To Re-Load or Not???

[stavman11]

Ok guys.... this ADDICTION is getting serious

Now have had guns for years, Hunted etc... Buddies have reloaded for me... but never done it or seen it done

Ive heard ya can start at about $200 upto $1500 for equipement. have done some FORUM searching but got frustraded so figured i'd Start with YOU awesome guys for help

My main rd would be .223, with some 9mm and .38 special

Ive also heard anywhere from .10 to .25 to re-load.... I have started KEEPING my brass, more for a buddy, but maybe me as well

So what is some real Current costs/rd to re-load.
Plus's vs minus'

How long would it take to re-load 100rds of .223

Anyways, as always, thanks guys..... just wondering if this is something I can justify TIME wise for me.....
Sitting here on my day off. just cleaned all my guns from yesterday... and now wondering what to do...LOL

Later


Stav

 

[mosquito]

Stav,

Reloading for rifle and pistol are two complete different animals. You need a lot more equipment to load rifle than pistol. For rifle, you have to tumble the rounds first, then they should be single staged sized and deprimed (after lubing) then back in the tumbler to get the lube off, then trimmed to length, then deburred inside and outside, then primer pocket swagged and/or uniformed and then flash hole reamed. After that, you can go to the progressive press and prime (unless you hand prime beforehand) powder drop and seat the bullet!

For pistol, no trimming stuff needed. Just clean the brass in the tumbler and hit the press.

Based on average retail prices of $130.00 for 8 pounds of powder, $80.00 for 100 bullets and $30.00 for 1000 primers your cost to load 1000 rounds will be $165.80. Drop the powder down to $90.00 for surplus WC844 and get primers for around $25.00 and the cost drops to $138.40 per 1000 rounds! BTW, these reloaded rounds will shoot better and be more accurate as long as you set everything up correctly.

Don't buy garbage equipment, you will end up replacing it. I started with a Dillon 550B and have never looked back!

G

 

[stavman11]

Stav,

Reloading for rifle and pistol are two complete different animals. You need a lot more equipment to load rifle than pistol. For rifle, you have to tumble the rounds first, then they should be single staged sized and deprimed (after lubing) then back in the tumbler to get the lube off, then trimmed to length, then deburred inside and outside, then primer pocket swagged and/or uniformed and then flash hole reamed. After that, you can go to the progressive press and prime (unless you hand prime beforehand) powder drop and seat the bullet!

For pistol, no trimming stuff needed. Just clean the brass in the tumbler and hit the press.

Based on average retail prices of $130.00 for 8 pounds of powder, $80.00 for 100 bullets and $30.00 for 1000 primers your cost to load 1000 rounds will be $165.80. Drop the powder down to $90.00 for surplus WC844 and get primers for around $25.00 and the cost drops to $138.40 per 1000 rounds! BTW, these reloaded rounds will shoot better and be more accurate as long as you set everything up correctly.

Don't buy garbage equipment, you will end up replacing it. I started with a Dillon 550B and have never looked back!

G

Nice... great info

How long does it take to do 100rds.... Sounds like multiple stages.... but a ryff time would be great to know....

Thanks

Stav

 

[Gatorade]

Mosquito, that's a good summary. For those of us who are complete newbies to the subject of reloading, can you tell us what your start-up costs were (ie, how much for a good press, decent tumbler, other essential tools)? I can Google the basics (near as I can tell, buying the whole shebang off the Dillon site with dies for .223 and .243 would cost me $900), but I'm sure I'd miss something important.

Thanks

 

[oneyeopn]

I bought the lee challenger kit, it gives you everything but the dies, shell holder, case prep tools and consumables ( powder, bullets and primers) in the last couple of years I have added some handier case preparation stuff, a digital scale. I used a black and decker workmate table opened it all the way up screwed two pieces of 1/2" or pretty close to it (well glued and screwed) and made a foldable loading bench. Including my 8mm Mauser Dies and my .223 dies I have under $250 in the whole set up. It probably takes me around 3 hours to load 100 rounds but I generally do it in stages and load 2 or 3 hundred at a time, prep and prime the cases and then load and seat the bullet and then do the final crimp. It actually turns into like 4 steps, you decap (take out the old primer) and resize the case. thats the most time consuming portion of it. then you prime your cases. then you load powder and bullets I do this as one step so my powder cant draw moisture then crimp. right now as I have it figured I am loading Hornady 55 gr V-Max for .25 a shot and Hornady Z-Max for .23 a shot if I bought my components in larger quantities I could get the per shot cost down. I am using Federal 5.56 Xm193 ammo cases from a bunch of that that I bought, I am using the latest and supposedly the greatest Hodgdons CFE223 powder and Hornady Bullets and CCI #41 5.56 primers. You can dang sure do it cheaper buy using regular primers and less expensive powders, but it is a part of shooting that is really cool, especially when your loads work and you watch them nail the bullseye. Sorry this was so long winded but I know that Crracer uses the same press for pistol rounds but those I dont load. Oh I have a Grafs Tumbler, after I decap and resize, I only size once, I put them in the dishwasher to remove most of the lube then I put them in the tumbler for a couple of two or three hours. I myself make reloading a two or three day thing but that is me.

