I got given a single-stage Lee press several years ago because I'm a gun guy and other people tend to just give me gun stuff that they don't want anymore. I bought some components to load 9mm and then stuffed it all in the closet and forgot about it. By 2021, I was getting to the end of my 9mm stash and I knew I had to do something. I busted out that Lee press and the other things I'd been given and got to work. Reloading 9mm saved my sorry ass for two years until prices fell to the point that I could stomach buying more. From 2018 to 2021, I shot more rounds of 9mm each year than I did in the previous year; that's remarkable when you consider the Plandemic's effect on demand and, thus, prices. I shot less in 2022 than in 2021, but in '22 I still shot more 9mm than in '20. I've also started loading 10mm and .45ACP, though I don't shoot those calibers as much. That single-stage definitely wasn't ideal and I'm kinda burned out on loading for now. I guess we'll see if that changes during the next panic, whatever causes that! I'm definitely not getting rid of my reloading setup!
I've been rocking my Square Deal B for a good decade now pushing about 5k rounds per year through it. Its pretty manual as far as presses go... but man Dillon makes a nice machine. Stellar warranty too. Blue for life.
The only downside is it'll be a while before you get your money out of it.. after spending $2500+ on the press and components, it'll be months or years depending on your round counts to break even. Main reason I never got into reloading, unfortunately I don't have the luxury of shooting thousands of rounds a month. I wish Texas had public land too shoot on, but it's pretty hard to find a good range these days.
It would take a while to ROI, but I'd be shooting at least x2 the amount of rounds. We're pretty lucky here in AZ to have good public land use (but that also attracts all of the CA side by side owners to my area).
this is the same problem I see about reloading. if you need volume because you're a comp shooter or trainer, it makes sense. if you're a filthy casual like the rest of us, the ROI just isn't there. I had to sway my dad from getting into reloading because of that reason, and I shoot way more than he does. He had that boomer fudd hunter mentality that it's so easy and cheap to reload those 5-10 rounds of rifle ammo.
@@MikeA817 you can get a single stage press set up for 9mm for well under $250. I started that way for under $200 after all the other supplies. During COVID when it was 40 cents a round I only had to load 500 to break even. It paid for itself on the second day. Now, I am loading for around 15 cents per round at about 200 rounds per hour, which more than suits my needs and if anything else happens I will still have ammo to shoot. :)
Where are you finding the bullets for that price? At the cheapest the blue bullet 147grs are about 9 cents a round. Also the primers, cheapest I can find small pistol primers are about 9-10 cents each as well. Great video!
@@hunter-constantine Hey hunter im here out in phx..are there any spots to shoot open atm? Also, I wanted to get one of your belts but I'm a bigger guy and wear a 40 waist.. your belts only go to 34??
Great video, thanks for putting this out. My fiance and I are interested in getting into reloading and your video is very informative. Where do you recommend we can find the components? Right now we're stuck on finding a place that sells primers.
Nice. I’m loading the shame projectile on the same press, loading to 135 PF. Need to add the bullet feeder next. Looks like you have some Dillon dies in the mix. What dies are you using for bullet feed and seating? Thanks!
@@hunter-constantine only reason I ask is many people don't keep their reloading press someplace with electric or we don't use electric at all . The Amish for example buy lots of reloading stuff and they don't like and won't buy electric anything .. maybe a wind up component shaker Would be better ? I'd should be an option or at least a blueprint. No biggie I could make myself one if I wanted to..
I'm a hand loader and have been for some time. Judging by the components he is using he has around $0.17 per rnd. $170.00 per 1k rnds. Cheap ammo is $220 per 1k plus shipping. At the minimum he probably shoots 4k a week. He does it for a living. Wouldn't take long to get your $ back.
Meanwhile us fkn single stage guys like “but ThE RuNoUt” lol Impressive rig bro, I knew when I saw that lee FCD you were a raw dogg. What powder are you running for major loads?
It's probably there to reduce swaying, because bullets can tip on rotation. I have this problem with my XL750 and I was going to add zip ties around the protruding part where he has the strip attached, but this is better.
whats your powder charge with the 147gr projectiles? I recieved some 147gr blue flat nose from a GM i met at my local indoor match day and used titegroup with a lower powder charge and they were still stinging lmao. Switching to clean shot. please help lol..
Did I miss what load he was using? Be nice to know what load data he uses for those rounds. I don’t know how people reload for so cheap. I must be missing something. The largest cost for me and I’m sure others are bullets by far. Even using berry’s plated bullets the cost is no where near what others reload for. Any cheap bullet suggestions without having to cast my own.
