reloading ammo ?

You will probably not save that much unless you are shooting some exotic and expensive calibers. Otherwise you"ll be able to shoot more for the same money. Good, safe reloading is exacting job - not to be taken lightly. BY THE BOOK!
 
We do all reloading except for shotgun shells.For us reloading is far cheaper than to buy new.We purchase from Midway USA, Natchez,and our local pistol place for powders and primers,as now the Companies will charge extra for shipment of powders and primers as hazardous materials.
Reloading is almost an exact science,as if you mess up it will hurt,maim, or kill someone.If you pay strict attention to what you are doing it is definitely worth while.If you don't try to cram the shell with more powder,inspect all cases,and don't try to make it up as you go, it is quite safe and cost worthy.
We just reloaded a 100 rounds of 30-06 Springfield at cost here for loaded ammo is $30.00 per box ( 20 rounds) and the cost of reloading supplies at our cost was around $75.00.We still have powder left over so that can be used for the next round of reloading,but have to buy bullets, and primers again.
We bought dies years ago for all our calibers,when they were inexpensive,as compared to todays cost.Even then we still save on costs per shell.
Just our experience,hope it helps.
Regards,
LOU
 
What I want to do is buy about 100 rounds for each cal we own before the price even rises more.Own quit a few different cal as a collection
 
i'm with lou reloading is the way to go and you can play with powers and bullets to get a more accurate shot each time every time with my 30-06 i can put five in a target the size of a quarter at 100 yards
 
How many rounds do you shoot per week?
I saved a ton reloading shotgun shells when I was shooting trap and
skeet, blowing up 300+ rounds per weekend.
I'm not shooting any where near that much any more, so I buy them now.
I know reloading shotgun shells and rifle/pistol ammo is different,
but I still think the realized savings would depend on how much you shoot.
Specially when you factor in the reloader and dies, plus your time.
I own a .30 Gibbs. I have to reload or re-barrel.
Dies cost me a fortune as they had to be custom made.
 

I cross-reference at least 3 different reloading books for any load I need to reload..
It IS surprising, how many entries in the Books are not accurate..
Get a good vibratory case cleaner, case trimmer, GOOD scale and work without distractions..
You can come up with loads that are far more accurate than "Factory" ammo...
For Best accuracy, I use "Match Primers" fire-formed cases with only 1/2 the neck sized..
Powder and primers will store for years, as well as the finished product..
Ron..
 
Back when I did reloading there was really no economic reason to load ammo yourself. It was such a labor intensive job it wasn't worth it to save money. The benefit is you could load more accurate rounds doing it yourself.
 
At my cost for primers, powder, projectiles it's about 60 cents on the dollar. What you can buy for 20 I build for about 12 bucks. Certain stuff isn't as cost effective, like .223. That stuff is so cheep that it don't pay to reload it.

Now on my target loads for the indoor pistol range are about 40 cents on the dollar but large cal. handgun is lead only.

Rick
 
Reloading is a catch 22. You need to first off understand how it is done then have the tools to do so and also the knowledge to do it safely. If you look at it this way. It will cost you $25 per die set. Then $25 per lbs of powder. Then to do it right and safely you need a powder scale and many many more thing. Cost to get set up will be a grand give or take a bit for say 10 sizes of round. I reload around 5-7 sizes of rounds but it has taken me a decade to get all that set up and many many hours of reading and learning the art and still only so so with it
 
Old is right to a point. To me it's a hobby as is shooting. I enjoy both so I discount the labor part. And most hobbies cost money. This is one where in the long run I can save a few bucks. If you shoot a couple of boxes of ammo a year it will take a very long time to start saving money. On the other hand if you shoot a lot it can and will save money on most ammo. About 6 weeks ago a buddy, my so and I shot pistol. We went through about 400 rounds of .45ACP. WE don't often shoot that much but 2-3 hundred rounds a month isn't uncommon. that's when the savings really show up.