 

[oneyeopn]

I just looked up the price of a dillon 550b, just off of brian enos's store, he will sell you a Dillon 550B as it should be for $600. I know it is a great press and does a wonderful job, but $600 upfront for the press is out of a lot of peoples price ranges these days.

 

[mosquito]

On my Dillon 550B, IF I GO SLOW, I can load about 350 rounds an hour.....THAT IS FOR PISTOL ROUNDS! Once the .223 brass is prepped, it actually goes much faster....because all you are doing is really powder dropping and seating the bullet! Everyone has their own routine and timing! I personally have thousands invested in my setup because I have complete separate tool heads with Powder measures and everything set so when I want to change calibers, I pull 2 pins, swap em and off I go.

Each Complete caliber setup (the way I have it) costs about $200.00 each including the dies and the stand to sit them on. I have separate setups for: .380 ACP, .9mm, .38 Special, .357 Magnum, .45 ACP, .44 Magnum and .223. That's over $1400.00 just in those setups plus the press and all the other stuff for rifle case prep and cleaning cases! IT IS WELL WORTH THE INVESTMENT! Buy the best that you can afford and gradually buy each additional part/setup that you want/need! You will not regret it and it will pay for itself very quickly!

Glenn

 

[oneyeopn]

Sir dont get me wrong...I would love to have a nice Dillon Progressive press, just not in my budget for the next several years LOL, I was told that when a person starts reloading they should start with the simple stuff to learn what really makes a bullet work. but that is where I come from I dont mean any disrespect cause I would love to be able to load 350 in an hour.

 

[SW Gun Guy]

Sitting here on my day off. just cleaned all my guns from yesterday... and now wondering what to do...LOL

Hi Stav, If you have that free time, then you should reload. I do the KISS (keep it simple stupid) method. For my 223 I clean the cases by hand with alcohol. Then I size/deprime (so you will need dies for $35-45 and a single stage press- Mine is an old RCBS single I have had for 30 years). Then the next time I have spare time. I use a Lee tool to sit in front of the TV and clean the primer pockets. When I have time again I length size the cases with the Lee tool and holder that fits in my drill. Next, I reprime them with the Lee hand primer. Then all you have to do is add powder (I know, Lee again, but I just use their scoops) and seat the bullet. The point I am trying to make, is that the fun of it and the good feelings I get about making my own, far outweigh any time involved. That and you can do any of the stages when you have 15-20 minutes free. You don't HAVE to sit down and complete 100 or 1000 rounds each time. If you are a competitor, then you might need speed reloading equipment for pistol and higher quality for rifle. But for plinking, hunting, having fun, you can turn out some pretty darn good rounds with the most basic of equipment. PS: I do not work for Lee, just like their simplicity and low cost. Sorry this is so long.

 

[BHarada]

Although I've reloaded for pistol for a while, I just into reloading 223. In fact, I should finally be working up some rounds this evening after spending last week prepping 750 cases. The tumbling/resize-decap/tumble/swage/trim process takes a lot of time. I take comfort in knowing that I won't have to swage this brass again and only trim as needed on the future.

I should mention that I'm doing all of this on a 30 year old RCBS Junior single stage press. With all the manual steps that are needed to go through to prep rifle cases I can't see myself investing in a progressive press anytime soon. I'm just using an RCBS small base 2-dies set so no need for even a turret press at the moment.

My total investment for rifle reloading has been the set of dies ($38 from Amazon), RCBS swaging die ($41 from LGS), Lyman case trimmer ($59 from Grafs.com). This is the stuff that I didn't have but needed. I also purchases some upgrade stuff like a larger vibratory tumbler from Grafs as well as a Lee Perfect Powder Measure to replace my RCBS L'il Dandy measure.

 

[arizona98tj]

Reloading for rifle and pistol are two complete different animals. You need a lot more equipment to load rifle than pistol. For rifle, you have to tumble the rounds first, then they should be single staged sized and deprimed (after lubing) then back in the tumbler to get the lube off, then trimmed to length, then deburred inside and outside, then primer pocket swagged and/or uniformed and then flash hole reamed. After that, you can go to the progressive press and prime (unless you hand prime beforehand) powder drop and seat the bullet!

To clarify...." then primer pocket swagged and/or uniformed and then flash hole reamed" need only be performed once on the brass.

As for trimming.....my .223 brass does not stretch enough during each firing to require trimming each time I reload it. If you really want to all but eliminate the trimming step, use the X-Die resizing die from RCBS. It requires a one time trimming step, just like swagging the primer pocket or reaming the flash hole.

