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

The reason I posted this thread is because it often comes up as a question from Newbies. I guess some new to our hobby think they can save lots and lots of money by rolling their own. Maybe this will help a few who read this.
When people are shooters they need to realize is this a lifelong hobby or just a passing interest.

My dad started reloading in the 1960s. 20 rounds for his hunting rifle annually. So a 8# keg of IMR 4350 and a brick of primers gave him a lifetime supply of hunting ammo. I would not recommend today for anyone to do that.

Rolling my own I get three or four times more shooting than if I went with store bought. That was especially handy when I shot in competition.
 
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I have been reloading for 50 years. At first, it was about saving money. But it very quickly became making EXACTLY what I wanted to shoot.
 
Well it's a good excuse to get out and shoot more. I'm still reloading .38 special target loads which you cannot buy and I'm reloading 9mm because I can't get the bullet I want.
 
I'm different than most posts here, I'm 78 years old been shooting since grammar school and just started reloading last year. Always thought about it but never took it up till I wanted to shoot my savage 99 in 300 savage a little more. Got a RCBS rockchucker kit and some reloading manuals and been having fun ever since. Not into recoil much anymore so been reloading 300 savage, 30/30 and 30/06 light loads. Had a Ruger security six , blackhawk and Marlin 1894 in .357 mag and since have added a S&W 27, Colt King Cobra and Rossi 92 all in .357 mag. Reload mild loads for those. With plated bullets for the 30/30 and .357 you sure can reload cheaper than factory. Same with light loads with 125 grain bullets for the 300 savage and 30/06.
So it's never too early or late to start reloading. Not nearly as hard as I thought it would be. In the last year I've cranked out over eight thousand .357 rounds. So not really saving money but shooting a lot more and fortunate to be able to shoot off my back porch.
 
I'm different than most posts here, I'm 78 years old been shooting since grammar school and just started reloading last year. Always thought about it but never took it up till I wanted to shoot my savage 99 in 300 savage a little more. Got a RCBS rockchucker kit and some reloading manuals and been having fun ever since. Not into recoil much anymore so been reloading 300 savage, 30/30 and 30/06 light loads. Had a Ruger security six , blackhawk and Marlin 1894 in .357 mag and since have added a S&W 27, Colt King Cobra and Rossi 92 all in .357 mag. Reload mild loads for those. With plated bullets for the 30/30 and .357 you sure can reload cheaper than factory. Same with light loads with 125 grain bullets for the 300 savage and 30/06.
So it's never too early or late to start reloading. Not nearly as hard as I thought it would be. In the last year I've cranked out over eight thousand .357 rounds. So not really saving money but shooting a lot more and fortunate to be able to shoot off my back porch.
Outstanding!!!!

RIck
 
I have been loading since 1976.
Now days I load and shoot 90% cast bullets. That I make and PC. That’s as cheap as it gets now days.
I am always on the hunt for components. I have 20,000 primers and 30 lbs of powder on hand. Plus 300 lbs of lead for casting. But always looking for more.
I have been playing the long game since the 80’s
 
I have been loading since 1976.
Now days I load and shoot 90% cast bullets. That I make and PC. That’s as cheap as it gets now days.
I am always on the hunt for components. I have 20,000 primers and 30 lbs of powder on hand. Plus 300 lbs of lead for casting. But always looking for more.
I have been playing the long game since the 80’s
Topnotch! you've got me beat by a pretty good margin,

RIck
 
Sometimes reloading is just a hobby or related gun event all of it's own that just adds to the hunting or reloading experience. Sometimes it is not related to cost or accuracy at all, just a pleasant event that rounds out the role of guns in your life.

My best buddy (RIP) was a surgeon who left 110 guns when he passed, many high value items. He reloaded large amounts of his hunting guns, 300 Wby, 375 H and H,, 458, 45-70, etc. He even reloaded a 380 Plus P, pushing a 90 grain bullet to over 1,200 fps for use only in the Sig and Walther PP platforms. And many other calibers. He was wealthy and cost just was not an issue. I taught him to shoot and hunt and got him into reloading myself, about 1972 it just became a passion for him.

