Rocketeer77
Well-Known Member
I reload using the best of components for under $1 per round? Using my brass, you must be using platinum to spend $3 per round.
Reloading - Is it still really worth it?
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Priley
Well-Known Member
Been on here a long time and have read Butterbean's posts before. You can't believe all you read. There are tons of opinions on these threads and one should use caution when reloading.
I realize this is a very long thread and understand why new posters would not want to read all the posts. I should have amortized the brass. The bullets alone are more than $1 that I am using. If I buy two lbs. of powder (real life current example) and pay shipping and hazmat, it is coming out to $50 per lb. or approx. 50 cents load. Primers at the current price gouging rate are 10 cents. Last order of ADG brass was about $75 for 50. Nosler is considerably higher. I agree, it is not $3 per round. I am going to continue to reload regardless. I am also going to continue learn things from the very knowledgeable members like Butterbean.
If you are not looking and purchasing five years ahead of the curve in the firearms/ammo world you are behind.
CBH Australia
Well-Known Member
I see your point but there are 2 ways to look at it.
There are many who have found they buy more accessories as time goes on, some chase a better way, a new idea better equipment and see lowly sink much more into their hobby.Then they also buyore guns and accessories.
If they stick with one gun and factory ammo for their limited hunting they could have saved a heap.
There are others who buy a setup, discount the setup cost and load cheaper ammo than they can buy.
Proffessional Kangaroo shooters on Australia often load on a small Super Simplex with some other basic equipment. They are saving money on their loads and would have saved the setup cost many times over .Those that are keen shooters might dive in a little further.
I reload because it's all part of my interest. I always take plenty of ammo if I go bush. Usually the cost of getting there always exceed s what I might burn in ammo.
DartonJager
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Didn't bother to read 17 pages so apologies if my post's content is reparative.
I started reloading 30+ years ago for economics as I loved to shoot and a single range trip saw me expending 500-1kK 45acp, 500-1k 38spl and +/- 500 357's
So I started reloading. I quickly learned I enjoyed reloading almost as much as shooting. Then I got in to HP CF rifles' and the accuracy bug bit and I've been addicted ever since.
Then bought my first AR-15 and reloading became even more of a necessity not a luxury.
Once Comrade Klinton was in office I felt if I want to have ammo when ever I wanted it and shoot as much as I wanted, reloading was absolutely mandatory. Since the 90's I've never ran even close to low on ANY ammo or reloading component except 22lr ammo under Comrade nObama. Once 22lr became affordable and available again under Trump I stocked up and stocked up well. Still buying CCI SV and Norma Tac-22 for $4.5-$5 a 50 when I feel like it.
My advice to my firearm owning friends were post nObama was get into reloading so you will always have ammo.
None did. I drew great comfort as I live in NW Indiana when IL was burning only a few miles away knowing if it came to it I was adequately equipped to protect my family from the anarchists'.
As a rifle or shotgun with no ammo becomes a very expensive club and a ineffective one at that.
Is reloading worth the financial investment it if you only shoot 500-1k rounds a year? Given the current cost and scarcity of reloading components specifically primers and powders, NO.
But if you shoot a lot like I do (5k-10k rounds of 9mm a year alone) and been stockpiling primers powder and projectiles for YEARS, yes it most definitely is.
If you want to be able to always have ammo and not be at the mercy of retail ammo producers at least start reloading for one HG caliber. A Lee Classic four Hole Turret press (I own 3 and love them) reloading kit is ABSOLUTELY the best bang for your $$$ in starter reloading kits. It can be used as an auto indexing press or a manual indexing press. Bought my first one form a LGS. The later bought two more from the same LGS who had a bit of a surplus of them made me a deal if I bought two more. Glad I did. Have one set up to just prime and for 38spl, one for 9mm and one for 45acp. My Hornady LNL progressive reloads my plinking 223.
My single RCBS RC and two RCBS RCE's are for my HP CF rifles. I own two RCBS RCE's because one was a garage sale find the other was given to me when my elderly neighbor passed away along with a great deal of his reloading components and equipment. All those years of snow blowing, cutting his grass and leaf removal was quite unexpectedly rewarded.
I started reloading 30+ years ago for economics as I loved to shoot and a single range trip saw me expending 500-1kK 45acp, 500-1k 38spl and +/- 500 357's
So I started reloading. I quickly learned I enjoyed reloading almost as much as shooting. Then I got in to HP CF rifles' and the accuracy bug bit and I've been addicted ever since.
Then bought my first AR-15 and reloading became even more of a necessity not a luxury.
