Typical Set of Dies Getting Started
Reloading is a great hobby but it isn’t for everyone. There are several things to consider when you contemplate getting into the hobby. First of all you need to have some time to devote to learinng and doing reloading. You can’t do it if you have five minutes here and there. Another thing is you have to be the type of person who is patient and pays attention to details. Reloading demands that you pay attention or your ammo will turn out poorly. You will get out what you put into it. If you only plan on shooting just a few rounds a year it probably wouldn’t pay you to reload.
First pf all you need a space with good light to set up your equipment. Then you need a work table that is sturdy as you will be setting up some equipment. Let’s talk about dies. The dies are essential as you need a set for every caliber that you plan on loading. For straight case handgun ammo I strongly recommend tungston carbide dies. Whilke they cost a few dollars more they will last forever and eliminate the need for lubung your cases beforehand. Handgun dies typically come in a set of three. The first die sizes and decaps the case. Sizing is essential because if you don’t size it the case won’t hold a bullet securely. When a round is fired the case expends hence the need for sizing. The sizing die usually decaps the case which means that the old primer is removed. The second die bells the case which is necessary especially with lead bullets to avoid shaving them. Many set up also allow you to prime the case in that step. The third die seats the bullet and does the crimp. You have two types of crimps a roll crimp for revolvers and a taper crimp for most auto rounds.
We will get into more equipment in the following reports. I do strongly recommend against a new reloader getting a multi stage reloader until they throughly understand all reloading procedures. It would too easy to make a mistake which would result in making a large batch of bad ammo.
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To the Board of Directors,
Gentlemen I`am writing to present you with an idea that i think you may possibly find advantageous to your company. As i`am sure you are aware there is a great interest in whats called "Cowboy Action" shooting in this country and more and more guns of yesteryear are being resurected by the companies that make reproduction firearms.
The sport is growing constantly and the gun makers are constantly looking for ways to take even more advantage of this ever growing market. Guns like the Henry rifle,Spencer carbine, Colt and Remington conversion revolvers and the Colt 1872 Open Top and others are on the market and doudtless other guns of history will be made in the future.
The arms makers try to be as authenic as possible in their copies but one thing keeps them from being "true" copies.The majority of these guns are being made in calibers that the original guns were never made in.The Henry, Spencer,the majority of early Colts were made in rimfire calibers. Ammunition that has`nt been made by American companies since the 1920`s and early 30`s.But with the resurgence in interest in the old guns of our history and boost in ammo sales that go along with it i think it is time to resurect the original ammo these guns used as well. I ask you to think about it and concider this.
The new guns are generally offered in 2 and sometimes 3 caliber options, none of which were ever used in the originals to begin with. If the original rimfire calibers were offered as an addtional caliber option and the ammo for those calibers were available i believe both the guns and ammo sales would skyrocket.
Authenticity is what it is all about with the cowboy action crowd and the collectors and other shooters of these guns.What could be more "authenic" that having a repro in it`s original
chambering rather than a caliber that never was used in the original? Not to mention the fact that if ammo were available once again people that own originals like myself would love to be able to shoot them as well.
i believe that if arrangements could be reached between the gun makers and your company in that they would make the guns with their original calibers as options and you in turn make the ammo available i think it would be a boost in sales for both. I ask both of you to do this.
The gun makers offer the guns in their original calibers as a limited trial. You in turn make a limited run of the ammo. you both market the availablity of guns and ammo and see how it works. I believe you will find a gold mine has been discovered.
About 20 yrs ago i wrote a letter to your company asking that you concider making various rimfire ammo available again for people like myself who own antiques and would love to shoot them if ammo were available.My letter made it into the hands of someone { can`t recall who}
but he was a higher up in the company at the time.
He wrote me back saying he personally thought i had a good idea and he had presented my idea before the board and they turned it down saying they did`nt believe there was enouht of a market out there
Well things have changed quite a lot since then and i think that my idea might be worth concideration once again. I hope you agree as well.
Sincerely,
Robert Heins