Armory Sponsor
Posted: 2/15/2009 1:57:17 PM EDT
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Alrighty,
I want to start reloading. I've been wanting to for years and trus tme, I know all the benefits. However, the wife isn't sold. She's not hip on the idea of gunpowder etc being in the house. What can I say to convince her safety wise? I mainly want to reload .45, 5.56, and 7.62x51 for my bolt gun. (is there really much savings reloading 9mm?). Thanks |
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I reload for pistols. I do save alot, anywhere from 50-75%, depending on caliber, and what good deals I find on components. Yes, you do save alot, even with 9mm. It's absolutely worth it.
You can load things "hot", that is, to somewhat duplicate defensive loads, for good practice and for storage for SHTF, for much cheaper than factory ammo. Havin' gunpowder around is totally safe. It's not an explosive, it's just a propellant. Doesn't blow up, just burns. Stored in a cool, dry location, it's totally safe. I usually put mine in the safe with the guns. Primers are safe when stored in the factory containers, that keep them separate. Same deal: cool dry place. Nothin' unsafe about it. Reloading will allow you to shoot more for less. |
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Re: the wife.. Go buy a 1lb container of smokeless powder, take a tablespoon of it, set it on the sidewalk.. and light it on fire. It will be the most disappointing thing you'll do all day. Make sure you wife sees it too.
Start with 9mm when you buy the dies. Pistol ammo is the easiest to start with, 9mm is the cheapest. RE: 9mm savings.. If you hang around and scout out some really good deals.. it will be worth your time if cash is short and time is plentiful. I've found myself going out and buying blazer/wolf/WWB for 9mm blasting/range time still. The cost figures for 9mm are right at that Cash/Free Time point for me. |
| The gasoline in the car in the garage is more dangerous than that pound of powder up on the shelf. Do you have a lawm mower, motorcycle, atv, etc? Those items release fumes into the air that can ignite. Powder, kept in it's original container is harmless. I, too, demonstrated the burn rate of powder on the sidewalk. I had about a half a pound of old stuff that I had never used so I spread it out in a line on the sidewalk. Everyone thought it would explode like the old time photographers flash but it didn't. It just slowly burned until it was gone. |
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Quoted:
how sensitive are the materials to temperature and humidity? I was thinking of setting things up in my garage. If you keep your powder in the original container tightly closed it should be good as long as it is out of the elements. Keep your presses lightly oiled and I would find some type of containers to keep primers in, maybe swipe some tupperware tubs from the kitchen! 
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I usually put mine in the safe with the guns. Storing a large quantity of powder in a large steel container isn't a good idea. The powder burns faster when it's under pressure and the safe would act like a giant pipe bomb. Unless your safe is a thin sheet metal locker I would find a better place to store your powder.......something with low pressure bursting seams or a wooden cabinet of some sort. Reloading powders are classified as flammible solids. |
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Tell your wife she'll be able to shoot the pistol you bought for her much more often.
Here's another argument, you'll be able to make better ammunition than you can buy. If you have more ammunition available via reloading for practice, you'll be able to protect her and your kids better. |
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The powder burn test usually does the trick to show poeple that smokeless powder doesn't explode. A small propane cylinder or gas cans are WAY more dangerous than smokeless powder. Show her the burn test, this will dispell any misconceptions she may have. This. You should be more terrified of the cleaning agents at your house sitting next to each other than smokeless powder. Don't let any of that stuff touch bleach unless you're wearing a mopp suit (as in NBC gear and gas mask). |
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I find the best part of reloading is that i often pick up enough brass at range to cover my range fee - basically i am shooting for free. Some days i pick enough brass to cover my ammo cost too.
All premium hunting ammo cost has skyrocketed, i still can shoot them at 1/3 of their cost. |
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Safety of smokeless powder is of little concern with a little common sense.
Cost savings has only been a pipe dream for me. I know how much I am "saving" by reloading. Therefore I spend alot more on premium components and equipment. Yes I shoot very high quality ammo but savings???? But if you are going to be shooting volume pistol ammo you will see big time savings. It is just harder to do with rifle ammo when you figure in your time. |
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Just my opinion
A lot of friends have asked me about reloading lately. I Tell them to start with a single stage press and the pistol caliber that they shoot the most. Usually 9mm or .45. I tell them to get the basics down with a single stage, and of course reading a lot of info from books Then try a rifle caliber. Then move up to a turret or progressive. The great thing about starting with a single stage is, there is always going to be a use for it even if you buy a top of the line dillon. If you shoot military brass, I have found that a single stage press and an RCBS primer pocket swager to be the best to swage out the crimp. If you are starting a new caliber I have found using the single stage press first very helpful to get used to the new caliber. But this is just one mans opinion. 
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My wife thought the same thing, when I started this alittle over a year ago she thought the house would burn down and it was a messy process
Since then she really does not say much and never pays attention to it as far as savings you can save about 50% on the 9mm so you will be able to shoot more for the same money or you can pocket the savings to buy components long gun reloads you don't recoup as much but you still save some $$$ The best part is you get to control the quality and you get to pick the components and tune them to your weapon and most likely will get better results compared to new production |
On the savings side it depends on what you want to reload and what kind of deals you can get on components, I am reloading for a .458 SOCOM and a round is costing me about $.40 cents. plus my time. The cheapest I have found it commercially is about $1.75 per round so at a $1.35 per round savings it is a no brainer of course I just end up shooting more
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Quoted:
Alrighty, I want to start reloading. I've been wanting to for years and trus tme, I know all the benefits. However, the wife isn't sold. She's not hip on the idea of gunpowder etc being in the house. What can I say to convince her safety wise? I mainly want to reload .45, 5.56, and 7.62x51 for my bolt gun. (is there really much savings reloading 9mm?). Thanks Do you eat? Sleep? Fornicate? Do you wipe after pooping? Reloading is just another necessity of life. |
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It's fun.... case closed.
Some of us get to go shooting whenever they want. Some can only make it every week or so. Some of us can't even pull off once every two weeks reliably. Reloading is another piece of the hobby that can be done no matter the weather or the time of day. There are cost savings, but not for someone who only shoots a couple of times a year. Obviously great accuracy can be achieved, but I'd bet that over half of all reloaders' first goals are the "bang" when the trigger is pulled. You can work up from there. With 4 young children I may or may not be able to pull off going shooting this afternoon. (I'm trying....) but if not I'll be downstairs messing with some .223 brass I picked up from my last range session. I've already run through all the 9mm from that trip.
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