The Brit.

I use a 550B, set up to reload .45acp. Factory ammo at my club is £30 ($50) per 100. My reloads work out at £9.50 ($16) per 100. We're not known as 'rip off Britain' for nothing!! I reload for the custom loads, but Shooting is my sport Reloading is my hobby. I'm not ashamed to admit I like reloading !!

After a long hunt around, I actually found a UK supplier for Frontier bullets!! They didn't have any .40s&w ( they will be having some in the next delivery) but I did buy a box of 1000 plated .45acp rn. Very nice bullets, smooth to handle and pretty consistant weight wise. Cost was £62.30 ( $105). I'm still waiting for my .45acp revolover to arrive so can't say how they group, but reading other comments on here about plated V jacketed, they should work fine. I'm looking at a P.F. of around 175 so I will only be loading to approx. 760fps. so that shouldn't be a problem for the plating to handle. Also keen to see how much they smoke as 99% of my shooting is done indoors.

I'm left handed and have always used my trigger finger to push the mag release. I think your best bet will be a ambi mag release and use your trigger finger. one thing though, I've found that extended mag release buttons don't work as I can sometime push them whilst gripping the pistol and have to stoop down to pick the mag up! so just use a standard factory style.

Michael, I subscribe to a UK motorcycle magazine which has an internet version. It is downloaded once a month and is an excellent way of reading and storing the mags. All the adverts have direct web page links in them, so it's possible to go straight to the web page of anything that you want more info on or to buy. It's run by a Company called Zino. www.zino.com Maybe a thought on your new venture (if you are not already aware of it!) Good luck, keep me posted and put me down as one of the first subscribers when you launch it. Ian C.

Thanks guys, I'll have a look into it. Cheers.

Hi, I'm in the process of setting up to reload for the new .45acp revolver I will be buying soon. I've got two different powders on my reloading bench at the moment, Red dot and Vhit N340. Anyone have any experience reloading .45acp in revolvers with these powders? The revolver will have a 12" barrel (due to the crazy UK gun laws) so the reccommended 5 grains of Red dot on the reloading web page will have to be lowered slightly (they used a 5" barrel) . I've thought of starting at 4 grains and working up in .1's until I make a P.F. of 175. The primers I have are Magtec and the brass is all once fired from several different manufactures. Cheers.

Lab gave a lot of info, well presented as is his usual style. You can end up spending a lot of money on these toys, steel slide, steel hammer, upgraded springs, mag mods to increase gas etc. I use one of the latest W/A svi experts, 5" - out of the box fresh. NO mods at all and I don't do too bad with it. I won the last Championship match (Standard div) of 2005 and placed 2nd (by 1.5%) in the first grader of the year last month.( sorry about blowing my own trumpet!) So it's the same as real guns. You don't REALLY need all the fancy stuff, stick to the basics and just practice. Not sure if Lab posted the link to the Western Arms site but here it is http://www.wa-gunnet.co.jp/english/ You could also try this guy. i get all my kit from him. Not sure about the import laws though, you'll have to check. http://www.eliteairsoftuk.com/ Cheers.

That's a nice room/set up you've got there. I ain't gonna bother trying to post my SMALL effort! - not worth the trouble !! I need to move to the States, don't 'spose anyone wants to adopt me eh ???? I'm house trained !!!

Hi, Here in the UK, airsoft (or gas powered pistol) is all we are allowed to shoot (handgun wise) since the handgun ban in '98. It is slowly gaining in popularity over here it is fun and competitive. It is an excellent practice aid but no replacement for live firearms. If, and it's a big IF, we are ever allowed handguns for sporting use again, the day I buy my new sti Edge in .40s&w is the same day my airsoft kit gets put in a box in the loft never to see the light of day. Airsoft is a good training aid for the young shooters, but thats it. As Neil mentioned, it is important for IPSC to require a minimum calibre.

That didn't work ! Can anyone tell me how you post a pic. in a post? i've uploaded the picture to Yahoophotos, but when i try to post the link to it i get a dynamic links not allowed message. ???? Thanks. Doh! i've just found the help i am asking for ! Never was much good at finding things right under my nose.

Yep, All the way from Brazil (on a slow boat!) Using the UK importer of Magtec ammo. Ordered by the range owner.

I'm almost too embarrased to post this picture having looked thorugh this thread at some of the reloading benches you lot have! This is fitted in my loft. Bit cold/hot depends on what time of year, but it is secure up there.

