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curious about reloaders

I reload for several reasons.

Less expensive bullets
More accurate ammunition
Meditation
Pride in my work
More money left over to buy more guns.

Here are some examples of what you can do with reloaded bullets. I also included a custom "Wad-Cutter" .45 auto bullet I recently reloaded...

Some of my .45 rounds on the pistol range...
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Some of my .223 rounds.. ten rounds to be exact. The hole on the left is 8 rounds. I moved the two rounds to the right just to be able to see the bullet impacts.
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Here are three shots with my .270 at 100 yards... Touching bullet holes...
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Wad cutter round I just loaded... (Ok, it's a joke folks)
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Postal, I have not loaded any "Wad Cutters". That photo above is just a round loaded backwards as a joke...

I have used the Berry's coated FMJ bullets in the past but I don't use them anymore. The main reason is that Berry's bullets require a lighter powder load like the lead bullets. I prefer a FMJ bullet because you can UP the power on the round a little bit without worrying about the effects of the blast on the bullet itself. I really only load round ball and Jacketed Hollow Points. I just loaded 250 rounds of the Nosler 185 grain hollow points and they performed flawlessly in my 1911. I have read a lot of people's writings that the Randall Stainless 1911s were designed for round ball ammo and don't work too well with Hollow points. After shooting 60 rounds of Nosler JHP through the pistol I have no reason to believe it will not shoot hollow point Nosler bullets just fine.

Side by side comparisons, however... The 230 grain round balls hit the target directly over the fixed factory sights. The 185 grain hollow points hit the target maybe an inch high and an inch to the left. I think it's really just the difference in bullet weight that makes the difference.
 
Roll your own. You will NOT save money!!! You WILL shoot a WHOLE lot more for the same cost. And that makes it worth it. Not to mention the small groups, impressing your friends, having ammo cans full of the stuff you're shooting at the range, the pleasure of time spent at the reloading bench, etc. The only serious shooters who don't reload are sponsered by an ammo company.....
 
I forgot to answer your last question. Using my Dillon 550b, I can load about 500 .45acp or .38-357 an hour at a cost of $4.25/50rds for the .45 with quality components or $2.75/50rds for the .38-.357 with lead bullets.
 
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