Is it possible to do reloading without a garage? Like are there tools I can set up in a room in my shitty house or is that a bad idea?

>>1591 Look up hand reloaders.

>>1592 That'll work thanks.

Anyone reload 357 magnum? I'm getting basically 40 S&W ballistics for my 4 inch 686 with H110 as based on Hodgdon/Lee's load data, and I checked out Hornady's load data and it's not much better. I'm going full charge on everything, 180 grain bullets, 158 grain, 140, 125, etc. I like 40 but I want more from a 357 magnum. I have no idea how Buffalo Bore gets 1,400 fps with a 180 grain bullet out of a 4 inch revolver. I'm averaging about 1,030 with 14 grains of H110 and a magnum primer.

Speaking of reloaded .357 I have a box of rounds I bought from some random gun store in a small town I was passing through. Now glancing at the box you would think they're just some fresh rounds, but upon opening it I saw there are several obviously different brands of casings (some steel some brass, different manufacturer stamps on the rim etc.). Some of them are clearly .38 casings as well so who knows how hot that shit is. I've deemed it the mystery box and I'm a little scared to use any of those rounds, particularly the .38s because lord knows if the guy that reloaded them knew what he was doing or was the kind of idiot that sat there thinking "bigger number mean mo' bigger boom powder". I have heard too many horror stories about hot rounds being bought from smaller backwater gun stores.

>>1595 get a de-loading hammer and unload them, and then reuse the case and bullets. You can identify powder by what it looks like. H110 is very fine grain. Longshot is flakey.

>>1596 I'm thinking about just keeping it because I think it's funny how suspicious it is or giving it to someone I hate to see what happens.

Well I got some heavy .338 Winchester magnum loads worked up. For this hunting season I've been using 250 grain Speer Grandslam bullets with 69.7 grains of IMR4955 and a large rifle magnum primer. The other is Barnes TSX 225 grain with 73 grains of the same powder and primer. Massive power on deer. I heartily recommend you own a magnum. There's nothing like shooting a magnum.

>>1598 My velocity 3 shot average on the 250s is 2708 fps, so around 4,000 ft/lbs. The 225's are just over 2800, pushing 4k.

>>1598 Have you tried any swaging techniques?

I'm just getting into reloading and am currently in the process of procuring equipment. I'm looking for tips to save money because I'm a total Jew about everything. A few questions in numbered format because everyone just loves that. 1) Can I just substitute a countersink for an overpriced deburring tool? 2) Any alternative tumbler medium that isn't marketed as tumbler medium and overpriced. I was thinking walnut cat litter but that is really dusty. 3) Do I really need a powder measure, or would the scoops that come in small cc increments and a scale do? I'm just doing small batches of precision loads and some subsonic ammo. No plans to mass produce the stuff.

>>1601 >1) Can I just substitute a countersink for an overpriced deburring tool? Yes. You also might want an inverted countersink to get the outside of the case mouth, but it isn't required >2) Any alternative tumbler medium that isn't marketed as tumbler medium and overpriced. I was thinking walnut cat litter but that is really dusty. I use corn cob bedding and litter, it's a little dusty but I find it works fine and the dust is hardly noticeable on the cleaned cases. >3) Do I really need a powder measure, or would the scoops that come in small cc increments and a scale do? I'm just doing small batches of precision loads and some subsonic ammo. No plans to mass produce the stuff. You probably could get away with those scoops, but I highly recommend you buy a powder measure. Different powders have different weight to volume ratio's so you'll need a whole bunch of scoops. And even then if it's not what you need you'll have to waste time filling scoops up part way and trying to finangle the needed grains. You need a scale regardless of what option you choose though.

>>1601 I recognize this question, glad you found the right thread. The first thing I will suggest is acquiring reloading manuals, you didn't mention that and the lurkers will benefit too. The Hornady manual is the best one to start with, it's easy to understand and covers all the main reloading processes. The Sierra manual goes more in depth, there's things about exterior ballistics and how not to bend your M1's operating rod. >Can I just substitute a countersink for an overpriced deburring tool? That would work but you really should chamfer and de-burr inside and out. That also brings up how you plan to trim to length. It must be done and a lot of the options are pricey. I've only experimented a little bit with it but the Lee Trimmer can multi-tasks and has given me great results for how cheap it is. I haven't tried it with power yet but it has a quarter inch drill chuck. You could skip the whole media tumbler part and polish the case with your abrasive of choice on top of trimming, chamfering, and de-burring. >Do I really need a powder measure, or would the scoops that come in small cc increments and a scale do? I'm just doing small batches of precision loads and some subsonic ammo. No plans to mass produce the stuff. Charge throwers are finicky, expensive, and measure volume like the scoops. They both work but a digital scale that measures to at least 1/10th of a grain is what you want if you value precision over productivity.

>>1603 To be clear you don't need a tumbler if you feel the pain of every shekel but you definitely need some sort of bush for the neck and a primer pocket scraper. High seated primers are bad news, especially for semi-autos.

>>1604 I got the idea (from Sharpe's reloading book I think) that cleaning brass was necessary to make casing inspection ready. I'm going with the stainless steel pins that are used for jewelry. Reportedly people are using it to clean casings.

>>1605 I've gotten by so far without one but that's been neck sizing only for hunting rifles, I've run into issues with full length resizing. I need to get some sort of cleaner before I start into my stash of once fired 45-70 and the 30-06 brass for my M-1. All that stuff has been on the back burner since the Corona component drought. I was leaning towards one of those ultrasonic units that doubles as a parts cleaner but I haven't done much research into it.

How is reloading looking these days? I haven't paid attention.