Even Bother to Reload?
- Thread starter kbm6893
- Start date
zzzippper
Member
The first round costs $2000, the rest are free. Not really, but then it wouldn't be a joke.
And the "Blue Man Crew" totally rocks.
And the "Blue Man Crew" totally rocks.
sergeant 042
Member
- Joined
- Nov 10, 2009
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Even bother...
I didn't read all of the replies to your post, but from what i did read, you got a lot of good advice. If it hasn't already been said, you can look at reloading from two perspectives. The first is that you will save money by doing it yourself. The other side of the coin is that, once your initial equipment investment has been recouped by the savings, you can shoot more (often a lot more) rounds of ammo for the same amount of money you would spend on purchasing new factory ammo. I would agree with those who suggested starting with a single stage press - it's more than adequate for your current needs. If you find that the volume you shoot exceeds the amount of time you want to spend with the single stage, you can always upgrade to a turret or a progressive. Even if you do, the single stage still has a viable place on your bench for load development. You can also sell it if you find you really don't use it. With careful shopping, I'd bet you could get a quality single stage press, balance beam scale, a set of powder dippers, dies, and a few inexpensive accessories for not much over $100. Personally, I'd be fine with used equipment except for the scale and dies. Go for it!
I didn't read all of the replies to your post, but from what i did read, you got a lot of good advice. If it hasn't already been said, you can look at reloading from two perspectives. The first is that you will save money by doing it yourself. The other side of the coin is that, once your initial equipment investment has been recouped by the savings, you can shoot more (often a lot more) rounds of ammo for the same amount of money you would spend on purchasing new factory ammo. I would agree with those who suggested starting with a single stage press - it's more than adequate for your current needs. If you find that the volume you shoot exceeds the amount of time you want to spend with the single stage, you can always upgrade to a turret or a progressive. Even if you do, the single stage still has a viable place on your bench for load development. You can also sell it if you find you really don't use it. With careful shopping, I'd bet you could get a quality single stage press, balance beam scale, a set of powder dippers, dies, and a few inexpensive accessories for not much over $100. Personally, I'd be fine with used equipment except for the scale and dies. Go for it!
fredj338
Member
If you shoot 400rds every two years, I would just lay in a case of ammo & call it good. Unless you just want a nw hobby, reloading that small an amount is probably more trouble than it's worth. If you only need a box of ammo now & then, 1# of powder is good for about 1500 rds in 38sp, call it $25, 2K primers, call it $60, 1K 158grLSWC, $75, a Lee hand tool kit, maybe $30. It is slow as a postal worker, but gets the job done. A case of 38sp, maybe $250 for 5yrs of shooting at your current rate.
"Canned Heat" .38 Special 158gr Lead Semi-Wadcutter 1000pk
"Canned Heat" .38 Special 158gr Lead Semi-Wadcutter 1000pk
Something we haven't mentioned......
Buying commercial ammo limits you to what you find on the shelves and the commercial offerings are very nearly the same. I can make anything I want in any caliber I shoot. I shoot 9mm, .38/.357 and 30-06 rifle. I can load pea shooters to big boomers and everything in between with all kinds of bullets. One of my favorites are light lead bullets that shoot about 1600 fps out of my rifle and feel like shooting a .22. My family loves them.
Buying commercial ammo limits you to what you find on the shelves and the commercial offerings are very nearly the same. I can make anything I want in any caliber I shoot. I shoot 9mm, .38/.357 and 30-06 rifle. I can load pea shooters to big boomers and everything in between with all kinds of bullets. One of my favorites are light lead bullets that shoot about 1600 fps out of my rifle and feel like shooting a .22. My family loves them.
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shil
Member
If you are happy with what's available in factory ammo and shoot little enough that it doesn't become cost-prohibitive, then you might stick to factory ammo. If you want to shoot more and have a few bucks left in your jeans after you amortize your equipment cost, reload!
Reloading is just like any other adiction -- just one more round.