@@hunter-constantine I play USPSA mostly carry optics/limited optics I want to reload, I have an xl750 in the box, I have 1700 small pistol primers, I think my uncle still has powder when he was reloading for IDPA. I only have to buy the bullet and brass. But after calculating it it's still cheaper for me to buy 1k 124 cci rounds than to reload 1k 124gr ammo.
@@xdivineHART I would check out reloading discords so you can get prices cheaper. But also try to source price from local ranges or matches. I tried to pick up all of my factory shot brass for the first few years of shooting so I had bunch when I was ready to reload. Takes a few minutes after every practice session but it’s worth it in the long run.
Cat walking into the frame… that’s how my reloading usually goes too!
She is my eternal spirit
I loved How it’s Made!! Watched so many of those, too many to admit!
It built my childhood
I got given a single-stage Lee press several years ago because I'm a gun guy and other people tend to just give me gun stuff that they don't want anymore. I bought some components to load 9mm and then stuffed it all in the closet and forgot about it. By 2021, I was getting to the end of my 9mm stash and I knew I had to do something. I busted out that Lee press and the other things I'd been given and got to work. Reloading 9mm saved my sorry ass for two years until prices fell to the point that I could stomach buying more. From 2018 to 2021, I shot more rounds of 9mm each year than I did in the previous year; that's remarkable when you consider the Plandemic's effect on demand and, thus, prices. I shot less in 2022 than in 2021, but in '22 I still shot more 9mm than in '20. I've also started loading 10mm and .45ACP, though I don't shoot those calibers as much. That single-stage definitely wasn't ideal and I'm kinda burned out on loading for now. I guess we'll see if that changes during the next panic, whatever causes that! I'm definitely not getting rid of my reloading setup!
It’s awesome to have the set up and acquire the skill set. Good on you!
I've been rocking my Square Deal B for a good decade now pushing about 5k rounds per year through it. Its pretty manual as far as presses go... but man Dillon makes a nice machine. Stellar warranty too. Blue for life.
The warranty is the best part
I have the square deal B as well,it's a great machine. It makes quality ammo and is relatively cheap to start out with.
I really need to get into this aspect of shooting
Ts a game changer
I was going to head down this route to save money. But freedom ammunition is relatively cheap 1000 rounds for about 200ish bucks
Yeah but the quality is very different. To each is there own though
Hi there, excellent video. can you share how many grains of powder you use and what type of bullet?
The only downside is it'll be a while before you get your money out of it.. after spending $2500+ on the press and components, it'll be months or years depending on your round counts to break even. Main reason I never got into reloading, unfortunately I don't have the luxury of shooting thousands of rounds a month. I wish Texas had public land too shoot on, but it's pretty hard to find a good range these days.
My first press was a used 650XL for $700 the barrier of entry isn’t that high.
Also if you don’t have a good range go shoot matches.
It would take a while to ROI, but I'd be shooting at least x2 the amount of rounds. We're pretty lucky here in AZ to have good public land use (but that also attracts all of the CA side by side owners to my area).
this is the same problem I see about reloading. if you need volume because you're a comp shooter or trainer, it makes sense. if you're a filthy casual like the rest of us, the ROI just isn't there. I had to sway my dad from getting into reloading because of that reason, and I shoot way more than he does. He had that boomer fudd hunter mentality that it's so easy and cheap to reload those 5-10 rounds of rifle ammo.
@@MikeA817 you can get a single stage press set up for 9mm for well under $250. I started that way for under $200 after all the other supplies. During COVID when it was 40 cents a round I only had to load 500 to break even. It paid for itself on the second day. Now, I am loading for around 15 cents per round at about 200 rounds per hour, which more than suits my needs and if anything else happens I will still have ammo to shoot. :)
Where are you finding the bullets for that price? At the cheapest the blue bullet 147grs are about 9 cents a round. Also the primers, cheapest I can find small pistol primers are about 9-10 cents each as well. Great video!
Bulk buy blues
Primers have been consistently around .07. Just picked up some from a LGS for .063
Sounds good, thanks my man and keep up the great work! @@hunter-constantine
I’m sold. Time to upgrade from the ol’ Lyman Spartan 😂
That shirt is amazing 😂😂😂
What if I sold them?
@@hunter-constantine Hey hunter im here out in phx..are there any spots to shoot open atm? Also, I wanted to get one of your belts but I'm a bigger guy and wear a 40 waist.. your belts only go to 34??
@@tonyg1443 yeah just look for BLM land and backstop.
I have three sizes
Small 24-30
Regular 32-42
Large 36-48
Great video, thanks for putting this out. My fiance and I are interested in getting into reloading and your video is very informative. Where do you recommend we can find the components? Right now we're stuck on finding a place that sells primers.
