To Re-Load or Not???

[mosquito]

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.

As good as that sounds.....once you start reloading you will find that 800 bullets is nothing! Don't buy equipment based solely on getting a small amount of reloading components. 800 bullets is 2 hours of loading on a progressive press.

The other thing to note to anybody reading this who wants to get into reloading is: you have to buy components in bulk, if you really want to save money! I buy bullets and primers in the 10's of thousands at a time and yesterday alone, 64 pounds of powder was received for me and a few buddies to split just for .223 loading! Get together with some friends and buy components in bulk quantities. You will save a bundle!

To give you an idea on powder yield: 1 pound of powder is 7000 grains. If you load .9mm with lets say 4.0 grains of a specific powder, you will get 1750 rounds out of that 1 pound. For .223, I use 24 grains so that one pound (different powder, of course) yields only 291 rounds. Quite a difference!

G

 

[stavman11]

Man lots of info for sure....

Thanks guys

So what to do... Looks like just under $900 from Brian Enos he's in tempe AZ like 25 minutes from me)


what about BEST options for Sundries.. bullets, Powder, Primer, etc.....

Thinking .223 at 1st and then some 9mm and .38s/357 later


wanna get a good handle on the $$$ and investments to really look at this.....

Sounds like Fun and something i would enjoy

Thanks again guys

Stav

 

[rixx]

thanks mosquito, that is good advice. i've put a feeler out to my local buddies on someone to go in as a reloading buddy but got little traction.

i'm across the street from wideners but can't find reloading buddies. WTH!

 

[mosquito]

Man lots of info for sure....

Thanks guys

So what to do... Looks like just under $900 from Brian Enos he's in tempe AZ like 25 minutes from me)


what about BEST options for Sundries.. bullets, Powder, Primer, etc.....

Thinking .223 at 1st and then some 9mm and .38s/357 later


wanna get a good handle on the $$$ and investments to really look at this.....

Sounds like Fun and something i would enjoy

Thanks again guys

Stav

Stav,

I would not start with .223. Start with pistol! It is much easier, quicker and less expensive. You do not need to do any case prep other than tumbling them clean! Once you learn your press and how to reload pistol rounds, rifle will be much easier to do AND to understand!

G

 

[mosquito]

thanks mosquito, that is good advice. i've put a feeler out to my local buddies on someone to go in as a reloading buddy but got little traction.

i'm across the street from wideners but can't find reloading buddies. WTH!

I buy from many different sources. The absolute lowest price that I have ever found on lead bullets (which is what I mostly shoot due to cost and some indoor club/range requirements) is bulletsdirect.com Matt is a great guy, his product is great and he is much less expensive than anyone else that I have been able to find, and I have searched! My buddies and I have bought probably 100,000 bullets from him and I have not had a single bad issue! Tell him Glenn from Long Island sent you!

G

 

[Capt Crunch]

I reload .45 and .45 LC but I normally end up using those in my Governor. I just have a simple Lee hand press, it's ok but actually when you get all said and done you really only save about 33% and if you figure in how valuable your time is...well... doesn't exactly pay off (well, maybe for the Long Colt ). Anyhow, for an AR however, with how finicky they are on ammo, no I don't think I would do it. Certainly not with a hand press and I don't have the cash to invest 1500 bucks into a reloading system that cost more than my actual rifle.

 

[stavman11]

I reload .45 and .45 LC but I normally end up using those in my Governor. I just have a simple Lee hand press, it's ok but actually when you get all said and done you really only save about 33% and if you figure in how valuable your time is...well... doesn't exactly pay off (well, maybe for the Long Colt ). Anyhow, for an AR however, with how finicky they are on ammo, no I don't think I would do it. Certainly not with a hand press and I don't have the cash to invest 1500 bucks into a reloading system that cost more than my actual rifle.

Some of my thoughts are just that... My Time mainly....


Still thinking this one thru.... and as always... YOU guys rock....


Need my BULK ammo to arrive to shoot this weekend and decide MORE if I need to EXPAND my addiction more


LOL


Stav

 

[storeyteller]

Bulk ammo is the better way to go IF you are just plinking and accuracy isn't that important. I use my AR for hunting and am confident out to 400yds with it. No way I would ever attempt that with bulk ammo. I also use a single feed insert when shooting reloads, the longer, heavier bullets won't fit in the mag and it helps me to slow down and concentrate on the ones that will. If I just want to pull the trigger and hear the gun go boom I shoot bulk. If I want what I'm shooting at to have a precisely placed 22 caliber hole in it I shoot reloads. We all have different opinions as well as different budgets. $900 to $1500 sounds insane to me but is walking around $ to someone else. Lee has a 4 hole turret press kit for less than $200. I have the same one that I bought used and it works flawlessly. Is is a RCBS, Dillon or Lyman? Absolutely not but it works for me. (Kinda the same reason I got a Smith instead of a Les Baer)

 

[xICEMANx]

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

I can help here since I just started reloading. Here is everything I bought.

