Single Stage Reloaders: How Much Do You Load at a Time?

[scotchblade]

Maybe I didn't phrase the question right. Do you "stock up" and load in bulk or per range session? Maybe I still didn't phrase it right. Let me put it this way...

I shoot once or twice a week. I load for 9mm, .38 Special, .357 Magnum, .44 Special and .44 Magnum. I don't shoot all those each week, more like two or three tops.

Wondering what system of sorts similar single stagers with similar shooting frequency and multiple calibers use to keep a supply handy.

I just kind of go by the seat of my pants, but it does not seem very efficient to me.

Back to the Superbowl...

[Witch Hunter]

I load in batches of 200 or so. I load rifle, as I get em empty. sometimes I will load just what I have in the winter, if I shoot 30, load 30 etc. But during pdog shooting, I load all of one caliber at a time.

[CK_32]

I load what I need for he upcoming range trip usually with in the month of.

The only ammo that sits around my place is the factory stuff because I buy that in bulk as well.

[Limitedrounds]

I go shooting about once a week. I load 9mm, .40 and .223. I usually load about a 100 rounds in one session of what caliber I expect to use that occasion. It takes me about an 1hr to an 1hr and a half to load that many. I would do it in larger quantities but I only have two reloading trays for each lol.

[Bastard]

I used to load in batches, unless I was loading for something specific or was working up a load... till I got my progressive. still do for the most part, I usually have something going with some kind of case prep or sizing a bunch of brass.

[XVIga_Rob]

9mm &.45ACP, in batches of 200. Just getting started with rifle. .223 & .30-30 will probably be similar. Might take a couple range trips to be ready for a new batch.

[rcschummers]

Ill prep in stages, one night deprime resize 500ish, next night (if pistol) bell, chamfer/debur, etc...

I have stockpiles of brass ready, but for a range day, i usually load 1-200 pistol and same for rifle the night before. I love having my own personal range 2 min away, it just gets expensive.

[devster55]

^^^^^ this is what I do. I will size a 50 cal can of brass one night then swage or trim the next then prime and so on. That seems to be the fastest way for me.

[LTC-J]

Like others, I do my loading in "stages":

• Sort "range" brass and "bag" in 100 groups
• Deprime my "range" shagged brass
• Clean brass
• Size and flare brass
• Prime brass
• Powder/bullet brass

As an example, yesterday I deprimed about 1600 rounds of brass(mostly 9mm and 40 that I don't load). I then sized/flared 400 rounds for 45 that I had already primed.

Today I put the powder/bullet into the 45s I did yesterday.

Usually, I do my loading while doing a marathon of Netflix TV. This weekend being Walking Dead

[Yoteman]

I load .22-250 for sqweak shooting between Feb-May. I always have 500 rounds ready to go. In a good year I'll reload multiply times in that window period.
My RCBS Rock Chucker Kit is great for this purpose.
I'm never in a hurry!
Precision loads is the priority.

[knucklehead0202]

I only shoot once every few months so I don't get in a huge hurry. like others, I do things in stages, sort, tumble, prep, prime, etc....and it's very rare that I do more than one or two of those stages in a day. usually load 50-100 in a session, if I'm really on a roll i'll go through as much in a given caliber as I have components for. since I load for a pretty good variety of rifle calibers and many of them are similar in size, I don't like to do multiple calibers in a day for fear of mixing and confusion. thus far the only real boner I've pulled is trying to drop some incorrectly-marked .257 bullets into 6.5 cases, lol. they're close in size so without using the calipers they looked right until I tried to use them. anyhow, I'm not an absent-minded reloader, or a slob, I just don't have a lot of space and I have a LOT of stuff, so it gets a bit hectic. usually have to displace crap just to be able to sit down and reload.

[LiferLance]

I sort and tumble for about a week after shooting. This is because I wind up with 5 gal buckets of brass from BLM land. Then I'll tumble all of my calibres over 4 days or so, then I'll load batches of 200+ every 2 days.

[stand125]

I only load rifle on my single stage and I do 50 cnt batches.

[downrange67]

It depends how many matches I'm shooting that month 70 to 300 rounds. On a single stage press.

[9mmrevolver]

I load in big batches. Maybe one night I'll deprime 500 or more cases. The next ill prime them ect. If I was shooting as much as u I'd just load what I was gunna shoot

[bigbossman]

I prep, clean, size and prime brass, and put it Tupperware containers separated by caliber. That way, any time I need ammo all I have to do is charge and seat a bullet.

For pistol, I have a Lee 1000 progressive, and usually have a few thousand rounds of .45 laying around at any given time.

For rifle, I use a single stage RCBS Jr 3, and usually put together 100 or so rifle rounds at a time.

[Divernhunter]

I batch process my brass, except for the Dillon, so when I load all I have to do is charge and seat the bullet.
With the pistol stuff I do on the Dillon I just wait untill I have about 2000-8000 bullets and powder then just crank them out.
For other pistol and rifle loads it depends. If I am testing then 5 at a time with different powders and/or bullets for a given cartridge. If it is a hunting load for deer, pig etc then 25-100 at a time.
If it is for squirrel/PD shooting I like to get 2000-5000 at a time done. For established plinking loads 100-1000 at a time.

[tylenol9999]

I usually load 200-300 per session. Currently have about 5 month supply of loaded ammunition. Another 800 or so primed cases waiting for powder if I can find some.

[74c5]

Brass is all in bulk by the 100's. If I have enough dessicant packs, I'll prime in large quantities as well.

Actual loading and seating up to 100.

[sjg1966]

I size and prime a bunch of brass for the calibers I shoot and then load as I feel like. 50-100 per sitting. Powder measure is pretty easy to dial in so I'm up and running pretty quick when I load them up. I load 38/357, 357Sig, 9mm, 10mm, 45acp, and 223. 308 eventually too. Seems like I load more and more often doing it the way I do.

[sdkevin]

Same here, stages. Full re-size and deprime a few hundred 308 tonight, second tumble tomorrow.. it's work but it's chilly out so time well spent indoors.

[JagerDog]

Stages here as wll. Nice to have a bunch of brass ready for powder/bullets. Once I have a load I like, I'll usually stuff lots of 500.