More than a few of my Readers have suggested that I start reloading ammo — at least the .38 Special — so that I can build up a decent stock without bankrupting my self by buying it retail.
One unbelievably generous soul has even offered to set me up with a complete reloading station (an older, simple affair that he no longer uses) including powder, primers, casings and even boolets.
Did I mention before that I have the best damn Readers on the Internet?
Here’s my problem. Even with the best will in the world, I have no space to start reloading ammo. When we moved from Plano, we moved into a tiny and I mean tiny apartment that is just large enough to hold two people. There’s no way I could set up a loading station there, unless I set it up, reloaded for a few hours, then broke it all down again before New Wife got home, and then went through the whole rigmarole again and again. She’s not afraid of the business, mind you, but we just have no spare room available — I’d have to move the dining room furniture out (where?) just to be able to set it up.
We do have a garage (not attached to the apartment, but a hundred-odd yards away), but it’s not insulated — think: Texas oven — and in any event, I’m pretty sure that there’s something in the lease which says I can’t do it anyway.
So I have to decline all such offers (thanks, Bruce) and be content with buying the ammo as cheaply as I can.
Several Readers have stepped up with suggestions of places where I could do just that, and I’ll be doing the due diligence when the time comes for me to do some serious bulk purchasing. In the meantime, I discovered that Texas Legends (my local range) actually sells practice ammo at quite a reasonable price, the only problem being that it’s the heavier 158gr. loads, with nothing smaller available. Still that’s not going to kill me nor break the bank — a couple hundred rounds over the next month or so is doable — so while I hate being “short” of ammo, at least I’m not faced with the Covid-era situation where there wasn’t any ammo available.
And I have shall we say an adequate supply of premium self-defense .38 Special (chortle chortle) so the situation is not too critical.
By the way, there’s a lesson here: if you practice a lot, as I do, be sure to take stock of your ammo supply at regular intervals (as I didn’t, in this case) so you don’t end up in my predicament. I’ve always checked my .45 ACP stock levels because that’s the handgun caliber I practice with the most, but because until recently I only had the little S&W 637 Airweight (my backup), I hardly ever bothered with checking the .38 Special stock because I hardly ever shot the thing — maybe twice a year.
Now, of course, I’m in a different situation with MOAR .38 revolvers (however did that happen?) and having rediscovered the joys of centerfire revolver shooting, I’m going to be doing that a lot more.
And there’s always the .22LR guns, for which I have sufficient stocks to last me (and the Son&Heir, and his Son&Heir) several lifetimes, regardless of frequency.
Once again, though: thank you all for your concern and your support, as always.
Getting into reloading with todays prices of reloading supplies puts you making target ammo for about the same price as cheap ammo. If you are not already reloading with stacked away supplies from previous decades you are not going to get ahead. The biggest benefit is you will be able to dial in a load to make a bullet perform consistently and accurate. You will not get that with a factory load.
Kim ,
Use the search engine AMMO SEEK to find inexpensive 38 special .
I just checked and I can find some for approximately 35 cents a round with free shipping.
You might reconsider your abhorrence of the 9mm Euro pellet. I made the change about a year ago just because 9 mm is really really cheap. I generally can find it for around 20 to 22 cents a round.
SGA is consistently one of the more expensive suppliers of ammunition.
If I want to shoot really cheaply, I have 30-odd thousand rounds of .22LR.
Like Beaner, I use ammo seek. This winter I did get 1k .38 for $320-$350 with free shipping. I’ve gotten 9mm for 20 cents and .22 for 4-5 cents. It’s been a while since I’ve bought .45 but you should be able to find it under 40 cents. If you can get beyond the initial $200-300 you are saving money. By the way the .38 and 9mm are typically reloads at that price. If you do start to reload I will send you a box of brass. I’ve been saving my brass for years but never got organized enough to start reloading.
True Dat, but I thought we were I’m talking about Centerfire
True Dat, but I thought we were I’m talking about Centerfire
What Turn4811 said – at current prices it’ll take many years to show any meaningful return. My initial purchase of reloading press and related was paid off back in the 80’s and right now I’m still burning thru a lot of old stock in terms of lead and brass. The big thing is that 38 special just isn’t commonly available anymore – meaning your practice ammo is whatever is on the shelf, generally 158 grain FMJ or occasionally lead round nose. Getting good wadcutters or semi-wadcutters is all but impossible unless you handload. If you aren’t already reloading, it probably doesn’t make sense to start. Also, space and time play a role as you mentioned. Sorry to mislead you, I was merely bragging about my own situation.
