My experience & opinion as to costs of reloading now days.

Gather App
Guns.com Vault
The Kid said:
I buy reloaded ammo at estate sales and gunshops quite regularly. I don’t shoot any of it but it’s often so cheap that it’s worth it to buy it a pull it down for the components.
I’m currently working on a big batch of 308 ammo a friend bought during the Obama scare. It’s loaded in mixed brass by some yahoo at a small gunshop and it’s way over pressure. He was going to toss it all and gave it to me. So I’ve been pulling bullets with my inertia puller. It’s a slow process but I’ll end up with a few hundred 168 Amax bullets and a bunch of primed brass I can sort and work with by brand.
I have a few thousand 38 reloads awaiting the same treatment. The SWCs will get melted and repoured in my molds but the brass and primers will be fine the way they are.
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This is a good idea...

Just remember:
Toss your removed powder. Garden, or CARFULL burn..
Completely Full Length size your brass.
Are you going to trust the old primers??-Quality-Brand??

Do not just remove the projectile, dump the powder, and re-install the projectile...Bill.
 
Alfred C said:
Reloading is not for everyone, in fact it is not for everyone that wants to reload. There are many factor to consider before getting started. The factors that come to mind are: - Do you think you will really enjoy reloading? - Are you ready to put out the $$ to get started? - How much do you really shoot? What is your break even point? - Do you have a dedicated space to set up a dedicated reloading bench and space? - Do you have the mental aptitude to give reloading? You MUST have the ability to pay attention to details!!! - What are your goals for reloading? Long range rifle ammo, practice ammo, or just to have extra ammo?? These are just some of the factor to consider before embarking into reloading. For me, I really enjoy making my ammo. I found that it took me about 3 years of reloading about 5,000 rounds to break even on costs. I buy good quality equipment, and good to excellent components for reloading. This is an excellent thread to gain information before getting started. Best wishes to all that decide to reload!!!
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Good advice except for the dedicated space and bench.

I’m in a condo now so I use a foldable work bench with my Lee App press.

As for the rest of your conditions yes, I do enjoy reloading but, more importantly, I shoot .41 Magnums so I MUST reload.

IMG_2136.webp
 
RMFnLA said:
As for the rest of your conditions yes, I do enjoy reloading but, more importantly, I shoot .41 Magnums so I MUST reload.

View attachment 868036
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Hey, brother! Just loaded 150 41 mag this week!

I also use a lot of 45 Auto Rim with 250-255 grain LSWC which do not exist in factory form. But I load lots of 40 S&W, 38 spl, and 357 as well, with fewer 7.62x39 and even fewer 405 JESS (this wildcat also not available absent handloads).
 
I buy shotshells, 9mm, and rimfire. Everything else is worth handloading either because it's significantly cheaper than factory or I want to tune the load to the purpose.
 
fatmanranch said:
Maybe practice some more with the Lee hand press. After using it a while you get a rhythm.
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Please, due respect, but I'll have to take your word on it! ;)
Reloading can be entertaining and satisfying. An actual benched press, even if on a temporary mount, as some PPs have noted, goes a long way in that direction.
Best,
Moon
 
Back in the middle of the COVID panic-hoarding era, I couldn't find any 9mm ammo. While visiting my parents, I was complaining about this lack of availability, and mentioned that I should learn to reload. My stepdad, who is an avid hunter and gun guy, said that if I could find a reloading press, he'd buy it for me as a Christmas gift. I took this as an offhand comment, but he persisted and I started looking around. There weren't many to be found, but I did find one Hornady Lock n Load AP press...and that ended up being my gift that Christmas.

As production and availability started to increase, I began picking up primers, powder an miscellaneous components needed to reload - although I hadn't even put the press together. Last weekend, I finally completed the assembly, but I still haven't adjusted the dies. I've got a few other components to buy (various shell plates and other dies), but when I get it completed, I plan to start cranking out ammo.

I'm not going to do this because I want to save money, but because I want to learn the process and possibly have a new hobby. I also want to learn to reload because I never again want to find the enjoyment of my shooting hobby at the mercy of political or economic fluctuations.
 