That being said, the brass prep is more time consuming for rifle caliber brass than it ever is for handgun caliber brass....no doubt about it.

 

[CENTURION24]

I don't reload >>yet<<
I'm a new AR owner as well. My bud swears reloading is not only 40% cheaper then store bought ammo, he also says its more accurate. I buy all my ammo for now but I'm almost at 2000 rounds fired and I save most of my brass just incase I start reloading. BTW not one hiccup so far

 

[BHarada]

Prepping rifle brass is time consuming but I take it one step at a time over the the course of a few days. I bought Imperial sizing wax and love that I can lube cases as I load them into the press rather than adding a separate lubing step to the process. Of course I love the carbide sizing dies for my pistol calipers even more. Haha.
-Bill

 

[planojack]

There is nothing like talking to a reloader. I've been doing it for 50 years and love it. A few quick comments on this site will not make up for talking to an experienced reloader. I once loaned a complete outfit with everything to reload to a friend who loves to shoot. He brought it back. It was too boring. Find someone in your area to talk to. I load and shoot several thousand rounds a year. Few people are wealthy enough to shoot that much without reloading. Message me and I will be happy to talk to you about the pros and cons.

 

[Gomizzou1954]

I bought a RCBS Rock Chucker single stage press years ago and it has done me well. I would reload in stages. Come home from range, throw brass in a cheap tumbler from Midway using crushed walnut hulls. Next day, measure brass if it was questionable for length, usully i only neck size brass for rifle and don't hot rod loads, this will keep brass from stretching too much. If length was ok, I would resize brass and back in tumbler to remove lube. Next day, sit in front of tv and hand prime brass with a cheap Lee hand primer. Next day, charge cases and put in a cheap RCBS plastic reloading tray. Then seat bullets, done. I never felt the need for a progressive because you can reload in the winter if it's too cold to shoot and l always kept up with what I shot. Also you do need to measure pistol brass for length. I've trimmed many .357mag, .44mag and .45 ACP

 

[Nathan Forrest]

Reading some of the posts makes it seem way more work intensive than it is. Flash holes don't have to be uniformed. Buy new brass and the pocket swaging is not needed. Swaging is only needed if your are reloading military brass to take the primer securing crimp off. + 1 on the RCBS X-Die and it eliminates trimming after the initial trim to make all the brass the same length. I'm on my 9th reload of some .223s. Step1 wash off range dirt dry in oven. Step2 Spray lube cases in plastic bag, shake and size (first trip thru Dillon w/ only a size die) Step3 Tumble to remove lube. Step4 Run thru Dillon again this time with a universal decapper in place of sizer to knock out walnut from flash holes. this trip thru primes, fills and seats bullet, Step 5 Shoot and repeat. +1 on getting the Dillon 550. As a beginner you can use it as a single stage till your confidence grows.

 

[rebs081]

Reloading for me is as much of a hobby as the actual shooting, I enjoy it very much and also find it very relaxing. I reload for accuracy and am in no hurry or need for a progressive press. I bought an RCBS single stage press about 20 some years ago and it still works great for me. I load mainly lake city brass and the only part I don't care for is removing the crimp from the primer pocket, but you only need to do that once.
Buy what you can afford now and get started, then find out if reloading is for you and how much reloading you will do. You can always upgrade to a progressive loader in the future if you out grow your first press.

 

[storeyteller]

You can easily get started for $200. Shop around and maybe find a used set up like I did. As for cost/rd this site is helpful Handloading Cost Calculator
I can load 100 rds in about an hour start to finish.
I suggest you ask your buddy if you could use his set up to load some and see if it is something you would like to get into. Go slow get in trouble slow...

 

[karrrhu3]

Nice... great info

How long does it take to do 100rds.... Sounds like multiple stages.... but a ryff time would be great to know....

Thanks

Stav

I'd say 15-20 minutes with a progressive press, provided that you have the dies set up already and the brass is tumbled and visually checked. You won't reload that few in one go, better load 500-1000 in one go once you have the recipe sorted out.

I have a simple single die press for revolver stuff and use Dillon 550B for "mass consumed" ammo like 9mm, .45acp... no .223 yet on the list but shouldn't be too different with once-shot or pretrimmed brass.

Presses that autoindex and have stuff like case or bullet feeders are way faster. 400-500 rounds an hour with a 550B is the norm.

 

[rixx]

I have been researching reloading for about a month. You might want to look at the promotion hornady has going, where you get 500 free bullets with the purchase of their AP press. Plus another 100 each for purchase of the caliber die sets. So if you got the AP press $386, and three caliber dies @ 40$ each, you'd have 800 bullets in your choice of caliber.

My plan is to get a die and a shell plate a month for my reloading initial setup (9mm, 45ACP, .223) and get the press later this year or when I can find it on sale.

FYI, the free bullets promo ends 12/31 but they had a similar promo last year so they may have another one for 2k13.