Once Comrade Klinton was in office I felt if I want to have ammo when ever I wanted it and shoot as much as I wanted, reloading was absolutely mandatory. Since the 90's I've never ran even close to low on ANY ammo or reloading component except 22lr ammo under Comrade nObama. Once 22lr became affordable and available again under Trump I stocked up and stocked up well. Still buying CCI SV and Norma Tac-22 for $4.5-$5 a 50 when I feel like it.
My advice to my firearm owning friends were post nObama was get into reloading so you will always have ammo.
None did. I drew great comfort as I live in NW Indiana when IL was burning only a few miles away knowing if it came to it I was adequately equipped to protect my family from the anarchists'.
As a rifle or shotgun with no ammo becomes a very expensive club and a ineffective one at that.
Is reloading worth the financial investment it if you only shoot 500-1k rounds a year? Given the current cost and scarcity of reloading components specifically primers and powders, NO.
But if you shoot a lot like I do (5k-10k rounds of 9mm a year alone) and been stockpiling primers powder and projectiles for YEARS, yes it most definitely is.
If you want to be able to always have ammo and not be at the mercy of retail ammo producers at least start reloading for one HG caliber. A Lee Classic four Hole Turret press (I own 3 and love them) reloading kit is ABSOLUTELY the best bang for your $$$ in starter reloading kits. It can be used as an auto indexing press or a manual indexing press. Bought my first one form a LGS. The later bought two more from the same LGS who had a bit of a surplus of them made me a deal if I bought two more. Glad I did. Have one set up to just prime and for 38spl, one for 9mm and one for 45acp. My Hornady LNL progressive reloads my plinking 223.
My single RCBS RC and two RCBS RCE's are for my HP CF rifles. I own two RCBS RCE's because one was a garage sale find the other was given to me when my elderly neighbor passed away along with a great deal of his reloading components and equipment. All those years of snow blowing, cutting his grass and leaf removal was quite unexpectedly rewarded.
greenejc
Well-Known Member
Actually I did start to save money. Back when I was growing up and in High School, a box of 30-06 cost $7.00, but I could load about three boxes for that. So I bought a Lee Loader and a plastic hammer and started reloading. I think it cost me about $0.75 for a hundred primers, I had the casings, and the powder was about $8.00 a pound. Projectiles were about $8 or $10 a box. I could load 100 rounds of 30-06 for around $20.00, which meant I could shoot nearly 2 1/2 as much for the same price. When you're in highschool and then college on a shoe string, that's important if you want to shoot at all. I can't speak for those who started reloading in the last 25 or so years, but for those of us who started in the '60's and the '70's, most of us did it to be able to shoot more at the same dollar amount, which means to save money. Accuracy was important, but a lot of us back then had either 4 power hunting scopes or open sights. If we weren't shooting competition, we worried about enough accuracy to hit game or varmints and that was good enough. I started buying variable power scopes in the early '70's, and began being concerned with longer ranges when I started shooting prairie dogs on Mr. Houchin's pasture with something other than a .22. Before that, I shot my dad's rifles with open sights. All that changed with my first 6mm Remington and a Weaver variable 2.5 to 8 power around 1973, and it was off to the races, and I started reloading for accuracy from then on.
greenejc
Well-Known Member
My brother told me years ago that an unloaded gun made a poor club and a worse rock. I started for economy of use, and continued for the desire for a ready supply for whatever I wanted to do. I began casting and powder coating lead pistol bullets in order to allow more shooting with the pistol calibers I shoot, because pistol bullets were becoming expensive, and periodically hard to find, and today I shot around 150 .38 specials, 44's and 45's with my brother, only 25 of which were 'factory' bullets, and they were Berry's bullets in my .45 ACP. My pistols may be clubs sometime, but it will be after I've fired the 4 or 5 hundred rounds I have loaded, in each caliber. I'd have more but I shot some of it up practicing. I did cast about 800 .45 bullets this week, though. Next is .44 and 358.
greenejc
Well-Known Member
Then don't do it and send me all your stuff. I still save money on a per box basis. I just shoot more boxes. And that's ok. I quit needing to do it for economy about 30 years ago, and now I do it because I like to. It lets me shoot when others don't have ammo or can't afford it, and I get at least twice the accuracy out of whatever I shoot than I would with factory ammo. That alone makes it worth it.
I don't want them to load! I want them to buy factory! Prices will come
Down for us loaders
lancetkenyon
Well-Known Member
The reason I started hand loading....a wildcat.....25-06AI. Can't buy factory ammo for that.
baggy270
Well-Known Member
Geez bud what did you do? Trudope let's in everybody and pays them $10,000,000 if you are a terrorist!
MagnumManiac
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