Reloading Equipment question

[earl39]

What sites do you use when you purchase? I have been looking and having a hard time finding 8lbs cans. As I understand it you can only purchase 20lbs of hazmat (retarded .gov making money we shipped tons of haz in the army safely) 16lbs of which can be powder. Is that correct? For my first run I am going to pay more and buy from LGS to practice and see what I like, but the plan is to buy in bulk once I have figured out what I like and what is availible.

there is a maximum weight for a single hazmat charge and I am Not sure what it is but I do know from most places you can get a case of powder Plus a case of primers 41 hazmat charge which most places is 22 to 25 dollars that is a case of powder which I am calling 4 8 pound jugs

[tufrthnails]

oh okay that is a twice what I was thinking thanks for the info.

[barrel-nut]

I though it was 50 lbs max? Some places will let you ship powder and primers under one hazmat charge. Others won't. If you're just buying a couple 1lb cans, you're probably better off buying locally, unless they're really gouging. I do try to buy from my LGS as a first choice, as he does not gouge. But availability has been very spotty for the last few years, so sometimes I'm forced to buy online and deal with the hazmat fees. I've bought larger quantities like 5 and 8 lb cans from Cabelas online. They're often offering $20 off if you buy over a certain $ amount, or free standard shipping, which either way pretty much takes care of the additional $ for the hazmat fees. Edit: when buying larger jugs with discounts like this, it comes out the same or a little cheaper than buying 1lb'ers locally.

[yobuck]

Well first off i do zero shooting and loading in florida so i cant answer your question on the humidity.
All my loading and hunting/shooting is done in Pa or on a trip elsewhere. For me, Florida is for fishing.
Keep in mind tho the whole east coast has high humidity with some places no doubt as bad as Florida.
I have and still use powder that is ww2 surplus powder. Ive also had some that went bad sitting near stuff that didnt.
Keeping it dry to my mind is the important thing. G I ammo cans would no doubt do a good job for you for storage.
There are other types of larger military storage containers available on the internet for peanuts as for cost.
I personaly dont use the internet other than Midway or Sinclairs and then never for powder.
I think youve made good decisions thus far with your choices. If you are or think you will become a large volume user
the progressive is a good choice. So save space for that. That type of loading will be somewhat different than you will be
doing with the rockchucker. Again i think youve made a wise choice by learning the basics first. The job i hate most is case prep.
That being trimming, case mouths and primer pockets primarily. Especially if your looking at a pile of cases you need for a prairie dog trip.
Be thinking about a power tool or tools to help with that.

[barrel-nut]

You mentioned buying another safe to store your powder in. I don't think that's a real good idea. You want to store it in a container that is fire resistant, but yet allows the powder to vent gasses with low restriction in the event of a fire. Powder will burn vigorously under all circumstances, but explosively if confined in a tight space where pressure is allowed to build up. (think rifle chamber, or tightly sealed safe). There are storage cabinets made specifically for this purpose if you want to go that route. Here's a good link to information on this subject:
http://www.alliantpowder.com/getting_started/safety/storage_handling.aspx

[barrel-nut]

+1 on all of what yobuck said. Case prep is by far the most tedious and time consuming aspect of creating quality handloads. Motorized equipment will save you lots of time and work.
I too deal with the heat and humidity factor, living in Louisiana near water. From May through September, every day will be 90+ degrees with very high humidity. As such I store my powder and primers in an area that is climate controlled. I've never lost any components to deterioration yet, but I started only 7-8 years ago. I'd prefer to keep all that stuff out in my shop, but like you mine has only a window unit, and that would be very expensive to run all summer long.
Your situation is a little different than mine, as it sounds like you and your friend shoot a lot more than I do. I still have odd cans of powder that i bought and didn't use for whatever reason, that are 5 or more years old. I don't get to shoot nearIy as much as I once did. I think that if you only buy the amounts of powders that you will use within a year or so, you'd be fine storing them out in your shop, as long as you keep them closed tightly in the plastic containers that they came in, and you're not breaking any local laws by storing them there. I don't think they'd go bad in less than that time, if they're closed tightly. I've kept Pyrodex black powder substitute in my shop with no air conditioning for several years, and it still worked fine. It comes in the same kind of plastic container that smokeless powders use, and I think it's even more sensitive to moisture than smokeless powder. As for primers, the ammo can that yobuck suggested may be a good idea.
I think that when you actually do your loading, that you should get the humidity down in the shop as much as possible (by running the air conditioner for a long time before starting). I keep my reloading equipment in a spare room that is climate controlled (central air/heat). I'd be concerned about rust problems if I kept it in my shop. I get a lot of condensation on metal items in my shop at this time of year due to quick, large temperature swings with the high humidity. Not sure if that's an issue for you.

[Mike Vegas]

If you get a progressive press, you can always remove a part to make it function like a single stage press or just feed one case at a time...

[fgw_in_fla]

Yo buck and FGW you guys can prob answer my next question. How does our FL humidity effect loading and storing of rounds and the components? My shop is air conditioned (window unit) but not insulated. I have no issues storing ammo in my ammo safe in the house, but what about the powder I would rather not store 8lbs+ of powder in the house I would prefer to lock it in the metal cabinet in the shop, but I am also not going to keep the shop air conditioned 24/7 (I could just imagine the electric bill from that). Should I bite the bullet and buy another cheap safe for powder and reloading components and keep them in the office/ spare room also?