Hit up discord. People be posting there all day
Nice. I’m loading the shame projectile on the same press, loading to 135 PF.
Need to add the bullet feeder next. Looks like you have some Dillon dies in the mix. What dies are you using for bullet feed and seating? Thanks!
Nice man! That’s awesome.
I’m using lee dies for seating and crimp
Will or can it run without household electricity? Never thought I'd plug in a reloading press ? And electric is no friend to propellant
Yes you just have to feed everything by hand. The electric is just a friend to help with production speed
@@hunter-constantine was wondering. Grid power may not always be available when you want it some places especially if you are someplace rural
@@agoogleaccount2861 no doubt. I’m happy they designed the machine to function without it
@@hunter-constantine only reason I ask is many people don't keep their reloading press someplace with electric or we don't use electric at all . The Amish for example buy lots of reloading stuff and they don't like and won't buy electric anything .. maybe a wind up component shaker Would be better ? I'd should be an option or at least a blueprint. No biggie I could make myself one if I wanted to..
I'm a hand loader and have been for some time. Judging by the components he is using he has around $0.17 per rnd. $170.00 per 1k rnds. Cheap ammo is $220 per 1k plus shipping. At the minimum he probably shoots 4k a week. He does it for a living. Wouldn't take long to get your $ back.
You’re right on the money. I average 50-60k a year so saving $2,500 a year plus better ammo
Damn that things impressive, might as well hook up a servo motor to the handle connection and let that thing crank away while you take a nap
Looking into it at the moment!
SuPer cool!
Meanwhile us fkn single stage guys like “but ThE RuNoUt” lol
Impressive rig bro, I knew when I saw that lee FCD you were a raw dogg. What powder are you running for major loads?
Right now I just use clean shot. I haven’t gotten into major yet. Probably n320
Friggin cool! You in Phoenix?
Nah
What do you use to keep the case steady on bullet drop, seating and crimping stations? I use DAA Powder-Spill-Prevention, but yours looks better.
Areedondo
What's the strip you have in place of the pins going from the Bullet drop to the seat station?
It's probably there to reduce swaying, because bullets can tip on rotation. I have this problem with my XL750 and I was going to add zip ties around the protruding part where he has the strip attached, but this is better.
whats your powder charge with the 147gr projectiles? I recieved some 147gr blue flat nose from a GM i met at my local indoor match day and used titegroup with a lower powder charge and they were still stinging lmao. Switching to clean shot. please help lol..
3.4 ish grains for 900. 3.3 for 880
YMMV
Try it. Chrono from your gun. Adjust.
@@hunter-constantinewhat is the over all length for 147 gr flat nose blue bullet
Did I miss what load he was using? Be nice to know what load data he uses for those rounds. I don’t know how people reload for so cheap. I must be missing something. The largest cost for me and I’m sure others are bullets by far. Even using berry’s plated bullets the cost is no where near what others reload for. Any cheap bullet suggestions without having to cast my own.
Bulk.
Bullet: .07
Primer: .07
Powder: .01
Brass : free - .05
Where are you getting primers for that price?
.06-.07 lately
My LGS had winchesters for .062 this month! Hopefully they stay low or keep dropping.
*crying remembering .02 primers*
How ever it does take a while for the savings to pay for that $3000 press setup
These are subsonic? What velocities are you going for?
Why do you use minimum power subsonic’s for competition? Never done it before and want to get into it, just want to know!
Cause it's less bang which means less recoil and faster shooting, I'm assuming.
Lower recoil.
@@PkwyDrive13 that makes sense, thanks for the reply!
@@SkillSet2 thanks, very much appreciated!
Basically what the dudes said down below. Less felt recoil. Track the sights better.
that shirt is awesome
I’m Da pressed
Awww
@@hunter-constantine All better. Thanks Hunter
❤️🔥🤙🏻🇺🇸
👍👏👍👌👍💪👍🇦🇷👍
You didn't teach us the recipe...
I can if that’s what the people want
@@hunter-constantine I play USPSA mostly carry optics/limited optics I want to reload, I have an xl750 in the box, I have 1700 small pistol primers, I think my uncle still has powder when he was reloading for IDPA. I only have to buy the bullet and brass. But after calculating it it's still cheaper for me to buy 1k 124 cci rounds than to reload 1k 124gr ammo.
@@xdivineHART I would check out reloading discords so you can get prices cheaper. But also try to source price from local ranges or matches. I tried to pick up all of my factory shot brass for the first few years of shooting so I had bunch when I was ready to reload. Takes a few minutes after every practice session but it’s worth it in the long run.
Don’t reload it it’s cheaper to buy brass cased ammo than reload. But save the brass have primers on hand may come in handy one day 👌🏼
No it’s not?