It's all about the BLUE and saving money on more accurate ammo. The mega-bucks savings begins when you cast your own bullets.
It's all about the BLUE and saving money on more accurate ammo. The mega-bucks savings begins when you cast your own bullets.
RobertJ.
Member
Excellent advice so far, I can only add a couple things. One, the amount of satisfaction you get when a load you've tried turns out to be extremely accurate. I recently tested a load for my Contender in .44 Magnum. A reduced load, it had about the same amount of recoil that a .38 Special has. At 10 yards offhand, average group size was about an inch. Some came close to making one ragged hole. Highly satisfying!
Also, as it's been pointed out, if you want ammo that you'll never find on a store shelf, you can load it yourself. For that same Contender, I loaded some ammo for my scoped .30-30 barrel. Now, I already have plenty of ammo for my Win. 94, but it's all flat point, due to the tubular magazine. I loaded some Hornady 150 gr. pointed soft points, and they grouped 1.5" at 50 yards, using a makeshift rest. Also highly satisfying!
I load all my ammo on an RCBS Rock Chucker, with a 505 scale, and Lee dippers, and I have since 1979. Well, actually I started with the Junior, and eventually bought a RC. I think turret presses are great, and that Dillons are wonderful machines. If I needed one I would surely have one. However, nothing beats a single stage to learn on, and for the amount of shooting that I do, they still work fine for me.
So, do your homework, shop around, be patient, and in a short time you can be putting together your own ammo.
Also, as it's been pointed out, if you want ammo that you'll never find on a store shelf, you can load it yourself. For that same Contender, I loaded some ammo for my scoped .30-30 barrel. Now, I already have plenty of ammo for my Win. 94, but it's all flat point, due to the tubular magazine. I loaded some Hornady 150 gr. pointed soft points, and they grouped 1.5" at 50 yards, using a makeshift rest. Also highly satisfying!
I load all my ammo on an RCBS Rock Chucker, with a 505 scale, and Lee dippers, and I have since 1979. Well, actually I started with the Junior, and eventually bought a RC. I think turret presses are great, and that Dillons are wonderful machines. If I needed one I would surely have one. However, nothing beats a single stage to learn on, and for the amount of shooting that I do, they still work fine for me.
So, do your homework, shop around, be patient, and in a short time you can be putting together your own ammo.
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trooplewis
Member
I reloaded a lot in the late 70's and early 80's, mostly pistol stuff and 6mm rem. It was an enjoyable hobby, but is a world in itself, and time-consuming. (I do not recommend that you try to multi-task, or even carry on a conversation with someone else, while throwing powder) I gave away my RockChucker and all my equipment and supplies about 15 years ago, never looked back.
Recently I have started shooting again, and honestly, even if I had the equipment, I don't think I would reload. It takes too much time away from family and other things I want to do, and the availability of powders is a real deal killer. I probably shoot 250 rounds a month just to burn off steam and relax by myself, but the cost doesn't bother me at all; my time is more valuable. Ammo is almost always available at the range, and I buy a lot online.
Besides that, at the end of the day, unless you are really into target shooting, a hand-loaded round or a factory round, to me there is no difference as long as they both go bang and the gun doesn't blow up. With my 6mm Rem, handloading made a huge difference at 200 yards; with 9mm, .357, and .45 rounds, not so much difference that I would really notice, especially at 21 feet.
But this is the reloading forum, so I expect to be seriously flogged for my response...
Recently I have started shooting again, and honestly, even if I had the equipment, I don't think I would reload. It takes too much time away from family and other things I want to do, and the availability of powders is a real deal killer. I probably shoot 250 rounds a month just to burn off steam and relax by myself, but the cost doesn't bother me at all; my time is more valuable. Ammo is almost always available at the range, and I buy a lot online.
Besides that, at the end of the day, unless you are really into target shooting, a hand-loaded round or a factory round, to me there is no difference as long as they both go bang and the gun doesn't blow up. With my 6mm Rem, handloading made a huge difference at 200 yards; with 9mm, .357, and .45 rounds, not so much difference that I would really notice, especially at 21 feet.
