| Author | Message | ||
     Reepicheep |
There is a new Cabella's in Columbus (about two hours from me). I need to restock some reloading supplies (mainly lead), and Cabella's online inventory is great, but what is their in-store inventory? And are prices the same in store as online? I'm trying to figure if it's worth the drive to Columbus for big inventory and good prices, or if I am better off just mail ordering or trying a bigger local gunshow. | ||
| Sifo |
Variable and inconsistent at our Cabella's. That was before the shortages. If you are looking for unjacketed lead they probably will have nothing. I've got some sources online I like for unjacketed bullets. qualitycastbullets.com has done well by me. pennbullets.com has been very good and will swage them to custom diameters if you have the need. Neither deal in jacketed bullets though. My biggest problem with buying bullets at Cabellas's is that I'll get some bullets, go through the process of developing a load that works, then not be able to get that exact bullet again when I need them. midwayusa.com is where I usually get my jacketed bullets. You can however order from Cabella's for an in store pickup if you want to save shipping and spend some time browsing the shop. At least that way you know you will get what you need. | ||
| Reepicheep |
Thanks! Sounds like I would be better off making a day of a bigger local gun show and just stocking up. To solve my immediate problem, I tried these folks (before I saw your post). Worth a try for 500. http://www.xtremebullets.com/38-158-SWC-p/xc38-158 swc-b0500.htm $53 for 500 copper plated 158 grain semi wadcutters with free shipping... Worth a try at that price. They say to load them at the hot end of cast loads or the cooler end of jacketed loads. People indicated good luck with them for both .38 special and .357. I'll have to check the swaging place... I wonder if they would swage all the way up to .361 to allow me to get cast rounds for an old Webly (38 S&W). Right now I just use hollow base .38's which expand and work fine, but a true .361 would probably be more accurate. Why, I am chasing high accuracy from a Webly is beyond me, but I can't help myself. | ||
| Reepicheep |
Sweet. Just browsed that quality cast site. I know where my next batch of 230gr LRN's are coming from. By the time you end up adding in shipping, for quantities of 500, I ended up getting a fair deal from that other place (paid a bit more, but got copper plated). But had I stuck with just cast and gotten 1000, it would have been a smoking good deal. Though I have heard that if you order 2000 185 gr .45 JHP's to got to split with some friends, the post office might make you come to the post office and pick it up.  Not sure where their cutoff is. | ||
| Sifo |
I should mention that pennbullets.com has tended to be slooow in sending the bullets out. I'm happy with everything else about them, and they have even thrown in an occasional surprise. I think they recently expanded their facilities though. Perhaps they will get faster. My last order took a couple of months. | ||
| Swampy |
Midwayusa.com | ||
| Orman1649 |
The only thing I have looked for and haven't been able to get from Cabelas recently is smokeless powder. I personally like unique for just about everything and...everyone else must too....b/c hours after they get a shipment it is gone. | ||
| Reepicheep |
I like it's flexibility, but it is a nightmare to measure accurately. Throws are all over the map with three different powder measures I use. After a lot of time and fussing I finally got it somewhat accurate with a lee auto disc measure (but not with an auto-disc, with the adjustable adapter), and after rubber-banding a running cell phone vibrate motor to the side of it. Even then, it was lucky to hold +- .2 grains. Bullseye measures much more accurately, and also is a little hotter and is less likely to be limited by case volume. It seems to burn cleaner also. I do enjoy the flash, smoke, and smell of a hot Unique load though.  | ||
| Sifo |
I've found some of the Lee measures get kind of bad in the winter because of high static. This was especially true with flake powders. Wiping the plastic parts down with a dryer sheet before setting things up seems to help a lot. | ||
| Nukeblue |
+2 on bullseye. that's all i use for 9mm, .40 & .45, auto-disc with no problems. strangely enough 5.0 gr is good for all three loads (although i usually run 4.5 gr & runs every gun i've tried them in) | ||
| Chauly |