Rick
 
I started reloading when powder was $4.90 a lb. That what an old can of mine still has on it.

The dies were around $16 new and a few were bought used.

I buy second bullets direct from the Sierra factory in Sedalia MO.

And I am still using powder that I bought in 1994 when Klinton was in office.

My only problem is time and the gumption to do the reloading.

Gene
 
It really depends but if you want premium ammo to shoot you can make that cheaper one you get past the supplies. for instance a box of 22-250 hornaday superformance,you can load 2 or 3 boxes for what 1 costs using the exact same components.Cabelas is good but high go to midway,natchez,midsouth shooters supply ,wideners or many other places for supplies.powder and primers you are better off at a gun show or cabelas becuase of the hazmat fees.a rcbs rock chucker master reloading kit is a very good start.If you get on some shooting forums you can buy lots of stuff used dies,brass ,bullets and tools.
 
Reloading is definitely cheaper-I never bothered to figure out how much cheaper because I enjoy it. And-it's a way to make better ammo. But for me, it's also a great hobby. (A cheaper hobby than antique tractors!)
 
That's the first question anyone asks when they're interested in reloading, but it misses the point. It's easy to save money on ammo: just don't shoot! If you're getting into reloading just to save money, you're doing it for the wrong reason. There are several good reasons for reloading that have little to do with cost: 1) You can make ammo that's more accurate than factory rounds. 2) You can buy better hunting bullets (e.g Barnes, Nosler Partition) than are available in most factory ammo. 3) You can tailor your ammo to your gun or to your specific needs, and 4) Since the per-round cost is less, you can practice more for the same money and become a better shooter.

The actual cost difference varies a great deal depending on the particular cartridge and what bullets you use. For many of the big magnums, the factory ammo is so expensive it would be insane not to reload. Of course, most people can't shoot too many rounds of .338 Winchester Mag in a session, so you don't go through too much ammo with the big magnums. On the other hand, 9mm Luger ammo can be purchased dirt cheap, so there's not a lot of cost savings per round to reload, but most shooters will can go through several hundred rounds in a day, so the savings add up.

Generally speaking, it costs less than half the price of a factory round to reload it. But that assumes you have the brass. I don't like to use factory ammo, so I buy new brass. Consequently the first time I load new brass it usually costs more than factory ammo. The exception for me is .17 Remington Fireball; this ammo is so absurdly expensive that I can load new brass cheaper than I can buy factory ammo. So it all depends.

Let's take the cost of reloading a popular cartridge like .308 Winchester. I'm going to use the Winchester 150 grain Power Point bullet, since it's available to reloaders. In fact, most reloaders opt for "premium" bullets that are more expensive than these.

New ammo is available from Midway USA for 18.39/20, or 92 cents/round.

To reload, assuming you have brass:
150 gr Win PP bullet: 25.75/100 = 26 cents
Winchester LR primer: 26.00/1000 = 3 cents
45 grains IM-4064 powder 19.95/lb = 13 cents

TOTAL: 42 cents/round

So it costs roughly half as much to reload a 308 round as to buy it new. If your time is worth anything, you may come to the conclusion it's not worthwhile to reload. But, as I said in the beginning, saving money is the wrong reason for reloading. I prefer to use the term "handloading", because you're really crafting ammunition to your needs.

By the way, my reloading component costs were from Powder Valley. They don't include shipping and hazmat costs, but if you get together with some of your friends to order in quantity, you can get those costs down substantially. (You pay one hazmat charge for powder and primers, regardless of how much you order, up to 48 pounds.)

If you are interested in getting into handloading, see if you can find a friend who loads and get him to help you load a batch of ammo on his equipment. You might have to spring for a set of dies for your cartridge, but most reloaders are happy to help someone get started. If you decide it's not your cup of tea, then you haven't invested much. Better than springing for several hundred dollars worth of equipment only to find you don't enjoy it.
Powder Valley
 
I enjoy reloading. For me producing a loaded round is fun. I've been reloading since the late 70's and casting my own boolits almost as long. (If you want to know why I spell it "boolits", google it and read".) I'm still using powder, primers and bullets from our gun shop we had into the early 80's. It's an enjoyable hobby in itself and I know it does save me money.

