Reloading UPDATE

Sparks

A .303 british might be .311 across the bore, but then again, a .22lr is .223 across the bore, and you can get a .22lr even in Kilkenny
Still though, might be something the FCP could get a mention for - with the historical interest in the SMLE given that so many people have had fathers and grandfathers and great-grandfathers who carried one at times that they'd much rather have been at home with a cup of tea, there might be some leeway.

chem

Gunter Mauser wrote: »

Ah Chem me auld flower its you be gorra 303;) for you anything!

I wish:D Its more like fix bayonets and prepare to go over the top:D

Honestly I can`t see the DoJ getting so up tight on this one Its called a 303 and its under the number 308. We all know, that the numbers mean notting, as smaller calibers can out do some larger calibers, on range and power.

Gunter Mauser

To seal the barrel from propellant gas leaking past the bullet as it travels
up the barrel the bullet diameter always has to be that bit bigger. Exact
bore dimensions for the 303 might give some wriggle room as its old
in design.

Exemptions to the restricted list could include classic cartridges, as the
intention I would doubt was to restrict the likes of the .303. most of them
don't keep up with the more modern rounds or the 30-06 for that matter.

From the legal point of view it should be clarified as the exact meaning
of the restricted list should be clear in its understanding.

Gunter Mauser

Quote originally by Fox shooter 243. as my FO asked me " is .243 less than .25" ?

Guess you could call it splitting hairs but would you chance putting a .25
head up the stove pipe of your .243:rolleyes:

Sethur

What does 1lb of powder cost, 100 primers, 100 heads and how many .243 rounds would you get from this, just trying to work out savings as against price of commercial rounds.

chem

Sethur wrote: »

What does 1lb of powder cost, 100 primers, 100 heads and how many .243 rounds would you get from this, just trying to work out savings as against price of commercial rounds.

1lb of powder will set you back £35 1000 primers cost €30.

Traumadoc

You would probably get 175 loads from 1 pound/500g, projectiles 20- 40 euro/100, I would guesstimate about 50-70 euro for 100 rounds, depending on the projectiles used.

Sethur

excuse my stupidity how many grains per 1lb powder.

I have been looking at a loading for a 95 grain .243 bullet is says 41 grains of powder, so I am trying to work out how many rounds I would get out of a 1lb container. If and when we are allowed to reload.

IRLConor

Sethur wrote: »

excuse my stupidity how many grains per 1lb powder.

There are 7000 grains to the pound.

Sethur wrote: »

I have been looking at a loading for a 95 grain .243 bullet is says 41 grains of powder, so I am trying to work out how many rounds I would get out of a 1lb container. If and when we are allowed to reload.

The most you could get would be 170 x 41 grain loads out of 1lb of powder. I suspect that it would be tricky enough to get every last grain though, a grain is a tiny amount.

Gunter Mauser

IRLconor, are you looking at aprox 50% saving over commercial ammo prices. Does the quality and price vary much between brands of different reloading powers.

IRLConor

Gunter Mauser wrote: »

IRLconor, are you looking at aprox 50% saving over commercial ammo prices. Does the quality and price vary much between brands of different reloading powers.

I have no idea of the saving or price/quality concerns. I only shoot .22lr so reloading isn't really an option for me.

Having a look at MidwayUSA for a price comparison, 1lb of powder runs from $13.49 (Hodgdon Titewad) to $26.79 (Vihtavuori 3N37). I have no idea if those powders are comparable though.

foxshooter243

Here is what handloaded ammo costs at the present time.

The powders used in each case are those that produced the best results
during the development process. I am discounting the cost of brass as i would assume that anyone interested in reloading are saving their brass.

22 hornet bullet -18p, powder 5p,primer 3p -powder used is Lil Gun.
223 -bullet 18 p,powder 18p, primer 3p-powder used is benchmark
243-bullet-58 grain v max-24p, powder 19p, primer 3p-powder is varget
243-bullet sierra 85 grain gameking-bullet 19p, powder19p, primer 3p-
powder used is Vihtavuori 160.

and for those using the venerable 220 swift-bullet 50 grain v max-20p
powder 18p and primer 3p-powder used was vihtavuori 150.
prices are in £stg.

for any hornet owners out there ,the downside to the hornet is that brass has a very short life span-due to the case design, so brass costs will be high.The 223 load has seen brass used 30 times with no neck splits /case
problems etc and the brass was only changed due to a slight loosening of one or 2 primer pockets-there were no signs of incipent case head seperation on any of the tossed brass.

foxshooter243

Gunter Mauser wrote: »

IRLconor, are you looking at aprox 50% saving over commercial ammo prices. Does the quality and price vary much between brands of different reloading powers.

Gunther, ive posted some prices for you to look at, if anyone has any
calibres that they wish some more info on then ill find out and post it,
as regards the quality and price of powders, modern propellants are of good quality and batch to batch consistency is pretty good,there was a
problem with consistency in Hodgsons Varget , but this has been remedied.
I have found that it would be slightly more economical buying in kilos rather than pounds. but when you find an excellent load a few pence
doesnt come into it..its all much of a muchness really with prices;)

damo03

Interesting info foxshooter how much is brass for a swift and what sort of life will it give. Or do you just keep the empties and use them. I really hope this comes through as the more you read into it the more interesting it becomes.:rolleyes:

foxshooter243

damo03 wrote: »

Interesting info foxshooter how much is brass for a swift and what sort of life will it give. Or do you just keep the empties and use them. I really hope this comes through as the more you read into it the more interesting it becomes.:rolleyes:

Swift brass is around 35 £STG PER 100, depending on your load you will get maybe 8 -10 shots per case.

