Components you love to use

[9mmSkeeter]

Are there some go-to components you always use while reloading? To me it usually comes down to price but I'm a die hard fan of Lyman dies, they just work for me - and while they are generally more expensive I would rather avoid the headache with cheaper dies; CCI primers are cheapest @ $29/1000, although I do like using winchester from time to time; and though I've used lots of bullets and will continue to, Berry's Plated usually works the most consistently for me. I also use Acme, A LOT.

For powders it's pretty much anything I can get my hands on, but my two faves so far for pistol are Titegroup and Unique.

How about you?

 

[Nick_C_S]

RCBS dies here. But I also use Lee FCD's and the bulge buster kits.

Primers are all CCI - except I use Winchesters for ammo that I'm going to feed my Smith 67 with (it's had trigger work and likes the softer Win primers).

Powders: Alliant first - Bullseye, Unique, Power Pistol.
Then Hodgdon/Winchester - HP-38/W231, HS-6, H-110/W296 (fat mag loads only).
Then Accurate Arms - No.2, 5, 7; and newest filly to the stables is Nitro 100.

Bullets are wide open. With lead, I look at Missouri Bullet first. But S&S, and Xtreme make great stuff. Plated - Rainier, Xtreme. Jacketed - Speer, Hornady, & Sierra - I'm equal opportunity.

 

[hanno]

Dies - Mostly Lee, but for seating HBWCs, I'm a big fan of the Lyman Neck Expanding M Die & the Hornady Seating Die

Powder - Bullseye, Win231/HP38, Red Dot

Primers - CCI preferred but use Winchester also

Bullets - Speer HBWC, Berry's DEWC

 

[sawdustdad]

Pretty much settled on CCI primers, Xtreme plated bullets, Missouri Bullet Co lead/coated bullets.

Unique/296/2400/748/760 were my powders of choice when I was actively loading and shooting in the 80s and early 90s.

Having returned to the hobby after a 25 year absence (what was I thinking, I wonder now?) I'm delighted by all the choices--even the internet has happened in the interim--so I'm just enjoying playing with new powders so I don't have a favorite any more. Except maybe Unique.

 

[Shotgun Slim]

I'm right there with Nick C S on the RCBS dies and press and the Lee FCD and bulge buster kit. Good stuff.
Used to be exclusive with CCI primers until things got crazy now I know that Winchester,Federal and Tula primers are fine if not exactly interchangeable.
Love Accurate 2,5 and 7,but can be happy with Clays,Universal and HP38.
For bullets I have excellent results at a good cost with SNS coated.Used to load a lot of Berry and Rainier plated until I discovered lower cost alternatives like Extreme and Bullet Works. It is true that reloading saves absolutely no money-you will shoot a lot more for your dollars though!

 

[P-990]

My preferred powders usually come from a Hodgdon or Winchester can. For pistol loading I found years ago I can do most of what I want with W231 and even though I've tried Unique, Universal and WSF (among others), 231 remains my go to medium-load pistol powder. In rifle Hodgdon Varget or H4895 have done the bulk of what I use, though now that I'm specifically loading ball-type .223 rounds I've found H335 to be great.

For bullets it depends on the application. For loading .223 match ammo, once I stumbled upon Nosler Custom Competitions, I never looked back. The specific weight I use may change a little (started with 69s, went to 77s, then came back to 69s when price and availability required it, but I've always used 80gr .224" Nosler CC bullets at 600-yards) but the brand won't. In pistol bullets I've loaded more Berry's plated in 9mm than I can keep track of, and Missouri Bullet is my preferred source of cast lead .38-caliber bullets.

Most of my equipment is red-painted LEE. The price was right (a Pro1000 for a Christmas gift, an Anniversary single-stage that wasn't being used) and the ammo it turns out is perfectly adequate for my needs. (See my sig line.)

 

[aherrera773]

I really like the 55 grain jacketed .223 bullets for extreme bullets. I cast a lot of my bullets for 9mm,.357, auto 45 auto so those are go to bullets. I did get some 125 gr JHP from Winchester for my .357 and I load those for self defense bullets. I use Bullseye and Reloader 15 a lot.

 

[lamarw]

Just as the "Big Shortage" appeared on the horizon, I stocked up with over a grand's worth of Win 231, Unique, Red Dot, and Winchester large and small pistol primers from Powder Valley.

I am still in good shape. I did find out I liked the Winchester primers simply because my reloading/work room has a black floor covering. The red under side of the primers really helps me find them if I drop one or more. This is if they settle red side up.

I have had good fortune with several brands of lead bullets. I used to use Berry's plated but have changed over to Precision Delta jacketed bullets. The two sell for about the same price and might as well use the jacketed.

 

[Pathfinder45]

Winchester/Western Silvertip. Not the newer Ballistic Silvertips; but real, vintage Silvertip bullets. I've been known to buy old, corroded ammo, just to break down for the Silvertip bullets. Of course, they get remounted on correctly headstamped brass, preferrably Super-X. In rebuilding vintage ammo I will use a well-kept vintage powder, too. I have some old H-4895 powder that is surplus WWII recycled powder in excellent shape. I believe it is originally Dupont IMR-4895 powder for Garand ammo. It makes excellent 30-30 loads with 170 grain Silvertips and shoot very well in a 1942-vintage model 94 carbine. I hope that Winchester brings back the Silvertip by popular demand. Until then, I will scrounge around at the gun shows for what I can find and rebuild it if it's of doubtful condition. Trust your next hunt to Silvertips. Accept no substitute.