Re: Unique And the little rain of black flecks that seems to settle everywhere? :-) I use a Lyman Adjustable that seems to be within +/- .1 gr every time, but that's with ball powders. The extruded grains seem to cut a lot, and the flakes are subject to static cling; I'll have to try the dryer sheet thing (maybe I'll like them for that purpose, since I can't stand them in the dryer!) | ||
| Reepicheep |
I had to solve that static problem also... I did three things to at least beat it into a truce... 1) Start by cleaning everything really carefully with detergent. Let thoroughly dry. 2) Hose down everything and clean up with Novus #1 spray cleaner. wipe down and let thoroughly dry. 3) Run several tubes of black powdered graphite through the whole system once it is set back up. 4) Then run and run and run it without much cleaning besides vacuums and wipedowns. 5) Go ask one of your kids which if their "hex bugs" is prepared to give it's life for it's country. 6) Take said hex bug, rip out the expensive button cell battery, solder on leads from a AA battery holder, and glue the crap out of it to make it a solid unit. You have created the "Borg Hex Bug". 7) Go to your daughter and ask her for a hair band she will give up. 8) Attach the assembly to the outside of your powder measure and turn it on when you are measuring. Stats:  Borg Bug:  | ||
| Reepicheep |
Oh, and a couple more thoughts.. I still don't trust it, so I rigged up a "measure check" die from an old die set. It has a wooden plug driven into the end, and a hole drilled straight through it so that a bamboo kabob stick floats freely. One small o-ring on the kabob keeps the kabob from falling all the way through between checks. The second o-ring is indexed to the top of a nail driven into that same wooden plug to be exactly even when a "good" powder throw is made. I am using a 4 stage lee turrett press (great for the money after you sort it out), so after I throw a charge, the next stage just pushes this kabob up. I do a quick visual check to make sure the o-ring is even with the top of the nail. Not a precise re-weigh, but it makes it trivial to spot either an empty throw or a double charge. There are real dies that do this same thing but probably better. Even if you aren't throwing squibs, it is worth it just for peace of mind. I have pictures of that rig around here somewhere also... (Message edited by reepicheep on December 12, 2013) | ||
| D_adams |
 Seems like it meters within .1 grain accuracy on all of the loads I've checked. I run 6.9 gr of AA#5 in my .40 and it's been spot on at 6.9 to 7 gr every time. This Dillon 550 is pretty repeatable. (Message edited by d_adams on December 12, 2013) | ||
| Reepicheep |
Here it is: http://www.badweatherbikers.com/cgibin/discus/show .cgi?tpc=4062&post=2332306#POST2332306 Double throw:  Squib / empty throw:  And that was with .45 and Bullseye, which is a wide case with a short stack of powder. Close to worst case. .38 with unique is shoter and taller and much more obvious. | ||
| Reepicheep |
People swear by the Dillon and Lyman measures. But I have tried both with Unique, and when I started actually measuring over large ranges of throws, I got the same variation that I did with the lee auto-disk. Interestingly, the most accurate for me was a ***very*** well broken in Lee perfect powder measure. I did about 1000 rounds on a Dillon 1050. I was thrilled with how fast it went. I found out later that half way through the measure had broken some kind in internal piece and was throwing the occasional squib. I had to pull every one of those ^&^%^*( cartridges apart and reload them with the setup above. I personally won't reload again without either a powder measure check die of some kind, or a visual check of every single throw. | ||
| Sifo |
Supposedly a powder baffle helps getting more consistent powder throws. I've been meaning to add this to my measure. I can see that with some powders, having a full measure might pack it slightly more than a near empty measure. The baffle should keep it flowing more consistently.  I've had really bad low loads from the static issue though. Dry winter months were bad. A visual check into the bottom of a .357 isn't enough to see the problem with small charges. It hasn't happened to me since wiping things with the dryer sheet though. I like the checker Reepicheep posted above. I would have to change something in my processing though to get that extra die in there. It might be worth the change in process, for the peace of mind though. | ||
| Reepicheep |