I can't say humidity has been much of a concern for me as my garage is semi-insulated and air conditioned off the house main unit so it's always climate controlled. I store my ammo, powder, primers and all reloading stuff there with no troubles.
Although, keeping some of my dies from showing a little rust has been a task, everything else has been fine. I suppose as long as you can keep the humidity at a reasonable level, you should be fine.
(Florida reasonable humidity level = under 70% - + or -)
The humidity reader thingie in my reload area never reads above 65 - 70%.
By the way, welcome to your new OCD / addiction.
Enjoy.

[tufrthnails]

Barrel-nut I haven't had any major issues with rush on the other tools like my tubing bender or hand tools but I make it a point to oil the bender down after I use it. That is something to think about. I have a spare room/office/mini-man cave, but we use it for guests that stay with us as well and I don't really have to room to add a big bench in there, but if it comes down to it and I start having those probs I may end up moving it there. I don't shoot much at all but James does plus I got a hair of Prepper blood in me and like to have some SHTF stuff on hand, but not nearly what he has (I don't have the budget for it) which is where my longevity questions are coming from. Huge thanks to you guys I am sure I will have more questions as this progresses I am just watching the mail now for the loading manuals to start arriving so I can ask more educated questions.

[tufrthnails]

IBy the way, welcome to your new OCD / addiction.
Enjoy.

LOL! Not sure if I should say F U or thank you, but either way i have opened the can. Still not sure what my wife is going to say when the boxes start showing up at the house. Going to be interesting think I might just jerk her chain a little bit. She loves it when I spend $500 without telling her (as sarcastically as i can type that) and it definitely would not be the first time. Hell she may not believe is footing the bill for it.

[fgw_in_fla]

Well....
Ya can't say we didn't try to warn you.

We told you so...

[tufrthnails]

LOL I knew it was coming fixed sig for you!

[fgw_in_fla]

PS.
Wait until you start barrel swapping on a regular basis.
I have barrels, brass and powder for calibers I haven't even tried yet. I may never shoot them and reload for them but I have them just in case...

All part of Chronic Reoccurring Relaoder's OCD.

[dcloco]

Forster Co Ax for a single stage press.

Digitial calipers. Radio Shack has a set that has a little bit larger readout than the rest. Price is 24.99 or 19.99 on sale.

Prefer Redding dies for rifle. There is no substitute for Dillon for pistol dies.

RCBS or Redding powder drop. Prefer the micrometer adjuster - makes things easier for you.

Forster case trimmer - accessories are 20% cheaper than all of the rest and can be used as a neck turner as well.

Scale - Dillon manual scale is actually rather accurate. First pick would be a Hornady Model M - has the LONGEST beam of any balance scale.

[yobuck]

PS.
Wait until you start barrel swapping on a regular basis.
I have barrels, brass and powder for calibers I haven't even tried yet. I may never shoot them and reload for them but I have them just in case...

All part of Chronic Reoccurring Relaoder's OCD.

Beware of a man with few rifles. He will know how to use them and beat you.
I wish i could remember who told me that.lol

[fgw_in_fla]

My wife keeps telling me I'm going to end up on the program "Hoarders" or something like that.

Especially after she saw the ammo inventory list on my bench. She just doesn't understand why I need 14,285 rounds of 7.62x39 and 11,135 rounds of 5.45x39. I tried to explain it to her but she just stands there looking at me with this blank stare...

I won't even go into powder & bullet stash with her. I'm afraid she'll have me committed.

[clovishound]

post deleted

[emtrescue6]

if you are both just starting to reload the single stage is the best way to start because you have to do one step at a time.


+1....if you are both new to reloading start with a single stage press...and buy the best quality one you can afford (buy once, cry once)...I have several presses, but 99.9% of my rifle reloading takes places in a 40+ year old CH single stage Magnum H Press (you can still find them used...a good one will run you $200 and last you a lifetime plus)...one of mine was my grandfathers.

Buy several good reloading manuals and read them all cover to cover more than once before buying a single piece of hardware...I prefer Nosler, Hornady, Speer and Lee manuals, but all the mainstream ones are good.

Dies: I have many brands....Lee, Forester, RCBS, CH, Hornady...I have had no problems with any of them as long as I followed the instructions. I do prefer RCBS dies simply because of their great customer service.

[emtrescue6]

I am leaning torwards a Progressive press because of the amount of ammo he shoots. He shoots a lot of 5.56. By a lot he said 1000 rounds a month is a low month. Myself 3 boxes of pistol and 2 boxes of rifle at the range once a month is about my budget. I was trying to get an idea of how much he really would need to reload he said he typically takes about 10 mags each trip to the range and goes once a week. I asked his wife and she said he goes almost religiously on sat morning. I plink and hunt and wish I could do both more.

I would highly recommend a progressive as your first press...but if you are stuck on one...get a Dillon....it will blow your budget but it's the only progressive out there worth owning in my opinion (I've tossed more than one "other" branded progressive in the trash)....I love my 550B, I don't use it much (I still do all my 5.56/223 on a single stage 1000 at a time) but I love love love their no BS warranty and quality....a simple case of buy once cry once....

[emtrescue6]

My wife keeps telling me I'm going to end up on the program "Hoarders" or something like that.

Especially after she saw the ammo inventory list on my bench. She just doesn't understand why I need 14,285 rounds of 7.62x39 and 11,135 rounds of 5.45x39. I tried to explain it to her but she just stands there looking at me with this blank stare...

I won't even go into powder & bullet stash with her. I'm afraid she'll have me committed.


Teach you to leave the list where she can see it...LOL (my wife saw my list recently as well...not my smartest move ever...hahahah)