 

[skizzums]

extreme bullets for 9mm are fantastic, super fast shipping and fair priced. love the 77gr SMK "seconds" from graf's when they come along. 223 srp from tula are really great and consistent and hard for safety in AR's, try em. I don't want to go into powders since there are so many to list, but have found 4227 is a great .357 powder and 300blk and almost always available locally at a decent price. I have started to like Winchester primers lately, I have been using the magnum primers for 300BLK and even all my 9mm loads, easy seating and all my semi autos can fire the mag primers, evn striker 9mm;s and DA revolvers.

 

[TailGator]

I am too new to reloading to have experience with a wide range of various components for comparison, but I will second skizzum's comments about X-Treme bullets. I don't know if the copper plating is heavier than other brands or what, but they perform quite closely to FMJs at a very competitive price.

 

[std7mag]

For primers I try to go with Federal Match. Although I do have Winchester large pistol primers for the 45.

For powder I have almost the full line of Alliant rifle powders (RL33 and some of the faster powders being the ones I don't have). I also use BlueDot, True Blue, Long Shot, Unique, H414, Varget, IMR4350. Powder use depends on what caliber, bullet weight, and also what purpose I'm using it for.

As for bullets I tend towards Hornady, simply due to avail, and price per unit number. (aka for about the same price I get 100 bullets as opposed to 50 from Nosler. I have started shooting Hornady's lead bullets in the 45.
For accuracy I like Sierra, and Nosler.
Not saying the Hornady is not an accurate bullet, I just end up with consistantly smaller groups with the Noslers.

 

[bfoosh006]

Ball Powders....

Reloading pistol cartridges... ( no lube to deal with. )

 

[jdscholer]

Let's see---- I guess I'm pretty much on the Hornady V-max band wagon - just haven't found any bullets that shoot better for the money.

The recent shortages taught me a little flexibility. Used to use only CCI primers; now I've had to try others, and frankly have had no problem with any of them. - accuracy or reliability.

Go to powders - 4227, BLC-2, 4895, 2400, and of course Bullseye. However I've started replacing Bullseye with HP-38, as it pretty much does the same thing with almost the same charge, and seems to measure better with tiny charges.

Most of my dies are RCBS, but I got most of them thirty or forty years ago when I think they really were better. These days, I usually buy the Lee sets, which give you the same or more for the money. I was skeptical at first, but have come to like them very much. jd

 

[RaySendero]

Unless I find a real need/advantage to other components generally here's what I use:

SHOTGUN:
Case: Winchester
Powder: Green Dot
Primer: W209
Shot: Lawrence Magnum
Wad: Clay Buster

PISTOL:
Case: No preference
Powder: Green Dot
Primer: CCI
Bullet: Rainier Platted

RIFLE:
Case: No preference
Powder: IMR
Primer: CCI
Bullet: Sierra 30cal and under - Nosler 8mm and up

 

[rkittine]

Since I load 12, 16, 20, 28 and .410 shotgun shells and both pistol and rifle, this week I was able to snag:
8 Pounders of Clay Dot
4 Powders of Longshot and 800X
But no LilGun or 20/28 or .410

Also got Varget, IMR 4895, Unique, H110 and H380

Since I never know what powder I might get and since shotgun primers can so differently effect pressures, I stock W209s, Fed 209as, CCI 209 and Rem 209Ps

CCI for Pistol and Rifle Primers, Regular and Magnum.

For dies, I prefer Custom Whidden dies for rifle cartridges or Redding Competition. RCBs or Lyman for the rest.

5 MEC progressives for shot shells. Star progressive loaders for common pistol, Lee Turret for other pistol and RCBS Rock Crusher for rifle.

Berger first then Sierra for most of my projectile needs.

Then of course scales, beam and electronic, blocks, tricklers, bullet pullers, electronic calipers etc. etc. Glad I took shop as a kid.

Bob

 

[Crunchy Frog]

Most of my handloaded ammo is for cowboy action shooting.

Federal primers give me reliable ignition in my match guns that have lightened springs.

SASS rules mandate lead bullets. My favorite source is Clark's Bullets.

Red Dot is my most used powder; it replaced Clays when the latter became scarce; I am using Clays only in .45 ACP now.

 

[Shootest]

Powder Bullseye, Power Pistol, W231, Red Dot, AA2, IMR 4064, IMR 3031, BLC(2), Unique, Varget
Primers CCI, Win, Rem
Bullets Mostly my own cast for handgun
45 ACP - 228g RN and 200g SWC
357/38 - 150g SWC 158g RN 148g WC
40 S&W - 155g SWC
44Mag - 240g SWC 200g SWC 240 RN
9mm - 124g TC
But some Hornady, Nosler, Sierra, and Speer jacketed.
Purity much a little o everything.

 

[Panfisher]

If I can make it go bang heck I will try it. Dies I will use whatever but all are green or grey. Powder I will use a lot of IMR 4895 but is hard to find I might give Varget a try if I can find it.

 

[Hammerhead]

HP38 in .45acp and mid-range .357.
Clays is awesome for target loads, some day it will return.
SR-4756 is nice for .357 when I want to go heavier.

Federal primers (large & small pistol) for target loads.
Win WSPM for heavier loads in .357.

Redding competition seating dies & their .357 profile crimp die.
Lyman M dies for expanding.
Lee sizing dies are very good, especially in 9mm and .45acp.

Rainier plated bullets in .357 and .45acp.
SNS coated cast are new to me, but I like 'em so far.
Hornady XTPs for serious loads.

Winchester .357 brass.
CBC .45acp 'cause I don't care if I loose them in winter.
CCI .45acp brass for serious target work.