Al, 1st, they are not only not available locally, they are not available in any quantity in the UK! 2nd, I pay £22.50 (approx. $38) per 100 for factory magtec, I was quoted £90 (approx. $155) per 1000 for the 180grn .40 bullets. Using this price, factor in the cost of powder and primer ( I have about 1000 free once fired cases) I calculate I can reload for £13 ( approx.$22) per 100. It's not just about price though, I actually enjoy reloading!! We are planning a few trips into Europe this year to compete, so it may pay us to pre order them to be available at whatever comp we go to and bring them back to the UK in our own cars. As to the cost, anything less than £90 per 1000 is a bonus. Shooting is not a cheap sport anymore. (was it ever ?)

Thanks for your help Al, Xtreme bullets - http://www.xtremebullets.com/index.htm I'm going to fax them tomorrow and ask for the address of the European importer. 70-80,000 eh? 1/ I know i will not be able to get enough interest up for that amount 2/ Can't afford that many myself, and if I did, it'd take me years to shoot them all !!!

Sorry Al, At the moment, around the 10-15,000 mark. It all depends on how many reloaders we can get interested in this. There are 5 of us at my gun club who reload, but I will be asking around when I'm at the comps in the next month or two. I have got a small order in at my shooting centre for 2,000 180g fmjrn. I ordered these about 9 months ago. I was told that they had finally arrived in the UK last week only to find they hadn't. I believe they were ordered from Magtec, which is in Brazil ?? I've lost patience with this order which is why i posted the thread about bullets in Europe. Xtreme bullets also sell in Europe and I'll be contacting them soon. thanks.

Frontier in South Africa seems the best bet for europe. They of course have a european office Frontier Bullets Europe Jan Kaptein Lindeweg 115 3334 LA Zwijndrecht The Netherlands Tel: +31-78-6513100 Fax: +31-78-6177390 e-Mail: info.frontier@12move.nl What quantities are you considering. Have you considered 200g .40s al Al, Thanks for the info. I'll send them an email about prices etc. All the factory ammo I use ( Mainly Magtec) is 180grn fmjfn. That's the only reason I want 180's. It will come down to cost at the end of the day. As long as they make major and feed reliably, not too bothered about weight.

Does anyone have a comprehensive list of bullet manufacturers ? I need one that sells in Europe. There are a few of us here in the UK who are getting togeather to bulk buy 180g .40 & 230g .45acp FMJRN.(they have to be RN as HP are banned in the UK + RN feed more reliably) The reloading market in the UK is more or less stagnant, so we are looking to buy in from mainland Europe. Thanks.

Well, it's sad that greed was the reason behind it's demise. Over ten years have past and the diversity of Practical shooting now is calling out for a Gungames II. I hope someone has the vision to start it again, but under stricter financial rules eh !

Merlin, Thanks for your kind offer which I will probably take you up on! Next year, My wife and I are hoping to get to Vegas, Grand Canyon, Hoover jam etc. I've told (asked!) her that I'd like to have part of the holiday in Phoenix to visit the Dillon factory. I'd like to be able to enter a Practical match at the same time if possible. So you may be getting a call next year! Thanks.

I've just had a sort out of all the junk I've collected over the years stored in my loft. At the bottom of a box I've not opened for years I found six issues of the GunGames mag. just spent a hour or so reading through them, very enjoyable. I can't understand why this mag failed? Good quality paper, lots of colour, interesting articles about the sporting side of shooting which most of us are interested in etc,etc. Anyone know why it failed? I'd subscribe again if someone could run it again. As much as I enjoy most of the shooting press, both here in the UK and in the U.S.A, Gungames had it spot on imo. Any budding editors out there ??

Hello. I live in the Midlands. A small old mining village called Measham. Quite a few miles from Somerset! Enjoy the UK, Somerset has some beutiful scenery, just don't bring your ccw !!

Hi, Thanks for the welcome. When we compete in IPSC matches abroad we either pre arrange to hire them or most times we borrow them. As we get to know shooters in whatever squad we are in they often offer their handguns to us the next time we compete. Often, fine Scottish whiskey is used as a 'thank you'

Hi, just registered and I thought I'd introduce myself as I've been looking through this forum for a while now and it is possibly one of the best I've seen regarding information. I'm from the UK but am not a newbie shooter, I've been shooting since 1981, mainly handguns, but since the handgun ban in '98, only shotgun and pistol calibre rifles. I try to get into Europe as often as I can to compete in IPSC matches but practice in the UK using 'airsoft'. There is a growing competition circuit using these 'toys' here and it is good training for when we get the chance to use real guns. I've just got hold of a second hand RL550B which I'm setting up to reload .40s&w and hopefully .45acp. The .40 is for a Lee Enfield rifle I had made for me in that calibre and the .45acp is for a long barreled revolver which I'm hoping to buy soon. Cheers!