I have reported before how used equipment is not often found locally. Well, today's gun show proved me wrong.

First of all, the show was awesome. I would guess at least 30% more tables than usual, good revolvers were there is high numbers, and one vendor had 6 tables of used presses.

Most of the presses looked like junk. I only looked at the price tag on a Rock Chucker. It was corroded and had paint chips. I would not have even considered buying it. $250.00

A brand new Lee "kit" is still the best buy.
 
GypsmJim said:
I have reported before how used equipment is not often found locally. Well, today's gun show proved me wrong.

First of all, the show was awesome. I would guess at least 30% more tables than usual, good revolvers were there is high numbers, and one vendor had 6 tables of used presses.

Most of the presses looked like junk. I only looked at the price tag on a Rock Chucker. It was corroded and had paint chips. I would not have even considered buying it. $250.00

A brand new Lee "kit" is still the best buy.
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I would have guessed it would be fairly easy to get decent equipment for a good price at a gun show, based on past experience. Some years ago, reloading equipment didn't bring much at gun shows; definitely a buyer's market. I don't recall ever seeing "junk" equipment. Perhaps things have changed.
 
CherryRiver said:
JiminMaine, I was having a nice calm morning until I got to the part about tossing linotype overboard.
If you posted that on CastBoolits the trauma would extend for thousands of miles.
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It always amazed me at what "Went over the side" because it wasn't worth bring back or they didn't have room to store it to bring back.

GypsmJim
My Dad was a Graphic Artist and Printer. The plates he used were monotype, not linotype. The hardness was similar. Many of the advertising agencies he worked with did not want the plates back, so he brought them home. He knew I would help him dispose of them.

We called it linotype, could have been monotype. It was heavier like lead, but harder. We didn't have a way to test the hardness. I made good bullets that shot well.
 
biku324 said:
Hey, brother! Just loaded 150 41 mag this week!

I also use a lot of 45 Auto Rim with 250-255 grain LSWC which do not exist in factory form. But I load lots of 40 S&W, 38 spl, and 357 as well, with fewer 7.62x39 and even fewer 405 JESS (this wildcat also not available absent handloads).
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Not to hijack the thread, but what powder(s) do you use for the .41?

I have a bunch of Blue Dot, but apparently using that in .41 Mag triggers the Apocalypse or something...
 
RMFnLA said:
Not to hijack the thread, but what powder(s) do you use for the .41?

I have a bunch of Blue Dot, but apparently using that in .41 Mag triggers the Apocalypse or something...
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I use Unique or W231. Just shot a bunch this morning.
 
I enjoy it............Today in my little ammunition factory.......I started up the casting on the left end of the bench.......Started sizing(new brass)-belling-priming 480 brass on the right end........Cast a handful of 480 cal. 400 grain bullets......While they were cooling I put the powder(20 grs of H110) in the hulls........Sized the 480's @.476 dia.........Then loaded the ammo.........Had 23 ea 444 Marlin hulls ready to go........So I put 42.5 grs of H4198 in each and topped them with a Hornady 300 gr HP................About and hour and 45 min. work.
I keep my Mecs(3 presses) 12-20-410 set of for a specifc powder & shot charge.......Yesterday I poured #2400 & #8 shot in 410 loader and in about 20 min had loaded 2 boxes of 3 in 410's.
I really enjoy reloading and haven't killed a deer with a factory load in 30 years.
One thing for sure.......I ain't running out off of ammunition.
 
BE Mike said:
I started with a .38 SPL Lee Loader in about 1971. It kept me out of the bars at night!;) I have to add that I was as ignorant about the process as anyone could be. The Lee Loader was a great education.
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Your education included 1 primer POP at a time, you just never knew when. My Lee loader was 30-06 caliber, 2 primers later it morphed into a RockChucker.

I have my cast bullets, jacketed bullets, buckets of brass, 35# of assorted powder, and ~28K primers large & small of rifle and pistol, plus all the casting and reloading equipment. This money is spent and gone into inventory. Not 1¢ from next pension check needs to be spent on anything related to ammo acquisition. Therefore the next 28,000 rounds of ammunition are FREE compared to buying the next box of factory ammo on sale -- even at 75% off.
 
