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Posted: 10/6/2012 5:34:18 AM EDT
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anyone do it?? Just picked up one waiting for it to come in..
is it worth loading for?? |
| Of course it is;and dont listen to all the internet hype.Yes,it can be sensative like some other loads but if you use caution and true blue powder you will be fine.As time goes on there will be more load development but for now I use hornady VMAX 40 grain and 5.2 grains of true blue for a SS197SR duplicate load.Ramshot data says start at 5.o grains and go to 5.6;I made it to 5.4 and stopped cause my groups opened up some.It is alot cheaper to load if you collect some brass and find some pulled vmax from elite ammo. |
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Yup. There are a number of us who reload for the 5.7
Is it worth it? That's so much more difficult to answer... Do you already reload? How much do you plan to shoot? I'd say pass on reloading this round if a. you don't already reload a few other calibers. b. if you are not planning to shoot a thousand rounds or so a year. The ammo is coming back into stock so you should be able to pick up a few cases and be ahead of reloading with regards to your time and money. If you already reload then it is just a math exercise. Primers + Brass + powder + bullets = cost / round. Reloading has always come out cheaper in my calculations if I have the brass, don't bill for my time, consider the press and dies a sunk cost and buy components in bulk. |
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Of course it's worth it. But don't tumble the brass in abrasive hulls. You'll need a sonic cleaner to leave the original coating on the cases.
The 5.7 ammo is kind of expensive, so that just adds to the cost effectiveness of reloading. If you already reload and have the base equipment. I spent the big bucks a while back and got the Hornady shell plate. I think it was about $140 from their custom shop. Finally going to get around to using it today, as I plan on reloading some more rounds for shooting tomorrow and in a couple of weeks. The 5.7 upper for my AR SBR has been collecting dust for about a year. Time to get it out again. I use Power Pistol for my reloads, but that is only because that's what I load my 9mm rounds for the MP5 with. I have a lot in stock and so I use it. The little 5.7 cases are tricky though. They are tiny so if you have a progressive press, you might need a new custom sized powder drop funnel insert. I got one of those from the Hornady custom shop as well, at an inflated price. But am also using it now for my 300 Blackout loading so doing ok. The 5.7 case won't run through my automatic case feeder, so I have to bypass that. It also won't allow the retainer spring on my L-n-L press to clear it completely on ejections or feeding, so I have to manually insert each case by hand. Just a little inconvenience until I figure out if I want to trim the subplate on my press back a little. Anyway, you can load this stuff all day long on a single stage press. Just remember to never rough it up too much because you want to keep that coating on the case. ETA: On a lighter note, I usually load the 40 grain V-Max bullets. I was going to order another k from Grafs and noticed that they are available as a Z-Max green tip for a cheaper price. Doesn't look like they have the little taper on the rear like the V-Max version, but at $40/k cheaper... I'll give them a shot.... or 1000. 
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| Yup, I reload for it. I'm using 55 grain FMJ pulls for a cheap/quiet subsonic plinking load. Since the powder charges are so tiny, I load everything on a single stage with an RCBS Chargemaster 1500 dispensing the charges. Pulled bullets can be crazy cheap, and more than 2000 cartridges per pound of powder is quite a bit cheaper than store bought ammo. Since my gun is strictly a range toy, I don't chase velocity, just something that functions the gun and doesn't blow the shoulder forward on fired brass. |
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If you do choose to reload 5.7, DO not attempt to hot-rod this round. I've loaded hundreds of 5.7, and they work great as plinking rounds.
I use the 40 gr v-max too, with the minimum load of AA7. I've also loaded the 40gr SP Sierra hornet rounds, and I did not like them as much. Pressure was higher and it shot hotter then I was comfortable with even at minimum. Also watch out for using 5.7 reloads in a PS90 vs 57 pistol. The PS90 is more sensitive then the 5-7. |
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