The alternatives to a heavy bench, press, and all the accessories can fit into a shoebox.
Lee makes the “Lee Loader”. With a mallet and a block of wood to pound on, you’re in business.
Lyman (and others) made a nifty hand press.
Yes, it’s much slower than progressive press. But you can crank out several boxes of decent ammo in one evening.
Almost 25 years ago I read SOTI about a man who had the same problem you have, and needed something that could be pulled out of a closet and set up in minutes. I have not thought of this since then, but it seems that he used a round heavy base with a pillar mount for his press. the setup could be quickly taken out of a closet and a few rounds produced, and then rolled back in, putting it all away in minutes. I have no idea if this is really feasible or if you would also need, say, a card table to process and temporarily place things before you put the rounds together.
Buddy of mine had a similar set up in college. We spent a couple of evenings in his dorm room making up 9mm for his BHP. BHP, supplies, and reloading were of course all strictly Verboten by university rules in the dorm, but he was an SF NCO and used to operations behind enemy lines.
Can’t really add anything to what has already been said. Just a pity we don’t live closer. In addition to my single stage press, I also have a Lee progressive. During cooler months, we could go at it with your brass out in my garage, get you stocked up.
I agree on the price of supplies. I can also second the shoe box approach. I have one of those and it does help to pass the evening. Unless you get mad at the TV and chuck it towards the offending device.
However if you can get the same ammo repeatably you should be able to find one that hits the sweet spot.
I find I have been shooting a lot of 9mm of late so I am fond of the Blazer ammo. I can get 50 rounds for 13 bucks most places around here.
Pretty much all of my .38spl is 158gr loaded to +P. Of course that’s for my 4 in S&W Mod 19, never tried it in a J frame.
I stick with the 158gr LSWC for practice (I still have about a 1000 of the bullets I think, need to get some powder and primers some day and start loading again) loaded to +P
Carry load is the 158gr LSWCHP (aka “FBI Load” aka “Chicago Load”)
I haven’t shot .357Mag in it in decades, and probably won’t again unless I have a special need or there’s nothing else available. Especially with how my wrists are these days.
I do agree that with the prices of components these days economics is no longer the big reason to get into reloading. Like in Don’s case, my Dillion paid for itself back in the 80s.
As noted, starting to reload now will give little to no pecuniary benefits going forward. A shared interest in a progressive press with team operation feeding cases and bullets with an operator free to do nothing but pull the handle works for some and allows economies of scale with shared shipping costs.
If you had access to free or cheap lead suitable for casting that would change the numbers. In the past that was lead wheel weights and hot lead printing and X-ray blocking lead and such. That implies having a good deal of space and privacy available. I could make superb .45 ACP gallery pistol ammunition – H&G130, Alox and beeswax with 3.5 grains Bullseye, CCI primers for marginal cost much less than rimfire – ignoring sunk costs and time.
But if you really want to be able handload straight case pistol as a hedge against current or future supply issues you can do it with one cigar box of gear and a can of powder. I poured a pile of powder on a tea saucer when I started with a Lyman 310 and a dipper loading 9×19. Using a dipper implies a charge that will meter well with a dipper and will not be an issue with reasonable over and under charges. My first addition was a scale and for a long time I weighed all charges.
Today I have thousands of dollars in gear and supplies. I also have rifle caliber dies for the 310 if I have to reload out of my go bag.
All of my reloading stuff (and bullet-casting stuff, too) fits in a small utility closet off the patio of my 1-bedroom condo. Reloading presses (a couple of Lees, including a turret press) get mounted as needed to a small work table I picked up years ago at Harbor Freight. I’m having trouble finding it on their website right now, but the area on top is maybe 18×24″ (if that) and it has metal legs and a wooden top and middle shelf. Pop open the door to the closet, pull out and fold out a metal chair, and you’re in business.
I also have a handheld press (Lee makes one of those) that I could use instead of a bench-mounted press if needed. The dies and most of the other tools all fit in a bunch of small plastic tubs that are also used to hold brass (one for .30-06, one for .40 S&W, etc.).
Reloading can take all of the room you have available, but you can make do with whatever you have.