I've thought about other approaches as well. Its kind of a fun problem to noodle over. A $89 Harbor Freight bore scope camera was on the list of interesting paths to chase down as well. Point it diagonally at the cartridge and do a visual inspection of every step. Include a bit of tape on the monitor to mark the powder level of a good throw, and I bet you could reliably spot +- 10% problems. http://www.harborfreight.com/digital-inspection-ca mera-67979.html | ||
| Reepicheep |
Oh, and for others, if you aren't measuring weight with a digital scale that goes down to the .01 grain level, you are fooling yourself. Or at least I was fooling my self when I was trying to do it with a sensitive beam scale. There are very inexpensive scales on Ebay that work very well if you can find the right one. | ||
| Rparnel1 |
I also have a dillon 550 and have found the powder throw to be very consistent. Even so, I check the charge every 200 rounds or so. Even sooner when I am running a new load. Midway is where i get most of my stuff, but occasionally get something threw the cabelas store. Mostly use Hornady jacketed, Berrys plated or Ranier plated. I do have some Precision Delta jacketed that i am getting ready to start on. So far, all loads have been 9, 40 or 45 pistol loads, but I do have the dies and gear to start 223, which is a little more difficult. | ||
| D_adams |
Meh, only a little more. Mostly it's prep work. Deprime them all if you have mil brass, clean the primer pocket (bevel it out if needed for mil brass), resize to length, possibly anneal it (I haven't done mine yet) and then it's pretty straight forward like doing pistol loads. Having good lighting to see in the case is a must. I bought one of those skylight kits, it works great for .40 rounds, sucks for .223 because the round is too long/tall and it casts a shadow so that you can't see the powder charge. I've been told both ways on crimping the round, personally I don't. The reason that got me the most was "You're not jumping out of a damn airplane and knocking these rounds all over are you?". After pulling a few bullets while testing and setting the OAL, I figured they were right. | ||
| Sifo |
Like D_adams said, 223 isn't that big of a deal. I do wind up doing it completely different from my pistol loads though. I've got a Lee 4 position turret press. With the pistol rounds, they go in the case holder and don't come out until I have a completed round. For my 223 rounds, many need the primer pocket swaged. This added step requires me to change some things on the press after popping the primer out, for the swaging die. Then they get primed and I set them up in a case holder and charge them manually. They get a visual check for the charge then go back into the press to set the bullet and crimp to taste. I give them a light crimp. No they aren't getting knocked around jumping out of airplanes and stuff, but they do get knocked around by recoil inside the magazine. I don't want to have one get knocked down way below the min. OAL and be over pressure. It's possible I'm being to cautious. I tend to be that way with explosives that are being set off right next to my face. We're all big boys though, right? At least do what D_adams described. Build some and test the fit of the bullet to make up your own mind. I just wasn't comfortable with the combination of components that I had. YMMV. EDIT: I don't shoot high volumes of 223 like I do hand gun rounds, so doing them like working on a single stage press isn't a big deal. I have seen video of Dillon progressive presses set up very nicely to do it all at once, but it's just not worth it to me at the volumes that I do. (Message edited by SIFO on December 12, 2013) | ||
| D_adams |
I am not doing high volume _yet_ but I plan to later on. I figure if I can consistently do 300+ rounds/hour I'm doing ok. Most of what I load is going to be .40 and possibly 9mm or .38, depending on what the wife and kids want to shoot more of. I've probably loaded 2k+ rounds, getting closer to 3k so far and I've only been reloading for a couple of months now. I'm going through a lot more ammo than I'd thought I would, but since it's there and I like to shoot, well.... I shoot more. Was going to go shooting tonight with a fellow Bueller, but it's been put off until tomorrow. 1-2 hours a week of stress reliever during the winter months is awesome, considering it's too crappy out here to ride with all the salt/sludge the Hwy dept just put down. | ||
| Sifo |
BTW Dean, I would take a few of your rounds and try to seat the bullet deeper to see what happens, not try to pull the bullet. You may well be satisfied with what you have, but that's what you need to be concerned about. The force required should be similar, but IMO there's only one way to test for certain. | ||
