Re: How much time per 100 rounds to reload?
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: bm11</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I made a thread about the cost/benefit ratio of reloading a bit back and caught a bit of flak. I have accepted that it is not "worth it" if I only consider the amount I consider myself to be worth, and have moved on from that, and still would like to reload, for the "fun of it."
I would just like to know, to figure out if I have enough time to be able to do it, how much time is required to reload 100 rounds of ammo? I'm planning on getting an ultrasonic tank for cleaning, which won't require much time at all, but I'm still in the dark how long the rest of the process takes. I know that it is somewhere around 30 seconds to a minute per round to weight the powder charge (reloading a .308,) how about the rest of it?
Thank you,
-Bob </div></div>
Most of the time spent loading 100 rds of .308 is found in the preparation of the brass cases--trimming (every 2 or 3 cycles), then camphering/deburring the mouths, uniforming the primer pockets (1 time), cleaning them if you don't uniform them (I clean them every 3 cycles), tumbling them clean in media (every cycle for me) and deburring the flash holes (1 time), so that all adds up.
One may spend a few hours on the tasks above. Once you get the brass done, or at least the basic stuff I mentioned, you need to size, deprime and reprime them. After this is done, you can either use a manual powder measure to automatically drop your powder, or you can use a manual scale or electronic powder dispenser, which weighs out each charge for you.
Next you have bullet seating and/or crimping (which most of us don't do).
All in all, I can trim 10-12 cases a minute with a power drill added to my hand crank trimmer. Then I need to campher and deburr the case mouths. I'll do this on a RCBS Trim Mate, along with deburring the flash holes. I can do 2-3 a minute with the Trim Mate.
For uniforming the primer pockets, I can do 8 a minute, which as I said, is a one time deal throughout the life of the brass.
Weighing out charges on my RCBS ChargeMaster 1500, I can do about 2 per minute. Longer with a beam scale, say 1 a minute. If you use a basic powder measure, you're doing maybe 10-12 a minute, but you'll get more inconsistent powder weights--just the nature of the beast.
Sizing, depriming and repriming, I'm probably at 3-4 a minute. Don't forget that you have to lube and delube the brass cases. For tumbling them clean, I go about 90 minutes initially, less if I'm tumbling off the lube, which requires a second cycle.
Once 100 cases are charged and I'm ready to seat, this step goes pretty quickly, once I have the correct COAL for that combo. Maybe 10 per minute after 15 minutes of dicking with things and measuring the COAL?
If you add it all up, you might be 5+ hours, with some steps not needing to be repeated on the next cycle.
I figure that 100 rounds of Federal Gold Medal Match is selling for ~$30.00 a box of 20, so $150. 5 hours of my time at $10/hr. is $50, with the next batch taking substantially less time. A box of tips is $30, brass is $40 (10+ cycles), primers $4/100 and powder is probably $24/lb (170 rds.?) depending on charge weight, so you get an idea of the time and cost for 100 rounds of target/match grade ammo.
Chris