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Engineer1911 said:
Your education included 1 primer POP at a time, you just never knew whew\n. My Lee loader was 30-06 caliber, 2 primers later it morphed into a RockChucker.

I have my cast bullets, jacketed bullets, buckets of brass, 35# of assorted powder, and ~28K primers large & small of rifle and pistol, plus all the casting and reloading equipment. This money is spent and gone into inventory. Not 1¢ from next pension check needs to be spent on anything related to ammo acquisition. Therefore the next 28,000 rounds of ammunition are FREE compared to buying the next box of factory ammo on sale -- even at 75% off.
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I never popped a primer with the Lee Loader. I don't drink and drive, reload nor handle firearms. I do follow instructions carefully and never used Federal primers IIRC.
 
My first loader was a Leeloader for 38/357. Estate auction item I talked dad into bidding $5 on. An older friend who was an experienced reloader set me up with the proper dipper, a partial can of W231, and a couple flats of Fed100 primers, I scrounged up enough for a box of Speer bullets.

I remember the ringing ears, powder burned and stinging fingertips when I got a little overzealous with the mallet on the primer seating like it was yesterday. Safety squints required!
 
6string said:
There is a bigger issue at play here.
For me, the question of reloading vs shooting factory ammo is a little like cooking.
How many people are willing to say, “I don’t need to know how to cook. It’s easier just to go through the drive-thru at the local fast food chain.”
OK, fine…would you like fries with that?

Well, I like fresh ingredients and eating real food. I like knowing what I’m eating. And, if I can grow something myself, even better! I like making special dishes I can’t get at the local “styrofoam plate and paper napkin” eatery.

Same with what I shoot.
I load the cartridges I decided work best for my tastes, to shoot out of the guns I like best, (mostly stuff made during the last century). I like to cast my own bullets to fit my own guns. And, when I need more, I just melt some more lead. And, if primers and powder are an issue, there’s always a good muzzleloader.
I don’t need to be told “we have all the ammo you want, as long as it’s 5.56, 9mm, 40 this, 6.5 that” by some guy at the tactical big box store. In fact, I prefer to not even partonize any so-called gun store that doesn’t serve a reloading clientele.

I’d go so far as to say that I am very concerned about the contemporary gun industry. They don’t want knowledgeable gun owners. They’d rather have a customer base of gullible, pliant, and dependent consumers whose “information” consists of little more than easily regurgitated advertising talking points.
Here endeth my rant! 😉
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I like your comment about the "so-called gun store that doesn’t serve a reloading clientele". Here in Kenosha, WI Mission 94 opened a very nice shop/range. I bought a gun there and their "gunsmith" worked on an old shotgun of mine. (That's another story.) Anyway, I shoot K frame revolvers and reload all that ammunition. Their range prices are high but I decided to spend 30 minutes filling out their online paperwork to shoot. When I walked up to the range counter to get a lane, there was a prominent sign stating that reloaded ammunition was not allowed. I won't be shooting there for sure.
 
Jeff Napoleoni said:
I like your comment about the "so-called gun store that doesn’t serve a reloading clientele". Here in Kenosha, WI Mission 94 opened a very nice shop/range. I bought a gun there and their "gunsmith" worked on an old shotgun of mine. (That's another story.) Anyway, I shoot K frame revolvers and reload all that ammunition. Their range prices are high but I decided to spend 30 minutes filling out their online paperwork to shoot. When I walked up to the range counter to get a lane, there was a prominent sign stating that reloaded ammunition was not allowed. I won't be shooting there for sure.
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It's their range, but it makes me wonder if there are any real reasons to deny reloads. Do they think that you're going to blow the whole place up? The indoor range where I go, only allows their factory reloads in their rental guns. I can understand the reasoning behind that. They don't allow any ammo with steel cases or bullets. I can see where having steel cases ejected onto a concrete floor with unburned powder laying about could be a fire concern, so there's that.
 