Equipment
Hornady Lock n Load Progressive press-$425 Cabelas(on sale)
Dies-$ around $30-$40 per caliber
Tumbler-$50 Cabelas
Media-$19
Digital Scale-Franklin Arsenal-$25
Digital Calipers-$25 Cabelas
Primer Plates-$7-8 each
Loading Blocks-$7-8 each
Lee Zip Trim-$35(you need some sort of case trimmer for rifle rounds)
Lee .223&.308 shell holder and case length gauge-$5 each
Lee Primer pocket Cleaner-$3
Lee Deburrer tool-$5

Components
Bullets-buy in bulk and save$$$ this varies greatly by caliber
Powder-$18 ish per pound if you buy a 1lb at at time.
Primers-$25-$30 per 1000
Brass-free. I pick up at the range and re-use my own

I started with 9mm. Easy to load. Like others have said it's much faster than rifle.

Rifle rounds just have more prep involved. Once you prep some brass it should be as quick as loading rifle, especially on a progressive press.

 

[mosquito]

I reload .45 and .45 LC but I normally end up using those in my Governor. I just have a simple Lee hand press, it's ok but actually when you get all said and done you really only save about 33% and if you figure in how valuable your time is...well... doesn't exactly pay off (well, maybe for the Long Colt ). Anyhow, for an AR however, with how finicky they are on ammo, no I don't think I would do it. Certainly not with a hand press and I don't have the cash to invest 1500 bucks into a reloading system that cost more than my actual rifle.

Capt,

If you are only saving 33% on .45 ACP and .45 Colt, then you must be buying components at retail, in small quantities and at very high prices!

An 8 pound jug of Titegroup can be found on the Web at $105.00 to $110.00. Buy a few different 8 pound jugs and/or get 3, 4 or 5 buddies to go in and absorb the shipping/Hazmat fees and you are looking at "maybe" $120.00 for 8 pounds. That's $15.00 per pound. I buy 230 gr., .45 ACP Lead Bullets from bulletsdirect.com for around $80.00 per thousand and Primers can be had (along with your powder shipment for "MAX" $25.00 per thousand! At these prices (which are high) the cost to load a box of 50 rounds of .45 ACP is $5.71. GARBAGE .45 ACP on sale here is over $20.00 a box. That is a 70% savings! And BTW, I use titegroup to load .380 ACP, .9mm, .38 Special, .357 Magnum, .45 ACP and it can be used for .45 Colt!

AR's finicky????? That gun (at least the 5 I own) will shoot anything I feed them AND, my reloads cost 1/2 the price of "bulk" factory ammo and shoot much better!
G

 

[karrrhu3]

Capt,

If you are only saving 33% on .45 ACP and .45 Colt, then you must be buying components at retail, in small quantities and at very high prices!

The prices in Finland mirror your insight.

Here, the cheapest 9mm ammo costs over 20 cents a piece. I can reload it using the cheapest components at 13-14 cents a piece. That's 33% savings...

With .45acp the savings are dramatic: cheapest factory .45acp is about 37cents a piece. I can reload it at 19-20cents a piece, provided that I have empty brass. Almost 50% savings.

Also, most factory ammo seems to be loaded pretty "hot" for marketing purposes. I like my loads mild for a variety of reasons.

I haven't started loading rifle ammo yet because for hunting the best ammo in the world is widely available here (Lapua/Sako) and you don't shoot that many of those... and the cheapest brass case .223 (Sellier&Bellot) works fine in my S&W AR. I mostly spend 7.62x39 rifle ammo in SKS and AKs and the surplus stuff is so cheap there is no reason to reload it either...

 

[stavman11]

Looks like i have a FRIEND who works at Dillon... and yes, they are about 25miles from me

So...........

Looks like some Re Loading is in my FUTURE!!!

FUn Times ahead


Stav

 

[Ralph G. Briscoe]

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.

I also use an old RCBS jr...bought in 1976, and RCBS scale and Ohaus powder measure of similar vintage--that stuff lasts forever. I wore out a Thumler's tumbler and now have a cheap Midway vibratory tumbler that works fine. I've loaded 30-06, .35 Rem, .223, .38 super, .45 acp, .38/.357 and .32 long/HandR. I'll put it this way....if you don't reload you're missing out on half the fun of the shooting sports, and spending more than you need to on ammo. A chronograph adds a lot to the fun as well. Go for it!

