Handloads

I've been reloading for a long time, and this post over at Mostly Cajun got me thinking about a caliber I haven't yet reloaded for. The .45 ACP. So, I hied myself over to Midway USA yesterday and bought some dies and flip-top ammo boxes. They should be in tomorrow. Next I picked up my manuals and logged on the internet. There is a lot of good information in those manuals and what I was looking for was a good target load for that cartridge. I'm going to cast my own bullets and reload inexpensive ammunition for the pistol, so hopefully I'll get out and shoot more.

It seems from a general perusal of the available literature, that the pre-eminent target load for the .45 ACP is 4.0 grains of Bullseye under a cast 230 grain bullet. We'll see how it does in my pistol.

I've helped a few people get started in the reloading game, and the advise I give to all of them is go out and buy a couple of good reloading manuals. Lee prints one, as does Lyman and Speer. Get the manuals first and read them from cover to cover. The manual gives more than just load data, although there is plenty of that too. Once you have read the manuals, buy your equipment. You don't need everything at once, and you can get started reloading for a single caliber for about $100.00. A friend wrote and article about it here

Try reloading for a little while and see if it is something that suits you. Some people take up reloading as a hobby in itself. If it suits you, you'll certainly spend more money on it. I've been reloading for twenty years, and I'm still buying tools to make it easier and more enjoyable.

It's a hoot shooting your own ammo.