Gunter Mauser

What sort of time scale are you talking about to become a handloader
capable of safely reloading unsupervised.

Does IQ play a part:eek: or is it something any old joe can pick up, getting
to grips with the fundamentals like riding a bike

celticknot

In previous times I have started many shooters into reloading in the UK and have found that if the person is serious about the craft, confident in their own abillity and willing to learn the correct methods then one session of a couple of hours is enough to get a sound knowledge of the basics and be able to safely load a quality round of ammunition, regardless of whether it is shotgun, pistol or rifle ammunition.
I have also come across some so-called experts that have been loading dangerous ammo using dangerous methods and techniques for years. They occasionally blow up a gun, mostly their own, but insist on continueing their wayward ways. They know what they know and refuse to be confused by the facts:rolleyes:.
You pays your money and takes your choice. You can get it right pretty quickly or get it wrong all your life.
Don't be overawed by the thought of it, just remember that it is a comparatively simple procedure and a lot safer than filling your car with petrol.

Gunter Mauser

Celtic:rolleyes: can you take us briefly on a rough tour step by step on what you would consider is involved start to finish A-Z if it is not taking up too much of your time please!

Sethur

Can anyone tell me where I will get Video Tapes or cd/dvd on reloading for beginers.

ivanthehunter

foxshooter243 wrote: »

Swift brass is around 35 £STG PER 100, depending on your load you will get maybe 8 -10 shots per case.

Will the importation of brass be seen as ammunition. ie will you need paper work?

foxshooter243

Sethur wrote: »

Can anyone tell me where I will get Video Tapes or cd/dvd on reloading for beginers.

Cabelas on line store sells books/dvds on reloading;)

Traumadoc

celticknot wrote: »

In previous times I have started many shooters into reloading in the UK and have found that if the person is serious about the craft, confident in their own abillity and willing to learn the correct methods then one session of a couple of hours is enough to get a sound knowledge of the basics and be able to safely load a quality round of ammunition, regardless of whether it is shotgun, pistol or rifle ammunition.
I have also come across some so-called experts that have been loading dangerous ammo using dangerous methods and techniques for years. They occasionally blow up a gun, mostly their own, but insist on continueing their wayward ways. They know what they know and refuse to be confused by the facts:rolleyes:.
You pays your money and takes your choice. You can get it right pretty quickly or get it wrong all your life.
Don't be overawed by the thought of it, just remember that it is a comparatively simple procedure and a lot safer than filling your car with petrol.

Agree its actually pretty simple.


Videos

http://www.rcbs.com/general/videos.aspx

celticknot

Gunter,
Buy yourself a good loading manual, the Lee publication is as good as any and read it thoroughly and take note of what it says. It'll tell you far better than I can here and will always be a help to you as you get more experienced in the craft. Their gear is very good value also.
Web page www.leeprecision.com

Rovi

Bill Chevalier's 'ABC's Of Reloading: The Definitive Guide For Novice To Expert' is highly regarded as a must have first reloading book.

celticknot

You are correct, ROVI, this book and others are very good and recommended but notice I suggested a loading manual rather than a 'how to do it' book because as well as instruction on the craft of reloading you also get all the load information. For a potential one time buyer a manual can be more useful, and the more recent the better as maximum loads do get changed from time to time.

Gunter Mauser

if anyone has any calibres that they wish some more info on then ill find out and post it "quote foxshooter243"

Foxshooter, when do you start to notice the difference between handloading and match ammo from the manufactures.

I believe as the distance to the target increases the more your handloads
start to impact on your score.....etc in effect giving you an edge over
your opponent, as most foreign visiting target shooters will bring handloads with them our lads here would be handicapped:mad:


Any more calibres? How about the weatherby .257 mag.Just for the crack
to see would it be a power guzzler or close enough to the 25-06.

celticknot

Folks, I have been attempting for 2 days to post in depth and more informative replies on this thread but I am getting blocked every time for some reason. I've spent a lot of time typing and am now p****d right off.
I hope you get the reloading issue sorted, good luck with your shooting.

Gunter Mauser

Have to agree with Celtic, some major gremlin is making posting very difficult.:pac:

IRLConor

celticknot wrote: »

Folks, I have been attempting for 2 days to post in depth and more informative replies on this thread but I am getting blocked every time for some reason. I've spent a lot of time typing and am now p****d right off.
I hope you get the reloading issue sorted, good luck with your shooting.

Write your reply in Notepad, that way if you lose it you won't have to re-type it all.

Rovi

celticknot wrote: »

Folks, I have been attempting for 2 days to post in depth and more informative replies on this thread but I am getting blocked every time for some reason. I've spent a lot of time typing and am now p****d right off.
I hope you get the reloading issue sorted, good luck with your shooting.

It's not just you celticknot, it's happening to everyone.
The Boards.ie servers are getting tweaked at the moment, more up to the minute information here-
http://twitter.com/boards_ie

As has been suggested (and no matter what forum you're posting to), it's always a good idea to compose bigger/more detailed/more complex posts in Notepad or Word or whatever and copy 'n paste the finished article when you're ready to post it. I've learned this the hard way after loosing lots of carefully composed work over the years

At the very least, select all of the post and copy it to the clipboard as you go along, at least then it'll be retrievable if it all goes pear shaped.