Places like Cabelas or Gander are usually the most expensive. Check Cheaper then Dirt, Grafs, Natchez, etc.
 

You can also cast your own bullets. This works especially well for pistol bullets. Generally, cast pistol bullets are as accurate as jacketed bullets. Getting into casting is not cheap, You can look at Powder Valley, Midway, Cabelas to get an idea of prices. Once the equipment is bought, the expense is slight. Lead can be scrounged usually. Sources? Fired bullets from a fireing range, damaged wheel weights from a tire store(not free), or wheel weights from the sides of roads. There are a surprising number of wheel weights lost. Don't use old car batteries, they contain arsenic, I'm told, but anyway the trouble of breaking down batteries is not worth it.

You can also buy cast or swaged bullets commercially, maybe a nickle each, again, look at power valley. You can use cast bullets in rifles but at reduced velocities since friction from the air starts to melt lead bullets and make them inaccurate at about 2000 fet per second.

KEH
 
There are many good pros and cons pointed out here. For me it IS strictly a cost thing, typically about %50 less. But as others have said it depends on volume. I, on average, have 10k rounds of various stuff on hand at any given time. Don't pick up a gun without firing one or two boxes in a session. Don't waste my time even setting up the reloading press unless I have more than 500 rd to do. I agree that some rounds, like 223 are not worth it (used to do them and found I wasn't saving money over new). Some will say you 'need' the best (read most expensive) press out there. That may solve a few headaches in reloading but you must understand that you may have to do thousands of more rounds to break even. Other points to consider; buying reloading components in volume also cuts the cost but these days, shipping costs being what they are, lead is about the most expensive thing to ship. Politically speaking, reloading may be your only option in the future. One final point; courts being what they are I would NEVER reload self defense ammo. Others may disagree but just my two cents.

Jim
 
Jim, Massad Ayoobs mythic trashing of handloads for self defense has been so thoroughly debunked that the guy (who was never a street cop BTW, he's a professional witness) should be ashamed of himself. If that is where you get the idea, I think you should reconsider. If you just don't want the risk, fine, but basing it on that foot in the mouth article he wrote is needless worry.
 
Bret, I'm sure you are right but with all the excellent and reliable SD production loads on the market why risk being the "Taxi Driver" test case? At least that would be MY luck.
 
(quoted from post at 07:41:39 12/09/12) Jim, Massad Ayoobs mythic trashing of handloads for self defense has been so thoroughly debunked that the guy (who was never a street cop BTW, he's a professional witness) should be ashamed of himself. If that is where you get the idea, I think you should reconsider. If you just don't want the risk, fine, but basing it on that foot in the mouth article he wrote is needless worry.


Some of that is based on local political climates. If the Local DA is anti gun he will use every reason he can to try to prosecute any self defence shooter he can. Reloads can be used if you are reloading the fastest deadliest round you can. I reload for my carry gun. I'm about 50 FPS slower than the same round in factory ammo so no big deal. But if you reload an exotic bullet at max powder loads a DA can (key word here "try") try to use that as a point to prosecute. So reloaded/home load/custom load ammo isn't going to be enough to charge you but can be entered as evidence.