I started handloadung about 4 years before the great lie and can just barely remember the really reasonable prices for things like primers and powders etc.
I began loading long range ammo for a Mk12 rifle because the BHA mk262 round even back then was quite expensive. That quickly expanded to 10mm and then 44spl and 44mag and finally the 6.8SPC, all quite pricey and most were hard to find in my ao.
When I first started I did what I think alot of people do and went hog wild with my buying, but in this case at least it turned out to be a big asset because Im still loading and shooting powders and primers I bought for far better prices than are seen today. Im thankful for that.
 
Started reloading in the early 70’s to save money .38 special and .357 also shotgun shells.
Then when we started big game hunting found out we could load ammo specifically for our rifles to get premium billets and better accuracy at a lower cost.
Now with my state mandating non lead ammo and no online sales it is the only why to get non lead ammo for some vintage firearms have you ever seen non lead loaded .300 savage or 30/40 krag etc.
Don’t need to get the tin foil hat out to realize if the state makes it harder for you to by ammo to hunt some people wil stop hunting no hunting no need for guns in some people’s mind
 
The freedom to live is taken away one step at a time until it is gone. Calif has done everything it can to restrict firearms and the enjoyment of trap, target and hunting. If you control ammo you control guns. They've already reached that area. They are going to stop having gas water heaters in Sonoma County. Because the supervisors have all bought into the war on CO2, the single most important gas on earth. When they changed the name from "Global Warming" to "Climate Change" that was a big clue folks..... CO2 is currently at 429 ppm if it drops to 200 all plants and the oceans die. That's where we get our oxygen, the CO2/Oxygen exchange and the plants are what we eat. If I have a gas Water heater and stove, when the power goes out I can still live. The power goes out constantly. But the idiots running things are happy. The complainers still vote for these Buffoons.
 
Dave Haynes said:
When they changed the name from "Global Warming" to "Climate Change" that was a big clue folks.....
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Global Warming was an Al Gore thing.

I just read a story that Al is now saying that we might be going into another ice age.

If you can't make money on outdated theories, just invent a new theory.
 
GypsmJim said:
Global Warming was an Al Gore thing.

I just read a story that Al is now saying that we might be going into another ice age.

If you can't make money on outdated theories, just invent a new theory.
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He was around back in the 70's, we were all supposed to freeze to death back then too...
 
One of the regulars on Thursday at the indoor range, stopped reloading 5 years ago. He recently bought a new S&W model 25 Classic in 45 Colt. Then this last Thursday he shows up with a Nickeled 25-5. He has been giving me his brass as he empties it. Told me after he finished Thursday he was going to shoot 9 mm for a while because the 45 colt is $35 a box. Using his empties, I am loading for under $6 a box with my inexpensive components, figure it will go to $12-$13 at today's component pricing including plated bullets. Big reason for him to get back into reloading. I only load for myself and my brother for liability purposes.
 
I am just headed back into reloading. I loaded bullets for 20+ years, and then went to 12ga shotshells for 25 years, to the tune of about 25K rounds a year. But things were cheap. I could load a box of 12ga for under 2 bucks a box. Not now, and a major reason I do not shoot clay targets anymore.

I got a Thompson Contender in 223 with a 22LR barrel and a 22 Hornet barrel. I am going to load the Hornet and for a 222 rifle I have. But it is more about the Hornet. (mm and 223 probably wont pay to reload. I have a 22-250 I may reload for if cost effective. Have not shot the rifle in close to 50 years. I know I have brass for it.

I think the hornet will be a lot of fun from a pistol. The Dillon press is gone, and all that remains is an old Lyman Spar-T, but that is good enough. Ebay is your friend for used dies etc
 
Recent emails from some retailers and from bulk sellers show that prices have slipped down a bit. But it's never going to be the good old days.
At least I have enough 38, 357, 44 spl, 44 mag, and 45 Colt components, powders, and primers to last a long time. Generally I can load 100 of any of them for around $20.00, as long as I'm using my old stored components.
I have enough Bullseye powder, and Hornady, custom coated casts, and Berry's HBWC's to last a lifetime.
Cowboy loads for my 44's and 45 SA's, not as long. They use a lot more powder, and different brands.
 
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