .22 LR ammo,
7. it's not made in both small and large primer flavors (like the .45 ACP is now, thanks to Federal and Fiocchi),
8. brass is commonly available and not expensive.
9. it can be loaded anywhere from very mild plinking loads to +P+ pressures, and
10. even in effective +P self defense loads, it's comfortable to shoot even in fairly lightweight revolvers.

Posted: 1/19/2015 8:26:01 PM EDT

[#44]

most enjoyable to load - 357 Mag

Most fun to load - 458 Socom

Posted: 1/19/2015 8:50:58 PM EDT

[#45]

My favorite is 357 & 44 Magnum because the brass is trimmed only once, the first time, the cases last forever being shot out of revolvers.
So a loading session with either one of those is enjoyable and relaxing.

Posted: 1/19/2015 9:06:58 PM EDT

[#46]

12 gauge slugs make me feel really good to load. No idea why. Love seeing those big rounds. Maybe it's just cause I know I can see the holes without a problem on paper at 50yrds.

But if we are only talking metallic, then I agree with the other poster about 30-30. It was the easiest rifle load to get working well. I guess it's because my expectations weren't that high and I was over-pleased.

Posted: 1/19/2015 9:08:51 PM EDT

[#47]

Quote History

Quoted:
.30-30 to me is fun. I don't need a bunch, its easy to load, and it is not hard to get a reasonably accurate load with just about any combination.

View Quote

This

.30-30 it's also the first round on what I learned to reload.

Posted: 1/21/2015 12:52:27 AM EDT

[#48]

Mine is .38 special because I load it for my Dad......

I love to help the old man out and get him out to the range!

Posted: 1/21/2015 1:04:04 AM EDT

[#49]

I just finished with 4,000 9mm, so I can tell you which is NOT my favorite!

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - What is your favorite caliber to load and why?

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