My hunting club of 16 guys had 4 doctors and dentists in the group, they all reloaded, it was just a hunting guy thing. Interesting, in that group, none of them were about the money. As long as accuracy was decent, they were good to go. There was always some discussion about the latest bullet, the Accubond was one that everybody wanted and not always available on the market, so reloading was a quick way to have them in your gun. Four of us fired the 257 Weatherby, and for a while, those loaded with the Accubond in factory ammo were $90 or more for 20, shipped and taxed over $5 each. To reload them was simple and about 90 cents each. I still have a few, Are they better than any cup and core bullet on game? I dunno, I have killed over a dozen with the 257 and the factory ammo, which is loaded by Norma with the Hornady 100 grain standard bullet, all were big deer and all were one shot out to 403 yards.

I just enjoy cranking out a pile of ammo equal to factory ammo knowing it will shoot 1/2 inch groups. The fact that it is cheap is just fine too. Here is a pic of some of my stash, 117 grain bullets that will shoot under 1/2 inch in that gun. I did nothing special, just basic reloading methods, and of course, I weigh the powder for each round and I did anneal about 100 rounds in that batch.

Annealed257.jpg


Just saying, it is not always about cost or accuracy. And the second picture is a mix of my 45-70 with some 405 grain and some 350 grain, in nickel cases, look nice, huh?

45-70Reloads.jpg


And this last picture of the Smith and Wesson model 60 shows two types of ammo. The big ones are Federal factory 180 grain ammo, a thumper in that little gun. The short ones were made for a grand daughter for practice in her small J frame, Intended to be lightly loaded and soft on recoil, similar to a 380. The goal was to improve her shooting of the tiny gun but without the recoil of the 38 or 38 Plus P. Simple solution. I just ordered 100 38 Short Colt brass from Starline. She sees them and she immediately knows they are light recoil and has less concern.

Competition shooters in the 357 class handguns, load the 38 Short Colt to 357 pressures, the cases are the same per Starline, the short cases eject quicker for reloads, which matters in competition. So if you do that you must keep them separate from all other ammo and know what you doing. They would be fine in this model 60 J Frame, but not in any 38 rated J Frame if they are loaded to 357 pressures.

Sometimes reloading gives you the options like that. And it is not about cost or accuracy.

357model6038sw.jpg
 
One can, of course tailor the load to the gun. I made up reduced charge loads for the Mosin M38 carbine so I wouldn't get the horrendous recoil and flash from the full charge round.
Cast bullets in the 98k I had worked far better than FMJs ever did.
 
I don't reload . Never will . No matter how many times these same talking points are regurgitated it will not change my mind . I think it's a fantastic hobby for those people that have a genuine interest in it . I'm not that guy .
 
Our local steel mill had that problem, back when it was operating at all. Unemployment compensation kept the skilled workers in town through the layoff, then back they went. The government (us) was subsidizing continuous production. It may be the ammo companies work the same way.
Been reloading since the mid '70s, got a Dillon 550 in the mid '80s; greatest thing since sliced bread. Primarily a handgunner, and straightwall cartridges are bunches simpler. I've reloaded 5.56 and .308, but it's tedious by comparison.
A buddy just got a Smith .32H&R mag, likes to shoot it, doesn't like ammo prices. I've been leading him down the beginning process of reloading, as a buddy did for me.
BTW, started out with handcast Lyman 'bean cans', each with a big scoop of Lyman lube from the lubricator sizer. Most of the guys in our .38 league did the same; the smoke level, in our indoor range, was pretty bad during rapid fire.
Not worth loading 9s right now, but about everything else is cheaper with a progressive press.
Moon
Why? 🤔
 
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