But this is the reloading forum, so I expect to be seriously flogged for my response...
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I like it because it is relaxing. I do agree that you must not have any interruptions while charging the cases with powder, especially pistol cases.
If you're loading .223 rifle rounds, it's impossible to double-charge a case (because you can see the powder up to the neck of the case when a single charge drops) but with pistol cases and low-volume, high-yield pistol powder, it is very easy to put a double charge in - and not notice - if you are not diligent. That's a recipe for disaster. Conversely I have seen other people who have put no charge in a case, and end up with a round with a primer, but no powder. In that situation, the primer may have enough power to get the bullet stuck in the barrel, and then you have another problem.
While shooting a friend's handloaded .45ACP ammo once, I got a "click" and nothing. When I ejected it, I noticed the problem. There was no primer in it. He may have charged the case, but without a primer, the powder just ran out the flash hole. I called him some choice names after that. It also made me think that if he could do that, he could double-charge a case. Needless to say, I think if you're going to shoot reloads, you need to shoot only the ones you have made, and are 100% sure of. If not, you could be putting your life in someone else's hands. For me to do that, I need to be able to trust them with my life. That's a very, very short list of people.
If you're loading .223 rifle rounds, it's impossible to double-charge a case (because you can see the powder up to the neck of the case when a single charge drops) but with pistol cases and low-volume, high-yield pistol powder, it is very easy to put a double charge in - and not notice - if you are not diligent. That's a recipe for disaster. Conversely I have seen other people who have put no charge in a case, and end up with a round with a primer, but no powder. In that situation, the primer may have enough power to get the bullet stuck in the barrel, and then you have another problem.
While shooting a friend's handloaded .45ACP ammo once, I got a "click" and nothing. When I ejected it, I noticed the problem. There was no primer in it. He may have charged the case, but without a primer, the powder just ran out the flash hole. I called him some choice names after that. It also made me think that if he could do that, he could double-charge a case. Needless to say, I think if you're going to shoot reloads, you need to shoot only the ones you have made, and are 100% sure of. If not, you could be putting your life in someone else's hands. For me to do that, I need to be able to trust them with my life. That's a very, very short list of people.
I have two rockchucker presses set up. I have only reloaded rifle in the past so two gave me a way to load rifle on a single stage press without having to change dies. Now that I have got into pistol I am sticking to the single stage presses. I can size/deprime on the 1st, flare the case mouth on the second, then change the flare die with my bullet seater die. So far it is working well. If you can find a used junior press for cheap and set it up next to another single stage press.
gunny4053
US Veteran
Reloading is a relaxing past time, and doesn't have to be expensive. If you're planning on reloading some plinking ammo, let me suggest a low cost alternative. The humble Lee Loader. I started with one for the very same purpose. I picked one up for $25, added a case trimmer, a plastic hammer, powder, primers, and bullets. I would also suggest a hand priming tool, as using a hammer to set primers will occasionally get a little exciting.
I used one of these for .38 spl, 22-250, and .45 acp, and produced some of the best ammo I've ever shot while sitting at the kitchen table.
When I decided to up grade, I picked up a Lee Classic turret press off Ebay for about $97 and $35 for each set of dies.
Just my 2 cents.
Good Luck and good shooting.
I used one of these for .38 spl, 22-250, and .45 acp, and produced some of the best ammo I've ever shot while sitting at the kitchen table.
When I decided to up grade, I picked up a Lee Classic turret press off Ebay for about $97 and $35 for each set of dies.
Just my 2 cents.
Good Luck and good shooting.
hangnoose
Member
RELOADING
After doing it so long I can't begin to fathom NOT RELOADING, unless I was only able to shoot 22's or quit shooting altogether.
After doing it so long I can't begin to fathom NOT RELOADING, unless I was only able to shoot 22's or quit shooting altogether.
05CarbonDRZ
Member
Reloading is the only way to get a stockpile like this without going broke....