 

[David LaPell]

You don't need to spend a fortune to get into reloading, I know alot of guys might cringe when they read this but I really love using Lee equipment. I have a Lee Challenger press, Lee dies, I have an RCBS scale, a Lyman case trimmer and a few other basic things, but for about $300 you can get up and running. I have loaded untold hundreds of rounds of .38 Special and .357, alot of .45 Colt and then .41 Magnum, .44 Magnum, .44 Special and .22 Hornet, all on a $60 press with dies that cost $25 for a set. If you get the Lee .38/.357 dies get the set of four with the separate crimp die, trust me its easier.

 

[thumbs]

You don't need to spend a fortune to get into reloading, I know alot of guys might cringe when they read this but I really love using Lee equipment. I have a Lee Challenger press, Lee dies, I have an RCBS scale, a Lyman case trimmer and a few other basic things, but for about $300 you can get up and running. I have loaded untold hundreds of rounds of .38 Special and .357, alot of .45 Colt and then .41 Magnum, .44 Magnum, .44 Special and .22 Hornet, all on a $60 press with dies that cost $25 for a set. If you get the Lee .38/.357 dies get the set of four with the separate crimp die, trust me its easier.

I also like the Lee stuff. I have had great luck with their stuff and it does the job just fine. I use the Classic Turret Press. You can use it as a single stage or progressive. Yes rifle is a bit more labor than pistol but like was stated before it's a hobby. I also load for accuracy. Yes I save 10 to 15 cents a round. Now that is the cheap brass store bought stuff. If you shoot steel case it's much less, a few cents. You can load using better components and save that from the off the shelf stuff. I am still in the process of tuning my load but I can say already, open sights, I have cut my groups in half using hand loads over store bought. I don't count my time I enjoy it. Truthfully it will take you a long time to "save" money reloading. Even with modest equipment at 15 cents a round it will take a while unless you go through hundreds of rounds every time you go out. Remember even at a hundred round you saved only 15 bucks. Anyway it's fun. If your reloading just to plink then buy your ammo and give me the brass. LOL

 

[Neumann]

You can always use a single-stage press, even if you have a progressive press too. Working up a load, pulling bullets and short runs (<100) are best done that way. Still, you should be thinking ahead to a progressive press, especially with .223 and 9 mm, which you will probably shoot a lot. It all boils down to time.

With a single stage press, you are lucky to turn out 100 rounds/hour, and half that is more typical. With a Dillon 550b, you can turn out 300 rounds/hour without breaking a sweat, and 400/hour is not unreasonable. I accumulate 250 or more empty cases and load them up before switching to another caliber. If I get bored at the computer (I work at home), I'll run down to the basement and load up 100 rounds for a change of pace.

 

[oberon]

Loading your own ammo is easy, cheap, and you can tailor your rounds to work really well. You don't need a lot of expensive equipment. If you get so you shoot 600 or a thousand rounds each weekend, then a progressive will help cut down on time, but otherwise a crappy little single stage will make good ammo.
I am using equipment I bought 35= years ago. I also have an assortment of real old equipment bought on the cheap, and it works just fine.
Now you gotta do it......

 

[gunfighter48]

I used a Lee turret press for 12 years and it worked just fine. Once the cases were prepped I could do 200 - 300 rds an hour. It does the job just fine and doesn't cost a fortune. I just went to the Lee site and the turret press is selling for about $115.00 for just the press. Turret heads, dies, and accessories are extra.

 

[oneyeopn]

Mosquito...you say that you use mostly cast bullets, are you shooting cast bullets in your AR?. I was just wondering and if so how does it work. Do you size and gas check them also?

 

[crracer_712]

The Lee Classic Turret Press is the shizzle! No more adjusting dies in between caliber changes (although as with any type you use, you do have to readjust for bullet seating depth if you are changing to a different type of bullet).

This press can be had for about a hundred bucks and can easily double or triple the output of a single stage press.

I use it for all my pistol reloads and also 223. I still use my single stage for large caliber rifle, mostly because I simply don't load that much at a time for bolt action.

You can buy a complete Lee Classic Turret press kit for around 200 bucks, this gets you the lee scale(which I spent a hundred buck on a digital scale just to confirm this cheap lee scale is accurate and you don't have the problems associated with a digital scale). Also comes with the Pro Auto disk powder measure, riser and the Lee auto prime.