| Reepicheep |
I agree. I'm thrilled with my Lee Classic Turret for handgun rounds, and don't mind doing the rifle rounds single stage, or not even reloading them in the first place, especially for something like 7.62x39 or 7.62x54R. The 6.5x55 gets reloaded, but it won't reload very many times before the neck starts to split. | ||
| D_adams |
There's a fix for that. | ||
| Blake |
Humidifier no solve static issue? Above 40% relative humidity, static ought not be such an issue. Powder check/beeper dies sure seem like a good investment for a progressive press. Any advice on progressive presses? The Lee Loadmaster sure is a really neat simple design; unfortunately it reportedly suffers problems due to less than optimum fit and materials in just a few areas. The ease that it affords changing calibers is outstanding. It really is a shame that such an ingenious design is rendered marginal by just a few inferior components. The Buell of the progressive reloaders? Is Harley building the priming feeder/mechanism? Hornady Lock' n Load seems quite sound. I like the half rotation indexing on both up and down stroke. Just not sure I'm up for another hobby, tempting as it is. To be pragmatically worth it, I think I'd want 500 pistol rounds per hour (10 boxes per hour). FMJ pistol ammo is typically just too cheap to bother. Isn't it? What's typical one can do reloading .40 S&W pistol cartridges for target use, $0.30 per round plus brass? 165 gr FMJ Bullet: $0.25/round Primer: $0.03/round Powder: $0.02/round That's $15 per box of 50 not counting brass. I can get good quality (Federal American Eagle) delivered to my front door for $18 per box ($0.36 per round) including the brass. So I'd save $3/box. Figure $900 for complete progressive reloader setup tumbler, media, etc. That amounts to a break-even of 300 boxes (15,000 rounds)! What is once shot .40 brass worth? I've been saving. I probably have around a couple thousand cases in their original boxes. But it's Glocked. Meaning it's been abused and requires full length resizing. Make an offer or correct my figures. | ||
| D_adams |
Dillon 550b for a press. Lifetime warranty, nuff said. It is capable of 500+ rounds per hour, I'm still too new at it to get there. I would suspect you'd need to buy additional primer pickup tubes and have everything laid out to accomplish it, but I don't see why it can't be done. My first batch averaged out to less than $.22/round, if you buy in bulk it's even cheaper. I just caught some Rainier ballistics .40 RNFP bullets at Cabela's yesterday for $.10/round. Add powder at $.03/round and primers at $.04/round, I'll be loading for 17 cents per round this time not counting brass. I also bought a box of 50 JHP Winchester carry ammo, it was $24.95 for the box. I figured out the break even point was between 4-5k rounds based on ammo prices 3-4 months ago. $40/box of 100 of WWB bulk packs. If you're only doing one caliber, the press, dies and conversion plate will run about $600 or a little under. Figure $50-60 for a tumbler, maybe $20-25 for media, I use crushed walnut. Eventually you'll get into doing other calibers, switching is about $200 for a powder throw, dies and conversion plate and takes 2 minutes to swap out. It can be bought for $100 if you get just the dies and conversion, I figured the extra powder measure and top plate was worth it to make it quicker and not have to mess with resetting all the dies when I want to change calibers. 5k rounds loaded, $1100 based on $.22/round. 5k rounds store bought, $2000 based on $.40/round. Now, double that. 10k rounds at $.22/round = $2200 10k rounds at $.40/round = $4000 Yep, it's worth doing it. It will take a little while to realize your savings, but it's pretty simple math to sort it out. Buying larger quantities of components nets you even better prices. Grab your range brass along with whatever extra you can get when you're shooting. A lot of people will give you their brass if you just ask nicely for it. Some ranges don't allow picking up brass, so be aware of their policies. I don't shoot where I can't collect my brass. | ||
| D_adams |
Forgot to add, there's 7000 grains of powder in 1 pound. Different powders require more or less to get the same velocity. Unique is maybe 4.8 grains for what I shoot, AA#5 is 7 grains. I'll get 1450 rounds out of the Unique but only 1000 out of the AA#5. Prices are similar for both powders, I guess the average is $25-28/lb. Buy powder and primers locally to avoid hazmat fees unless you get a killer deal on a bulk buy. | ||
| Blake |
Darn you and your bargain bullets! I'm now compelled. |