Rick
 
I have been reloading since 1964 shotguns first then moved onto 30/30 with a Lee Hand Loader still have it works great when out in the field and need a few rounds. Then I moved up to a press and I use a powder throw and scales for my 30/30 and 17/223 wildcat. I love reloading it's fun as you can vary the load an bullets to get different effects. Buy a lot of books on the subject it's not something that you learn over night. If you can still get them the little Lee Hand Loader is simple and easy to use and very low cost to learn the basics.
Walt
 
Oh man. Every time I chime in about guns, I get ridiculed to death. So once more into the breach me lads...
We got into this because of antique center fire cartridges we wanted to try- 45-70 blackpowder, 450-577 Martini, 38-55, odd old fashioned stuff factory loads might rupture- if it even existed.
Don't reload to save money, don't do it to make more accurate rounds, or even more reliable ones. Do it because you really want to, for a sense of pride or self respect or ? security?
Now, I was a trained machinist, my father a druggist, so between the 2 he took care of the chemical side, me the metal. You can't act like a yahoo and expect to come out smiling.
Powder is weighed in grains, which 'one grain' is almost invisible. Digital scales made this alot easier over the years, a balance scale for each round was- teadious? at best. Measuring the load every 10 rounds is fine...once you are certain you learned the process and trust your powder charger with your life.
One piece of crap in a die can ruin your day. A reloading bench as clean as an operating room is a good start. Books. Read all you can about this before you buy anything else. You tube has all sort of characters reloading, but take some of them with a grain of salt.
Cablea's or not, go in a gun shop and ask. Usually there is a ton of used presses and dies they don't even put out because this is a dying art? slow seller? Good RCBS steel stuff probably outlived the original owner, and might outlive you. The only 'LEE' thing I own is a contraption that flips primers over. A carosel is something you can get way in the future. Nice if you use a variety of calibers that use the same shell holder. But a carosel is for almost mass production, it can wait- unless you see a solid one for less than a bill. I guess a rock chucker can go fo a bill nowdays?
Just buy the brass and bullet heads you want. Not 100, hundreds of each. Some brass is lucky to last 4 reloads, some necks crack on the first firing. Any flaws you find after cleaning is in the scrap pile. Hey, I had a tumbler that could not clean a new penny after a week in there. Acid baths never fail, but safety first with this process too.
Just start with local used stuff- and try to met a new buddy who has done this before- some gun clubs (used to) put on reloading classes, so go ask around. Good luck and be carefull.
 
Does Sierra still sell 2nd out there front door?? I know years ago they did but last time I talked to any body there they said they only sell bullets etc to places like Midway and no longer can buy from them direct
 
Not to get on you but why not reload to save money or be able to hit the same hole 5 times in a row etc etc. I reload to save money and to be able to hit what I want when I want and also so I can afford to have a good number of rounds on hand and I also do it because I enjoy doing so since it is something me and the son can do together. So why not do it was all those reason and more????????????
 
I am 100% in faver of reloading but one thing I didn't see mentioned concerned carrying a concealed handgun. If you do make sure it is loaded with FACTORY ammo. If you have to use it a good lawyer will consider reloads as an INTENT by you to use it.
 
Gents, if you wish to use only factory for self defense, fine. But- there has never, ever been a case recorded anywhere in the US where reloaded ammo used in a shooting was brought up as "more deadly" load or anything like that. I understand this has been widely touted in gun rags and internet sites, but it just hasn't happened. Professional witness/gun writer Massad Ayoob started that idea and it's been investigated to death. Ayoobs defense of his opinion concerns gun shot residue, not "more deadly" ammo and even his gun shot residue defense is weak. Factories change powders all the time. Lots vary, it's all dependent on reproducing exactly the conditions under which the shot was fired.

Incidentally, I asked Ayoob how much time he had working as a street cop. He wanted to send me his educational records....

I also understand that no one one wants to be the "test case", got it 100%. I'm just trying to put to death the rumor that it's common for the prosecution to bring up reloads. It's not, at all. And there has also never, ever been a case where it was argued that reloaded ammo proved any intent of any kind. Use factory if you want, but please stop repeating myth. Truth is, if you ever have to shoot anyone your life as you know it will end.

BTW- "Bullet heads" are called "bullets". There's no such thing as a bullet head. A loaded cartridge is not a bullet, it's a cartridge or round. I believe what Tony is calling a carousel is a turret press or possibly a progressive press. No ridicule intended Tony, but these things have proper names that make it far easier for people to understand what you're talking about.
 

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