How long?

[jhall239]

If a guy had/has brass enough for several hundred loads in 4 different calibers for now

If he bought everything needed to to reload, loader-powder-primers-dies and what ever else is required

How long before he breaks even or does he?
I have two guns shooting ½" or less at 100 the other two shoot ¾" at 100 with factory loads Would I significantly better myself from ½"

 

[gohring3006]

If you are trying to talk yourself out of reloading, then just ask your wife/girlfriend what they think about spending the money on equipment and components, they seem to always have input on the subject...

And.... It depends on how much you shoot. If you only hunt and shoot a couple times a year, then it will take forever. If you shoot about 1000+ rounds a year, then it won't take long at all...

 

[EricL]

It depends on what your loading for. For example loading for a 223 wont save you much if anything whereas loading for a 300RUM or 338 you will save lots of $$$ fast if you shoot very much. It also depends on what equipment you start with, some folks spend thousands on equipment in which case you may never justify it in terms of money, on the other hand there are plenty of starter kits out there that will work just fine and not cost an arm and a leg that could save you a good bit depending on what you load and how much you shoot. As far as accuracy goes you may or may not gain a large amount judging by your current group sizes. The good news is you can load the best components on the market and have very high quality ammo without the high quality the price tag. As for me I reload just because I love it and have done it since I was about 12 years old and now I am so stuck in my ways I almost feel guilty wasting my hard earned money on second best ammo. And yes I am one of those guys that is just about incapable of walking past a piece of brass without picking it up even if I don't have a use for it! Hope all that helps a little!

 

[engineer40]

If you shoot cartridges besides 9mm and 223, the ROI is very fast if you shoot the same quantity of ammo. Which you wont, because you reload now and youll justify shooting more.

If you already have rifles that shoot that accurate with factory ammo, and all you do is hunt, it will not be worth it to you.

Most people dont realize that reloading is ANOTHER hobby. If you want to be decent at it, itll take both time and money. It becomes its own thing, separate from shooting, but obviously supports yourshooting hobby also. Not sure if that makes sense?

People will try to be pragmatic and quantify reloading with money saved vs time invested etc... But just be warned, it is another hobby that takes on a life of its own.

Most people will agree that reloading is as enjoyable as shooting is for them. I concur with that.

Youll need the reloading press, dies, powder scale, measuring calipers, manual, tumbler, case lube, bullet puller, and multiple case prep tools. There are many more things, and I have many more things. But you can get started with what I listed.

 

[Dosh]

239, like Eric stated the ease to find and low cost of some of the more common calibers (.223, .308 Win, 30-06 etc) would perhaps be easier to buy factory. Although these calibers are hand loaded to greater accuracy. The larger magnums and more exotic calibers are quite pricey for factory which would precipitate hand loads being 1/3 the cost and likely more accurate. I have a 30/378 Wby if shooting factory is $140.00 + per box of 20. I personally reload for the increased accuracy and the challenge of possibly improving load performance. I'll warn if you begin hand loading, you may get hooked on it and wind up like many here at LRH. Good luck

 

[PGJPJ]

Most people dont realize that reloading is ANOTHER hobby. If you want to be decent at it, itll take both time and money. It becomes its own thing, separate from shooting, but obviously supports yourshooting hobby also. Not sure if that makes sense?

People will try to be pragmatic and quantify reloading with money saved vs time invested etc... But just be warned, it is another hobby that takes on a life of its own.

Most people will agree that reloading is as enjoyable as shooting is for them. I concur with that.

I totally agree, and feel exactly the same way. Kind of like how tying your own flies is to fly fishing.

 

[Rifleman513]

Agree with the other comments above. For my wifes 270 I save about $3-4/ box, but I use the bullets I want and know the accuracy will always be there. My 300 RUM is the reason I got into reloading. I have a fairly basic rock chucker supreme setup with a few other things and just over a year loading for my 300 RUM has saved the amount for the initial purchase. I went from about 3.50/rd using factory ammo to 1.60/rd reloading them. To me it all depends on what caliber your loading for and whether or not you want to get into it. If you have a larger magnum that is costly to shoot and have an interest to learn reloading then it is a win-win.

 

[jhall239]

Well thanks for all the information men
I am referring more to the magnums as has been mentioned, 300 RUM, 300 Tejas, 325 and 300 WSM
I'd probably shoot more if the factory loads weren't over $3.50 a pop. I have enough time consuming habits as it is but see reloading as a challenge as well.... hence my thinking